English Setter, <1 Year Old

UPDATE 14.04.21

Ares is doing very well in his foster home. He’s come a long way in the past few months. He has settled into a routine well and is very calm around the house in general as long as he is getting adequate mental and physical stimulation. He is fully house trained, although this may take a step backwards in a new environment. He is also doing well with his house manners and chewing in general! He can be left for short periods of time, although he has only ever been left with other dogs for company.

His fear of cars has improved and, although he isn’t a huge fan of getting in cars, he handles the journeys ok, as long as he has a canine buddy with him. Sadly his fear of cars on walks is still very much present and adopters will need to continue to work on this with him as he is scared of them at quite some distance currently. He can also be scared of bikes.

His biting has also almost completely stopped and he is now very responsive compared to the puppy that arrived in December! He responds to his name (actually, he responds to Arey!) and can easily be distracted from any unwanted behaviour and directed to something else. His favourite thing in the whole entire world is a ball, he will happily play with his favourite ball for hours, as long as you’ll fetch it for him when he inevitably puts it in places he can’t get to!

His recall is still good for a working setter and his loose lead walking is progressing, although he is quite challenging to teach basic commands such as ‘sit’ as he gets very easily distracted! He’s very friendly although does need to learn that not every dog and person wants to say hello to him!

Arey is looking for a rural home where he will not be trigger stacked by traffic on walks so an adopter can work with him gradually at his own speed. He will also need a young resident dog in his new home as he adores playing with 3 of the younger dogs in his foster homes. He can play quite rough but he’s very good natured with it. We are looking for a local home due to his fear of cars (despite being ok with his current canine friend, we think it would be very stressful for him to travel far).

Unfortunately Ares is still waiting for his vet referral due to issues surrounding lockdown. Whilst his eye does not seem to bother him, this still will need looked at by a specialist which can be discussed further

UPDATE 16.01.20:

Ares is a very handsome, bouncy and active young English setter. He absolutely adores playing with other dogs and has quickly decided that his favourite type of toy is a ball. He also loves being outside on walks. Typically for his age, his recall is decent at the moment, although he’s already starting to realise that adventures on his own are rather fun! He has started to pull on his lead as he has gained more confidence and quite likes walking with a stick in his mouth! At the moment, it seems he will have a decent prey drive, typical of his breed.

He does best on quiet countryside walks as he is very scared of cars at the moment and will drop to the floor and wet himself which is being worked on in his foster home. He is being socialised (as much as possible in lockdown…) to help him get over the fears he does have in a controlled way to enable him to become a well balanced adult dog but this will need continued in his forever home.

In the house he has gained confidence very quickly. He is a typical puppy in the fact he only has two gears, go and stop. When he’s in go, he is a very full on puppy and does require somebody with a lot of patience, experience and determination. We aren’t sure of his background before he was rescued but we do wonder whether he was separated from him litter very young due to his hunter not being able to sell him because of his eye. He has signs of being a singleton pup including of lack bite inhibition and understanding of social cues. He is slowly learning these but again, this will need to continue in his forever home. He has just started to enjoy cuddles and has began to engage with humans more. He is a very challenging puppy and these things will require work.

Ares is still awaiting his vet referral to determine if he needs any treatment for his eye. His eye has now atrophied and we believe there is no eye left. His adopter needs to be mindful of any care going forward and how this can also impact his training.

He suffered from what was suspected to be gastroenteritis in Spain before travelling and was quite ill when he arrived but is now thriving on a raw diet.

Ares is looking for an experienced owner with another resident dog and no small children.

He is currently in foster in Northumberland and a home within close proximity would be preferred as he does not travel well at all but others will be considered

UPDATE: Ares arrived in UK foster on 19.12.20. He’s been referred to an ophthalmic specialist so won’t be available for adoption quite yet

This little guy is Ares, DOB 01/07/20

Ares was born to breeder in the north of Spain. They said his left eye hasn’t developed properly and he has no vision in it. Nobody wanted to buy him so he was handed into the shelter.

Don’t be fooled though, having no sight in one eye does not slow Ares down! Dogs with limited or no vision cope miraculously well and since he has full sight in his other eye, he’s a typical pup. He loves to run, jump and play and he’s very funny and makes everyone smile.

He would love another dog in the house as a playmate so we are looking for a home with a young resident dog. We are also looking for a home without young children. It’s hard for us to tell when dog’s are in shelters but due to his limited sight, he could be easier startled than other puppies so young children could be hard for him.

He’s looking for a kind adopter who will take the extra steps to keep Ares safe while exercising him but also not hold him back due to his vision. Teaching extra commands like “careful” can be really helpful in order to let dogs like Ares off their lead, living life to the full, but also keep them safe

UPDATE: The vet in Spain tells us there’s no way of knowing whether he was born with eye problems or whether they were caused by trauma. His eye is atrophying and he does not see out of it at all. In the past, she’s seen some dogs like this who have never had a problem and others have had problems like recurrent eye infections and eventually needed the eye removed. It’s important to note, Ares’ eye will not be covered by standard pet insurance (unless a policy including existing conditions is taken out) and he may need more expensive treatment in the future.

Ares & Friends
Ares & Friends
Ares & Friends

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