In Oct 2017 we lost my husband Steve’s Jack Russell Terrier (previously a rescue) at the grand old age of 17, leaving our 2 year old English Setter Obi with no canine company. As he had been used to doggy friends living with him ever since we brought him home at 8 weeks old, we wanted to find him a suitable companion, and so had been looking for another rescue dog. I have had English Setters for 30 years but my husband had only ‘met’ them a few years ago when he and I got together, so he was keen to get a smaller dog as the 2nd dog. So we looked at various rescue sites, but to no avail. So I started to search for rescue English Setters, just to see, and came across one of Pepe’s adverts. I shared the information on a few of them (they were all lovely) with my husband, with the added comment of ‘they look like they may be smaller than Obi, so not quite like having a 2nd big dog..’ And the rest is history!
The whole adoption process was very straight forward, we completed the forms (very similar to ones other UK Rescue organisations ask you to complete), Obi and I had a video skype interview with the lovely Sarah Stainsby – it was SO nice to talk to another Setter person! That was followed by a house check and we got the all clear to have Cecil, our 1stchoice. The wheels were put in motion in Spain, and the date was set for when Cecil would come across – at the end of April. Then we hit a snag. Sarah messaged me 2 weeks before he was due over, to ask if we could have him earlier, as a mother and son Pointer pair being adopted together needed to be delayed as one of them wasn’t fit enough to travel, so there was a space in the van which needed to be filled by a dog that was ready to travel (ie. had papers ready, been vet checked and inoculated).
We had a dilemma, we could manage having him a week early but not 2 as I had moved certain things to be done before our new arrival came. However a solution was at hand, Pepe put out a request for someone to foster him for that 1st week, and someone volunteered. But what a strange coincidence – the couple that arranged to foster him were called Karen & Steve, just like we were!! And they were the people who were adopting the pair of Pointers that were unable to travel. So it was all meant to be.
He travelled across from Spain and arrived in the UK on Sat 14thApril 2018. Pepe, Sarah and team shared photos during the journey and also at the various drop offs. Karen & Steve sent us photos of him as well, and we kept in touch by phone and text all week leading up to when we met up with them to bring him home to ours.
So nearly a year ago Cec joined our family. He was 22 months old and a small boned, tricolour (Spanish Tri – white/orange/dark brown) working English Setter. At the beginning he was timid, a bit wary, anxious of certain things, funny about eating his food with anyone else near by, got scared if you asked him to ‘sit’; he was (and is!) incredibly affectionate, loves cuddles, loves his soft toys (our house looks like a toddlers nursery at times with all the toys out on the floor) and LOVES Obi! They get on so, so well together. He was quite easy to house train, and actually seemed to go for hours without a wee!. He is very obedient in the house – comes like lightening when he is called inside the house/garden; but a very different animal when outside in the fields and woods, and in the secure paddock we go to. There he is in a completely different zone, prey driven, aware of everything around him and then tunes the humans out. So we walk him on a long line or extended lead when walking him out with Obi, never off the lead (and wont be for a long time). He is however off the lead when we go to the secure paddock where he runs and runs and runs to his heart’s content. Longer term I will do some training with him in the paddock, when running the perimeter becomes less of a novelty! All in good time, there is no rush.
Today he is a happy contented little dog, likes his share of the sofa (or all of it if he stretches out far enough), has a quirky sense of humour, does like to chew things, digs holes in the garden; he loves us dearly, always brings us a soft toy to greet us in the morning and makes a soft squeaking noise at the same time, wagging his tail like mad! Adorable dog, he is loved by all; including Obi. He has the occasional moments of ‘oddity’ which are actually a good reminder to us that we haven’t had him that long, that he is a rescue and not to take anything for granted, not to make mistakes.
We are so grateful to have been able to adopt him, and so blessed to have him……. Thank you SeBPRA!