Irish Setter, 7 Years Old
Max is a handsome 7 year old Irish Setter
Max has a bit of a different story to a lot of the dogs we help. We’ve been speaking to Max’s family for quite some time now. They adopted him as a family pet some years ago but were given very limited information about him so we’re not sure about his first years in life. His family have been struggling to look after him for a while now and have struggled with the decision to rehome him but come to the conclusion that this is the best thing for him
He’s lived in a a family home for several years now but sadly even for a lot of family pets in Spain, they don’t live the life we are used to in the UK, and Max has lived chained up outside or in their garage for a lot of that time. They tried to get help from a trainer in Spain to help with his stress and anxiety around people he didn’t know and dogs but sadly they recommended a prong collar, amongst other methods, which understandably made him more stressed. The family got to the point they were unable to walk him and although they do understand that sadly the advice they were given added to the problem, they didn’t have the time he really needs to help him with his anxiety. You can see some photos of him from his days with his family at the end of his album
He’s recently moved to the shelter we work very closely with in the north of Spain so we can prepare him ready for finding his new home so he can travel to the UK. In the shelter, he has managed to completely decompress from the stresses of life and expectations that living in a home can put on any animal. Despite being reactive to strangers and other dogs in his family home, he’s adapted really easily in the shelter and is happy to greet people he doesn’t know, both at the shelter and on walks with the volunteers. He can be a bit skittish on walks still and they’ve noticed he doesn’t like being around a lot of noise or crowded by dogs. He has managed to bagsy himself a kennel mate who he gets on well with although he’s not a dog who interacts hugely with other dogs (at least not yet) and is happy running around outside for most of the day, enjoying digging and lots of attention from people!
He’s a lovely big, slender Irish setter, typical of the breed and possibly isn’t fully working stock. He’s not used to walking on his lead yet so will need more work and also help to overcome his anxieties on walks. He does pull a bit at first although settles down well but he is still a strong dog if he does pull.
Max would be best suited to a child free and rural home where he can settle in a quiet environment without having to face lots of dogs on his walks and a home with the patience to overcome any issues which may arise once he’s back in a home environment but also happy to let him live a life with few expectations to help him thrive and enjoy being a dog!
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