My SeBPRA journey started in 2020 when I did what everyone else did and decided to get a dog! Having grown up with a variety of rescue and non-rescue dogs (as well as cats and donkeys and peacocks), I’d never been able to have my own due to working hours and location. As we all know, 2020 changed a lot of things and I was lucky enough to be able to permanently switch to working from home. So I started looking for a dog – I knew I wanted a rescue and had narrowed it down to a female, 3-4 years old, cocker spaniel. How I ended up on the SeBPRA website I’m still not entirely sure. But, once there, the first dog I saw was Rocky and it was love at first sight… The 8 year old, 30kg, male setter arrived from Spain in the summer of 2020 and immediately enjoyed the benefits of lockdowns and closed golf courses.
6 months later, having said I was definitely, 100%, only ever having one dog, Isla, the tiny and terrified setter, arrived on the first post-Brexit trip. She has proved to be quite a challenge and has taught me a huge amount about nervous and anxious dogs, the relationships between dogs and humans, and the bond that a grumpy old dog can have with a scared younger one.
In the last couple of years, I’ve helped out with home checks, fostered a few setters (one of the most rewarding things I think I’ve ever done) and am now part of the setter rehoming team where I have the privilege of helping to find wonderful homes for setters in need.
Based on the north Essex coast, the dogs and I spend a lot of time on the beach and I am fortunate enough to still work from home full-time, with only the occasional trip into the London office.