To adopt or not to adopt?

patmac

To adopt or not to adopt? I Was offered a dog today that had strayed into the local garage, pic below. The garage owner cannot keep her and is thinking of giving her to the local dog trust as the owners who he knows, do not want her. She has been wondering around the town for a few days.
I went to the garage today and he asked would we take her, she has a lovely temperament, so I brought my wife to see her and despite having been dead against it before she met the dog, we are seriously tempted.
Our situation, we live in the country, we are away all day from 8.20 in the morning to 6pm, Monday to Friday. We have another dog Sammy a JR cross who is very happy to stay in and watch the world go round from the comfort of her own couch in between walks in the morning and evening.
We have a purpose built run out the back that the stray could be put in during the day, and then we would bring her in in the evening. We do not need another dog, Sammy seems very happy and we are concerned that she will be upset at the arrival of the new dog.
We are confused, the only thing that makes us consider adoption is the lovely nature of the dog that has had a poor start in life. She is about 5 months old and a bit undernourished.
What do people think and any advice regarding the Springer Spanial breed would be appreciated, if that is what she is she could be part setter as well

boomerang

I would do everything possible to locate her owners first, before you think about giving her a home. Someone could be missing her badly.

DBB

Any chance of a better pic? She looks like a pb English Setter to me, working strain.
An absolutely, categorically wonderful dog. Just wonderful. I've never known a bad one.
Oooohhhh why haven't I room for another! This breed is on my list
Is it an option for you to take her with a view to fostering her whilst a permanent home is found for her? There is an English Setter Rescue I can put you in contact with, if that's what she is.

Edited: you say the original owner doesn't want her: I'd STRONGLY advise that you get said owner to sign a piece of paper saying he is surrendering the dog to you. Doesn't have to anything fancy, just a written confirmation of the exchange.
But something needs to happen very quickly now, before she moves off to somewhere else, or gets picked up by the wrong person. She needs for someone to take her and keep her in a secure area until she finds a permanent home/rescue space.

janja

boomerang wrote: »

I would do everything possible to locate her owners first, before you think about giving her a home. Someone could be missing her badly
Owners do not want her apparently ....

patmac

boomerang wrote: »

I would do everything possible to locate her owners first, before you think about giving her a home. Someone could be missing her badly.

The owners are known and are not very nice, the garage man dropped the dog back to them and they didn't even bring her in and left her out to roam the streets, they have another dog that is tied up and let's just say when the daughter was told that the dog was going to get killed she informed the garage man in colourful language that she didn't want him back. The dog is not in a healthy state. Looks malnourished. I do not have any other photos as I live 50kms away from the town I work in, but having googled setter she looks like one ok, how are they for staying inside and with other dogs?

boomerang

Sorry patmac, I glossed over that bit.

They can absolutely be indoors. They are just the softest, most gentle and biddable dogs.

DBB

patmac wrote: »

Looks malnourished. I do not have any other photos as I live 50kms away from the town I work in, but having googled setter she looks like one ok, how are they for staying inside and with other dogs?

I'm not saying that her last owners looked after her, but I will tell you that all working line English Setters (also often called Llewellyn Setters) are often very skinny, very gangly, and look like they're never fed!
However, it sounds like her current owners don't give a damn... has the garage owner accepted ownership of her, for all intents and purposes? If the girl who told him to keep the dog was an adult, and was the owner, then you may be able to take it in good faith that the garage owner is now the owner, and get him to sign the dog over to you?
As for staying inside with other dogs, they are generally terrific with other dogs, easily trained, gentle, sometimes even a little bit dopey (in a lovely way), and make wonderful pets. Really, they are simply wonderful dogs... you may have come to the conclusion by now that I rather like them
But, she's going to need a lot of training, just like any pup does, and as a working-line ES could be quite a driven wee girlie should she come across an interesting scent. And, you have your JRT to convince too, this is going to be the hardest bit!
But what have you to lose? If you take her in, and it doesn't work out, at the very least you've got her out of danger and acted as half-way house to a new home for her.

mymo

Have to agree with the others, my friends took in a working (well if you call locked in a shed day and night or 3 or 4 years, and only let out to pee, working:mad:) setter, and he is amazing.
Great with kids, loves people and other dogs, even likes their cat and guinea pigs.
Happiest looking dog in the world when you give him a pet.
Took 3 weeks to house train, and after a 20 min walk sleeps all day, until evening walk.
They also have a tiny dog for company and they get on great together, but depend son your dog, bring her to meet the dog and see the reaction.

patmac

Just another question her tail is cropped is there any significance to that?

DBB

patmac wrote: »

Just another question her tail is cropped is there any significance to that?

You'd have to think so. It's a common thing that when the mother has a docked tail, her pups will be done too. So, perhaps your initial thought that there was Springer in her is correct... But your photo makes her look VERY English Setter-y... I suppose there's always a chance whoever bred her (as a purebred) hadn't a bull's notion what they were at, knew she was a gundog, and for some reason thought that's why she needed her tail docked?! Maybe her tail had an accident when she was younger? Who knows?!
All conjecture obviously, without a clear pic it's hard to tell, but even if she's a spaniel x English Setter, this is a nice cross! You're clearly very taken with her!

meoklmrk91

Hunting springers or cockers would often have their tails docked as pups if they are to be used for hunting. Apparently they get so into their work that when running through rough cover they can get their tails caught on briars and things and very easily pick up injuries to their tails. So i would assume that she is of some hunting strain. Doesn't really make a difference though, a dog is a dog.

patmac

Well after a long sleepness night and a lot of research we have decided after reading a lot about the English Setter breed that this dog is not for us.
I quote
Behavioral Traits

English Setters can only tolerate being alone for a few hours at at time. They should not be raised in homes where they will be alone all day or they will become destructive chewers and neurotic barkers. Companion dogs don't always help the situation, either, unless the dogs are raised together as puppies and the Setter considers the other dog part of his pack.
Boredom can also lead to destructive behaviors in this breed. If not given enough activity during the day, an English Setter will find ways to entertain himself, and it often involves chewing things that don't belong to him........


The major problem is that we are not at home during the day Monday to Friday and are working too far away to hop home to let her out, and having let the head rule the heart for a change we feel it would be unfair on the dog to leave her out in the run all day and unfair on the JT cross and the house to leave her in all day, so with regret, we feel we cannot take her.
The garage man is keeping her in the garage temporarily but any help in rehoming him would be appreciated you can pm me if you wish.

gregers85

We have a working strain English Setter at home and she's in the house all the time - now to be fair only about 2 days a week is she left there for a long period when there's no one else home! She is very energetic and needs a good hour every day off lead chasing ball and chasing birds! Once she gets it she is a great house dog just lies in her bed or sits infront of you on the couch with her head on your lap! very loving and affectionate! but if she doesnt get out for her run she does become very restless and pases up and down the room all night! she has never been destructive or a barker but i could see how it could easily escalate to that!!

planetX

patmac wrote: »

Well after a long sleepness night and a lot of research we have decided after reading a lot about the English Setter breed that this dog is not for us.
I quote
Behavioral Traits

English Setters can only tolerate being alone for a few hours at at time. They should not be raised in homes where they will be alone all day or they will become destructive chewers and neurotic barkers. Companion dogs don't always help the situation, either, unless the dogs are raised together as puppies and the Setter considers the other dog part of his pack.
Boredom can also lead to destructive behaviors in this breed. If not given enough activity during the day, an English Setter will find ways to entertain himself, and it often involves chewing things that don't belong to him........


The major problem is that we are not at home during the day Monday to Friday and are working too far away to hop home to let her out, and having let the head rule the heart for a change we feel it would be unfair on the dog to leave her out in the run all day and unfair on the JT cross and the house to leave her in all day, so with regret, we feel we cannot take her.
The garage man is keeping her in the garage temporarily but any help in rehoming him would be appreciated you can pm me if you wish.

Now this picture looks more like a springer spaniel. English setters are bigger than that. Don't put too much into a breed description, every dog is an individual.

meoklmrk91

planetX wrote: »

Now this picture looks more like a springer spaniel. English setters are bigger than that. Don't put too much into a breed description, every dog is an individual.

I would agree definitely springer, in the other picture she looked like an English but here it's plain to see she is mostly if not all springer.

DBB

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I would agree definitely springer, in the other picture she looked like an English but here it's plain to see she is mostly if not all springer.

Can't see the all Springer myself.
Bear in mind, size wise, that working English Setters tend to be surprisingly small, some are verging on tiny. I know several that are no taller than a Springer.
Anyway, I think it's fair to say this girlie is a dropper, a cross between two gundog breeds.
No matter what she is, she needs to be got to a place of safety, with a view to rehoming her. OP, if you'd post what part of the county she's in, one of us may be able to make suggestions (remembering not to mention any rescues by name on-forum :-) That can be done by pm.
OP, re your online research into the ES breed, everything you quote in your post could readily be said about any dog, of any breed or creed.

patmac

DBB wrote: »

Can't see the all Springer myself.
Bear in mind, size wise, that working English Setters tend to be surprisingly small, some are verging on tiny. I know several that are no taller than a Springer.
Anyway, I think it's fair to say this girlie is a dropper, a cross between two gundog breeds.
No matter what she is, she needs to be got to a place of safety, with a view to rehoming her. OP, if you'd post what part of the county she's in, one of us may be able to make suggestions (remembering not to mention any rescues by name on-forum :-) That can be done by pm.
OP, re your online research into the ES breed, everything you quote in your post could readily be said about any dog, of any breed or creed.

She is in Clara Co Offaly, do you think she could be left in a run, or the house all day unsupervised?

DBB

I'll be honest with you OP, it wouldn't be ideal to have her on her own for such long periods every day. A dog with a work ethic like this one probably has, could start to suffer due to boredom and lack of company, developing separation-related problems. Some owners get away with it, but working breeds like this one are less likely to come out well from spending long periods alone.
All pups need a lot of time invested in them, whether living indoor or out, but a young working breed dog needs even more time and training investment.
Having said all of this, what you're offering her is better than what she has now! She'd be safe and cared for. But long-term, you're risking behavioural problems.
So, is there an compromise for her? Are their family members nearby who could walk her while you're at work? Or someone you could leave her with on your route to work? I know a super lady in Tullamore who does doggy daycare, if this was of any use to you, even a couple of days a week?:)There are several daycares on the way to and in Dublin too, if this was your route to work.
Otherwise, perhaps the thing to do is see if a rescue can take her and rehome her. Most rescues are full to the rafters right now. If it were an option for you to foster this little lady for a few weeks until they found her a home, that could work. Or, you could try rehome her yourself, using the various pathways which I'd be happy to PM to you should you need them.

patmac

DBB wrote: »

I'll be honest with you OP, it wouldn't be ideal to have her on her own for such long periods every day. A dog with a work ethic like this one probably has, could start to suffer due to boredom and lack of company, developing separation-related problems. Some owners get away with it, but working breeds like this one are less likely to come out well from spending long periods alone.
All pups need a lot of time invested in them, whether living indoor or out, but a young working breed dog needs even more time and training investment.
Having said all of this, what you're offering her is better than what she has now! She'd be safe and cared for. But long-term, you're risking behavioural problems.
So, is there an compromise for her? Are their family members nearby who could walk her while you're at work? Or someone you could leave her with on your route to work? I know a super lady in Tullamore who does doggy daycare, if this was of any use to you, even a couple of days a week?:)There are several daycares on the way to and in Dublin too, if this was your route to work.
Otherwise, perhaps the thing to do is see if a rescue can take her and rehome her. Most rescues are full to the rafters right now. If it were an option for you to foster this little lady for a few weeks until they found her a home, that could work. Or, you could try rehome her yourself, using the various pathways which I'd be happy to PM to you should you need them.

Well I live 50kms from Clara and we have no dog walking facilities, but the garage man is taking good care of her at the moment and is looking for a suitable local to adopt her, also he is in contact with a local rescue centre where he can leave the dog, but he is becoming attached to her so she is temporarily being well looked after.
Also it spurred us into adopting a second more suitable dog a JR cross to go with our own and we have her 3 hours now having got her from a midlands rescue centre and she has settled in very well, so good news all round.

patmac

Just a last word on this, the garage man found a nice home for her, so 2 dogs got rehomed last Saturday, alls well that ends well.

missmyler

Great news

ISDW

patmac wrote: »

Well I live 50kms from Clara and we have no dog walking facilities, but the garage man is taking good care of her at the moment and is looking for a suitable local to adopt her, also he is in contact with a local rescue centre where he can leave the dog, but he is becoming attached to her so she is temporarily being well looked after.
Also it spurred us into adopting a second more suitable dog a JR cross to go with our own and we have her 3 hours now having got her from a midlands rescue centre and she has settled in very well, so good news all round.

Well done for adopting a dog in need, and I'm delighted the original dog has got a new home as well. I really don't want to bring any negativity into this thread at all, but can you please clarify, that you posted this on 1st November and by 3rd November, you had gone to a rescue centre and rehomed with a dog? Did they not do a homevisit or assessment?

patmac

ISDW wrote: »

Well done for adopting a dog in need, and I'm delighted the original dog has got a new home as well. I really don't want to bring any negativity into this thread at all, but can you please clarify, that you posted this on 1st November and by 3rd November, you had gone to a rescue centre and rehomed with a dog? Did they not do a homevisit or assessment?

We have adopted twice before.

ISDW

patmac wrote: »

We have adopted twice before.

From the same place? Phew, I must admit I was a bit concerned Hope its all going well, I saw your photo up on the other thread, looks like she's settled in completely