rescue program in that state from the organization's
beginning, helping to rescue and place hundreds of wirehairs.
The main reason a wirehair is abandoned, she says, is that the
original owner bought the dog on impulse, then discovered the
inconvenience that come with keeping a high powered hunting dog.
Most of these dogs are well-bred, registered, and expensive,
but the original purchasers don't care about these things when
they lose interest in keeping the animal.
"About half the callers asking about wirehairs are looking
for a hunting dog, " Stuart claims. If the prospective owner
qualifies for a rescued dog, however, she adds, "what they
will get in most cases is a 'companion' dog, that 'could be'
made into a hunting dog Nobody is going to give away a trained
hunter with an AKC Master Hunter Certification."
"Our typical rescued wirehair," Stuart points out,
"is a male, one to four years old, that tends to be head-strong
and stubborn and in need of re-training, rehabilitation, and
a stable environment with a regular routine and careful attention
from his new boss."
"Many of the wirehairs we rescue have some kind of physical
problems caused by neglect and, most often, behavioral problems
brought on by a lack of training and proper attention when the
dog was a puppy," Stuart emphasizes. "After a trip |
to the vet for a check-up and any necessary
treatment, the typical rescued wirehair goes to a 'foster' home
of one of our club members who will get to know the dog, work
on any behavioral difficulties, evaluate the animal's personality
and temperament, and determine how adoptable the dog might be."
"Any dog with debilitating untreatable, genetic disabilities
or major temperament disorders, like extreme aggression and uncontrollable
biting, may be put down if all the rescue members involved with
the dog agree there is no other alternative or hope," Stuart
adds. All rescue organizations for any breed of dog, she adds,
will follow the same procedure when the circumstances require
it.
"We will spend whatever money and time necessary to bring
a wirehair back to good health or to otherwise make a promising
dog adoptable," Stuart says. "Keep in mind that all
our financing comes from donations from individuals and from
our breed club and that all rescue programs are non-profit endeavors
run only by volunteers. Yet, we don't hesitate to spend the dollars
when there is a need."
 |
"Though wirehairs are loving and loyal
dogs, they are often slow to transfer their allegiance to a new
owner," Stuart emphasizes. "That's why we check up
on a newly adopted dog a few weeks to a couple of months later
to make certain that everything is going well." If the rescue
program does all the proper preliminary work and the new owners
do all the things they should, 95% of the adoptions will work
out for the best.
Crystal Todor of West Jefferson, Ohio is one of the charter members
of the Gordon Setter Rescue Club as well as serving as the chairperson
of the Ohio program and on the National Gordon Setter Rescue
Committee (614-879-8405). She has many heart-warming and happy
stories about Gordon's rescued and then placed in new homes.
She tells about:
"Alex, a young Gordon Setter with a heart defect, was turned
over to our rescue program. But, who wants a dog with a bad heart?
Well, a medical doctor from Quebec took the dog, has treated
the condition, and now, two years later has adopted another Gordon
out of the rescue program."
"We had one nine-year old Gordon that came through rescue.
Same problem: who wants an old dog? The people who took her fell
in love with her, made her part of the family, and had her until
she died at 13 They will get another dog through rescue."
"Amos came through rescue at 13 weeks, weighing nine pounds.
Should have been twice that. His new owner nursed the dog to |
