rescue

It breaks my heart every time I visit a local animal rescue centre and see Springer's of all shapes and sizes. They are fabulous pets but many people rush into the breed without doing a bit of research to see if a Springer is the right dog for them.

Luckily there are lots of people who love Springer's and are willing to help this wonderful breed find a great new home, and there are also plenty of loving homes out there willing to give a Springer a second chance.

To find out a bit about the Springer rescue in your area check out our links page., and check out the rescue section of the forum

And for those of you that have just acquired a new Springer from your local rescue centre, or you are considering doing so, then hopefully we can help you and your new Springer settle in together.

"Springer's, like other dogs, arrive in rescues from a variety of sources. Some may come in directly, others maybe rescued from Dog Pounds.

Springer's find themselves handed into a pound because their owners couldn't manage them or because the dog had "annoying behaviour" such as persistant barking or had a habit of digging holes in the flower beds. Sometimes Springer's that need vet treatment are surrendered to avoid the vet bills .A change in the owner's life such as relocation to a new job or new babies can suddenly make the dog less valued & so it is handed in.
Sadly if the owner dies, the dog usually is not kept by the family...who often have a different lifestyle. Usually the dog is placed with the nearest rescue or animal sanctuary.
Occasionally Springer's are taken to the vets to be put down & the vet is very reluctant & offers to rehome it.
Then there are the terrible cases where the Springer is surrendered by the owner to the Dog Warden or RSPCA Inspector to avoid prosecution. We took in two beautiful young male Springer's today which fall into this category. They have been kept in a shed all their lives & are quite clearly terrified of the open air & people.

Other Springer's are picked up as strays & bought in to the Dog pound or sometimes taken to the local Springer rescue.

When a rescue takes in a stray Springer obviously nothing is known about the dog's history ..even its name is usually a mystery.

Springer's surrendered by the owner into a pound sometimes come with a little bit of background information but not much. Often the dog's name is not recorded & a guess is made as to its age. Frequently a dog is said to be either younger or older than it actually is.

Part of a responsible rescue's job is therefore to find out as much as they can about the dog mainly be observation & by placing the dog in different situations to guage its reactions towards say cats, other dogs, car travel, children etc. Prospective owners are also assessed in terms of what they can offer & then dogs are matched with suitable owners .If the dog needs further training, has annoying habits or even needs continual medication this information can all be passed onto the new owner.

Obviously this is not in itself a fail safe method so again most responsible rescues offer to take the dog back should things not work out.

A good way to get to learn about rescue Springer's is to offer to foster a rescue Springer. Foster periods are often a matter of weeks & it is not unknown for fosters to be thoroughly glad to hand the dog back (sssh,I didn't say that) or worst still want to keep it forever...which is usually possible. (I didn't say that either!) " (Info supplied by Springer Rescue Ireland, check out the forum to chat to Springer Rescue Ireland if you would like more info about their work.)

These are just a few of the common problems that Springer rescues see every week. Most of these dogs just need some time and patience with somebody who understands what makes a Springer tick, instead of those that wonder why their Springer has chewed their kitchen while they were at work all day, and why their dog isn't tired after a walk round the block lasting 10 minutes.

Please remember what a Springer Spaniel was bred for - In her book, The English Springer Spaniel, Haja van Wessem sums it up well - "Are you a Springer person? - ...his original purpose was finding and springing game. Nowadays he is used to finding, flushing and retrieving game and he is not only very good at it he also loves to work for you. This means that you have to provide an outlet for his active and lively nature. You must be prepared to give your Springer, when he has matured, at least an hour of free exercise every day. Whilst he will enjoy a walk through the park on the lead, or even a shopping expedition, he needs to have the opportunity to stretch his legs, run at full speed and be able to pick up exciting smells that appeal to his hunting instinct" (H van Wessen, English Springer Spaniel)

"1.Find out all you can about the breed if you are not an experienced Springer owner. Remember alot of Springer's come into rescue because their owners were not aware of a Springer's needs.

2.Write out a checklist of things your new Springer must be able to cope with.

Good with cats? INTRODUCING YOUR RESCUE TO YOUR CAT
Travels well ?
House trained,
Lead trained?
Good with children - what age? Don't forget any visiting children such as grand children.
Capable of being left alone ..for how long a period?
etc.

3.Write out a list of things you are prepared to do for your new Springer such as obedience training, supplying medication on a regular basis or copying with deafness or blindness. Don't forget to plan adequate time everyday for exercising the lad or lass.

4.Think hard about the age of Springer you want. Springer's do quieten down eventually.

4a.If living in rented accommodation, will the landlord be agreeable to you having a pet. If you have to move are you prepared only to find another place with an accommodating landlord?

5.Take a good look at your garden. Ideally you want a 6 foot high fence. Springer's got their name for a good reason.

6.Start looking but have the patience to wait until that special one just looks & says I'm yours! " (Springer Rescue Ireland)

Other helpful hints include "don't forget about the grooming! They pick up every smidgen of dirt, grit, water, grass seeds etc they can find! They do require trimming, either professionally, or at home, and books will guide you thru this, and inform you of the best grooming aids!
Best to keep a good stock of old towels, especially in the winter!" (Barb)

HOW WE CHOSE OUR RESCUE SPRINGER - written by Rob

Rob was asked on the forum how long he had spent looking for a rescue Springer to fit in with his family - 2 young twin boys and his wife Rosie

"It took us 4 months before we found Kym. Don't be put off by that, the right dog could be just around the corner.

First your list - Exactly what we did - We made a list of criteria that the dog needed to meet. Being a busy family, work etc, whoever came into our lives needed to have a similar background, else it was not going to work (this is our 3rd rescue ). You need to be sure that it is used to your environment.

Think about your abilities to train etc (and be very honest with yourself), as that will define what behavioural problems you are willing to deal with in your new friend. That way you have a higher likelihood that your chosen dog will have its forever home (remember its their life ,not yours, you are dealing with)

Next, get to know your local rescues. Vital! When the dog that meets your criteria comes up, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone else is looking for something similar: the more complicated your lives, the more criteria: the more criteria, the higher the chance that someone else is in the same bracket.

If the rescues know you are serious (its a bit like having the mortgage already when you put an offer on a house) then the more likely they will call you first when they have something suitable rather than you chasing them.

Contact the breed re-homers. These are the wonderful guys and gals that seek to move a dog directly from one home to another without the need of the dog going to a rescue. Sometimes they use Fosterers (there are lot of Fosterers on this Forum), but either way, their ethos is to ensure minimal distress to the animal concerned. The re-homers will perform a home check before they will consider you for a dog. This is a big advantage (if you pass ):

1. When the right dog comes up there is no delay
2. You get to meet the breed in question, get to ask about and discuss your understanding of the breed, with no time pressure
3. All the re-homers know each other, so if a different breed dog comes up then you've already had the home check!
4. The rescues will want to do a home check once you've chosen a dog - put them in touch with the re-homer! Job done.

Finally, and most importantly of all: Be aware that when the right dog comes along, you will need to take time off to get it settled. You and the dog need to bond in the early days. You need to build its (and yours) confidence up, and the time its used to being left, so that when you happy, your normal routine can slide back into action.

Apart from that lot, relax - the right dog for you could take a while, but be prepared - it could be tomorrow Your Heart will tell you if this one is the one for you! " (Rob)

Within the Springer breed their is a clear division, there are working stock Springer's, bred to work as a gundog, and the show stock, bred to try and be as close a match to the breed standard as possible. The two types are very different, though no official division exists with registration.

It is important to consider the breeding of your Springer, so that the dog you get suits your lifestyle, but if you are looking for a rescue you have no way of looking at the pedigree and seeing if the dog has show or working bloodlines. Here are a few pointers to help you out - however be aware that there is also a grey area of dogs bred to neither work or fit the breed standard, these are normally bred as pets and are a mixture of show and working dogs.

Working Springers are bred for a purpose, to go out with a shooting party and work all day. They have a need for not only exercise, but mental stimulation. Both Show and working Springer's need plenty of exercise and stimulation, but a working strain Springer needs alot more work. Many people say that working Springer's are bred for brains and show Springer's for beauty, in some respects this is correct. A show Springer is intelligent, but a thick beautiful dog will still be bred from, whereas in the working circles the looks aren't important, its what goes on upstairs that counts. You could have the ugliest Springer about, but if he can work all day then he is the one they will want to breed from.

Working Springer's have a buzz about them, they are the ones that you will see putting their nose to the ground and running with joy, they live to hunt, and if unable to work they will quickly find something else to distract them, this can lead to shadow chasing and other activities that the working Springer will use to stimulate itself. In most cases it is a working Springer that you will find in the rescue home because they are the ones that will start running when they get to the park and not come back until they have had some fun, they are the ones that will eat through a wall while you are at work, and they are the ones that will go mad for the slightest bit of attention and stimulation. Many Springer books will try and put you off a working Springer with comments like "they tend to be too exuberant" (Don Miller), but bear in mind if you want a dog to train for obedience, agility, flyball, heelwork to music etc, anything that involves a bit of fun training, then don't overlook the working strain Springer, they will jump through fire to please you as long as you are spending quality time with them, but if you want a family pet that will be left while you are at work, and you don't intend to do any extra training then please don't consider a working strain Springer.

Show Springer's are generally more laid back, but that is not to say that they lack the enthusiasm and drive of their working counterparts, they need just as much exercise and stimulation, but in most respects the buzz has been slowly bred out of them, a calm dog is better in the ring and it is the top dogs in the ring that go on to breed.

TEMPERAMENT: Both my dogs had wonderful temperaments.

ENERGY LEVEL: My show springer was not that energetic, 2/3 small short walks and when of the lead didn't move very far from you (remember he was old), his favourite pastime was sleeping, and show springers tend to snore a lot, at least mine did, whereas my working springer is off his lead in the morning (before I go to work) for a 1/2 hr run around, and he doesn't stop, then he is walked twice again at night, at least once more off lead, and at weekends lots of walking, after his walk he sleeps for a couple of hours, During the day while I am at work, I have someone who lets the dogs out into the back garden to play. Remember dogs who are bored can become destructive" (Mary)

Remember that both Show and Working Springer's are a big commitment, and any Springer will need at least one hours exercise every day, a bored Springer is a destructive Springer.

There are so many ways to help, why not contact your local rescue group they will welcome your offer of help with home checking, fundraising, transport etc, even simple things like taking photographs with a digital camera.

Why not look through the sites and sponsor a dog - Have a look here at Lincoln Springer rescue

or become a member of one of the groups, like ESSW, its only £5 a year and really helps

Collect stamps for NWESSR - The used stamps need approx 1cm of the backing paper around them and the postmarks.Please send them to: -NWESSR, C/o Walter D. Park, 61/63, St Matthew Street, BURNLEY, Lancs. BB11 4LF