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Some time ago but it seems like only yesterday, I was asked to go to one of our local shelters here in northern Colorado and pick up an English Setter male. Bob asked me and at that time All Setter Rescue was not in anybody's thoughts. "Johnny" was so loved by this shelter that they did some vetting on him, gave the old man a bath, and hoped that Rescue would take him. He was a senior and his blood work came back looking very normal for his age. What a sweet boy, he'd follow me everywhere and lay at my feet. His eyes told a story, he was happy. I had two Irish rescues at the time, Brianna and Lucky and I regret to this day that I didn't have "Johnny" longer than the short time he was here. I believe it was just a few short weeks before he was called to the Bridge. He did not die in a shelter. The tears still fall ... and I guess he left a permanent scar on my heart. He is why, I still involve myself in any way possible with rescue. |
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When the Longmont Humane Society called me that they had an Irish Setter female; I couldn't get there fast enough. It had been months of exhausting search to find my Alley and maybe, just maybe, this would be the day. The piercing flat eyes of another setter that met mine were not Alley's. I was in tears. She was so frail, she would not eat for the shelter workers, and she was so scared. There were several bowls of kibble, several choices for her but they remained full. Through her fear she managed a wag of her tail. I wanted to take her out of there the minute I saw her but she had to remain for the maximum days in case her owners were looking for her. She was skin and bones. I could place my fingers between her ribs, the indentation was so prominent and patches of her rough red coat fell off in my hands when I touched her. I couldn't sleep that night. Her haunting drawn face returned to my thoughts over and over. Would she be alive on Sunday? |
| On Sunday morning I got the call to come and get her. She would have a chance to become the princess she was meant to be. She wasn't a small Irish yet she barely weighed 40 pounds. Her recovery to full health was slow. It was almost a year before she regained her weight of about 63 pounds. I named her Brianna and she lived with me for eight years before she went into kidney failure and the angels helped her journey to the Bridge. This is a picture of Bri before she left me. She was still a very happy old gal, full of life and giving. Many times I have asked myself "Why?" The answer is always the same. "Why not?" |
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When All Setter Rescue was just Bob Attleson, Bob worked closely with the A.B.R.N. (All Breed Rescue Network), and the local English and Irish Setter Clubs. I was also very involved and part of Bob's rescue team. One day A.C.E.S. got a call from the Denver Dumb Friends League that their was one of their dogs in the D.D.F.L. She was a Tricolor English Setter that was identified by her microchip, registered to A.C.E.S. This is a very important part of rescue.nbsp; Rescue Groups working together for the good of the dogs. I was asked by A.C.E.S. to meet with A.B.R.N. in Denver and foster this little English munchkin. A.C.E.S. sent me all the necessary information on Browser, now Becky, and I was soon interviewing applicants interested in adoption. As the weeks went by, I grew fonder and fonder of this little spotted dog and during that time there also came the rejection of possible homes. Becky was simply just the wrong color. She was not an Orange Belton, not a Blue Belton, she was a Tri and she had too much black for the likings of those that inquired about her. Here, she is the sweetest English amongst a sea of red and she refuses to pick up any of their naughty habits. |
| Let me clarify that, like barking. Becky has been here a few years and she doesn't want to get rid of me. That's very typical of your rescue setters. They never stop loving and giving. It's almost like they know they are special. If you talk to anyone that has adopted a rescue, they will tell you that these dogs show a sence of knowing. They know they have been especially picked from many of the rescues available. |
