SOUTH YORKSHIRE ENGLISH
SPRINGER SPANIEL RESCUE
JUST A FEW OF OUR SUCCESS STORIES
Billy (was Opie)
Billy's feet hardly touched the ground when he came to us before he was lucky enough to find himself a new home. He was only two years old and a much loved dog but his owner was struggling with post natal depression and housing issues, she really felt that the best thing for him was a new home with people who had the time and energy for him. The people that came to meet him had previously adopted a dog from SYESSR so we knew it would be a good home for him. A couple of years later and this is what his new owners have to say:
Billy is doing great thanks. He’s grown in confidence as the months have gone by and has turned into a right character. Bonnie our other dog, a 9 year old Rottie, has been given a new lease of life since his arrival. He’s been on holiday all over the UK with us and quickly settles wherever we go. He’s very food orientated as per most Springers but likes his ball too. All in all he really loves life and we get a lot of pleasure seeing him happy and daft exactly as he should be!
Sheila
Sheila came to us from a Cyprus rescue that had taken her in in a terrible state, she had been in the rescue a long time with no sign of a home so we agreed to give her a chance with us. She was a quiet sweet little girl who was delightful with everyone she met, the lady who eventually gave her a home originally came to rescue just to volunteer to walk without any intention of getting a dog. Sheila obviously had other ideas and ensured she fell in love with her and could do nothing else but take her home. She has now been in her home over 3 years and we had this lovely update about her.
Sheila has come a very long way from the shy quiet dog who came home with me! Like any typical spaniel she loves having a swim, and when a walk is mentioned she is as bouncy as any other spaniel. However, Sheila is one of the laziest dogs ever! She has even been caught laying in bed reaching her head over the edge to eat her dinner. Her personality took a while to come through but once she’d settled down we realised we had a diva on our hands! She knows when she wants fuss and attention and will drag your arm to her no matter what you’re doing. She brings us a lot of joy, and laughter and during this current time when we’re stuck inside she is really keeping our spirits up with all her funny quirks and sass. I am so happy I made the decision to give Sheila a new home, she has helped me through some very tough times and I can’t imagine life without her!
Max
Handsome Max came into rescue as he was too much for his owners, he went to a new home but he was quite a handful and came very very close to coming back to us. Four and a half years later his new owners had the following to say:
Life with Max has not always been easy, as there are certain dogs he really doesn't like, live stock that he would chase given the chance, along with joggers, cyclists, cars and horses. As you are aware we seriously thought we would have to return him to you, but thankfully we didn't. In fact in these terrible times of distancing ourselves, Max has come into his own. Luckily he has always got on with Duffy our other rescue Springer and we have a large garden, so we have a anti social life and take Max to desolate places or the beach when the tide is so far out and we can have the space to let him run.
We both love Max and he has his forever home.
Sometimes the more difficult dogs are the most rewarding and often the most loyal, Max is one lucky boy that his new family fell in love with him enough to continue to work with him and work their life around him rather than expecting him to just slot into theirs.
Sandy (was Opal)
.Sweet little Sandy came to us along with her mum & siblings from a rescue in Cyprus, they were all fabulous with each other and other dogs but quite timid around people they didn't know. A lovely family came regularly to walk her and get to know her before giving her a home, allowing her to get to know them whilst still in an environment she felt safe in really helped in her transition to living in a home.
Her owner said having Sandy is like having another child, LOL She is doing great she never leaves me alone and she loves it when I get up early so she can have my spot in the bed pre warmed . She is rather plump now but hopefully with all the dog walks she is getting during lock down it will do some good.
Hattie
Pretty little Hattie is another doggie that came to us from another rescue that specialises in rescuing dogs from the Balkans. Poor Hattie had been rescued as a puppy from one of their horrendous kill shelters, whatever she encountered in their scarred her for life. Hattie was extremely timid with people which caused her to show aggression as a means of frightening the threat off. Hattie had initially been found a new home in the UK but unfortunately they were unable to cope with her issues so she came to us. We found her to be great with all the dogs and also good with people once she had got to know them but as described very timid with people she didn't know. She wasn't with us too long (6 weeks ish) before she was lucky enough to find someone willing to work with her and her issues and give her a forever home. Coming up for two years later she is still doing well and we had this update her about her, she has obviously not been the easiest dog but has been very rewarding.
Hattie is doing fine. She still has quite a lot of anxiety especially around strangers but much better than in the early days when she would lunge at people when passing them. We can never let her off the lead when anyone is around unless they have a dog off lead who she would play with. That way she's focused on the dog and not the person and she does enjoy a good play, Also, if she gets on the scent off something, she won't come back until she's lost the trail. We've been known to wait forty minutes! She always comes back eventually. Given the opportunity, she'll eat and roll in all sorts of muck! Yes she's been hard work but out of all three dog's we've had, Hattie is by far the most affectionate and she loves to have cuddles on the sofa and get up on the bed during the night.
Levi
Levi came to us from the stray kennels, he had been found straying and no one had come to claim him (poor lad). We therefore had no history for him so it was a case of what you see is what you get, luckily for him someone was happy to take him on that basis. From this recent update it looks like they made the right choice.
Thought I would send you an update on Levi who we adopted from you on 5 March 2016. Levi i s a big part of the family with a huge fan club! He still loves to plonk himself on your knee whenever he feels like it. He is a big softie who takes his beloved owl everywhere with him. He adores playing football and going out on his walks. He does still pull on the lead but has got better around other dogs and has managed to make a couple of friends. Wouldn't be without him for anything!
Annie
Annie (on the right) & her sister Macy came to us as a matching pair from a rescue in Cyprus. We thought they might be some sort of pointer cross but a DNA test by one of their new owners showed a number of breeds, none of which were a pointer. They were a lively but lovely pair, being quite large and non spaniel made homing them much harder so they were with us over 6 months before Annie was lucky enough to find a home, once she had a home one of our volunteers who had spent a lot of time with the pair took Macy home to live with her. Our most recent update on Annie is below, it just shows that you can work through any initial issues and end up with a lovely family member.
Annie is very fit and very well, thank you, she has just been helping me as I was doing the Joe Wicks PE lesson as I am not at school at the moment. It is quite tricky doing sit ups when your face is being washed!
It was 3 years in December when we took Annie home. The first 2 weeks felt like 3 years. She took an instant dislike to Stanley and bit his ear. She then hid under he kitchen table so we left her there, kept Stan in a different room, fed them separately but walked them together. Within a couple of weeks, she adored him. So much so that when Rick took her for a short run, she was ok but when he then took Stan, she cried and howled so that didn't happen again. They had a very happy three years. They would play in the front garden and Stan would nudge her to encourage her to play chase. It was great to see them running round and round my car! One would stop and stalk the other and they would go in the other direction.
Sadly, we lost Stan in November. He had a lump/tumour on his kidneys which had obviously been slowly growing but with no signs or symptoms. The only thing looking back was that Annie kept sniffing his back above where the tumour was. We thought she was daft but perhaps not! I just kept telling her to stop sniffing.
Annie has really come into her own. She loved Stan but she is definitely better as an only dog. She has stopped eating her food at breakneck speed and is walking so beautifully on the lead as she has no-one to compete with.
She is so kind but not very gentle. When the alarm goes off in the morning, she sits at the bedroom door waiting to give whoever stays in bed a cuddle. She still, at age 5, cannot land on the bed rather than straight on top of us, with all four paws landing on and prodding various parts of us!
She truly is a lovely girl and we are so privileged to have her.
Rolo
Rolo was one of those girls who's owners just felt they couldn't give her the time she needed so asked SYESSR to find her a new home. We were told that she was not good with small dogs but this was not an issue we found her to have once she came into rescue. Just over three years after going in to her new home we asked how she was getting on and this was the reply :)
Hi SYESSR, hope your keeping well through this crazy period of time. We are all good and Rolo is indeed fit, well and loving life! She really settled in and truly is ‘part of our family’ she loves her nannan and grandad (my folks!) mainy as she gives her custard cream on the sly! Our neighbours love her too and enjoy popping into see her while we are at work.
our neighbours love her and enjoy popping in to see her whilst me and claire are at work.
Ruby
Little Ruby came to us from a rescue in Cyprus, along with her three puppies. She was a sweet little girl a little and very patient with her puppies, she was good with people but a little nervous around other dogs. Ruby was also suffering with Leishmania which was kept under control with medication but there was the possibility that she may have needed the mediation for life. She was lucky enough that someone could see past this and give her the home she deserved. Just under two years later and this is what her new owners had to say about her:
Ruby is doing very well thank you, she's certainly made herself at home. She loves her walks and fetching sticks and her ball, she especially loves the beach (when we can get there). She's still a bit timid with other dogs there's only one or two that she'll play with, but on the whole she's great, and everybody loves her.
Lottie
The lovely Lottie came from a very busy household, she was a very nervous dog and this was far too much for her, resulting in her nipping a child and her having a scrap with one of the other family dogs and her ending up in rescue. It wasn't too long before we found her a new quiet home with someone with the time to work on her nervousness. Eighteen months on and we have received this lovely update.
Lottie is very fit and well and in excellent health. She has her normal routine which involves four walks a day including regular ball play and plenty of space to run on our huge local park. Sunday is her favourite day of the week. We usually all go to Cannock Chase, a National Park covering around 30 square miles. Here, she runs, swims, hikes, hides and plays ball. My wife and I usually walk her for around two hours, then she comes home and it’s weekly shower time, followed by a blow dry and then Sunday lunch. She doesn’t move for around three hours then has her evening stroll around 6pm. Since we adopted her, her temperament and nervousness have improved greatly. She’s still not keen on noisy children but no longer runs a mile to get away from them. Her anxiety levels have dropped greatly and she will occasionally socialise with other dogs, if she’s in the mood.
Her favourite time of the day is the evening, when she’s completed her numerous walks and likes to lie on the sofa for cuddles with her mommy. She does however miss her grandad at the moment. He usually walks her every week day too, as well as her other four walks, but has been absent since lockdown began for obvious reasons, he is 83 and nanny is 82 years old. She still waits every day on the mat for him at around 11am. We seem to have done a lot since we had her, taking her on holiday to Devon and the Lake District. She’s played on the beach, ate ice cream (doggy friendly of course) and thoroughly enjoyed herself.
Bella (was Shanti)
Bella (was Shanti) came into to rescue because her owner could not cope with her pulling on the lead, she was paticularly bad even taking into account that most spaniels pull but it didn't put her new owners off. This is the latest update we have received.
Thursday 2 April was Bella’s 4th birthday. We love her so much she is a gentle kind loving girl and never having to visit the bathroom, eat or sleep on your own is wonderful. She loves everyone and other dogs and is a favourite with all our friends and neighbours. She loves food, playing with a tennis ball and daily long walks in the Peak District. As her previous owner found out she pulls on the lead, but recall is excellent.
We love her to bits!!
Ruby
The lovely Ruby (liver & white) came into rescue due to her previous owners ill health, she wasn't with us very long before she went off to a new home with fellow Springer Blade. She has been in her new home over three years now and we recently received this lovely update.
Here is a photo that I took today or Ruby with my other Springer Blade which we have had since he was a pup.
She has settled in nicely and has a lot of sass she certainly shows blade who is boss.
They play together well when she feels like it 😀
She loves her walks but likes her food more.
They both have a bed each but she flits between the two even when blade is on his so he gets up and moves. Our blade likes to bring us things when we come in from being out somewhere or when we get up in the morning. She sometimes grabs it off him, rolls on to her back and starts chewing what ever it is, mostly our slippers.
She likes her home comforts like our settee and loves to cuddle up to us. So me and Dave are squashed on the sofa and the dogs are laid flat out. We would not have it any other way. We love them both and they love us right back.
Her health has been good, apart from her yearly vacs she as had two operations to remove lumps and a little wart that was growing above her eye. She is getting a bit incontinent now too but nothing that a Tena lady will not fix. 😂
She is a well loved dog and great with the grand kids.
We are so so glad we adopted her.
Rosie
This is the lovely Rosie who came to us from another rescue, she was originally found in Cyprus with a broken leg which it is suspected she got after being hit by a car. The leg was operated on and she spent a while in a foster home while it healed, she was then in kennels for around 5 months before coming to us. All this and she was still only 18 montths old. Rosie has settled in really well in her new home with her new doggie sister, she loves her walks and her training coming on really well (unless there is a cat about or someone has food - LOL)
Rosie is the one on the back of the sofa.
Molly (was Lolly)
Molly (was Lolly) had spend the first years of her life chained up outside with her mother in the Balkans and came to us via a rescue based there. She had no concept of what life in a house was but seems to have got used to it - LOL. She went to her forever home in April 2018 and two years later is a very happy dog. He new owners had the following to say.
"Molly is doing amazing! She absolutely loves her home comforts, we were worried about her social anxiety with other dogs when we first got her but she now walks with 6 other dogs with our dog walker when we are at work and even though she has the odd grumble at some pooches if they invade her personal space too much she’s progressed much more than we originally anticipated! "
She loves scrambled eggs for breakfast and runs downstairs as soon as she hears an egg crack.
We’ve just moved house and we were worried this would upset her but she’s settled in amazingly and loves the extra space she has to roam around!
She gets truly spoilt especially by my parents when they visit, her toy box is overflowing. We genuinely can’t imagine life without her, I’ve attached a few of the thousands of pictures I have of her"
Isadora
Isadora came to us from another rescue, a rescue in Romania where she had been rescued from one of their awful shelters. It was likely she had known no comfort or love in her previous life so this was her one chance to be happy. She went to her new home in February 2018 and soon got her feet under the table although did manage to escape a couple of times in the early days.
When she had been in her home a couple of years we received this picture of her in the garden and the following update.
Izzy is a very gentle and loving dog. She settled in very well and loves her home comforts. We have bells on her collar so we can hear her as she hides in the garden, she will also still climb over into the neighbours garden if we don't watch her. Although she can be very quiet, especially when sneaking onto the beds or on the lounge sofa!
Daisy
Daisy came into rescue, as is often the case because a change in circumstances meant her owners didn't have time for her. He didn't seem to have any issues other than pulling on the lead and lack of recall off it. She went to her new home in March 2019 and a year on we received this message & photo.
I am pleased to say she is an absolute star, she certainly enjoys her daily walks/runs in the country everyday (and getting much better on an off the lead ). She has her paws well and truly under the table and we have had no issues with her when the grandchildren visit, in fact she’s a mother hen to them
Charlie Girl & Oliver
Charlie Girl and Oliver came into rescue as their owner could no longer look after them and they were being left for very long hours shut in a downstairs toilet. We were told Charlie was around 14 years old and when she arrived in rescue she was quite a lot underweight and Oscar around 10 years old.
They definitely fell on their paws when they found their new home and we couldn't be happier for them. Poor Charlie has had a number of suspicious mammary tumours removed one of which proved to be cancerous and Oliver is due to have a small growth removed from his jaw so a worrying time for them all. However their new family love the to bits and are doing everything they can to give them the life they deserve.
They have only been in their home for a few weeks but despite needing veterinary treatment have managed lots of lovely walks, visits to the beach and a holiday. Every message we get from their new owners tells us how they feel blessed to have them in their lives and how much they love them.
Stanley
Stanley is now 12.5 and we had him from SYESSR when he turned 1 year old! He is the most fantastic dog you could ever ask for. He is bit old and doddery now - lots of arthritis from his misspent youth running around like a loon and is more likely to be found sleeping and snoring very loudly than snuffling about in the garden. He now has a little rescue sister - 2 year old Betty Beagle - who keeps him from sleeping too much and annoys him as much as possible - but he always looks for her!
Ellie
What a lovely photograph we were sent today. The lovely Ellie came into rescue as her owners didn't have enough time for her and she was spending most of her time alone in a kennel & run. She went to her new home last month but despite having met her housemates before and even having a sleepover she initially was grumpy with them. Lucky for Ellie her new mum and dad didn't just give up and bring her back, they were patient and gave it a little time. Just look at them now
Monty (was Jack)
Another lovely update received, we really love to hear how the dogs are getting on in their new homes. Monty came to us from Last Chance Rescue in Spain (he was called Jack then), he was a lovely friendly boy but his past meant that living in a home was probably going to be a new experience for him. Looks like he's doing really well and has a very talented dad as the picture he has done of Monty/Jack is just fabulous.
Hi there,
We adopted Jack, now named Monty, from you in Fe...b 2016. Heather brought him to our home . He is doing really well. Hes a happy boy who loves walks in the peak district, he loves sofa cuddles, food and generally loves life! He dislikes baths, and other dogs who are a bit boisterous. He is such a lovely natured dog. He has had some tummy issues but since June (touch wood) things are good.
He's enjoyed a couple of get aways with us to Sherwood forest and Devon. We are going back to Devon with him next weekend as well.
We also had a DNA test done for him as we felt he may not be 100% brittany. It turns out its most likely that both his parents were brittanys, one grandparent a field spaniel and the other a cocker spaniel 😀
Monty is loved by everyone he meets and I really feel that he is a once in a life time dog😍 Please find some photos below of Monty, including an image that Jack, my partner, drew of him as one of my birthday presents :-) xx