[Thrift]

Hi Nicki, I was just looking at Dorset Dog Rescue and they have young springers, lab X collie and a lovely border collie ...... might be something there for you 

Sorry, am not accomplished enough to do a proper link. 

[joyfull]

here you are 

http://www.dorsetdogrescue.com/dogsneedinghomes.htm

[PurplePixie]

They have some lovely dogs! .... I must NOT get any more rescue jack russells, two terrorists in one house is quite enough

Good luck in your search ... the right dog will find you 

[Thrift]

here you are 

http://www.dorsetdogrescue.com/dogsneedinghomes.htm

Thanks joyfull 

[Nicki85]

Oh wow thank you for the link!  They have some lovely dogs that would fit the bill!  Especially Dougie, he is gorgeous    I've made an appointment to visit the local Dogs Trust this weekend but will give these guys a ring if they do not have anything suitable.  I really want to take them all home!!

Thrift- Bessie's pups are gorgeous- you must be so proud of her!

[Dawnuss]

http://manytearsrescue.webs.com/dogslookingforhomes.htm
 These are also good and have lots of collies etc 

[Trillium]

Sometimes you never know if the not-right dog might turn out the best. After our first dog died, I was almost heartbroken and after a time realized I needed another dog. So I called the shelters about another lab mix. The one I was interested in didn't answer their phone, so I called another place where a dog was almost at the end of it's last temporary placing before being euthanized since no one wanted it.

Like Nicki, this wasn't the dog I really wanted, but my OH fell in love with this big hairy mutt that was afraid of adults. As big hairy mutt followed us to the car, a Persian cat began to follow us and we learned the next door owners parted company and simply left their cat. So we went home with a big hairy mutt and a big hairy cat.

Lucy, the dog, had been abused by adults but quickly trusted us, and she turned out to be the most loyal, loving, sweet dog and we took her everywhere with us. She adored car rides and was happy just to snooze wherever we were going. The cat was another almost human adorable sweety that everyone loved. You could do anything to him. True, we had to deal with a lot of pet fur around the house and some raided garbage bins but the joy they gave us was worth it.

[tosca100]

I so agree with you Trillium. Our Bonnie lab was the opposite to what my OH wanted, he likes hairy lurchers. But he knew I liked labs, and when this timid characterless lab came up for re-homing through a work colleague of his, he said we would give her a try. Within a week he was besotted and as her lovely nature came out and he realised she wasn't going to turn out to be a blobby show type, he became more so and she became his shadow (with a ball,) always hopeful for a walk, something almost unheard of before we got her.

She has brought us a great deal of happiness these past six years.

[Thrift]

Thanks Nicki; the pups are fairly irresistable and Bessie was a very lovely mum.

Trillium and Tosca, those are both such wonderful stories. It is often so hard to see a dog's true character until they have settled, and the thought that you may have overlooked them is a heartbreaking thing to think about.

Last year I tried to take a young GSD bitch from a rescue in Dublin but because of a lack of proper organisation and no one in my area to do a home check I didn't get her. 

Bessie is a changed dog, playing and wrestling with Ben, learning very quickly to fetch and give plus a few tricks not on the agenda  . She loves to pick up my shoes and carry them around, also cushions can be found tucked behind chairs instead of in them! 

[Springlands]

Such a change in Bessie from the timid dog that you first encountered.

[Trillium]

That's the beauty of dogs; once they decide to give you their trust, they give their all.

Last summer, after my last beloved lab died, my OH said no more dogs. But I heard of a family who was moving away a fair distance but couldn't take their lab/collie cross. I also heard that the family often didn't have money for dog food and that they frequently left the dog alone for days while they went places, often in winter. Although I decided not to have another dog, I was asked if I'd take her and despite OH's strong objections, Lyra came home with me. She's such a lady and will do anything to please. She and OH are even stronger friends than she is with me  And of course, everywhere Lyra goes, so does one of her many balls, even while we sit watching telly  When her time comes (she's only 4 now), she'll be buried with a pile of balls.

[Nicki85]

Hi all    Some lovely stories here- thank you for sharing .

I need some common sense... I've been offered a 6 month male Springer.  Now, do you think this is to young to be left at home 8-5 (dog walker for an hour at lunch...) for three days a week?  THe chap at the rescue seemed a bit at odds that I wasn't snapping his arm off for him but i'm just concerned that it's a long time for a young dog (well pup really!) to be left home alone (although he'd have Tess for company...).  I need to ring his foster parents later today but any thoughts on the above appreciated  :blink:  it's a minefield!

[arugula]

I think your older dog will have quite a calming influence on the youngster, assuming she's not hyper herself and you don't give the impression of that being the case. We brought our Border Collie pup in with a Terrier who was nine at the time and it worked very nicely. She's five now and on her own, for no more than 3 hours at a time, and copes perfectly well.

[Trillium]

A relative got a young springer spaniel because she had them when she grew up in Ireland. But if you haven't lots of land for them to run in and time to devote, they're not a good choice. After a few months, she had to give the dog away as it was literally roaring through her house and causing havoc. It's the dog's nature to be active and the family wasn't.

If a springer pup has to be left alone that long, I dread thinking of what you'd return to. There are a lot of young dogs I'd trust alone for long periods, but not a springer, lovely as they are.

[Dawnuss]

its hard to say cause age isnt the issue its entirely down to the dog itself. some dogs take to being left alone and some suffer major separation anxiety.  You may already do this with your current dog but a good walk before you leave the house could help and maybe leaving something like a kong to keep the pups mind busy. Also you could  try getting a friend or relative to pop in at some point between the times your gone. Springers do tend to be extremely high in energy so when i say good walk i mean major good walk lol