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Volume 6, Issue 2 ● Summer 2014
Plan to be part of the fun at Nationals
Join ESRA at a fun event and celebrate our beautiful breed. ESRA will be joining the
English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association (ESSFTA) for a fun-filled week of
Springer Spaniels. The 2014 National Specialty show will take place at the Purina Event
Center in Gray Summit, MO, Nov. 2-8.
By Caryn Pola, ESRA President
ESRA will have three very special events at the show. Friday, Nov. 7, we will
have our Springer Spaniel Sock Hop fundraising dinner and auction. There will be great
food, entertainment and fun for all, with a special guest appearance of Clayton the wonder
dog and his foster family and adopting family. Tickets are $35 each.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, ESRA will participate in the Rescue Parade of 2014, which
is always a highlight of the National Specialty and is held in the conformation ring. A
commemorative booklet featuring the resumes and pictures of entered dogs will be given
to each entrant and will also be available to spectators. Entries will be limited to 20 dogs.
If you would like to enter your dog in the rescue parade, contact Suzanne Bell Esmay
at [email protected] before Oct. 8.
In addition to these events, ESRA will have an open membership meeting, and we
hope all ESRA officers and members will try to attend. We plan to hold this after we tear
down our ESRA booth on Saturday.
ESRA will have our 40-foot fundraising Springer Shop at the show with amazing
gifts, toys and supplies for you and your Springer. Come shop and work in the store and
help raise much needed funds for ESRA.
There are many events that are really fun to watch at nationals, including, Rally, Agility, Obedience, team obedience, CGC Testing and a parent club meeting and welcome
party.
I encourage you all to attend and celebrate Springers and Rescue together at this national event. I would also encourage you to consider membership in the ESSFTA. It is
comprised of and dedicated to people who love English Springer Spaniels. By designating
the ESSFTA the “parent club” of the breed, the AKC recognizes it as the national organization solely sanctioned to steward the ESS breed standard and rules for ESS-only performance events in the United States. Membership and indication of your participation in
rescue increases our participation in the health and well-being of all Springer Spaniels.
Come out enjoy the show, rescue dinner and parade. Join us in our fundraising booth
and events. Meet your ESRA officers and management team and share your love of
Springers.
ESRA is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
corporation. Our all-volunteer
organization works with love
and passion for English Springer
Mailing address for
donations and inquiries:
19518 Nashville St.
Northridge, CA 91362
e-mail: [email protected]
This Is What Rescue Does
By Cynthia Maynard
If you ask people who are involved in dog rescue why they do it,
“because I love dogs,” or “to help dogs” would probably be the majority
of their responses. But this week I was acutely reminded that rescue is
also for people.
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to visit with a local couple in their
late 70s who were considering giving up their 6-year-old springer to rescue. The husband had recently undergone major surgery and wasn’t doing
well. Caring for a dog was just too much for them. My husband and I
talked with the couple, explained what ESRA does and how it works
(fostering, the application process, finding a permanent home) and observed the dog. While both people loved and cared for the dog, the husband got the dog when she was just a pup -- but had only married two
years ago -- so she was “his” dog. By the end of the visit, he was satisfied
that ESRA would find a good home for his dog.
I rounded up a foster home and called the couple back on Wednesday,
setting up transport for a week from that Friday. On Sunday, I was reading the local paper when I saw his obituary. He had died two days earlier.
I waited until the complete notice was in the paper today – so I would
know when the funeral was – and screwed up my courage to call the widow to express my condolences and check to see if the transport was still
on. It was. She was grateful that he had taken care of this to his satisfaction and that was one thing he did not have to worry about during his last
days. And neither did his widow.
Time For Strut Your Mutt!
ESRA is again participating in Strut Your
Mutt, a nationwide fundraising effort coordinated by Best Friends Animal Society to benefit its Network Partners.
You can support either of the teams representing ESRA: Sept. 6 in Jacksonville,
FL, or Sept 27 in Minneapolis/St. Paul,
MN. If you can’t attend in person, you
can still fundraise as a virtual walker.
There is no competition between teams
so pick a team and join – or sponsor
another member’s efforts:
http://www.strutyourmutt.org/team/ESRA
http://www.strutyourmutt.org/team/
ESRAMidwest
For more information, contact Strut Your
Mutt Team Captain Beth Livesay,
[email protected].
ESRA News Editorial Staff
Publisher
Shelley Dearmin
[email protected]
We help dogs. And we help people.
We help people who can’t afford to care for their dogs. We help people who have to make hard decisions about affordable housing versus dog
-friendly housing, people who are in the midst of painful divorces, people
who are ill, people who are moving to assisted living, people who are
overwhelmed with pets and children, people who live in deplorable conditions, people who don’t have the money or the knowledge or the mental
stamina to deal with a problem dog in the midst of everything else going
on in their lives. People who realize that, despite their great love, their
dog doesn’t have the life it deserves.
In my thoughts and writing, I am often hard on owners. Sometimes it
is justifiable. At other times, unfortunately, I am arrogantly and selfrighteously judgmental, instead of being grateful that they chose rescue
and cognizant of the difficulties they may be facing in their own lives.
So, just a reminder: We help dogs. But we also help people.
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Editor and Layout
Linnea Maxwell
[email protected]
Contributors
Stephanie Janard
Marsha Johnson
Nancy E. Kelly
Cynthia Maynard
Caryn Pola
Belle Sprague
Mary Viehoefer
ESRA News is always looking for Springeroriented articles for future issues. To
submit an article, please contact Shelley or
Linnea at the e-mail addresses listed
above.
Wembley: Free at last to be part of a family
Few sights are more heartbreaking
than a dog banished outside to a rope or
chain for most of his waking hours.
That’s what I saw every time I passed
by a small house in my neighborhood.
No matter the weather, a handsome
liver and white Springer Spaniel would
be outside, a rope about six feet long
tied to his collar and attached to a rickety porch step.
Eventually I called our town’s animal control officer about the situation, and for a time, the dog
was brought inside the house. But when I’d walk by, the lonely
howls coming from the house told me he’d been confined to a
kennel or other small space while his owners were gone, which
seemed to be most of the time. I felt as if my complaints had
exiled the dog to an even more desolate existence. When he
appeared again outside, I told myself I’d done the best I could
and tried to close my heart to the hurt of seeing such a splendid
dog left outside and forgotten.
As time dragged by, the dog’s energy seemed to wane. He
stopped jumping up when I’d pass by, and instead just lay listless on the ground. I am not sure what made me snap, but one
day I strode into the yard for a closer look. The tiny area that
the Springer had to walk and sleep in was filthy. His ears were
weighed down with mats the size of baseballs, and his long
coat concealed just how severely malnourished he was. As I
gently stroked him, rib bones jutted against my hand.
I taped a terse note to the house’s front door and told the
dog I was going to get him out of there. A few hours later, his
owners called and heated words were exchanged. But they
eventually agreed he deserved better. When I reappeared in the
dog’s yard to take him with me, his eyes instantly lit up.
After a bath and a long session with the electric clippers,
the next order of business was to give him a proper British
name! We settled on “Wembley” after the famous stadium—
Wembley approved of his new name by responding to it right
away. ESRA was then contacted and stepped in with longoverdue veterinary care, including the life-saving treatment
needed to kill the heartworms that plagued him. I was also recruited to be Wembley’s official foster mom.
By Stephanie Janard
Today, Wembley is filling out after
years of being underfed. Although human
beings neglected him for years, this dear
dog holds no grudges. He likes people and
wants to be with them. Wherever I go,
there he is. If I’m watching TV, there's a
warm Springer Spaniel cuddled against
me. If I’m turning in for the night, Wembley's already up on the bed. When it's
time to pick my son up from school, Wembley is waiting at the door to come along.
Wembley deserved a better life and, with the help
of ESRA, I am proud to have played a role in providing it.
A letter to my first foster dog
By Marsha Johnson
Dear Lacey,
You were too active for the family that raised you
since you were a pup. You lived in the house with
them for seven years, then they moved to a brand new
house and you lived in the garage for the next two
years. I don’t know how, after all that time, they could
decide that you were too active and surrender you to
their local shelter, but they did.
You were born on Christmas Day and delivered to
the shelter just a few days before your ninth birthday.
You spent that Christmas in a cage, with lots of other
dogs around you. I can only imagine what you were
thinking: “Why am I here? What happened to my family? Are they coming back for me?”
English Springer Rescue America (ESRA) pulled
you from the shelter on New Year’s Day, and I was
blessed to be your foster Mom.
I’d never fostered although I had adopted Libby
three years earlier through ESRA. I knew I didn’t want
a wild crazy Springer puppy, and thought “How active
can a nine-year-old be? Well, I found out soon enough.
Continued on Page 4
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Dear Lacey… (continued from Page 3)
You and Libby looked so much alike, both liver and
white, similar in size, but you had that unique docked
tail that was all white. When you were both near me I’d
sometimes have to look at your tails to know who was
who. You were pretty active; okay you were really active. You loved your tennis ball and could play fetch for
hours if my arm had been up to it. Then we’d come in
the house and you’d want to continue to play fetch, “No
Lacey, we don’t do that inside,” I’d say. In the morning
you’d drop the ball in the shower for me to throw. “No,
Lacey, we don’t play fetch while Foster Mom is taking a
shower.”
That January you went to the cottage with us. The
snow was so much fun. A group of us walked the three
miles around South Harper. With your zigging and zagging off leash, you got in about 10.
When spring came, you’d hang in the backyard and
chase the little white moths, pushing them into the
ground with your nose. Then you’d find the shady spot
and just lay there while I pulled weeds. I can still see
you laying there, just enjoying life. That will always be
your spot in my backyard.
At the cottage that summer you discovered the lake,
and you LOVED it! The combination of the tennis ball
and the lake was a true wonder for you and for those of
us who watched you. You endlessly enjoyed fetching
the ball in the water and returning it
to the dock for the next throw. I can
just picture you sailing up and
through the air off the neighbor’s
dock. No dog can do it better than
you! Another time we were all in the
cottage and you were outside, no
where to be found. But there you
were, in the lake just swimming
around by yourself, enjoying life.
You were a very active dog. At
times I was frustrated and desperate
to find you your forever home.
Months went by and I fell in love
with you. I considered adopting you for myself, but I
knew you needed a family with more time to give you.
One day a grad student contacted me. Her parents
were retired and looking for a dog to adopt. She came to
meet you first and thought you’d be a good fit for them.
It was meant to be! Bobbye and Bob became your forever family. I cried when you left. It was bittersweet. It felt
good to help you find that perfect new home, I would
miss you, and Libby would miss you.
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Little did I know when you left with them that they
would become special friends, more like family. You settled into their home. Bobbye would call with regular updates and we’d talk for an hour each time. They loved you
so much and I was so happy you found that home that was
perfect for you. They would send me picture updates of
how you were enjoying your new home. I missed you, but
they needed you and you needed them.
You’d come to stay with us when your family would
go on vacations. It was like you’d never left, you just came
and fit right back in. And we loved having you.
When Bobbye lost her husband you were there constantly to comfort her.
Last year you came to our annual Wisconsin Springer
Picnic. How fun was that, Lacey, to be with 30+ other
springers and their people? You even won the prize for the
oldest dog. You’d be 15 on the next Christmas Day.
Then last weekend, an e-mail came from Bobbye with
the news I’d been dreading:
Dear Marsha, It is with a heavy heart that I’m telling
you that we had to put Lacey down last weekend… The
house is so lonely without her that it breaks my heart. She
was truly an amazing, bright, caring and sensitive friend
who loved me completely. Having had dogs in my life
since I was born, I’ve never had one who dedicated their
life to me in such a way and seemed to understand and shared every moment we were together. Thank you for reintroducing her to life
as it should be and letting us adopt her. She
helped me get through Bob’s passing and now
I'm truly alone for the first time in my
life. It’s a strange feeling to say the
least… I’ll talk to you when I can do that
without crying. I wish you the best always
and have come to love all of you throughout
the almost six and one half years we’ve known
each other. Blessings at Christmas and
2013. Love, Bobbye & Family.
Dear Bobbye and Family; We are crying for
your heavy hearts. You gave her the most perfect life and she was such a big part of yours, all of yours.
And of mine too. She brought us together. I think that was
one of God’s plans. She will be in our hearts always, our
special Lacey girl. She and Bob are together watching over
you. Love, Marsha, Libby and Kody
Oh Lacey, my heart aches that you are gone from this
earth. We know that you are happy and healthy in Heaven,
one of God’s newest angels.
Love always from your foster Mom,
Marsha
The Mysteries of Multi-dog Households: Effects on Behavior
By Nancy E. Kelly
Arguably the most important component of an enjoyable household with multiple dogs is an individual relationship between each human and each dog. This is created via
private time with each dog – going for walks, training,
playing games, quiet time sharing affection, and grooming.
It’s challenging to uphold this relationship as more dogs or
more people come into the picture, because there are multiple relationships to uphold.
Each dog has his or her strengths and weaknesses. Just
like kids on a playground, some are bossy, some are shy,
and some want all the toys to themselves. Some will sleep
anywhere, some want to have one special place; some like
to run around and hunt in the yard, some don’t really even
want to go outside. Some are upset when you leave and
others don’t care whether you’re there or not.
Left to their own devices, dogs in your home will form
a social structure just like feral dogs do. The problem is that
feral dogs have a component in their social structure that
includes, “You should move to a place far from my area
and never come close to me.” We don’t want that kind of
natural selection to occur in our homes, because we want to
choose which dogs live there. Because we’ve taken that
responsibility, we must facilitate every dog having his
needs met – physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally
– and remember, each dog’s needs and desires are different.
Stress takes many faces. Some dogs shut down while
others appear “hyperactive.” It’s important to understand
the signs and impacts of individual canine stress in a multidog household, particularly with rescue dogs. Rescue dogs
are often stressed when they arrive,
and they will stay stressed if we
don’t work hard to reverse it.
of our dogs every day, we will be on a solid path toward
meeting their needs for minimizing stress and as an added benefit, building their skill at being alone. Yes, that’s
a skill! Consider all the dogs we see with versions of separation distress, who cannot be alone without expressing
fear or anxiety, often to extreme degrees, because they
have never learned to be alone and comfortable. Then
consider all the dogs we see who just can’t seem to calm
themselves, ever. Each period of “alone time” gives all
the dogs a chance to de-stress, through the physical act of
chewing, or by going into a deep sleep without worrying
whether another dog is going to walk up on them during
their nap. Then, when it’s time to hang out with the group
again, everyone is fully refreshed, stress is at a minimum,
and they’re all ready to use their best interaction skills.
All dogs can’t start by being completely alone, but
we can build that skill in small steps; crating all the dogs
for a short rest period, carefully providing a bit more
space between them each time until they are in separate
rooms, is just one possibility. Of course, “alone time”
should be pleasantly anticipated by each dog. A soft bed,
a stuffed Kong, or highly valued bone or chewie that he
only gets during this time, and a routine that begins with
just a short rest time after some stimulating activity and
builds to a longer period are key in developing a dog’s
comfort with this important skill.
Continued on Page 6
Because other dogs in the household are not always helping a new
dog de-stress, it’s best to take steps
to make sure each dog has “enough”
physical and emotional space to feel
relaxed and comfortable. What is
“enough?” It’s different for every
Guess which dog is the foster and which two are the resident dogs. At this moment, the
dog!
If we make sure to allow and
even enforce “alone time” for each
foster dog is on the right, while the two dogs who have lived together for years are several feet apart, taking a break from each other.
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Behavior — continued from Page 5
Any new behavior you want all the dogs to do together should be taught to each individual dog first. If you want the
group of dogs to stay back from the front door, you can create that behavior first with a single dog. (We’ll cover the specifics in a future article.)
Walking a group of dogs, training the group in how to behave at the front door or in mealtime procedures, and just
hanging around the house with all of them is important, too. Monitoring playtime to make sure everyone has fun and
things don’t get out of hand is important.
Dog-to-dog interactions are secondary to your individual relationships with each of your dogs. We love to watch
dogs play together, and it’s ever so adorable when two of them curl up together to sleep, but behavior never remains the
same; it’s always growing and changing. Because we’ve chosen the dogs who live together with us in our homes, we are
in charge of making sure everyone gets what he or she needs, and we must pay attention to their wordless communications. Things will change, sometimes daily. Two dogs sleeping together today may want to be apart tomorrow, and that’s
okay. We humans need our private time to develop ourselves as individuals and so do our dogs. Pay attention to the subtleties of playtime and dog interactions around the house and adjust as needed, and peace will reign.
Nancy M. Kelly has been using science-based methods to train dogs for over 20 years. She trains people to train their
dogs, and sometimes directly trains dogs to do work like assist people with disabilities. She likes to train and compete
with her own English Springer Spaniel and Golden Retriever in various dog sports. They reside in Pasadena, Texas and
Nancy loves to help ESRA foster homes and adopters with behavior issues. For more info, go to Nancy’s website:
www.TheMannerlyDog.com.
How to Take Better Photos of Your Dog
By Mary Viehoefer and Belle Sprague
We all like to show off pictures of our loved ones, and of course our Springers are no exception! If we are fostering
a dog, we want to take the best pictures possible in order to attract potential adopters. Surveys of recent adopters conducted by PetSmart Charities have shown that photographs are by far the most important aspect of a dog’s web listing,
whether it is on a rescue group’s website or on a shelter page. Good photos will make a potential adopter stop and read
the description of the dog, while poor photos will often make the visitor move on without taking in any of the other information in the posting.
Photographing dogs to present them in the most flattering way is not really a matter of luck, but rather involves taking the time to apply a few solid principles. With time and patience, you, too, can take professional quality pictures.
Smartphones have given nearly all of us the ability to take a photo at the spur of the moment. While the quality of
photos taken with any phone device has improved dramatically, the best photos are still obtained with a digital singlelens-reflex (DSLR) camera. Even a simple pocket point-and-shoot digital camera will often deliver photos superior to
those of a smartphone.
Whatever your device, make sure your batteries are charged fully, and set the device to the highest resolution possible. The larger the size of the photo, the more clarity and detail it will be able to capture. Turn off the auto-flash, for often that will produce unrealistic colors and will slow down the speed at which you can shoot your subject. We all know
how quickly our dogs change their expressions, so we don’t want to miss a shot!
Before starting a photo session, take a look at the background you intend to use. If there are random objects that
might distract the viewer’s attention from the dog, remove them or look for another angle to shoot from. As to the dog
itself, try to brush off any extraneous matter caught in the fur or around the eyes, etc. A tidy dog usually makes for a
better picture.
Take advantage of the great outdoors. Outdoor lighting is always better because “red eye” and “demon eye” are
eliminated, and our dogs always look attractive with a simple, natural background. Remember to try to place the sun
over your shoulder (cloudy gray days don’t provide as much brilliant light) and watch out for shade and shadows. A
Continued on page 7
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Better Dog Photos (continued from page 6)
Photography is art, but it also entails thought and patience. Look for an alluring background: a pot of flowers, some
fallen leaves, lush grass, or flowering shrubs. Sit down on the ground with your dog and have some fun! Make noises or
have a toy that squeaks in order to get the dog’s attention. Be ready and start shooting! Don’t rush; take the time to
compose the image in the viewfinder. Fill as much of the frame as possible with the dog rather than with large expanses
of background.
If the dog wants to get in your face as soon as you sit on the ground, try anchoring a long leash to a tree, then sit just
far enough away from the dog that you can your picture.
Try to focus on the dog’s best feature. For instance, if a dog is overweight, a full body shot from the side wouldn’t
be as flattering as a photo of the dog sitting or lying down. Avoid taking pictures with human body parts in them, too,
as these elements take the focus away from the beauty of the dog. A dog that is being held tightly or restrained with a
leash may look anxious or unfriendly.
Patience is truly a virtue in photography. Spend some quality time with your friend, have some fun, and capture the
dog’s spirit with the camera. Take plenty of
pictures, because the more you take, the more likely you are to get one or two phenomenal photos. When you’re done,
save your pictures in their original format. Reducing the file size for transmission via email for web submission or printing will reduce the quality of the finished product.
This photo was shot in daylight with a DSLR camera,
so focus, color, and resolution are good. However,
the photo shows an unhappy, uncomfortable dog
because of the intrusive hands holding his head.
This is an indoor cellphone shot with flash.
Note “demon eyes”
and poor color rendition. Composition is
poor—the dog does
not fill the frame, and
the shot was taken
while standing over
the dog.
Here is the same dog, shot outside on a sunny day. The camera
(a compact digital, not a cellphone) is at the dog’s eye level,
and the dog's image fills the
frame. Portrait (vertical) orientation works best for this pose.
For more helpful tips on pet photography, check out a website called One Picture Saves a Life, which features Seth
Casteel (animal photographer whose book Underwater Dogs has been a New York Times bestseller). Look at the gallery of before-and-after photos to see what a good photo can do to make an adoptable dog more appealing. Also, watch
the 26-minute video in which Seth discusses and demonstrates his easy techniques for getting the best pet portraits.
http://www.onepicturesaves.com/gallery/
http://www.onepicturesaves.com/how-to-photograph-pets-complete-episode/
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