Our wonderful Springer Hannah died last November rather suddenly. Of course we were heartbroken! We missed her terribly. But after a few months we came across the idea of becoming a foster family for Springer's that were looking for permanent/forever homes. We certainly wanted to have our own Springer again, but thought that this was a need we could fill and that would fill us in the meantime. We approached the national Springer Spaniel Rescue group ESRA: http://www.springerrescue.org/
and began the process of application to become a foster family, which was rather lengthy and thorough.
That is when Buddy came to us. He was raised in the home of an animal hoarder and had suffered abuse, of which we can't even imagine. He had a Jekyll and Hyde personality. As a Springer, he was the most loving dog who just wanted to be with you and near you. He loved people, loved our family. But he had some real aggression issues at times and sometimes we could predict how and when it could happen, and other times it was a complete surprise. My wife and I suffered a number of serious bites but kept trying to work with him, trying different methods of behavior modification but always with lots of love too! We loved this little guy, despite his issues. After working with Buddy for 5 or 6 months, he wasn't improving in terms of his aggression. He became a different dog when it overcame him, and he would even feel guilty afterward. Eventually, we had to put Buddy to sleep. It was a heartbreaking decision. Heartbreaking, because he had so much love to give. But the abuse had taken its toll and it was not reversible. So this became the year we lost two Springers. A tough year and it feels quite empty in the house. So, we are going to try fostering again. It is a great experience to give love to a dog that needs a home and a great gift to receive the love of the dog.
We miss you so much Buddy.......xoxo
