JIMMY

Jimmy is a purebred English Setter who is 2 years old and very lovable to people. Jimmy would prefer a home with older children and no other dogs. Jimmy wants your entire attention for the rest of his life.

 

YOGI

Yogi is one handsome guy! He is very friendly, active, and would make someone a wonderful friend. He needs training in housebreaking and how to behave in a house, but he learns very quickly and willingly. He reacts very well to strangers and new places and will sit when greeting new people

 

 

JACK

Meet Jack, an English Setter under a year old, stands quietly to groom, walks on a leash, and will make someone a one-of-a-kind pet. He is in search of his forever human who will give him the undivided attention he so craves. Come meet Jack in our Get Acquainted room and fall in love!. Must be adopted with Jill, his sister.

ADOPTED-TOGETHER

JILL

Jill is Jack's sister and is a very quiet dog. She too loves attention and would make someone a wonderful pet. Come meet Jill and Jack and take home two playful siblings.

 

 

AVERY

A very beautiful little girl who needs your home and attention. She absolutely loves to be outside looking at birds and other wildlife. Wouldn't your fenced yard look spendid with this addition.

STANLEY

Stanley is male English Setter that is approx. 1 yr old. He has a wonderfull personality and seems to enjoy everyone that he meets.

Noah is a male Wire Haired Jack Russel Terrier that is approx. 3 1/2 yrs old. He is very calm, sweet and loves attention.

ADOPTED

TEMPO

A purebred liver & white Pointer who knows basic obedience commands. He does not like to be crated or confined to a small area. He loves to play fetch, loves the water, likes bones and treats. He's obviously been abused by children because he is very selective when it comes to children. He is very easy going, playful, obedient and has lived in the house. Needs fenced in yard.

TITUS

A 1 year old field bred English Setter who is very quiet, sweet and loves attention. Would make a great family pet that could lay by the couch and keep your feet warm. Because of his sporting instincts, a fence is required.

 

SIEGFRIED

A field bred English Setter that is energetic as a sporting dog should be. Loves people, birds, squirrels and butterflies. Although he is not dog aggressive, he should be the only dog in the household. Fencing required.

Some things to know about English Setters

Description

The English Setter is a beautiful, elegant, slim setter with a unique speckled coat. The specking may be more or less heavy and the markings may be of any size. The long hair is flat, silky and a bit wavy. The coat comes in white with blue, lemon, orange, or brown speckling. Some dogs are tri-color (blue, white & brown). The head is long, with a pronounced frontal stop. The muzzle is approximately half the total length of the head, and is fairly square. The eyes are large and brilliant, with a sweet expression and they are hazel in color. The nose is dark. The moderately long pendant ears have a velvety tip. The tail, ears, legs, and underside are all heavily fringed. The tail is straight and tapers to a small point. The chest is quite deep, but not wide.

Temperament

The English Setter is a very gentle, placid, friendly dog. Excellent with children. Mild mannered and sensitive. He loves affection. Enthusiastic and lively outdoors, but relatively inactive indoors. They are somewhat willful and can be difficult to housebreak. Training should start early to prevent development of bad habits, but should never be harshly treated. It needs lots of companionship and enjoys playing with other dogs. English Setters are adequate watchdogs. They like to roam and are diggers and good jumpers. There are two types of English Setter: field and show. The field types are generally a bit smaller and lighter, and very active so they need more exercise than the show types. Both types need daily exercise to stay healthy and happy and must have a fenced yard. The English Setter tends to be quite vocal and can become a nuisance barker if not discouraged early in life. Some English Setters may drool, although not obsessively like some of the Mastiff type dogs.

Origin

The first rudimentary setter was developed in France in 1500, obtained from the Spanish pointer and the French pointer. Three centuries later it was brought to Great Britain where its true developer was an extremely intelligent breeder, named Sir Edward Laverack who developed the English Setter from early French hunting dogs in the early 1800's. Laverack was so instrumental in establishing the breed that the English Setter is often called the Laverack Setter. Laverack's dogs were known for their great beauty, and are therefore foundation stock for many of today's top show dogs. Another English breeder, Llewellin, created a second famous hunting strain of English Setters. These are often called "Llewellin Setters." The word "setter" comes from the almost "sitting" position the dog exhibits when he has discovered game. The English Setter is a vigorous, quick and very quiet worker with an excellent nose. His coat keeps the dog comfortable in both hot and cold weather. The sweet personality of the English Setter and his gentleness with children make him a fine family companion dog. The English Setter's talents include hunting, tracking, retrieving, pointing, and agility.

Visit this site for English Setter FAQ'S. These English setters are available for adoption through Eastern Shore Animal Rescue League.

Height, weight:

Dogs 24-27 inches (61-69cm) Bitches 23-26 inches (58-66cm) Weight: Dogs 55-80 pounds (25-36kg) Bitches 45-70 pounds (20-32kg)

Health Problems

Be careful not to over feed this breed, for they tend to gain weight easily. Prone to hip & elbow dysplasia.

Living Conditions Not recommended for apartment living and does best with at least a fenced average-sized yard .

Exercise All Setters need plenty of exercise - If they don't get a long daily runs in a fenced in area, they will be difficult to manage.

Life Expectancy About 12 - 14 years.

Grooming

Regular combing and brushing of the soft, flat, medium-length coat is all that is required to keep it in excellent condition. It is important to check for burrs and tangles, and to give extra care when the dog is shedding. Bathe or dry shampoo regularly when necessary. Trim the hair on the bottom of the feet and clip the nails. This breed is an average shedder.

Group

Gun Dog, AKC Sporting

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT WHIPPETS

Do whippets like chidlren? Most whippets seem to have a natural affinity for kids. These dogs are not nearly as delicate as they appear and are usually excellent with gentle children. As long as a child is old enough to know how to treat him and is taught how to play with dogs, a whippet is a good choice for a child. However, a young child should never be left alone with a dog of any breed. This is important! Interaction between a child and a dog must be closely supervised, for the protection of both. All dogs will bite in some circumstances, and a whippet is no different. Keep children away from dogs who are eating or sleeping. Any dog who is sleeping when a child's foot lands on his ribcage or tail is very likely to bite before he knows what's going on. The website Toddlers & Dogs has some excellent information about dogs and children.

Can I keep a whippet mostly in the yard? No, whippets are house dogs. They are not psychologically or physically suited to being kept in a yard. They certainly enjoy (and need) a daily romp in the yard or an hour or so spent stretched out in the sun, but you should not plan to leave your whippet in the yard indefinitely. Because of the low percentage of body fat they carry, these dogs have very little natural insulation against the elements. They overheat rather easily and they suffer terribly from the cold. If you don't plan on keeping your dog in the house, you should choose a dog more suited to outdoor life. Back to top Are whippets good watchdogs? Mostly not. Many whippets are friendly with just about everyone. Most of the other sighthound breeds are rather reserved, but not most whippets. In addition, they are too small to be very useful for actual protection and many will not even warn you of someone at the door. If you need a dog primarily for protection, this is not a good choice.

I've heard whippets kill cats. Is that true? Whippets were originally bred to course and kill rabbits -- small furry prey that runs. Though most whippets are not used for that purpose today, they are still bred with that instinct in mind, and the ones who are coursed and raced are bred specifically for this prey drive. Very few whippets are born without it. Even if your dog is raised with your cat and loves and plays gently with it, if he ever sees the cat running outside, it may not be his beloved Muffy he sees, but prey. Some owners do keep them together successfully, but if you try, you must never let down your guard. Don't leave your whippet and the cat loose in the house while you're away and be sure they are never outside together. The prey drive instinct is "hard-wired" into these dogs and even the best training cannot be guaranteed to control basic instinct. If you do have a whippet and a cat, we suggest never leaving them alone together unsupervised, and certainly you should never put the two outside at the same time.

Are whippets hard to train? A whippet isn't going to make you famous in the obedience ring, but he is eager to please, and with patience, you can teach a whippet nearly anything! Rough corrections, however, are worse than useless. Hurt your whippet's feelings or try to force him, and he'll quit on you in a hurry. You'll get the best training results with lots of patience, treats, and praise. Whippets are sighthounds, bred to hunt without commands from the hunter. While generally not stubborn, they're independent and not the easiest breed to train. Don't let that discourage you: They are very intelligent and all can learn house manners easily, like sit, down, and stay. Some do well with more advanced obedience, including obedience competition. Many excel at lure coursing (chasing a plastic bag pulled by a string) and racing and are also talented in agility and flyball competition.

Is a whippet hard to housebreak? A whippet's desire to please and to be clean make him one of the easier breeds to housetrain. Using a crate will make your job much easier. A new home can be stressful at first so even a housetrained adult can make mistakes early on and some males may 'mark' (lift a leg on) walls, furniture, etc., indoors. This usually happens only if there are other males in the household. You should always treat a newly adopted adult as if he were a puppy. Take him out often, praise him for "performing" outside, and crate him when you leave.

Are they good apartment dogs? Not in most cases. A whippet needs lots of exercise, and this means a free run in a fenced area daily. This is not one of the small breeds that can spend its entire life inside, and he'll need to get out even in unpleasant weather. Keeping an athletic dog in an apartment means no matter how cold or hot the weather is, no matter how tired or sick you might be, the dog must be exercised several times a day and allowed a free run at least once a day. A whippet without enough exercise can not only get into a lot of mischief, but his muscles will not develop properly.

Do whippets need a lot more exercise than other dogs? They don't require much more exercise than dogs of a similar size, but whippets do need a daily chance to run. A large fenced yard (say at least 100' long) is fine. If you don't have that, a small fenced yard will work if you can visit a neighborhood tennis court or other large fenced area three or more times a week. Whippets are usually calm in the house but most have spells of running and leaping about in play a few times a day. These 'tears' are rarely destructive; whippets are not given to bodyslamming the bookcase or clearing the coffee table with a sweep of the tail. But if your whippet does not get enough exercise, he can become destructive or hyperactive in the house.

Must a whippet be kept on a leash all the time? All dogs should be taught to obey, whether on or off a leash. But remember that a whippet is bred to chase. Something (a cat, a squirrel, a child) may catch his eye and he'll be gone, at up to 35 miles-per-hour. Other breeds that run off will usually come back in no more than a few hours if they don't get hit by a car. At the speed a whippet runs, he may be miles away by the time he stops chasing and by then, he may be quite lost. Of course all dogs should be taught to COME when called, but very few whippets ever reach 100% reliability, especially when tempted by the prospect of a chase. Again, it's training versus instinct. A whippet should be either leashed or in a securely fenced yard every time he's out. Security is critical. It is amazing how quickly the worst can happen, and the first time a sighthound gets away from you can easily be the last. It's easy to become casual about it when your whippet is generally obedient and calm. Remember that if he's okay off-lead 99 times out of 100, that 100th time could be the day you lose your best friend. Back to top Do whippets have to have a very high fence? Most whippets are not jumpers or climbers, but there are always exceptions. A five-foot fence is usually enough, but if you adopt an adult whippet, be sure to ask whether he has escaped fences before. Some do dig, but it's not a common problem. Back to top How about invisible fences? These are not recommended for whippets. Remember prey drive? If your whippet sees something outside his yard that he wants to chase, he'll run right through the electronic field before he remembers he'll be shocked by it. Invisible fences also leave dogs vulnerable to attack by loose dogs in the neighborhood. If the only fence you are able to have is an invisible fence, a whippet is not a good choice for you.

What kind of hereditary problems do whippets have? Though all breeds have some genetic defects, none have been proven to be a serious problem in whippets thus far. Some isolated incidents of deafness and some genetic eye defects have been reported, but they are rare so far. There is some evidence that heart problems are on the rise in this breed, and there have been a few reports of a bleeding disorder called von Willebrands. Many breeders do test for those problems and screen for eye and hearing disorders. Back to top What do I need to know about grooming and health care? Whippets are one of the healthiest breeds. They require the same routine care as any dog: trimming toenails, cleaning of ears and teeth, occasional baths. To keep shedding minimal, a light daily brushing is recommended. Dogs must be kept up to date on shots, free of heartworms and fleas, and checked for intestinal parasites regularly. Unlike the heavily coated breeds, a whippet is not well protected from nicks, scrapes, and tears to the skin. As this breed is very active and athletic, it's not uncommon for a whippet to require stitches several times in his life to repair accidental wounds. A special note: Sighthounds are very sensitive to anesthesia and other medications. Partly because of their low percentage of body fat, these dogs are extremely sensitive to some very common drugs; what may seem like a normal dose for a dog of his weight could easily kill a sighthound. This is certainly not to say that whippets cannot be safely anesthetized or that they should not take prescribed medicines; just be sure that your vet is aware of sighthounds' special requirements and that he knows which anesthetics are safe.

So what qualities make a good whippet owner? In general, an owner who is involved with his dog, who considers his dog part of the family, and who has an easygoing nature himself is happiest with a whippet. This isn't usually a dog that likes to wrestle and play rough-and-tough games with the boys. A whippet prefers a relatively quiet household. He's sensitive to human emotions; lots of shouting and door-slamming may make him nervous. He likes to run and enjoys life with a physically active person, but he also loves to snuggle and, as long as his exercise needs are met, does just fine with a largely sedentary lifestyle. Whippets are an excellent choice for people looking to explore various activities with their dogs. They excel at agility, flyball, lure coursing, and straight and oval racing. Due to their affectionate and gentle natures, they are the very best therapy dogs as well as psychiatric service dogs. Whippets are versatile and adaptable. You find them happy in rural settings and in New York apartments, with large families and single people who live alone. They live in mansions or shacks, go to racing events and shows or stay home on the couch. A whippet is company for a lonely senior citizen or a handicapped child. He goes to Little League games with his family or stays home with a bedridden owner. There's no one lifestyle that's right for a whippet. Whippets are not right for everyone...but they're the only breed for some! And remember, whippet owners say they're like potato chips...you can't have just one!