What is the Screening Process?
Why are all your dogs spayed and neutered?
How long does it take?
Does ESRA have the right to decline an application?
How does the matchmaking work?
Where are the dogs located?
Can a dog be transported for adoption?
Where do the dogs come from?
How much does it cost?
Will you take payments?
What does Adoption Pending mean?
What can I expect when I adopt a Springer?
What if it doesn't work out?
Baggage - (a poem)
 

What is the Screening Process?

Adopting a Springer Spaniel requires that you fill out an application (see the bottom of this page) telling us about you and your family, and what your requests are. Thanks for filling it out! This information will help us match the very best dog for you, your household and your lifestyle. It is very important that we find the right "Forever Home" for every rescued Springer in our program. After you have completed the application, a volunteer will contact you to discuss your application. We ask for a prior vet reference or a similar contact who can speak to your responsibility as a pet-owner. Finally, we try to make a home visit if you are in an accessible area.

Why are all your dogs spayed and neutered?

We rescue over 1800 unwanted Springers a year. Many were a result of puppy mills or back yard breeders who bred one "nice dog" to another, without any regard to temperament or genetic health testing. We must help end this practice if we are to be successful in our goal of ending the unnecessary euthanasia of healthy, adoptable Springers. We only support responsible breeders who are experts in the breed standard and promote improvement of the breed. We place only pets, not breeding stock.

How long does this process take? 

It depends on the volume of rescue work at the time and your accessibility. Sometimes it's only a couple of weeks, and sometimes it is a month or more waiting for just the right one. Please remember that we are all volunteers and most of us have regular full-time jobs and families. We appreciate your patience.

Does ESRA have the right to decline an applicant?

It should be understood that applications for adopting a Springer through English Springer Rescue America, Inc. (ESRA) are subject to acceptance based on a review process that may require collecting information from an application, phone interview, vet and/or personal reference check, and possibly a home visit. Decisions on placing dogs in adoptive homes is an "art," not a "science". There might be times when applications will be denied for various reasons. This is left to the discretion of the ESRA representative after reviewing the information. ESRA reserves the right to make ALL decisions regarding placement or final disposition of any rescued dog in its care into a foster or adoptive home. There is absolutely no guarantee, made or implied, that any person, or persons, requesting to adopt a Springer Spaniel being fostered through ESRA, or posted on ESRA's website, will be granted an adoption.

How does the matchmaking work?

Once you are approved to adopt, a volunteer will let you know. You should let your contact person know which dogs appeal to you and we'll see if any might be a match. We work really hard to ensure that each adoption is a ideal fit. Be careful not to get attached to one dog on the website. There very well may be other interested adopters at the same time. It is NOT first-come-first-served. We are looking for the best fit for each dog.

Where are the dogs located?  

They are in foster homes all over each state! Our foster homes are volunteers that take dogs into their homes, integrate them into their families, both human and canine. Sometimes dogs are residing with their current owners while we work to find them homes. Sometimes we even have dogs waiting patiently in boarding for their new family.

Can a dog be transported for adoption?

This decision is at the discretion of the coordinator and foster parents of the available dog. Long-distance adoptions are more difficult for our group due to our commitment to the dogs, involvement in the careful matching process, and post-adoption support. For the most part, we are eager to see our dogs placed in a nearby, easily-accessible home. If a dog's foster parent or coordinator will consider a long-distance transport, costs (including crate) are your responsibility. Remember, too, that if the adoption doesn't work out for some reason, YOU will have the responsibility of getting the dog back to the foster home.

Where do our Springers come from?

Our dogs often come from shelters where they might have been strays or dumped there by their owner. We then take them into foster care, evaluate their personality, and get them healthy, happy, and spayed/neutered. Some Springers are relinquished to our organization by their owners. We either take them into our foster care program, if space allows, or we list the current owners as the "foster" family. We do our best to gather information about dogs that stay in their owners care, but please remember that no one knows a dog until you have lived with him or her! Many folks are surprised to find their favorite breed, the Springer, with so many needing new homes. There is actually a "breed rescue" group for just about every breed.

How much does it cost?

For dogs in ESRA's foster care program, there is an adoption fee of $300 for a spayed/neutered dog who has
been examined by a veterinary doctor and given appropriate vaccinations and tests. ESRA does not make a profit! Hardly! All money goes to caring for the Springers that we rescue and getting them ready and altered for adoption. All grooming, food, toys/supplies, and love are donated by our volunteer foster homes. Our foster homes evaluate the dog's temperament and personality, and work hard on house manners, obedience training, and socialization. On occasion, we are asked about why the adoption fee is "so high".  See this exchange between a potential adoptor and ESRA's president.

Will you take payments for the Adoption Fee?

Unfortunately, ESRA is unable to accept incremental payments for the Adoption Fee, and requires it to be paid in full at the time of adoption in the form of personal check or postal money order, made payable only to "ESRA" or "English Springer Rescue America".  You can also pay the fee by credit card payment on-line. Please, no cash accepted!

What does Adoption Pending mean?

It means that ESRA has already lined up an adopter for the dog. It will change to "Adopted" when the adoption is
finalized by contract and the payment of the adoption fee. Sometimes this is delayed due to ongoing medical treatment, so a dog may be on the website as Adoption Pending for a month or more.

What can I expect when I adopt a Springer?

Through this process, please be honest with us and with yourself, about dog traits with which you can deal. Listen closely to the foster parents! They know the dog in their care. Please do not fall in love with a cute picture. Check the description carefully. Please be realistic about your expectations of your new adoptee. Even the most reliably housetrained dog is going to have accidents in your home until he or she learns the routine. The dog has just been wrenched from a secure place. A rescue dog can take up to six months to totally settle in to a new home. There may be "words" with other resident pets. Are you patient enough to make this work? We are looking for TRUE dog lovers and rescuers who want a Springer for the right reasons and not just for looks. Be open-minded. You are adopting and giving a dog a new life.

Many people don't inquire about a dog that is listed because the picture did not catch their eye. They miss out on great dogs. We often post the first picture we can get our hands on. You have to consider them a "diamond in the rough." Read the write-up! If you don't see the potential, you may miss out on a terrific dog!

What if it doesn't work out?

First of all, don't give up easily! There is a wealth of experience in our national network of Springer rescuers. We are available for advice, tips, and support. If your adoptee is not fitting in well, please contact your nearest Springer rescue person, or the foster home. We will always take our Springer back, but you must agree to provide the transportation back to the foster home. There will be another home that comes along that is right for the dog that doesn't fit with you, and there will be another Springer that will fit perfectly in your home.

Most of all, please realize that your rescue dog needs to settle in and learn your routine. Be patient with him or her! Even a housetrained dog will have a few accidents until you learn each other's signals and routines. Contain your excitement and do not take your new dog to Petsmart or out on adventures for the first few weeks, as it can be overwhelming for the dog. Give it time to get used to your household first and feel secure with you. There is no need to start obedience classes right away. You can work on a few basics at home and start training after a month or so of settling in. Don't hesitate to talk to the foster parent of your adoptee with any questions about your new dog, or ask your coordinator.

Disclaimer

Although we endeavor to find a Springer for every approved applicant, the process of rehoming dogs has no guarantees. All things are taken into consideration when we consider the placement of each dog.


Baggage

by Evelyn Colbath ©1995
(all rights reserved)

No reprints of this poem without the
expressed, written permission of the author.
petmydog@vvm.com

Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed.
I'd like to open my baggage lest I forget
There is so much to carry - So much to regret.

Hmm . . . Yes there it is, right on the top.
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss;
And there by my leash hides Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave –

I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.

I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage?

Will you help me unpack?

Or will you just look at my things -
And take me right back?

Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage, to never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage –

Will YOU still want ME?