Cocker Spaniel Adoption Center Blog

Orlean's Happy Ending

There are rescues who walk into your life and it is like they have been a part of the family forever. There are rescues who need to learn how to play with toys, how to snuggle and that having a family is the best thing on earth. There are rescues who are so excited to come with you and ride so beautifully to your home, but have a bit of a meltdown in the days that are following. The dog has been so stressed and all of a sudden the dog knows that he can relax and forgets how. We have rescued three Cocker Spaniels in the course of our marriage. The last one is our Ryder. He was so anxious and stressed out the first week. Being seasoned at rescuing, we pulled out the ammo to help him, but even we need the help of the experts at CSAC. They reminded us of a few extra steps we could take to help this little guy feel safe and secure. It took a few extra days. By the end of week two, we had a different dog. In the six months since we adopted Ryder we have discovered that that he loves to go for car rides. His favorite place to ride is in Mom's lap. He enjoys long walks with dad where he can explore and sniff. He will chase bunnies and other small creatures if given the opportunity while on his leash. At home he absolutely has to have a toy nearby. He shakes them, throws toys himself, squeaks his toys and paws at people to play tug with him. When the weather is cooler, he is a big snuggle bug. He is so snuggly, he will snuggle us right out of bed. Anyone who has a snuggler, knows that if you move, they move and the next thing you know, you are out of room and the dog has the entire bed. Ryder has learned that he can stand at the living room windows and look outside when he hears the neighbor's motorcycle or a hot rod go up the street. He pays close attention to the TV. We have to mute certain commercials or he will bark his head off. Certain music he doesn't like, birds chirping and of course, a dog bark he doesn't know. Ryder loves people. He greets them and vies for attention with our Basset Hound. Our Basset Hound is watching over him just like he did our last rescue. It is good to see that. Our Basset has had to learn that he must do it with his voice. For nine years the basset rarely barked. Now he barks to guide Ryder in the "rules of  the road".

 - The Wise Family