Tannah

It’s funny how a plan comes together.

Literally minutes after posting my previous blog about Shelby’s passing, I got a reply from the Cocker Spaniel Rescue in Cloverdale about my recent inquiry regarding Tannah, a 3 year old parti-coloured Spaniel. (Just to avoid any confusion that may arise, this dog's name was Hannah, but we're changing it to Tannah, considering she has tan-coloured spots.)

This all started when I had seen her a few weeks ago on the Cloverdale Rescue site. It may seem kind of strange that I would have been looking at available Spaniels before Shelby even passed away, but there’s a story behind it. Wendy, from the Okanagan Cocker Spaniel Rescue, is on the member’s list of the Metro Vancouver Cocker Spaniel Meet-up Group, of which I am the main Organizer.

Wendy sends me alerts periodically regarding Spaniels she receives so that our members can help spread the word in hopes of finding homes for the dogs. I periodically check her website to see what’s new, and that usually leads me to check the Cloverdale site as well. That’s how I came across Tannah the first time. She was listed with both her sisters, one of whom was named Emma; the other name I can’t remember. They had all been living with one family, but that family had to downsize from four dogs to one in order to move out of province.

When Shelby was diagnosed I informed the Meet-up members via email of her terminal condition. Many shocked members sent their condolences and one mentioned to me that she had seen an ad on Kijiji in December for someone selling three young adult female Cockers. By this time it was late December and I performed a search for “Cocker Spaniel”; they were not listed. I assumed they’d been placed in homes already.

A week or so later I decided to try again by refining my search criteria to simply “Cocker”. Strangely enough this time I was led to the ad. I emailed the seller, but it took a few days for a response. The dogs had not sold, and the family ran out of time before their scheduled move to Alberta. The dogs were released to a Cocker Spaniel Rescue in Surrey (Cloverdale). And I knew from having checked the Rescue site recently that they were no longer available. So I let it go.

Since Shelby’s passing we have been searching for a new canine companion. I sent emails to Cocker Spaniel breeders and had been monitoring Cocker Rescues in BC, as well as Petfinder, which is North America-wide. I found a few that sounded like good matches in Washington and California. At that particular time there were more available Cockers in the western states meeting my requirements than there were in BC.

The Okanagan Rescue is affiliated with Camp Cocker in L.A. They are planning to send 7 or 8 Cockers to Kelowna soon to be adopted in BC. I had been in contact with Wendy already to see if a California Cocker I had seen on Petfinder could be sent there for my wife and me to meet.

But…

Friday morning I accessed Cloverdale’s site, and I couldn’t believe my eyes! There was Tannah again. When I saw her last time I was thinking that although I overwhelmingly didn’t want to have to say good-bye to Shelby, it was going to happen anyway. If the timing had been better Tannah had sounded like a dog I wanted to meet. As it turned out the couple that had adopted Tannah couldn't keep her.

I immediately emailed Carol at the Cloverdale Rescue and asked if we could set up a meeting with Tannah’s foster family. By Friday evening we had set up a time for Saturday morning. The meeting went very well. We spent 2 hours with Tannah talking to her, holding her on our laps, and just generally getting a feel for her overall demeanour. We took her for a 20 minute walk on the foster family’s large rural property as well. We were impressed. And to top it off, when we left, Tannah was looking at us wagging her tail.

CCSR’s policy is not to release a dog to potential new owners the same day as the initial visit. It’s too easy to let emotions-of-the-minute trump reason. Instead, the potential adopters must go home and “sleep on it”. These dogs, by the time they are admitted to a Rescue organization, have been though enough upheaval in their lives to risk being adopted on the spot only to be returned a few days later. In the terminology of the Rescue Societies, the dogs are searching for their “forever” homes.

We knew we’d found a match with Tannah. She is a parti-colour Spaniel, which means she’s mostly white with patches of colour best described as butterscotch. She has the trademark American Cocker short snout, although I think hers is a bit longer than Shelby’s was. Tannah has quite long legs; in general a much more sporting body, as if there’s been a Springer in her past genealogy at some point. She seems to be calm and loving.

When Shauna and I sat on the couch upon arrival to the foster family's home, Tannah immediately jumped up on the couch to sit between us. We were flattered. Of course, at home were going to have to discourage jumping on our furniture but I think she’ll learn that very quickly. I get the feeling she’s eager to please.

Today was the home visit from a representative of the Rescue Society. For us, having had a Spaniel for the entire 7 years we’ve lived here, it was just a formality. Obviously we provide a safe and healthy environment for a dog. This evening Carol phoned us to set up our appointment to adopt Tannah next Saturday at 1 pm. We’re all smiles!

I have to say, something else happened to solidify our decision. My Mom gave me a Cocker Spaniel calendar for my birthday on January 2. But since Shelby had just been given a terminal diagnosis, I couldn’t bring myself to open it at the time. However, the good news of yesterday nudged me to rip off the plastic wrap to see if a similar Cocker to Tannah was profiled. And wouldn’t you know it, a parti-colour Spaniel with butterscotch markings is January’s featured pooch.

How’s that for fate?