SPONSOR DOGS PARADE 2009
Unfortunately, ALICE, ANGEL & ALLIE, BOUNCER and MOLLY were unable to come to the Reunion this year but hope to see all their sponsors next time. CONNIE Connie is one of our newer Sponsor Dogs. She was about a year old when she was surrendered to the pound and possible instant death, with her two lovely puppies (now Drake and Brian) in 2007. The owner obviously believed that by producing cross breed puppies, Connie was 'ruined' as a breeding bitch and the pups were of no value to him either. Fortunately all three were rescued and fostered in Ireland before coming to the UK. Connie is now loved to bits in her forever home with Belinda and Terry in Somerset. She has 3 sisters (Millie, Abigail and Stella) who are all also IRR rescues and she often happily welcomes foster dogs into her home and helps greatly with their rehabilitation. She does obedience and agility for fun and has her Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award. She is very happy to be a Sponsor Dog to help other breeding bitches who are no longer of any value to their owners. DIGBY Digby is a beautiful dog, in both looks and temperament, who unfortunately has simply lost a leg. He has never let his disability bother him although it was clearly the reason why he was abandoned. Many people don’t even realize he has a disability and he is totally adored by everyone who meets him. Digby is now in a wonderful forever home with Tracey in Devon together with lots of other lucky rescued animals including cats, horses and chickens. He is happy to be a Sponsor Dog to help other dogs like himself who may be overlooked because of their physical problems. DRAKE Drake is a black crossbreed who was initially called Minstrel and, when just a tiny puppy, he was surrendered to the pound with his brother Brian (then called Merlin) and mum Connie, a purebred Golden Retriever, who was originally called Maisie. All three were rescued and fostered in Ireland before coming to the UK. Drake is a good boy and has his Bronze Kennel Club Good Citizen Award. He is also very intelligent and takes part in Heelwork to Music competitions and has also been to Crufts demonstrating how he does Can-ix racing. He represents all the clever crossbreed dogs who so often get overlooked. GIZMO Gizmo was found scavenging on a rubbish tip as a very young puppy. We thought he was a Retriever Cross when he was tiny but he now actually looks more like some sort of hound. He is a very loving dog but certain behavioural issues made him unable to be rehomed to a “normal family” so he was adopted by Steve and Pauline. He still has him “moments” one of which (on his usually reliable recall) cost him his KCGC award but, on the whole, he is a very lovely and loving dog. He lives with his 4 brothers and one sister, who are all also rescue dogs, and he regularly welcomes foster dogs into his home. Gizmo is happy to be a Sponsor Dog to help other dogs who, like him, have some behavioural issues. LOLA Lola was a young ex-breeding bitch who was mated at her very first season which meant she was undersized when we rescued her. When she first arrived in foster, she was extremely nervous and needed a lot of work and many natural remedies before she was ready to be rehomed. However, she really fell on her feet as her fosterer was Lynne, our flower essence expert, and she and Ian fell in love with Lola and adopted her. Lola is now very happy, playful and well adjusted. She adores her clicker training and learning doggy dancing moves aswell as doing obedience and agility for fun. She is also a KC Canine Good Citizen Bronze Award winner. PENNY Penny was found as a very young stray who ended up in the Pound and, initially, she was fostered by Pauline and Steve. There she met her boyfriend Dazzle who had also been in the same Pound and, as they hit it off immediately, they were rehomed together in Gloucester with Diane and her family. Two years on, they have both settled in wonderfully but continue to be partners in crime with Penny as the boss. They had a very exciting first year with floods to cope with (or, in their case, enjoy). Despite always being up to mischief, they are still loved to bits. Penny is very happy to be a Sponsor Dog to help other dogs who find themselves homeless or abandoned through no fault of their own. STEVIE Stevie is blind. He was found by an ISPCA inspector in a dilapidated shed where he had spent much of his life alone. Despite this, he has a wonderful nature and is loved by all who come in contact with him. He is an inspiring ambassador for disabled dogs and is a real credit to his amazing forever mum, Alison, who is teaching him, using the clicker method, to do all the things that a sighted dog can do and more, because he is exceptionally bright. This includes Agility and Heelwork to Music. He has featured many times in magazine articles and he is probably our most popular Sponsor Dog. Stevie is a Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Bronze Award winner and is the most wonderful ambassador for his breed and for disabled dogs. ZENA We were all absolutely delighted to see Zena with her mum, Lorna, as they have not been able to make the long journey down to the reunion before. Zena is a sprightly lady who was an 11 year old cuddle monster when she came to us with Ben, a lovely old boy of 12 years who has since, sadly, passed over to Rainbow Bridge. They were unwanted by other family members after their beloved owner died. This is a very common problem and one reason why older dogs often end up in our care. Fortunately, they found a really wonderful, very loving, forever home with Lorna and her daughter, Rachel. She has been in the wars a few times with various health problems and has given us one or two scares but she is a very strong and determined lady, as his her devoted mum. Zena has a Golden Retriever brother, Merlin, who is also an IRR dog and she also has another older rescue sister Della. Zena is happy to be a sponsor dog in order to help us rescue other dogs who have lost their very special owners and become a nuisance to, or burden on, other people in the family too.
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