2007 Parade of Rescue Dogs
BAILEY LITTLE Bailey was originally called Cedar and was the biggest of Kaleigh’s babies and the one who was most like a Golden Retriever. Kaleigh came over from Ireland already pregnant although, unfortunately, this fact was not spotted by 3 different vets so it was a case of action stations and Joy to the rescue once we found out. The pups have now celebrated their second birthday. Bailey passed his Bronze Kennel Club Good Citizen Award at last year’s Reunion having already taken his Puppy Foundation Course. He is very much loved by his mum, Gemma. JASMINE McEVENEY Jasmine is another of Kaleigh’s babies who lives with Joanne and family in Warwickshire. She also lives with her best doggy friend, Oscar, and 2 cats. She has grown into a rather beautiful Labrador like pale golden lady. Jasmine is a very clever girl and passed her Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze and Silver Awards in 2008. In August 2009 she went on to pass her Gold Award, having actually passed her Kennel Club Puppy Foundation Course when she was only 6months old. She is very much adored by Megan who with mum Jo accompanied her into the parade. MILLIE McAVOY Millie is aged about 6yrs and now lives in Somerset with Belinda & Terry. She was surrendered to a pound in Ireland and was rescued and fostered by Sandie who said decided she was either a small Golden Retriever Cross or a badly bred thoroughbred. Whichever the case, she was found to be an adorable little dog. Millie was, understandably, very nervous when she went home with Belinda, though greatly relieved to get out of the car! Initially she stuck to Belinda like glue and while she was friendly with Terry, she seemed to have a fear of men. It took a while, but gradually she improved and began to come out of herself. Terry & Belinda felt she may be lonely and would benefit from doggy company so, soon after, they also adopted Connie and the two were able to help each other, becoming firm friends. When she went to training, the first few weeks were spent with Millie shaking at the side, but gradually, with the help of flower essences mixes and lots of encouragement from everyone there, she began to take part in all the activities. Going from a dog who feared men, she and Terry really bonded and were awarded a Certificate for being the Most Improved Partnership. At last year’s reunion everyone was delighted when Millie was awarded her Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award, as usual with Terry as her handler. She has now acquired a further 2 sisters and has welcomed a few foster girls into her home. CONNIE McAVOY Connie, originally called Maisie, is a petite Golden Retriever who is probably still only about 3yrs old now. She was surrendered to the pound, and possible death, in Ireland with her two lovely black, male crossbreed puppies, Merlin (now Brian) and Minstrel (now Drake). Since they were totally weaned and showed little interest in their mum, they went to different foster homes and were both also successfully rehomed. Connie settled into her new forever home straight away with Belinda and Terry in Somerset. For the first couple of days she would rush up to the car and they thought that she wanted to go to her puppies, but this soon passed. She taught Millie how to play. Connie is incredibly loving, very waggy and absolutely beautiful. Terry and Belinda say “All in all, we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have both Connie and Millie (all in the space of about 6 weeks!). We couldn't have wished for two more wonderful, loving companions.” Connie, who is loved to bits and thoroughly spoilt by Belinda and Terry, is very proud of her two clever sons but she is a good girl too and, at last year’s reunion, she attained her Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award. She also does fun obedience and agility with Belinda. Terry and Belinda have become very involved with helping IRR and are responsible for producing all the programmes, the posters and flyers and the ring and prize cards etc. They also make most of the lovely merchandise we have to sell and Belinda has now taken over responsibility of the Sponsor a Dog fundraiser. They have also acted as transporters, homecheckers and fosterers on numerous occasions. ZENA COLDICOTT Ben and Zena were a couple of inseparable Golden Retrievers, who needed to spend the twilight of their lives in comfort together. Ben was a lovely old boy of 12 years who despite needing an operation to remove a tumour, was still a happy boy with a constantly wagging tail. Zena was then a sprightly 11 year old cuddle monster who, despite being in good health and loving her walks, had the saddest eyes, which she put to good use begging treats and cuddles They went happily to their forever home in the Midlands with Lorna and Rachel but Ben's happiness was short lived and he, sadly went to Rainbow Bridge leaving a devastated Zena. Fortunately, it was not too long before she found a new friend in Merlin and they became inseparable. Sadly, Zena’s health has been up and down but the devotion of Lorna and Rachel and Zena’s determined spirit have always carried her through. She now also has a new rescue sister Della who has recently joined the family. She is one of our Sponsor Dogs and is a great favourite. It was really special to see her at this year’s reunion. BRIAN HAMMOND Brian lives in Bedfordshire with Sandra and Owen and their 4 dogs. He is now 2yrs old and was called Merlin when he came over from Ireland with his mum, now Connie, and brother, now Drake, and another dog called Maeve, who is now Cassie. Both being black, he and his brother looked as though they should be Maeve’s puppies and neither looks remotely like their Golden Retriever mum. Brian is an Agility dog and, again this year, demonstrated his skills as part of our Showtime. According to Sandra and Owen, Brian is a lovely boy who is very contented and intelligent. He recalls to a whistle like the other dogs and particularly loves Casey, the spaniel. JESSICA BISSETT Jessica is a Lab/Pointer Cross who was taken to the vet to be put to sleep as her elderly owner had died and his wife couldn't cope with her. Sandie says “My vet phoned me and I went for her immediately. I nursed her for seven weeks after having her mammary glands stripped and she then had a home to go to in the UK. At the 11th hour the person changed her mind and her loss has been my gain. It transpires that Jessica lived in a shed for 8 years but now has the luxury of a sofa and loads of love and cuddles.” DAWN MORGAN Dawn, who is now 9yrs old, came from a puppy farm in Wales and had led a sheltered life as a breeding bitch before being taken in by Many Tears. She went to live with her adoptive brother Roger, a black Labrador, in Abbotsbury, Dorset where she found herself surrounded by the most wonderful countryside. The dogs got on really well and it was almost as if they had been together forever. Dawn really came out of herself and was very happy with plenty of walks and family holidays to make up for her bad experiences earlier on in her life. Sadly, her best friend, Roger, has recently gone to Rainbow Bridge so Dawn and family are all very sad but they hope to have a new friend for Dawn very soon. PENNY JAMES Penny is a very pretty, fairly petite, 3yr old Golden Retriever. She was a stray who ended up in the pound and was initially fostered by Pauline. There she met her boyfriend Dazzle and they were rehomed together in Gloucester. Two years on, they have settled in wonderfully but continue to be partners in crime although Penny is definitely the one who leads Dazzle astray. Penny has a visiting boyfriend called Albert and when he is around Dazzle is happy to take a back seat. DAZZLE JAMES Dazzle is a very handsome, 4yr old Samoyed/Lab cross who was a stray and ended up in the same pound as Penny. He was initially fostered by Pauline and it was there that he met and formed a strong bond with his girlfriend, Penny, so they were rehomed together in Gloucester with Di and family. Initially, they were very destructive, each egging the other on, no doubt, but, whilst still full of fun, they are much less naughty. Dazzle is definitely the quieter one of the two and has settled down into being an almost perfect dog. Di has been undertaking the enormous task of editor of our website for a year now and she has been doing a brilliant job. More recently she has been actually putting many of the features on the website herself much to the relief of Dave who was often inundated with work from us. STEVIE PHIPPS Stevie is 3yrs old and is blind. He was found by Fiona, 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 the happiest, friendliest and most loving dog you could ever wish to meet which includes accepting a pair of rescue cats into his home to share his life. The skinny Stevie that Alison adopted in March 2007 has put on weight and regular hydrotherapy has helped him to increase his muscle tone which he totally lacked after the problems caused by being locked up for so long as a pup (his muscles and ligaments had not developed properly and he was quite lame when he walked). At the 2007 Reunion, he won his best condition class and went on to win ‘Best in Show’. He, again, won the “best condition” class this year. Sadly, Stevie also now suffers from seizures but these are under control with medication. This does make him more tired and a bit confused sometimes, but he does not let it hold him back. He is keen to do all the things that a sighted dog can do and more, because he is exceptionally bright. Stevie does agility training, which he loves and has demonstrated to an enthralled audience in the Showtime of our 2008 and 2009 reunions. He has recently also started to do Heelwork to Music. Last year at the reunion he passed his Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award along with his brother Sam. Stevie’s amazing spirit and determination against the odds have led to him being featured in magazine articles and on agilitynet so he is a wonderful ambassador for disabled dogs but, despite becoming a bit of a celebrity, he is first and foremost a greatly-loved family dog who adores cuddles, food and playing with Sam. Alison and her son, Tom, say they feel very privileged to have him as part of their family. Stevie is probably the most popular of our Sponsor Dogs. DIGBY READER-HOER Digby is a 4yr old, exceptionally handsome and probably very well bred, Golden Retriever. He was rescued at about the same time as Stevie and they were in foster together with Pauline. He only has 3 legs (front leg amputee) but that doesn't stop him enjoying life to the full. He doesn't know he is disabled and doesn't let this stop him in any way. Tracey says that everyone who meets him falls in love with him and they rarely realise he is disabled until they have been in his company for some time. He lives in the beautiful Devon countryside with his Golden Retriever girlfriend, Cleo and a menagerie of other rescued animals which include cats and horses. Apart from looking drop dead gorgeous, he is a great ambassador for his breed and he is one of our very popular Sponsor Dogs RHANI JEFFEREY Rhani is now nearly 3yrs old and arrived shortly before Christmas 2007. She was supposed to be a Labrador cross but, if you see her run, you realise she is almost entirely Whippet and almost impossible to keep any weight on despite the huge bowls of food she manages to demolish. She became the 3 rd Jefferey IRR “failed foster” on Boxing Day and was a Christmas present from Pauline to Steve. She is very affectionate and sweet natured but is definitely boss over the boys in the house and is quite happy to play roughly with Ferdie. She attained her Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award at last year’s Reunion. LOUIS PHILLIPS Louis is a 3yr old Labrador who came as a stray, half starved and totally terrified of men in 2007 so he has come a very long way since then and this year was chosen for the “Most Improved IRR Dog Award”.. He worked his way through a succession of homes, always managing to blot his copybook in some way and usually through no real fault of his, always returning to his foster mum, Pauline, who would have adopted him had it not been for his great dislike of Steve. Louis is now living happily with Joan and her little crossbreed rescue dog, Sophie, in Devon. His relationship with the cat is still a work in progress, as is his mistrust of men, but he is definitely making headway in both quarters. He is a very intelligent dog and he took to training like a duck to water in Joan's capable hands. Last year he attained his Kennel Club Good Citizen Award Bronze Award at the reunion and then went on to win the “IRR Best Obedience Dog Award”. A title which he managed to hold on to again this year. There is still a long way to go and Louis can still have his moments especially where noises like fireworks, gunfire and thunder are concerned but he totally adores Joan and seems to be finally realising that she is prepared to work through his difficulties with him and isn’t going to abandon him like everyone else has. Not in the parade but at the show were:-
MILLIE BUTLER-SPICE Millie was originally called Jordan and she was picked up by the dog warden after having been tied up all her life with a rope which had actually indented in her neck. She was also limping very badly so she was taken to the vet who x-rayed the leg, cleaned up her neck and spayed her. Despite her dreadful early beginnings, she was a very trusting soul and settled in well with Sandie, where she stayed until she was fit enough to travel. She was rehomed in the UK next door to one of our 2006 rescue dogs, Emma and she used to enjoy playing daily with both Emma and Faith. She was loved to bits and was spoilt rotten. No work was done in the house as playing with Millie always came first . It was then decided that Millie needed a special friend of her own and so Holly (also IRR) joined the family which further increased Millie’s confidence, happiness and love of life. Millie has overcome a lot of adversity and this was recognized when she was awarded Runner Up in the Shannon Memorial Award after a very close decision. HOLLY BUTLER-SPICE Holly is a 5 year old bitch who was surrendered to IRR as she was worrying sheep. She found her forever home in Hampshire with Millie as a playmate. At first, she was in the "Is this my new home or am I going to be moved again?" mode but a lot of TLC & Millie helped her to settle and she was soon walking nicely to heel on the lead. Thunder would unsettle her but she wasn’t bothered by the lawn mower or the hoover. As Holly was good at getting into the car it encouraged the nervous Millie to follow her. Apparently, Holly was very tolerant of Millie's wild child antics and always wanting to play but it was actually very good to see them playing together especially given Millie’s terrible start in life. DRAKE BOYD Drake is a 2 yr old Golden Retriever Cross who lives with Helen in Lancashire. He was initially called Minstrel and, when just a tiny puppy, he was surrendered to the pound and possible instant death with his brother Brian (then called Merlin) and his mum Connie, a purebred Golden Retriever, who was originally called Maisie. Fortunately, all three were rescued and were fostered in Ireland before coming to the UK. Drake was awarded his Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award at last year’s reunion and competes in Heelwork to Music. He has also tried his paw at CaniX, which is a type of racing, and even went to Crufts to demonstrate it. He, unfortunately, had a problem with his tail and it has had to be partially amputated. As in 2008, Drake and his mum, Helen, put on a display of Heelwork to Music in our Showtime section. This was followed by a basic clicker demonstration by his mum, Connie, and then Helen strutted her stuff with the much more experienced Teal, her lovely Bernese Mountain Dog. CASSIE MARSHALL Cassie was originally known as Maeve and is a Labrador, now aged about 8yrs, who came over from Ireland with Maisie, Merlin and Minstrel. She was found with terrible skin problems and had definitely had babies. Her skin is so much better now, thanks to Ann’s TLC and her coat is glossy and gleaming. When she first arrived, she was absolutely terrified of men but she has gradually improved with time. She lives with Anne in Somerset and has a rescue greyhound friend called Mick, for company. TOBY LEGGETT Toby is a 4yr old Golden Retriever who was very badly treated in Ireland, being chained up for most of his life. The chain had actually left a deep indentation in his neck and this required stitches and careful management. He definitely landed on his feet when he was adopted by Bill and Anita, who live in Somerset, and he instantly fell in love with his Golden Retriever girlfriend, Chelsea. Initially, poor Chelsea was very poorly but Toby, who she loves to bits, helped her to re-cuperate and make a full recovery. He is now very happy and totally spoilt and is an extremely handsome boy who is admired by all he meets. BERTIE & ZACH WORSLEY Zach and Bertie were both grossly obese and had severe movement difficulties when Jan met them from the transport. She had so much trouble hauling them into her 3 door hatchback that she commented we had become IRISH ELEPHANT RESCUE. These dogs were being surrendered by their owners who could no longer care for them, with the stipulation that both dogs must be rehomed together. Jan offered to care for them for a few days until arrangements could be made by IRR for fostering and, to cut a long story short fell in love with and adopted them. In less than 6 months they jointly lost 34 kgs, the weight of one large male golden retriever, thanks to being exercised twice daily on Salisbury Plain for 3-5 hours off-lead in all weathers. Bertie continues to do really well but poor Zach is suffering with his joints due to the lack of exercise and inappropriate feeding in his original home. Both boys passed their Bronze Kennel Club Good Citizen Award at last year’s reunion and are great ambassadors for their breed. Jan says that everyone who meets her 2 IRR angels falls completely in love with them and she has had numerous homes offered to both of them. QUINN REASTON Quinn was originally called Neilan and is approximately 5yr olds old. This lovely Golden Retriever was surrendered by his owner because he smelled and the man said "A bullet would have been too good for him". Quinn seemed totally relaxed around wheelchairs and people with disabilities so that made him perfect for Alison and her elderly wheelchair bound Mum who has, sadly, since passed away. Quinn is still the same wonderful boy and at this year's reunion won a 3rd and a 4th in obedience as well as going away with an award for the Happiest Worker in Class 1. MERLIN COLDICOTT Merlin was originally called Perry and he was an unclaimed stray who arrived very confused and sad. He must have been someone's pet at some time as he walked like a dream on the lead and was perfectly housetrained. We suspected the reason for him being dis-owned was because of the possible expense involved in treating the lump on his shoulder which, fortunately, was nothing sinister. We had this removed at the same time as he was castrated and he was given the "all clear". We estimated that he was about 7yrs old. Merlin went to live with Lorna and Rachel and immediately became best pals with Zena and soon learned to live amicably with the cats. Most recently, Merlin and Zena welcomed a new dear old rescue girl, Della, who has also joined their loving family.
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