Iona Saxton
Gone too soon (6/7/22)
Iona’s mum said, “I am very sad to have to let you know, that Iona, my 7yr old Goldie from IRR died last night (6 July 2022), from complications of her heart condition. She received the utmost care from the Ipswich veterinary practice who have looked after her since the day she came to me. Her sister Ruby and I are utterly heartbroken and in time will look back at our memories and cherish every moment we had the pleasure to share with her. There will be another bright star in the sky tonight, I will love you always my darling. Run free xxx.”
HISTORY
Ms. Bailey is an 18 month old, female Golden Retriever X. She is slight and small and golden and cream in colour.
Ms. Bailey came through DAWG, a Cork Rescue, with whom IRR is proud to have a fantastic bond. Ms. Bailey was dumped after having had puppies three months prior. What happened to the puppies no one knows. One can only surmise that, after the puppies were weaned and sold, Ms. Bailey’s services were no longer required.
She is so light that her rib cage is clearly visible and her bones can be counted. She gave all the nourishment she had to her puppies and as a result became quite under-weight. This little girl has had a truly tragic existence and if anyone deserves to have her life changed, this lassie certainly does.
Thankfully, IRR have her now which means Ms. Bailey can look forward to a life filled with love, lying beside a warm fire, getting treats and cuddling up beside people who love her. She put her life on the line to save her puppies and put herself in harm’s way to make sure that they would survive.
Who would deny a heroine, treated with such disdain, the chance of life, love and happiness. Well, that is what IRR is here to make sure happens.
HEALTH
Ms Bailey is in foster in the UK with Diana who tells us “Bailey saw our vet on 06.02.2017. She was extremely underweight (17.2 kg) and her rib cage and spine were clearly showing. It was confirmed that she has a heart murmur scale 6. She is booked in for a scan and examination. Her appetite is good and she has no problems with her stool movement. She is on 4 small meals a day to build her up gently. Bailey always gets very excited at meal times
PERSONALITY
Kathry said “She has the gentlest personality but is afraid to ask for attention in case she may receive a slap. Nobody can understand why anyone wouldn’t want this beautiful gentle soul who just longs to have a family of her own.
This little girl is a dream, small, yes, a cross most definitely but one with the biggest heart of gold that any pure Golden would have”. Diana says “Ms Bailey is timid but alert and inquisitive and fairly playful and happy now. She is an absolute sweetheart and is eager to please.
It will not be difficult to train her. In the few days that she has been here, she learned “sit” very quickly and also learned to use a basket at bedtime. At first, Bailey literally begged for attention and would not stop even if you ignored her.
After a couple of weeks, Bailey still craves human love but she is now quite happy to lie down and sleep rather than constantly begging for attention. Instead, she lies close to the resident dogs We believe, in time, Bailey will totally come out of her shell.
Once she has realised that she is safe and loved, her confidence will grow (we have already seen this in the couple of weeks that she has been here) but we also think she will benefit from a canine companion who will help to make her more independent and she won’t feel the need to be begging for attention and re-assurance”.
SOCIAL LEARNING
Ms Bailey had received no basic training and had no concept of playing. When she first arrived, she picked up a toy but didn’t know what to do with it. She picks up toys more often now but is still unsure what to do with them. She does enjoy chewing dog treats.
Bailey is very bright and learns quickly. When her foster dad went back to work this week she didn’t stir after the second day when he left the bedroom whereas before she got very excited when he got up. She happily sleeps in her basket and does not stir until the morning.
TRAVEL: She shook incessantly when being picked up but her fear quickly subsided in the car when she was wrapped in a large soft fleece and she stretched out and fell asleep. She is now happy and content travelling in a vehicle.
HOUSETRAINING: She had not been housetrained. Bailey was unfamiliar with outdoors and would stop and stare at things as if she had never seen them before. Because of this she tended not to go the toilet outside.
After a couple of weeks, she will still not go to the toilet when on a walk but she is happy to do her business in the garden now.
SEPARATION ANXIETY: I have started to leave her alone for periods of time during the day while going into the garden and she shows no sign of anxiety or nervousness but, instead, she is happy and excitedly wags her tail when I return.
RESOURCE GUARDING: There is no evidence at all of any resource guarding
LEADWALKING: She walks `loose lead’ with a slip lead and with a body harness.
ADULTS and CHILDREN: She is very friendly with both adults and choldren
DOGS: Initially, with our resident dogs she was very submissive.
When out on a walk, she would see another dog and sit down and refuse to move until the other dog had passed. She was sociable with these dogs but would just not move until they were gone. Bailey is still quite unsure when she is in the local park.
Rather than standing on the patio not knowing what to do, she now sprints onto the grass with the two resident dogs and explores and sniffs until doing her business. She has also shown signs of playing outside. She is still very submissive with our dogs but actively seeks play more and more.
CATS: It is unknown how she would be with cats as she has not met any yet.
Ms BAILEY’S DREAM HOME
Bailey needs a loving family who will not try to rush her but who will give her the confidence to stand on her own four paws. She is improving slowly but it will take time and patience.
Although Ms Bailey still shows some defensive behaviour with strange dogs, we believe this lovely girl needs to have a gentle doggy companion who will teach her how wonderful life can be and who will help her to overcome her tragic start in life.
April 2017
Iona has gone to live in her Forever Home.