Darcy Cannon

DARCY WENT PEACEFULLY TO JOIN THE ANGELS (4th July 2008)

Darcy (previously called Jim) was picked up as stray and taken to Ashton pound in November 2004. His 7 days passed and nobody came to claim him, no doubt because he was not lost, he was dumped! Darcy is between 8-10 years old, suffers from arthritis and is no speedy Gonzalez, so losing him is not easy!! Darcy travelled to his new home in Hertfordshire just in time to celebrate the New Year and a new life with Lorraine, Gareth and the monster also known as Martha.

Lorraine says she just cannot thank enough the swine who did not love Darcy enough to look for him and who loved him so little that they could dump him in his twilight years. She is also really grateful to Sandie, without whom he would have ended up just another statistic at the end of a needle in a cold pound!

When Darcy arrived he was a bit of a shock to the Lorraine and Gareth having lived with the trampling, slobbering, shouting beast that was Martha for 3 years! He was a quiet, well mannered, gentle giant who gave everything he had just to make you smile and asked for nothing in return. However, they soon changed that!!!! Over the months Darcy has found his voice, which incidentally is not fitting of his rather large manly frame and is more of a squeak!

He now makes his displeasure at not being stroked 24/7 plainly heard, shouts at the bottom of the stairs to be CARRIED to bed every night, hogs the bed and the pillows once he is there and is generally becoming a real Cannon dog……..pushy, demanding and a brat……….. just the way they like them!!! He may be an oldie, but he is most certainly a goodie……. and none of their lives will ever be the same again, he has enriched them beyond belief. He is little old Darcy Arse.

 MY DARCY HAS GONE TO RAINBOW BRIDGE

We are all saddened by the news that Darcy has gone to Rainbow Bridge. He crossed over on 4th July (Independence Day) which was exactly right for this boy who always did things “his way”, bless him.

He was the very first rescue dog to be rehomed by the newly formed Irish Retriever Rescue UK so was very special to all of us but especially to Lorraine ( our UK co-ordinator ) and Sandie, who took him as a stray from the pound. He was, undoubtedly, like many other older dogs, dumped in favour of a younger model, as it was very near Christmas. We think he was somewhere between 10yrs and 13yrs then and Lorraine and Gareth gave him a wonderful life for another 3yrs and 6mths so he could have been as old as 16yrs now. He had the best of everything…….good food, lovely walks, the companionship of his Labrador girlfriend, Martha, and, of course, heaps and heaps of love. Needless to say, Lorraine and Gareth are devastated.

Darcy was quite poorly last year but with his determination and Lorraine’s TLC, he made an excellent recovery. This year, he has been slowly going downhill and then fighting back again but, sadly, we all knew the writing was on the wall and, sadly, his time has finally come.

Fly with the angels, Darcy. You were a very special boy and you will never be forgotten.

A TRIBUTE FROM LORRAINE

Darcy………………..The old man that stole my soul

My old man, my clown, my friend, my constant companion, my muse….. my life.

You walked into my life on Boxing Day 2004 and changed my life forever, in a heartbeat I became not only your Mum, your waitress, your nurse, your slave… but a rescuer! It was because of you that I agreed to set up IRR with these special people I now call friends. The thought that a dog (though you were never a dog to me) as special as you could lose their lives in a cold pound was not something I could ever contemplate. Since that day, rescue has become my life, I live and breathe IRR throwing my heart and pockets full of money into dogs just like you. And it was, and still is, you, that gives me the strength to do it. Many a night we spent together, with me ranting and raving or crying with the stress of saving these souls, on the brink of packing it all in and having a “normal” life where people sleep and talk about things other than dogs. But all it took was one yip from you, that wonderful smile and a Darcy groan as I rubbed your ears for me to know that, I couldn’t give it up, it’s in my heart because you put it there. Those times will be harder now without you at my feet, but I know you will find other ways to give me the nudge. I will never let you down.

Time with you was too short but with a soul as precious as yours, a lifetime would have been too short. Despite my pain and aching heart I would not hesitate to take on another old boy, there is no love like that of an old dog who finds themselves down on their luck. You were my fighter, my stubborn old bugger, my wonder boy…. Illness had tried to take you from me on several occasions in the last year but no virus or stroke could compete with the heart of a lion, that old knackered body of yours was certainly as stubborn as your mind 😉

You made me laugh daily, bless you, you were more than a little bit thick!! That monster Marth ran rings around you and you fell for her tricks time and time again, why oh why you couldn’t fathom out that the only time she touched that treasured rugby ball of yours was when you had a bone was beyond me! I would smile as your ears pricked up at the squeak, as you huffed and puffed to your feet and pottered towards her to reclaim it…. We all knew by the time you got there, she would be legging it upstairs with your bone but you always looked so surprised and disappointed when you got back and realized it had gone!! And really son, doors are not that difficult… our doors have always opened inwards, pressing your nose against them was never going to get you out quicker!!

You were the most stubborn dog I have ever met, but always with good grace and a sense of humour…… the recurrent limp and sit down protests at the sight of the car will always be remembered with great affection and a smile. You knew what you wanted and you bleeding well knew how to get it, you had me wrapped around your paw and there is no place I would rather have been wrapped. Over our last weeks, it wasn’t just your laziness and stubbornness that had us waiting on you, your knackered old bones depended on us to meet your every need. I know you chose Independence Day for a reason, “I can do this on my own now”…… my stubborn old bugger to the end.

Darcy, you were one in a million, everything a Goldie should be and more….. a dignified true gent with the heart of a lion. The bond we shared will never be broken, I was and still am, privileged to have loved and been loved by you, your body may be gone but your legacy lives on in the hearts and souls of all the Irish Goldens whose fortunes you have helped to change. Not bad for a knackered old boy dumped in the pound 😉

Sandie, I am forever grateful that you blessed me with my boy and trusted me with his care, he was treated like the royalty he was…. complete with two birthdays a year!! He was the pride of Ireland and never forgot his roots, he adored Irish music and I know he’s found the Fields of Athenry now 🙂

We all miss you big lad, the monster, Gareth, Grandma and Grandad and of course, me

Gone from sight…. never from my heart xxxxxxxxxxxx

DARCY

You gave me a home when I was abandoned as a stray; you let me in to your life, and I have loved every day.
I hate to think what would have happened to me, if you and Gareth hadn’t rescued me.
I will also miss Martha very much, and will always remember your loving touch.
I have been poorly many times too, but you showed how much you loved me, and nursed me through.
I may have been pushy and grumbled at you, but you understood me and you knew I loved you too.
We have had some happy times together, and we’ve been for our walks whatever the weather.
I will always stay very close to you, and you will feel all the love that I have for you.
Think of me as your guiding light, I will be ‘Your Star’ that shines so bright.
You are always busy finding homes for others too, and always make sure that they are all safe and loved too.
Thank you again for all you have done, I know to you I was a very Special Son.

Lots of Love from your Loving Boy Darcy Arse xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(with help from his Aunty Wendy)