Duke Brown
THE MOST SHOCKING NEWS (5.5.2023)
On 6th May, Pauline received some really shocking news from Duke’s Dad.
Phil’s words were “Yesterday morning, Julie and I spoke at length to our Vet and we were told that poor Duke’s cancer was terminal. Apparently, if we attempted palliative care, we would only be prolonging the inevitable so we knew what we had to do and that we must put Duke first, even though it would break our hearts to lose him.
Watching our Duke suffering was unbearable so we decided the best and only thing that we could do for him was to allow our Vet to give him his final sleep.
We are feeling lost and heartbroken because Duke was such a loving, lovely, happy boy and he’d been through such a lot in his eight (far too short) years of life. As you can imagine, we are all totally devastated.”
Many excited Dog Angels will have been waiting patiently to greet our Duke at The Bridge as he was quite a celebrity.
One of the keenest to catch up with Angel Duke was Gizzie, IRR’s Pawet and Pawthor Dog Pawitry – Irish Retriever Rescue who had many ideas to share with his friend of many years. They, quickly, put their heads together and came up with this very special message for Duke’s family:-
Despite my leg that didn't work, you saw the best in me Though far too soon, your love so deep, was how you set me free I had to leave you all behind and, though you loved me so, You knew my time on Earth was done so, bravely, let me go. I was a Secret Angel who touched the lives of many My side-kick, right-paw, Summer, a perfect Money-Penny. The golden thread that tied us released me from my pain But, though that thread was broken then, it will repair again I'll be your Guardian Angel. I'll watch you from afar Forever, I'll protect you and be your guiding star Though things seem very different and nothing is the same, I'll always be your DUKEY boy and DOUGLE is the name
GRATEFUL THANKS FROM THE FAMILY
Shortly after Duke’s passing, when Phil spoke privately to a very sympathetic Lorraine, little did he know that she, too, had very recently suffered her own bereavement when her beloved Miley Johnston – Irish Retriever Rescue crossed Rainbow Bridge aged 16yrs.
Lorraine was totally heartbroken and is still coming to terms with a loss that means, for the first time in almost 20yrs, she is constantly having to return to a house that feels very empty and devoid of all the joys that dog-parenting brings.
A struggling but grateful Phil said “Many thanks for all your good wishes and for your many kind comments about our lovely Duke. It means a lot to me and Julie and is very much appreciated”.
Most of Duke’s “fans” will have come from the many, many friends that he made through Irish Retriever Rescue, both on Facebook and at Gizzie’s Get Togethers along with the very grateful adopters of the family’s “foster kids”.
Phil carried on to say “I know some of you did meet him, in person, for the first time, at one of the IRR Reunions a few years back and, of course, for many years, he was an extremely popular member of the West Country Get-Together’s gang in Gizzie’s field.
Even those whose path he had never crossed, like his Facebook followers, still admired Duke’s courage and fell totally in love with him. Phil, Julie, Alice and Matt have received many messages of condolence and support including well over a hundred and fifty messages from their friends on Facebook alone.
“Losing Duke totally breaks our hearts. He was a very loving boy who adored everyone and was more than happy to enjoy a cuddle. When we were out walking, he was always ready and willing to meet and greet dogs of all shapes and sizes and their many and varied humans.
We miss him terribly and he will always be in our hearts. Thank you to IRR for letting us foster him and then go on to adopt him.”
DUKE WAS SUFFERING
Poor Duke had lumps in loads of places and he hadn’t been well for a while. On 4th May, he went to the vets for an Ultrasound scan and blood tests and they had the results later in the day.
We miss him terribly but he will forever be carried deep in our hearts and walking close by our sides. We cannot thank IRR enough for trusting us to foster him and, then, by letting us go on to adopt him.”
In the samples that were taken they found cancerous cells and there was nothing to do for him other than giving him palliative care with medication to help with his liver. Phil asked his Facebook friends to keep their fingers crossed for him.
Poor Duke had lumps in loads of places and hadn’t been well for a while. On 4th May, he went to the vets for an Ultrasound scan and blood tests and they had the results later in the day.
In the samples that were taken they found cancerous cells and there was nothing to do for him other than giving him palliative care with medication to help with his liver. Phil asked his Facebook friends to keep their fingers crossed for him.
The hope was he would, at least, start to eat otherwise that horrible decision would have to be made sooner rather than later, something Phil was dreading.
The day afterwards, when they should have been collecting Duke’s medication, the poor boy was very poorly and, not wishing to see him suffer, they decided he had to be given sleep.
It was a deservingly peaceful end for their wonderful friend.
A SAD GOODBYE TO A VERY SPECIAL BOY
DUKE WAS ALREADY AN ANGEL ON EARTH
Duke was an angel on Earth who touched the lives of many people and always in a very positive way. Everybody who met him completely fell in love with him. He was one in a million and he will definitely never be forgotten. He never needed to have special friends, apart from his much beloved big sister, Summer, because he loved everyone and everyone was a friend to him. Although he wasn’t loved at the start of his life he most certainly was at the end.
He was a dog who everybody seemed to know, or know of, and all those who met him loved him instantly. Even those people who weren’t lucky enough to meet him in real life, immediately picked up on the warmth he emanated and the love he had to give. Nobody ever had one bad word about him as Duke was always very happy and had a way of making everyone else happy too. Master Brown of Bristol was “gert lush” as we say round here.
Five days after losing their beloved Duke, Phil told us “We have been out for a walk with the girls this morning. We’ve had a few people come up to us and they are all really upset that he is gone. They were all saying the same thing, that our Duke was a lovely boy and that they would miss him very much. Everyone has been so kind.
The next morning, we were out walking the girls again (we are lucky enough to have over 40 acres to choose from where we are allowed to walk) and we came across a couple with their two dogs. They always made a huge fuss of Duke as the lovely chap has two prostheses himself and he asked us where his mate was. They were both extremely upset to hear of Duke’s passing”.
Pauline told Phil she, like many others, was still thinking of them all especially when she was at their field in the Memorial Garden. A doggy friend had asked her why she was so sad and she told him about Duke and how incredible he was then she directed him to the website. Her friend read about Duke and said “Duke’s story had me in tears. What a brave little Soul he was. The work they all did with his leg was totally incredible. He was a beautiful boy who may not have had the best start in life but he definitely crossed Rainbow Bridge knowing he was loved as much as any dog could be.”
We know it must be a comfort to the family to hear all those lovely words but, at the moment, sadly, nothing can take their pain away. They want him back maybe just to say one more “goodbye”. Hopefully, the heartache will get less and less and the excruciating pain of loss will fade in time but the wonderful memories, for sure, will never be far away. A poem, a song, a place can all trigger the sadness but also the happiness of remembering the good times and from knowing their very special Dukey Dougal had a life well lived and always loved.
Phil found it very moving when he read it and said it brought tears to his eyes.
Pauline told Phil “With a busy day ahead, I was relaxing on the bench in the field Memorial Garden in the shade with my boy, Ollie, laid at my feet thinking how precious every moment is to us. Smells of hawthorn and cut grass filled the air and thoughts of all who had passed filled my mind as I was listening to the twittering of the birds and to the gentle tinkling of the wind chimes in the breeze – peace perfect peace”.
DUKE CAME HOME
On Monday 15th May, Phil told us “Our lovely boy Duke is now home. The vets made a lovely gesture by giving us his paw print and a locket containing his fur”.
For sure, it always feels so much better when they are back home with us again although all we really want is to be able to turn the clock back and have them alive and well again.
The yellow rose (a symbol of friendship and platonic love) was in memory of Duke from everyone who knew and loved him and loved him and especially from those who came to Gizzie’s Get-togethers.
A box of “Gifts from Duke” was also put together by his friends at Gizzie’s Field and was delivered to the family on the Sunday by Steve who was mugged to within an inch of his life by Maisie who is totally blind. Summer hardly got a look-in. Naturally, the men chatted over a cuppa and reminisced.
Nothing, of course, can ever replace dear Duke but, hopefully, the gift of thoughtful presents will let Julie, Phil, Alice & Matt know that people are thinking of them and feeling their pain. Sad to say, we have all been there, often many many times, and it never gets any easier but it is the price we willingly pay for love.
On 18.5.2023, Phil said to Pauline “We’re getting there but we still miss him terribly. It’s the silly things that we miss that tug on our hearts that little bit more. He always used to come on to the bed for a morning cuddle and after we washed and wiped up he would get on the settee for a cuddle with Julie.
We miss his snoring and always being there when I opened up the biscuit barrel. We miss the excitement when we came home from shopping and we especially loved seeing him sniffing all the bags to smell what we had bought.
Duke was a star. There is another in the night sky now. We are trying to keep ourselves busy while we are coming to grips with him not being here. The girls have helped a lot, getting us out of the house and doing their best to distract us. We were thinking we may go back to fostering in the future in memory of our Duke.
We loved watching him playing with Summer and find it heart wrenching now seeing Summer missing her little brother so much. They played so well together. If he wasn’t sure, he’d look to Summer for support. Thankfully the girls have come up trumps by getting us out walking but, even then, we miss having to keep looking behind us to see what he was up to.
He was a dog who everybody seemed to know, or know of, and all those who met him loved him instantly. Even those people who weren’t lucky enough to meet him in real life, instantly picked up on the warmth he emanated and the love he had to give. Nobody ever had one bad word about him as Duke was always happy and made everyone else happy too.
Phil said “We are still missing Duke. He was just lovely and a joy to have around”.
LIFE MUST GO ON
Phil remembers Dizzie “She was our first Retriever. We had her before we had the kids. She was lovely and a sweetheart. Losing Duke takes us back to the loss of Dizzie. It still takes a piece of you.”.
Phil’s Dizzie went to the Bridge back in August 2010 when she was 16yrs. When she passed the house wasn’t the same so they got Maisie in the December.
Poor Maisie had cataracts from a puppy and had to have numerous operations but then glaucoma kicked in and they were fighting a losing battle. She had numerous eye drops, different combination, different times, but all was to no avail. He says Maisie is a lot happier since she lost both her eyes. She is outgoing and very affectionate and knows just how to mug visitors for attention.
Summer was born in 2011. Phil told us with a smile “If any dog is going to get into any mischief, it will be Summer. She’s been so out of sorts since Duke has passed but today she was more like her old self when out walking. Today (21st) is the first day that Summer has been back to being Summer. Hopefully now she’s getting over losing her baby brother. The flower essence drops given to us by Lynne certainly seem to have helped”.
Pauline remarked “There is always a huge emptiness after they have passed. Sixteen is a wonderful age. How cruel is it that poor Duke only had half as much time on this earth”.
HE BATTLED THE ODDS
Against all the odds Duke battled to lead as normal a life as he possibly could and this was recognized when he was awarded THE TRUSTEES DOG OF THE YEAR. Many people who had only known of him on Facebook met him there for the very first time
https://m.facebook.com/groups/Helpirr/permalink/1510389485650456/
Duke became one of a small group of brave and extraordinary IRR dogs who never let their medical condition or disability hold them back. For some it was digestive or gynaecological problems, poor hearing or sight loss or, as in Duke’s case, the lack of four fully functioning limbs. For sure, these very brave dogs will always be given full honours at Rainbow Bridge.
Lorraine was in private contact with Phil, as was Pauline. They all go back a very long way and know, only too well, the pain of grief and loss
Kathryn, who is coping with her own heartbreak yet again sent hugs to Phil and family and summed it all up beautifully by saying “Phil, I am really sorry that Duke has passed, his race was won and he was called because God needed him to help with all the unruly IRR dogs who had crossed Rainbow Bridge. He was especially needed to help my Missy across the Bridge as she needed a strong lad to gently bring her home”.
Sadly, since then, another kind, gentle and loving dog, Gracie, also gained her wings. No doubt, she was selected to try to help God keep control. So, for sure, with the help of some wonderful dog parents, peace and calm will, once again, return to Rainbow Bridge.
Recent newcomers to the Bridge who grace the 2023 Roll of Honour all have quite a story to tell.
DOG AND HUMAN ANGELS WELCOME A HUGE CELEBRITY
At Rainbow Bridge, they all lined up to welcome the huge celebrity that is Duke Brown. Now Dog Angels, all his old friends were there lined up at the gates to greet him. At the head of the queue were all his best friends from Gizzie’s Field, siblings Shamrock & Honey and their mum Lily who was doing her best to calm the excitement with the help of older and wiser Barney, Harvey & Megan Granger now reunited with her tripod brother, the infamous Ricky Three Legs.
Of course, Gizzie, Sprocket, Mossie & Rhani were at the front of the queue as they had been busy organising a huge party for Duke together with their siblings Danny, Ferdie & George. It is rumoured Mossie and his fellow bad boys Teddy Hughes, Louis Phillips & Ricky Three Legs are the ones to watch if mischief is to be had and mayhem caused although, with God’s guiding hand, they are now, to a large extent, all reformed characters.
Fortunately, to steady the ship, the welcoming party also contained Lizzie Phillips, Lola & Gemini Jones and, of course, kind and gentle Rocky Reader-Hoer who quickly introduced Duke to yet another very famous fellow tripod, his devilishly handsome brother Digby.
Naturally, Duke’s Aunty Belinda was there to organise the pack and provide some calming human guidance along with her old IRR friend Andy Bolton with all the many, many dogs they had fostered and the lucky ones who stayed adopted.
Then, apparently, knowing such a wonderful dog was due to arrive, Paul O’ Grady with Buster, on hearing the din in the IRR Field, popped over to meet the VIP who was crossing The Bridge. Paul’s other dogs remained in the Battersea Dogs Home section where they mostly live but, naturally, all dogs are free to circulate are free to around the entire Rainbow Bridge estate but the bigger groups tend to congregate together.
Duke was then, of course, greeted by Belinda’s entire pack of Millie, Connie, Abigail, Stella, Cassie, Ellie May, Bunty & one eyed Vinnie who introduced him to another huge celebrity at The Bridge, the very famous and clever blind Stevie Phipps, the Wonder Dog who passed on 3.4.2019. He had been given the very important job of escorting and welcoming his Aunty Belinda.
Duke was, by now, quite overwhealmed by the greeting he had received but, as ever, duty came first and he told everyone, before he could play, he had a very important job to do which was safely escorting Missy Crofton across the Bridge. He knew she had not been lucky like him. She had never been loved and she had endured terrible suffering for the majority of her life until the day her special Mum Kathryn rescued her. Duke, knew he also had back-up on the way in the form of Gracie, an experienced PAT dog, who was due to pass very soon and he would have to try to keep Missy away from all those bad boys who still loved a bit of mischief.
HISTORY
OUR PARALYMPIAN
DUKE BROWN IS A VERY HANDSOME AND HAPPY BOY
Everyone who meets him, loves him instantly. He hasn’t a bad bone in his body. He is sweet and gentle, fun-loving and full of life.
Every single penny spent on Duke has been well worthwhile and our reward is that gorgeous smiley face and his obvious joie de vivre.
IN THE BEGINNING
Duke came into the care of IRR having been surrendered to the pound in a terrible state – this was a video of Duke as he was:
It is not difficult to see Duke is a fabulously handsome cream coloured Golden Retriever who came into IRR’s care in late April 2016. At that time, he was only about 18mths old, his DOB being in late 2014. He was not neutered but that was to be done in England.
After medical assessment in Ireland it was clear that Duke’s problems arose from a birth defect and he had been left to cope on 3 legs for all of his 18 months. It was the lack of attention and care which had led to the injury to his foot with it being caused by him dragging it along the ground.
To give Duke the best chance of a pain free future we made the decision to bring him to the UK for specialist evaluation. He had all the necessary vaccinations to get his Pet Passport before being transported to the UK where he was fostered by Julie and Phil in Bristol whilst awaiting referral to an Orthopaedic Specialist so he could learn how life should always have been. They already had experience of disabled dogs having fostered Starlight and were close to Langford Veterinary Institute.
He was fitted with a boot to protect his foot.
Phil and Julie’s lovely Golden Retrievers, Maisie and Somer, took to Duke straight away and, as usual for them, they made him very welcome.
On 31st May, Phil said, “Duke is a very loving boy. He is apprehensive but wants to please you. Hopefully, over the next weeks he we will get more confident. He loves a cuddle and a belly rub. We took him for a walk and he was a bit of a nightmare but, having said that, he did love getting out and about. His leg is shorter than the others with nails and a pad but he does get about on it really well”.
Duke blossomed in foster care, refusing to let his deformity dictate his life. He was loving having canine friends and being part of a proper family at long last.
He also met and made friends with lots of other IRR dogs and their friends when he regularly attended the monthly get-togethers in Gizzie’s field near Bath. Duke was often one of over 30 dogs running free together, pals including all of Lily’s surprise litter and Josh’s foundling family.
Many of these dogs, like Duke, also have severe disabilities of some sort L to R Starlight (visually impaired) Duke himself, Alex (blind) and the late Digby (amputee).
Duke with more of the IRR disabled dogs He loves to play with one eyed Vinnie and poorly sighted, deaf Sprocket as well as his own sister who is blind.
Unfortunately, following his appointment with the Orthopaedic Specialist, IRR found out Duke’s pain free future could only be guaranteed with surgery. Duke’s deformity had resulted from abnormal formation of the bones and soft tissues of the right thoracic limb which had consequences on the development of the ligaments and tendons within the leg.
DUKE’S EARLY HISTORY and MEDICAL REPORTS
The palmer pads of the right forelimb were hypoplastic as were the metacarpal bones. That meant that, whilst his boot would protect his foot from further injury, over time, the likelihood was that Duke would develop pain and further mobility issues.
We had 2 surgical options available to us ie (a) the complete amputation of the right forelimb
or (b) amputation of the distal limb and application of a prosthesis.
All decisions made by IRR are made on welfare not financial grounds so we decided to proceed with option (b). From previous experience with Ricky and Digby, we knew complete amputation in a large breed dog puts additional pressure on the remaining limbs and can result in increased joint issues in later life.
Also, having been able to evaluate Duke’s mobility whilst in foster, it was clear that, whilst he did not use his deformed leg to walk and run, he did use it for balance and stability when stationary or climbing stairs and we realised he would, therefore, benefit from retaining his limb if possible.
We could only proceed with this surgery with the help of supporters as, although IRR was able to fund the additional scans required, the costs quoted for surgery were beyond our capabilities at that time as we had been quoted:-
£1,900 for the amputation
£1,852 for the prosthesis.
We asked for donations and, if people could, to hold a fundraising event with the help of our fundraising team.
Failing that, we asked people to share Duke’s story far and wide, which you did, and, together, we raised the money.
That meant we have been able to give this gorgeous boy the future he deserves and have helped him to keep and even increase the size of the smile that he has found whilst in IRR care with Julie and Phil.
This is a video of Duke in foster care.
DUKE’S VETERINARY APPOINTMENTS
This was Duke’s diary of veterinary appointments:-
Having arrived in Bristol on 29th May 2016,
- On 3rd June, Duke developed a cough. Phil took him to the vets and it was kennel cough.
- He was referred to Langford Vet School on 3rd August 2016 for examination of his paw and eventually went for a scan on 28th November and a video was done on 12th December.
- Duke went to Phil’s own vet to be castrated on 13th December.
- On 24th January 2017 he went for his Prototype fitting.
- On 9th February he went for his 2nd Prototype fitting but broke in the vets.
- On 15th February, a new one was received through the post.
- On 20th February, Duke broke another prosthesis which was replaced using a spare boot. He then had a Physio assessment on 10th March followed by Physio sessions on 17th and 24th March.
- On 30th March, Duke had a last check up prior to the final design of his new prosthesis which was collected on 3rd May.
- Unfortunately, on 12th May it was sent back due to it cutting Duke’s leg. At the same time, Duke had Physio and Phil was shown how to use the tens machine.
- On 16th May the Prosthesis was returned after which Duke had Physio sessions on 19th May, 26th May, 16th June, 7th July and 4th August 2017.
WONDERFUL NEWS (AUGUST 2017)
Soon after his arrival, Phil had said, “Duke is a sweetheart and it’s a pleasure to be looking after him” so to everyone’s delight but coming as no surprise to anyone, in August 2017, our very special Duke was adopted by a very happy Julie and Phil.
This pic was taken on the morning of Saturday 11th Nov 2017 in Forty Acres before the rain came. He has no issues with his leg but his prosthetic has been taken off so he can play. It is then put back on for walking back home.
DUKE AT THE REUNION
Duke and Phil had a great time at the 2017 Reunion. Duke’s many admirers were really pleased to be able to meet him, many for the first time. Kathryn was especially delighted to meet up with Duke again and he was, of course, very happy to see her again too.
WINNER OF TRUSTEES’ DOG OF THE YEAR 2017
The icing on the cake at the Reunion, was when Duke was awarded the Trustees Dog Of the Year Special Award which was sponsored by Belinda McAvoy and presented to Phil by another Trustee, Wendy Illman.
Lorraine, Trustee and UK Coordinator, explained “All our dogs are special, but every year there are a few that grab that little bit more of your heart. When asked which dog had captured our hearts the most this year, there was one name that was on the tip of all 3 Trustees’ tongues ………DUKE
Duke’s story is well known but, in short, Duke was surrendered to an Irish Pound. He was hopping on 3 legs with a bleeding foot dangling at the front! Shocked at what we encountered, we immediately got him out of the Pound and sought medical advice assuming he must have been in an accident. However, it transpired that poor Duke had been hopping around on 3 legs, dragging the 4th across the floor, for his entire life as the problem with his foot was a birth defect not an injury! He was brought to the UK for specialist orthopaedic evaluation and thanks to the tremendous support we received from our supporters through an appeal for funding, we were able to fit Duke with a prosthetic leg to protect his joints and allow him to live a full and active life without putting strain on his 3 good legs.
The road has been a long one with a huge number of vet appointments for fittings and physio to teach him to walk for the first time in his life on 4 legs. His fosterers, and now Forever Mum and Dad, Julie and Phil Brown, have been there every step of the way to help him Duke has taken it all in his stride, always cooperative and always with a smile on his face. He has touched the hearts of all that have met him and, for this, wonderful Duke was made our Trustees Dog Of the Year”.
SO HAPPY IN HIS FOREVER HOME
DUKE WAS A TV STAR ON BBC WALES (FEB 2018)
Rescue dog gets ‘new lease of life’ with 3D printed leg
They reported, “A dog that could hardly walk has been given a new lease of life after a 3D printed leg was made for him. Rescue dog Duke, an Irish retriever, was born with a birth defect in his front right leg and faced having it amputated. But he is now running around after Swansea printing firm CBM made him a leg similar to blades used by Paralympians. New owner Phil Brown, from Bristol, said it had been “life-changing”.
See the full BBC article here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-43169494
