Misty Holling

OUR BEAUTIFUL GIRL WAS TAKEN TOO SOON (December 2019)

Jon told us “Very sadly, our beautiful Golden Retriever, Misty passed away in early December last year. She was such a sweet loving dog and we miss her dearly. She had come to us when our first IRR dog, Paddy, the Golden we adopted back in 2006, had died. We adopted Misty in December 2014 and, from the moment we met her, we could see what a loving, beautiful lady she was – both on the inside and out. We had never seen a Retriever so white before so she really stood out. She was the most gentle dog we’ve ever had. We adopted a younger boy just after we got Misty and she took him under her wing, looking after him and teaching him. She was definitely in charge, though, and we called her ‘the Diva!’ because she was exactly that.

As the only girl in the house, she put up with us boys brilliantly. She was even present at our wedding. She was incredibly loving and enjoyed cuddling up on the sofa every evening after spending the afternoon running (for just a few minutes at a time) around the park and then laying on her back with her legs in the air chewing on her ball. We took her on lots of holidays and, typically, she loved swimming.

My Mum loved her to bits and she often stayed with her if we were away. She is a childminder and all the children used to love playing with Misty. Misty used to let them climb on her and do all-sorts to her – often she would lay in the middle of the room being brushed and stroked, like a true princess!

She was only 10yrs old but, after a brave though very short battle with cancer, she was, sadly, taken too soon. She started having issues walking and the vet thought it was arthritis given her age. When we noticed she still wasn’t herself, we took her in for blood tests which were normal but she still wasn’t right so we took her in for XRays which was when they discovered multiple tumours.

We went straight to the specialist oncology centre but their scans showed it was in her bones and the spread was significant- she could have fractured a bone at any moment it was that bad. The specialist said it was a wonder she could walk but she was walking and never showed any sign she was in pain. She was a real fighter! Sadly the whole process was only 3 weeks before we thought it was best to say goodbye in early December.

We were heartbroken when she died. She is truly missed by everyone in our family and especially by her younger brother Rupert.”

MISTY (was Lexi) HISTORY

Then called Lexi, four-year-old Misty came to us in 2014 after being surrendered by her owner in Ireland.

This lovely girl was very nervous of meeting new people. Her rescuer and fosterer needed to spend many hours with her gradually building her trust and slowly building up her confidence. They knew she would need lots of tender loving care and patience to bring her out of her shell and mend her spirit.

She was showing signs of having a very sweet personality which we were sure would shine through even more once she was in a safe, trusted environment. We were certain she would thrive in a home where she would have lots of company and where she would be able to learn to play and interact with others and enjoy the love and kindness she so richly deserved.

Unfortunately, Misty had to undergo major surgery but, thankfully, she made an excellent recovery. However, we knew she was likely to need ongoing veterinary monitoring in her forever home.

December 2014

Misty went to her Forever Home with another IRR rescue, Rupert.