Parade of Sponsor Dogs

SPONSOR DOGS COMMENTARY FROM PAULINE

We also have our wonderful Sponsor Dogs, most of whom have had severe problems because of their previous treatment, but they are lucky enough to have found wonderful forever homes. They have all been fully adopted by loving owners who are happy to take full responsibility for all their medical and other bills. These kind people are delighted to help IRR by allowing their dogs to be Sponsor Dogs as a way of raising money to enable us to continue to help others like them in the future.

For a donation of £10 a year, these lovely dogs can be sponsored and, in return, sponsors receive a Certificate of Sponsorship with a photo of their chosen dog as well as interesting and often funny paw written quarterly updates about their progress.

A Sponsor Dog will also remember your birthday and greet you at Christmas
and names of sponsors are listed on our Sponsor Page.
Many people sponsor a dog as a birthday or Christmas present for someone else.
Most of these very special dogs paraded at the Reunion and were then happy to extend their paws of friendship to meet and greet their sponsors old and new.

ANGEL and ALLIE came into IRR care in early 2008 as two middle aged sisters who had always lived together but, due to changed circumstances, their owner could no longer cope with them. It is always very difficult to foster let alone re-home two dogs together, even well behaved, adorable girls like them, but these girls were inseparable so we were extremely lucky to find someone who could foster them together. Life got even better for the girls when their foster mum, Aileen, couldn’t bear to part with them and decided to become their forever mum instead.

Angel, who is now 11yrs, and Allie, who is 9yrs, are happy to be Sponsor Dogs to represent the pairs of dogs who need rescuing and, hopefully, are able, just like them, to find that extra special home where they are able to stay together forever.    

BOUNCER and his sister Kelly arrived as little puppies with their mum (also Kelly) when eight dogs were rescued after a raid on a puppy farm by the ISPCA in 2005. All the dogs were severely traumatised but, with tender loving care from their fosterers, they not only recovered but all turned into absolutely beautiful dogs who all found the very best possible forever homes. Bouncer has a great character and is an extremely cheeky chappie who is loved by everyone he meets but especially by his forever mum, Regina, and dad, Kevin and their GSD Jerry Lee. He is brilliant with other dogs and has helped many other needy foster dogs to be rehabilitated before being adopted.

Bouncer is delighted to offer himself as a sponsor dog to represent all the other puppy farm puppies who have been born in the most horrendous conditions imaginable just to make money. Sadly, Bouncer knows not all of them will be as lucky as him.

BUDDY is a very loveable Golden Retriever who was surrendered in Ireland when his elderly owner could no longer look after him and the other family members were unable to keep him. He came to England in 2008 and is now in his perfect forever home, with Sally and Graham in Surrey, which he shares with 6 dogs and 4 cats.

Buddy is very happy to be a Sponsor Dog to help other dogs who, like him, find themselves homeless because, sadly, elderly owners can no longer care for them and, more often than not, family members are not in a position to be able to take them on.

CONNIE (originally called Maisie) is a Golden Retriever who was surrendered to the pound and possible instant death, with her two lovely black puppies Drake (originally Minstrel) and Brian (was Merlin) in 2007 when she was about a year old. The owner obviously believed that by producing cross breed puppies, Connie was ‘ruined’ as a breeding bitch and the pups were of no value to him either. Fortunately, all three were rescued and were fostered in Ireland before coming to the UK. Connie is now loved to bits in her forever home with Belinda and Terry in Somerset which she shares with IRR rescues Millie, Abigail and Stella and a constant stream of needy foster dogs.

Connie is very happy to be a Sponsor Dog to help other dogs who find themselves homeless after “inappropriate” mating and giving birth to unwanted puppies.

DIGBY is a beautiful dog, in both looks and temperament, who, unfortunately has simply lost a leg. He has never let his disability bother him although it was clearly the reason why he was abandoned in 2007, no doubt because of huge medical expenses.

Digby was lucky enough to find a wonderful forever home in the Devon countryside together with lots of other lucky rescued animals. He has such a gentle nature that he is totally adored by everyone he meets but especially by his mum Tracey. He copes so well with his disability that people rarely notice he has a problem at all

Digby is very happy to be a sponsor dog on behalf of all the other dogs who are abandoned because they are no longer considered to be “perfect” any more and he knows that money he raises will help pay for other dogs like him to be released from cold, lonely pounds, to be transported to the UK, to be treated by vets for any problems they may have and, finally, to end up in wonderful homes just like him.

GIZMO was found scavenging on a rubbish tip in 2006 as a very young puppy. He is still a youngster at heart although he is now nearly 6yrs old. He enjoys nothing more than playing with his doggy brothers and sister and he used to love meeting the foster dogs who frequently came to live with him.

He is a very loving dog but certain behavioural issues made him unable to be rehomed in a “normal” family home so he was adopted by Pauline and Steve.

He is happy to be a Sponsor Dog to raise funds to help other dogs who are severely damaged mentally by cruel and mindless humans in the way he has been. He knows that, simply by being given a chance and with careful guidance, others can be turned back on to the straight and narrow too.

HARVEY is the newest of our Sponsor Dogs. He was about 2 years old when he was handed into the ISPCA as a stray in 2009. When he came to England he was fostered in the Midlands. He quickly settled down with the other family dog, a Labrador called Tess, and in a very short time his fosterers, Jane and Malcolm, had fallen completely in love with him and decided to adopt him permanently. 
Harvey is very happy to be a Sponsor Dog to help other dogs who find themselves homeless through no fault of their own.

LOLA came into the care of IRR in 2006 when she was a very young ex-breeding bitch. She was mated at her very first season. When she arrived and went into foster care, she was extremely nervous and needed a lot of work and several flower essence combinations before she could be re-homed. Fortunately for Lola, her fosterer, Lynne, fell in love with her and adopted her and she soon became very happy, playful and well adjusted.  Lola has demonstrated her clicker trained obedience skills at the 2009 and 2010 Reunions but, sadly, due to possible cruciate ligament problems, she was on “light duties” and unable to join her very own Troupe when they performed earlier.
Lola is very happy to be a Sponsor Dog so that she can help IRR to rescue other bitches who, like her, are bred from when they are no more than babies themselves.

STEVIE is blind. He was found in 2007 by an ISPCA inspector in a dilapidated shed where he had spent much of his life all alone. Despite this, he has a wonderful nature& is loved by all who come in contact with him. He is a truly inspiring ambassador for all disabled dogs and is a real credit to his amazing forever mum, Alison.

Sadly, Stevie started to suffer from seizures but he does not let that stop him doing all the things that a sighted dog can do and more, because he is exceptionally bright. He has tried his paw at agility training and dancing to music, which he loves, and he constantly amazes everyone he meets with his willingness to take on new challenges. He has recently been poorly again but, as always, he has fought hard and, with the devotion of Alison and her young son, Tom, he is getting stronger again every day.

Stevie is very happy to offer himself as a sponsor dog to help save the lives of other dogs who, like him, have lived in appalling conditions. He is also happy to champion the cause for dogs with disabilities like blindness who have been written off as “worthless” and “impossible to train” which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Our final Sponsor Dog ALICE was, unfortunately, unable to be at the Reunion. Shecame in 2005 from a puppy farm where she was used extensively as a breeding bitch. Her story is a horrendous but not an uncommon one. Alice was so terrified that she just crawled on her belly. Alice gave birth to puppies the day after she landed on UK soil and was gradually nursed back to almost normality by Sandra, her fosterer. Alice is now in the most wonderful forever home with Brenda where she has learnt not only to walk like a normal dog again but to run free and play happily with other dogs.

Alice is delighted to be a sponsor dog on behalf of all the other poor unfortunate bitches, who are bred from again and again until they are worn out physically and mentally. Alice knows that money she raises will help pay for others like her to be rescued and brought to safety so escaping a life of torment producing litter after litter.

Apart for the Sponsor a Dog scheme, another way of helping Irish Retriever Rescue, and, at the same time having a lovely gift for yourself or a friend, is by buying our merchandise which has all been lovingly created for us by two of our team, Belinda and Terry.  Luckily for IRR, they are both extremely creative and talented as well as being happy to dedicate their time and energy to helping IRR in many different ways.

We have an on-line gift shop and another team member, Chrissie, runs an ebay shop.

There are several other ways of fundraising like online shopping using the Easy Fundraising scheme, running a small event in the office or at home, having a collecting box for your small change and by generally raising awareness of what IRR do by telling your friends and workmates. We also have posters (available on-line) which can be put in your vets, dog clubs, groomers and local Pet Shops.

HOW WE SPEND DONATIONS

A £10 sponsorship will pay for us to microchip a dog or purchase a bottle of flower essences to help our dogs overcome their past traumas gently and naturally.

£30 would pay for a bioflow collar or medication for an elderly dog.

£60 to £80 will pay for arthritis medication for our forever foster dogs, a minor operation at the vets or for the transport of another unwanted dog over from Ireland.

 £100 to £120 will pay for a male dog to be castrated whilst £160 to £200 will pay for spaying a bitch, depending on the area of the country where they are fostered.

Vet bills can be crippling and insurance is impossible but we always do our best for every dog no matter how old or infirm. Occasionally, dogs need major surgery and then we need to organise special events like the Paws Across the Sea walks and Photo Competition to raise the necessary funds whilst other dogs just need a short course of medication but the veterinary costs still mount up alarmingly.

Every £10 of sponsor money helps to lessen our load. In fact, every penny counts, so bless you all for your generosity, for sponsoring our dogs and for supporting IRR.