Shannon Bisset

OUR MASCOT’S SAD STORY

AN IRISH BLESSING

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

IN THE BEGINNING

Sandie Bissett, the founder of Golden Retriever Rescue, was alerted to Shannon’s situation in January 2004 but had no idea how bad a condition she was really in. She had been living in filthy conditions in a small concrete pen with her mother and brother to whom she had recently had a litter of pups.  

Sandie said “When she came into my care, she weighed 17 kilos, was terrified of human contact, sudden movements, loud noises and could not make eye contact – she used to stand rigid with fear.

She had very little hair on her body and was covered in sores, lesions and small nodules all over her body. I was advised by friends to put her to sleep, but I couldn’t do that and had to give her a shot at life and let her see that not all humans were to be feared. With the kind help of friends donating products such as Aloe Vera Propolis Creme, Aloe Juice and a Detox, she began her recovery.

At that time I could not even take her to the vet, I think she would have died of fright – quite literally. I left it very much to my other 6 dogs to do the emotional healing, which they were very successful at. It was through watching their interaction with humans that taught her to trust. She now greets visitors with a wag of the tail and is very happy to see people.  

Every day brings another delight/improvement with her, so much so, that my heart wants to burst with happiness for her. She has gone from being an intimidated, terrified, quivering wreck to an outgoing, affectionate, cheeky little minx. She has only put on 3 kilos, but because she was so mal-nourished as a pup, she will never put on any more.

Unfortunately, all is not bright for her future. In December 2004 she was diagnosed with Osteoporosis. Fortunately, we have a fantastic vet and she is mainly being treated homeopathically. She is on 60mls per day of Forever Freedom. Obviously, her condition cannot be reversed – we can only try to arrest it with homoeopathic medication and natural products which she will have to take for the rest of her life.

Sadly, Shannon died in March 2006. Another angel has crossed the Rainbow Bridge”.