Golden retriever Ivan is no ordinary canine
HE’S eight years old, has a mane of ginger locks and is the every day hero for Enniscorthy woman, Catherine Leacy.
Meet Ivan, the golden retriever, who is one of seven guide dogs currently working in County Wexford.
The organisation has also funded and trained 10 working assistance dogs who improve the lives of autistic children in the county.
This week, the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind will hold their ‘Future Hero’ campaign, and Ivan, Catherine and the team of volunteers will be out and about fundraising to help transform the lives of other people ‘one heroic dog at a time’.
On Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, Catherine and a team from the Wexford Branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind will be based in Tesco Wexford selling Labrador pins as part of the campaign.
The Wexford branch are very active in fundraising, and organiser-in-chief, Catherine is very grateful for their ongoing generosity.
‘Last year in County Wexford we raised €25,579.75c. Those 75 cent are important. Every single thing we raise goes towards training a dog,’ she said.
The cost of buying a Guide Dog is €38,000 but the value they give to their owners is priceless.
Catherine, who is registered blind has been using guide dogs for the last 13 years having previously been ‘mammy’ to Ivan’s predecessors Perry and Ashley.
‘Having a Guide Dog gives me independence to get out and about and enjoy life,’ she says.
‘I am the organiser of the Wexford branch, and we get great support from our volunteers. We are delighted with the support that the people of Wexford have continuously given us and Ivan and his other furry friends look forward to seeing them again in Tesco on April 7 and 8,’ she said.
Those who cannot visit Tesco next weekend can contribute €4 to the Future Hero campaign by texting WOOF to 50300.