This adorable Old English Sheepdog, Iona (formerly Millie) is about 1-2 years old and got to join her forever Momma on March 12th, 2023. Just a month before Iona came to her now Momma she had been taken to RROESR by a family member of the owner, who couldn't keep up with the needs of a young sheepie and had ended up letting her get very matted and kept her locked in a bathroom. (We can’t even imagine what poor Iona was feeling.) RROESR took her directly to the vet where she was sedated, shaved and spayed, and sent off to a foster family where her energy and love of playing was a bit too much for the young children she lived with.

Iona and her Momma bonded over the drive home to Colorado, and the next day she greeted her Momma with a new toy in her mouth and a big grin on her face (If that isn’t the sweetest, we don’t know what is!) Three days later, Iona unleashed the full force of her playfulness! (Yikes - LOL!) RROESR warned her Momma that Iona had no boundaries, which, if Iona’s Momma is being honest, that’s part of the reason she wanted her to join her home: that energy was exactly what she was looking for in terms of needing some love and training. And, as Iona’s Momma will tell you - RROESR was SPOT ON! Iona had all the energy you can imagine, with all the training and behaviors of an 8-week old puppy. 

Thus, they began the process of learning rules and boundaries, as well as all the things she could do that were fun and appropriate. Every day, she learned more about what not to do and what to do instead (zoomies together and tug were both great). Momma enrolled her in training classes, but by the time of the first class three weeks later, one of the trainers remarked about how amazingly well behaved she was for a sheepdog. She is as good a dog as there ever was. She's sweetness and light, and just loves everything with a level of enthusiasm that is infectious. She makes her Moma laugh every day and she's loving, positive, and simply just the cutest.



Iona is best described as fun, fun, fun! She loves all things running, sticks, toys, playing, walks, cheese, bread, chips...so, pretty much, she just loves life in general! The perfect day for Iona would start with cuddling followed by some outside time to run around, play some games, and take a long walk. Then, back to the couch for cuddle time before a little more outside play or just some time hanging outside sniffing the smells. And if Iona had it her way, that day would also include some play time with doggie friends, lots of people to pet her and a creek to splash in! It seems safe to say Iona is a lover of (almost) all things…the only things she’s really not a fan of is heat (can’t say we blame her) and cars (but they are working on that!)

Iona’s Momma shared that she is just such a good dog and since joining her home, she's not out of control, but full of bubbly, mischievous energy, and her facial expression tells you everything she's feeling all the time. And, as expected, she’s sheepdog stubborn but she does like to know the rules and live within those guidelines. Momma also shared that there's a funny story about Iona every day. She bows at everything to encourage it to play, even wild rabbits! A very cute story is that a little while back, she got jealous of her Momma giving attention to her brother's cat, and came over and pushed the cat away (not hurting him, but still), and Iona was told she could not do that. With the cat gone, she brushed off the "no" and asked for attention, and Momma just turned her head away and said she wasn't going to talk to her if she behaved like that. Iona then went over to her brother's cat and bowed to him as an apology. Of course, talking resumed between Momma and Iona after that! We are VERY confident that Iona has the absolute perfect home for her and we are also confident that Iona agrees!