Rescue golden retrievers Bill and Ben who could not be separated find permanent home

A pair of rescue golden retrievers who could not be separated have been found a permanent home.

Earlier this year, a Facebook post by Irish Retriever Rescue (IRR) about four pairs of middle-aged dogs in search of a home, went viral.

Six-year-old brothers Bill and Ben were one of those pairs.

Initially, they were fostered by a family in the UK as they waited for word on their permanent home.

However, the foster family fell in love with the brothers and were unable to “let them go”.

“In January, we picked up Bill and Ben, our first time fostering a pair of brothers,” said the brothers’ new owner. “They arrived incredibly traumatised and couldn’t be more than a few feet away from each other without becoming anxious and distressed.

“They weren’t keen on other dogs, were nervous in the house and needed lots of reassurance, patience and understanding on their journey to prepare them for their new lives.

“In the very early days, we didn’t think we could do it, their needs seemed huge. But somewhere along the way they stole our hearts, and our minds and melded into our family, both human and canine so perfectly we knew we couldn’t ever let them go.”

IRR said that the family who gave the brothers up for rehoming did so on the agreement that the pair would remain together.

“Bill was relinquished with his brother Ben, on the understanding that they would be re-homed together, which IRR endeavours to do unless the dogs fight or prove to have a negative impact on each other,” IRR said when they were put up for adoption.

The brothers, who were used to children, ended up needing a new home because their previous owners became busier with work and family commitments.

It was thought more “sensible” to rehome them.

The brothers were described as being “very much a bonded pair and even walk in step with each other, both on and off lead”.

IRR put up a notice online earlier this year about four pairs of golden retrievers that needed rehoming, all on the condition that each pair would remain as one.

The charity assesses each dog thoroughly and organises their temporary fostering before vetting and accepting families willing to home them permanently.

After IRR’s post went viral the charity was inundated with hundreds of applications to rehome the pairs of dogs.

These applications had to be carefully assessed before permanent matching could be completed by the dog charity.

The news of the four pairs spread all over the country with sisters Millie and Daisy even making an appearance on The Ray D’arcy Show.

IRR rescues Golden Retrievers across the UK and Ireland for rehabilitation and re-homing.

It rescues approximately 100 dogs a year.