Bailey Vincent

Age: 9 years

Gender: Female

Status: Angel

Received Wings: October 2019

From lonely shelter girl to first Hearts of Gold starting, the program with her mom Ginger, Bailey will always be GRRMF’s treasured founder. Read about her inspiration and life after rescue legacy as a therapy dog.

Rescued from a shelter in 2013, Bailey quickly won our hearts with her calm demeanor and relaxed approach to life and we adopted her on Christmas Eve. We introduced our girl to many things and she was quick to let us know she did not consider herself a “dog.” At puppy daycare she jumped the four-foot fence to assist the play-pal people monitoring the “dogs”, did a turtle crawl at agility classes and would not go through a tunnel if it had a drop of water, and after you bobbed her on the nose four times to play catch she would place it at your feet and walk away insulted. Clearly she already had a career choice in mind. Her gentle soul and compassion for others lead us into therapy work.

In 2014, Bailey earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen and passed her therapy certification with Therapy Dogs International (TDI). Our girl had a goal and she was on the fast track to get it started. We began visiting rehab centers and senior living facilities. As soon as we entered the front door, staff and patients called her name and wheelchairs and walkers would come streaming down the hallway to greet us. The reward was being able to tag along on the other end of the leash and watch the joy that Bailey brought to each person she visited.

Her natural talents shined the brightest during her work three times a week as the in-house therapy dog at a special school for children with complex disabilities. Having full run of the school, Bailey would instantly go to a child having a difficult day, sit with them until they were calm, then return to her designated area. She also loved working with the physical therapists to make grueling exercises fun for the children.

Rescue dogs have special souls and, despite their hard beginnings, some possess a strong compassion to help others and bring joy into their world. Bailey was one of those rare angels and together we expanded our horizons beyond my wildest dreams. Although Bailey crossed the Rainbow Bridge in October 2019, her spirit continues to inspire us to reach out into our communities and continue her dream of lifting spirits and making a pawsitive impact on someone’s life through therapy work. Bailey’s beautiful soul was the inspiration for our GRRMF Hearts of Gold therapy program.

Bailey was a great mentor to her younger fur sibling, Rocky, and taught him to be confident despite his visual impairment. When GRRMF rolled out the Hearts of Gold therapy program in 2019, Bailey and Rocky traveled to the west coast and were certified with Project PUP and then dual certified with Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa). She inspired everyone she met in magical ways, offering unconditional love and a sense of peace when she was near you. She was also an amazing big sister to our second GRRMF alum, Madison, who learned so much from her gentle ways and is trying to follow in the footsteps of her big sister.