A New Arrival .....Maybe Update

Unfortunately I have had to decide not to adopt Gemma the beautiful greyhound. She was an absolute sweetheart, but my Max is too feisty to risk taking her on, he may just push her too far one day and she might turn on him. I must say she showed no sign of aggression, but I know I would worry as I know Max can be bolshy with big dogs. If I didn't have Max Gemma would be already living in my home. But she's such a gorgeous girl that I just know she'll find the right home very soon and she deserves it. I will join the Dumfries and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue and do some voluntary work for them, they do a brilliant job

I still hope to get another dog, but will look for a smaller one that doesn't freak Max out - he is ok with smaller dogs I know that. I'm sure somewhere out there the right dog is waiting for Max and I.

A New Arrival .....Maybe

I always said to myself that once I retired I would get another dog, preferably a greyhound. I used to walk dogs for an animal rescue organisation and many of these dogs were greyhounds, dumped because they were no longer of use racing (they are retired from racing aged 3-5 years in general).

Well at the weekend the Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue had a Meet a Greyhound day at the local Pets At Home store. I talked to Al who runs the organisation and arranged for him to come round to assess me and to talk further about it.

He and Jenni came round accompanied by Gemma, a gorgeous six year old brindle greyhound. She was very sweet and gentle and wasn't bothered by my feisty Dachshund Max. Unfortunately Max was less welcoming, but I really do think it was because he was scared by this huge dog that had entered his territory. He did relax more as the meeting went on.

Al could see no reason why I couldn't have one of their greyhounds, I have a lot of experience with dogs and know how to look after them. So I've been provisionally allocated Gemma, but we all agreed that she and Max are going to need longer to get to know each other to see if Max will fully accept her. So Gemma's foster mother Jenni is going to bring her round and we are going to walk the dogs together and let them spend more time together in my apartment. I hope it works out, it's really up to my Max whether it does!

Here's a photo of Gemma taken from the Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue Website

Meet a Greyhound Day

Braved the strong, icy north wind and intermittent snowflakes today to meet up with my cousin Janet and go into the city centre. The Continental Market, which I always like to visit, was on, but my main reason for daring to venture into town on a Saturday afternoon during the (hopefully) last blast of Winter was to attend the Meet a Greyhound Day outside the Town Hall.

The Meet a Greyhound Days are held all over South West Scotland and Northern England is held by the Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue in order to educate the public on the plight of Greyhounds and maybe find forever homes for some of them. The dogs patiently stood as crowds of strangers came and patted them, a feeling of calm about them, they took it all in their stride.

These people do a wonderful job of rescuing Greyhounds usually after they have served their use as racing dogs, usually at the young age of three to five years. It's heartbreaking that these special dogs often end up cruelly abused, killed or abandoned. The organisation fosters dogs out to homes so they get house trained and also learn how how to live in a home - apparently Greyhounds adapt to the good life very quickly! The fostering also helps the organisation to get to know the dog in order to eventually place it in the right forever home.

I used to do dog walking for the RSPCA and many of those dogs were abandoned Greyhounds, that's when I first fell in love with that breed. They had never appealed to me looks-wise, but I soon learned to appreciate their nature. They are gentle, calm and loving dogs, that walk well on the lead - they put my boisterous mini Dachshund Max to shame!

When I retire later this year I intend getting a Greyhound from this organisation and I can hardly wait! I'll introduce him or her on my blog here. I know Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue are always looking for people to adopt, foster, raise funds and help out in any way they can. And it is not just for people in Southern Scotland and Northern England, anyone is welcome to help out in any way they can. Please visit their website for further information on their work and Greyhounds at: http://www.dgrescue.org.uk/index.html