SIGHTHOUND RESCUE

We'd like to introduce you to our dogs who are permanent residents.  What a mixed bags of tricks they are, one in almost every size, colour and age.

This is Black Jack the whippet who is 13.  He's our first child, that is, the first dog my husband and I shared since being together.  And yes I admit we bought him as a puppy. I guess back then we were ignorant to what went on with other sighthounds outside our small island. 

Perhaps he was destined to be with us, as at the young age of 1 he began collapsing on exertion. It was so scary, I'd be in bits everytime it happened.  Following numerous tests he was diagnosed with a narrowing of the pulmonary artery, so basically he was fainting as the blood wouldn't always reach his brain in time.  He's had more fainting episodes than I can begin to recall and in his latter years he's been on medication.  I learnt to deal with these episodes and just be there to comfort him. The majority of the time you would never guess there was anything wrong with him. He's the woofiest member of the crew and he takes no nonsense from the young whipper snappers that he lives with.

A year after owning Black Jack we learnt of a whippet in the Jersey Animals' Shelter, so along came Oscar.  Being the same age we thought they would be perfect companions.  Hmm perfect indeed as far as Black Jack was concerned.  After numerous embarrassing episodes and Black Jack thinking he was in heaven, we discovered that poor Oscar had too many female hormones which made him very attractive to his own sex.  There was no quick fix and it became a case of managing the situation.  Times of heightened excitement ie feeding time, walkies, seemed to be the trigger so we just had to separate the two at certain times.  This was a shame, but had to be done for Oscar's sake.  He's a clever lad really as he's sussed out for himself when to keep his distance. 

Even now as a teenager of 13 years, Oscar is still the greedy guts of the family and an outright thief.  If he's not raiding the bin then he's tucked away in his whippet tunnel which he wouldn't be without.

Our first greyhound and unbeknown to us a whole new chapter that would begin in our lives. 

Whilst walking our whippets we would often meet a pack of greyhounds who belonged to Gail and Malcolm Hickmott, founders of Greyhound Rescue Jersey.  We could never resist a fuss with the dogs and were soon to learn the plight of the retired racing greyhound.  Decision made, as soon as circumstances allowed we wanted to offer a home to a retiree.  That day came in October 2002 with the arrival of Mink de Ville, who was already known as Jake.  What a handsome lad.  He's the largest of our gang weighing in at 35kg and our most senior greyhound at 10 years old.

Jake is a nervous lad, always has been and always will be I guess, but so long as he's got his comfy sofa and the same routine to follow he's happy.  Jake paved the way for more greyhounds as well as working with Gail and Malcolm to promote greyhounds as pets, something which has become a passion of mine.

Once again I admit to buying a whippet puppy.  As with Black Jack, I just had no idea of what was going on in the world of sighthound rescue.  This goes to show the importance of awareness as there are likely to be plenty more people out there who are none the wiser.

Pip, the whippet I grew up with and who began my lifelong addiction of sighthounds was a gorgeous fawn boy.  I  had longed for another fawn boy in my life and so came Alfie who is now 6 years old.  Nowadays I feel guilty at the thought of purposely going out and buying a puppy.  But I'm a firm believer in fate, and I think it played it's hand with Alfie.  Nearly 3 years ago he became a very poorly dog and on numerous occasions we came close to losing him.  His weight plummeted and he was in unexplained agony which turned out to be chronic pancreatitis and an inflammatory bowel condition.  He was on high dose steroids, a morphine based painkiller and we went to a specialist in the UK.  With trial and error we made the most amazing discovery - feeding him on the cheapest dog meat going, Chappie made his condition totally manageable.  We've greatly reduced his steroids and he only has flare ups once in a while.

It was during one sleepless night with Alfie that I surfed the net and found the forum Sighthounds Online, this was the beginnings of 'Sighthound Rescue Jersey'. So in fact the purchase of a puppy ultimately resulted in the homing of numerous rescue sighthounds - there really is a reason for everything!

Alfie is a real Mummy's boy who loves his cuddles and is never very far from my side.  He can be a bit grumpy with the other dogs and he likes his space, this stems from the days when he was in pain before his diagnosis was made.  Although it's a shame its understandable and the other dogs know to keep their distance.  You will often see Alfie on the front seat of our van, its not favouritism, he's just having his own space.

(If anyone has a dog diagnosed with pancreatitis please feel free to get in touch and I will be happy to share my experience.)

A year after Jake's arrival along came Tootsie.  The greyhound bug had truly taken hold.  She was 3.5 years and an absolute delight.  With the racing name of Seaside Lady she had to come and live with us living opposite a beach.  Tootsie has seen the arrival of many youngsters and leads by example with her sensible lady-like ways.  Up until this summer she was always at our side at greyhound events, but I've decided that at 9 years she will stay at home and be a complete lady of leisure.

She's a real fuss monster.  If you happen to have your arm over the side of the couch and she's walking by she'll nuzzle into you for an extra love.  A gem of a girl who is a true greyhound ambassador.

Magic is another whippet that we homed from the local SPCA shelter at the age of 7, along with Mariner who sadly passed away last year.  These 2 lads didn't adjust well to kennel life and their condition was deteriorating.  I went to visit them and of course they came home with me! Magic was a challenge to say the least and his toilet habits left a lot to be desired, but after months of perseverance we got there and he's 100% clean now.

For a dinky little bloke he's quite feisty and even now at nearly 10 years of age he has a lot to say for himself  when he meets other dogs.  We've tried every trick in the book and we just have to manage him responsibly when he's out.  At home and with the other hounds he's angelic and a faithful little bloke, he's always the first in line to cuddle up along side you.

Without exageration this girl really is lucky to be alive.  She was found as a stray in Wales weighing in at a mere 9kg.  By chance I came across her story whilst surfing the net and was reduced to tears.  I needed to know that she would never experience such suffering again and the only way I could ensure that was by bringing her home with me.  Chilterns Dog Rescue did a fantastic job of rehabilitating her and on December 14th 2006 she was deemed fit to travel with an increased weight of 15kg. 

Harlea(Harlenas Sally) who is now 6 years old is a very healthy and respectable 26 kg and yes she loves her tucker.  Who can blame her for thinking that every meal may be her last?  She is an absolute treasure and has quite a fan base as we team up with Greyhound Rescue taking an Awareness Roadshow to primary schools and island groups, as well as meeting the public at fairs and fundraisers.  At home she's a typical greyhound, usually found on the sofa and yes you guessed it - legs in the air!

Little Lil, another girl that would reduce me to tears.  I met this girl at Guernsey Animal Aid whilst in Guernsey with Greyhound Rescue promoting the dogs.  This amazing girl had been found in Bolton having been runover and left.  She had extensive injuries and was 'with pup'.  I met her after much rehabilitation, she had external fixation supporting a smashed shoulder and it was touch and go as to whether she would lose the leg.  She'd done such a good job looking after 6 fantastically healthy pups that she had nothing left for herself and her injuries just weren't healing.  She was so timid, she wouldn't let me near her, all I wanted to do was cuddle and reassure her. 

Lily had a home lined up in Guernsey, but she couldn't bear being an only dog and would scale a 6 ft wall to get back to the Sanctuary.  Quite unexpectedly I received a call from Sue asking if Lily would be able to come and live with the gang. I was overjoyed that we would be reunited and elated to hear that her leg hadn't been amputated.  When I collected her she screamed all the way home, she really had become attached to Sue as Sue was to her, but she was soon comforted by the other dogs.  Lily came with one particular 'quirk' she refused to walk on a lead.  We took her lead training in very tiny steps and she now does walk on the lead though will not tolerate people walking behind her.  She loves the beach and becomes a totally different personality tearing round, barking at her playmates. She's a pleasure to watch and you would never believe that she'd nearly lost a leg

You'd probably look at Lil and think she's a whippet, but there's just a hint of something else there, not sure what?  She has the cutest little 'piggy tail' which curls like a cork screw and wags 10 to the dozen.  We think she's about 5 years old and after not having the best start in life, we're glad that she feels safe at home with us.

Mikey was a mere 5 months old when he arrived on our doorstep.  The intention was that he would be homed with Footy, but being 2 young mischievous dogs it was decided that the 2 together would not be the best influence, though of course they'd have had stacks of fun.  Christmas was looming and it was not the right time to be homing a puppy.  With all our dogs being that much older we decided that having a pup in the ranks would be manageable, so he stayed.

In many respects Mikey has been a great little pup, house training was a doddle, he's not a chewer, he loves his cuddles and he's very sociable with all people.  His main vice is his behaviour on lead when he sees other dogs. If allowed he'd do a great impression of a manic barking kangaroo.  But we're working on this and he attends Fun4dogs training classes where he's surrounded by other dogs.  Off lead he's a different dog as he lives for his squeezy yellow rugby ball, nothing else matters whilst he's playing with this.

We've thoroughly enjoyed having a pup around and Mikey has kept us entertained. He's a cheeky chap who we wouldn't be without.

At nearly 2 years old Mikey has now become quite a handful.  This can happen with young dogs as they pass through the equivalent of their teenage years.  It's just a phase which sadly can often lead to young dogs being rehomed.  We know that with perseverence, positive reinforcement and time we will overcome this.

At 18 months of age this girl was found in a collapsed state on a roadside.  She had the energy to lift her head from the ground and no more.  She was covered in sores the worst of which exposed a bone.  Who could allow such evil to happen?  I guess it's Misty's strong character that pulled her through this ordeal.  She is full of life and amazingly loving - she'd have every right not to be.

She came to us in January 2008 from Jackie of Wexford Pet Helpers.  Jackie had nursed Misty back to health and it was a real wrench for her family when she came over and we can see why.  Misty thinks that living with other youngsters is great fun and tearing up and down the garden playing chase is what life's all about.  Like Mikey she loves to chase a ball and fortunately brings it back too.  Her mischievous side likes to tease the oldies, she'll run up to them bark in their face, then dash off before they can tell her off.  This has resulted in her nickname Misty the Minx. 

When in resting mode, Misty's just your typical sighthound - it didn't take her long to discover the sofa. At feeding time Misty's food doesn't hit the sides, she eats like every meal is her last, hopefully one day soon she'll realise that she's here for keeps.

Here's Lady Lucha the lurcher who we think is about 3 years old.  She's the size of a greyhound bitch but has a hint of a saluki look. This girl has a real air about her which charms the people she meets.  She was found as a stray and it would seem from her behaviour when she first arrived that she had not been in a home.  She has the claim to fame of being champion 'counter surfer'.  Nothing could be left laying around otherwise Luch would be seen running off with it.  Tea towels hanging in the kitchen were a firm favourite.

She soon settled in and began learning the ropes.  She even had the offer of a home and tried living with a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, but the big lad didn't want to share his bed or his toys with Lucha and she used to hide behind the sofa from him.  We decided it was in her best interest to come back here to work on her confidence...and she's still here and will now be staying!

She's full of character and energy and it is the most amazing sight to see her sprinting along the water line on the beach.  We will only run her on low tide as she can be stubborn with her recall.  She currently behaves younger than her years and it is like having an overgrown pup in the household, but we guess she's making up for lost time.  It has been great to watch her confidence come on in literally leaps and bounds!

Our new boy, Wiz the greyhound.  An Open racer who last raced in July 08.  To be picked up 2 months later by the RSPCA in an awful state.  Terrible pressure sores, malnourished and infected painful feet.  It makes me want to have such a rant, so here goes - someone was happy for this dog to run for their pleasure, but couldn't offer him the decency of a safe and happy retirement once he wasn't up to scratch.  How can anyone support greyhound racing when this cruelty still exists.  Ok I've heard it before most trainers/owners are good people, they care for their dogs etc etc and I'm sure they do and I don't dispute that.  But as far as I'm concerned one cruelty case is one too many and until the industry has adequate regulation to ensure the safety of all greyhounds then I guess I'll have to be classed as an 'anti'. Wiz's case is being investigated, but it will be the usual story ' the dog was passed on in good faith' and because the racing industry doesn't enforce change of ownership documents or hold people accountable, someone will get away with this.  

We are pleased to be able to offer Wiz a place of safety and a home for the rest of his days.  Never again will he be subjected to the abuse and neglect he has so recently experienced.  He's such a loveable lad and when his physical condition improves there's no doubt he will be joining Greyhound Rescue on their days out at the shows.  He's an out and out fuss monster and will enjoy meeting people and being petted.

Wiz is our youngest greyhound at 4 years.  We think he will develop into a cheeky chappy.  We've already caught him with his nose over the edge of the kitchen counter and nibbling the corner of a magazine.  He also pushes the other dogs out the way to make sure that he gets fussed first.  But equally he's a gentle soul and has been 100% clean from day one.  We look forward to the day when he's able to come out with us and our gang.  His current physical condition means he's confined to barracks.