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| Katy was DCGR's first resident foster dog |
Appeal for sponsorship for DCGR's five
permanent foster dogs - Alfie, Star, Misty, Joe and Nina Sponsor
a Long Term Foster Dog. There are times when Greyhounds
come into the care of DCGR and due to circumstances, for example ill health, personality traits or age,
cannot go on to be rehomed. These dogs go on to be fostered on a long term basis where they stay with the same foster carer for the
rest of their natural lives. Medical expenses and other costs are funded by DCGR, which is obviously an ongoing expenditure. The Greyhounds featured
below are available for sponsorship and all donations will be used for their ongoing day to day care.
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| Nina |
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Nina (Lagganmore Nina)
Nina is a fun loving and very friendly blue greyhound girl who was 5 years old
in August 2009. She was a top racing dog who sustained a serious injury to her right rear leg, but
before coming into the care of DCGR for re-homing she gave birth to two offspring.After x-rays it was considered by the vets that an operation on her injured
leg was not an option due to the period of time since the accident and the consequent fusing of the bones (including a shifted
patella); however it may be necessary to operate in the future should her mobility deteriorate.Due to the possibility of a large vet bill in the future it was decided
that Nina be taken into permanent foster care with Brian & Chris (who fostered the late Katy).Nina actually moved into her foster home at the end of June and has put on needed
weight at an average of a kilo a month. She fits in well with Cassie (who is now 10), and has put the fun
back into Cassie’s life since the loss of her former companion Katy. In fact Nina has taught Cassie
a few new tricks, such as running into the hall at top speed when the collar and leads are handled or the faint sound of car
keys rattling. Her walking has improved as her level of fitness increases and she had already adapted to
landing on her three good legs first after a jump. She is somewhat nervous of
new animals and unusual noises, but that is part of her learning curve.However her leg is weak and quite painful when (for example) she has had an accidental
bump with another greyhound or human – a gentle massage on that leg for a minute or two calms her down and eases any
discomfort she may be having.
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| Joe |
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| Joe |
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JOE
Joe came into permanent foster care on 9th June 2009. He came
to live in Dalton-in-Furness, South Cumbria when his previous owner had to return abroad. He now lives with his foster
mum and a 2 year old rescue whippet called Robbie. He also has 2 more whippet friends who live round the corner and
visit every day; Sophie and deaf rescue dog Chalky.
Joe will be 9 on 27th October and at 41
kilos is a gentle giant. He is an Irish ex-racer and has lost a toe somewhere along the way. His health is good
apart from his teeth which are in need of attention, and he goes to the vet on 10th July to hopefully have his dental problems
sorted.
Joe is a very handsome elderly gentleman who loves his walks and
spends most of the day resting on his bed. He is very well behaved and has never climbed on to the sofa, probably because
he can't be bothered! He is still nervous of strangers but is gaining in confidence each day. He loves to be cuddled
and always answers to his name. He has never shown any aggression and completely ignores the 2 cats who share his home,
and has never had any accidents in the house. He is sometimes reluctant to eat, but this is probably due to the state
of his teeth.
Everyone who meets Joe is very impressed with him, and he has gained
a lot of new admirers. He can now hopefully have a long, happy and healthy life in his new forever home.
Update 19th July -
Joe has settled in very well and enjoys the company of his three whippet friends and his new
family. He is eating well and enjoying his short walks around Dalton-in-Furness, although he is still very wary of people
that he doesn't know. We are gradually increasing his exercise to improve his level of fitness and to get him used to
meeting strangers.
He had another course of antibiotics in preparation for his dental surgery on 10th July.
This went very well and he had 15 teeth out. The same evening he was eating his crunchy food again on the vet's advice
and has been eating well most of the time since. The vet is very pleased with his progress and he finishes his antibiotics
tomorrow (15th July). We are going to start cleaning his teeth at the end of the week to hopefully stop things getting
bad again, although the vet thinks he may need further dental treatment in the future as some of his teeth are pretty worn
down. Otherwise he is in excellent health and has made a wonderful new addition to our family.
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| Chalky |
Chalky - Updated 31st March 2010
Sadly Chalky had
to be put to sleep this week (end of March 2010) he was almost 14 years of age and simply could not go on any longer. Our
thanks go to his long term foster carers Linda and John who gave him a loving and caring home for his final years. Thanks
also go to everyone who has sponsored Chalky and we hope you will consider sponsoring one of our other long term foster dogs,
as your sponsorship enables us to care for dogs we cannot re-home.
Chalky has quite a long history with DCGR as he has been returned
from
two homes for various reasons. Chalky, who is now 12 years old, came back to DCGR in May 2007 and it was felt that due to his complicated past and his
age, he would benefit from the stabilty of a long term foster home. Linda and John agreed to act as a halfway house for him, however he got on well with Jasper their Greyhound and fitted into their household
so well that he has stayed and is now home for good. Chalky is playful in the house and very gentle on the lead when he is out for a walk. He loves meeting adults
and children and thoroughly enjoys visitors to the house. He is a big boy with a very waggy tail that never stops when he is being
fussed. It soon became apparent that Chalky is very keen when he sees small animals and also has issues with other dogs. Linda is working hard to
teach him that dogs aren’t threatening and therefore reducing his anxiety which can lead to aggression when he meets one. Chalky has the strength and energy of a much younger
dog and is in good health, he will hopefully go on to enjoy many years with Linda, John and Jasper.
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| Alfie |
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| Alfie |
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Alfie
Alfie was a 10 1/2 year old Greyhound when
he was brought into DCGR with his female companion and their five puppies. Alfie went
to live with Jane and her Greyhound Holly as a long term foster dog. The
initial concern was about Alfie’s mouth. He had a
nasty abscess and the vet also had to remove 17 teeth. He
is now comfortable and eating better and is putting on a bit of weight. It
will take a long time before he can manage hard food and biscuits. Jane
has to brush his teeth daily and he stands like an angel while she does it.
Alfie is a quiet boy and he settled very well into Jane’s
house although he is still puzzled about the television.He travels happily in the car and likes trips out. He doesn’t join in much when Holly plays,
but he loves people. He
greets Jane by rubbing his face on her, tuffing her with his forehead and grinning, showing the few teeth that he has left. He enjoys his walks and his fitness and general condition
is improving. Alfie has finally fallen on his
feet and is responding so well to the comforts, love and stability of a family home. His medical needs can be monitored and intervention provided
before he suffers such discomfort as he has in the past. Alfie is a beautiful boy who may well give Katy some competition in the Best Veteran
class of next year’s
DCGR Christmas Show.
6th November 2008
Due to unforseen circumstances we had to look for a new foster home for Alfie in October this year, at the end of the month he moved to his new, permanent foster home, where he has begun to settle in with
his new Mum and Dad and foster Brother and Sister,
who are both retired greyhounds.
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| Star |
Star
Star is now 12 years old; she went on to have several litters
of puppies after her racing career had
ended. Star was fostered
initially by Graham and Margaret in
2003 when she was first handed
in for homing. Due to unforeseen circumstances and through no fault
of her own, Star has been returned to
DCGR three times. Each time
she has come back into rescue, she went
back to Graham and
Margaret, this time she is home for
good. Star needs stability and DCGR
want to ensure that this happens now,
especially as she is getting
older.
Star settled back into Graham and Margaret’s home as if she had
never been away. She slept in her old bed and showed no outward
signs of being distressed. Star is a lovely girl and gets on very well
with the three other resident Greyhounds, particularly with Timmy
who is always up for a game - Magic and Darth are given the
respect that they deserve.
Star is in good condition with no health problems, she enjoys her walks
and is eating very well. Graham and Margaret knew Star well before
she came to live with them permanently and have made the traumatic
and confusing experience each time she was returned as stress free
and easy for her as possible.
6th November 2008
Following Darth’s
death in March of this year and Timmy’s untimely death in
September, Star became very quiet for a while and it was obvious she missed
playing with Timmy in Graham and Margaret’s field at their new home in
Kirkgunzeon. Age is now creeping up on Star and she is beginning to feel the
cold especially at this time of the year, that she requires a kennel coat when
out walking to keep her warm. What does seem to cheer her up is the various
foster dogs that Graham and Margaret get from time to time and she is quick
enough to tell the young whippersnappers who is the boss if the get too “fresh”
with her. In October, she had a tooth removed at the vets which considering
her
age and she has all her teeth (except one) she is doing remarkably well.
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| Misty |
Misty Is a lovely friendly lady who will be 10 years old in the summer. Misty initially
came into DCGR foster care and was placed in the homeless gallery for re-homing. She is an ex-racing dog who had also been
used as a brood bitch - until one of her last litter died inside her and she had to have emergency surgery to save her life,
her owner was then keen to find a good retirement home for her to live out the rest of her life in the luxury she deserves. After
a few weeks in foster care with no interest being shown in her for re-homing, we decided that it was in Misty's best interests
to keep her in permanent foster care in the home that she had by now settled into so well. Needless to say Misty's foster
mum was delighted to be able to keep her and with DCGR paying all future bills for Misty her comfort is assured. She has settled
well in her forever home and is enjoying gentle walks in the park as her level of fitness is slowly raised. For a yearly donation of not less than £10 or standing order for
a minimum of £2 per month, you will receive a certificate, information about greyhounds as pets, a fact sheet about
your sponsor dog and a Christmas card featuring him or her. When we receive your form we will get
back in touch with you to confirm the details of your sponsorship. All sponsors will have their name on Star's page (unless
requested otherwise) and will receive a certificate of sponsorship with a picture of their chosen dog. Please note that regular
monthly updates of Star will be found on the website but only irregular reports on our other sponsored dogs.
Or you can send your donation direct to Judy Todd, 6 Lonning Foot,
Rockcliffe, Carlisle, CA6 4AB, please make cheques payable to 'DCGR' and mark your letter 'Sponsorship for '
and the name of the dog you wish to sponsor, let us know if the sponsorship is a gift for someone else and provide their
details too. Please note if you wish us to contact you by email you must put your email address
onto the form.
Click here to download a standing order form
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