Eileen & John share their foster journey

Fostering can be a real roller-coaster ride.

Some hounds need more time than others before they are ready for their furever home.
Our first foster hound had come from a local vet practice. He had been there for a couple of weeks, the owner had taken him there to be euthanised but the vet practice negotiated and took his blood a few times and then contacted Friends of the Hound to collect him.

Greyhounds are life savers, their blood can be used to transfuse into other dogs who are in desperate need, e.g. a puppy who has been run over and needs an operation with blood available. This has happened to us several times with our local emergency vet asking if one of our hounds is available to donate… anyway, I digress.

When Charlie arrived home he was scared of everything, the jug boiling, the TV and people. It took him a long time to feel comfortable enough to be able to rehome him – 14 months in fact. (This is an exceptionally long time for a fostering – most are only with us for several weeks.)

We made a lot of mistakes, were probably overly anxious, not understanding his reactions and misreading his needs. Eventually he trained us! We are a lot better now, but it’s a big learning curve and every dog is different. I cried all the way to his new home up the coast (6 hour round trip), he introduced himself to his new furever sister, lay on the verandah and didn’t even lift his head when we left.

We’ve had lots of foster Greyhounds since then and each one leaves a special mark on your heart. If you are thinking of offering a hound a safe place to learn how to be a great pet, give it a try, it is so worthwhile.

Eileen & John