The Blossoming of Daisy

When we first talked about getting a dog and the fact it would be a rescue dog as opposed to a puppy, I instantly wanted a greyhound. I have had one before and he was a fantastic companion. My partner Mark was unsure as were the children, when out and about on a dismal Saturday morning in early December, we were not far from Turners Lane and I persuaded them all to come and have a look.

We arrived at the kennels filled in the forms to walk some dogs and I walked down the rows of kennels, at each one, I stood and put my hand in, whilst the family stood back a little unsure and at each kennel the reaction was always an excited one. Some more excited than others, but not an aggressive or unwelcome growl from any of them.

We took out a lovely pair of dogs called Hamish and Sally (who are both now happily settled in new homes) and they very quickly grew on the whole family. We made the mistake, that most do, and got really attached to Sally and arrangements were made for a home visit for a couple of hours. As we collected her, we were warned again that she was probably no the dog for us, but we should try and if it didn’t work, there would be one for us in the kennel somewhere it was just finding them.

The reason for the message of failure was we already had a cat and a rabbit in residence!!! Not necessarily ideal companions for an ex-racing greyhound. However, I had a cat with my previous greyhound and was confident this was the breed for us.

The girls were, of course, right. With a heavy heart I phoned Dot and described the reaction and she agreed not the dog for us, so we took the drive back to Hersham a little downhearted. Dot also said, when you get back to the kennels ask Denise to introduce you to Daisy, I think she would be perfect for you.

Feeling a little disloyal, like we had just moved on, we did meet Daisy and instantly fell in love with her. She was only 2 and quite small even for a bitch, but she bounded out of the kennel and around the paddock, as pleased as punch there was somebody to play with. What she lacked in size she made up for in personality.

We bought her home for the first time just a couple of days later, and she duly cowered when the cat was bought into the room and paid the rabbit little attention. We were delighted. She then spent the next 3 Saturdays on sleep overs to see how she settled. She was quite shy, barely ate and had the odd accident but with each visit she became more confident and cemented her place firmly in the heart of our family.

She has been at home for 5 months now, she has progressed from walking on the lead with a muzzle, to being let of the lead and coming back really well still muzzled, and now eventually we have seen her behave so well, she runs free on every walk without a muzzle. She is trained to sit when we put her lead on, to wait when she comes in the back door to have her feet wiped if required and to sit and wait for her treats.


We have removed the stair gate from the stairs that initially gave the cat sanctuary and us peace of mind, and she now hides from the cat and then barks as if she is not at all afraid of her, but we all know she is!

Everywhere we go, people marvel at her speed and grace and almost everybody asks us about her and where she came from and why we chose a greyhound. The honest answer, they are beautiful, affectionate, loyal animals that crave companionship and love and we are lucky to be the ones to give it her, she gives us all so much pleasure and we hope she encourages other people that may not know the joy these animals can bring to go to Turners Lane and see for themselves.

Our Daisy has truly blossomed.