Pet Sit #4 was a bittersweet experience for MINnie, my sidekick, and I. We hung out with 3 amazing Spanish rescue dogs. We'll call them Foxy, Badger and Husky (check out their markings/colouring and you'll soon see why).
Husky and Badger are brothers - Spanish galgos, slightly smaller than a greyhound (this was mum), crossed with something MUCH bigger (does anyone remember Clifford the Big Red Dog - perhaps a father akin to him*). Foxy is unrelated but came from the same Spanish rescue, so it was already known that they all got on well together.
The bitter part is their life before they were rescued. Now, I can only surmise regarding what this was like. But enough is known of the general picture that we can guess fairly accurately, especially with Foxy missing an ear. Unlike other dogs in Spain, galgos and the smaller pedencos, are not protected by any animal welfare laws. They're regarded as 'work tools' and treated as such.
To quote Project Galgo,
"...used for hunting or competing, but most are used for only one season and then discarded. Some may not even make the selection for the season. If they hunt poorly, they are tortured as retribution for the shame they reflected upon their owners."
For more info, please check out: https://www.givey.com/anniespetsittingbigadventure.
Back to the sweet part - their forever home. They welcomed me into their pack and, knowing that there was a very comfy sofa downstairs, I was honoured when they took it in turns to keep me company at night, sleeping on vet bedding on the floor. Foxy, in particular, bonded with me. I definitely slept soundly knowing that I had a canine body guard just a few feet away.
Husky and Badger got up to typical brotherly antics - goofing around and play fighting in the garden. Foxy is the brains of the outfit, hanging back until he's ready to go outside and able to open doors at leisure. The latter meant that I had to be on red alert when coming in/out of the house or garden gate. When sight hounds are escapees, they will be distracted by any small furries on the move or otherwise.
This brings me onto dog walking. I was tasked with walking Husky and Foxy (Badger had extended play times in the garden). I thought that I had chosen wisely by walking around the perimeter of an empty field - in theory, there should have been nothing for them to react to. How wrong I was! Said field had a cat that had no intention of moving as it was hunting by the hedge at the field edge. On another occasion, a big herd of curious young cows in the adjoining field headed at a fast trot in our direction. Needless to say, we cut back across the field, also at an equally fast trot!
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* FYI - Clifford the Big Red Dog - https://clifford.fandom.com/wiki/Clifford_the_Big_Red_Dog_Wiki