Abi Comes Home - Continued ....

Hi Everyone .... yesterday I started to tell you about Abi's story - continued this morning .....

- o O o -

We stood and watched Abi for a short while - she didn't move - just watched us with sad wide eyes - could we look after her properly?  Walk her often enough?  A raft of questions without answers darted in and out of our mind's eye  - what should we do?  

The decision was soon to be taken away from us by the RSPCA - they weren't happy for us to adopt her unless we had 'investigated' the ins and outs of owning a 'sight hound' and the implications of what that would mean!  That night the internet was buzzing from one doggy site to another for every scrap of information about all hounds in general!  The stumbling blocks seemed to be - recall (you can call until you are blue in the face but they won't come back until they are ready) so an enclosed exercise area had to be found  - to chase and kill any rabbit, squirrel, cat or deer in sight!  Ok - so take her to places that are animal free - if poss!  We had been advised to put a 'reserve' on her just in case someone else saw her and decided to adopt her before we decided.

The Manager, Helen had recognised us from our previous visit to The Ark, 10 years earlier to adopt Sooty.  Helen was a kennel maid in those days and had a rapport with the animals in her care - had moved up in the world and it was lovely to see her managing the kennels.  What she had to tell us about Abi was heartbreaking -

•  Abi had been found in woodland - near to the sea.
•  Her head was covered in scabs - possibly cigarette burns.
•  The Warden who found her found that she was very well behaved but
•  could have belonged to travellers, and if she had they use the 'burning'
•  method to train the animal!  Was this what happened?  We will never know

Helen showed handed Abi's file to us to read.  No wonder she looked so sad - it was gruelling reading!

Knowing Abi's history gave us a steely determination to overcome any negative thoughts that we had.  We suggested to Helen that visiting and walking Abi for a week, would give Dave and I time to get used to her, and  that she could get used to us - then make a decision!  That is just what we did! .......

Thank you for reading Abi's story .... I will continue tomorrow - watch this space ... M xx