Our Chocolate Sweetheart, Jenny

She was the one who temporarily stole my husband’s heart – Jenny was formidable. With her stunning chocolate-brindle coat and her piercing amber eyes, you could not blame anyone for snapping her up instantaneously from the adoption kennels! Yet, after being advertised, she remained there with little interest. So… that is where we came in. After contacting our wonderful kennel manager and enquiring about the possibility of taking on a new foster dog, Jenny’s name was mentioned. The next morning, she was in our car, on the way home with us.

Now, on reflection, the thing that struck me with Jenny was how the deep love we had for her seemingly grew over night – as though one day, when I returned home from work, I looked at her sweet, little face and heard her eager tail banging loudly against our radiators, and I just knew that she would hold a special place in our hearts.

The funny thing is: it did not necessarily start off like this. There is absolutely no denying that from the first moment we appreciated how gorgeous and adorable Jenny was – with her pointy little nose, her dainty tippy-taps on the floor and her goofy little over-bite. However, I would be lying if I said she did not test us at the beginning…

One thing I always forget about after the beautiful bliss of rehoming a foster dog is the initial period of (often) very little sleep and the hard work that can come with implementing rules and boundaries. Now, despite Jenny being a scrumptious little snoot, initially she would not sleep. And by this, I mean… She. Would. Not. Sleep. Of course, the first night in a new home for a foster dog is beyond terrifying. Everything is new and frightening. Sweet Jenny, in particular, needed a lot of reassurance. Our first night with her consisted of being woken by her heart-wrenching little whines – with a pattern of 30 minutes sleep, 30 minutes soothing, 30 minutes sleep, 30 minutes soothing, in a very military-torturesque style. Coupled with the fact that I had to be up bright and early to teach thirty 10 year-olds the following morning, I felt like my brain was being fried. And in that moment, that tiny moment (that moment where my husband and I were equally stressed and exhausted), I would have to be embarrassingly honest and admit that the miniscule doubt crept in – were we out of our depth? But, we immediately extinguished that ridiculous thought, firmly reminded ourselves of the colossal “big picture” and pushed on. We determinedly continued to exterminate these small worries over the next few nights, resolved to not let this small flame spread like wild-fire and affect this precious girl. After many nights of only a couple of hours sleep, sandwiched between moments of brief power naps and holding her close as she whined, I woke in the morning to find something had apparently changed!

Beautifully, it was as though a glorious switch suddenly flicked on within her and she realised she was safe. She realised she could trust us. She realised she was loved. From that lovely moment onwards, this little girl blossomed. As well as sleeping deeply on her bed on our bedroom floor (after being tucked in every evening, of course!), she instantly began to come out of her shell. She began to loyally follow my husband everywhere, constantly curious, and she brazenly would climb in between us on the comfy sofa and snuggle her little body in, as though she now understood where her place was. The spritely bounce in her step was now so obvious and her endearing little personality flourished before our eyes with every day. It seemed feeling safe was the key to unlocking her happiness and so I thanked God that we had persevered.

Additionally, her and Niko were like a dream team – one of the few fosters that he has allowed to snuggle close to him. It was like he knew she was special too. Frequently, we would find them curled up together on the same bed, enjoying each other’s snooty company. Funnily, the main difference between them (despite them both being the same age) was how playful her nature was compared to Niko’s “chilled vibes” that he likes to put out there – they were a completely snootiful pair of yin and yang! His mellow, calm disposition seemed to make her feel more settled, whilst her bouncy, playful nature seemed to intrigue him. (Other than the times where you could visibly see him looking at her, as she bundled around the flat during one of her zooming, scrambling, energetic moments, as if to say “honey, that is just not how we do things around here”.) One moment that is particularly vivid in my mind was her fascination with the water bowl. Now, the kennels had warned us that she could be rather “playful” with it… And, one day, in a hilarious moment, she looked at my husband directly in his eyes, placed her paw on the edge of the filled water bowl and flipped it completely over – then ran off, chattering as she galloped! In the grand scheme of how melancholy the world can be right now, when a beautiful, raw moment like that presents itself, how could you not just simply laugh?

Now, to anyone considering adopting a greyhound, please learn from our experiences – that hard work pays off. If you encounter sleepless nights for the first few days/weeks/even months, please persevere! These poor dogs have suddenly been thrust into an unknown world, away from the life they knew, and away from their previous kennel mates. Give them time to settle and to feel comfortable and try your best to be patient.

To the beautiful Jenny, we want to thank you for being the gorgeous soul that you are and for also reminding us that perseverance can be rewarded with the most delightful memories that will stay with us forever. You are blessed to have your new family, as they are absolutely lovely and already adore you! And, of course, in turn, they are blessed to have you, because we know how much joy you have to give. Have a wonderful life!

Love and snoot kisses,

Berry x