Snooty Interview with a fellow foster mumma!

Hello, everyone! As many of you know, we like to share regular “snooty interviews” with you lovely people, in order to get the word out about different people’s experiences when adopting their beloved greyhounds. So, today, I bring you something very special indeed – an intimate insight into the life of a fosterer! Incredibly often, as a fosterer myself, people will ask me the question: but how do you emotionally manage to let the dogs go to new homes? Well… read on to discover just how emotionally glorious and difficult fostering can be, as well as how utterly beautiful and rewarding this honour really is…

Your Name: Drama 

How long have you been fostering greyhounds for? A little over two years, since May 2019. 

What was it that inspired you to take the plunge and foster retired greyhounds?
I’ve always wanted to volunteer for a dog shelter or charity, and in some way help the many dogs in need of a home, although I had no idea how to go about it whilst having a busy career. I just assumed I didn’t have enough hours left in the day to be able to offer time to a shelter. I never knew anything about greyhounds really, but I have grown up with dogs and have always been drawn to larger breeds. 

One Sunday afternoon, I was strolling through Canary Wharf with my better half (Sam) and we spotted two guys sat on the green along with two majestic greyhounds… Naturally, I diverted over to them and asked if I could stroke the dogs. These guys (Conor and Nick) were so kind and told us how they foster for the RGOA, located in Pilgrims Hatch, Essex. They explained how greyhounds make perfect apartment dogs – not only that, they also told us how the RGOA always needs volunteers.

A year after meeting Conor and Nick, we finally got up early one Saturday morning and walked some hounds. It took a combination of me passing my driving test and going through one of my many stints of depression, but we finally made it to the RGOA kennels, and from then on we were there pretty much every Saturday and Sunday, spending hours at a time with the dogs – I can’t put a price on the peace it brought me. 

Who was the first greyhound that you fostered and what was your experience like?
Ahhh Christopher… Out of the 40-something dogs in the kennels, he was the first that spoke to me. Christopher was a big black dog with eyes that stared deep into your soul. Three weeks after our first visit to the kennel, Sam brought up the idea of maybe bringing Christopher home for the weekend, and I genuinely felt like I had just hit the jackpot! (What a cracking fella, right?) We spent that entire evening watching greyhound YouTube videos and researching what we would need to do when a grey came home. 

Even luckier for us, the amazing women that run the kennels were happy for us to take Christopher home the next day; however, the journey home was definitely a bumpy one… This boy was huge and didn’t sit down once during the hour-long journey! He was panting like crazy and head-butted me at least five times. By the time we got home, I was covered in hair, slobber and possibly slightly concussed! Our plan was to keep Christopher for the weekend and see how he coped – he ended up staying for two weeks… Our fostering journey truly began when a lovely couple saw us walking Christopher and came out to meet him. They were besotted and it turned out that they couldn’t stop thinking about him after that evening! They reached out to the RGOA kennels and reserved him.

Why have you continued to foster?
The feeling I got from helping to find Christopher’s forever family was one I wanted to keep feeling: it’s an emotion that outweighs the heartbreak when you say goodbye to your foster hound. We are lucky enough to have fostered 13 amazing greyhounds! Each one has their own personality and we get to see them adapt to the real world. With the increase of “lockdown dogs” being given up and shelters having reached capacity, it’s never been so important to highlight rescue and rehoming. For every dog you rescue, you rehome two dogs – the one you take home and the one you have made a space for in the shelter. 

Do you have any particularly funny stories from your time fostering that you would like to share?
The funny stories are endless… Greyhounds do hilarious things on a daily basis and seem to show zero facial expression, so they can seem quite sarcastic. To me, they have a very dry sense of humour! Greyhounds collect your shoes, have unpredictable mad moments of zoomies and have selective hearing. All things that make me chuckle. 

Do you have any particularly emotional stories from your time fostering that you would like to share?
Out of the 13 dogs we have fostered, we have had three dogs be returned – my heart always breaks when this happens. The most emotional story was Blue, stunning and loving Blue. I won’t go into detail about what happened, as I may not have all the facts, but what I would say to anyone fostering/adopting is please understand these dogs are rescues and everything takes time. Don’t rush into letting a dog off lead or unmuzzled; there really is no need. Be patient with them and let them adapt to the world at their own pace. I am so pleased that Blue finally found his real forever family and I adore seeing his updates on social media. He is such a special boy. 

A very tricky question – have you had any foster dogs that have particularly captured your heart and become almost a “favourite” of yours when you look back? If so, why?
Every hound is amazing and I would keep every single one of them if I could, but without a doubt Zeus has to be that special one. Seven year-old Zeus had been in the kennels for over two years. A black male dog, who was going grey in the face and missing a toe – he was deemed as unattractive, so was overlooked even during the lockdown adoption surge. Zeus was one of the few remaining hounds at the RGOA. Sam and I had now also reached a point where we were experienced enough to foster the longer-term dogs. What hurt that bit more was that Zeus was a winner! A flawless record of 24 races coming in 1st place every time and yet, there he was, sitting in the kennel, patiently watching all his peers go off to their forever homes. 

The moment Zeus came into our home you could tell he was so grateful. He barely closed his eyes for the first week, as he was soaking up the world for the first time… It was like he had just been given the gift of sight. He wanted to please us so much and he is without a doubt the most emotionally intelligent dog I have fostered to date. 

Zeus unfortunately had a paw injury, which we tried to remedy at home; however, it got to a point where absolute bed-rest and veterinary attention was required. Therefore, the kennel was the best place for him in the interim. My heart broke, and even he stopped eating for a couple of days, but the kennels found him the perfect family with another grey as company once his paw had recovered. I think of Zeus every day and wonder what he is up to. I hope I get to see him one day, so he can show me how happy he is. 

Has fostering these greyhounds changed you or your life in any way?
Ask me what hasn’t changed perhaps and I’d struggle to find something – ha! Everything has changed, for the better. We moved to a development which is dog friendly, as many recent leases in London don’t allow dogs. Poor Sam is in the midst of changing our car, so we can fit our children and greyhounds in the back. My lifestyle has changed hugely and I don’t party all weekend like I used to. I’ve even changed jobs, so I work from home permanently and am able to have a four legged colleague at all times! Most importantly, my mental health has improved vastly; I am so much happier in life and the dogs have really helped with my agoraphobia. 

What is your favourite thing about fostering greyhounds? 
The bond I have built with each dog means so much to me: my memories and phone are filled with so many moments from each and every greyhound that I have been lucky enough to meet. Although, what trumps those memories every time has to be that feeling of handing over a hound to their new family, knowing that this is just the beginning of the rest of their lives! I feel lucky enough to have been a stepping stone and a helping hand along the way. 

What would you like to say to anyone who might be considering fostering or adopting a greyhound?
I commend anyone that pursues rescuing or fostering a dog. Second chances are everything. Humans are given endless chances in life and relationships, and dogs deserve much more than they are given. Please also think of the commitment it takes; not just how a dog will adapt to you but, more importantly, how you will adapt to a dog. Your life will change throughout the lifetime of your dog and these changes will need to happen with the best interest of your dog, along with the rest of your family in mind…. Come rain or shine, in sickness and in health, your dog will love you forever, so please offer them the same. 

Thank you so much to Drama for her time and her beautiful, honest story – you are an absolute inspiration. Thank you for all you do to help these gorgeous greyhounds. You and Sam are truly awesome.

Drama and Sam’s current foster snoot is the divinely stunning Immy, a sweet brindle girl who is looking for her forever sofa! If you, or anyone you know, are interested in learning more about this darling pooch, then please do get in touch through our Contact page!

Until next time!

Love and snoot kisses,

Berry x