Princess Penny’s Fairytale Ending

Hello, everyone! Wow – what a busy time we have had here, over at our snoot palace! Today, I have a wonderful update to bring to you… Our beautiful foster girl, Penny, has found her forever home. Read on to learn about her very special story.

***

A few weeks ago, I carried out my usual visit to our local adoption kennels, not expecting to be taking on another foster hound! However, then I met sweet, terrified Penny… and the look in her eyes pretty much punched me in the gut. There was absolutely, completely and utterly no way that this little brindle girl was not going to end up coming home with me. She was so scared that her whole body was shaking uncontrollably and her tail was sadly curved completely under her body as she cowered in the corner of her kennel, horrified that I was trying to approach her. That day, I went home to my husband in tears, so heartbroken to witness a dog so nervous of the world. The following week, we collected her.

At first, sweet Penny would not leave our bedroom. She physically would not cross its threshold into even our hallway, choosing to hide in the corner on her dog bed. This was fine. We knew that she would need time to decompress and it was absurd to assume that she would be trusting of us straight away – this girl needed lots of patience and love. At the beginning, she would only leave our bedroom when we took her outside for the toilet: something that would cause her such stress. She would hold her bladder for hours and hours to avoid leaving the safety of our bedroom and, on one particular occasion, she wet herself after hearing a loud noise outside. In all honesty, I started to worry that we were not up to the challenge. Maybe we just were not the right setting for her…

Yet, suddenly, one day, she quietly crept out of our bedroom, while we were sitting on our sofa with Niko, and her little face appeared in the doorway. As soon as we spotted her, she swiftly raced back to the safety of her corner. But this was still a triumph! Progress! A simple act that would have taken Penny such courage.

Walkies initially were very stressful for little Penny, as the concept of traffic was so new to her, with even the quietest of sudden noises making her jump out of her skin! Her seeming distrust in humans was also demonstrated through her panic when another person would happen to be walking by, as she would shrink into herself and clamber to hide behind us, spinning round and round on her lead. However, as her beautiful bond grew with Niko, it became clear that having him close made such a difference to her on walks, always looking to him for reassurance and feeling safe in her harness, walking between us. Carrying her over the threshold at the beginning of every walk was always a given but, as we got moving on walks, her confidence began to increase and we were so proud of her.

As her stay with us continued, this brave, little girl began to show more of her personality, wandering cautiously into other areas of our home, under the protection of Niko. She began to slowly approach for treats, not quite brave enough to take them from us, but small steps were made. And then, just like that… one day, I came home from work and, instead of cowering in the corner, she wagged her tail and tentatively approached me. My husband explained that, during that same day, she had also suddenly discovered how comfortable our sofa was… It was like she had suddenly discovered that she was safe and that she was loved.

From then on, her spirit just continued to soar! She began eating her dinner in the kitchen, providing we did not look at her, and she began to timidly approach us for cuddles. Any sudden loud noises or movements always meant that Penny would immediately scarper off, straight back to her safe place in the bedroom, but her increased bravery blew us away. Then, one evening, she slowly climbed up beside me and rested her head on my chest. In that moment, I knew she was ready for her forever home…

***

This morning, our gorgeous girl was adopted by the most wonderful couple. She has two new snoot siblings, who will teach her the greyhound ways, and she has a quiet, safe home by the coast, filled with love. As I sit here now and reflect on Penny’s journey, I can say hand-on-heart that, out of all our foster greyhounds, she truly has made the most mesmerising progress from the terrified dog that she arrived as. She is living proof that sometimes in life… all you need is love.

Good luck, Princess Penny! We love you.

Until next time!
Love and snoot kisses,
Berry
x