Wolfie's Story - The Beginning
Having Never met a feral dog whilst running the rescue, Wolfie was quite a challenge – because, feral she was.
On arrival at the kennels, I was so shocked to see this small blue greyhound with a back on her like a sheep would have and the thickest coat I had ever seen, she was almost undetectable as a greyhound.
Looking so terrified, her eyes were bulging as she backed off everyone. My thoughts at this time were to not put her in the kennels but to actually have her in the house with my other bitches, so hopefully, eventually she would come to trust people and gain confidence because of all the other girls indoors and follow suit as to how the others interacted with myself etc.
So the process began. It was weeks and weeks of patience and quietness. Wolfie was so obviously scared from her past, so frightened of the outside world , yet she was such a kind and gentle dog, wonderful to watch with our other dogs. This made it even more upsetting to watch her fear.
In the first weeks we would let her out with the others and when it was time for them to come in, (of course mine came in no trouble), but with Wolfie, we had to stand in the middle of the garden whilst she crawled right around us and then darted indoors, in a corner, usually with one of the other dogs for safety.
The first summer arrived and while all the dogs were out I would go and sit on the grass and of course my girls would lay near me. Then, gradually, Wolfie slowly was beginning to think she was missing out and began to lay closer and closer tp me, looking more relaxed day by day. I was beginning to get the kindest, most loving greyhound into my life. One of which was to be with me by my side for the next 20 years.
We managed to get her weight down and got rid of her awful thick coat and she was now a beautiful glossy perfect little blue greyhound – and she was wonderful with us…But it was many years before she would attempt to greet a stranger.
The rescue started at Selby, then we moved to York and we are now in Boston, Lincolnshire and many of our girls died through old age but Wolfie has been with us all the time and we have only just lost herat 22 years old. She became the perfect dog., not a bad bone in her body, that is why we thought it fitting to hold Wolfie in memory by calling our building project the ‘Wolfie Appeal’. In honour of her fight to come to terms with life again after her horrendous beginning life. You see, what we did find out is that dear Wolfie actually saw all her litter companions shot in front of her, so she had a heart of a lion to be able to accept anything else in her life.
God Bless you Wolfie, you are greatly missed.
Karen Schultz X