Return trip - Dogs Trust, Newbury
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2011-06-27 13:13:54 - Graham Ellis
It's over two years now since we adopted Gypsy, from the Dog's Trust near Newbury - that was Spring 2009. In Summer 2009, we took her back to their "open day" - an annual fund raiser, and it's something we thought of doing each subsequent year as a sort of "Thank You". But last year, the dag we so hot that we decided against at the last minute; it would have been unfair to take her in such a hot car, we felt. And so - after a two year gap - we went back yesterday. It was no cooler than the previous year; simply that we're got a different car which allows us to have the top down AND to have three of us and a dog in there. Note - from the picture - how everyone was searching for the shade; indeed we only stayed for an hour or so.Gypsy enjoys meeting other dogs, and had plenty of opportunity! But it was noticable how well well behaved everyone was - scarcely a cross word. And it was alos noticeable how many Greyhound and Greyhound crosses there were. Around home, we rarely meet a dog that can outrun Gypsy, but here she was very much one of a lot of very fast animals. Perhaps that's to do with the Newbury area or perhaps, sadly, it's because lots of greyhounds need rehousing - at the end of a racing career.
After two years, would Gypsy recognise the place? Well - we don't know. Would she be recognised? Astonishingly, yes ... the ladies who work at the centre, on this day running the burger tent, reconginsed her and interrupted their serving to pop out and say hi to her, fuss her, and have a look at how she's doing. And ... that rather made the day for us. We know she's a special dog, and it gave her the chance to say "Thank You".