When the beautiful Grohl was surrendered to Greyhound Rescue, it became clear very quickly that he wasn’t coping well with life at the kennels. He would frequently become overwhelmed and shut down. The Greyhound Rescue team made the decision to move him into foster care for his wellbeing and future success.
He soon moved in with long-term foster carer Claire, and her resident hound Buddy.
“Grohl blossomed to become incredibly confident, playful and affectionate,” says Claire.
“He also became the master of the roach, as well as the paw and snoot of more.”
Grohl arrived with moderate to advanced pannus, a medical condition that impacts a dog’s vision. While it can’t cured, it can be treated with medication. Unfortunately, past experiences had left Grohl terrified of the eye drops he needed, which meant rehabilitation in order to have his condition treated.
Claire explains that this involved “seeing specialists and working with a force free dog behaviourist to build Grohl’s confidence”.
One of the most rewarding experiences for Claire when fostering, apart from seeing them move to their forever homes, is witnessing all their major moments.
“Seeing a hound in their forever home is a unique and special experience” says Claire.
“I cherish all of the milestones as their confidence grows, such as the first time they walk on slippery surfaces without fear or roach on their bed” says Claire.
Claire believes you learn so much when you foster a hound, and highly recommends giving fostering a go.
“You will learn so much about greyhounds and yourself. In a world where it feels like nothing you do makes a positive difference, fostering really does make a difference,” Claire says.
“Each greyhound has their own quirks and it makes me a better pawrent to my own hound. Through fostering Grohl, my use of force free positive reinforcement improved significantly, particularly using marker words.”
“Greyhound Rescue will support you all the way… you are given expert guidance and support along every step of the fostering process,” she explains. “Greyhound Rescue do an excellent job of matching hounds with suitable homes so even though I miss my fosters I am confident that they are living their best life.”
If you’re interested in fostering, or learning more about the process, you can click here for more information.
“By fostering, you are not only helping the dog you are caring for but also making space for another hound to be rescued at Greyhound Rescue’s rescue facility,” says Claire.
“The wait list is long and there is never a shortage of hounds that need help.”
Grohl has now found his forever home, and is living the life of much-loved pet with his new family. We will be sharing his success story on our blog soon so be sure to keep a look out!
