It was under tragic circumstances that Kate and Ray the greyhound met. Both dealing with a significant loss in their lives, the next few months were a mix of emotions for each of them. But from tragedy, love and the strongest of bonds has developed.
Here Kate tells us how she met Ray, and how fostering and eventually adopting him has brought life and excitement back into her home.
“In April 2024, I tragically lost my beautiful greyhound who had been in my life for the previous eight years. I grieved for her every day for the next eight months,” explains Kate.
“Nothing could fill the hole she left in my life. My home felt empty and wrong even though I still had another two wonderful dogs and two lovely cats.”
“While I was grieving the loss of my beautiful greyhound, another beautiful greyhound, Ray, was grieving the loss of his owner.”
Despite having decided after the loss of her hound that she wouldn’t get another dog that she couldn’t carry or lift in emergencies, Kate’s decision changed as soon as she met Ray.
“I had seen that Greyhound Rescue was after an urgent foster carer, and decided that fostering was a way I could have another greyhound in my life.”
“After a phone call to Greyhound Rescue, I was quickly put in touch with people to review my home, application and past experience with greyhounds, and to discuss the transition from Ray’s previous home to my home. I was added to the supportive greyhound Facebook group.”
“The transition of Ray from his previous home to my home, involved multiple volunteers and Monika from Understanding Canine,” says Kate. Monika is a qualified dog trainer specialising in greyhounds. “We wanted Ray to have a good introduction to his new home and to not be overwhelmed by my two other dogs and two cats.”
It was love at first sight when she eventually laid eyes on Ray. Scared and overwhelmed, Kate understood this was a big change for both Ray and her two existing dogs. Kate explains how they had mixed emotions about the new addition, which she managed with Monika’s help.
And while Ray and Kate had an immediate connection, it was clear very quickly that he was suffering from some separation distress.
“Ray quickly connected with me and didn’t want me to leave the room but was too scared to use the stairs to follow me to the rest of the house. He howled as soon as I was out of his sight”, Kate explains.
“I then had to begin the process of training Ray to use stairs, which he was finding significantly more challenging than my previous greyhound. We were grateful to receive further assistance from Monika and before long, Ray became a pro on the stairs.”
Settling into his new home, Ray’s love for zooming around the garden quickly became apparent, along with his penchant for digging up the lawn and playing chase with his fur siblings. With some reactivity to dogs on walks, Kate found with ongoing training, medication and tips from a behaviouralist, Ray has already significantly improved.
While Kate initially intended to foster, her connection with Ray soon saw her change this to a foster to adopt arrangement.
“From the moment I saw Ray, he and I connected and I couldn’t imagine handing him over to anyone else to adopt,” says Kate. “It felt like we were meant to be.”
“My house felt right with a greyhound, like it was a home again. Ray gave me the beautiful greyhound cuddles that I was missing since the loss of my previous greyhound. He brought life and excitement to the home and the garden and was so friendly to everyone he met.”
“I know my beautiful greyhound in heaven sent Ray to me to help us both heal.”
“I am so grateful for the support provided by Greyhound Rescue – helping Ray after the loss of his owner, and ensuring the best outcome for Ray and supporting the transition for Ray, myself and my other animals…such a supportive community.”
“Incredibly grateful.”
If you’d like to learn more about our foster to adopt option, you can find out what it’s all about here.
Please note, as Ray was living with a cat in his previous home, he was able to move in with Kate and her exisiting cats. We are unable to offer testing for our hounds’ suitability to live with cats at this time.