A lady who knows what she wants, a ruthless personal trainer, and sometimes just a little bit of a sook, the beautiful Leeloo has found her ultimate person in James.
You may remember Leeloo as former Kennel Kid Breakfast. With her new name in her new home, Leeloo is firmly rooted in her new life.
Leeloo is not shy in coming forward, says James, and “if she wants something, she’ll tell you about it.”
“If she wants to play, you’d better drop everything and pick up her favourite toy.”
And like the boss lady that she is, James says Leeloo “will not tolerate discomfort in the slightest and is absolutely not interested in toughening up one bit.”
Leeloo loves her human, and she has a few human fans of her own.
“We’ve had one family pull alongside while driving through town to give her a beep and a thumbs up!” James explains.
“One particularly sweet moment was when we were on a walk. I saw an old gentleman up ahead, giving us the “I’d like to pat that dog” look (we’ve all seen it). I brought her over and he said he used to have a rescue greyhound too, and that he missed it very much.”
“Almost as if she understood him, Leeloo picked that moment to plop her head on his lap and give him a soulful stare. I hope it made his day.”
James says that Leeloo is also quite the sidekick when it comes to exercise.
“I’m personally more active,” he explains. “Before I adopted her I spent a lot more of my time after work on the couch but she’s a fairly ruthless personal trainer and won’t let me rest for too long. That is, until she’s had a bit of exercise and then she becomes the shiftless couch potato.”
On her journey, James says he has been “really touched with how much more confident she is now.”
“When she got home, she was quite timid on walks and froze a lot. With some training and plenty of treats (roast chicken, devon or cheese cubes are her favourites), she’s found she can walk with confidence and full trust in me now. “
Car rides are also her jam, and she’ll veer off to the car when James takes her out for a walk in the hopes they are going for a ride.
“She loves the feeling of the wind in her ears. To her, it’s the best bits of walks and zoomies, from the comfort of the back seat.”
James says that “a lot of people have misgivings about rescues, specifically regarding behaviour issues and housetraining – but Leeloo has fit in like she was raised in my home”.
“It’s hard to keep her off my bed though. Harder still because I occasionally cave and let her up for a cuddle in the morning.”
And James says although he has owned a few dogs, “greyhounds do have their own quirks that I wasn’t aware of”.
“I’ve really appreciated lots of little settling-in tips – giving her a dedicated space, giving her time to settle, and actively training to build trust and our relationship.”
“Leeloo is special, but I’d take every one of them if I had the time and space. Really grateful for Greyhound Rescue looking after her!”
If you have a hound-shaped hole in your home, head over to our adoption page to find out more.