Huey is just your average washed up Greyhound.
He's five and he hadn't raced since late 2003, which means he's been cooling his heels in some concrete kennels somewhere for a year and a half. Just like an ageing lieutenant towards the end of a too-long war. Too old for active service but too young to be discharged. They come in handy for office duties, in stores or administration, mapping and the like. Old lieutenants, I mean. Old greyhounds are good for nothing. They usually get discharged by being put down.
Huey is dark grey, which is called 'blue', with flecks of grey, especially around the face. He came into the adoption program with worms, heavy dandruff, fleas and dirty ears and teeth. I'd call this benign neglect rather than outright mistreatment, but I could be wrong. Many of these hounds have had a structure to their early lives on which they thrive. Training, living in a pack situation, good food, occasional race, lots of travel and new smells, human contact. Many of these dogs have a better life than dogs who are consigned to a back yard with no human or canine contact for eight hours or more a day. I saw one recently - I'm tall and I could see over the side fence of a property into a very small yard. A rottweiler was chained to a rock, in hot sun. No shade. No contact. No nothing. That's cruelty.
Huey smiles. Huey loves food. Huey loves a walk. Huey loves Goldie.
Goldie doesn't mind Huey. She'll warm to him.
Huey is thin and we will counterract this - as well as helping to eliminate dandruff - by feeding him, along with chicken mince stew, sradines in oil, cheese, peanut butter sandwiches and lard.
Huey's in for a good time.
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