Indie: Fostering an Old Dog

Sadly, four of our neighbourhood dogs crossed the Bridge last month. They were all old, but that didn’t make it any easier for their humans.

One of them was a sweet-natured black lurcher called Indie, who was taken in by our friends Jan and Alain last September. Twelve years old and badly neglected, she was 48 hours away from being euthanised in the pound when Alain heard about her and asked if Greyhound Rescue Wales could take her. The answer was yes, but because of her age and state of neglect she would need to be fostered for life.

Having lost their lurcher Frieda six months before, Jan and Alain felt able to give Indie a home. She soon settled in, providing companionship for their remaining dog Snip, who’d been missing Frieda. Of course, no dog can ever replace another, but it was lovely to see how close Snip and Indie became in a short time.

Snip (left) and Indie

To start with, Indie was just glad to have a warm, comfy bed to rest in. But before long her puppy playfulness came out, probably for the first time in her life. She loved to chase a ball on walks, and she even had a favourite toy.

Indie had such a gentle expression. If you were feeling a bit anxious, she would give you a sweet, sympathetic look as if to say, “don’t worry, everything’s fine!” Of course, she could simply have been simply asking for treats; but she did it with such kind eyes, it was impossible to resist!

For three months, Indie lived her best life in her foster home. Then she started to slow down and show signs of pain. She was having monthly injections for arthritis, but they seemed to be getting less effective, and sometimes she didn’t want to eat. Her teeth were in poor condition, so she was taken to the doggy dentist, hoping that would help. After a good clean and several extractions, she seemed to pick up a bit; but in March she started refusing food again, even freshly cooked chicken, and despite large doses of painkiller she was still in a lot of pain.

On her last vet visit, it was found she had a massive tumour in her abdomen, which was probably leaking into her blood and bones and causing her issues with lameness. The vet advised putting her to sleep straight away. This was a huge shock for Jan and Alain, who hadn’t suspected cancer at all.

Due to Indie’s age, they knew they wouldn’t have her for long, but it must have been so hard losing two dogs to cancer in less than a year. I really admire them; it takes someone special to home an old dog. I don’t think I could do it, knowing I could lose them so soon.

Indie (right) with Jan and Snip

Greyhound Rescue Wales relies on donations to fund foster homes for dogs like Indie. If you’d like to help you can find out more here.