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TRIBUTES
My galgo, Chico, who I adopted
from you on the 11th May 2012 had
to be put to sleep recently. He was
the most amazing gentle boy, loved by everyone that knew him. I am absolutely
devastated. He's been by my side for over 8 yrs enjoying so many different
walks and making no end of friends. For the last 4 yrs or so he has shared his
life with Zara, a crazy podenco who we adopted after we lost our saluki who
Chico adored. When Zara arrived I'm not sure what Chico made of her at first.
She was...and still is an absolute nutcase! But he soon grew to love her and
they spent many happy times playing chase and beating up. Eighteen
months ago Chico was viciously attacked by a rottweiler. He spent over 3 hrs in Chico (left) with Zara
surgery of which was touch and go. The main concern was a puncture to his
chest wall. He was 11 yrs old then. But he pulled through but was never able to run again after that. Three months
after the attack he had to have his left eye removed. The vet thinks it had detached due to the attack as the rottweiler
had pushed him onto his left side. But he recovered from the op really well and managed amazingly well with one
eye. A few months ago we noticed Chico was not great on his legs at times. The vet thought it was probably
arthritis due to his age. ( around 12) A course of cartrophen injections did nothing. Further tests revealed it was
Degenerative Myelopathy, a disease of the spine that slowly paralyses the legs. All of a sudden it seemed to take off
and Chico could hardly stand let alone walk. He had such a great life with us and he was such a happy boy. Mandy
Goodbye Cleo – farewell girl…I had to let you go
You enriched my life so much - more than you’ll ever know
Smarter than the ‘average’ dog - One step ahead were you
Keeping me upon my toes - And full of mischief too
Running rings around your Mum - The waste bin was fair game
Tea bags scattered everywhere - Life just won’t be the same
My red spuds also caught your eye - You scattered them around
But close inspection soon revealed - No teeth marks could be found
I thought the dog food was quite safe - How silly could I be?
Where there’s a Cleo there’s a way - To get one up on me!
It seems that you had several pups - In your youth - in Spain
Your Mother’s instinct stayed with you - When you to England came
You cared for all my other hounds - Just one big family ….
Concerned that they were all OK - Like any Mum would be

You’d found it hard to breathe of late - And your distress was plain
The vet prescribed some pills for you- To make you well again
But alas ‘twas not to be - The end was near and so
The kindest, only thing for me… - To let my Cleo go
Dear Cleo - you’ll be sorely missed - ‘Farewell’ my dear sweet friend
But tho’ we’ve had to say ‘Goodbye’ - My love for you won’t end. Diane

Marcia was originally a “foster” dog with me in Nov.2014, and then
adopted in Feb.2015. She was a companion for Blanco, having just lost
Annie aged 14 years. She was always a nervous girl with people, but
was gentle and well behaved. On visits to GIN HQ, even though she
knew everybody, she couldn’t quite bring herself to be stroked, even when wagging her tail with pleasure. Very
recently she showed signs of slightly “favouring” her back right leg. A visit to the vet and medication seemed to
improve things. A second visit, and more medication didn’t seem to be working quite so well, so x-rays were carried
out. The news was very bad—she had osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and the vet thought it might have already
spread. To save any further deterioration and increased pain, it was decided not to bring her round from the
anaesthetic, but just let her go. The onset of this condition was very rapid, but I made sure Marcia didn’t suffer in
any way. Her life with me was a happy one, with every care, comfort, good food, and lovely daily walks in Windsor
Great Park-what more could a dog want, It has left a big hole in my life having lost two dogs with cancer in the past
18 months. The house is strangely so quiet, and as I come to terms with her loss, I am trying to keep busy and be
positive. I tell myself to think about the many other people whose lives have been affected by the loss of loved ones
due to the Covid 19 pandemic, and that puts everything into perspective, Catherine

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