Thursday 16 April 2009

Sight Hound Setback


I had my home visit today. A lady from the RSPCA came out to vet me and my animal menagerie and assess my suitability as an adopter of a dog in distress. The good news is I passed. The bad news is that Hetty (aka Claudie) is probably not suitable. Lurchers, greyhounds, whippets etc are all sight hounds, and have a tendency to chase cats. The RSPCA kennels I visited was bursting at the seams with gangly, sad-eyed lurchers. Apparently, young hoodlums in the area use them for hare-coursing and then just abandon them. So, the dogs have been bred and trained to chase and kill.

The irony is, with people and other dogs, lurchers are the most placid, loving creatures who tend to spend all day snoozing. I could just picture Hetty here, curled up like a kitten on the sofa, nibbling a toasted cheese sandwich and watching Miss Marple (Joan Hickson version, of course). I had even researched knitting patterns for doggie jumpers and jackets. Lurchers do feel the cold you know, on account of their skinny frames.

Of course, Hetty may have been fine with my kittens. Many Lurchers are OK and view the cats in their home as members of their pack. However, I am now terrified that a trial-run would end in a bloodbath, the RSPCA lady painted a very vivid and gory picture. Plus, I am back at the School of Hard Knocks on Monday, so it is not as if I would be here to keep a watchful eye on things. I am heartbroken. I loved Hetty. I adore the graceful, gentle nature of these beautiful dogs. I think they are gorgeous, their long, lanky colt-like limbs and their huge, searching eyes.

So, Miss Underscore's search for a 4-legged companion continues. . . .

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