Welcoming Fred, the lurcher

Meet our new addition to the family... this is Fred!

Fred Willdog, the lurcher.

He was rescued by Bristol DAWG, a wonderful small charity that specialises in rescuing Greyhounds and Lurchers. From what we know, he was bred by a Welsh lurcher breeder that specialises in breeding 'good hunting stock', then bought by a traveller to use for hare coursing. Only, Fred wouldn't hunt... which made him rather useless to that traveller, who had given dogs to DAWG before, and passed Fred over to them as well.

Fred feeling very much at home.

We had asked DAWG about becoming foster carers for dogs before they are rehomed, and they had come to view our home - but when we saw Fred and read about him, we knew he would be the perfect dog for us. A sweet natured, 1-year-old, small-ish (it's a small space we live in after all!), non-hunting lurcher! The folks at DAWG decided to let us have him for a two-week home trial to see how we (and he!) would get on. Answer: like a house on fire!

 However, there was one big obstacle to overcome before he could stay: dogs - or rather, any pets - are not allowed at our Marina. Not to new people, anyway; there are several dogs who've lived there for years, but we were told that new animals weren't allowed. This was because in the past, cat owners would let their cats roam free in the Marina and they'd foul other people's boats, which can cause costly damage. So cats were indeed banned and some people had to rehome theirs or move... while dogs were never a problem, the cat owners found it unfair that only their animals would be disallowed; hence the rule that all pets are banned at the Marina.

Luckily for us, and Fred, the Marina's owner loves dogs. After a chat with her, we had the official go-ahead - after two nail-biting weeks of just not knowing! - and could offer Fred a forever home.

He's been with us for about six weeks now and the three of us couldn't be happier!