Raised in Ireland before journeying across the water to England, he was raced under the name Bannside Maginty. He was fast, he worked hard, & he won some greedy humans a lot of money. After running his 152nd race at Sunderland on 24th January 2008, someone decided he wasn’t good enough anymore & he was handed over to a rescue charity (RGT Borders). They called him Max & put him up for adoption.

On 6th May 2008, Max & Is’ lives collided. He was the first greyhound I had ever met, & the one I took into my home & my heart that very same day. From that moment forth he became a part of me, changing the person I was & making me the person I still am today.

Max & I, May 2008

Here is a story I have never shared before:

A few months after adopting Max, I travelled to New York State to attend the wedding of some close friends. Max went into kennels. The wedding passed & I spent some time in the Adirondacks then headed down to see New York City before catching my flight home. As I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night I contemplated my life.

view from Brooklyn Bridge

I was 27 years old, had been depressed for as long as I could remember, I had spent the past 10 years in the wrong career, & had recently suffered an emotional breakdown leading to 6 months of sick leave from which everyone assumed I would just bounce back. That was what awaited me on my return to the UK. For what was not the first time in my life, I wondered whether suicide was the answer.

As I sat crying on the bridge, my wallet fell out of my pocket onto the ground. I left it there – I didn’t care anymore. A passerby stopped to pick it up & hand it back to me, a small act of kindness. It fell open in my hands & looking out at me through my tears was the picture of Max I had tucked in there, my beautiful boy.  I knew then I couldn’t leave him. He was the reason I had to go back & pick up the pieces.

the picture of Max that was (& still is) in my wallet

& I did. It wasn’t easy, but with Max was there with me every step of the way. He got me out of bed every morning when I could think of nothing else worth getting up for, he got me out in the fresh air exercising when otherwise I would’ve shut myself away in the dark, he got me interacting with other people because he was social even if I was not! But perhaps most importantly, he got me feeling passionate about something, he got me feeling passionate about greyhound rescue. I realised I wanted/needed to help these dogs, &, with Max’s help, I re-built my life around that.

Max & I, March 2011

It’s now been 6 months since Max passed away on 15th November last year. I still cry for him every single day & miss him so, so much. I love all the dogs we have adopted since, but none of them will ever fill the hole that Max has left & none of them will ever occupy that special place in my heart which he took when we met 4 years ago. He was not even 10 years old when he left us. But perhaps he knew his work here was done – he not only changed my life, he saved it. That is his legacy.

wee Gizmo

We managed to foster this little poppet for all of two days before admitting there was no way we were going to let him go anywhere! There was a day when I used to be good at this fostering game, but clearly I am getting weaker as I get older…

How was I supposed to give this little bundle of cuteness up?!

Gizmo was picked up as a stray in Spain when he was just 2 months old. Since then he has been looked after in a shelter over there under the care of rescue charity SOS Animals UK. He tested positive for canine Leishmaniasis, a disease transmitted by sandflies in Mediterranean countries, which although it cannot be cured can be easily & cheaply treated, ensuring these dogs live long & happy lives.

looking handsome

fighting fit!

So why adopt a dog from Spain? Quite frankly nimal welfare standards in Spain are nothing short of appalling. Each year tens of thousands of Spanish podencos & galgos are bred for hunting & racing. These dogs are severely neglected, being tied up for weeks at a time with little or no food, water or protection from the elements, with those who have ‘served their purpose’ being hung, shot, burned or simply abandoned & left to starve to death. The Spanish government is aware that all this goes on, but does nothing to try & stop it, & in general the Spanish public do not consider this breed of dog as pets.

This is the video that first drew my attention to the plight of these dogs &made me realise I had to do something to help:

warning: upsetting viewing

Many fellow volunteers at Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary feel the same as I do, so when emergency rescue spaces were called for when 70+ galgos & podencos due to be slaughtered by Spanish authorities were surrendered to Galgos del Sol (another charity that works to rescue these dogs in Spain) last month, SGS stepped in to free up some spaces in SOS Animal’s shelters for these dogs, by taking 3 of their longterm residents into foster here in the UK. & that is how podencos Gizmo, Kitos (also staying permanently with his fosterer) & Señor (currently still in foster & awaiting his forever home) came into SGS’s care.

Señor, Gizmo & Kitos

Podencos are part of the sighthound family. They are much smaller than greyhounds (Gizmo weighs just under 12kg) & use their ears & nose as well as their keen sight to track their prey. If our experience so far with Gizmo is anything to go by, they are very trainable & share quite a lot of terrior traits such as barking & digging! Despite his differences, little Gizmo has integrated with my other three so well, in fact that was one of the main reasons we decided to keep him.

Dennis, Gizmo & Molly

greeting Martin along with Sandy & Dennis

Gizmo has fitted into our family as if he’s always been here. He’s so playful & full of fun – a bit of a handful at times, but sooo worth it! So, whilst we definitely weren’t planning on adopting a fourth dog, in my experience some of the best things in life are the things we don’t plan…

He must be part of the family – he’s even got his own knitted housecoat!

]]> http://maxandmollydesigns.com/2012/03/07/and-then-there-were-four/feed/ 6 http://maxandmollydesigns.com/2012/01/23/feeding-time-at-the-zoo/ http://maxandmollydesigns.com/2012/01/23/feeding-time-at-the-zoo/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:50:02 +0000 admin http://maxandmollydesigns.com/?p=2446 With their giraffe-like stance & deep chests, greyhounds really benefit from having their food dishes raised off the floor. But try fitting 4 separate raised feeders (1 for each dog plus 1 for water) in a small kitchen & you can’t move without tripping over one! Sick of stumbling across what seemed like a sea of dog feeding apparatus, Martin & I decided to create a solution of our own.

before..

When we moved into our house at the end of last year there were several pieces of furniture, presumably unwanted by the previous owners, left in the garden shed. Amongst them was a small laminated chipboard bookcase. Now, we didn’t need another bookcase, but we did need a 4 bowl raised feeder for the dogs & it just so happened that when turned on its side this bookcase was perfectly proportioned to accommodate 4 decent size dog bowls and fit nicely along the one free wall in our kitchen!

…after

So, we borrowed a jig saw from a friend, picked up 4 stainless steel standard feeding bowls from the pet shop & a tin of melamine paint from the local hardware store & set to work on our conversion.

the feeder holds 4 large (1.5 litre)bowls

24 hours later our project was complete & I think you’ll agree looks pretty stylish as well!

functional & stylish?

We unveiled the ‘feeding station’ to the hungry hounds at dinner time, who, after a little confusion over whose bowl was whose (doesn’t really matter anyway as they are all fed the same) seemed to give it their royal seal of approval!

Dennis, Molly & Sandy christening their new feeder

Princess Molly

It’s been an eventful year for Molly. In May she was ‘guest of honor’ at our wedding, proving that (save for trying to eat the confetti!) she really could behave like a little angel, at least for one day

the confetti proved irresistible

Her ‘modelling career’ really took off as well, when my Mum started knitting house coats to donate to charity…

supermodel Molly models one of Granny’s projects

She welcomed not one but six foster dogs into our home & helped them on their way to forever homes of their own.

with foster dog Buddy

& in between all this activity, she still found plenty time to do a little relaxing…

it’s a hard life!

full on roach

… & get up to a little mischief!

taking counter surfing to a whole new level!

& I thought it was cats that liked to hide in boxes!

In November, Molly very sadly lost her ‘big brother’, Max. The pair had been together for the whole 3 years she was with us, & complemented each other perfectly: Max was a calming influence on Molly, teaching her manners around other people & dogs; Molly introduced fun into Max’s life, taught him how to play & the joy of affection.

missing Max

Molly had never been an only dog & we felt it was important for her to have continuing companionship after losing Max. With this in mind we soon fostered 2 young male greyhounds, Sandy & Dennis. The three of them got on so well, we quickly decided to adopt them.

Molly enjoys her privileges as ‘big sister’

Molly has really taken to her ‘little brothers’, & seems to have adapted well to her new role as ‘top dog’. I never thought I’d see the day when my crazy little Molly was the one teaching other dogs how to behave, but she’s doing a smashing job so far.

happy girl

Obviously with the boys being new we are spending a lot of time & energy on their training & socialisation etc. However, I think it’s important to make sure Molly doesn’t feel left out of all this so have been trying to include her as much as possible. I have also decided to try some agility work with her so we have something which is for just the two of us, so watch this space…!

looking forward to another year with my girl

Happy anniversary Molly-moo – you’ll always be my special little girl!

foster dog Buddy, now in his forever home

Shortly after Max passed, our foster dog at the time, Buddy, went to his forever home, leaving Molly the only dog in the house for the first time. This was quickly remedied when we accepted two new SGS foster dogs, Sandy & Dennis: litter-mates who were to be rehomed together.

brothers Sandy (brindle) & Dennis (white & brindle)

The boys were charming, & Molly really took to them, & they to her (she had been off her food & very clingy since losing Max) – they brought out a playful side to Molly that I’d rarely seen before! The 3 of them were like long lost friends who were just meant to be together. So, Sandy & Dennis didn’t stay fosters for very long – Martin & I decided to adopt them both!

Molly with her boys

‘The Boys’ as they are affectionately known, have brought fun & laughter into our house again, where there were only tears & pain. They will never fill the vast hole that Max has left in our lives (nothing ever will), but we have space in our hearts for them too, & I’m sure Max would approve of our rescuing more greyhounds (though he would no doubt be objecting to all the fun they & Molly are having without him!!).

So on the bookcase, besides all our rows of Xmas cards, sits a green box containing Max’s ashes, to be scattered at a later date, someplace where he loved to walk & run, but close by for now, till we’re ready to part with them. There is also a frame my friend Sheena gave me, containing my favourite picture of Max, a print of Elle J Wilson‘s painting Forever in my Thoughts given to me by my friend Evelyn, & a soft sculpture of a running hare, made by my good friend Annette from a beautiful Jane Walker fabric.

& around my neck, next to my own heart, hangs the clay memory heart made by my Canadian friend, Pey, which is inscribed on one side with Max & on the other with run free.

Max is most definitely still with us in spirit, & he will live on through my artwork, & in every single hound I help rescue.

over the rainbow

Hoping you have had a Merry Christmas, & wishing you & your furry families all the best in the New Year ahead! I’m looking forward to sharing Molly, Sandy & Dennis’s adventures with you on the blog…

reindogs Sandy, Dennis & Molly

It’s hard to put into words how much Max meant to me. He changed my life for the better in so many ways & was there for me at a time in my life when nothing & no-one else could help. His life with me was short but filled to the brim with fun, comfort, adventure & most of all love, & his memory will live on forever in everything that I do. I’ve put together a short video capturing the three & a half wonderful years we spent together, to the music of Kate Rusby’s Old Man Time:

Thank you for everything Max. I will never forget…

• the way you howled when the phone rang
• the way you always thought it was time for dinner at 3pm, even though it was never served until 5
• the way you would race up to people on our walks then proceed to sit & give them a paw in the hope they might give you something
• the way you loved going to the vets because of all the attention & treats involved
• the way you sat in the front of the van with me because you were too grumpy to go in the back with the other dogs
• the way you loved to run, right up until the very end, & missing toes/torn muscles weren’t going to stop you
• the way your farts could clear a room of everyone but me
• the way you learnt to play aged 7 years & practiced it daily from then on
• the way you taught Molly how to behave (well, sort of!)
• the time you ate Martin’s Mum’s Christmas ornaments
• the way you changed so many people’s minds about greyhounds with your charm & cheekiness
• the way you always liked to lie by my side/at my feet wherever I was
• the time you jumped into that cattle grate
• the way you loved your food so much it made everyone suspicious you were a lab in disguise
• the way you kissed my nose
• the way you behaved yourself so well at our wedding
• the way you sounded like Darth Vader when you slept with your nose pushed up against the floor
• the way you loved to steal other dogs’ beds, no matter how comfy your own was
• the way you never tired of modelling my handmade stuff
• the way you would wait until I’d finished a cup of tea then lick the dregs out from the bottom
• the way you thrashed around on your back, often to the extent you fell off the sofa
• the way you always knew when I was upset & would come & extend your long neck for me to bury my face into
• the way you used to launch yourself into the water & only later remember you couldn’t really swim
• the way you used to call our bluff when it was time to get down off our bed for the night
• the time you ate that pigeon in the park
• the way you licked other dogs’ coats to try & dry them off when they’d been out in the rain
• the time we had to wrestle the Christmas turkey carcass off you
• the way you smelt all sweet & earthy
• the time you fell through the ice chasing swans in Manchester
• the way you loved that silly vibrating Mr Tickle toy that came free with laundry powder & that it was the only toy you didn’t completely destroy
• the way you stole bird food, especially the fat balls
• the way you frolicked in the snow like a puppy
• the way you would get cross with the other dogs if they were having more fun than you
• the way you automatically commanded the respect of all the dogs who have passed through our house over the years
• the way you ran in your sleep & made cute little puppy barking noises when you were dreaming
• the precious time that we spent together

Run free my beautiful boy.

I wrote 2 separate letters of complaint to the BBC, one explaining why I felt their endorsement of the greyhound racing industry as “a great fun night out” was highly inappropriate, & another demanding the immediate removal of my image from their Twitter site due to breach of my copyright.

Well, I think you will all be familiar with the completely unsatisfactory reply I received some week later from the BBC in response to the former, given that they sent the same blanket response which did not properly address the questions or issues raised to everyone who submitted a complaint! Well, at least the latter complaint resulted in the swift removal of my image from their Twitter page. However, I wasn’t through with the BBC yet…

With the help of my Trademark Attorney friend (who I should mention went into labour the day after!) I sent a further letter demanding compensation for their breach of my moral rights by associating me & my work with the promotion of greyhound racing, & advising them that I would be prepared not to take any further legal action if they made a £250 donation to Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary. The BBC took me seriously & before I knew it the sum of £250 had arrived in my bank account along with an apology from BBC Senior Rights Executive David Knight. Of course I immediately donated all of the money to SGS, where it will help save the lives of a few lucky greyhounds & find them loving forever homes.

I want to thank everyone who helped me to achieve this small victory: all those who supported me via my blog & Facebook page, the Folksy & Etsy communities, talented Trademark Attorney (& fab friend) Sinead Byers, tireless campaigner Trudy Baker who helped publicise my copyright infringement case via Greyt Exploitations, Holly Denton whose rescue greyhound Bomber my design depicted, & everyone on the SGS forum who was routing for me!

However, this is just a small victory, & the BBC continue to race ShowMe TheBunny & to support & promote the greyhound racing industry. So please don’t give up! Just this week Greyt Exploitations have revealed video footage filmed ShowMe TheBunny’s kennels in South Yorkshire showing the grim conditions in which she & countless other dogs are being kept, together with evidence that this dog is in fact owned by Colin Murray despite the BBC’s claims to the contrary.

Please ask the BBC once more to retire ShowMe TheBunny, withdraw their support of greyhound racing & stop promoting gambling on dogs.

the (very hilly!) route

Greyhounds’ lives are risked every time they are raced at the tracks, so I thought the least I could do was risk some blisters & a couple of stitches in order to help save a few more. So, I set up a sponsorship page via Everyclick & began my (rather sketchy) training schedule in the lead up to the big day.

ready to run, in the T-shirt I printed with my ‘45 mph Couch Potato‘ & ‘Born to Run‘ designs along with the SGS logo

I’m pleased to announce I completed the 10K run in 68 minutes (& all in one piece, save for some skin on my right heel!), & delighted to say that I raised over £350 for Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary by doing so!

approaching the finish line

It was nice to think that for once it was the dogs who were at home with their feet up, whilst the human was out making money for them! (Maybe just as well they hadn’t placed any bets on me though..!!)

Max & Molly, & foster dog Buddy, opted not to come & cheer me along when they saw it was raining outside…

…but showered me with congratulatory kissies as soon as I arrived home!

The run may be over, but it’s not too late to sponsor me – my Everyclick page will remain active until the end of October! & of course you can always donate to SGS directly at any time via the ‘Donate‘ button on their website. Thank you, on behalf of all the greyhounds.

Max & Molly: born to run, not to race

Sally, 15/9/11

On 15th September, 13 year old Sally was handed into an Edinburgh vet to be put to sleep. Though underweight & with terrible dentition, Sally was otherwise in good health. The vet made a few phone calls to various charities, but to no avail – all were either too full or wouldn’t take her on because of her age. However, Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary came through for this old girl, & with their support we took Sally into our home & gave her the TLC that a mature lady like her deserves.

comfort at last

We don’t know too much about Sally’s history, only that she was raced briefly at Shawfield, before being homed by RGT in 2003, & that her elderly owner’s family were unable to cope with looking after her when he no longer could himself. But she is a lovely natured dog – the first thing she did when she arrived at our house was hop right up on the sofa & stretch out, as if to say “now, this is more like it!”

SGS arranged for Sally to have all her rotten teeth removed, & we looked after her here in our home whilst she recovered from her operation (not a small one by any means, given Sally’s age & weight) & got the old girl eating again & starting to put a bit of weight on.

before & after shots(!)

Sally really does amazingly well given her age. Not only does she like to follow you from room to room to check what you are up to, but she gets all excited when it’s time for walkies & keeps up a fair pace once you’re out there too!

out with friends at the park

keeping watch over us in the kitchen

Raring to go!  Sally up Blackford Hill

It didn’t take long before SGS found the special long term home that Sally needed, where she will be able to live out the rest of her days in comfort, without fear of neglect or abandonment. Sally’s new Mum, Jaclyn (another SGS volunteer), reports that she has settled well already & is enjoying the company of Jaclyn’s existing greyhound, Gem, as well as ‘eating like a horse’ & stealing the hearts of all who meet her!

Sally in her new home: Did you ever see a dog look for comfortable?

Sally in the sunshine

Although Sally was only with us here for a short time, she had a big effect on me & we really miss her now that she has gone. I am so thankful that I was in a position to help save this beautiful girl’s life by taking her in that day, & I’ll always remember her twinkly eyes & the way they seemed to say ‘thank you’ every single time she looked at me. I hope they go on twinkling for a long time to come…

those eyes…

]]> http://maxandmollydesigns.com/2011/09/29/sallys-story/feed/ 3 http://maxandmollydesigns.com/2011/09/19/happy-families/ http://maxandmollydesigns.com/2011/09/19/happy-families/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:28:52 +0000 admin http://www.maxandmollydesigns.com/?p=2349 I’m always happy when one of our foster greyhounds goes to their forever home, but was chuffed to bits when I found out where, or rather with whom, our Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary foster dog Kevin (/Kenny) was going to be living…

Mr K

The handsome Kevin was only with us for 3 weeks before a couple contacted SGS looking for a companion dog for their existing greyhound. & you’ll never guess who said existing dog was… None other than our previous foster girl, the beautiful Poppy!

Poppy Popstar

SGS & I felt that Kevin’s laid back attitude would be a nice calming influence on the more energetic Poppy, whereas Poppy’s playfulness would likely help to bring Kevin out of his shell. So, the adoption was all set to go ahead, providing the 2 dogs got on when they met up ‘in person’.

No issues there whatsoever – it was love at first sight for these guys & after sniffing each other over they were running around the park together like old friends. & it didn’t take long for Poppy’s playful side to rub off on Kevin, as he got to grips with playing with a ball for the first time!

Friends reunited: Poppy, me, Kenny & Martin

It was wonderful to see Poppy again – she has grown into a beautiful, sleek girl & is all toned & muscly now she is getting to run off lead regularly. It was fun to hear about her antics too, how she’s been stealing sausages at barbeques & making friends with spaniels at the park

Happy families: Poppy, Susan, Kevin & Kenny

Kevin & Poppy are very lucky to not only have each other, but a fantastic couple to look after them, & I wish them both a lifetime of happiness together in their forever home with Susan & Kenny. Endings don’t come much happier than this!

Kevin & Poppy on sharing their forever sofa