I have nothing but admiration for the team transporting these dogs, it was a horrendous task to undertake, even the numbers that came to England is like putting my whole kennels on a lorry for a week. Basic care takes me 3 hours x 3 times per day and most weeks I visit my vets twice. I have 30 years experience in business, have traveled in Italy and France, I have knowledge of dogs and trucks and I have to admit that I COULD NOT have organised this rescue. I just hope in the weeks to come that I am up to the task of rehabilitating these two lovely dogs that I am honored to have been entrusted with. My thanks to all concerned.

Monday

I collected my two from along the A14 late last night, only comment I can make so far is that they seem to hate all other dogs but very happy with me. Absolutely lovely dogs, dehydrated and squity after their loooong trip but bright and alert this morning after a quiet nights sleep. Both dogs are kenneled together but were not previously. This morning I took the muzzles off and fed them separately and then let them be together. They both made a tremendous fuss of me, one each side, tails wagging whilst I checked them over. (and gave them a hug) I think they will decide to stay but so much work to do yet, the boy is OK and probably can be castrated very soon. I am a bit worried about the girl, she has a skin problem and poo that reminds me of some very sick dogs in the past, but its early days yet. Already I couldn't bear to part with them but sometimes a special home comes along and you have to let go.

Tuesday.... and almost normal poo tonight, that is a great relief, the last dog that did poo like that here didn't make it. They were both clearing up from the same bowl whilst I held it too and no sign of aggression. Now how on earth can I fit them into the house?? bet they would love a sofa.

Wednesday, and the girl is still barking at all the other dogs. Alex and I took them for a hike this afternoon and the boy was glad to get home, he has a toe missing from a front foot and favors that leg a bit. By the time we got back he was also stiff on the opposite rear leg and he was glad to collapse in his bed of shredded paper under the heat lamp. I don’t have their details yet so I don’t know his age but 3 months of good food should make a world of difference to him. I need to be careful or I suspect I may lose him to Alex.

Sunday 13th and the Rome dogs have now been here for one week and have settled in well in spite of the English weather. On Saturday Laura and Becky came up to check on them and to microchip a batch of my dogs and they thought they could see weight gain already. I now know that this pair are 8 years old and in the 5 years (?) since they were last raced they have not been exercised and spent all of that time muzzled in a small kennel. Its no wonder that they cant walk far and dislike the other breeds of dog here (although that is improving). I feel that I owe them happiness in their remaining years to make up for the way mankind has treated them in the past and although I commend the owner of the Rome track for his care of these dogs after they finished racing, my dislike of the racing industry has been strengthened by the plight of these two lovely dogs. Each morning they greet me like a long lost buddy and today for the first time I let them roam free in my yard. Having inspected every inch and placed their scent on most of it they spent several minutes gazing through the wire across the flat fields to the distant horizon, then I called them in for breakfast. I wish that I could do more for them and will eventually find a place for them in the house but for now, lots of hugs, good food, a kennel with heat lamps and a large run is the best that I can do.

My two Rome dogs, Orfeo and Nigeria, have settled in well, and now know the routine. Once they got the kennel smelling right they have been totally clean and this morning they waited for their free time in the yard rather than soil their run. After a walk round they return and take their places for breakfast, they are very quick to learn. The barking at the other dogs has lessened although they take a keen interest in what's going on despite the appalling weather. Nigeria seems to be coming in season so, sooner than I would have liked, Orfeo is booked into the vets tomorrow for castration and a dental providing he is up to it. He has gained weight and seems fit but I don't want to take any risk with him. Nor do I want to separate them and all my cages in the house are full.

They are wonderful dogs and will easily make superb pets. I find it difficult to get my head around the fact that they have spent the last 5 years(?) kenneled and muzzled with no exercise. That's like a 25 year jail sentence for a human and they have committed no crime.

Other emergencies have delayed the operation. The vet says he will be fertile for a short time afterwards, how long is that?? Today is, at most day two, Nigeria would not be fertile until day 10 perhaps...... it may all be academic, Orfeo is still at the vets tonight after surgery quite late and extended. He has been castrated and had 6 molars removed, the vet did not want to do this major dental work with the other op because of the risk of infection from his gums. However they were so bad that it just had to be done. I have moved dogs around and he now has a cage by a radiator for his return. Nigeria is not too unhappy at being left alone and IF he comes home in one piece he is coming inside in the warm, actually both of them try very hard to get in the back door. As you may gather, I am worried sick about him.

Lunch time and Orfeo is home and in good spirits, what a relief. He is eating and much better than I expected. I took the opportunity to let him see cats and a puppy at the vets, (muzzled), he gave no cause for concern and seemed to want to play once he had made the waiting room smell right. Now he is asleep in his cage but I feel he would prefer to be outside with his mate. Nigeria is not too happy today in spite of a squeaky ball (thanks Claire) and a bone, she was quite puzzled by both. My boys now know she is in season and are driving me nuts but Orfeo is home and I am a happy bunny this afternoon.

Two weeks now since they arrived. Orfeo continues to improve after his surgery. Yesterday he met Sophie in the kitchen and thought she was very nice. Today he met Pop, (both yellow Labs) and thought he was nice too. On his own with me in the kitchen he decided that Sophies bed by the boiler was much better than a cage for a house dog and I had trouble convincing him that he was not quite a house dog yet. Nigeria’s season seems to have ended early, well she is eight, and tomorrow I will have an empty cage in the same room as Orfeo so time to move dogs about again.

Monday

I can’t believe how easily Orfeo, has taken to the house. He is asleep with a Lab at my feet as I type. He is quite relaxed with Hoover, washing machine, etc and has trained me to let him out of the cage when he barks. Later today I will have another empty cage so Nigeria will be in the house tonight too. My intention was to re-home them, but Orfeo has worked his way into my heart and has come home, that means perhaps I must keep his mate too but my record may help with re-homing the others. Who knows what the future will bring? There seem to be several Grey’s waiting in the bushes and the kennel is empty..........

It may have been a mistake to bring Nigeria into the house, they have got me up for walkies twice each night for the past two nights. Her season is/was strange, very little blood and no swelling, is this normal with Grey’s? My boys ignore her too although they know something is going on, only her kennel mate seems to know which bitch it is and putting them in sight of each other has made him restless. I have taken some photos on film as Orfeo has met new things and new dogs but I missed the best shots, to see him and Charley (fox) yesterday morning was a real picture, today I had the camera and they ignored each other.

Orfeo and I have bonded, he lays beside me now and is only content when I am around. This morning he discovered my bed and was very interested in all the doggy smells on the cover. I was a bit worried that he would add some of his own but he did not.

Outside on the grass today, Orfeo had a bounce in his step that I have not seen before although he still walks like a child on a pebble beach as he crosses the gravel. His coat is better too and shone in the sunshine. Nigeria even tried a short sprint before she remembered that her left hind leg hurts, time and good food are great healers.

Two things I do not understand.

1. Why is Orfeo so attached to me, humans have cut off one of his toes, pulled his teeth and inflicted all manner of harm that he cannot understand.
2. Why am I, the hunting, shooting, fishing man who loved venison and veal and sent three Greyhounds coursing Hares 30 years ago, now totally committed to animal rights and dog rescue such that I have no life or possessions outside of those things.

I don't know the answer but if I can change then so can society and if we all work together then change will come and dogs like these will be treated with the love and respect they deserve.

I always thought that my Labs were quick to learn, get them to do something 3 times and it stuck. With Orfeo it only takes one time and the rest he works out for himself. Yesterday I was late back from the Vets and by the time I had fed and cleaned up it was gone 8.00. Cooked my dinner and sat and ate it with Orfeo and one of the Labs beside me. It took a while to convince Orfeo that it was not his dinner but eventually he settled to sleep, I checked e/mail, etc and shut the puter down at about 9.30. As I got up to walk the dogs Orfeo sprang into life and disappeared into the bedroom that he had discovered on Wednesday. It took me a few minutes to get him out again, he clearly wanted to sleep with the pack, back in the kitchen whilst I was getting Charley, he found a slice of bread in the toaster at the back of the worktop and lifted that cleanly out!! At least I know what to tempt him with now, he would do ANYthing for a piece of bread. The past two nights I have ignored his barking and he seems to have accepted his place at night, there are two other dogs in that room with him so he is not alone.

Nigeria has not been forgotten and is a really sweet girl, less demanding than her mate and no trouble in spite of her season. It would be easy to forget that she is here most of the time. She still has a limp on her back left leg but her teeth look OK, my intention is to get her vetted next week when her season should be over but I will not spay her for another 3 months.

Three weeks on and Orfeo is well on his way to becoming a proper housedog, I gave in last night and he slept on my bed taking up as much space as two Labs. He was no bother at all which is more than can be said for one of the Labs who threw up in their cage in the early hours having eaten unmentionables on their last trip round the yard! Whilst I changed the bedding Orfeo stayed put on my bed and only got up this morning when it was time for his breakfast. Nigeria had a half hearted howl at one point when she realised her mate had disappeared but soon gave up. I hope I am not creating a problem by giving way to Orfeo. I may be encouraging real separation anxiety but at least he is a dog that wont run off, yesterday for the first time we ventured out into the field, and off lead, he stuck to me like glue.  He has also grasped the idea that he is not allowed my food and snoozes contentedly beside me whilst I eat.

Nigeria has discovered my cat that was sitting quite still on the workbench in the workshop and could be seen through the window. Nigeria may have lived in kennels all her life but she can recognise a stationary cat at twenty yards! I also have started to introduce her to the other bitches but not the males yet. Orfeo is running with the pack now, eight assorted house dogs out together make life easier for me and I feel I can trust these eight although it is slightly risky I admit, if a fight did start they would all get involved.

In the few days since my last entry there have been a couple of setbacks, first Nigeria wet in her bedding but I failed to spot it immediately, the top of the quilt was dry but soaked underneath, obviously at some point I didn’t get her out in time. She has only got as far as the doormat a couple of times too but learned fast. Yesterday she was fine and today she has been out with two small male dogs and no problems, all her barking at the others has gone now and I think she can slowly meet them all.

Second, I trusted Orfeo loose in the house and he thanked me by leaving his scent on the sofa and in my bedroom, I will have to watch him for a while yet I feel. Even so. It is a great feeling to see him picking up, his greetings, the new tail wagging, the head and ears held high, the bounce in his step, it all says, "I am on the mend"

Yesterday Nigeria decided to bring up her breakfast, it did not come up easily and she SCREAMED, you have never heard such a noise!! All the other dogs started barking and I dashed over to her to sort things out. No food for her that evening and this morning I prepared toast for her but before I could give it she was sick again. (must have heard about my cooking) I have been meaning to get her vetted and today sounded like a good time!!!! I had made an appointment to vaccinate two new strays but took Nigeria instead. The vet found nothing wrong with her, her teeth are OK and she seems in good health, even her stiff hind leg was behaving today. They have a duck pond just outside reception and Nigeria went mad at the sight of all the ducks, she was as pleased as punch. Then she spotted a stuffed foxy toy on the desk and almost had that, it was the first time she had been muzzled since the day after they arrived.

Nigeria is eating again but small amounts, Orfeo is bouncing around and very friendly. I am still playing with food type and quantity in an attempt to build them up. I now have the sterilisation certificates signed and I have filled in the adoption form for Orfeo ready for posting together, he has decided to stay in this "black hole" forever.