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Jack Sprat is a greyhound who put every ounce of heart he had into racing, clocking 40 miles per hour in training. But when he made his professional debut at Wimbledon last year, he came in last in both of his races. It was only after his owner retired him and sent him to Dogs’ Trust in Snetterton, Norfolk, England, that veterinarians figured out how much effort Jack really put into racing -and everything he does. It turns out that the dog is blind!
Vets at the animal charity examined Jack and realised a rare condition had left him completely blind in his left eye and with only 20 per cent vision in his right.
They diagnosed him with Chorioretinitis, a swelling and irritation of the middle layer of the eye, which is irreparable.
Kate Brewster, 27, of the Dogs’ Trust, said Jack would have been ‘terrified’ racing with no vision in his left eye – used by dogs to follow the rabbit.
She said: ‘We don’t think Jack’s racing owner realised the severity of his blindness and it would have been terrifying for him to race because of the noise.
‘He must have followed the other dogs or maybe used his sense of smell to get around the track. He clearly had no way of seeing the rabbit.’
Jack stills runs very fast at the shelter, where he knows exactly where the fences are. The animal charity says Jack will make a great pet, and hopes to find him a home with no small children or other pets. Link -via Arbroath
(Image credit: SWNS)
Danny, a greyhound, has an important job at Oakhill primary school in Tamworth, Staffordshire. He trained for five months to become a “listening” dog. As a representative of the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) program he listens to children read. He is a registered therapy dog who helps children improve their literacy skills by listening nonjudgmentally to students. The program has been found to improve the confidence and self esteem of young readers.
Link - Via boingboing
When police found Jasmine she was shivering, filthy and malnourished. The greyhound dog had been dumped in a garden shed and left to die. Jasmine was brought to the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, where she was slowly nursed back to health. Since her rescue, Jasmine seems to be giving back what she has received, acting as a surrogate mother for all manner of animals brought to the shelter. She is currently caring for tiny Bramble, an 11-week-old roe deer fawn found semi-conscious in a nearby field. The doe is her 50th adoptee; over the past five years Jasmine has cared for five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and even 15 rabbits. The rabbits may be the most astonishing, since greyhounds are trained to chase rabits – not be mother to them.
Geoff Grewcock, who runs the sanctuary, said: “She simply dotes on the animals as if they were her own, it’s incredible to see. Having been neglected herself, it’s a real surprise to see her show so much warmth and affection to other creatures.” Until she is old enough to be released back into the wild, Bramble will continue to be cared for by Jasmine. Geoff added: “They are inseparable at the moment, the tiny doe walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other.”
Link – via holeinthedonut
(image credit: Caters News Agency, LTD)
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