Equally, as a life-long dog owner, though I much admired people who kept high energy/working breeds like collies, I never thought I would be able to have one, (especially as my lazy, but gorgeous couch-potato loving greyhound had fitted so well in my life). But then, a few months ago, I saw a video clip of a little collie-x in a hydrotherapy session on an RSPCA webpage; his story was heartbreaking and he was in quite a state, but I could see beyond the scrawny little bag of bones covered in brown fuzz, and I liked what I saw as he belly-flopped into the pool with such joyful abandonment. So started the dripping tap convincing campaign, (sorry, I mean reasoned discussions with my husband), and before the week was out we had arranged to meet with the RSPCA and be introduced to Benny.
Benny had been rescued earlier in the year as a serious case of long-term neglect; when the RSPCA collected him, he weighed little more than 9kg and was a matted mess. The state of his starvation was so extreme that he could barely walk as his body had begun breaking down all his muscles in a desperate bid for survival and it was because of this muscle atrophy that he needed the hydrotherapy; to build his muscle back up by swimming. While it had taken many weeks to nurse him back to anything near approaching good health, he was still underweight when we met him (at 15kg) and was beginning to lose weight, despite the care he was receiving, as he was getting too stressed in kennels. Because of this, the RSPCA were desperate to find Benny some kind of home, though they did not know what he would be like in a home environment, whether he was house trained or would settle. So after managing introductions between Benny and our greyhound, Flash, and passing an RSPCA home-check, we became his official foster-carers.
I think it is fair to say, even with all best intentions and the support of the lovely people at the RSPCA, we really did not fully appreciate what we were letting ourselves in for. Benny's lovely, friendly nature and desire to be loved were always, always apparent, but he had been so badly treated, we soon realised we had brought one damaged little soul into our lives. Having said that, however, many things really did run suprisingly smoothly right from the start; even the first evening he was with us, after manically exploring every inch of the house, he hopped up onto an armchair, curled up and fell fast asleep - snoring and farting like a trooper! I suspect that in the kennels, he probably had any quality sleep for sometime and he was sure going to catch up now he was in this comfortable and quiet lounge.
So began Benny's rehabilitation and inevitable journey into becoming a permanent fixture in our lives.
Fast forward two months - we have adopted Benny and have a very happy, shiny-coated little fellow who has brought us so much joy. And he and I are about to start our own adventure, which is the real reason I have started this blog. Benny is not just our dog, he is my new running partner and we have some exciting jollies awaiting us in the near future as we work towards our main event for next year - completing the Lakeland50 together in July. (I ran it this year and can honestly say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and can't wait to get back to do it again.)
As his muscle-tone has improved and he has gained weight I have been taking Benny out running, with him spending an increasing amount of time running in a harness that attaches, via a lunge lead, to my waist belt. Tomorrow, we will hopefully be heading out for our first run with a group of other people in preparation for our first trip up to the Lakes next weekend to recce the last 12 miles of the course.
I have no idea if Benny will cope with running with large numbers of other people, I have no idea if he will cope with the challenging (and sometimes brutal) terrain in the Lake District. I have no idea if he (or I) will be able to complete the L50 in the summer, so much can happen in ten months. But we're going to give it our best shot and I'll let you know how we get on, maybe not every step of the way, but as often as possible.
And while I'm at it, for the first time in a very long time, I will be trying to raise money with my running - the RSPCA do an incredible job in difficult circumstances anything I raise will be going to them. I have no targets in mind, but I know every penny will make a difference, and maybe help another little lost soul like our Benny.
He is gawjuss. Lucky boy to find you
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