Prisa: from the depths of a well to a “mile high”

and

 Petunya: the cactus blooms into a beautiful flower

January 6, 2005 was a bleak day indeed.  Will and I had to euthanize my first dog, our beloved greyhound named Pronto.  The only bright spot on that sad day was news from Scooby that five galgos had been rescued from a 100 foot well in the Spanish countryside.  Because these dogs were granted life as Pronto’s ebbed away, I developed a strong attachment to them.

I had no idea that a year and a half later, in June 2006, one of these special dogs would join us in Denver, Colorado’s “Mile High” city,” all the way from Scooby in Spain. We only found out shortly before her arrival that Prisa was indeed available for us to adopt.   She arrived from Scooby with Maria Halloran, a member of our Colorado based non-profit group, Galgo Rescue International Network (G.R.I.N.) along with other galgos including Quique (now Noodles), another survivor from the well.  They were joined by an elderly mixed breed girl named Chata and Prisa’s friend from Scooby, Tuna (Wonderful Tara).  Tuna, an Irish racer, was rescued by Scooby when the Meridiana track in Barcelona closed.

Although we had seen photos on the website of Prisa in her various stages of rescue and recovery, we were surprised when we saw her “in person.”  What a little thing she was, so much smaller than a racing greyhound at just 42 pounds!  We were struck by her bold black and white markings, her polka dot ears and generous speckles.  At first she was very leery of Will and me and spooked at every loud noise and quick movement.  It was difficult to approach her.  With time, she grew to trust us and her true light-hearted personality emerged.  Prisa is our silly bug.  She flirts with us for attention by batting us with her paws, mouthing our hands and butting us with her rump. 

Prisa loves a good game of chase and will invite me to play if the others of her species aren’t willing.  She can sail through the air for a distance of over ten feet, turn on a dime and make the dirt fly under her feet!  Prisa is a versatile athlete.  She accompanies me when I go jogging each day, goes hiking in the Colorado mountains and has taken three agility classes.  Despite exposure to lots of people, however, she remains frightened of strangers, especially children.   No doubt this is due to negative associations with people prior to her rescue by Scooby.  We cannot imagine the callousness of the person who threw her down the well to die a slow, terrible death.  To us, she is so precious.

We planned to leave the airport with only our girl but at the last minute Tuna (Spanish for prickly pear cactus) needed a foster family.  We agreed to temporarily foster her. 

Tunya is also a stunning black and white girl, despite the many scars and old injuries resulting from her hard life as a racer.  The first week she was so terrified of us (especially me) that she tried to hide under the bed, though only her head fit.  In time, she would approach me to be brushed, which she loved.  After three weeks with us she was transported to Utah to be fostered by the Padowers but she never settled in due to her fear of kids and cats (the latter terrified her when they tried to initiate play).  So, she returned to Denver and to our home.  Her physical transformation while at the Padowers was remarkable:  the white of her coat sparkled and the black patches gleamed.  Back in our home, she began to relax and enjoy life, especially since her friend Prisa was here.  We realized, after a failed adoption trial with a young woman in an apartment, that Tuna was meant to be with us.  We renamed her PeTunya, like the flower. 

While Prisa is the clown, Tunya is the older, more serious sister.  Tunya has developed a lighter side, however.  She is very enthusiastic about jogging and walking and jumps and bounces when she sees her leash.  While meals are being prepared, Tunya will drool extravagantly, then do an excited head-wag dance and let the saliva fly!  When feeling frisky in the morning, she’ll play with the throw pillows on the sofa, “redecorating” the living room.  Tunya loves riding in the car and has turned into a fine hiking companion.  What a change from the dog who arrived scared of the world!  Tunya has really blossomed since she joined us though she is still very cautious of strangers.  Only Will and I know how truly wonderful Wonderful Tara is.  The best thing is, she and Prisa, friends at Scooby, are now together forever.  We had not planned on adopting a second dog, but as we have learned, Dog moves in mysterious ways…