VINNIE (named for racing as: Jack Black)
Sex/colour: Male Black
D.O.B: 20.04.2014
Last recorded owner: Mr. Martin Malone
Last recorded trainer: Not known
Races contended: None found
Came to AfG: June 2016
VINNIE came to AfG with his litter sister (see: KIZ Greyhounds homed)
Both young hounds were left at the notorious Ennis pound in County
Clare, Ireland.
Luckily, saved by Clare Greyhound Project.
Apparently neither were ‘any good’ for racing.
Unlike his little sister, Vinnie was a tall long hound.
Vinnie had a foster home with other Sighthounds and small dogs but
unlike his sister, he had a stronger ‘prey drive’, so instead he went to
an alternative foster home with a Lurcher and a Setter.
Dear Vinnie had not fared well, he had a broken tail and a broken rib.
There was no evidence that he had raced on a licensed track but may have
been raced on an unlicensed track or trained up to be used for hare
coursing (still a vile legal ‘blood sport’ in Ireland).
This is possibly where he received his injuries.
Vinnies foster carers chose his name, they did a lot of careful
socialising with him.
Later we were able to carefully introduce Vinnie to small dogs and it
was not long until he realised they were just dogs, same as him!.
It took the foster carers sometime to get a suitable diet sorted for
Vinnie as he had digestive issues but once a diet which suited him was
found, he soon gained weight and general overall condition.
Vinnie had settled in so well over the weeks and months which followed
and he was the 2nd Greyhound they had fostered for AfG (finding it hard
to let the 1st hound go to his new home) so they decided to adopt Vinnie
instead.
Vinnie continued to steadily improve physically and mentally.
It was a joy to watch him blossom into such a stunning big hound with a
glossy coat and a sparkle in his gorgeous eyes.
Photos below, show Vinnie with sister Kiz arriving to AfG from Ireland,
his dull coat, underweight, broken tail and rib, and how he improved
over time.
The photo above, shows Vinnie strong and healthy, featured on a page of
an AfG calendar, photographed by William Moore.
