There are some moments that no matter the passing of time remain with you, with the clarity of mere seconds ago. It’s been nearly a year since we met Maisy. Meeting Maisy is one of those moments that remains distinctly and clearly with me.
Maisy had been with the rescue for a number of months – I’d actually noticed her on the website and social media when we had no clue we would lose Bea. Maisy has a distinctive look – she’s a fairly large black girl with a very delicate face and ears like Doritos. She was memorable to look at, and memorable because I kept seeing her. Other dogs came and went and still Maisy stayed. I remember wondering, in an offhand manner what was wrong with her for her to still be there.
She’s the dog I came back to when we thought Sam might need a friend – on a foster basis to see if they could get along (Sam’s a special snowflake and the dog would have needed to be able to get along with him and boost his confidence at indecisive moments). Apparently everyone else thought we would just keep her from the start, but it was really important to Joe and I that she would get along with Sam as he had had enough upset over the previous months and that also we could give her what she needed – she had been with the rescue months so clearly she needed something a bit extra special.
I adore this girl but bless her, she does not sell herself on a first / second / third etc impression. She had recently moved to a local foster home but conversations suggested she may be happier with us because of the hound in our house. We went to meet her.
She cowered in a corner and refused to look at us, and flinched when we approached – touching her was not something that was going to be possible without upsetting her immensely. With the help of her foster family we quietly herded her into their garden so she could meet Sam – she found the whole situation a little overwhelming and circled the garden. We all thought a walk with Sam may settle her down – she was strong, probably reactive and a little challenging to walk apparently as she would pull back and spin and panic but Sam is a steady and stoic walk buddy when he wants to be.
Harness on was a challenge as was the initial departure from the house. However once we put Sam slightly in front of her, a switch flipped and her tail relaxed and she followed slightly behind him happily for over 30mins sniffing her way around. So she needed another dog. This we could provide. There was something heart breaking and incredibly sweet about her that drew us to her. The potential to see what that terrified and overwhelmed girl could be.
Next step was a play date at our house on a sunny Sunday. Maisy found the dog beds in the dining room that would become known as Maisy Corner and did not leave there. She stayed there all day, quietly observing, letting Sam settle on the bed next to her and just trying to work out what was going on. Even at this point there were signs that she and Sam may balance each other out – I did an extended cooking and food prep session to be in the kitchen and she watched me, never moving but never flinching at noises and bangs that had Sam leaving the room or coming to me for a fuss and reassurance. We roped in some friends and their beautiful blue boy and did another walk, a relaxed Maisy tail enjoying the sniffs of the park and Sam strutting along to have company.
Maisy clearly had people trust issues at this point, with us at least – no eye contact, flinching away from being touched, keeping a wary distance in the spot she had deemed safe. Maybe it was the environment, the newness and strangeness and difference of it all, and the new people, maybe she had been abused or had some kind of trauma.
It was clear to us from the very start there was a lovely girlie just waiting for someone to have some patience and a friend for her to learn what she needed to know. Sam and the rest of the Cardiff greyhound cult have proved to be wonderful and steady friends for her. Patience is an interesting one to look at with hindsight – there was depths of patience needed that we could not have predicted or knew we possessed, but that’s another part of Maisys story. This was just the beginning.
We took Sam on his spring break to Yorkshire and had some discussions over if we could provide what she needed. When we came back Maisy came home to stay.
Yes, Maisy didn’t sell herself well. This was why she stayed in the kennels for such a long time. She knew all the staff and volunteers and showed us her funny, cheeky, playful side. Come a potential adopter, she was immediately back to her shy, frightened version. We tried to convince potential adopters that she needed time to learn to trust and she is a truly wonderful girl once that happens. But it must have sounded like a complete fiction because Maisy didn’t play the ball. Thank you for noticing her potential for adoptability and for your patience. That’s all she needed. So little and so much.
Thank you Magda! Time is all she needed – right now she’s curled up on my lap on my bed sharing an egg sandwich and crying when I stop fussing her 🤦🏻♀️