If you've been paying attention, this story will sound familiar. A Saluki was hit by a car and left for dead by the side of the road . . . one of the wonderful rescue volunteers in Qatar found him and nursed him back to health . . . and sent him to SHUG where we made the poor thing swim to rebuild his leg muscles.
We aren't going to get tired of this anytime soon and we hope you won't either.
SHUG's current bathing beauty is a sweet little fellow by the name of Lego. He's five months old
and cute as a button! When Lego arrived in the U.S., he wasn't really using his leg at all. It was more like a cane than a functioning limb. But he’s been doing his swim therapy like a trooper and after each session, he is visibly stronger and more comfortable using his leg. He’s currently up to doing two double laps and a one triple lab in the pool! Go, little man, go!
We'd like Lego to continue his swim therapy for at least a couple more weeks, but he is definitely ready to meet his forever family. For inquiring minds who want to know more, this is from his foster mom:
Lego is silly, sweet and loving, and cute as can be. He crates really well and loves his crate. He eats his moistened kibble well, which is a good thing since the little lad needs to put on some pounds. He does get a little growly towards the cats and other dogs during meal time, even when he’s safely eating his food in his crate, but a sharp "no" stops it.
Except for meal time, he doesn’t seem to care at all about cats, so a cat-household would be fine for him. He does rely on the other dogs to feel comfortable and we’ve added a “car buddy” when we go to swim therapy and it’s eased his anxiety incredibly. We feel he needs to go to a home with at least one canine buddy, especially if that buddy is willing to play.
Lego is very smart. He started catching onto our routine the second day and got the idea of swimming in the first session!
A few cautions: He is nervous on leash and he really needs to wear both a martingale and a “spook harness” for now. He is getting better, little by little, though. He does a chew a bit (he’s a puppy!) but easily corrected.
He also doing better every day with housebreaking, and does have the concept of what the backyard is supposed to be used for. That is, unless it’s raining. At which time he becomes the typical pitiful Sighthound, who melts in precipitation. At this time, Lego has shown no ability to jump, but as his leg gets better, he could develop an aptitude for it. So a home for Lego would either have no yard (and only leash walk) or have at least a 5' fence.
If you’re interested in knowing more about Lego, send us an email. To put in an application, visit https://sighthoundunderground.com/.
