REWIND: Doggie Tails Part 2: TARA

Originally posted on Y360 14th November 2006

Reposted on Multiply 23^rd February 2008
This is the second of my doggie tales, relating the story of three wonderful canines who shared my life back in Birmingham in the Eighties. I told you in a recent blog about the crossbreed collie BEN. In this post I will tell you the story of the older of the two Afghan hounds I owned at the same time. Her full kennel-club registered name was Wilicot Tara. But to us she was just plain Tara. That's her in the photo.

I said in my blog about Ben  that all three of the dogs were rescue cases. While I knew in advance that was the case with both Ben and Saga (I am saving Saga til last, as there are a lot more tales to tell about her than the other two), with Tara I did not know I was getting a rescue case in the true sense of the term until she arrived. A friend had said that a couple she knew were splitting up. They had an Afghan puppy which neither of them could keep in the accommodation they were moving into. They were considering having it put to sleep. Now, although me and Vicky (I was married at the time) had said previously that two large dogs were more than enough for the smallish house we lived in, neither of us liked the idea of a puppy being put to sleep just because the owners were separating. So, we agreed to take it in. I thought it strange that the owners would not bring the pup directly to our house, they insisted on leaving it with our friend, who would then bring it to our house.  When she arrived, from a distance, it certainly looked like a puppy, if a little on the tall side. That's not unusual for Afghans, they grow out of the puppy stage much later than other breeds. But I thought it walked a little stiffly for a pup. When she came into the house, it became obvious this wasn't a puppy. It was actually an old dog, she had a grey muzzle. It also explained the rather stiff walk. The main reason she looked like a puppy was the lack of the full, flowing Afghan coat. It was short, like a pup's.  Now, Afghans need a LOT of grooming to keep their coats healthy. It's my guess that the previous owners had neglected grooming totally. It had probably become a giant tangled knot, so they cut it all off. It wasn't difficult to work this out, the evidence was there to see. When I examined her, I discovered her body had numerous cuts and scratches on it where they had cut the coat too close to the skin. Some of them were quite deep. It must have been really painful for her.  She was also a bag of nerves at first, although it was sometimes difficult to work out if the shivering was from fright, or from cold due to lack of full coat.  To keep her warm, I dug out an old green coat, with detachable arms. She used to wear it all the time during the first winter, while her natural coat grew back. Unfortunately, I have no photo of her in it.

Once she had gotten used to being with us and the other two dogs, she quickly established herself as the matriarch. Although in a real fight she'd have had no chance against the other two, there was a kind of respectful bond that developed between them, the younger two always backed down to her. You may remember in Ben's blog, me telling of the wrestling matches he and Saga would have. Tara would lie on one of the sofas and take a quick bite as they went past. She would also try to tell them off, but being old, she was losing her voice, so it came out more a croak than a bark, but the spirit was willing. LOL.

Although old, Tara was still typically Afghan in nature. As a breed they are notoriously difficult to train to walk off a lead. I had to always be really careful opening doors or gates, in case either of the Afghans escaped. The reason being that Afghans are FAST. They are basically greyhounds with a winter coat!! Well, on one occasion I had opened the front door of the house, and then gotten distracted, not realising Tara was right behind me. Sensing this was her opportunity, she legged it off down the street. She had obviously forgotten her age and due to slightly arthritic knees top speed was barely more than human walking pace. I didn't have to run far. After 50 meters I caught up with her. She was sitting on the sidewalk, calmly looking at me. I swear the look in her eyes said "Ok, I proved I can still  do it. Can you carry me home now please?"