Aimee and Dnata: The Foster Story That Became a Lifetime

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Aimee for generously sharing her heartwarming story of fostering. What began as a kind offer to help out at Clarks Farm soon evolved into something truly special, a lasting bond with her beloved greyhound, Dnata. We are pleased to feature their journey and hope you find it as touching and inspiring as we did. 

“We first met Dnata in December 2021 when we bought him home for short-term foster care. Dnata hadn't been in the rehoming centre for long, but it was clear that he was extremely stressed and shut down in the kennels. The team tried their best to settle him, but it was best for him to be fostered while he got adjusted to the next chapter in his life. 

How to Help a Nervous Greyhound Settle into Foster Care

We thought that we would be a good fit for Dnata as our greyhound Sweetie, was very calm, gentle and a good training influence, someone who could show Dnata how to behave, and to show him that the world wasn't as scary as he thought it was. He and Sweetie clicked instantly, and Dnata took a shine to me. He was perfect in the home, he even toilet-trained on the first day! 

He settled quickly into our routine, to the family and to home life. It wasn't long until he was playing with toys, asking for belly rubs and roaching on his bed. He did, however, take some time to warm towards the men in my family as he was very nervous around them. Dnata was also easily spooked by fast movements, certain objects and loud noises. Which was something I chose to work on and help make an impact on Dnata and his spooks.  After a few days Dnata began to feel more settled, so we began taking him for longer walks, and we even tried some new walking routes, this was when we noticed some behavioural issues. Although Dnata had passed his dog test in the homing kennels, he was petrified of dogs out in the real world, and because of this he became fear reactive. He would lunge, bark, snarl, growl and try to slip his lead at the sight of another dog. If he became too stressed or upset, he would redirect his frustrations and nip at whoever was closest to him. It was very upsetting to see him so unhappy and so distressed. He also began to show signs of resource guarding when my brother visited with his two greyhounds.   

When Foster Care Becomes Permanent: Making the Adoption Decision

So, we updated his homing bio with this new information, hoping to find him an experienced and gentle home, one that could dedicate their time to training Dnata and working through his reactivity and resource guarding tendencies. Unfortunately, Dnata received no interest from potential adopters, he was simply overlooked or deemed too challenging. But I knew the real Dnata. I knew how soppy, playful and affectionate he really was, and how clever he was; he was food mad and so he learned tricks and commands quickly. After a month or so in our foster care, I decided to adopt him myself, to give him the home and life he deserved. I worked hard on his reactivity training, and our bond grew closer from all the training and time spent together. Once he was confident to be around other dogs, we began to attend group training classes so that I could socialise him in a safe setting.  

Life with an Adopted Greyhound: Adventures and Daily Experiences

Nowadays, Dnata and I don't need to attend training sessions, but we do occasionally go so that he can keep up his training with distractions and other dogs surrounding him. He is loved by the trainer, who has been incredibly proud of Dnata's progress, he even uses us as an example on dedication. We have even gone as far as demonstrating Dnata's tricks and off lead heel routines in front of the class, something I never thought we'd ever be capable of doing!  We go on days out together, exploring our local area. Going for walks and stopping for coffee and a snack, Dnata's favourite part! I also take Dnata on holidays around the UK; he loves to explore new towns, museums, trails and heritage sites!   He became my shadow and my best friend. Back in 2021 I was struggling with my mental health, which is why we fostered Dnata in the first place, to try and get me out of a dark place. He saved me. He has cheered me up every day, he made me laugh, and he gave me a reason to live, a reason to get out of the house, and to socialise on walks, both for his sake and for mine.  

The Foster Fail Success Story: Building a Forever Bond

I didn't set out to be a foster failure. I aimed to foster Dnata for a few weeks, just so that we could remove him from the stressful kennel environment, with the hopes of establishing his behavioural traits when he was calm and settled, then we could match him to a suitable forever home. I would have been happy and hopefully feeling rewarded knowing that he was going to live with a suitable family. But I loved watching his personality grow day by day, as he grew more comfortable around us, and I was growing more attached to him with every passing day, just as he was growing more attached to me. I decided that I couldn't break us apart; it would have hurt me too much, and I was worried about the potential upset and confusion that Dnata may have faced if he and I were separated and he was moved on again.  Being a foster fail to Dnata was the best thing to happen to me. He is my world, and I am forever grateful for him. I cannot wait to explore more with him by my side. I will always love my Nutty Boy.”

This is such an inspiring story, Aimme. Thank you for sharing. Reading how far Dnata came through patience and perseverance was amazing. We look forward to hearing updates in the future.  

If you would like to read more about fostering a greyhound, please check out our Foster Blog, which explains how to foster a greyhound!