Life, Love & Lessons with Tigger (Part 2)

After the excitement of bringing Tigger home from Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust , Rob quickly discovered that adopting a greyhound comes with plenty of learning curves, hilarious moments, and a few unexpected challenges along the way. From overfeeding mishaps and Christmas celebrations to fireworks fears and valuable lessons about leads and collars, this next chapter shows just how quickly the bond between a rescue greyhound and their owner can grow.

If you missed the beginning of their journey, be sure to read Part 1 first to see how Rob and Tigger found each other and started life together.

Settling Into Life Together 

"Tigger seemed to settle into his forever home very quickly. He had free run of our flat and, even though we didn’t really have a garden, Tigger understood straight away that if he needed to go out for the toilet, all he had to do was tell me. It felt like we had a three-month trial period after I adopted Tigger to see if I could properly care for this gorgeous greyhound, and I was definitely on a steep learning curve. 

Food, Treats & Tigger’s Weight Gain 

I found out when I broke my leg that Tigger had put on about 4kg during his first three months with me. The first thing Kev said to Diana was how much weight he’d gained. Honestly, I hadn’t realised because Tigger was absolutely gorgeous through my eyes, and he certainly didn’t look fat! If I’m honest, I wasn’t very precise with Tigger’s food. I think I weighed it a couple of times and then just started going by eye. I now know that each mugful of kibble doesn’t weigh the same, so I weigh every meal properly now. I also wasn’t reducing his portions if I added a topper, so his calorie intake must have been far too high. With treats added on top, I realised Tigger was being massively overfed. No wonder he wanted to go to the toilet every couple of hours, even during the night! Thankfully, Tigger always woke me up so I could take him out. It was quite a hectic three months, but I was loving having this adorable furry companion, and Tigger was just perfect. 

Learning Tigger’s Boundaries & Personality 

Tigger was teaching me what he liked and didn’t like, and I definitely learnt a few lessons the hard way before I started understanding what he was trying to tell me.  Tigger seemed perfectly happy with me eating my meals while he sat next to me, until he smelt the lovely quarter-pounder on my plate. He came over with his beautiful little nose twitching like mad. I was laughing and smiling as he got closer, so Tigger obviously thought it was a game, and as soon as he was close enough, he went for my tea. He didn’t manage to get my burger, but he definitely made me jump. I knew it was my fault, but he stopped as soon as I said “No,” which was brilliant. For a couple of weeks, I started eating my tea standing at the kitchen counter while Tigger lay by the open door. He got a treat for letting me eat in peace, and it didn’t take long before he was happily lying next to me on the sofa while I ate. Tigger’s a really clever lad and was perfectly happy with the few boundaries I set for him. 

Celebrating Their First Christmas Together 

Tigger was being spoilt rotten by his hoodad, but he didn’t look any different through my eyes. We were heading towards our first Christmas together, and I was so excited to be sharing it with him. I don’t usually bother much with Christmas, but for Tigger I’d do anything, so he had a few presents from me, Mum, my big brother, and my sister-in-law. I cooked him a special Christmas dinner of mince, pasta, and veg with some grated cheese and eggs on top, which I still do every year. Watching Tigger rip the paper off his presents is just beautiful. He gets so much fun out of the wrapping paper before he even moves onto the actual present. I imagine this is what it’s like having kids, but better! Every year, I take Tigger down to Mum’s so we can all have our dinner together. Tigger gets his first, then lies down and leaves Mum and me to enjoy ours in peace. How Fireworks Terrified Tigger Then, a week after Christmas, we had our first New Year’s Eve together. I tried to think ahead, so I bought a Remedy diffuser and made Tigger a little den in the corner away from the window. It turned into an absolute nightmare. It sounded like a war zone outside, with continual fireworks going off for about two hours. Tigger was absolutely terrified, and watching his chest pounding while he shook like a leaf completely broke my heart. I hate fireworks so much now, and I’ve got no time for the selfish individuals who think it’s their right to spoil other people’s lives.

Why Rob Will Never Use an Extending Lead Again

The new year went downhill really quickly. Foolishly, I hadn’t listened to the warnings about extending leads, and Tigger taught me exactly why they should be thrown in the bin. One morning, he took off after a flock of pigeons and reached the end of the lead in the blink of an eye, launching himself into the air by his throat. It scared the hell out of me, and I was so relieved he didn’t hurt himself. I’ve never used an extending lead since and never will again. Lesson learnt.  I changed Tigger’s lead and collar back to his original leather set, and for the next eight days or so, I had a complete nightmare. Tigger kept stopping for no apparent reason, and it was driving me to my wits’ end. He’d just stop and stand there staring into space, and these stand-offs could last anywhere from a couple of minutes to more than an hour, even in pouring rain. At one point, I was crouched down trying to get him moving again while we both got absolutely soaked. When we got home, I googled possible reasons for greyhounds stopping on walks. Out of a list of ten reasons, I’d already ruled out nine of them, but the last one mentioned a change of running gear, like a collar or lead. I realised I had swapped his collar after the pigeon incident, so I changed it back and took him out for another walk. He was like a completely different greyhound, straight back to his old self, and I was so relieved. He’d never shown me the other collar was a problem in any way other than stopping. That was definitely the worst week I’d had since adopting Tigger, so finding the solution made me unbelievably happy. 

Life with Tigger & Mental Health 

Onwards and upwards, or so I thought. Things got back to normal again. Tigger was still being walked every few hours, but he hadn’t been causing any problems, and my mental health had definitely started to settle down. But not for long, because one Friday evening, I took Tigger out for his usual toilet walk, and it ended up being the last time I saw him for three and a half months. During the walk, I turned around after picking up one of Tigger’s poops and suddenly my leg just gave way underneath me. I went rolling down the side of a mound. I heard and felt it break, and when I reached the bottom and saw my foot pointing in the wrong direction, that confirmed exactly what I already knew. I still had Tigger’s lead in my hand, and he came and sat beside me to keep me warm. I didn’t have my mobile phone on me, so I started shouting to try and get the attention of someone in the nearby houses. Eventually, someone came out, called an ambulance for me, and put a blanket over me. Tigger lay back down next to me until the ambulance arrived, and then he went home with Emily for the night. I knew it was going to be a while before I saw Tigger again, but we still had unfinished business. I just knew I had to get better first..."

Adopt A Greyhound Today!

A huge thank you again to Rob for continuing to share his journey with Tigger. Part 2 is a powerful reminder that adopting a dog is a learning experience filled with highs, lows, laughter, and unconditional love. Through every challenge, Tigger and Rob’s bond only grew stronger, proving that greyhounds truly do leave pawprints on your heart.

And this still isn’t the end of their story!

If you’ve ever considered adopting a greyhound, there’s no better time to start your journey. These gentle, affectionate dogs make incredible companions and are often happiest curled up beside you at home. View our adoption platform today and discover the amazing greyhounds waiting for their forever families.

Have your own adoption story to share? We’d love to hear from you! Stories like Rob and Tigger’s help inspire more people to consider adopting and give more dogs the loving homes they deserve. Email us at [email protected].