Mudder's Tale

This is Mudder's Tale. In horse racing parlance, a 'mudder' is a horse who runs well on muddy tracks. Mudder did not race well on muddy tracks; In fact, we're not sure if Mudder raced at all. You see, Mudder was not a race horse, he was a dog - a greyhound - a greyhound with personality.

When Mudder first came to the adoption kennel, he was a very shy youngster, afraid of everything that moved and most of everything that stood still. When prospective adopters came to the kennel Mudder cowered at the back of his kennel. No one could get near him. And so Mudder was declared 'un-adoptable' and it was unknown what Mudder's fate would be. And Then.... along came Helen. Helen was a dog trainer who specialized in rescue greyhounds. Helen DID NOT believe in an 'un-adoptable' dog; and so Mudder went home with Helen. Thus began a new chapter in the lives of Helen and Mudder.

For the first two years of their relationship, Mudder literally lived in the closet. Helen could not get him to come out willingly. However, once out the door and in the yard, she couldn't get him back in. His whole personality changed and he became a happy go lucky fun loving dog. He played with the other dogs, he played with toys and he ran, and ran, and ran. Anytime Mudder was approached he ran with a twinkle in his eye. When he was outside Mudder was free of all inhibitions. Mudder knew nothing could hurt him because nothing could catch him. He was a greyhound. Helen spent many late, rainy, cold nights trying to catch Mudder and bring him back in.

During this period Helen was continuing to learn and grow as a trainer and behaviorist. Mudder was both her student and teacher. Together they went to seminars and workshops with some of the greats. They learned calming signals from Turrid Rugass, they learned confidence building from Suzanne Clothier, they learned TTouch and Bach Flowers from Copper Love. Mudder went to all Helen's training classes and to every workshop and seminar she could find. Helen applied everything she learned and everything she read to Mudder's training. Mudder taught Helen to think outside the box and to develop her own training philosophies. For three years they had a siy
symbiotic relationship of teacher and student, student and teacher. Then it was time for Mudder to move on and there I was.

I met Helen and Mudder when I adopted my first greyhound, Bingo. (Thus began my love affair with greyhounds. But that is a different story) I knew that rescued greyhounds were a little different than the average dog and I wanted Bingo in an obedience class taught by someone who understood greyhounds. The rescue agency recommended Helen and we signed up. At every class I would see this beautiful,red greyhound lurking on the fringes. As time went by, Helen and I became friends. While Bingo and I learned, Helen also assisted me with my crazy boy, Toppie. Soon Helen and I had formed a friendship; she was my mentor and I became her apprentice. It was about this time that Mudder was ready for a new home and I was ready for another greyhound. And so Mudder came to live with Bingo, Toppie and me. And a new chapter began.

(to be continued)