Sweet William

I have a bit of a soft spot for William, one of the white and brindle boys who has been at the kennels for a number of months now.

I wasn't always so fond of him. The first couple of times I took him for a walk I was a complete nervous wreck. William can be a growler and a barker, and he'll growl and bark at some other male greyhounds. He's quite a big boy, so you have to make sure you hold on TIGHT.

After he's gone to the toilet he'll gouge the ground raking up piles of earth. You can tell when William's been out, because there are deep scratch marks all the way down the sprint and around the paddocks.

I think, however, that William is just a bit confused, and all he needs is someone with patience, love and understanding to bring him out of himself. (And I hope they walk through that kennel gate sometime soon).

I came to this conclusion when I noticed that William wags his tail madly at a dog while barking and growling. A mixed-up boy if I ever saw one.

I've also discovered that you can usually calm him down by stroking his head and speaking calmly to him.

If there's one thing William loves is love, cuddles and attention. So, if you can find a quiet place to wait-a-while and have some cuddles and tickles, you'll be rewarded by just about the most vigorous tail-wagging you've ever seen.

There's another thing that he loves as well, and that's treats. William likes to do something akin to kangaroo-jumping for treats - he bounces up and down on his back legs just begging for you to give him something.

How could you resist?