Atena

The little Spanish galga who stole our hearts.

We went to collect her in Agrate Brianza after seeing her photograph on Facebook. It hit us at once, a fate already written in her name. A Spanish association that rescues abandoned galgos, Spanish greyhounds, had just posted pictures of three puppies only a few weeks old: America, Asia and Africa.

When we saw that post, we were getting ready for our first trip to the United States. The name felt like an unmistakable sign: America was calling us.

So we completed all the adoption paperwork, and the long wait for our puppy began. We were due back from the States on 1 July, and on the morning of 2 July we set out for the SOS Levrieri handover point to meet America. Sadly, just as we left, we were told that she and her little sisters had fallen seriously ill. Puppies are always the most fragile, and in the extreme conditions of a shelter they are especially at risk. Over the following days things grew critical, to the point of a stay in a clinic and a series of blood transfusions. America was in a serious state, and even if she pulled through, she would certainly not be able to face the journey to Italy.

So, worried, sad and resigned, we waited each day for news from Spain. On 2 July the adult galgos arrived, but the three sisters were not among them. In the meantime their condition gradually stabilised, and after a few days they were able to leave the clinic.

Atena, as we decided to call her, arrived on 2 October, after months of waiting. Frightened and dazed by a very long road journey that had nonetheless brought her safely to us.

In Spain, according to the main animal welfare associations, some 60,000 greyhounds are “disposed of” every year, in the most senseless and cruel ways, because they are considered unfit for hunting.

Today Atena lives peacefully in our flat. She has at least three walks a day, except when it is too hot, and follows us everywhere, from the restaurant to our holidays. When we cannot take her with us because we are travelling by plane, she goes to stay at her grandparents’ house in the countryside, where she plays with her little “cousins”, small mixed-breed dogs, and amuses herself in the big garden by sniffing at the hens that squawk in the coop tucked behind the hedge.

We had never had a greyhound before Atena, and we knew nothing at all about the breed, yet her character won us over completely. Gentle and reserved, she is always ready for a cuddle. She has never worked out how a game of fetch is meant to go, though the moment she catches the scent of bread on the kitchen counter she can get you up from your chair and lead you exactly where she wants to go. She moves with great discretion, always careful not to disturb anyone or cause any trouble.

If you would like to know more about greyhounds and their world, you can visit the SOS Levrieri website, but be warned: greyhound fever is catching.