All greyhounds are special but Bertie was more special than most. I was already obsessed with greyhounds and their rescue, but knowing Bertie was the reason I began the long journey in an attempt to establish a sanctuary for greyhounds such as him. Bertie’s story would not make headlines; there are thousands of ‘Berties’ out there.

He was a black male and almost 12 years old when he arrived at the rescue kennels in Devon. He had belonged to an elderly lady who never took him out and he was considerably underweight at only 25kgs.

Bertie was in poor condition, with little or no muscle tone, very poor teeth and a retained testicle which had gone untreated. He was so grey around the muzzle that he looked older than his years. Once in kennels he got loads of TLC, a good diet and when he was fit enough, his rotten teeth were removed and he was neutered.

However, Bertie then suffered severe problems with his back legs and we were unable to discover the cause. Unwilling to give up on this dear dog a magnetic blanket and leg pads were used with medication, and this seemed to help him.

Bertie was a lovely, long suffering boy who never complained and bore no malice in spite of the neglect he had suffered. Soon he was lucky enough to find a home with Sue and Pete Thomas who are experts with elderly greyhounds, and he settled in well to his comfortable home. He was greatly loved.

Sadly only 5 months after finally finding this wonderful home, his severe leg problems returned and the difficult decision to let him go was made. On 3 December Bertie was quietly put to sleep to avoid further suffering.

So as I said, not a headline story like some of the cases we have seen but a story which many greyhounds could tell.

Sally