When you’re a dog, the idea of life outside might sound tempting. All the fresh air you can handle, plenty of curiosities to sniff, and the freedom to roam where you’d like. On the flip side, outdoor life can bring a number of dangers to a dog. Plus, it’s a life fraught with loneliness.
But what’s worse is when you have a supposed family, and they leave you locked and forgotten in an outside pen. That’s the life greyhound Claude lived for two years until the Brightside Farm Sanctuary in Tasmania, Australia, took him into their care.
Outside to In Makes a Happy Dog
As a greyhound, Claude is a born racer. And that’s the plan his original owner had. But somewhere along the way, they lost interest in the training and, by proxy, Claude. The poor pup found himself locked away in a pen outside, leaving him to be forgotten.
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After two years, Claude was surrendered to Brightside, and it was there his new parents found their perfect pup.
Mom Ali told Claude’s story via GeoBeats, sharing, “As soon as we met Claude, he was just so sweet.”
“He stayed right next to us the whole time. We felt like he was the right dog for us.”
But when Claude first came home, he wasn’t so sure about the whole indoor thing, with Ali explaining, “We brought him home, and he didn’t know his name. He hadn’t really been indoors, couldn’t get down the stairs, needed to be carried down our stairs until he got the hang of it.”
Over time, though, a trust formed between Claude and his parents, and they soon learned “he was just the most affectionate dog.”
And when his mom and dad brought home a newborn baby boy, Claude loved his human brother right away, with Ali saying, “We got home from the hospital, Claude just curled up next to us on the couch, and there’s not been one incident of him worrying us in any way.”
Claude is the best big brother a little boy could ask for! And it’s not just human babies Claude loves. When the family adopted a Ragdoll cat named Hero, he and Claude became buddies in a hurry, and “within days, they were just cuddled up together, sleeping next to each other.”
It’s Fun to Run
Now that Claude lives comfortably indoors going outside is a treat, not just a way of life. And when it’s time to go for a run on the beach, “you can see his face just light up.”
The call to run is natural to Claude’s greyhound nature, and, as Ali shared, “When you see them running, it’s quite breathtaking because they’re so fast.”
Though Claude spent two years outside, he’s a gentle and sweet dog who loves his family with the whole of his doggy heart.
“What he’s brought to our lives is far greater I think, than what we have brought to his,” said Ali.
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Keep up with good dog Claude on Instagram!
Feature Image: @bonjour_claude/Instagram