Atlas has been living with Martina for 4 years now. He was brought over from Spain by the association "Galgo in Not Austria e.V." and placed with a foster home in Austria. Shortly afterwards, he was already rehomed with Martina.
Atlas is a truly soulful dog. Thanks to his calm and balanced character, he recently passed the aptitude test to become a therapy dog. Another adventure awaits the Spanish fellow. But let's let Atlas tell his own story!
My name is Atlas and I come from Spain
No details, but I lived and survived on the streets for at least a year! My leg was broken and my trust in people was too. That's why I didn't want to let myself be caught. Eventually I gave up and hid in an empty building.
People from the local shelter found me there and took me in. What my life looked like up until then and everything that happened — that remains my little secret. Not really your business, is it? Just look at what I've become.
Nieves and her team cared for me selflessly. I got food, a roof over my head, and my front leg was operated on. The affection and devotion of these two-legged creatures kindled hope in me that not all humans are bad — and so I remained loyal to you.
On to new horizons
I had barely recovered when Lydia and Wolfgang from Austria came to visit. The two of them seemed so lovely that I showed them my best side. I really wanted to come along, and even though there was no room in the car for me, they sneaked me onto the back seat anyway. We Galgos are used to snuggling, after all ;)
I felt very comfortable with foster mum Karin, but my stay was only brief:
After 2 weeks, my mum Martina stepped into my life on 16.04.2014!
A rocky start
And from then on things kept looking up — even if there were stumbling blocks along the way. My weight at the time was a mere 19 kg. Thanks to the lovely fresh food we get served here every day, I've since reached 27 kg. That's ideal for my size.
The second problem was still my left front leg. A piece of bone had splintered off. It had to be removed in a lengthy operation. Brave as ever, I went along with the strangers and hoped for the best. My mum was trembling, because anaesthesia is not without risk for greyhounds.
A fighter like me came back out of the operating room. Mum was so proud of me: not only because I'd made it through the operation, but because I was always so friendly and trusting with the clinic staff. They never did anything bad to me, after all. They just wanted to help.
My therapy journey
Mum Martina was busy with my recovery for a long time. First the wound wouldn't heal properly. It took over 5 weeks before the daily dressing changes were finally a thing of the past. And then things continued at a snail's pace! In the truest sense of the word.
For 6 months I was only allowed to walk and not run. What that means for me as a greyhound, sprinter and hunter — I don't need to explain... But I kept myself in check because I didn't want to disappoint Martina. Because I'd been so good and patient for so long, it was finally time to start building up my muscles.
So Martina taught me that I'm allowed to run alongside her and her bicycle. At a gentle trot!
"Ok Mum. If that's what you want..." And so our kilometres on the field paths added up. I got stronger and more mobile.
My left front leg is a little shorter and stiffer than the other one, but it doesn't hurt or hold me back. I can zoom around at full speed again too. For safety I get a protective gaiter put on it and off we go.
My brothers
My brothers moved in at two-year intervals. Tiago in April 2016 and Neroli in April 2018. As Martina already mentioned in the post "Ein Galgo aus Spanien zieht bei mir ein!", nobody asked me whether I was happy about it. But we grew together and by now I can't imagine life without him.
Tiago wasn't immediately the brother of my heart from day one. He did bring a bit of upheaval to our well-oiled team. It was no longer just Martina & Atlas — it was a plus Tiago, who demanded a lot of attention. Tiago will get to tell you his story in another post someday, just like Neroli. Because his story is yet another one entirely.
Neroli is generally more laid-back than the little pony and balances out our trio nicely. That's why Martina actually has time right now to take on a new challenge with me, even though she's now looking after 3 of our kind.
I'm becoming a therapy dog
Four weeks ago I passed the aptitude test and the two of us started the therapy dog training with the association HUNDE STÄRKEN. I'm pretty proud, because from what I've heard, there aren't thaaat many greyhounds who can do this. ;) My calm and composed nature seems to be quite helpful for it.
Martina is highly motivated and has prescribed us "only-child training". Us in this case means Tiago and Neroli have to practise too. In for a penny, in for a pound — that's all I'll say :P The focus is on me, of course, because we want to learn a great deal over the coming year. I already know I can do anything. When I want to!
Recently we got to meet various modes of transport besides fully functioning legs. I think the wheelchair is cool; the walking frame I still need to get used to. Tasks like "lie down on the blanket" and "slalom through pieces of cheese": no problem! "Sit" isn't really my thing, but I do it for Martina anyway.
It's not just me who has to do a lot of training — my dog mum does too. She's already had the chance to accompany the course leader at 2 sessions and sit in on several theory talks. Summer break is coming up soon, which really just means Martina will have more time to work with me… It's going to be a tiring summer!
It's an exciting journey all the same, and I'm glad to be able to give something back to the good two-leggers in this way. First, of course, we need to pass the exam in spring 2019 — but I'm feeling confident about that ;)
Ciao und Wau,
Your Atlas
Meaning of the name
And finally, a quick note on the meaning of his name:
Atlas was a Titan in Greek mythology who supported the vault of heaven at the westernmost point of the then-known world. He also personifies the Atlas Mountains, and his name's root means something like "to endure" — which describes his character perfectly.
