Dudley's New Friend

We came across this gorgeous greyhound in the park today. It is unusual to see greyhounds off the leash as the general opinion is that they are so used to running that they will run away. Not this girl, she stayed by her owner and enjoyed graceful romps in the park to stretch her legs. These greyhound are adopted by kind people off the track when their careers are finished. They are gentle and kind and very affectionate. I would love to have a couple of them.
The Dudster was not happy out of the limelight.




I have a special affinity for greyhounds for the following reason. I worked in Jervis St. Hospital in Dublin for about two years. I was the bottle washer and vegetable peeler in the hospital kitchen. . Every Friday   I would bring home the pay and keep some for myself. The rest I would give to mam as we all did. It was a great help. One of the chefs in Jervis St. was Dick Hitchcock and he was a character. Mam and Phyllis will remember him.


One Friday after work he took me to the greyhound races. I think it was in Shelbourne Park but it  might have been in Harolds Cross.  He had a great tip on a dog called Derrylavan Daisy. When the race came up  with this dog Dick had lost all his money on the previous races so he had no money left to bet on this sure thing.

He asked me if I would give him my wages, we were paid in coin then, and I did. He told me that if it won he would give me some of the winnings and if it didn’t he would make sure that I got my money back.

I gave him my wages.

The dog came in last and I had to go home that night to tell mam that I had lost my wages on the dogs. I was fifteen.

Dick Hitchcock, god bless him, gave me my money back in the next couple of days and all was well. I did not go to the dogs again but I have always loved these gentle creatures whose one purpose in life seemed to be to catch that hare.




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