The moment the beautiful Tilda walked into my Richmond studio I knew I was in for a treat: beautiful, charming, friendly, very well-trained and attentive, she was going to be the perfect subject.
But I didn’t know the half of it. As her owners started to chat and shared with me Tilda’s extraordinary story, I began to realise I was in the presence of the most heroic creature I have ever photographed. Like many galgos or Spanish greyhounds, Tilda – or Vera as she was then – was a stray, probably abandoned by her previous hunting owners when she was no longer of use to them. She was found wandering the marketplace of a little town in southern Spain in search of food, struggling with a severely broken leg. Her kind rescuer took her to the vets where her broken leg was treated and placed in a cast.
But the vet also realised she was lactating and had likely given birth very recently. So the search was on for the pups and their mother was the only one who knew where they were. With her rescuers, Tilda was taken back to the place where she had been found, and on a long lead she promptly led them nearly two miles to an abandoned car, and in the back were ten fat healthy pups.
I broke my toe last week. It is just a little break and all strapped up now, but it is as much as I can do to walk our dogs the length of our local dog park. I am overcome with respect and emotion for this dear little dog who walked determinedly for two miles through streets, over rough ground and across fields, sometimes limping, sometimes dragging her cast, to bring her offspring to safety.
All that is behind her now. Her photoshoot with me was a celebration to mark the one year anniversary of her adoption. She now lives with a lovely, sighthound-savvy family and enjoys a life of luxury and love. Thanks to her courage and bravery, all of her pups survived and have grown up to be beautiful, strong, healthy young dogs, just like their mum. And all have now found loving homes, all except one. A stunning black pup called Jackson was returned to the rescue recently because his homing didn’t work out. If anyone can offer Jackson a home please get in touch direct with Ibizan Hound Rescue or via the Facebook page Vera and Pups. With the genes he’s inherited from his wonderful mother he is bound to be one very special little lad.
Oh and Tilda’s amazing story even made the national press, see here.
