King

King – 6th August 1998 to 21st October 2010

We are sad to report the death of our lovely greyhound King (Seven Kings) on 21st October 2010 at the age of 12 years.

We fell in love with King during a visit to Fen Bank in January 2004. King had been at Fen Bank for some months but nobody seemed to want him till we arrived. There was an instant attraction and an immediate bond which was something we had not experienced before! However King wasted no time in convincing us he had just been waiting in the shadows till we turned up to take him home!! Much as we loved all the dogs at Fen Bank, there was no contest – King was for us.

A prolific winner on the race track, King changed hands for over £2000 as a pup. He was described by the Kinsley racing manager as “a genuine dog who had blistering speed from the traps and who always gave of his best”.

Once retired, King was a loving and loyal member of our family. He won awards at dog shows around Lincolnshire and was much admired and loved by all who met him. King never caused us one moment of trouble or unease.  He was dearly loved by our grandchildren. Such was his placid nature that he would allow them to dress him up in scarf and bonnet and take him for walks round the park.

Since moving to Warwickshire, King was a regular at street collections in Solihull, Warwick and Stratford upon Avon for greyhound charities. Children who had previously been afraid of dogs, would eye him up suspiciously at these events as their parents put money in the collection boxes. However, such was our complete trust in King that we would encourage these kids to come forward and stroke him or just touch his head. He would stand still until they were a little more comfortable with him then he would nuzzle up to them – he always wanted to be up close!! The children always ended up with their arms around him – any fear they had of our black and white gentle giant was gone in an instant!

Always full of fun, King loved his daily walks through the Warwickshire countryside with his companion, Queenie who still looks for her soulmate.

King was unique – one in a million.  He was a true and loyal friend who repaid our love ten times over. He can never be replaced and will always have a special place in our hearts.

Frank and Mhoraig Gallacher