Rosie saluki, a pet portrait Drawing by Jane Baxter

This is a fairly recent graphite drawing I did of Rosie. A ‘pet portrait’ post in more ways than one.

Rosie is our rescue saluki cross dog – though in many ways, she is very much more cat:

  1. She is drawn to a sunny spot – no matter how small – and curls up in it
  2. She chooses if and when she listens…
  3. She likes to stand/ play/ lie on whatever you’re doing, be it
  • Using the computer
  • Making the bed
  • Important filing
  • Moving furniture
  • Having a snooze on the couch etc.
  1. She can jump from zero to 6 feet, from standing, without warning
  2. She moves with the grace of a gazelle in the Serengeti
  3. She instinctively wants to hunt anything that moves
  4. She can greet you like a long-lost friend, or ignore you completely
  5. She will refuse to leave the house if it is threatening rain, or wind
  6. She has the regal look of one who is better
  7. And like cats, she has 9 lives

The one she had before the one she has with us can’t have been great. She spent a good 5 months in the rescue recovering and then waiting for us to realise she was there!

Houdini Hound!

Whilst in there, she attempted to escape no fewer than 8 times. One morning in particular, she was found hanging by her tiny heid from the rescue kennel door handle. They had to smear her head with Vaseline to get it out.

Another life-saving moment came when Malcolm managed to grab her by her muscly back thighs as she attempted to leap in a swift exit from our upstairs bathroom window. We now have to keep all windows locked.

We had to buy an expensive new harness after she learned (in 0 seconds flat) that she could back out of her original one, and accelerate from 0 to 60 in pursuit of an unsuspecting collie…

Another hair-raising moment came when Rosie chomped through her lead in 2 swift severing slices, and raced off after a hare. We had to buy a steel cable lead attachment to prevent a repeat performance.

She is a free spirit, used to wandering wherever her long nose led. Aware of this, we have to take these special measures to keep her safe, whilst allowing her a sense of freedom.

Wee soul.

But look at her, she has a wonderful life of comfort and fun, adventure and calm. With many more stories to tell!