A HELENSBURGH woman has described the emotional rollercoaster of fostering a dog in the hope of encouraging more people to consider taking in a rescue hound.

Audrey Baird will document her journey with Clyro, a two-year-old failed greyhound racer attempting to make the huge adjustment from being kennelled his whole life and training to be a racing hound to a more sedate and hopefully caring home life as a pet.

Audrey was recently approved as a dog fosterer for the Greyhound Awareness League (GAL) - a Scottish charity dedicated to finding 'forever homes' for greyhounds and lurchers - and collected her first rehomed pet last weekend.

She said the importance of this stage in Clyro's rehabilitation cannot be underestimated and she is excited about his development, despite slow and steady progress to begin with.

She said: "Healthy dogs can make a really positive contribution to a person's wellbeing.

"Clyro is a poor soul - at least 5-6kg underweight and covered in cuts, sores, bald patches and dandruff.

"He arrived at GAL's kennels full of worms and very nervous. He is only two-years-old but doesn't have the chasing drive needed to be a successful racing greyhound so he's been handed over to GAL to try to turn him into a pet.

"That's where we come in as fosterers. He's only previously lived in a kennel and has no idea about life beyond that kennel and a running track.

"Travelling in a car, hearing the kettle boiling, the television, glass doors, children playing, cats and other types of dogs are all new to him.

"He also doesn't know his name or any commands so he's really a very large 30kg puppy we can't communicate with yet."

Audrey has experience of looking after distressed dogs having adopted two greyhounds previously, one of which, three-year-old three-legged Jess, is Clyro's new companion.

And with the joy of finding Clyro - named after Scottish band Biffy Clyro, long-term supporters of GAL - a 'forever home,' contrasting with the heartbreak of having to hand him over to his eventual new permanent owners, she says it is a difficult yet rewarding job.

She added: "They are awe-inspiring animals and will it will be a huge challenge for us to help him adjust.

"Greyhounds, lurchers and other sighthounds are superdogs - the second fastest mammal on Earth and capable of jumping 6ft fences.

"The other side of them is that, given a chance with a good owner, they are also gentle, responsive, fascinating and beautiful canine companions.

"We've had six years of experience adapting two lurchers to a home life and it was very challenging at times, but we've grown to respect and adore these dogs and we want to help them, so fostering seemed like a good route to go down.

"GAL is a terrific organisation run entirely by volunteers who are all doing an incredibly hard job.

"Clyro has already rewarded us with some wags but the next few weeks are going to be challenging. He howled for most of his first night with us and he is ravenously hungry and food obsessed.

"With time, patience and affection we hope that will change and one day soon he'll be a lovely companion for the lucky person or family who adopt him."

To find out more on GAL or to get involved with fostering or adopting your own greyhound, visit gal.org.uk.