Hero the greyhound (Simon's Hero)

Hero the Greyhound (Chapter 5)

"Hero, Hero, c'mon boy, c'mon Hero, wake up, c'mon, attaboy, you can do it."

The room was spinning and Hero felt sick. He was just coming around from the anaesthetic; the vet needed to know exactly what damage had been sustained after his fall and in all honesty, he knew it wasn't looking good for poor Hero. He would need to word his report carefully, he knew the dog's owners would be devastated to hear that their money making venture was coming to an end and once, he'd actually had someone threaten to thump him if he couldn't 'fix' their damaged racing dog. One of the veterinary nurses came into the operating theatre and said a Mr Evans was on the phone, asking about Hero and should she ask him to call back? No, said the vet, that's fine, I'll take the call now, better to face up to things sooner rather than later.

"Hello Mr Evans, thank you for calling. Yes, I do understand you're very worried, yes, yes, of course but if you could just hang on a minute, I'll try and explain. Hero has just come around from the anaesthetic and he's a little bit woozy at the moment but that should wear off in an hour or so. Yes, yes, I have the results of the x-rays but I'm afraid it's not looking good for poor old Hero. No, no, before you start getting angry with me, please believe me, I have done everything humanly possible to help him, yes, yes, I do understand how much money you paid for him, yes, of course, he was going to be your pension, it's all very difficult and very sad and I'm doing my best to explain..."

The vet struggled to keep Gareth Evans from self-combusting at the other end of the phone. Gareth had been appointed by the others, to call and find out how Hero was, after his op. He knew the others would want positive news and he also knew what happened to messengers bearing bad tidings so he quizzed poor Mr Howler, the vet, until he was blue in the face but the answers remained the same. Yes, Hero had had a lucky escape. No, he wouldn't be walking any time soon and no, he definitely wouldn't race again. Gareth slammed down the phone, sucked his teeth and braced himself to tell the others. He poured himself a large whisky for Dutch courage and started dialling Bob's number.

Having been bred from two champion racing dogs, Hero had been a very expensive investment and all six men had taken money from their savings to buy him from a top breeder. Their wives and girlfriends had questioned the sense in investing such a lot of money in a mere dog but when Hero started winning and their 'other halves' began showering them with fancy presents, holidays and new cars, they all agreed it had been a Very Good Investment. Now, they were just as angry as their significant others because their 'nice little earner' was so badly injured, he might not even walk again. The presents would stop arriving, the 'surprise' bouquets of flowers sent to their various places of work on a Monday morning (just to show everyone how well they were doing) would cease and who knew when they'd next get to go to the Costa Blanca for a fortnight in peak season? Owning a winning dog brought kudos and status but no more would they be able to brag 'Ooh, did I tell you, my Bob/Gareth/Derek/John/Pete/Jeff's dog won again on Saturday? This is becoming a habit isn't it? Ooh, I wonder what he'll buy me next. He bought me a Cartier watch from his last winnings."

The six men, knowing they needed to make some important decisions, agreed to meet at the pub around the corner from their office, one Friday evening after work. There was an air of gloom hovering over the table by the window and they supped their drinks in silence for a while. Eventually Pete asked, in a quiet voice "Has anyone checked the insurance policy?" "Insurance policy?" spluttered Jeff, spitting beer all over the table "Insurance policy? You're being funny right? Nobody would be daft enough to insure a racing dog, too much like a bad bet, if you'll pardon the very bad pun. No, I'm afraid those money grabbing so-and-sos at the insurance companies were not remotely interested in insuring Hero, I rang them all at the start, nothing doing." The irony of the phrase 'money grabbing' was lost on the others, they were distraught, this dog had cost them dearly and most had spent the winnings as they came in, never dreaming it would end so soon.