Lad

With their hound dog?

Don’t be ridiculous! How can a sunken ship magically rise from the ocean floor?

Fantastic news. I hope time and dying haven’t been too unkind to his voice.

Sum 41 Pieces

It means griller. Someone who doesn’t have a strong opinion either way on a topic, or who seeks an impossible middle-way solution that pleases all sides.

In this context, OP wants a community that is both vegan and sufficiently accepting of non-vegans, which might be tough to find.