My Dogs

How I Discovered Greyhounds

At first, the only greyhound I knew was the picture on the side of a bus.

One day when I was thinking, again, about getting a dog. I came across a website that had a "dog selector" where you can choose the attributes that you prefer and it will suggest some dog breeds.

Everytime that I entered or changed the attributes the greyhound was almost always among the suggested breeds.

I took this suggestion and did additional research on greyhounds and became very interested in them.

I went a little farther and located the greyhound adoption groups near me and chose Hollydogs.

The first live greyhound that I saw was when I visited Hollydogs to fill out an adoption application. My first impression was their size.

Several days later, I had an appointment to adopt a greyhound and met Lizzie.

Lizzie

Lizzie was my first greyhound. She was the first dog brought out at Hollydogs and the moment I saw her I said "I'll take her." Silvana, told me I needed to see more than one dog before I decide.

I can't remember who or how many dogs I saw after that. None of the others impressed me like Lizzie.

When I adopted Lizzie she was 8 years old. She never raced and had been adopted by a family with another older greyhound. One day, this family took both dogs to their vet to have both put down because they were too old. The vet agreed that the older one should be euthanized, but he refused to put down Lizzie and she ended up at Hollydogs.

Lizzie was small for a greyhound, weighing only 50 pounds. She walked like a ballerina and looked like she was lounging around in pajamas.

Every night Lizzie would go to sleep while looking at me. After we adopted Salina, Lizzie would make sure that she got the dog bed that was closer to me.

About 20 months after I adopted Lizzie, she was experiencing stomach pains. When she relieved herself it looked like she was trying to do a handstand. I made an appointment with the vet. After the vet examined Lizzie I was told that I needed to take her to an animal hospital nearby where they had the equipment to perform a through examination. The diagnosis was cancer. It had spread through Lizzie's abdomen and she only had a few days remaining. I had to make the most difficult decision of my life that evening.

The next morning Salina noticed that Lizzie was gone when there was no one in front of her to go out to the yard.

Many of the children in the neighborhood wanted to know what happened to Lizzie. To play it safe, my response was only that "Lizzie got sick and had to go to the hospital." That was enough for the children. I didn't want to upset them or have to explain death to them. Eventually most of the children figured out and understood what I was saying. Some of the younger children, after more that 19 months, are still asking about Lizzie.

I miss Lizzie, but I realize that if it wasn't for Lizzie that I would not have adopted Salina or Roger.

Salina

I adopted Salina 11 months after I got Lizzie. Both Lizzie and I "interviewed" four greyhounds. Lizzie showed the most interest in Salina, so it was Lizzie who decided to adopt Salina.

Salina had just come off of the racetrack. She raced for 4 years and then spent 2 more years to produce 2 litters of puppies. Salina did not know what a sliding glass door was. She was very shy and would avoid people. Salina did not know how it felt to be petted. Salina felt the most comfortable staying at her bed in my bedroom. She preferred to eat her meals near her bed.

For a long time Salina would follow Lizzie's lead. Eventually Salina learned how to be functional after her life at the race track.

Salina likes to smile. She will sit in her bed looking a Roger and me and smile.

Salina can count to two (2)! When we take a walk she will insist on going around the block two times. If I try to lead her up the driveway after one lap, she will stand fast looking down the street. After the second lap, if I try to continue the walk, Salina will again stand fast, but she will be looking up the drive way. I can't trick her by opening or closing the garage door. Since Salina will only do this during our walk after dinner and not during walks taken at any other time of the day I think that Salina can also tell time.

Roger

I adopted Roger about one month after I lost Lizzie. When I first saw Roger, I instantly said "I'll take him." Roger sniffed me, looked me over and walked away. About a minute later Roger came back to me to be petted. So, I guess it was Roger who chose me.

Roger was rescued after running away from his previous owner. He was 10 years old when he came to live with me.

Roger and I are best friends. He likes to be near me in the house. Because of this he has a dog bed in my bedroom and a second dog bed in the family room.

At the last Hollydogs Greyhound Picnic, Roger won the prize for the oldest greyhound present at the picnic. He is 12 years old.

Roger likes to sleep in and hates to get up early in the morning.

Once or twice a month, Roger will decide to refuse all food for a day. He will drink water, but will eat nothing. The next day he will again have his normal appetite.

In June of 2007 Roger was diagnosed with cancer. The chemotherapy was working, but was ruining his appetite. One day, I noticed that Roger seemed to be experiencing pain. The doctor said that the cancer was out of remission. The next morning the doctor told me that the pain killer being administered through the IV was not working and that Roger's pain was worse. I had to make a decision and Roger's life ended the morning of September 10, 2007. Roger was my best friend.

Jimbo

Salina & I went to Friends of Greyhounds the Saturday after Roger died. Before we went I had looked at the dogs on their web site and the first dog that caught my eye was Jimbo. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth like Roger's. Then I noticed that he looked a lot like Roger.

I chose 3 dogs including Jimbo to get to know better. We all went to the fenced in play yard. Salina checked out the 3 dogs and they checked out Salina. Salina did spend a little more time with Jimbo than the others so Jimbo was it.

Jimbo arrived at his new home in the early evening. Salina was very pleased to see him again. Because Jimbo spent his whole life in kennels everything about a home was outside his area of experience. At first, he just stood in the livingroom and did not know what to do. Finally, he laid down on the tile floor and took a nap. Later I got him to come into the bedroom. Jimbo did not want to stay in the bedroom and I had to close the door to keep him there with us. Since he could not leave he took another nap on the tile floor next to a dog bed. He discovered the dog bed later before he took yet another nap.

Between the naps I took Jimbo for a walk. At first he would pull on the leash, but after a few dozen "stop & goes" he understood which end of the leash he was on and walked very nicely.

Jimbo adjusted to home-life in just 3 months. Of all of my dogs Jimbo is the most intelligent. He is curious and ver aware of things around him. He learns new things very fast.

Darryl

Salina, Jimbo and I all chose Darryl as the next member of our dog pack. He had two previous adoptions.

I all Darryl my special child because his behavior is not as one would expect. When we go to the dog park my other dogs run off to greet the dogs, but Darryl runs to the park benches to greet the people.

Tasha

Tasha was a surprise. Salina does not approve of most of the females that she meets. Salina once barked a Jimbo because he was sniffing a young (and cute) female. When Tasha was brought out from the kennel to play and socialize with the other dogs, Salina's behavior was very different. Salina clearly liked Tasha and wanted to be friends with her. I gave Salina some time to think it over and to change her mind, but a week later she still liked Tasha so Tasha came home.

The two girls get along very well. They never argue or fight. Salina seems to take care of Tasha.

Tasha is very affectionate to the point of being high maintenance on occasion. When she wants to be petted she will not let you ignore her.

Jazzy

The first time I met Jazzy was when she was being returned to Friends of Greyhounds. Her last rabies shot was when she was adopted out 4 years ago and she had to have 30 rotting teeth extracted. She is very sweet and loving.

Words That My Dogs Know