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 characteristics you prefer and it will suggest some dog breeds. Everytime that I entered or changed the characteristics the greyhound was among the suggested breeds. I took this suggestion and did additional research on greyhounds and became very interested in them. I then located the greyhound adoption groups near me and chose Hollydogs.

When I went to Hollydogs to fill out the adoption application I saw my first live greyhound. My first impression was their large 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. 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.

In December of 2009 Salina had her regular exam with the vet. It was discovered that she had a bladder infection and was prescribed an antibiotic. About a week later she was refusing to eat, but I thought she was just being fussy because she was accepting treats and was drinking water. The next morning Salina could not stand. I rushed her to the vet where they found she had a high fever and her white blood cell count, which was normal during her check-up just a week before, was extremely low. Early the next morning I got a call that fluid was building up around her heart and lungs and I had to make a decision. She passed away quietly and peacefully.

Pearl
I adopted Pearl & Roger at the same time.

The first time I left the 3 dogs at home, alone for a few hours I came home to find that Salina had a large puncture wound in her side and Pearl was hiding in a bathroom.

During the next few months Pearl did other things like urinating on a dog bed while I was in the room and also urinating on the patio, also while I was there.

Finally after 4 months at 3 AM I woke up to a dog growling. Then, Pearl attacked Roger.

For the safety of all of my dogs, I returned Pearl to Hollydogs that day. Later, Silvana told me that Pearl was adopted to a family where she is the only dog.

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 was 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 (10 years old)
Salina & I went to Friends of Greyhounds the Saturday after Roger died. I never considered going to Friends of Greyhounds before because I thought it was too far to drive. However, this time my need for another greyhound out-weighed the 30 mile distance to Friends of Greyhounds.

Before we went I had looked at the dogs on the Friends of Greyhounds 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 seemed to spend 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. After he woke up, I got him to come into the bedroom but 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. When he woke up he discovered the dog bed and 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.

The next morning I went to Greyhound-Data to check out Jimbo’s pedigree and racing results. While looking at his parents and grandparents I thought I saw some familiar names. I discovered that Roger was Jimbo’s uncle. I had adopted Roger’s nephew!

Jimbo was very attached to Salina. Jimbo always slept on the bed next to Salina. On the first night at lights out after Salina passed away Jimbo got up from his bed and walked through the house before he returned to his bed.

Darryl (10 years old)
Salina, Jimbo and I all chose Darryl as the next member of our dog pack. He had two previous adoptions.

I call 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. He also seems to remember more than the other dogs and he also learns from his mistakes.
He also needs to be held and comforted more than the other dogs. One time during a walk a neighbor yelled at me and Darryl would not leave my side for the rest of the day.

Tasha (11 years old)
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 a pest. When she wants to be petted she will not let you ignore her.

Jazzy (9 years old)
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 earlier and she had to have 30 rotting teeth extracted. She is very sweet, loving and quiet.

Because Jazzy has only 12 teeth I have to prepare her food so she does not choke while eating.

Jazzy is the only dog that will stand up to Darryl. When Darryl is in the backyard playing with his favorite toy, Jazzy will take the toy from him and run with it into the house.

She sleeps in bed with me almost every night.

Dakota (12 years old)
Dakota was returned to Friends of Greyhounds a few weeks after Jazzy was returned. Dakota’s owner was ill and could no longer care for her. From the day Dakota was returned she was in a state of shock because everything she had in her life was lost.

My dogs got to know her and Salina seemed to like her, however I could not take in any more dogs at that time. Around Christmas 2009 Dakota went out on home-trial with a family who already had one other greyhound. She was with this family for only 2 weeks because the other dog did not get along with her. During this time, Salina passed away and I asked to take Dakota on home-trial.

When Dakota first came into my house she would frequently cry. I worked with her and I soon figured out she only cries for 3 reasons: she is hungry, she needs to go out or she needs a hug. From then on I was able to keep her happy and she stayed.

Dakota has become best friends with Jimbo.

This page has the following sub pages.

• How to Train a Dog
• Friends of Greyhounds
• Photo Galleries
• Words That My Dogs Know