For the love of a greyhound

Growing up it seemed like my family always had pets of some sort. There were cats, lots of dogs, several birds, some rabbits and even an ill-fated rat.  The one consistent pet was most definitely dogs, although the type of dog varied wildly. Most of our family dogs were probably mutts, but it was not too long before I left for college that my family was introduced to greyhounds. Greyhounds are bred for racing, but once they stop winning, they need a new home, which is thankfully provided to them through rescue greyhound adoption agencies. Kimba was our family's first greyhound and she lived with us for nearly ten years before she died. We loved her so much (my mom especially) that they have adopted several more since. 

This is Rainy, my family's youngest greyhound. She was pretty young when they adopted her, probably only 3, which means she probably didn't win too many races! She's sweet, friendly and super affectionate. We joke that greyhounds can go from 0 to couch potato in 40 seconds. 

Greyhounds make great pets because they are intelligent, very sociable and love people. To let them off leash (only in a fenced area because they are sight dogs and will give chase a squirrel or other rodent if the opportunity arises) and watch them run is really quite amazing. They are really loving dogs. We sometimes call them my "sisters" because they are truly part of the family.

This is Gidget (the brindle) and Rainy again. We adopted Gidget when she was older, she won like 99% of her races but now that she's older she isn't very quick. Her hips bother her and stairs are a real hardship. I'm afraid she'll probably leave us fairly soon. :( 

I would love a greyhound of my own, but we can't because of Erik's allergies and he's not too big on inside animals. (Greyhounds pretty much live inside all the time, they have almost no body fat to keep them warm in a Montana winter!) So, I am content to go over to my folks' house once in a while and love up on their greyhounds.