Beginning at the Beginning

Kiowa

                                                           Greyhounds are an intriguing breed,

                                                           Somehow they fulfill my need,

                                                           To care for and love this special creature,

                                                           Who from the start was my teacher.

HELLO!  Welcome to my greyhound blog.  For those of you who don’t understand the term “roo”,  I guess I should explain that first.  A roo is a sort of howl that greyhounds make.  It is pretty distinctive to them and is usually heard when they are making happy talk.  When one greyhound starts, others are sure to join in the fun.  And that's what I would like you to do.  Join in the fun of this blog. 

I am thrilled to be able to be sharing my greyhound life experiences with others. Some of you may have greyhounds and know their special pull in our lives, others may just be curious about the breed and want to learn more.  I am hoping to be able to share my knowledge of my beloved greys and combine it with my love of writing.  I will try to acquaint you with greyhounds through information about the breed as well as my own personal experiences.   

I fell in love with these dogs in 1991 when I happened upon an article in my local newspaper.  After reading the story and seeing the accompanying pictures, I felt my heart break for this noble breed, and I was smitten.  I did not understand how anyone could harm beautiful and loyal creatures such as these.  I knew that if my husband and I ever adopted a dog, it would have to be a greyhound.  I’m sure that by my reaction after reading the article, he thought it was a passing phase and that I was just moved by what I had read. (Silly him)  He didn’t know what he was in for.   After all, I was mainly a cat person.  I had a couple of dogs when I was younger, but I preferred the cat temperament.  Was I ever wrong.

The following Saturday after reading the article, my friend and I went to a craft/dog show in Batsto, NJ that was held outside.  I had just finished telling her about the article when walking straight for us were two people attached to two greyhounds. OMG!!  Was this karma or what?  We approached, asked numerous questions, and patted the dogs soft fur.  If smitten was the word I used before to describe my feelings, now I was in total and complete love.  Upon arriving home, I couldn’t wait to tell my husband about my experience.  He listened patiently and simply said,  “Just call and get some information before you drive me crazy.” That was it.  I contacted Greyhound Friends of NJ, Inc. that day.  That began my love affair and devotion to this spectacular breed.   

 

Eastern Shore Meet & Greet

We adopted our first dog, Cayman, a little black 3 year old girl, by picking her up at a kennel used by the rescue to house dogs just off the track.  Two years later, we succumbed to another grey, Woody, a red brindle boy of 4 years of age.  After his adoption, I felt the need to volunteer in some capacity for the rescue group.  I lived then in southern NJ in a rural area, and the rescue was based in central NJ.  I don’t think they knew what to do with me and really had no way to use me then.  Left to my own devices, I started taking my dogs to outside events in my area, and people would ask questions about them.  It was like a mobile Meet & Greet.  

Back then, few people had seen greyhounds so    they didn’t even know what breed our dogs were.  Of course, I felt it my duty to educate them (did I mention I happened to be a teacher).  I also contacted the local vets and was asked to participate with my dogs in events they had organized.  I gave programs at my school as well as other schools to educate the children about the breed and their plight.  I quickly became known as the Greyhound Lady.  Finally, the rescue had moved its reach southward, and I was called to begin Meet & Greets in a PetsMart about 45 minutes north of my home.  I had many helpers, and when a PetsMart in my town finally opened many years later, I moved down to that location. 

My husband and I finally retired, and we now live on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  Before moving, I searched the internet for greyhound groups in my new area.  Easier said than done. (This may be a subject for another post).  Suffice it to say, it was not easy.  I was successful eventually and am now Eastern Shore Coordinator for Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption out of Virginia Beach.  Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?  However, I am doing what I have always done, educate the public on the subject of greyhounds.  

My purpose for writing this will be to educate, to stimulate conversation, to commiserate about our pooches, and to facilitate the spread of greyhound knowledge.  Sometimes I will share experiences I have had with my own dogs, but I am also hoping to write about the history of the breed and other greyhound subjects of interest.  So please stay tuned. 

Rusty and Kazi

If you have some time, you might want to read an article I wrote that was recently published in The Bark Magazine, online.  It is very timely and is about losing one of my dogs for 25 hours because of a “special feature” of our van.  Go to thebark.com, click on Dog Culture.  The article is under Readers Write and is called Greyhound Lost: A Minivan Warning.  If you have a van and a dog, it is a must-read. 

I hope you enjoyed this first posting and will come back often.  Please comment on what you might like to read on this blog.  How did YOU get the greyhound bug?  Comment on your first meeting with your greys and how it turned into a greyt love.  Every story is unique, but still contains a bit of commonality with other greyhound folk.  

Kisses and hugs to all your greys.