When adopting your first grey,
You may not be aware,
That you joined a special “cult”,
Just enjoy your time there.
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| My tired Kiowa |
Returning home from a weekend away with our pups, we stopped at a small park outside of Berlin, Maryland. As we pulled into the park, I thought I spied a dog that looked very much like a greyhound. Upon closer inspection, I found that I had indeed spotted not one but two of the beautiful creatures, a red brindle and a white with brindle spots. At the end of their leashes were attached a man and a woman. As we opened our hatch, and they viewed our cache of greyhounds, they immediately approached with oohs and aahs. And so our access to new friends unfolded again.
I have written many times about the love our dogs have for other greyhounds. It manifests as a hidden language between the canines. They know each other because their young lives revolved around other grey siblings and friends. However, the language of humans tends toward a different dance of social mores and convictions. It takes longer to know and accept a two legged animal. That is, if it isn’t attached by a leash to a greyhound.
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| Kiowa and his friend |
On the whole, dog people are open and welcoming to other dog people with well behaved pets. In my view, greyhound parents are even more to the extreme. If we meet a greyhound owner (even without their dog) on vacation, we immediately form a bond that seems stronger than the usual “dog person” bond. The explanation for this alludes, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
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| Greyhounds in Gettysburg |
People who love this breed find an instant connection. What drives this is unknown? Maybe it relates to the reasons for adopting this breed in the first place rather than going to the SPCA and adopting another breed of dog. That connection or bond is viable and real, and we feel it. No preface of introduction is needed. The dogs are the preface. Immediate warmth is generated, first by the dogs sniffing butts and mouths, and then by the people who lovingly watch.
These feelings expand and extend at Greyhound Reunions. I love to relate how upon going to Greyhounds Reach the Beach in Dewey/Rehoboth, or Greyhounds in Gettysburg (GIG) in Gettysburg, how the force of inclusion permeates the air. This July, we will travel to the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York to attend Grapehounds. A new experience for us. I feel sure that again we will meet and make friends with people who were formally strangers. Greyhounds anxious to make new four-legged friends push their people into the same arena of openness. Barriers dissolve and new friendships are made.
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| Florida M & G |
Greyhound owners who have assisted me with Meet and Greets in New Jersey and in Virginia have become wonderful friends that do not depend upon the conversation revolving around dogs. We have found other areas of interest besides our beloved pets. Our paths would never have crossed if our dogs had not brought us together.
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| Virginia M & G |
I am not saying that the preoccupation of greyhounds will make you the “bon vivant” of your area. I am saying though that loving a greyhound will open doors to you and expose you to another segment of life and new people to share it with.
