So why not treat yourself to a furry friend? Lots of adoption stories coming in, but I loved this one because it was a great story plus it had a picture of a pet in a compromising position, and I thought it would break up a dull afternoon:
This is Dolce, she is a greyhound rescued from Ireland. She was hit by a car after being released from the race track because she was too small to race so we don’t know her true age. She was found with a band of gypsies and a badly broken leg and an Irish rescue arranged with our greyhound rescue here in Mass. to fly her here for surgery. Unfortunately they could not save her leg and after multiple surgeries actually removed the entire leg and shoulder blade. This is her halloween costume and as you can see we gave her a peg leg, unfortunately she wouldn’t wear the pirate hat, but she would wear the witch hat. She is a very happy dog and gets around great on 3 legs, she really has been a sweetheart. Greyhounds really are wonderful dogs.
The rescue we use is Greyhound Friends Inc. of Massachusetts. They are at greyhound.org. Since we banned greyhound racing in the state they have a lot of dogs at this time. There are 44 currently listed on their website and the rescue is not equipped to handle nearly that many, and we already have 2 in a 500 sq ft apartment. My wife won’t let me get another one.
If you live in the area and think a Greyhound might be a good choice, you know where to go and what to do. But remember, pets are a lot of fun, but they are also a lot of responsibility and they cost money. They need medical care and food and attention and walks, so make sure you are prepared for the commitment.
asiangrrlMN
Oh, goodness, what a sweet dog. I love stories like this. Happy tears for me. I am studiously ignoring her outfit–by the way, Cole. Tunch has a dress-up session in his near future, amirite?
smiley
I know someone who has a rescue Greyhound that she just loves. She lives in Denver so I imagine that there are Greyhound rescue organizations in different parts of the country also.
Captain Haddock
We brought our puppy home on Saturday. He’s from a breeder, but the day we placed a deposit on him a runaway cat made his home on our back porch. His last human lived nearby and “could not take care of him”, so we kept him. He is the largest cat we have ever seen – pure muscle. He is a damn handsome beast.
So we went from no pets (our last cat passed last year) to two pets in a two week span.
Bad Horse's Filly
Having been the proud adoptive ‘person’ for a retired racer, I can attest to their loving nature. They are gentle, kind and loyal. Also, if you are a cat person and wonder if you could be a dog person, a greyhound might be the dog for you, because in my experience they are more cat-like than any dog I’ve met and require little from you, except a walk and a good all-over body rub. They don’t need to chase balls or dig in the yard or be constantly entertained. Just a nice couch, some good food and lots of love.
Mine loved my cat, hated rabbits of all kinds, he was allowed to roam free on walks, which worked until he saw a rabbit, then it was 50mph run and gone! 30 minutes later I got a call from a woman, miles away, her kids had him in their garage and were feeding him cookies. I went to pick him up and he looked at me like, “Do I KNOW you?” Cookies rule.
LD50
It’s Santa’s Little Helper!
Dave C
Awesome! When I was growing up, we had a dachshund/rat terrier/mutt mix with three legs (he got hit by a car, severed a nerve in one of his front legs and had to have it removed). He looked kind of funny, but man could he still zip around like a bullet when he wanted to!
Just Some Fuckhead
If you get the
rightwrongright pet, they will hunt for the family.Dreggas
Both of my cats are rescues and both I raised from kittens. The first is Bill (and yeah Bill the cat from bloom county works for this one).
He was the runt of the litter and even at 6 weeks he fit in the palm of my hand. He ate but was still real skinny and using nutri-cal we nursed him back from the brink of death 3 times. He was a bottle feeder and it was my now ex’s mom who had him since she did kitten rescue. They think his mother had herpes which got into his eyes and tear ducts as he came out of the birth canal leaving his eyes scarred over and his tear ducts pretty scarred so that he always looks like he is “crying”. He can see but he has a condition where everything he sees seems to bob up and down so when he is really trying to focus his head bobs up and down. He’s 6 years old now, happy and healthy and loves to lay draped over my shoulders while i play video games. Every night when i get home he leaps on the kitchen table then right into my arms and proceeds to “head butt” aka nuzzle me a greeting.
The other is fortuna, She was a rescue too but more of a rescue due to the fact that a security guard found her, abandoned, at 6 weeks old in the parking lot of the company i used to work at. So I took her home, got her all her shots and some medication for the sinus infection she had, got the fleas off of her and cleaned her up. She’s now a little over a yr old and totally a lap cat. Curls up in my lap while I am gaming.
geg6
@smiley:
I posted about a local greyhound rescue here in Pittsburgh that some friends of mine are involved in. I posted about it in the adoption thread. There are lots of greyhound rescue organizations here in PA.
http://www.steelcitygreyhounds.org/AboutUs.htm#1
jeffreyw
This bears repeating. Pet care costs money. We spent $1000 dollars at the vet on Jack in the first two weeks after we took him from the previous owner. That bastard.
Maude
We’re not allowed to have pets where I live. I want a kitty.
Chat Noir
We babysat my husband’s cousin’s (rescued) greyhound several years back. What a fabulous dog. Sweet, docile, and wonderful to walk. I would get a greyhound in a New York minute.
BTW, love these pet stories. You folks here at Balloon Juice are awesome.
asiangrrlMN
I would like to throw in the obligatory, “Don’t give an animal as a present” disclaimer, though. Not a good idea.
However, for yourself? Go for it!
Bad Horse's Filly
@jeffreyw:
Assuming you mean the previous owner, not our beloved Jack.
People always asked me how much it cost to have 3 Great Danes, my reply: A trip to the Caribbean every year. And that was before they became aged. But well worth it.
Egilsson
This is good news for McCain!
Sorry, I just didn’t see that anyone else had gotten that in yet….
Jackie
Dolce obviously understands that a real pirate wears whatevery kind of hat they fancy. Not a slave to convention! Such a good doggeh.
Notorious P.A.T.
What a cute dog! She looks happy to be in her costume. A star is born!
Halteclere
When I was little my brother and I befriended a stray dog (i.e. dropped off at the corner of our dirt road) who became our lifetime protector. We named him Hobo. Several years later Hobo, how loved to chase cars, actually caught one, and in the process damaged his hind leg to where the vet couldn’t save it. Then we nicknamed him Tripod.
Hobo wasn’t near as fast afterwords, but that didn’t stop him from following my brother and I everywhere we traipsed in the woods.
Violet
Oh, my gosh. The happy look on Dolce’s face with that crazy hat and dress. ROFLMAO. That’s an awesome picture.
This is a great series, John. Thanks for doing it.
Bad Horse's Filly
Oh, and because this whole adoption stream is making me really, really want a dog, I’m sending money to my local shelter. And if anyone here, reads anything from me that even sounds like I’m going to give into that pull to adopt a dog, remind me it I am not in the right place to adopt yet. Soon, just not yet.
jayackroyd
You also should be aware that you are going to live through a pet’s getting old and dying. You’re not just signing up for the romping and the balling throwing, but also for managing the last stages of your pet’s life.
slag
I have a friend whose greyhound won’t go to the bathroom on walks because she was trained not to during her racing years. Anyone else have that problem?
LT
A “band of gypsies”! Good thing the doggie was saved – they mighta ate him!.
WereBear
We got our kitten, Reverend Jim, when he was 4 1/2 months old.
He’s now two & a half and still growing, since he’s a Mostly Maine Coon.
jeffreyw
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Yeah, the previous owner. Long story made shorter.
Comrade javafascist
We adopted a greyhound about two months ago. A great breed. Loving, mellow and funny. Getting their diet right is tricky, however, and they can be extremely smelly if you don’t have it right. (Like Blazing Saddles campfire scene smelly.) Ours has done okay around our four cats although I suspect he’d tear after them outside if he ever got the chance. We fenced in a 25′ by 30′ section of yard and he uses it like a track. He also kills various stuffed animals including the flying screaming monkey from thinkgeek in it.
GReynoldsCT00
Greyhound Rescue is very active in my area, I have more than one friend/acquaintance who have adopted. I would too if I was home more, they have the sweetest disposition.
Beauzeaux
If I didn’t have to work 16 hour days two or three times a week, I’d have gotten a rescue dog long ago.
The Moar You Know
I am in favor of the site running one of these threads a day through Christmas; still too many people out there buying pets when there are so many that need rescue.
I have now rescued two elder cats, and while this has drawbacks (see jayackroyd’s VERY appropriate comment above) I would not trade the experience for anything.
It costs money and time and effort. In return, you have saved a fellow creature from a life that is “nasty, brutish, and short”, and what greater gift could you give to anyone?
geg6
@slag:
Hmmmm, haven’t heard of that. But wouldn’t surprise me. These poor racing dogs, for the most part, have not been handled by people who really like animals. Just people who really like the benjamins.
All the rescue greyhounds I have met are truly wonderful dogs. Loving and sweet, every one of them. But damn, don’t let them see a rabbit on the loose. Gone before you can even see them go.
smiley
@jayackroyd: I couple of years ago after Satchmo died, TBogg posted a beautiful, heartfelt eulogy. That led to a comment thread of stories about the deaths of beloved pets. I commented that I had an ornery, aggressive cat and when he finally had to be put down, I nearly crashed my car because I was crying so hard when I drove away from the vet’s for the last time. Pet people understand this (non pet people don’t), and if you’re thinking of getting one for the first time, jay is right. You’re signing up for the whole deal.
licensed to kill time
All the cats and dogs in my life have been either adopted from the local shelter, “volunteers” who just turned up on the porch one day, given to me, or a couple that I found by the side of the road. I found a tiny kitten hiding in the bushes once when I was walking, I heard her meowing and parted the bulrushes, so to speak, to find her. She had a deformed-from-birth front leg that essentially made her a three legged cat, which never slowed her down for a second. She hopped like a bunny.
I have always preferred animals that choose to hang around and particularly the ones that choose me to live with.
Rescue a cat or dog today! (if you can)
Michael D.
@Captain Haddock:
You DO read this blog, don’t you?
Doctor Science
I know someone whose rescue greyhound caught a deer. Or rather, caught up to and grabbed a deer — but then had no idea what to do. Deer hooves are very sharp. I don’t know how badly the deer was hurt, but the dog was so bruised she had to be carried up and down the stairs for 3 days.
Max
@Beauzeaux: I thought long hours would be an issue when I first got Max, but I worked it out with a dog walker, doggie day care and I bring him to work sometimes.
It’s a lot like what I’ve heard about having kids… you figure it out. Although, I haven’t taken the chance on a kid yet.
WereBear
Rescue is immensely rewarding. Dog or cat, you usually get to play the fun game of “What breeds went into this?” I recommend it–you will get great insight into their needs and personalities that way.
Persia
I have had allergies to both dogs and cats since before I was in elementary school, so I can only wave the ‘yay, adopters’ flag.
But greyhounds are awesome. Possibly my favorite breed.
R-Jud
@geg6:
When my husband was a kid, he took his parents’ tiny yappy-type dog (a terrier of some type) for a walk, and while it was off the leash, a greyhound scooped it up and ran off with it. The yap dog was eventually recovered unharmed, but would cower whenever it saw a greyhound after that.
Alan in SF
The holidays can’t possibly be around the corner. I haven’t seen a single Fox report on the War on Christmas.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@Michael D.:
Sorry but General Sterling Price:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/322139262_13b5a3542d.jpg
makes Tunch look small. That’s ole SP at around 30 pounds. He’s lost a few since then.
And he was the runt of a 9 kitten litter.
booger
I will second Comrade Javafascist’s comment @#26–our grey can clear a room with her bright green clouds of nuclear stink, all with the sweetest smile on her face. You learn to sit with the pointy end of a greyhound near and the stinky end far. But other than that, they are perfect–15 seconds of frenetic activity a day, five minutes of eating & pooping, and sleeping on the couch the rest of the time. Did I mention they have wicked senses of humor, too?
Must get more…
comrade scott's agenda of rage
I should add that if you can’t have a pet full time, think about fostering. We’ve been doing it for about a year now (and we already have a crapload of cats full time) and it’s a blast.
Cat Lady
There is a special place in heaven for abused work animals, and those who end up caring for them. Thanks to all of you. My indoor cats are both rescued – Finney is a weird little mess who was born with deformed hips and about 40 toes in a random configuration, none of which had claws, just hard toenails. They all had to be cut off and now he has tiny little paws and walks like, well, like nothing else. He compensates with a kick-ass attitude and the loudest most terrifying yowl, and jeebus he could win a headbutting contest with a goat, but he looks at me completely adoringly. My handsome boy, Woody, was one of 4 ferals born on my property who came in one day, looked around, said “it is good”, and requires full body contact. I feed his brother and sisters every day, twice a day, have for years, and they still run away every. time.
I spent a lot of time trapping the ferals and money getting them fixed and shots, although a local vet subsidized some of the expense, which most will, I believe. Anyone who doesn’t fix their animals and/or abandons or abuses them needs to be punched hard right in the neck, and then swiftly kicked in the nuts with steel toed boots, for a start. Also, too.
tamied
@comrade scott’s agenda of rage: Jebus! My cocker spaniel Betsy is only 27 pounds!
Shell
I’ve been down that road three times in my life. You think I’d learn my lesson.
But there I always ended up, after a few months, checking the adoption page of our local shelter.
jeffreyw
@comrade scott’s agenda of rage: LOL, looks like there was maybe another kitteh in between the General and the other, but had been eaten before the shutter could be released.
WereBear
James Bond (Norwegian Forest Cat mix) was 15 pounds at his peak, none of it fat (as he’s aged, he’s lost a couple, which the vet is pleased about.)
Reverend Jim shows promise of going the full Maine Coon, since he’s 17 pounds or so, and is not done yet.
The baby, Olwyn, is small for her age. But cats don’t finish up until at least two, no matter what vets learn in school. I’ve had vet after vet check out someone who they pronounce a year or so old, and “they won’t grow any more.”
Then, a year later, back for a checkup, and twice as big.
Punchy
Having 2 greys myself, this story is just killing me. I had a good friend who had her greyhound’s front leg amputed due to a cancer scare, and she hopped around just fine.
I wish I could take this dog myself. I would nickname her Tripod.
Max
@Persia: I have allergies as well. You might want to look into the breeds of dogs that don’t affect allergies.
My Max, a wheaten terrier, is one of those breeds and I have no problem with him. He has hair, not fur, doesn’t shed, etc. and I’ve never had a reaction or anything even close. I know there are wheaten rescue groups, and I’m sure for the other hypo breeds as well.
My allergies are the reason why I couldn’t get a pound puppy, as labs and lab-mixes are my worst enemy. My mom had a chocolate lab and I could spend about an hour at her house before I had to leave.
Cats are no bueno for me either.
Dreggas
@tamied:
That cat would probably eat the cocker spaniel.
Bad Horse's Filly
@slag: Yup, mine wouldn’t go on walks either, unless his tummy was upset. We set up a sand area in the yard, much like he had at the track, and he did his business there, which made for easy clean up.
Shell
Advice for anyone who comes to that dark day. Do not drive yourself. You might get there okay, but driving away…I know I almost rear-ended somebody.
GReynoldsCT00
@licensed to kill time:
‘Volunteer’ is a great description. My cat, Noah, as a kitten showed up on my friend’s porch and kept trying to get in her house. Being deathly allergic, she couldn’t allow that. As I had just put a 16 year old friend to sleep fairly recently, she called me and said “you just have to come see about this kitten!” So, they corralled him in the garage. I walked in, called to him, he ran right up to me, purred, licked my hand the the rest is history. He’s been my constant companion for 13 years. I call him my Coon-Ass kitteh because we found each other in Baton Rouge.
Punchy
Yup. Not surprisingly, our 1 grey who wasnt very successful racing craps on every walk. The other one, a quite successful and winning race dog, never does. Maybe there’s a correlation between their racing acumen and their rectum…..
Comrade javafascist
@booger #41
Try Prozyme. Available from amazon. We went from nuclear farts every night, every 2 minutes (yes, I timed it once) to only a few stinkers a night at the worst. HUGE improvement.
Bad Horse's Filly
@comrade scott’s agenda of rage: Good gawd, did that cat eat the rest of your cats? He is one large and handsome fellow.
slag
@Bad Horse’s Filly: Interesting. People talk about how greyhounds are appropriate for urbanites but maybe not if you don’t have a yard.
Brian
@Jackie: Lol yea Dolce is a sweet heart but good dog may be a bit of an exageration. She managed to steal 3 steaks from the kitchen counter one time, and was going back for the 4th. My dad left them out not being used to animals. She is a real sweetheart though. A huge cuddle bug, in fact most nights I wake up with her head on my pillow.
gex
You know, sometimes I feel like the most worthless person in the world with no redeeming qualities. But then I look at the 3 rescued cats and 1 rescued dog and it really helps to know that they don’t think that about me at all. And I do feel better to know that I have provided possibly the nicest home and life they could have wished for.
Bad Horse's Filly
@slag: They may just have to designate an area and stand there until he goes. The same area, every day. If he urinates there, he will probably figure out to poop there, too. Best time would be after a walk, when there is probably an urge to go.
Also, depending on how old the dog was and how long he raced, it may be something easily trained out of. Mine was 4 with a long racing history (he was a winner, so to speak so he raced until his legs gave out) and somethings we couldn’t retrain him on. Though I liked that he went in the sand area, so I didn’t try to change that behavior.
Sarcastro
All four of my cats are ‘rescues’. Two just wandered up (Minerva and Grady), one was abandoned at a friend’s house (Milo) and the last one (Briq) was just the most pathetic thing ever.
I work next to a golf course and one day, a hot Georgia summer day, the groundskeeper heard a cat mewling somewhere. He looked around but couldn’t find anything so he went about his work. That evening he came back just to check and heard it again but even fainter. So he grabs a machete and works his way into the brush alongside the course until he gets to the bottom of the road embankment next to the course where he finds a Webber grill that had apparently been flung from the road… locked… with a tiny kitten in it. WTF kind of scumbug fucker does that?
And I mean TINY. A month old at most. Eyes still blue. And covered in creosote. We thought he was brown until a few washings revealed him to be pitch black (between that and where he was found he earned his name: Briquette). Little bugger was lucky to have survived the day in that thing. He was so pathetic the groundskeeper, a haggard white-haired country boy, was in tears over it.
It’s been just over a year and he’s a 14 Lb fatty and happy as a pig in shit.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Oh great, this is all I need. Today I broke down and took food to two stray kittens that live nearby and discovered there’s a third cat hanging out with them (mom, I guess). They’re all too damn cute and I found myself thinking (as a purely hypothetical exercise) of how to convince the S.O. that three outdoor cats would balance out the three indoor cats.
Gah, stop with the adorable faces!
jayackroyd
@smiley
l lost my beloved Gracie last March. The euthanasia appointment had been set, but she improved in between the making of the appointment and the day of the scheduled house call (yes, I had a great vet). She died in her sleep a week later at about 16 (the shelter was certain about her age).
I now know where ghosts come from. I still see her, briefly, in one of her accustomed places.
@shell
Still too soon for me. Someone once said to me that in your life there will the One Dog. That was Gracie.
geg6
@slag:
Well, I have numerous friends who have adopted greyhounds and never heard of this problem. So it might be something that most of them either get over or that they weren’t successful racers. I have two friends who live in a loft in the center city section of Pittsburgh. They have two greys. No problems.
tamied
@geg6: There’s a woman in my neighborhood who rescues greys. She had 2 for awhile and I would see her walking them together. Then she had one, then two again. I give her a lot of credit for getting another right away, I don’t know what I’ll do when I lose my little girl. But they’re gorgeous dogs and seem really nice.
jayackroyd
That link won’t work properly. This one should.
It will also demonstrate that I am not up to snuff for the photography at this site.
WereBear
There’s no denying that some animals burrow into your heart a bit deeper than others. Chemistry, I guess.
James Bond was semi-feral, and when I tamed him so he could get a home, I discovered he would let me hold him…but no one else. Now he’s my Best Bud.
Jeff
My wife and I just adopted a greyhound this summer, from Greyhound Pets of America (http://www.greyhoundpets.org/). Great organization, great dogs.
Stooleo
We got our kitty Gigi last year, via a flyer on a bulletin board. She was found in the woods with her mama and siblings by a couple who were out fishing. The mama kitty came up and was begging for food from them. They followed the mama back and discovered that she had kittens. They didn’t do anything at that point, but the next day they felt pretty bad, and when back to rescue the cat and her kittens. When the took the kittys back to the shelter Gigi made a break for it. The guy went to pick her up and Gigi bit him. Now, the people at the shelter would only put Gigi down and not offer her up for adoption. So the couple took her back, but it wasn’t an ideal situation cause they had two other cats that were not interested in a kitten. So thats how her picture got on the bulletin board. She is the sweetest kitty and I know that she only bit that guy cause she was really, really scared.
Persia
@Max: I am generally unwilling to gamble on it, because my allergy list is long and amazing and even ‘hypoallergenic’ dogs often aren’t. And breaking the heart of my daughter is a definite no!
still liberal
Let’s kindly assume the writer was referring to a group of Irish Travelers, or perhaps some Roma people in Ireland that had the dog. “Gypsy” is a fairly derogatory term and given the level of discrimination endured now and in the past, its best to just not use the term.
Beautiful dog and bless all those who take in shelter dogs, cats and other critters in need of a home.
Steve V
As a greyhound owner, some responses to some of the comments:
1. Yes, they can have very sensitive digestive systems. They’re fed grade-D beef at the tracks and maybe that has something to do with it. One of our dogs even came down with a condition called “Alabama Rot” that only afflicts greyhounds because of the crappy bacteria-ridden diet they’re given. That one has a sensitive stomach but the other one is like any other dog, so it isn’t something that happens to every greyhound.
2. Both of our dogs had their issues with where they would poop or pee on their walk. One of them refused to poop on the grass and would only poop on the sidewalk, and the other one was the total opposite. So weird. I assume their odd peccadilloes come from where they were kenneled, but they have relaxed on it gradually over time. I haven’t had a dog that just refused to poop anywhere on a walk — that would be really frustrating!
3. Our local greyhound rescue, and I assume many others, made us agree that we would never walk the dogs off-leash. It’s too risky; they see something 200 yards away and bolt after it, and sometimes they’re gone forever. The rescue forwards stories about lost greyhounds every time they hear about them and wag their finger about how people shouldn’t let them off leash and have to maintain their fences.
4. Yes they are very cat-like! Some people might not understand the greyhound mentality and might think they’re aloof — our dogs often just crash out in the other room on the sofa for hours at a time. But they’re trained to do this — they’re confined to crates for 20+ hours a day at the tracks, and learn to spend their days lying in one place and sleeping. (I think they’re naturally lower in energy anyway, since they’re sprinters and not working dogs, but the conditions they’re kept in reinforce their cat-like behavior.) Their docility also is a learned/conditioned thing. They’re just a little different from other dogs in this way, but they’re just as loving.
5. As far as needing a yard, I’m not sure. They literally only have about five minutes of high-energy a day, and spend the rest of the day sleeping and lazing about. They do well with a 20-minute walk and that’s about it. If you have a yard, they will occasionally have a spurt of energy and run around, but I’m not sure it’s a huge necessity. I think they are good for urbanites, as long as you’re scrupulous about keeping them on-leash and away from all the cars.
6. I think you’ll find that there are more three-legged greyhounds than any other breed. They are always getting nicked up while racing and often break their legs. I’m told they’re also used for medical research because they have very unusual cardiovascular systems, i.e., their lungs are about as big as a human’s. They’re very sweet dogs and they don’t ask for any of this. It’s very sad.
Janet
That is such a beautiful dog, I hope someone gives it a home.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@Bad Horse’s Filly:
He was so svelte when he was younger (he’s now 13).
He never hunted worth a crap and after around 2-3, he turned into a slug. He doesn’t eat that much, honest.
He’s also diabetic. Gets an insulin shot twice a day.
He lives with his Papa who’s maybe Tunch’s size so General Price comes by it honest.
WereBear
@Persia: I really feel for people with allergies who are also animal lovers.
Kids all seem to love animals. I don’t know exactly what happens when some of them grow up, and no longer are.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@Sarcastro:
People who do that deserve to be shot. I oppose the death penalty but in cases like that one, I’d do a “China” on em:
parade em into a stadium and give em a bullet to the back of the head…and charge the family for the cost of the bullet.
JackieBinAZ
Pet owners sometimes need medical care too.
licensed to kill time
@GReynoldsCT00: Yes, sometimes they just pick you, and that’s the best feeling ever.
gypsy howell
Our adorable stray kittehs, Margot and Darkness last seen here are now fully adapted barn cats. Margot, although quite a bit smaller than the now-gigantic Darkness, is a relentless hunter. There will be no mice (or maybe even birds) anywhere near Chez Howell!
Thurston and daughter Howell got them from the feed store, after they were abandoned by the side of the road in a box at about 7-8 weeks old. Now they are BFFs with our 90-pound dog, walking all over him and dragging their tails across his nose.
Best thing we did all year.
Max
Praise Jesus!
The Bills have fired their head coach. Amen.
Many on this board could do a better job of coaching than Jauron did.
It’s that time of the NFL season. Time for the heads to start rolling.
Okay, hug your pets.
Punchy
Leading a grey off-leash is somewhat insane. Our greyhounds are on constant Squirrel Watch(TM), and if they happen to see one on a walk, I pray our leashes dont break. If there wasn’t a leash, I would’ve lost my dogs in about 1.4 seconds.
Interrobang
I have a wonderful sweet rescue kitty named Nero (I didn’t call him that, but it fits, because he’s black and imperious). Some asshole dumped him out of a car somewhere in Kent County, Ontario. When my friend brought him for me from the woman who rescued him, he walked out of the crate, walked right over to me, and more or less said, “Where have you been all my life?!” He loves all people, pretty much, but he adores me, and I adore him.
That was 11 years ago. Now he’s old and has a huge lymphoma tumour on his right hind leg; he’s going for the amputation on Thursday. The folks at the Small Animal Clinic of the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph have been taking good care of him for me.
Here is a picture of him in a typical action shot, which may explain why I am spending truly womdigious amounts of money to treat cancer in an elderly cat…
I will not cry at work…I will not cry at work…I will not cry at work…
Cat Lady
@Interrobang:
: (
[sniff]
jayackroyd
If, when I was 18, in what was then rural Maine, with animals all around, some pets, some domestic food, I would have laughed in your face if you told me that I would be paying for a dog’s echocardiogram, never mind the EKGs at the regular vet.
GeneJockey
We adopted a retired racing Greyhound last year, and we have had none of the legendary issues with feeding and Greyhound Gas one hears about. Then again, I have two teenage sons, so maybe she did and I thought it was them…
She is the sweetest, funniest dog. She’s quiet, very friendly, loving, and very happy. We had little if any difficulty in getting her acclimated to living in a house. Now the only difficulty is getting her to stand still while I put her jammies on (our Master Bedroom is unheated, and Greyhounds have no insulation).
Anyone looking for a dog would do well to consider a rescued Greyhound.
Original Lee
@slag: Our 3rd dog, a pit bull/Labrador mix named (not by us) Peterkin, was like that. He absolutely would not poop while we were taking a walk – he would only poop at home. After a few weeks of this, we just stopped taking the pooper scooper with us on walks. As soon as we got home after a walk, though, boy howdy! It was kinda nice that he was so predictable, though.
GeneJockey
@slag: Zeena was like that at first, but now she stops at least 5 times a walk to drop a teaspoon or so.
LT
@Max: Excellent news! Please tell me they fired Owens with him…
GeneJockey
That’s peeing. Pooping on walks took a month, and then she’d only go on mile + walks. But when she did, she did BIG TIME.
peach flavored shampoo
I’ve heard it’s very good to have at least 2 greyhounds. Being raised all their life in a large packs, they do better with a buddy around. Like rats and guinea pigs.
JMC in the ATL
@Shell: Indeed. When I had to put my little dude, Marlowe, down, I had a friend drive me. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m sure the neighbors in my building pondered whether or not to call the police with all of the wailing I did that night.
I still miss him, two and half years later. He was my best friend (and a rescue cat). RIP, little man.
Max
@LT: Nope, but the head coach shuffle begins.
I wish we could get Cowher.
pcbedamned
@tamied:
You are lucky. My Cocker Jasper is 47 lbs, and the vet says he is ok because he is just a big boy. (as you can see by the pic, he takes up a whole section of the couch himself. This is his usual stance).
pcbedamned
@Interrobang:
I am soooo sorry to hear about your baby. But at least if you need anything done, Guelph is the best place to be IMO.
Good luck on Thursday, and make sure to let us know how he is doing. ♥
MNPundit
I hate animals but your appeals actually don’t annoy me. That has to mean they are quite good, and as I agree that saving homeless animals is pretty good in the abstract…
…carry on!
PurpleGirl
Friends who lived in Peekskill started by getting one rescued racer (Ford’s Lil’ Sardi) for themselves, then they began finding homes for retired racers, eventually they had 4 retired racers themselves (Sardi, Red Nurse, Teddy and AC). (My friends had a 9 room house with fenced-in backyard.)
I second everyone here who says greyhounds are gentle and loving. They do well in apartments because they do like to sleep a lot. They get active for rather short periods during the day. Since they are used to being crated at the track, you can crate them during the day when you go to work. We had blankets and pillows in the crates for our gang.
The household was actually a small zoo: besides the racers, there was a traditionally large-sized Doberman Pinscher, two parrots, a cat, 3 ferrets (one albino, the other 2 were litter mates) and an ever-changing number of gerbils. It was easier for my friends to pay my food and commutation costs to go to work so I could pet/house sit when they went on vacation or were traveling for their jobs than to try and farm out the animals to kennels and such.
ThresherK
When I phoned the agency where we got Dexter I opened by talking about my wife having grieved her last cat for eight months. (My wife was at work and wouldn’t be home til after they closed.)
“If this is going to be her cat, then our policy is that she stop by in person for a visit.”
“Oh, we both will. She wants a kitten who will love her, and at least tolerate me*.”
“(Audible sigh of relief.) It’s Mother’s Day this weekend, and we have to fend off callers who want to surprise Mom with a new kitty”.
Wow. I felt soooo out of the loop. I hadn’t thought anyone did that any more. It seems so…1950sish–and not in a good way.
(*At 3½ years that is still mission accomplished.)
asiangrrlMN
@Interrobang: Aw. I haz a sad now. Nero is a beautiful cat (I commented as deliquescentdreams). I am sending you strong vibes that he will be all right. Please keep us updated.
josefina
@ThresherK: Rilla, my Doglet 2, was originally a surprise Christmas present for a woman who left her alone in the apartment for ten or twelve hours at a time. After the woman lost patience with all the peeing and pooping and chewing, she told her daughter to dump the puppy at the local dog run. (People do this all. the. time.) The daughter did ask around among the owners and I finally agreed to foster the puppy. Thirteen years later, she’s still here, slower on her pins but still as bright-eyed and joyous as ever. I just wish she’d stick around for thirteen more.
(She does have a troubling addiction to tennis balls: Rilla and the object of desire.)
josefina
In NYC, Mighty Mutts does good work on next to no money.
mommybrain
We got a little black pug from a rescue this summer. It was love at first sight for my son and Xavier. They saw each other across he room and made a bee-line for each other. Much petting and face licking ensued and we didn’t look at any other dogs.
Two days after we adopted him, we discovered he had an abscess on his male doggy part at the neuter incision site. His penis swelled to four times normal size and we almost lost him to septicemia. One week in the hospital and $1000 later, he’s a healthy, sweet, goofy, loving and grateful addition to our animal clan.
The wonderful rescue gave us a tax-deductible donation for what we spent at the vet.
Marie
Hi Dolce, formally Sasha. Delighted to see you and I must say you look quite content in your new home. All us girls at Limerick Animal Welfare send our regards to you and your family and we still remember you as the lovely grey who won our hearts completly while you were with us. Sending hugs to you.