This post has been one of my "promised posts" for a while ("promised posts" being the times I write 'blog post coming up on that soon' about a particular topic on a different post), and since I had a spare moment I thought I would sit down and write about one of my favourite things in the whole wide world: greyhounds.
In case you've been living under a rock and weren't aware, I have a greyhound called Dusty, whom I love to absolute bits *insert adorable pictures here*.
I got Dusty on 27th December 2012. Before I go into detail on how having a greyhound makes life that more fabulous, I'll discuss for a bit how our family came to the decision of getting a dog and then deciding on a breed, and the adopting process we went through to get Dusty.
GETTING A DOG AND THE ADOPTION PROCESS
Our family had discussed having a dog for a while - it had been a running theme to talk about what kind of dog we would get and all the fun we could have with a four-legged furry friend running about the house. But my brother and I never really thought that our parents had seriously considered a dog - these ideas were just fantasies we liked to create in our heads. It had never really crossed our minds that the dream of getting a dog could actually be within the realms of reality, and so when my mum brought it up at the dinner table one night, my brother and I were gobsmacked. My mum continued to say that she'd been researching this for months (which only further shocked my brother and I) and had concluded that the best breed for our family were greyhounds, dogs that are bred for racing but usually need to retire after a few years and are then put into kennels for rehoming, in the hope that they can live out their retirement as family pets.
At this point I was delighted that we were getting a dog, but also a wee bit apprehensive: I'd heard that greyhounds needed a lot of walking and were quite high maintenance (a complete myth, naturally; but more on that later).
Nevertheless, we headed down to a local greyhound kennels called Hersham Hounds, and began the process of walking kennel dogs to see how we coped with the dogs. We walked four dogs to test our capabilities over a few visits to the kennels, and once we'd decided that we wanted to go ahead and adopt a dog, a member of staff from the kennels was sent to our home to ensure that it would be suitable for a greyhound. We were asked to adjust our garden fencing slightly so that the greyhound wouldn't escape, which we did, and that was it.
We were then free to walk dogs with a view to homing, and the first dog they gave us to walk was a bitch called... Dusty (yep, you guessed it). Dusty instantly greeted us by jumping up at each of us in turn and placing her paws on us. It was almost as if she was claiming us there and then. By the end of the first walk with Dusty, we knew she was the dog for us, and took her home for an overnight sleepover to see how she behaved in a home environment. After the success of this sleepover, we reserved her until a little after Christmas, when we could bring Dusty home officially.
LIFE WITH A GREYHOUND
I could go on and on about the endless benefits of having a greyhound, but to prevent boring any readers to death, I will attempt to narrow it down into a manageable list for you all.
1. EXERCISE
Having Dusty has given me motivation to go out, get some fresh air, and walk her on weekends (I can't during the week because of school). As a result, my moods are better, I feel fitter and healthier, and I drink a lot more water. Despite walking Dusty for about forty minutes a day, greyhounds don't really need much exercise at all - we were told that just a twenty minute walk is sufficient enough for the breed.
2. MEETING NEW PEOPLE
Having a dog means there is always an excuse to stop and talk to someone with a dog of their own on a walk. The dogs are a great conversation starter, and you meet really lovely people who have similar passions to you. It's particularly nice for our family to meet other greyhound owners, because we get to rave about how utterly awesome they are, and since all greyhounds share similar characteristics, compare the similarities between our respective pets. It's nice meeting part of your "crowd", people who "get it". People without greyhounds or pets at all don't tend to understand why they're so great, and think me odd (*cough cough* FRIENDS) - but other greyhound owners understand completely, which is lovely.
3. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND AFFECTION
This step really applies to all dogs in general - having a dog means having a friend who loves you on a level akin to nothing else you've ever seen. Dogs love more freely and simply than us humans; they love unconditionally and without question; they are unswervingly loyal; they give you reason to smile everyday. Dusty doesn't care what I look like or act like. She doesn't judge me for who I am, or pick up on my faults. In her eyes I am her pack, and she loves her pack. I love that about her.
4. STRENGTHENING THE FAMILY BOND
Silly as it sounds, I think having Dusty has made my family closer and stronger than ever. We often walk her together on weekends, giving us time to spend time with one another, and our common love for Dusty unites us all. I also think that Dusty reminds us sometimes to be less judgemental towards one another and just love our family simply and deeply, looking past all the faults. I also have new-found respect for my parents, as I am fully involved with the care of Dusty and can now begin to appreciate what having that level of responsibility for another being must be like. It gives me a better understanding of how hard it was for them to raise my brother and I.
5. RESPONSIBILITY
I just touched on this but I think that the responsibility of having a dog is good for me. It's made me more protective as a person, more loving (although I attempt to be as loving as I can), and more self-aware. I will admit that I am a person lacking common sense, but having Dusty has helped me think rationally a little more often and as such I am remembering to do things around the house to help out that I would ordinarily forget. Dusty, strange as it sounds, has improved my rationality! Who woulda thunk it?
I'm going to round up this post by urging you to look up Hersham Hounds, the kennel I adopted my dog from, and maybe looking into the work they do for greyhounds, because it is truly awe-inspiring. I'm not saying you should go and adopt a greyhound right here, right now - I think that would be a deeply unreasonable request - but maybe a quick snoop around the website, or spreading the word, or a small donation if you're feeling particularly generous? I know I, and the eighty-odd greyhounds at Hersham Hounds waiting to be adopted, would really appreciate it. If you're not local to Hersham, the Retired Greyhound Trust deals with rehoming racing greyhounds up and down the country in general, so maybe you could look that up.
Thanks ever so much for reading this slightly rambly post - I hope you enjoyed it! - and I'm ever so sorry that there's been a week between my uploads. I go back to school next week, and I'll be studying for my A Levels, so I'm afraid you'll have to get used to weekly uploads as I'll only be able to post once a week. I'm thinking uploads will be on Sundays, but I haven't decided definitely yet.
Thanks for reading,
Olivia x
POST LINKS
Retired Greyhound Trust Website:
Hersham Hounds Website:
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