Dog of the Week

This week, when walking through the mini-shopping centre off Cromwell Road, I met this five year old lady Greyhound. She was extremely sociable, and when I said hello to her, she loped towards me in long elegant strides.

Being a leggy, large dog, she jumped up on me, and her paws reached my collar-bone.  Greyhounds are full of fun, and when my attention was taken away from her, talking to the owner, she would surprise me by jumping at me from another angle.

Greyhounds are graceful dogs, and have very silky coats which don’t get oily or greasy, so they don’t have the dank odour that other dogs do. They shed a lot, and this lady Greyhound left lots of white and gold hairs on my clothes.  The constant shedding is a nuisance, but adult greyhounds have that puppy smell of a brand new, clean coat of fur.

They are sensitive souls, with fragile skin and thin bones. They are physically and emotionally thin-skinned. Their intelligence means they have the mental retention to remember being reprimanded with a sharp tone of voice, and the slap on the nose hurts more because of their thin-skin. Knowing what it's like to be hurt, they are very careful around others.

  

It surprises people that Greyhounds are gentle. That muzzle that encloses their faces as they race gives the false impression of viciousness. The muzzle is needed to protect them from injury and to judge the winner in tight races.  As a domestic pet, the Greyhound has subtle ways of showing their gentle character: when they approach you for a rub or to go outside, they dab you lightly with their paw, like they are a nurse treating a wound with cotton wool and ointment. Or, someone nudging your shoulder to wake you from a nap. 

There is an excellent article here on adopting a greyhound. I don't have the space in my London flat, but you never know... 

There is The Retired Greyhound Trust and they are on Twitter, where they post the most gorgeous greyhound pics on the web.