Archives for 2019

Join us here each Monday as Regional Vice President Kathy Kreyling shares stories from the Adoption Center. Check out our Available Dogs to see who’s still waiting for their forever home.

Quite a few people wanted to start their new year with their new Greyhound so we were busy.

Vegas

When you have no idea what to get your wife for Christmas, how about getting her a Greyhound. That is what this husband did and I’m sure he made a lot of brownie points for that idea. His wife has been doing turnout for the last month or so in hopes of meeting her new dog by getting to know as many of the dogs as possible. So, naturally, she had lots of dogs she wanted to introduce to her husband and two children (ages 8 & 5) and amazingly all the dogs did very well with the kids. That meant that the family not only had to narrow the list down themselves, but they also had to find one dog they all agreed on. I was thinking that might take a little time, but the little girl they picked did such an outstanding job of showing herself off, the other dogs never really had a chance. The whole family agreed that Vegas, nka Rey, was absolutely the girl for them!!

Elise

First up was a man who lost his Grey to cancer a few months ago and he was ready to get his new friend. However, there was one small thing he had to take into consideration and that was the small dog (named Lo) that belongs to his girlfriend. He met dogs a few days ago and narrowed the list down to three he was very interested in. Then he brought in Lo for a meet and greet and that list pretty much went right out the window since two out of the three dogs were clearly way too interested in Lo. Luckily, his favorite got along just fine with Lo and he was excited to take home his new furry friend — Elise who is now known as Tilda.

Kevin

This couple was obviously ready to get their new dog — they had their home visit at 9:30 and the minute the visit was over and they were approved, the woman called me to come meet dogs as soon as possible. They had been through the website and came in with their list which they quickly narrowed down to two dogs. Of those two remaining dogs, they were already leaning toward one, but when they found out he was born on their anniversary, they decided that Kevin, nka Seymour, absolutely had to be their new addition.

Flicka

The next couple fostered dogs for us a few years ago and they did what so many foster families do — they failed!!! Unfortunately, they lost their failed foster recently and they were ready to fill that hole he left. They recently did turnout so they had a list of dogs they were wanting to see and they selected a few that they wanted to spend more time with. There was one final test that the Greyhound was going to have to pass and that was it needed to get along with their friends’ Husky/Bassett hound mix named Millie. The two males flunked that test as soon as they walked in the room, but the two girls did just fine. I’m not sure, but I think that Flicka, nka Piper, had the edge over the other Grey because she was born on the same day as the woman’s father! 😉

Nina

Finally, the parents of two extremely handsome black boys had recently lost their small dog and they decided they needed to fill their pack out again. They were thinking that another boy would be the best option, but then they met a beautiful little fawn girl who stole their hearts. So, they decided that Nina would fit into their family beautifully!

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Available Dogs

GPI’s Adoption Guide

Join us here each Monday as Regional Vice President Kathy Kreyling shares stories from the Adoption Center. Check out our Available Dogs to see who’s still waiting for their forever home.

Cleo

So many Greyhound families have lost one of their precious dogs to bone cancer and these ladies just joined that group when they lost their girl Ivy on Saturday. They knew that their remaining Grey named Finnegan (fka Cosmo) would not do well as an only dog and they were prepared to act pretty quickly to get another dog. They also have a cat which obviously affected the dogs that would fit in their home. Even though our list of cat trainable dogs is quickly being depleted, but there were still a few cuties for the ladies to see. Finnegan loves everybody so he was not much help in the selection process, but, the ladies were prepared to jump in and help and they all decided that Cleo was the one!!

BT

Although all of our adoptions are special, this one is just a little more special. This guy is about as sweet as he can be but he is big & strong & had absolutely no manners when he came to us so it was pretty hard to see what this guy was really like!! But our wonderful team of employees and volunteers set to work to give him some of the basic behavior training so that potential adopters could see the diamond in the rough! The work paid off and when his special family found their way to him, he was ready and waiting. I think they fell in love with him before they met him, but the deal was sealed at first sight and cemented by the first meeting. When he came out into the adoption center, he was on his best behavior and showered these people with kisses and showed all of his tricks. There was absolutely no way they could resist BT who
will now be known as Rudy!!

Tyrion

This family came to the kennel fully intending to get one specific dog. They have a female 3 or 4 year old Deerhound and a 9 year old male Greyhound that needed to be able to get along with the dog they wanted. Usually, I worry about whether or not the current dogs will like the new dog, but, in this case, the parents were so sure it was going to be fine, I really didn’t have much doubt that it would work out. I didn’t mention that the dog they were interested in just happens to be an 8 month old puppy that acts just like you would expect him to act — bouncy, happy, knows no boundaries, every thing is FUN — you know what puppies are like! None of those characteristics phased the parents or the dogs so Tyrion (who is from South Korea & just happens to be cute as a button!) has found his new home and I am guessing that is going to be one busy household as everybody gets adjusted!!

More info

Available Dogs

GPI’s Adoption Guide

Join us here each Monday as Regional Vice President Kathy Kreyling shares stories from the Adoption Center. Check out our Available Dogs to see who’s still waiting for their forever home.

Pam and Doodle

You just never know what is going to happen at any given adoption and this one was no exception. First of all, this couple already has two tortoises which is certainly not something you encounter every day. They have wanted to expand their family and add a dog to the mix for a long time, so, when they bought their house late this summer, the first thing they did was put up their fence and then all they had to do was find the perfect female Greyhound to romp around in the yard. They had a hard time finding one perfect female, but they had no trouble finding two — Pam and Doodle!!

Freddie

Last month, we were looking for some homes that would foster dogs for us so that we could make room for the large number of dogs that we were expecting. Around that time, these men had been doing the Brightwater walks and they were really interested in one of our sweet Lurchers from the Ohio area. So, when one of them just happened to mention how much they liked this boy to me, of course, I asked if they might want to foster him. After thinking it over, they said yes! As many of you know, it is not unusual for foster homes turn into forever homes (You know I would be lying if I said we didn’t have our fingers crossed that this situation would have that kind of outcome). Happily, they did just what we were hoping for and they decided to make Freddie an official family member!!

Storm

The next couple has done turnout a couple of times and they were just itching to meet dogs so they could take their own Greyhound home. They started out looking for a small female and we showed them plenty of those and we also added in a couple of males that are on the smaller side. They decided it was going to be one of two dogs and then it took quite a while for them to agree on the final choice. The person who did their home visit told them that although they were looking for a small female, they would probably go home with a big, black male. I don’t know if he is clairvoyant, but that is exactly what happened — they adopted Storm who fits that description perfectly!!

Zara

Next came a family from Canada who also just happened to be looking for a small female. They have a 12 1/2 year old Greyhound named Tia who is on the small side and they thought a small girl would be the best fit for her. After seeing the Saluki mixes on our web-site, they were excited to see if one of them would be a good addition to their family. At first, Tia wasn’t sure she wanted any part of this scenario, but, once she settled a bit, she began to act as if the whole thing wasn’t quite that bad. The funny thing is that the mother fell in love with a dog on the website and Tia’s initial reaction to that particular dog was a little shaky. However, when they met again outside, they became best buddies and the mother got to take home the one she wanted all along — Zara!!

Rami

The next lady has also had many of our hounds and a few weeks ago she came to the kennel to visit some of her human friends. She was not looking for a dog to adopt, but, we had just gotten some new dogs from Dubai and we told her she should just go look at one of them. She fell under his spell in about 2 seconds and immediately started talking about introducing him to her current Greyhound, Molesley. That part is always a bit tricky, but Molesley seemed to get along with this boy and the boy also seemed to get along with him! That was certainly good news, because it is hard to imagine that this adopter would have been able to go home without Rami!!!!

Lydia

This family made a trip to the kennel a couple of weeks ago thinking that a Greyhound was going to be a wonderful pet for them and their two young boys. But, as they met some of the Greyhounds, we started to realize that another type of dog that was a little smaller might be a better fit for them. We weren’t sure we had a dog that fit that description, but all of a sudden we thought of one. The whole family kind of lit up when we brought her out to meet them and they unanimously decided that Lydia was going to be a part of their family!!!

Donna

We are on to the Newbies and, now that i think of it, both of those couples are from Canada! The first couple have been looking for a dog that would get along with their cat and be ok in their apartment in downtown Vancouver. That actually is a pretty tall order to fill, but we found a girl that we think can cope with almost any situation she encounters. The biggest bonus is that the dog immediately started her schmoozing act when she met the couple in the adoption center and, the truth is, they really didn’t need to spend any more time with her — they knew Donna was the one for them.

More info

Available Dogs

GPI’s Adoption Guide

Join us here each Monday as Regional Vice President Kathy Kreyling shares stories from the Adoption Center. Check out our Available Dogs to see who’s still waiting for their forever home.

Birdie

This dog is such an excellent schmoozer that this poor couple had no idea what hit them. First, I will say that the couple did see other dogs, BUT, after the performance this dog gave, they never had a chance!! She came out to the adoption acting so sweetly, and so focused on the couple that I’m sure they believed she thought they were the only people in the world (I sure believed it!!). She cuddled, nuzzled, almost sat on their laps, gave sweet little kisses — I don’t know very many people who could or would even want to resist this “attack”. So, Miss Birdie, who will now be called Holly, got her Christmas present early and it was exactly what she wanted — a home!

Cali & Boo

Every adoption appointment seems to have some kind of a surprise for us and this one was no different. A couple brought in their 12 year old grey named Reggie that they got at Dairyland when they lived in Indiana. Reggie was in need of a playmate and she got to pick out exactly who she wanted with a little help from the couple. She met quite a few dogs and selected a few she would like to get to know better. But, after spending more time with the dogs, there was one snafu — she just couldn’t decide between two girls. No problem, her parents decided to take home both girls, Cali & Boo!!

Amiga

So many times, the reason someone wants to get another Grey is because they have lost a dog and their remaining dog needs a new companion. That is just what happened with this lady. Her dog, Chase, definitely needed a new friend and he wanted that friend to be a female. His previous companion was in charge of the house, and it didn’t take us long to find a new friend for him that was more than willing to take over his former buddy’s role. This particular girl is a brood mom so she is used to being in charge of things and it seemed as though Chase immediately understood she was the one for him — he kept seeking her out when she moved away from him & stood next to her as much as possible — they just seemed to have an instant connection. So, Amiga, nka Miga, headed home to resume the role she had played so well in the past — mother!

Chevy

Next, this mixed couple (she loves dogs, he loves cats) has been trying to deal with their differences — luckily, from the wife’s point of view, she is allergic to cats so there wasn’t a lot of doubt about what type of pet they would be getting. Since they figured out that part a few years ago, they have been planning to get a Greyhound— they had researched the breed and carefully prepared themselves and their home for the addition of a Greyhound. The time had finally come for them to put all their plans in action and they were all ready to meet dogs and find a male Greyhound to join their family. As we all know, it is fairly easy to narrow the list of dogs that you meet down to a reasonable number, but when it comes down to the final 2 dogs, it is very difficult to choose one. This couple struggled with the final decision but ultimately decided that Chevy was going home to Canada with them (you can probably guess who made the final decision — you know the saying “happy wife, happy life”)!!

More info

Available Dogs

GPI’s Adoption Guide