Greyhound Pets, Inc.

Greyhound Pets, Inc.

Greyhound Adoption in Puget Sound, Washington and British Columbia

Adoption Tails

Vito, Jenny, Fiesta, Lita

Join us here 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.

Vito

Vito with his new mom, Grace

This adoption has been in the works for quite a while and it has definitely been “ a labor of love” for this lady. She fell in love with this little guy the first time she saw him when she did turnout quite a few months ago. Unfortunately, he came to us from Dubai with some knee problems and both knees needed surgery. So, since GPI always wants to make sure that our dogs leave us in the best condition possible, we arranged for the surgeries. This lady wanted to help and agreed to foster him through his surgeries and recovery (which has taken months) and she has done an amazing job. He is now ready for adoption and when she got the news, she was so excited that Vito was going to officially be hers!!! 

Jenny

Jenny (nka Selkie) with her new mom, Katherine

We have had more than our share of potential Greyhound owners with unusual circumstances or pets. This one is right up there near the top — this lady has two pet rats that she was hoping her new Greyhound would be able to co-exist with. Given that these dogs would much rather eat a rat than live with it, we knew we wouldn’t have a ton of options for this lady … BUT, our dogs came through for us again!! We actually found 2 possibilities and the lady chose our sweet little girl from South Korea, Jenny (nka Selkie)!!  

Fiesta

Fiesta with his new parents … Marcus & Nikki

When a couple comes in with a house, no kids, no cats, no other dogs … our eyes light up because that means they qualify to take home almost any dog we have (just an aside … this rarely happens!!!!). On top of that, they have done turnout a few times so they have had a chance to meet a lot of the dogs and get some idea of what the dogs are like. It was interesting that the list of dogs they wanted to see was quite varied — really different sizes, personalities and backgrounds. In the end, it boiled down to two purebred Greyhounds and, after some deliberation, they decided that our feisty little fellow, Fiesta, who raced in the U. S. and, most recently, the Caliente track in Mexico was the one for them!!

Lita

Lita (nka Mia) with her new parents … SK & YK

We have to start with this one … After almost 2 years, we are all exited to finally be sending one of our dogs to Canada!!!! This couple has been so excited to get their first dog. They came to Woodinville last week to join the Brightwater walk and meet dogs and then they came back today to get to know the dogs a little better and, hopefully, take one home. They saw a wide variety of dogs from one of our largest to our smallest and, believe it or not, they narrowed it down to the largest and smallest dogs they saw! It took some time for them to sort things out, but they decided that our little Hawaiian girl, Lita (nka Mia) was the one for them (we actually weren’t too surprised when the husband told us that she looked pretty cold while they were outside so he picked her up and zipped her up in his jacket!!!).

More Info

Available Dogs.

GPI’s Adoption Guide

Pippa, Crisper, Cleo, Chai, Ace

Join us here 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.

Pippa

Pippa with her new mom, Jessie

When this lady makes up her mind that she is going to do something, I think it is best to stand back and watch her in action. She recently came to the kennel to meet a couple of dogs and was so enamored that she went straight home and recruited friends and neighbors to help finish her fence and, shortly after that, she was scheduling an appointment to adopt. She was originally interested in two of our puppies but when she got to see them in action, she realized that they were a little (maybe a lot!) more active than she was prepared for. She had also noticed one of our sweet girls so we introduced her to that dog and she turned out to be much more mellow (and a much better schmoozer) than the puppies. They connected pretty quickly and it didn’t take long before Pippa was on her way home with her new mom.  

Crisper

Crisper (right) with his new family … Jerry, Eliyah (with Chrissy on her lap), Rohie & Gina

This family with twin daughters found a couple of dogs that they were very interested in on-line a few weeks ago and came to meet them, but, since the parents needed to take care of some fencing they weren’t able to take the dogs home at that time. Since they met the dogs, the girls have planned out their adoption and training plans in great detail, shopped for treats, toys & clothes and, most probably driven their parents absolutely crazy wanting to know when they were going to get their puppies. At long last, everything was ready and they could nPippaot wait to come pick up their new“bffs”. Watching the girls with their dogs was a real treat for all of us and while our cute puppies from Hawaii, Crisper & Chrissy, are quite shy, it was pretty obvious that it won’t be long before they come out of their shells with all the love and attention they are going to get. (Unfortunately, only Crisper could be adopted today because Chrissy needs two surgeries on her leg and she can’t be adopted until she’s all healed. But, while we very rarely put dogs in foster homes, we thought it was really important that the two puppies stay together, so Chrissy will be in her new home as a foster-to-adopt and be officially adopted later.)

Cleo

Cleo with her new family … Carly, Jim & Wendy

The next family was looking for a smaller dog that would cuddle with them and, as most of us know, Greyhounds aren’t particularly interested in being cuddled so we thought that one of our mixes might be a good fit. But, as cuddly as our mixes are, they are also young and very energetic!! So, our job was to find the calmest of our young, energetic dogs — not an easy task. All the dogs had no problem showing they wanted to be cuddled, but, even though they tried, it was hard for most of them to tamp down their energy. However, the last dog we brought out was definitely on her very best behavior and did an excellent job of showing just how affectionate, cuddly and, most of all, calm she could be. It isn’t hard to believe that Cleo, our sweet girl from South Korea, chose this family as the one she wanted. Thankfully, they totally agreed!!!

Chai

Chai (left) with her new family … Hannah, Ben, Gracie (center) & Gene

The next couple already has two Greyhounds but they decided that they definitely had room for another. And, they wanted a shy dog because the dogs they currently have were shy when they got them and they have had the pleasure of watching those dogs blossom! We were excited to introduce them to one of our girls and in the short time that she spent with the people and their dogs, she seemed to let her hair down a little and we could see a glimpse of the dog she would become! We’re so happy for Chai!!!

Ace

Ace with his new parents Mark & Laine

The last couple saw quite a variety of dogs … younger, older, peppy, calm. They were specifically looking for a dog that would get along with their friends’ dogs and, even more importantly, they needed a dog that would not be completely fixated on their chickens!! Believe me, that is really a pretty tall order to fill!! Of course, there is no way to know how our dogs are going to do with chickens — about the best we can do is to recommend they get one of our trainers involved right away and cross our fingers (which we did)!!! After meeting the dogs, they deliberated for quite a while and ultimately decided that one of our cute puppies from Mexico, Ace, was the one for them!

More Info

Available Dogs.

GPI’s Adoption Guide

Clover, Peter, Candy, Smirk

Join us here 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.

Clover

Clover with his new parents, Pam & Greg

We always talk about how the dogs choose their new families — some of them are very subtle and some of them are unbelievably obvious! From just about the second this guy walked into the adoption center, he knew those people were his and he was not shy about letting them know. He came out proudly, and walked right over and sat, then kissed them and for his last move, he climbed up on the man’s lap and buried his head in the man’s coat and chest! This poor couple never had a chance — Clover, the last of the three puppies we got from Mexico, was in the driver’s seat and he got exactly what he wanted — a new mom & dad.

Peter

Peter with his new mom, Sharon

This road to this adoption began many months ago on the Brightwater walk. This lady was a “regular” on the walks, and one day she picked a big, handsome fawn guy to walk and she continued to walk him every time she came to the kennel. She has wanted to adopt him for a long time, but she was working long days and her schedule didn’t leave enough time for her to care for a dog. In the meantime, we kept showing this boy and he made it oh so clear that he had no interest in any of the people we introduced him to — he would come into the adoption center, look at the people and turn around to go back in the kennel!!! Thankfully, the lady recently retired and all the obstacles to adopting a dog were going away. I don’t know who was more excited when they left the kennel — the lady or Peter!!

Candy

Candy (left) with her new family … John, Kim, Thomas & Naomi

Lately, we have had a couple of dogs that we put into foster homes because they were so terribly shy that they were having a very difficult time in the kennel and we were hoping that getting socialized a little would make it easier to show them. Whenever we put a dog into a foster home, we secretly wish that the foster parents will fail fostering and we got our wish!!

The first failed foster is one of our employees. She fell in love with a sweet little fawn girl at work and convinced her husband that their family would really be able to help this girl. This family has patiently worked with this girl and they have done an excellent job of allowing her the time and space to bloom. They also have Naomi, the mother of the puppies we had this summer, and she has been helping (a lot) — her outgoing, happy personality has been a great example for this dog. When she came in for her adoption, we noticed a wonderful difference in Candy – she seemed much more comfortable and happy — it was so much fun to see her like that!!

Smirk

Smirk (right) with his new family … Mike & Sylvie (Hermes had the day off)

The last failed foster is a board member. One day, not too long ago, he said he had been thinking about fostering one of the dogs. We took him up on his offer so quickly — he was headed home with a dog almost before he knew it. This particular dog is also extremely shy and he really needed someplace where he could feel safe so he could start to bloom. It’s been slow going, but he is gradually becoming more comfortable in his home and we are starting to get glimpses of the dog he is going to be. This adoption happened almost the same way that the foster did. The man said he was probably going to adopt the dog, we said “do you want to do it now” then filled out the papers for him to sign, collected money and sent Smirk home to his official family pretty much before the man realized what had happened! 

More Info

Available Dogs.

GPI’s Adoption Guide

Ozzie, Albert, Adonis, Naomi

Ozzie

Ozzie with his new parents, Julie & Curtis

It’s interesting how people go about learning about Greyhounds and making a decision to adopt one. This lady used to come do the Brightwater walks while she lived in Kirkland, but she has continued to come join the group at times even though she now lives in Vancouver, WA. That’s a long haul to walk a dog!! She and her partner came to help with Spa Day and take home their new Greyhound. They saw a lot of girls and then we convinced them they should see at least one boy. They did and you just know that was the dog they took home — Ozzie!!!!!  

Albert

Albert with his new dad, Jonathan

This potential adopter did his homework — he went on a couple of Brightwater walks and he did turnout — so he had a good idea of what the dogs were like before he even got to the kennel. He had particularly liked one of the dogs he walked at Brightwater, but he also wanted to meet some of the other possibilities. But, he ended up going home with the dog he had met before and by the time he and Albert walked out the door together, it was pretty obvious that Albert knew he had found his person! 

Naomi

Naomi with her new family … Kim, Thomas & John

This particular dog has had quite a journey to find her new home. She started out in Korea then moved to Kenmore, WA where she moved into a wonderful foster home where she had 5 puppies. She had a difficult delivery and ended up having one puppy naturally and the rest with a C-section. She didn’t miss a beat after the birth and immediately started caring for her puppies — a hard job for her (and her foster mom) which went on for the next 8 weeks. As soon as the puppies were able to be on their own, she started some medical treatments. During the last few weeks of treatment, she moved to another foster home (her original foster mom already had 3 dogs) and found a family that was just as nuts for her as she was for them. Finally all the treatments were done & all the barriers for her adoption were gone. Naomi worked hard to get where she is and we are all so excited that she is in her forever home!!! 

More Info

Available Dogs.

GPI’s Adoption Guide

Wyatt, Lady, Moe, Nova, Karl, Twister, Ryan

Wyatt

Wyatt with his new parents, Don & Anne

The wife of the first couple has been doing her homework to make sure she knew as much as she could about dogs that she could potentially adopt. She has been doing turnout and the Brightwater walks and has come to know quite a few dogs well. Recently, she fell for one of the dogs she has been walking and she decided it was time to get working on getting their fence ready for a Greyhound, filling out an application and getting their home visit done. Oh, she also had to convince her husband that this dog was the one for them. Thankfully, he knew a diamond when he saw one and shortly thereafter, they were on the way home with their new family member, Wyatt!! 

Lady

Lady (left) with her new family … Michael, Julie & Gracie (fka Sunny)

The next couple was looking for a companion for their 11 year old Grey named Gracie (fka Sunny). Gracie got along with everybody but she had 2 dogs that she did particularly well with — one female and one male. She really wasn’t a lot of help in making the final decision and truthfully, we think the couple was a little unsure about which dog would be the best fit. But, they figured it out & they decided that Lady, a beautiful brindle girl who most recently ran at the Caliente track in Mexico, was going to make a wonderful sister for Gracie.

Moe

Moe with his new family … Evy, Parker, Justin and Millie

With two kids and a four year old Rat Terrier mix named Millie, the main reason that this father was looking to adopt a Greyhound was that they were so calm. Of course, we told him that, in most cases, you have to get through the younger years and training before you wind up with the calm dog. Then we started working through the dogs to see who would get along with kids and the small dog. Believe me, this is not an easy thing to find. These dogs must be taking acting lessons somewhere — just about the time that we feel a dog is going to fit the situation, it starts to show its true colors and we realize it isn’t going to work with the small dog, kids or both. It takes some time, but we usually come up with a good option — this time it was our sweet boy Moe who is a little shy, but so loving when he gets comfortable, he’s hard to resist. And this family, thankfully, realized his potential!!!  

Nova

Nova with her new family … Mia (with Buddy on her lap) & Liz (with Peppers)

A lady and her daughter needed a dog that would get along with their two small dogs (an IG, named Peppers, and a Jack Russell, named Buddy). She has been doing turnout for a while and actually came in with one dog in mind, but that one didn’t do particularly well with either dog, so we moved on to some others. And, we found a really sweet broodmom that did very well with the dogs and people which was no surprise because Nova has been a kennel favorite since she got here! 

Karl

Karl with his new mom, Kate

Five months is a long time to be without that lovely Greyhound energy in your home and this lady found this out first hand. She recently decided it was definitely time to get that back! She needed a dog that would get along with her 13 year old cat at home & the cats and dogs that are in and out of the veterinary hospital where she is a vet. We showed her every cat friendly dog we had and it really was quite entertaining watching the dogs — the puppies were bouncy, loving and crazy while the purebreds were gentle, loving and calm — what a difference!! She had a little difficulty picking her new family member but was very excited when she decided that the handsome, brindle boy named Karl was the one for her!! 

Twister

Twister with his new dad, Ethan

The next man came to meet dogs a couple of weeks ago but since he still had a few things to take care of before he would be ready to take a dog home, he had to leave without one. He wasn’t sure when he would get all his things done so he couldn’t make a commitment to any one dog and he knew when he walked out the door that the dogs he was interested could possibly be adopted before he was ready. Scary thought!! He got things taken care of pretty quickly and came today to get his new furry friend — that gorgeous black and white boy, Twister!! 

Ryan

Ryan (left) with his new family … Coventry, Josh & Lucy

There really is very little to tell about this adoption. This couple came to get their 6th Greyhound and they knew who they wanted before they got in the car to come to the kennel. They just wanted to make sure that their dog, Lucy, got along with the potential addition. That took about 5 minutes and they said we would take this one and it was all done. It took less than 1/2 hour from the time they walked in the door to the time they walked out with Ryan!! 

More Info

Available Dogs.

GPI’s Adoption Guide