Greyhound Pets, Inc.

Greyhound Pets, Inc.

Greyhound Adoption in Puget Sound, Washington and British Columbia

Adoption Tails

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

Turk, Lucky, Patty, Tucker

Turk

Turk (left) with his new family … John, Emily & Ian

This is the first time that we can remember where on one day everyone who came in with a dog in mind to adopt actually went home with that dog!!!

The first couple almost adopted this dog about a year ago and the wife has been thinking about him ever since then!! Yesterday, at the Walkathon, they ran into him and they had a chance to spend an afternoon with him and the dog they adopted earlier. Everyone got along and they decided that he had to be a part of their family. This boy has been around a while and he has had so many people pulling for him and trying to help him find his new family … we are all so excited that Turk is now right where he belongs!!! We kinda believe he has been waiting for them to come back for him and it’s almost impossible to describe how happy we are for him and his new family!

Lucky

Lucky with her new family … Sophia, Jack, Shannon, Erik and Royal

Next came a family that has had many dogs as well as a wide variety of other animals. Their 5 acre fenced property would be perfect for almost any of our dogs but they knew which one they wanted. They have had dogs with some medical issues before and when I talked about one of our girls, the woman said she would be perfect for their family. They all came over to meet the dog and it didn’t take them very long to decide she was definitely the girl for them. This sweet little girl has had a few seizures and this family knows just how to handle those situations so Lucky really was lucky to find a family like this!! 

Patty 

Patty with her new dad, Ray

And, next a man who recently lost his best friend not too long ago came to meet one special girl that he saw on line. He wanted a dog that would be his buddy and want to do things like hike with him, spend time playing in the yard and just enjoy being patted and loved. He picked the perfect girl and by the time they left the kennel, it already seemed like he and Patty (one of our darling Lurchers from American Lurcher Project) had known each other for a long time and they were going to be greyt buddies.

Tucker

Tucker with his new parents — Todd & Sarah

We always say that it is a really good idea to do turnout before you adopt a dog so that you get to know them a little better. However, there is one big drawback and that is that you can end up with way too many dogs to choose from and it becomes a lot more difficult to make a decision. This couple ran into that “problem”. They enjoyed so many dogs that they came in with a long list of possibilities which we narrowed down together. After spending time with the remaining dogs and deciding on their favorites, their biggest decision was whether they wanted one dog or two. Of course, we were rooting for two dogs but we were still excited when they picked one of our most handsome fawn dogs (of course I say that about all of them – just change the color and sex ) — Tucker!!

Nari, Charlotte, Naomi, Hulu, Prim, Ghost, Tesla

Nari

Nari

The first man that came really only had one main thing that was really important to him in his selection process — the dog had to get along with his sister’s small dog. We introduced him to a few different dogs that would work and then we also showed him a couple of more dogs that weren’t ready to leave the kennel yet. This was one of those things that doesn’t happen very often — when we showed him one particular dog, they clicked — it was an instant connection that we all felt. There were a couple of “housekeeping” things he needed to do to be able to adopt this dog and he did them all immediately. We’re so glad he did because after watching Nari (from the UAE) and him together, it would have been awful if they couldn’t be together. (Sorry, no family photo is available just yet) 

Charlotte

Charlotte and her new family … Kelly, Tom & Sweeney

Next, a couple lost their 15 year old Greyhound Thursday and their sweet 5 year old Schnauzer named Sweeney was really missing her so they came to meet a couple of our Whippet mixes from Asia. Both girls got along beautifully with Sweeney and his parents and they made it very difficult for the people to decide. The people toyed with the idea of getting both girls but thought that situation could be a little more than Sweeney could handle at the moment. So, then, they had to decide which one to adopt. They had a very difficult time deciding but the final decision was — Charlotte!!! 

Naomi

Naomi with her new family … Patrick, Zinnia & Rachel

This family had previously owned a Lurcher and when they lost that dog, their daughter was very young. So they decided to wait until she was older — Zinnia is now 7 and they feel the time is right for an addition. We showed them a few dogs, but the truth is that once Zinnia met our sweet little Asian girl, Naomi, we knew there was no way they would be leaving without her! And, they didn’t!!! 

Hulu

Hulu (right) with her new family …. Jesse, Amanda, Noah & Bowie (fka Elmo)

The next family has had one of our Lurchers, Bowie (fka Elmo), since June and they have enjoyed him so much that they knew they had to have another. They have been watching the recent arrival videos and they fell in love with one of the girls who came to us from Mexico. Even though we showed them a few other dogs, this dog proved to be just as wonderful as they were hoping. Thankfully, Bowie agreed and Hulu has a new home!! 

Prim

Prim (right) with her new family … Kristi, John & Truck

This couple has had 6 Greyhounds through the years and they know what their dogs need. Two weeks ago they had to send one of their hounds to the Bridge and their remaining hound, Truck, has not been himself. They realized that he was really missing his brother and needed a new friend. We introduced Truck and his family to a few different dogs and, while he got along with all of them, the one he seemed to connect with and enjoy the most was Prim!!  –

Ghost

Ghost, nka Chamaco which means young boy in Spanish) with his new mom, Pen

I don’t know what was going on with the dogs today, but, it was like we had a whole new cast of characters. Every dog we showed seemed to know exactly what to do to schmooze the potential adopters and it was incredible to watch. The first dog came out to meet his potential new mom and he went right up to her, snuggled and gave her a kiss and she started to cry! There was pretty much nothing another dog could do to top that. One dog came close, but Ghost (nka Chamaco – which means young boy in Spanish) and his new mom were already bonded from their first introduction and he was the one that she took home!

Tesla

Tesla with her new dads, Richie & Chris

Then two men came to find their new companion and the dogs these men met completely outdid themselves!! The first one came out, made sure he gave sufficient attention to both men and then promptly sat on one man’s lap while he snuggled with the other one! Each one they met after that tried hard to make an impression (and they did!!) but the first dog was still in first place. Then we brought out a gorgeous girl who came out and paid attention to each man and then wanted to get up on the couch and kiss them. It was tough to figure out which dog they would pick, but, in the end, they decided it had to be Tesla!!

More Info

Available Dogs.

GPI’s Adoption Guide