A Dog's 15 Minutes of Fame

Our dogs are famous. At work they did a article on employees and their pets. Naturally I had to write in and tell them what greyt dogs we had. The article came out and people kept talking about Finn & Sylvie for weeks afterwards. I even had people email to tell me about their greyhounds. There were a number of dogs mentioned in the write up but I felt ours were the most interesting. Anyway, I really didn't like the flow of the write up, I had practically written it for him but due to space he had to chop it up. So, here is what a bit of what I submitted.

How exciting that Finn and Sylvie will be famous! Finn is a retired racer who is almost 6 years old. He has been retired since 2005. When we adopted Finn, who raced in Massachusetts as Scotch on the Rocks, he was emaciated and had been turned over by his current owner. Not the owner who raced him. How he made it to Texas we don't know.

He was not leash trained and was very territorial about his food, but was familiar with other comforts of home. Many former racers don't know how to climb stairs are scared of ceiling fans, etc. When we adopted him from the Ft. Worth Human Society he was about 70 pounds, now he is about 86. He is all muscle. He is built for speed, loves to run especially in colder weather.

But he loves to sleep and is very lethargic after returning from a visit to the dog park. Currently there are about 10-15 greys that visit the dog park in North Richland Hills. When they are all together it is like standing in a herd of deer.

Finn is disciplined and will listen when you give him a command. Due to his size he cannot sit like other dogs. He has a very docile personality and will allow my toddler to climb all over him without moving a muscle. The other day she was using him as a step stool to climb on the couch. It did not phase him in the least.

Sylvie, on the other hand is the polar opposite of Finn. Eliza Dolittle to his Henry Higgins. She is not tattooed in her ears which means she never raced, and therefore never trained. No training = no discipline. She is more love hound than greyhound. She likes to be in your lap in some capacity. When my husband is in class in the evening she will sit and whine until he gets home if I don't give her what she considers an appropriate amount of love.

She was found wandering on the streets and brought to the shelter. She had a very deep cut on her paw. So much so that her tendon is damaged and her toes are now flat unlike other dogs curved toes. She still manages. We don't know if that is why she was released or if that happened while on the run. She is smaller than Finn, and other greys. She helps Finn adjust to being a dog and he tries to teach her to be more like a greyhound. There are days he looks at her as if to say, "Have you no breeding!"

Sylvie was skin and bones when we took her in and now the vet tells us she needs to lose 5-7 pounds! I tried to explain to the Doctor that Sylvie and my toddler are partners in crime. Sylvie does the clean up after Kenyon is finished eating, but unlike Finn she draws the line at allowing her to climb all over her. Sylvie likes to be the one who eats first, but Finn has to be the first one in the door coming from outside. He won't tell us when he needs to go outside, that is Sylvie's job to whine and bark until we wake up and let them out.

Sylvie sleeps on the furniture, steals cough drops, loves to chase cats and tries to outsmart the squirrels at the dog park. She only runs when SHE feels like it. She hates when it is cold because she has to wear the ugly coat and Finn gets the sleek racer coat. She has been known to refuse to get out of the car. She prefers to go person to person at the park to get attention rather than playing with the other dogs.

When she eats she always leaves a bit of food "between her cheek and gum" as a snack for later. We believe it is because while on the streets she did not know when her next meal would be. It is kinda gross. Their favorite game is fetch, but only in the house, never outside. When asked if good dogs need treats, Sylvie always gives and enthusiastic bark "yes", literally. Not a day goes by that they don't start and end the day with a good howl. Greys are known for pointing nose to sky and giving a good woooohooooo! Ours are no different. My husband gets in on the action and occasionally my toddler will give it a good woohoo try. It is a family affair.

Bottom line we love our greys; they are an important part of the family. They are a great conversation piece and being with them is like traveling with Rock Stars.