Note how hilariously stiff he is in the first picture. Yep, retired Greyhounds do prefer to be carried like sheep because of how they're handled during racing years.
Why a greyhound? First of all they're just sweet. I can't think of a more mild-tempered animal in the canine family, they're just lovers. Second, they are the perfect apartment-friendly dog because they are lazy couch potatoes that literally sleep for 18 hours per day! They're the most cat-like dog and as a Crazy Cat Lady that makes them the perfect dog for me. Last but not least, they are gorgeous elegant animals that are always in need of homes because they're always being bred for racing.
Our greyhound is a black two year old retired racer, we adopted him from Greyhounds as Pets of Northeast Florida. His racing name was KB's Excell, we named him Zorro after trying to figure out a name for a tall, dark, dashing animal. If it was up to me he could have been Christian Greyhound but AJ put his foot down on that one, haha. We also considered Don, as in Don Draper from Mad Men.
Zorro turned out to be just like the greyhounds I've been reading about for years. He's very mellow, sleeps if we're not walking with him or actively trying to get him to play, and has pretty much no "doggie" smell because of the lack of oil glands and fur. They have a "nesting" instinct, if there's a fluffy quilt on the floor or anything soft they will go right to it and just sleep for hours! If you're looking for a low-maintenance dog to adopt I can't imagine it getting easier than a greyhound. This is so far though, I've read that he may get a little bolder and maybe mischievous and they adjust to their new life!
One thing I like about owning a dog is how it forces you to slow down and just live.
I've always said as a creator or business owner it's a huge problem I have, I want to be productive nearly every second of the day. With a dog you have to walk outside several times a day, I have no excuse, it's now an (enjoyable) necessity. The past few days having Zorro my heart soared witnessing the beauty of the neon-bright red-orange leaves on the trees contrasting with the blue sky. Creativity can't continue with non-stop work, your brain needs moments of rest. Go hard, then take a break, sometimes the best ideas spontaneously generate from your mind matter when let your brain completely rest.
Dat face! Awww. About to take him on his walk at the store. He usually wears a different vintage scarf every day :D
Right now we're working on socializing Zorro, he'll be coming with us to our markets and to our store, too. He's already spoiled.
Are you a dog owner? Please let me know any tips you have on dog ownership in the comments! We're happy share life with our sweet creature hopefully for years to come.
