“I filed for separation from my husband a few months after Nutmeg died.
I realized that both Nutmeg and Diego were my guardian angels.
Throughout the stress of divorce and daily life, my dogs have been a grounding force.
They’ve been angelic.
They have wisdom.
Having dogs has centered my focus.
No matter what I am going through, I always have a reason to get up, walk, and feed Diego.
I always have a grounding responsibility that is a privilege.”
“I started working with greyhound rescue 2o years ago.
Through that process, I learned about racing and abuse and the rescue efforts that were going on around the country.
That’s when I met my first greyhound, Nutmeg.
I got her in February, 2001. She had been severely beaten and abused.
She was physically beaten and was afraid of everything, from different noises to her own fur coat. She had been malnourished and her coat was patchy and thin. Her skin was really dry. Dogs’s skin and coat is a sign of their health and Nutmeg was in bad shape.
I worked with her to bring her back to optimal health.”
“Now I have Belle (an angel) and Macey (my soulmate).
After Gracie died, a vet tech asked me if I was looking for another dog. She knew I was fond of Greyhounds, but said she had just rescued this little fox-like dog, who had been abandoned in the Bronx.
I said I would meet him.
They had shaved him, leaving a lion-like mane around his neck. He had the most beautiful face I had ever seen.
I took him for the weekend as a trial, but didn’t even walk half a block before I knew not only would I keep him, but that he was my soulmate.
I wanted a companion for Macy and knew it was going to be a Greyhound.
They had ended the Greyhound rescue program at the AMC, so I found a rescue group in New Jersey. I took Macy to meet his potential companion.
She was the smallest Greyhound I’d ever seen. She weighed around 50 lbs .(the bigger Greyhounds can way up to 80).
If she were a woman, she would shop in the petite dept.
They got along from the beginning. they don’t actively interact much, but occasionally I see Macy grooming Belle.
I feel their spirit. Belle is not the old soul that Gracie was, but she’s sweet and without any malice.
Macy stares at me wherever I go, even if it’s just the bathroom. He is connected to me all the time.
I don’t feel that I’ve had a human family, but my dogs are my family of choice.”
“I learned about the horrible things being done to Greyhounds after they were retired.
They were shooting them, putting them in hot trucks leaving them to die, and abandoning them after cutting off their ears to remove their identifiable tattoos.
One day in 1993 while I was waiting to cross a street corner, a dog was leaning on me. I asked the owner if it was a Whippet, but she answered no, it was a rescued Greyhound. I said, I want one, I want to rescue a Greyhound. She told me about the program at AMC (Animal Medical Center), where they used them as blood donors and then adopted them out.
2 days later I got Gracie. She was the first of 3 Greyhounds. I knew she was a Bodhisattva (enlightened one). She had a gentle spirit and was an old soul–maybe it was the way she looked at me. She had a peaceful knowing way about her. When they brought her in the adoption room she approached me, making eye contact immediately without fear.
She knew we were supposed to be together.
I can’t think of any moment that stands out, but all my time with her was extraordinary. Everyone seemed to think so too.
We had each other for 8 years.”
“My in-laws adopted a rescue greyhound and he was a sweet dog.
We got Marcello because we love the greyhound (whippets, Italian Greyhounds) breed.
We got him from a breeder, but not for lack of trying to rescue.
We wanted to adopt or rescue, but we didn’t qualify. We didn’t have a closed in yard or enough funds to prove to the rescue groups that we would be good dog owners.
The hardest time that we’ve had since we got him was during my unemployment.
It was the middle of a cold winter and I was struggling. He literally, got me out of bed, because I had to walk him.
He’s comforting in the way a teddy bear is comforting. He lets me hold him and he keeps very still. He talks to me with his eyes. I think he asks me, what I need from him.
If I am grumpy he knows to keep away. If I am feeling joyful he jumps up and gives me hugs.
He is intuitive.
He’s like our little kid. We feel maternal and paternal towards him.
He keeps us grounded. One of us has to go home and walk him. He’s about responsibility. We are homebodies and he is part of our little unit.
We went on our honeymoon with him. We drove across country with him. He didn’t like hot springs, but he loves hiking. He had a girlfriend in Wyoming. Her name was Bobbie and she was a Corgi Chow mix.
He’s very social and he helps us meet people all the the time. My husband and I are very shy.
He’s the referee, like me. He’s a mediator at the dog park.
None of us like conflict.”
