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Attached to exercise pens at a meet and greet in Folsom, CA were two bright yellow signs:
During a lull in the activities I found myself looking at those signs and smiling about how things had changed in a little less than a year.
In December, 1995 I contacted GFFL about adopting a retired racing Greyhound. I was advised that there were 2 six to eight month old puppies available, either of which might be an appropriate placement. One was said to be terribly sweet and eager to please with sad eyes that never smiled and the other was said to be a real pistol. Was I interested?
I could hardly say yes quickly enough. My English Shepherd was a handful, a real pistol in her own right so I decided to take the sweetheart. A few days before Christmas, Toy Boy (now known as Toby) came into our lives.
Terribly sweet and eager to please. Yes, that describes Toby. But what was hidden for some time however, was the mischievous brat who steals clothing and shoes and hides them all over the house. A mischief maker who loves to play tug of war with sofa pillows and work boots. A dog with the heart of a scamp who can never let the other dogs rest in peace, who is constantly stirring things up and keeping the household in an uproar. A fellow with a fine sense of humor who loves to laugh but screams if I leave home without him. In fact, a real pistol. What a turn of events!
And what of the "pistol" who was left behind? During the 3 hour ride home in the car with Toby, I was haunted by those other pair of brown eyes. Forty eight hours after Toby joined our family I called GFFL to see how the other puppy was doing. His adoption had fallen through. Were we interested in him as well? And so five days after we adopted Toby, my family adopted Midnite. And the littermates who had never before been separated were reunited once more. I braced myself for a third "pistol". Admittedly Midnite was a bit of a handful at first. He suffers from severe separation anxiety and at the beginning was quite destructive. After a bit of trial and error we discovered he did best when kept on a regular schedule. Obedience and agility classes along with lots of socialization increased his confidence and he proved himself to be very bright and eager to please. A dog of incredible sweetness and gentleness he wants only to be with us and to avoid conflict and turmoil at all costs. Most definitely NOT a pistol. So, which one was the pistol and which one was the sweetheart? At this point it really doesn't matter any more. Sad eyes now know how to smile and brown eyes have found a home. I do so love happy endings.
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E-Mail: Greytdogs.com/Reflections at a Greyhound Meet and Greet by Donna D'Amico, donnad@greytdogs.com.
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© Copyright 1997-2007, Donna D'Amico. All rights reserved.
Last revised: 01/2007