Friday, August 13, 2010

A Moment Of Greytness

I see many kinds of dogs at my vet hospital, but some breeds are under-represented. I think we don't see enough Mini Schnauzers, or Greyhounds. The sight of an ex-racer sends my heart soaring!

Today was a good day, as we were lucky enough to have a Greyhound come in for vaccines. As I clipped his nails a few techs saw me hugging him and wondered aloud what is it about retired racers that grabs my heart. One tech even said they seemed "bland".
Well, yeah...anyone who owns a Grey knows the Look Of Fear that they all adopt once inside the vet hospital. Their eye bug out, they start to pant, they freeze and pretend they are invisible.
I dealt with that every time I took my girls to the vet. And I see it daily whenever I'm lucky enough to help examine a needle nose.
But that should not be what Greyhounds are judged on. I tried to explain to the techs around me how gentle they are, how silly they are (especially when squeakies are involved), and how wonderfully FAST they are. I told them stories about horrors at the track. I explained how they get socialized upon their retirement. I even said I had never met a mean one (unlike some other breeds that will not be mentioned).
I could tell that I didn't sway many opinions with my talk. As I led my sweet patient back to his mom, I petted him softly and pretended for just a moment that he was mine. I let my memories drift back to the days when my two girls brightened my day with their soft coats and cold noses. It has been one year since my special girl GiGi crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, and I miss her every day.
Readers with Greyhounds: give your dogs extra love and hugs today, for I cannot do that to mine any more.

1 comment:

JayMonster said...

I didn't get to meet the awesome Gigi until very late in her life and she was still such a sweetheart.

I know many people have opinions about pets, but I guess it surprises me that somebody that would take the time to be a tech in this field would be so judgmental about a certain kind of dog. But I guess I shouldn't be. We have our Sweetie because we found her wandering the streets and since nobody could id her (she is a Australian Cattle Dog Mix), they were reluctant to take her. We couldn't dream of giving her to a kill shelter, and 11 years later she is my best friend.