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New And Hopeful...


Teensy

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Howdy!

 

Kind of funny how I wound up here. I grew up with dogs, but I haven't owned one, yet, in my adult life. I always lived in situations where it just didn't seem appropriate, apartments in cities, mostly. And I had my heart set on living abroad before I die, and I didn't want anything to stand in the way of that.

 

Well, living abroad: check. I managed to find a way to live and study in the Netherlands for four years, where I met and married my husband. Part of the deal when I met the Dutchie was that I was going to return to the U.S. Flash forward a couple of years and we were planning our emigration, part of which was figuring out in what kind of situation we would be happy living, including my daydreaming about getting a dog. Several permutations and cities into the process, my DH shocked me by announcing rather firmly, "we're not getting a dog!" I thought I would fracture into a million pieces, but I didn't. He just didn't think it would ever be workable in the city, so I just gave up on the idea for a while, since we had already settled on Baltimore.

 

Flash forward again to the recent past. We are now safely installed in Baltimore, and enjoying the weather and the park, which is full of dogs and their owners who are enjoying the weather and the park. Then comes an announcement on our neighborhood listserv: "A stray dog has been found. Does anyone know who she belongs to?" Then another announcement a week later: "No one has claimed this stray dog. I'm going to take her to the shelter unless someone wants to adopt her." At this point, my husband said to me, with the coy smile of an animal lover who has finally found his courage, and is slightly embarrassed that he ever doubted himself, "maybe you should tell them we're interested." So I did. We met the dog. Took her home. Took her to the vet the next day, and found out that she was chipped. The dog and her beyond-words grateful owner were reunited. And we were left in the throes of dog fever.

 

So, on to Petfinder.com I go, just trying to figure out what kind of dog we would like to adopt, when I ran across the hilarious descriptions of the greyhounds from Greyhound Welfare. I was literally laughing out loud, Dutchie, too. I thought, "this must be the agency for me, because these people think about dogs the way we do." I made the application right then and there.

 

I didn't really know the first thing about greyhounds, actually, except that they can run really fast, and that you cannot let them loose. So we went to work. Since the application we have both read 3 books about greyhounds, located potential vets and the Canton Dog Park, browsed a couple of the local pet supply boutiques as well as the online retailers, and this weekend we will go to an open house to meet some dogs. Oh, and I joined this site.

 

Now we wait, with eager anticipation.

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Guest bonnebike

Great story. Happy you have settled on the "best" breed of dog. Greyhound people can be a bit biased so they shove us in this corner of the internet. :-)

 

Welcome aboard!!!

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Thanks everyone. I think I'm fully converted, already. I haven't been interviewed or visited yet, though, and it's been over a week, so I'm getting a bit antsy. Perhaps it's because of the holiday. On the other hand, waiting has really given me time to investigate and let go of my initial color/size/sex biases. At first we were set on a particular dog, and now we're more like, "I wonder which one will end up charming us."

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Oh, the waiting is the hardest part! I hope you hear back soon! The right hound will choose you, don't worry!

 

I've really had to restrain myself from driving the volunteers crazy with emails. "Can I have a dog now? ...how 'bout now? ...and now? ...ok, but what about now?"

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Guest Morgaynn
Great story. Happy you have settled on the "best" breed of dog. Greyhound people can be a bit biased so they shove us in this corner of the internet. :-)

 

Welcome aboard!!!

 

Ditto! Welcome aboard! You'll never be short of Nuts around us and our humans too!

 

Nike the Nursemaid Hound and Zoo!

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What a great story! And you have found the right place, we are all crazy about our hounds here! :)

2 Hounds Design Martingale Collars | 2 Hounds Design Facebook Page

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Alisha, Bob, Livvie (the 2.5 year old!) plus Mia Bella, Tippy, + Wahoo and Diesel the crazy kitties (and missing sweet Iceman, Paradise, Bandit, Cujo & Sebastian) in Indian Trail, NC

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Guest trevdog

Good Luck! I'm sure you'll hear from them soon...many groups have on the app if you don't hear from them in a certain time, please call. Sometimes the volunteers can fall a little behind.

 

Have you met any greyhounds yet?

 

And welcome!

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Guest littlesyd85

That is a great story! Welcome to the wonderful world of greyhounds... Once you go greyhound, you never go back! Oh and I don't know if anyone has told you thins yet but greyhounds are like potato chips, you can't have just one!

 

You know instead of bugging the volunteers, maybe you should become one. I volunteered for 8 months before I brought my first home. I was living in an apartment that didn't allow dogs at the time. I brought home my first greyhound 2 weeks after we closed on our house.

 

Keep us posted on how everything goes! I'm excited for you :offwall

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I haven't met any dogs yet. We are going to an open house this weekend.

 

I have heard from them, as in they've been in touch, but there is actually an interview and a home visit which haven't been scheduled yet. Could have been because it took me a while to get a hold of my landlord (he was on vacation), and get the official go-ahead. He allows dogs, but he has a special rider that he adds to his lease for pet owners, which wasn't in our lease, because we didn't have pets when we moved in. Anyway, it's only been a week + one day since I made the application. I would hardly claim that I'm languishing. I'm just excited. We'll meet some volunteers this weekend, though.

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You know instead of bugging the volunteers, maybe you should become one.

 

I've thought about it, actually, but I thought maybe it was not a good idea to foster strange dogs in someone else's house. Sounds like you did it though, so, maybe I'll come around on that one. Lots of "mythology" evaporating these days.

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Another welcome from Maryland! Great story and keep us posted on your progress!

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Cindy with Miss Fancypants, Paris Bueller, Zeke, and Angus 
Dante (Dg's Boyd), Zoe (In a While), Brady (Devilish Effect), Goose (BG Shotgun), Maverick (BG ShoMe), Maggie (All Trades Jax), Sherman (LNB Herman Bad) and Indy (BYB whippet) forever in my heart
The flame that burns the brightest, burns the fastest and leaves the biggest shadow

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Welcome to the cult! :D I got my first grey (and dog) last summer, and now if you did one of those pie charts of my brain, I think at least 25% at all times would be "greyhounds." GreyTalk is a wonderful community and resource!

With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)
And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad

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Guest greytloves

Man! You sound like my DH and myself awhile back! I love it when people make well thought out, wait until the time is right and read first decisions!

I cannot wait to hear about your first time meeting a Grey!

 

My only advice would be, try not to fall in love with the first one and really talk to your adoption coordinator so that they know your lifestyle and personalites and then listen to who the suggest would be a greyt fit!

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Man! You sound like my DH and myself awhile back! I love it when people make well thought out, wait until the time is right and read first decisions!

I cannot wait to hear about your first time meeting a Grey!

 

My only advice would be, try not to fall in love with the first one and really talk to your adoption coordinator so that they know your lifestyle and personalites and then listen to who the suggest would be a greyt fit!

 

I think you are on the money about the most difficult part of the process: waiting for the right dog. I was ready to take the first dog I read about. The process is smart, though. They make you cool your heels a bit.

 

 

P.S. We're also new to Maryland, Marylanders, so I'm sure we'll be looking for all sorts of advice.

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You know instead of bugging the volunteers, maybe you should become one.

 

I've thought about it, actually, but I thought maybe it was not a good idea to foster strange dogs in someone else's house. Sounds like you did it though, so, maybe I'll come around on that one. Lots of "mythology" evaporating these days.

 

Heh, you didn't even say "foster," you said "volunteer." See how intense this whole, "bring dog home" thing is? I see it when it's not even there! :)

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