G is for...

our new Greyhound!
We take the Alphabet Path seriously around here!

My dog has tattoos and used to spend all her time at the race track. How Redneck does that make me? : )

OK, so actually, this is the conclusion to an adventure that began back in September. Do you remember our search to find the right dog for our family? Well, in talking to BigBoy, it's not the size of a dog that matters to him, it's the wildness factor. He kept telling us he doesn't like "wild dogs". So, a friend turned us onto Greyhounds. Her daughter has an irrational fear of dogs too but she tolerates and even enjoys the Greyhound that a friend of hers owns. We started researching the breed and found out that they are very docile creatures. They have been described as "lazy" and "couch potatoes" which you wouldn't expect from dogs that are bred primarily as racing dogs. Ex-racers especially make very nice family pets because they are already house trained, crate trained and leash trained.

Husband took the kids to a Greyhound meet and greet in our area while I was out of town (but with full knowledge and consent on my part) and they were hooked. BeeGee came for a visit last month and we made the decision to rescue her at the beginning of October but had them hold her for us until all the noisy bathroom renovation was completed. She moved in yesterday, the kick off to G week, much to the delight of my little St. Francis (Shortcake) who was breathing down the contractor's neck praying for him to finish quickly. She is planning on a puppy themed birthday next month. I wonder why? : )

How do I feel about his new addition to the family? I will be honest. I wasn't totally thrilled about the idea. I got my fill of dogs and cats growing up and I loved every minute of it (well, maybe not the minute that one of my cats hanged itself). As a grown up, I have never felt the strong desire to own a pet, even when we used to own a dog a few years ago. He was pretty much Husband's responsibility. I was taking care of babies. But I wouldn't have had that opportunity as a child if my parents hadn't so generously allowed me (including bringing home a stray cat named Idgie from my first year at college and keeping it for me when I returned the next semester). So, even though I know it is a sacrifice on my part to put up with the mess and extra responsibility that a large indoor dog brings, I want to be as generous with my kids as my parents were with me in this area. And she is very sweet!

For the stats: her name is BeeGee, she is classified as a red but is fawn colored and she is 7 years old. She really does have tattoos in her ears identifying her breeder and litter information. She used to race down in South Texas and actually won once which the kids think is really cool. BigBoy is still a little nervous when she decides to explore the house, but he was petting her on the floor last night and giving her kisses before bed so I think he'll be fine.