The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

Welcome Miss Zoe!

Meet Miss Zoe, our first girl dog:

Miss Zoe is a 2 yr old rescue retired racing Greyhound from the Greyhound Adoption Center in El Cajon, CA (southern California). She came from the Caliente track in Mexico. Apparently she won 3 out of her 4 races so it is a mystery why she was put out for adoption. She has no evidence of injuries.

Hubby and I are new to the Sight Hound world and especially Greyhounds. We have done our research and the rescue people have been excellent – both pragmatic and informative. We make new discoveries daily: she does not understand steps, she has never seen a mirror, she is not really housetrained and most importantly, she is a sweeeeeet girl with a very gentle demeanor. She is elegant and quiet, following us around like a shadow.

See the heart-shaped marking? Sooo adorable!

Greyhounds rarely bark, are very low shedders and are generally well behaved around the home, rated as one of the top best breeds for apartment dwellers! It is said they are 45 mph couch potatoes and that they are. When she runs it is gorgeous – her stride is elegant, long, powerful and fast. We have been advised that they just need one 10-minute walk a day yet a racer will go 0 to 45mph in 6 strides!

Selfie while I was bored on the loooong car ride where she farted every 2 min and threw up halfway home.

One particularly curious thing: they do not bark but boy do they vocalize! She still has a strong prey instinct and a white little dog walked by the house, literally just as we were stumbling out of the car after a mind-numbing drive from SoCal. She went off like you caught her tail in the door, this dramatic LOUD yelp that didn’t stop until the dog was out of sight. It was a Scene! She’s done that twice again, both for unknown reasons. I’ve heard they are emotional divas and perhaps she is. Time will tell.

image from The Trendy Whippet, an Etsy shop

Because Greyhounds have extremely low body fat they cannot regulate their temperature, so owners have to be mindful to cool them during the summer and keep them warm during the winter.

She is wondering why we put this on her.

I did find some pj’s (aren’t they cute?) but we could not find housecoats either online or retail. So I will have to make some.

Image from Get Leashed magazine

I see hot pink, fun prints, maybe I’ll even have to learn to machine embroider. I think I’ll get some of that shibori Minky – wouldn’t that make a fabulous coat? I’m thinking about going for an Audrey Hepburn look, no? I could see faux pearls on that long elegant neck…just long enough to take her photo. I have no grandchildren, so poor Zoe will become my canvas…

The trip down there was a bit of an adventure in itself. We couldn’t get in until noon so we had some time to kill on the beach:

The waves were incredible that day…

crashing over the pier!

It’s a beautiful part of the coast:

Once at the Center, we met 2 other dogs in addition to Zoe. She chose us, hands down.

She’s a bit hard to handle. She is a “leaner” and wants to lean on you all. the. time, making walking a real calorie burner. It’s endearing though and she’s a joy to walk.

We do have our work cut out for us. Right now we are pretty sure she is unboardable given her prey instinct. And she’s not even close to being able to be left alone. There are many odd things that we will need to help her with given her previously restricted life.

She does not understand the concept of coming when called. She doesn’t like grass! She has lived her life on concrete and sand. She thinks carpet is for pee and poo. She could actually hurt herself if she slid on the hardwoods so we’ll be putting down runners in the hall. We have some great resources through the adoption center to help us.

A Greyhound’s most natural position.

Some interesting observations:
– Parts of her legs are transluscent! She was standing in the sun at the Adoption Center and I could see daylight through part of her legs.
– They are more cat than dog. We’re pretty sure she is genetically a cat.
– Greyhounds are sooooo chill. If we could have what she has, there would be no need for psychologists. She just gives you the sense that all is well with the world.
– Greyhounds have 270 degree vision given their skinny head.
– She would rather stand than sit. In fact, greyhounds generally don’t rest their bottoms on the ground at all:

The rescue people work so hard getting these hounds adoptable. Almost every hound has been crated and raced their entire life. The concept of being able to roam or being a citizen of a home is foreign to them. Most have never been on steps! It’s a wonderful story how Greyhound rescue came about in the 1970’s when adoption groups began to partner with race tracks. There are more Greyhound rescue organizations than any other breed. I’m so grateful to all the volunteers who work with these gentle dogs – it’s a LOT of work to get them adoptable and they are such wonderful dogs.

In the meantime….

So far not a lot of interest in the little tree in the Den. I wouldn’t leave her in the room alone though…

Miss Zoe wishes you a restful and blessed Christmas and Holiday.

NOTE: I will not post next week on Christmas Day because I know you will not be reading! I’ll see you New Year’s!!

Comments

  1. I am so happy that you have adopted this girl. She is one lucky dog! I look forward to getting to know her and her fascinating story.

  3. Part way through this story I was thinkingZoe isn’t really a dog in that she has few dog like trails. You answered that mystery for me.

  6. Very informative information. From all this I gather that the three of you have a job ahead in learning how to adapt to each other. How
    fortunate that you are willing and able to take time to bring her into
    your home. A great experience for all. I h ave never been around a greyhound . Look forward to your journal about Zoe.
    ” Love will conquer all!”

    • I’ve gotta say, right now I think she is still reeling – so much change in such a short period of time.

  9. She looks like such a sweet dog. You’ve practically convinced me to get a Greyhound! Have a happy holiday season and a joyous New Year!

    • She’s a sweetie Shasta! Some greyhounds do come with issues given their racing career and being crated without socialization. Once we get past some things we will just enjoy her sweeeeeeet disposition. You have a wonderful Holiday and New Year too!

  12. Greyhounds and other sighthounds are wonderful and can be such clowns. I raised Afghans years ago. Lure coursing is a great hobby for them too. They race with others of their own breed and chase a lure scented with prey around a pre-set field. God bless you for addition to your family. It’s quite a challenge but your time spent will be very rewarding. Merry Christmas

    • Hi Nancy; she has a strong prey drive and I’m not going to encourage that! She will go bananas if she sees a little dog and I shudder to think what would happen if she got off lead. We are working with her to get her to pay attention to us and there are other things to work on also. She is a joy and so elegant and sweet! Merry Christmas to you also!

  13. What a beautiful, regal young girl! Congratulations to her for being savvy enough to steal your hearts and thanks to you for rescuing and taking the time to train and love her. She knows that one day you will understand that her real name is Asma, Queen of the Nile. She forgives you.

    A lovely present for your holidays, I look forward to the regular updates.

    And remember not to run to answer the doorbell – you won’t win.

    • LOL Gail! I already once caught myself trying to run after her in the backyard – I probably will not do that again! And yes, she is a Queen, elegant and refined….until she farts. She is a joy.

  14. Jenny, what a wonderful dog and what a wonderful thing you have done in getting her—for you and her.
    A nice Christmas present. Enjoy, even tho it will be work it’ll be worth it.

  15. you’ve taken on quite a commitment, congrats on your new family member. She looks so elegant, almost makes me want a dog again, ALMOST.

    • Yes, they are a LOT of work and she especially has work to do. We’re working on steps at the moment. And oh my, she is elegant!

  16. Hello Jenny! Hello Zoe! Glad to meet ya. Quilter Gretchen here with fawn greyhound girl Ruby. Welcome to the obsession which is greyhound rescue. I enjoyed your post about adopting, traveling with, and being molded by your girl Zoe ? immensely. How is it going? What is her racing name? Ruby’s was WW Bewitched. She will be 4 in June. We are in Santa Barbara, I grew up in Napa, so I remember a bit about northern CA. If your area is cold and damp, Zoe might need a heavy winter coat for Walkies and turn outs. It depends on if she runs hot or cold. You are a bit to far to have play dates with GAC hounds, but they might be able to connect you with hound people in your area, or you can contact the northern adoption groups for info. The GAC. Facebook page might have members in your area too. Greys love, love, love getting together with other hounds, and we people can get together with people are crazy about them too. Now that you have my email address you can contact me if you have questions. No questions to small, or too silly. For fun look up cartoonist Rich Skipworth. He is a hound owner, who really understands hounds and their wonderful quirks and silliness. Happy Holidays!

    • She was “Influence”. She won 4 of her first races and on the 5th was 5 out of 6, then retired. We’re a little worried that there might be an underlying medical condition. And our GAC contact brought over those books – they’re hysterical. Once she behaves acceptably in public we will go to a meet up. There is one at the local Pets Mart but we can’t take her as she will go bananas over little dogs. Thank you for your support! Happy Holidays to you too!

      • Ok, what’s going on medically?

        Take her out to see the world when you can, for short periods of time. It is perfectly acceptable to ask people to pick up their little dogs and cats(yes, people walk them too) as Zoe is just off of the track and she is way too interested in them at the moment. They are bred and trained to chase Small moving things (prey) on the ground. Once the pet is picked up it doesn’t look like prey anymore.

      • The rescue people did a great job gettin her out to different places and our job is to do the same. We need a minute to work with her though because I don’t think she’s ready to say be at Petco with a bunch of small dogs around. Right now she is not looking to us for guidance, she is looking away. There is a good deal of training to be done with her but we have a recommended trainer and, our handy dandy Greyhound for Dummies book (also recommended).

  17. Congratulations Jenny. The first night with our Doberman rescued Rowdy I put the crate by the bed so I could touch him. He still has his tail and natural ears. Loves to chase the rabbits in the yard. 5 acres.

  18. My sister in law rescued a retired Greyhound and Cabo has turned out to be a fabulous pup. It took her time to acclimate him but with great patience and understanding he has turned into THE best companion for her. I’m so glad you adopted Miss Zoe. She is beautiful! Merry Christmas to you all – Karen O’

    • Merry Christmas to you too Karen! It is going to take awhile to train her but we do see such a sweet girl underneath it all.

  19. Everything sounds great except for the”pee & poo” part! I wonder how long that will take to fix??!!

    • Yeah, that will take awhile I think Kathie because she is a 2 yr old that needs the training that a 3 mo old puppy would need. It is really more about us than her. We must be (and are) vigilant about taking her out and every. single. time making it a party when she pees or poos where we want her to. She’s smart but there is so much for her to learn.

  20. Oh Jenny, I laughed so hard of your farty trip home! Your description of the greyhound is so accurate. The elegance and zen quality are so needed in today’s society. Your love for her will gain her trust, eventually. She will then repay you with dedication and hound love. Thank you for adopting and patience to work through the rough periods.

    • I am looking forward to being on the other side of the learning curve Robyn, but I know the trust is built in the journey.

  22. Good for you! Keep going with her, you’ll get there bit by bit. Our Ruby was the same when we got her at two. She also liked to nibble me and hold my hand. Now that she is 3, i kinda miss the hand holding

    • Zeke passed away earlier this year from cancer. It was so sudden and so hard to see. Zoe is still a work-in-progress and just the sweetest thing!