I adopted Blue (Winsome Rite) in May this year, and the theory was to have an independent dog who could stay at home happily while we were all at work etc. However I managed to convince my boss to let me bring her in to work on the first day I had her€¦and we haven't looked back since. She has won the hearts of several people at work, and is well-behaved enough to avoid complaints from any who are not a fan of the situation. :-) Each day she comes in and does her rounds greeting her favourite people. Then she settles on her bed in my office (I rearranged my office so she has a good space for herself) until about lunchtime when we go for a walk. If it's cold and/or wet, the park and a quick walk will do, if the weather is good, her favourite route is down Cuba to the Waterfront along to the beginning of Oriental Parade and back again. Then she settles back down for her afternoon nap till we go home. (After she does another round of greetings of course!).
Here is a picture of Blue at work. I am still angling for her to be put on salary :-). She looks oh so serious! (she actually had come up to my desk for a cuddle when pictured :-))
We decided to get a greyhound for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it seemed like a good thing to be able to provide a good home for one dog that needs it. Everything we heard and read about greyhounds made them sound like they deserved a good life after racing. We had always intended getting a dog when our daughter was older, and at home more often, when she was a teen. But getting an adult dog did provide an option for getting one sooner without the concern of training a puppy, and the added bonus that a dog could be chosen to suit our situation was a huge plus. My daughter is also allergic to dog saliva (licking causes redness, itching and swollen eyes), but she had met a greyhound and did not react to being licked, and has never reacted to Blue either, which is great.
Here is a photo of Blue at home with one of our cats, Chelsea. I was concerned that my cats would disown me when I brought a dog home, however Blue was easier to introduce into the household than other cats have been. Within 10 minutes I removed her muzzle (and have never put it back on except for greyhound runs!). She simply did not react to them at all. The cat pictured plays with Blue, he lies on his back and hits Blues nose (no claws) while Blue pokes him in the belly with her nose€¦it's funny.
After Blue gets home from work, she has a wild moment, racing round in circles either in the lounge or on our bed. Then its dinner time and she settles down for the night. I have learnt not to even try to take her for a walk after 6pm. She has gone to bed and will have none of it. First dog I ever came across who refuses to go for a walk!
She is a great addition to our family, and loves going everywhere we do. We can't imagine life without her now!
Marian and Blue