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Name: |
Major
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Age: |
Nine years old
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Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Greyhound |
Home: |
Westfield, New Jersey, USA |
Five
years ago we acquired our 80-pound brindle greyhound, Major, a
retired racer (Major Moves was his racing name), almost quite by
accident. Two years prior, we had to put down our sixteen year old standard
schnauzer due to renal failure. For ten days we agreed to baby-sit our
friends' 60 pound female grey while they were on a cruise. As the 10th
day rolled around, I said to my sons, "I love her, I don't want to give
her back!" Our friends directed us to a greyhound rescue organization,
Greyhound Friends
of NJ, and they matched our boy with our type of family and it was a
perfect fit! At first I was concerned because he was so big; but his sweet
disposition and his calmness overrode his "bigness". I also thought he was
kind of funny (weird) looking with a dog head on a "tiger" (black stripes
on orange-colored fur) body.
He is such a wonderful pet! Greys are great for people who work long
hours and don't want an active dog who needs a lot of exercise. He
doesn't bark or shed, sleeps up to 18 hours a day and loves all people.
Some greys are "cat-safe", too, as many cat owners have greyhounds.
Often grey owners have multiples, two, three or more greyhounds because they
are so well behaved.
Major loves to play with his stuffed animals and squeaky toys, (catching
them in mid-air), and loves to go on walks. We have also leash-trained
him to jog along side a bicycle when we go on a bike ride. However,
greyhounds are not "outdoor" dogs, where they can stay out for long time
periods. They have a thin skin and are susceptible to the hot sun and
cold weather. As you can see, he doesn't like going out in the rain too much.
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