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| Name: |
Neko
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Age: |
Two years old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Greyhound
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| Home: |
Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA |
Neko is a retired racing Greyhound. My girl raced under the name of Dianna Ross. After retiring she was chosen to participate in The Greyhound Inmate Experience program thru American Greyhound. She was in a prison in Coldwater Michigan with 19 other retired racers for 10 weeks. She had two inmate handlers who taught her how to be a dog and basic obedience. They took such good care of my girl. She is living the good life with her greyhound brother Carter and works at 3 greyhound adoption meet and greets every month sharing the joy of having a retired racer in your life.
Part of the prison program is that the handlers write journals about her personality, how she is adapting to being in the prison and her obedience training. It is a great insight into the hound. And you can tell the inmates love their dogs. They are so excited when they write their first entry. You can tell they fall instantly in love with the dogs they are assigned.
I was able to get the journals ahead of time and made a list of four dogs that seemed playful but not overly excitable, confident, smart and not too shy. I wanted a hound that would do well at the meet and greets. I then narrowed it down to two dogs and the President of my group suggested getting a female to go with my boy. I had a female before but was used to having my boys, Luka and Carter.
I made the perfect choice. We are thrilled with her.
She loves toys, dragged about 20 down to my living room. She is very smart. She learned 6 commands in the first two weeks before they started formal training.
I have parrots too and if she goes up to their cage I just tell her to "leave it" and she walks away. She knows "place"- you point to a spot you want her to lay down and say "place" and she goes there and settles down. A great command to have.
My greyhound Carter is also from the same prison program and is super sweet with excellent manners.
Neko is sweet, she comes up to us for loving and kisses. She rubs her head all over me when she is happy. She is doing well at the meet and greets and loves people. She will help many hounds find their forever home.
I have been working in greyhound adoption for 10 years and have worked over 300 adoption events with my greyhounds Luka, Peace (my two angels at the Bridge) and now Carter and Neko. It is my passion, my greatest joy is helping other people discover how amazing these hounds are. They get into your soul. You can't help but become obsessed with greyhounds. They truly are not like other dogs. In fact, a well known and well respected vet in the greyhound world Dr Couto gives health seminars about greyhounds called "Are greyhounds Really Dogs?" They are so unique in many ways. Dr Couto has started The Greyhound Health Initiative. I have met him a few times and he is amazing. His love for the greyhound and the greyhound community is inspiring.
Neko roaches like a champ, did it almost immediately when she came into my house. Roaching is when they lay on their backs, legs spread or held up in the air. It looks so funny but it means they are secure and happy where they are.
She loves to be with her brother Carter and it is so sweet to see them together. But she also spends part of her day with my Mom who is 86. She is Grandma and Neko knows if we say go see Grandma she goes over to my Mom.
I was lost when my Luka passed away in January. He was my first greyhound and my heart hound. I was shattered by his unexpected passing. He was almost 12 and I had him for almost 10 years. But bringing Neko into my life has helped me heal. I will always cry for my Luka but I know he is happy that another hound will have the wonderful life he had.
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