Happy Gotcha Day to Jett Greyhound

Today is my greyhound Jett’s “Gotcha Day.” We celebrate everything around here. Gotcha means the day he came to my house to see if he would stay. He did. I gotcha babe from Greyhounds-2-Go adoption group. Jett is a retired racing greyhound. He raced in Phoenix and Tucson and retired at 4 1/2 after 150 races. And since that day two years ago when he came to my house, we do the happy dance.

While all greyhounds have some similar traits, each has his or her own personality.

For instance, Jett loves children. Since there are none in my house, we sometimes see kids on our walks or he goes to school. This past year we went to a kindergarten class at C.E. Rose Elementary School where he easily outweighed most of the kids who wanted to pet him. And we also regularly visit Doolen Middle School where the kids learn about greyhound racing, adopting a greyhound, and can interact with Jett up close and personal and write him sweet notes. It’s a love fest all around.

Pet me! Pet me!

One of the most frequent questions we get asked from the kids and the teachers is — are greyhounds grey? Ah, no. Greyhounds come in 18 different colors and variations — black/white (parti), brindle, brindle tuxedo, dark brindle, fawn, fawn tuxedo, red, red/white, white, white with fawn, white with brindle, black, black tuxedo and blue which is really a brownish/silver and blue brindle. Blues are  rare. I describe Jett as white with brindle patches and lots of freckles.

Greyhound adopters are a tad weird. I’m the first to admit that. It’s a character flaw that I embrace.

You Know You’re a Greyhound Owner When…
By Shasta Wilson, CalGAP Volunteer

–You enjoy having a dog that looks like a small deer.
–You find yourself yelling “small dog” every time a Chihuahua walks by, even when your dog isn’t with you.
–You get excited when your dog plays with toys for the first time.
–The spectacle of your dog running brings silence to the dog park.
–Your dog has gone by at least two names. (Jetty Spaghetti, Jett-setter, JettBlue, the Jettster)
–You find yourself accessorizing your dog’s neck.
–You go to dog events.
–Your dog’s wardrobe rivals your own.
–You’ve perfected your explanation about the difference between greyhounds and whippets.
–Your dog has his own playgroup.
–You still have to lift your male dog into the car.
–You have at least one dog medication in the cabinet.
–You haven’t heard your dog’s bark in a week.
–The terms “dog chiropractor” and “dog acupressure” don’t seem weird.
–You realize that it actually is possible for a creature to spend 8 hours asleep in one place during the day.
–Your dog spends more time socializing with other people at the dog park than other dogs.
–Your dog eats healthier food than your kids or you.
–Your husband is no longer the gassiest member of the house.

And what I find particularly interesting is that friends will phone and even friends who are not particularly dog lovers will ask, “How are the kids?” Yep, my dogs are my kids. Not only do they eat healthier food than I do; they have far better health care than I do.