Molly's Story

Adopting a greyhound

We adopted a greyhound in October 2004 following a long period of deliberation over whether we should have a dog and then over what type of dog to get. As a child my parents had always had boisterous dogs such as a Labrador and an English Bull Terrier and, despite my husband trying to persuade me that a greyhound was right for us, I really was not sure.

Realising that he was not going to give in easily I did plenty of research on the internet, found RGT North Yorkshire web site and emailed Karen for more info. Karen suggested we attend a greyhound walk, where we could meet other owners and their dogs and perhaps walk one of the dogs waiting to be re- homed.

A few weeks later we went along to Studley Royal and were quickly struck by the gentle and loving nature of the dogs we met and heard what easy dogs they were to re-home from some of the owners. We were smitten and Karen arranged a home visit and talked through what type of dog we would like. It wasn’t too long afterwards that Karen called us with news about a greyhound at a racing kennels which needed a home and which Karen thought would be suitable. It was a beautiful girl called Molly.

When we collected Molly from the kennels she refused to get in the car and I ended up lifting her in (quite a challenge when you are not used to the length of a greyhound body). She panted frantically all the way home and was initially quite nervous in her new surroundings. Despite anticipating she would be noisy the first night, she simply stayed on her bed and didn’t make a sound. The following day she seemed really pleased to see us when we came downstairs even though we didn’t really know each other. We followed Karen’s advice carefully regarding not petting her too much in the first few weeks as we both had to go to work and didn’t want to set up any separation anxiety. She quickly settled into a routine and we’ve not had to worry about house training or chewing really (though she has pulled of a few corners of wallpaper which were loose!).

It’s about 9 months now since we adopted Molly. Her personality has gradually emerged and although most of the time she seems to enjoy sleeping on her back with her legs in the air, she has moments of puppy hood where she runs about throwing her toys around and pouncing on them. She is very affectionate and pushes her head on it’s side on your lap when she wants her ears scratched. She has already brought plenty of smiles and laughter to our faces and I would recommend adoption to anyone who might be considering it.
Coming along to an organised walk is an excellent idea for anyone who thinks they might be interested. Check out dates on the web site or email Karen for more info - who knows we might see you there !

Manda