Denman Island, British Columbia
Denman Diary |
As promised last week, here is our new family member: Larkin the greyhound.
Like almost all pet greyhounds, Larkin is a retired track racer. It used to be that racing greyhounds were considered to be machines for making money, and, like any machine, were discarded when they no longer worked. Times, fortunately, have changed, and the majority of retired racers are now rescued and adopted through the efforts of volunteer organizations.
We have looked up Larkin's racing history. Her career lasted from January to July of 2011, and was un-illustrious, leading to her early retirement. This was good for us for two reasons.
First, it allowed us to adopt her at the relatively young age of two years old. Second, it meant that her prey drive was low, improving the odds that she would not chase the cats. However, "slow" is a relative term with greyhounds. Her racing speed was over 36 miles per hour from a standing start!
On Thursday, we drove down to Victoria to meet her and her foster parents. On Friday morning, we drove back with her in the back of the car.
Because they have lived all their lives on the track, greyhounds are very much like puppies in that they have to be taught everything. Fortunately, being adults, they learn faster than
puppies. Luckily, Larkin has already been house trained, but everything is new to her.
Having a greyhound is new for us, too. Before being allowed to adopt one, we had to fill out a long and detailed questionnaire and have our property inspected by the adoption agency. We have learned (fortunately from books, not the hard way) that greyhounds can never, ever be off-leash unless they are in a fenced yard. If Larkin ever got loose, we would never be able to catch her. Even an Olympic sprinter on steroids can't keep up with a greyhound.
Larkin is a real sweetheart of a hound. She is still a bit unsure of herself and her
surroundings. She has moved around a lot on her journey from the track to here, and does not yet know that this is her permanent home.
The cats, so far, are not impressed. Discretion being the better part of valour (and the better part of a lack of valour, for that matter), they are keeping to the basement for now. We will gradually introduce them. In the meantime, Larkin sleeps in a crate in our bedroom. Greyhounds are familiar with crates from their track days, and it gives them a sense of security to be in one when they sleep. It gives us a sense of security, knowing that she cannot chase a cat while we are asleep.
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Copyright © 2012 Keith Walker
Last modified: 29-Jan-2012