The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but that doesn’t bother my adopted greys, who prefer to convert our every greening effort in the backyard into a more appropriate dirt track.
No, what turns our adopted greyhounds green with envy is the idea that the squeaker is better in the toy they don’t have.
Silly? Maybe to you, a mere human with thumbs and a sense of hearing that is proof the squeakers are perfectly equal. But to our greys, particularly Bandit the Puppy and Brody the Elder Statesman, the squeaky toy they have might not be as squeaky as the toy the other hound has.
A typical return from the pet store begins a very complex and intricate ritual:
Step One: Try to remember jumping is not allowed as the momma or daddy (or other human) take the tags off the new toys.
Step Two: Try to remember there will be more than one toy. (This step is frequently overlooked in all the required remembering of step one).
Step Three: Take the offered toy and go squeeeeeeeeeeeak, squeak, sq-squ-squeaker, squeaker as loud and as fast as you possibly can.
Step Four: Pause and listen to the other greyhound’s squeaking pattern while studying the toy at your feet.
Step Five: Reclaim your toy and squeak again, do it louder when you realize your brother is listening.
Step Six: By some secret greyhound signal (It’s in the ears but don’t tell the humans) drop and exchange squeaker toys.
Step Seven: Repeat step three through six until you both are ready to nap.
Where is Boo during all of this? On a couch, waiting for her adopted greyhound brothers to get tired. Then she sneaks in with a little pounce and has her own fun with the toy since neither boy dares to contradict or try to take a toy from her. Yeah, it’s good to be queen!
Live the greyhound adventure!
For more on the joyful details of adopting the right greyhound for you, buy your copy of the Adopt A Greyhound Guide today!
