I is for Italian Greyhounds

So…it’s still national greyhound adoption month, and I’m still finding ways to incorporate these beautiful dogs into my blogs.

Greyhounds in their standard form are usually between 50 to 80 pounds, but the smaller, more energetic version of the racer is the Italian Greyhound. We happen to have one of those, too. Her name is Trinity.

Trinity came to us after the death of our dachshund-beagle mix, Tessa, who died tragically at the hands of doggie lymphoma. We applied for a sighthound through Sighthound Underground (SHUG), an organization rescuing hounds from as far away as Qatar and as close as Virginia. Everything from abused and neglected street dogs in foreign countries to domestic puppy mill survivors are saved under the protective wing of SHUG. We got the call on Friday evening, and after seeing pictures and videos of little Trinity, we decided to pick her up the following weekend (if she would have us).

Italian Greyhounds are as different from traditional greys as feta cheese from tofu. They kind of look the same, but smaller, and their energy level is more like a retired racer on Red Bull. These little guys party until the sun goes down, but once they’re spent, they crash out—and they would most like to do that in your arms or in your lap. They are very affectionate, and their desire to stick to your side has earned them the nickname of “Velcro dogs.” They are in no way couch potatoes, but they are happy to be your couch (or bed) companion at the end of day, when they curl up like a cat and sleep with amazing soundness.

"Iggies" (as we like to call them in the sighthound community) are sweet, gentle, playful, and incredibly intelligent. They look fragile, but they are actually little athletes.

Great things come in small greyhound packages, too!