Sometimes, I think people believe I’m exaggerating when I talk about what life is like to live with Greyhounds. In a lot of ways, Greyhounds are like other dogs. They still need to be fed, walked, petted and have basic needs taken care of. In other ways, Greyhounds are unique. They have a special physiology that means that as an owner, you need to be very picky about the veterinarian you choose. They can’t tolerate certain anesthesias, for example, and you need to make sure the vet knows that. Their thyroid levels are different as well, and many are diagnosed as low thyroid by vets who don’t understand that their levels are different. I can still remember driving home in tears following a routine vet visit with Treat after a very young and inexperienced vet at our practice told me there was something seriously wrong with her heart. Several expensive tests later, we learned that she was just stressed when she had to get on the elevator table by herself in the back room. It was the last time my dogs went back there alone.

There are other differences, too, that go beyond skin deep. There was a time when you had to be a royal or member of the nobility to own a Greyhound. Greyhounds have never forgotten it. They are sweet and docile, rarely jumping up on people or licking faces like other dogs. Most of the time, their manners are impeccable.

Of course, this elevated status comes with some drawbacks. If there’s going to be a prince, princess, king or queen of the castle, then there also have to be servants. Those of you out there able to do math can see that this leaves only two people in our house to cater to three Greyhounds and one German Greyhound-In-Training. The Greyhounds have decided that in their caste system a German Shepherd is good to have around as a bodyguard and scapegoat, and therefore should be awarded certain privileges as well, provided she remembers that she’s just beneath them and she fulfills her duties.

I can’t remember the last time Mr. Taleteller and I sat on the couch together. Bunny has declared it her throne, and in Bunny’s kingdom, Bunny and Mom share the couch. Dad is not allowed up there. She will worm her way behind him and force him off every time. She does allow him to sleep in the bed with us, but she insists on sleeping beside me. On a few occasions, he has told me that she tried to kick him out of bed during the night, but I’ve never seen this happen myself. In Princess Bunny’s world, if Dad tells her to do something and she is laying in the spot she wants on the bed, then he doesn’t exist. It’s hard being married to a phantom sometimes.

Of course, Blueberry has her own dictates that we should follow. Basically, if it’s food and Blueberry wants it, the fact that she is sitting in front of you means that she will receive the morsel she has her eye on. When it comes time for evening walks, Blueberry dictates that she is going, no matter how much we try to convince her that it’s too hot or cold for her comfort. She will also set the pace of the walk to the way she wants it to go. Nobody is ever rushing Blueberry anywhere on a walk — ever.

Then there’s Lilac. I don’t even know where to start. When Lilac barks, you’d better get up and figure out what she wants. NOW! She might want a bed moved, a fan arranged, somebody kicked off a bed she wants, to go outside, for the wind to stop blowing outside, for storms to stop, or just a scratch behind the ears. Of course, Timmy could also possibly be in the well. The dictate is that if Lilac barks, all will listen until somebody figures out what she wants and takes care of it. Long live The Queen!

There are plenty of other things that go along with Greyhound ownership. You have to purchase soft beds and lots of them. Greyhounds don’t do floors and you’ll be glad you’ve got a soft place to lay when you lose the couch or bed. Greyhounds also come with accessories. Before you know it, your dog will be better dressed than you are. There are fancy collars, coats for snow and cold, raincoats and jammies for keeping the drafts away that they require. You’ll learn about other things that you never knew your dog couldn’t live without, too, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

Of course, for all of these things that we have to endure, we get back something that is priceless. The joys of sharing your life with a Greyhound are incomparable. There are reasons that those of us who share our lives with Greyhounds do all the things for them that we do. It’s because they give us something back that makes us feel like the richest people in the world. When a Greyhound looks at you with those soulful eyes, you realize that you have something most other people never will.

What are some of the things that you get back from your chosen breed, or your dog in particular, that make it worth the things you have to do?

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