I’m leaving this post up because it is one of the top Google searches for Italian Greyhounds. It was used on a t-shirt sold in a women’s clothing store and Kylie Jenner (I’d never hear of her but apparently she is in the Kardashian clan or something) Tweeted a photoshopped version and got 590,000 hits at one point.

Glad my dogs got their 30 combine minutes of fame — or 210 minutes in dog fame!

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At least for our family. Here’s a good overview of the breed.

My favorite picture of our two:

A few years back we were watching a dog show and eagerly anticipating the Italian Greyhound’s appearance (doesn’t everyone zero in on their favorite breed?). The announcers typically say complimentary things for each breed, noting their intelligence, loyalty, skills, etc. Here is the sum total of what the announcer said for the Italian Greyhound (IG):

[Pause] They are the dogs that love to be loved.

We just laughed. That’s it?! They “love to be loved?” Well, I suppose he was right. They love to sit on your lap and be petted. You can pet Xannie (short for Xanax, the anti-anxiety medicine) for thirty minutes, then as soon as you stop she’ll look at you like, “Make with the petting!” They will get up as close to you as caninely possible. They can usually be found sleeping in a pile on top of each other or on top of you. They make great napping buddies.

They aren’t stupid, but neither are they the sharpest knives in the drawer. They are extremely friendly (my vet says he has been bitten by every breed except IG’s).They are incredibly fast. I love to watch them run. They are very low maintenance. Their fur is so short they don’t even need to be brushed and they rarely need baths.

They were certified as therapy pets, so used to take them to nursing homes with the girls (they have now retired from that). Their temperament is great for these settings. They make great icebreakers. The residents loved to talk about their dogs.