Life Lessons From a Retired Racing American Greyhound Lurcher
These are the things that Dottie knows
“Now that’s a stunning creature,” I mused, gazing into my reflection in the blank screen of the TV. Eira startled me from my reverie with a quiet whistle, “Yes, my dear, you are a vision. Now come here so we can leash you up for a walk!”
I knew I was beautiful, but did the humans who cared for me know about their own beauty? My keen canine intuition told me that maybe they forget sometimes, like when I forget where I hid a treat for later.
Well, that’s OK because now I am here and we are going for a walk and that’s when I feel our loveliness shines the most together. Out the door we go! We only get a few paces when the man with the crooked walk sidles up to us on the street. The humans seem to struggle with understanding his words sometimes but I can see into his soul.
He is a goodish and lonely man and he hopes to run into us every day. I can read this from the way he pets my head and caresses my ears. He wants to linger longer and I last as long as I can but I know there are so many more people and dogs on this walk to greet and human spirits to lift. … If I don’t give this love away I’ll just burst!
This is how I see our Dottie. She is a white lurcher with spectacular reddish-tan spots and dots and ticking. We adopted her after the retired racing greyhound we adopted last year met his untimely demise after only 14 weeks with us. Blastomycosis was the name of the monster that destroyed him. The kindest thing we could do for him was to let him go, as I painfully wrote about in The Loving and Letting Go of a Dog. My husband and I were not about to let grief get in the way of loving again, and so Dottie came into our lives. She is all greyhound until she isn’t, so while she is as familiar to us as our previous four “greys,” she is as unique as can be in so many other ways.
As a greyhound cross, most of Dottie’s features resemble a greyhound, though there are a few physical and behavioural differences. She is on the small side at only 58 lbs, whereas the average size of a female greyhound is 55–75 lbs. There is another hound breed giveaway in her colouring and in her stance, which to us appears to be of Foxhound influence. She is much more agile on a slippery floor and absolutely fearless when dashing around like a maniac in the back yard. Whereas a retired racing greyhound is all grace and precision when they are at full speed — missing you by a millimeter when they skirt past you — Dottie will come at you full speed, absentmindedly missing her mark as she grinds to a halt directly into your shins: Ouch! She is a clown.
Dottie has been a part of our lives now for only four months but I swear to you it feels like four years. She is five years old and for us, her layers have peeled back remarkably fast; she is trusting, loving, and snuggly like she’s known us her whole life.
We have experienced the privilege of only one lurcher in our life and I call her our “heart healer” because she has the magical ability to restore you. While I am aware that this is a superpower of most dogs and I understand the lurcher is not exclusively capable of said superpower, Dottie is, of course, our dog and we are her humans. Her unique breed blend and experience as a “brood mom” (or “brood bitch”) have built some special code into her DNA. What she innately knows not only sets the bar very high for us as humans, she willingly and tirelessly shares it with us over and over again.
This is what she knows and what you can know too.
Dottie is love
She cuddles on the sofa and nudges us with her nose for more pets. She simply loves to be touched and her velvety ears and soft short coat beg you to succumb. This little cuddle muffin is bursting with love to generously reciprocate every hug and kiss she can get. To me, she embodies a healthy economy with the currency being love. If there is not a balance of both production and consumption she will be in danger of a full-body collapse the likes of which haven’t been experienced since the Great Depression.
Dottie is tolerance
I am a clumsy person. I’ve just come to accept it. Unfortunately, all of our pets through the years have had to learn about this the hard way, usually getting bumped with my leg or tripped over or stepped on. When we had cats, well you can imagine their reaction (forgiveness is not a cat’s strong suit).
Just this afternoon my husband was showing me something on his computer and in Dottie fashion she laid out on the floor as near to us as possible. Except I didn’t see her and I took a step back, pinching her paw under my shoe. She lifted her head with a “Why you do that?” expression. But she could hear the tone in my apologetic voice so she just laid her head back down as if to indicate, “It ain’t no big thing, Mama.”
Dottie is zest for life
“Walks you say? Oh a car ride today? Oh. My. Dog. You mean we’re going to a party with more of my favourite humans?” Every little thing is so friggin’ fantastic for Dottie, even when we’re doing it for the millionth time.
Dottie is a reminder that you can find something new in repetitive tasks. Even the mundane chores of washing dishes and vacuuming? It seems crazy but when you take note of the little details they are not, in fact, exactly the same task every time. It is important to celebrate the little and big moments and all that is yet to come. Revel in routine, revel in the extraordinary: Each moment can be a treasure.
Dottie is a silent psychologist
There is nothing so relaxing and peaceful as a sleeping dog. Even more so when they are sleeping next to you. It is as if you’ve activated one of those charcoal dealies that absorb the bad odors out of a closet, except they suck the stinky smell of stress from you. It is as if they are demonstrating how now is a good time to empty your brain and just be.
My favorite morning activity is Dottie cuddled next to me on the sofa when I meditate. Her presence alone is therapeutic to the soul, especially when life can feel overwhelming. Our quiet time together like this feels like a silent counseling session.
These moments remind me of the poignant animation that wordlessly illustrates the human/dog interchange so very eloquently. In it, the empathic human is reaching out to others, feeling and absorbing their pain. By the end of the day, the person feels depleted. We see them approach home as their dog, also looking depleted from missing their person, waits at the door. The person walks inside and as they embrace they emotionally recuperate symbiotically. Now that’s healing!
Dottie doesn’t take herself too seriously
She makes me laugh unexpectedly every single day. How do dogs dream up the funny things they do? My theory is that after being our companions for thousands of years they intuitively understand that human beings take themselves far too seriously.
Case in point: Dottie performs her toy transport from dog bed to human bed every day. Perhaps her brood mom mentality compels her to be surrounded with “babies.” But whatever her motive, the baby transport is a serious mission and she does it with such serious enthusiasm and dedication I find myself giggling, no matter my current mood. Her response is not dejection for being laughed at. She revels in it and often invites us to join in and play with her and her “babies.”
Dottie is acceptance
You know it. I know it. Sometimes life hurts and we act out because of it. Dottie sees past temper tantrums, past down days and she just is the same Dottie every day.
In February my husband had to be away from home for a few weeks. We’ve been together for over 25 years and we love each other’s company, so being apart takes real effort for us. I can get moody during stressful times like these but our Dottie, she just carries on. I could see that she missed her papa too as I would find her staring down the street anticipating a return from one of his walks. For Dottie, though, she didn’t brood over it too long. It didn’t matter that it was cold and blustering with snow outside. It was time to carry on with the day. “Mama, I love you no matter what your mood. But I think perhaps a walk together might help sort it out?”
What Dottie knows, you can know too
So I guess the question is why have a dog? More specifically, why adopt a lurcher — an adult dog with somewhat of a history mystery?
Even if you are a dog lover, I certainly do not propose that everyone qualifies as lurcher-worthy. Like greyhounds, they do have certain needs and quirks that must be observed for their own safety. (For instance, they must be on lead at all times except in a safe, enclosed environment. As deep-chested dogs, they are prone to bloat, so they should not be exercised for at least 30–90 minutes before or after eating.)
But when you imagine life through the eyes of Dottie, it is not difficult to understand how she balances our life with invaluable life lessons and she delights in patiently reminding us daily:
Freely give and receive love because it feels good.
Be tolerant because we all make mistakes.
Have a zest for life: It gives more meaning to each moment.
Resting in quiet meditation is a silent psychological healer that will refill your soul.
Put life into perspective and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Accept your loved ones because, well, I think we all know this world needs a lot more of that these days.
Five kilometers later we are home from our lovely walk, of sharing our love and loveliness with the neighborhood. After a quick slurp of water, I hop up on the sofa to nestle in between the mama and papa. I am content. I feel their love amplified, glowing around me as I doze off.
I am so glad we found each other.