Why Greyhounds?

Husband & I dreamed of one day adopting a dog. In our minds, we pictured a chocolate lab--good temperament, not much shedding and laid back personality(at least when it has grown bigger). We have 2 things to consider, our cats & our personalities.

We are blessed with 2 middle-aged male cats who are so used to having the whole house to themselves. We don't want to upset that harmonious relationship and peace. Ringo & Sebastian are buddies. They may not be from the same litter but they are inseparable. Husband adopted them when they were a year old, from a friend who takes in neighborhood stray cats. Husband liked Ringo right away but not Sebastian since Sebastian was very unfriendly and hissed at him. But his friend won't give him Ringo without Sebastian and he thought he'd give it a try. Eight years later, Sebastian is the most loving lap cat I've ever met. We have a good thing going here with these 2. Sebastian (the diva) would let me know his catbox wasn't cleaned often enough (before, I now clean it more regularly). Ringo is more like a guy--he just doesn't care as long as he can do his business. Sebastian is choosy with his food and the people that he welcomes into our house. Ringo would eat anything and loves attention from anyone. Needless to say, we were more worried about Sebastian's reaction towards having a dog in our home.

Before any adoption happened, the rescue group we were working with did a home visit with 2 beautiful greyhounds in tow. This was to see how ready we are in welcoming a greyhound into our home, how our household is set-up, how we interact with the greys, how the greys react in our home and how the cats would react with the dogs. We have previously tried this with our neighbor's greyhound and both cats were very welcoming towards her. Husband & I were just so relieved when Sebastian decided he would hang out with these visitors. He sniffed the 2 very well-behaved dogs (a female & a male(they are siblings)), rubbed against their backsides and did his belly roll afterwards (he is happy and he feels safe belly roll). So not Sebastian. Ringo did his usual "hi, welcome to my home and please pet me, tour" and decided to hang out with the rest of us in the living room. No signs of disapproval. That was the first test and they passed-with flying colors. We feel that we are committed to our cats first, to their safety & happiness so anyone we bring home should have their seal of approval. And the greyhounds? Oh, they were just so relaxed on our Stickley chairs.

Having cats who spend most of their time sleeping and who both hate loud and sudden movements, a greyhound is the most logical choice. Check out this youtube video on why everyone should get a greyhound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6cb_unsEV8

So, cats--checked!

Second consideration: us-our preferences & personalities. Husband & I enjoy living in a good and quiet neighborhood. And we choose to keep it that way so loud, constantly barking dogs are out of the picture. We are both laid-back, we enjoy taking walks, just listening to jazz/nice music & working on our plants & trees so a dog with high energy level won't be a compatible fit with us. Husband is tall and muscular, so small dog breeds just won't look right with him. It may also run the risk of being stepped on in our house when it's too small. And Ringo might eat it (he is 20 lbs big!).

So, people--check!

These are the requirements that we thought should be satisfied first before we choose and decide. Though, we know that we have already made up our minds...we will be bringing home one rescued retired racer to his/her home--our home....