Release the Hounds!

I made the drive to Coon Rapids, MN on Friday so I could visit the a couple dogs which were being fostered on Saturday morning. It seemed like the hounds were going like hotcakes throughout the week and crossed my fingers there would be a suitable one available by the time I arrived.

I used a GPS to find my way and when the GPS stated "you have arrived at your destination" I pulled over and found myself parked in front of a funeral home. This couldn't be right, could it? It turns out, the vet clinic where I was to meet the dogs was two doors down (thank goodness).

After introducing myself I was shown a video about owning a greyhound, and immediately after that I was introduced to the first dog, Alan. Alan was sweet, adorable, brindle in colour and very laid back. I took Alan for a short walk and he was great on the leash. The only problem I had with Alan was he obviously had a tendency to shed and one of my reasons for getting a greyhound was for their lack of shedding. While this did not immediately put Alan out of the running (pun intended) it did make me consider waiting a few weeks until another batch of dogs would be coming available.

I was asked if I wanted to see another dog that they had brought in for me, and I acknowledge that I would like that very much.

The next dog, THUNDERING EARL was a fawn-coloured male with a black snout. He had a bit more energy than FLASH ALAN and had a mind of his own, which he demonstrated while we went on our walk. It was a hard decision to make. I felt like I would be letting down FLASHY ALAN if I did not adopt him, since this was a "rescue", right? But in the end I had to consider the shedding problem and how that would affect life on the homefront... so in the end, THUNDERING EARL made the trip home to become a Canadian citizen.

The toughest part of the entire 7 hour trip home was coaxing Earl into the van the first time. Once that was accomplished he hopped in and walked right into his travel crate. We stopped three times on the way home and Earl came to recognize that the sound of the side door of the van sliding open meant it was time for a walk.