Brody has reached the ‘conservation of energy’ stage of greyhound life. It’s not that he hasn’t enjoyed his retirement from day one – he has. It’s more a matter of letting the other dogs take the lead in matters of moving.
Anywhere.
He’s so confident in how well he trained Boo when she was just a foster greyhound that he lets her handle most of the ‘greyhound greeter’ responsibility now. Sure he’ll get up when we come home, but only if he’s thirsty or needs to go out sooner rather than later. If our arrival doesn’t coincide with his needs, he’s content to let us come to him.
The same holds true with playtime. Brody has always loved to run and romp with a tennis ball, indoors or out. He even works them, chewing with his ‘mighty jaw strength’ until they pop.
He trained the foster puppy Bandit in the art of playtime (admittedly the puppy was a quick study with a few tricks of his own) and now he’s content to simply steal Bandit’s tennis ball while the young, naive pup is distracted with a fluffy, squeaker toy.
This is a relatively amusing game for the rest of us to watch as well…
But the piece de resistance is seeing the wisdom kick in while he and Boo race in circles outside. Or rather while Boo races in circles and Brody races in half circles.
They take off in one direction and while Boo takes the lead and continues, Brody does a u-turn so when she comes around, there he is, in the lead. It’s hysterical – trust me – whether that account did it justice or not. This transition is like a right of passage with retired greyhounds. When they realize they can’t win using outright speed, they go for the clever moves and short cuts.
While it feels bittersweet to see one of my lovely adopted greyhounds aging, I know from experience we’ve just entered a new stage of life and there’s still plenty of fun and love left in my sweet old Brody. Even if he moves with a bit more deliberation these days.
Live the greyhound adventure!
Learn more about life with an adopted greyhound. The Adopt A Greyhound Guide is full of facts and anecdotes and as always, proceeds benefit a worthy cause: greyhound rescue and adoption groups!
