Play mate

Mr. Rollie has found his calling.  He is the welcome committee/play mate for new greyhounds!

This weekend seven retired racing greyhounds arrived from Alabama to begin their life as pets and companions.  They come here, and we and many ESGAO www.esgao.org volunteers prepare their bodies for their new lives.  I ensure one of the volunteers is coming to take pictures, cause, really, what good is a name of a dog without a picture?

While we are preparing for the bathing, tick removal, and micro-chipping, we let the new dogs run in the yard.  The new dogs have been cooped up in a trailer for roughly 18 hours and need to stretch and feel the ground, and just to be dogs.  This is when many pictures are taken.  After the recent retirees have been in the yard for a few minutes, my dogs including Rollie are going crazy in the house. I muzzled them and sent them out with to meet all the muzzled greyhounds who have overtaken their yard.

My dogs got tired of the new dogs within minutes.  Five minutes with new dogs, my dogs were begging to be let back into the house!  But not Rollie. 

I was busy coordinating the volunteers and directing people to the restroom, and getting forgotten items, so I didn’t spend a lot of time with the dogs, either mine or the new ones.   

Rollie stayed out in the yard with the new dogs.  Did I mention is was maybe 30 degrees, and spitting snow?  Greyhounds have very little hair, and nearly no fat (most of them) so they can get hot and cold very quickly. On the few times I got into the yard, Rollie was hanging with the new guys.  Proudly prancing, talking, occasionally running with them, having the time of his life. We kept the new dogs outside and as one got clean we brought in another till soon they were all in the garage.  When we let them all go back into the yard, Rollie and a couple of the volunteers were waiting for them!  

Mathias, Rollie, Fenn (L-R)

Red and Rollie

Rollie gleefully greeted them as they ran into the yard and pranced with them, went running and just hung around with the new guys.  There was no barking, no snarling and no problems.  Greyhounds are great together.  I didn't realize how social he was, until I saw the  pictures that were taken, and Rollie is in many of them. 

Flash's behind and Rollie

Rollie's behind, Ripple, macho