Meet Dexter the Retired Racer

Dexter is our newest canine addition to our family. He's a three-year-old retired racing Greyhound. He was chosen and brought up for my family from Florida by Virginia Greyhound Adoption at the beginning of September 05. He is everything we asked for and more. He's not quite the couch potato that most Greyhounds are; he does have two puppies to play with after all. He's only just started to show his true personality. The more he blossoms the more I fall in love. When he arrived in September I knelt down to greet him and he licked my face and wagged his tail, I think he knew he was home and I was in love. He was also scared and who could blame him. He'd spent nearly 24 hours in a van to get to me and then he had so many firsts, his first experience with non-Greyhound breeds, stairs, children and learning to live in our house.

Dexter's been with us just over two months and each day I see more of his personality. As he becomes more comfortable with his new daily life and us he becomes more playful and affectionate. Dexter seems atypical of the breed because he greets almost anyone with a wagging tail that whirls in circles like a helicopter. He'll walk right up to whoever is close and wait patiently or gently nudge your hand for a head scratch. Most Greyhounds tend to be a bit stand offish at first and warm up to strangers some more quickly than others, but not Dexter, to him everyone is a friend.

The past couple of weeks that scared look he arrived with have changed to a sparkle, an eagerness to please the family and they definitely show playfulness. He still has a love of running and is known to run our backyard for as long as five minutes at a time. If you're unfamiliar with dog racing, the Greyhound is a sprinter and their races usually last no longer than 45 seconds, so his long runs are not typical, but his longer runs definitely help wear out Wyatt and Josie who are still puppies. He's discovering balls, and loves to play keep away from Wyatt sometimes stealing Wyatt's red Kong ball and running in large circles with it. He's also discovered the semi deflated soccer ball and will happily toss it in the air and move it about with his paws and nose. His true spirit is blossoming and if I do my part right it will continue to blossom.

Check out his photo album to your left. Next time I'll introduce our foster two-year-old retired racer Peso. Until then puppy licks, woof, woof and roo.