Breed Confusion

My sister finally convinced me to get another dog. It been a few months since my beloved British yellow Labrador retriever, Suede, had to be put down for old age. She had been suffering badly and although it tore me apart, I can only hope it relieved her pain.

But that was then. Now, I have problems of my own. Following a spell at work, my employers and doctor have removed me from duty. I guess I don't blame them. Most people don't want a cab driver that blacks out. While I may not really be able to afford another dog right now, it will get my ass away from the XBox and out getting some exercise.

So my sister spotted this dog on the local SPCA website. She was nearly the same color as Suede but looked more like the slimmer American Labrador. That's okay. I had one of them too, back in the day. Lady was a fine dog. If this one was anything like either Suede or Lady, I'm sure the trip would be worth while. But the website pointed out that this was no purebred.

What we saw was something with all the features of the Labrador packaged into the size of a large terrier. Also present was the terrier attitude. We were greeted by a low. menacing growl as we approached the cage. With my ex's kids to think about, I was not prepared to offer a home to some dog I could not trust. Sorry pooch.

Determined not to make the trip for nothing, we took a look around. Just a few cages away we were greeted by a smiling face and wagging tail. The sign said Labrador/Doberman cross. Hmm. I've met some pretty friendly, happy Dobermans over the years. They can be big babies when not trained to kill. I signed her out for a walk and was pleased with her personality. Four days later, I took her for another walk -- to the car and home.

As we got to know Bella, we began trying to find the Lab in her. She had sort of the right tail, but it could just as well be that of a natural Doberman. The friendliest one I had ever met never had his ears or tail docked. He kind of looked like a hound. Bella's ears were the odd part. They don't look like those of an undocked Dobie. Nor do they look like a lab.

Three days in I decided I could trust Bella enough for a little experiment. I let her off the leash before going into the house. She ran joyously in circles through the back yard before bolting down the driveway. One minute she was right in front of me, the next, I could hear the guard dogs barking at the garage down the street. Shit!

It was her. She decided to visit the neighbours. As soon as she saw me coming the game was on. There was nothing malicious in it. She just waited until I was about 15 feet away from her and took off again. Clouds of dust kicked up from the gravel shoulder as she dashed down the road. Startled drivers hit the brakes as she passed them along the shoulder -- and the speed limit through there is 60 KM/h, or about 40 mph. I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt awed. "That's no moon, it's a space station." In this case "that's no Lab. It's a fucking greyhound."

The next morning happened to be her first visit to the vet. She checked Bella over and pronounced her in good health. While the pound said she was about a year old, the vet indicated three years was more likely. "What breed did they say she was?" I smiled and told her the Labrador/Doberman that was posted on the cage. The vet shook her head. "I can see Doberman, maybe, but that's a greyhound. She has more greyhound in her than anything." She then indicated to her assistant to change their records immediately.

So I wanted a friend and companion and it seems I have that. I also wanted something to encourage me into getting more exercise. How long will it take before I can keep up with my new greyhound?