Majestic, gentle, athletic, refined, delicate, and adorably sweet, Jasmine is the first of two ex-racing Greyhounds to grace the Animal Refuge League!
What a treat and honor it has been get to know Jasmine, a 5-year-old female. Fresh off the track, Jasmine has just returned from three weeks in a foster home where she learned all about car rides, windows, cozy beds, good nutrition, quiet nights at home with her family and how to be the cherished member of a devoted pack. Jasmine is indescribably loving, silly, playful, mellow and stoic. She won the heart of her foster mom and attracted admirers wherever she went.
While leash walks are great fun for Jasmine, she also craves a fenced backyard to indulge her “zoomies” a couple of times a day. Jasmine is a well-chiseled athlete, and although her racing days are over, she loves and needs to let her hair down and just run. Greyhound’s cannot be trusted with an Invisible Fence, as they will move mountains to chase whatever catches their eye.
This noble and storied breed had been bred for over 5,000 years to do one thing: run. For the uninitiated, life with an ex-racer is full of firsts, although Jasmine’s foster mother has made it much easier for her next family.
Much more information is available at the shelter about welcoming an ex-racer into your home. New owners will wish to invest in an extra large crate, as this has been home to racing dogs their entire life and often means security and safety during the initial and sometimes scary months of entering a home. Jasmine enters her crate willingly (provided it is large enough) and settles in quietly when her foster mom had to be away from home.
Life at the track is busy, with people and dogs around constantly. Alas, Jasmine had never been alone! Life with another dog, preferably another Greyhound is suggested, as separation anxiety is a real issue for some ex-racers. Jasmine shared her foster home with two smaller dogs and alternated between being playful and interactive to indifferent. Due to her prey drive, Jasmine will not be placed in a home with cats.
A perfect summary of life with a Greyhound goes like this: “By choosing to share your home and life with a Greyhound, you are participating in an act nearly as old as civilization itself. These are the same dogs that slept alongside the pharaohs, hunted with the nobleman of the Middle Ages, and have inspired artists and poets for thousands of years. Without a doubt they are worthy of us. The questions is, Are we worthy of them?”
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