Home at Last |
Mom was a poor college student when she got me. Here is her first apartment. Yes, it is a garage-convert, but for me, it was the best home in the world. I had lots of love, a warm bed, and plenty of walks. She built a fence for me in the front with a nice, warm dog house, but I had a knack of getting out and following her to class. That's how I became in inside dog. It was always part of the plan. Seriously, though, all greyhounds should be inside dogs because (a) we behave ourselves most of the time and (b) we have short coats, which means no insulation in the winters and no sun protection in the summers. The first thing Mom did was change my name to Gracie (Princess Grace) because I was so quiet and graceful. I was on my best behavior when I got my name. My new nickname is "Gundu" which means Fatty in Tamil, Dad's native language. Worse, sometimes they call me Gundu Grace. I don't mind because they say it with a lot of love.The second think Mom did was teach me how to love. I had never had much interaction with a person before, except for treatments. So when Mom tried to scratch my ears, I looked at her like I thought she was going to do something unpleasant to me. Mom is sorry she ever showed me the ear scratch, because now whenever I want my ears scratched, I rub my head on her. Sometimes I do it when she's leaving for work and she has to rub all my hair off her pants. Mom was happy to learn that I was leash trained right from the start, and it only took 2 accidents to learn that going inside was a bad thing. I tried really hard to learn all the rules, but I still have a weakness for getting on the bed--when they are not at home. My first walk was scary because I had never been outside on a street before. I was afraid of cars, bikes. people, and even trees. But they all had such interesting smells that soon I became curious and learned that "Walk" was a good word. Soon I became Mom's constant companion and they all said hi to me (usually they didn't know Mom's name but they all knew mine). When I first came home, I showed Mom that greyhounds have a talent for finding the most comfortable place in the house. It was usually the couch. Here's a picture of me in my first couch position--the "folding" position. In this picture I am saying "Uh, oh! I was caught on the furniture again!"
This is the position I usually end up in--the "unfolded" position, which is why I am not usually welcome on the couch. Mom says I hog it all to myself after I unfold. Notice my big smile!
And here are Mom and I compromising. In this picture, I am "helping" her study for her Japanese exam in college (not that she remembers a word of it now). Nice P.J.'s, mom! You really have to look to see my face in this picture. Don't I look happy?
Here's a picture of me posing in a field of flowers on the college campus. I think this one could be a good calendar pic, don't you? I have a winning smile.
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