Faster than a Speeding Bullet

The Greyhound is a breed of dog that has been primarily bred for companionship, coursing game and racing. The Greyhound is the second fastest accelerating land mammal, beaten only by the cheetah; a combination of long, powerful legs, deep chest and aerodynamic build allows it to reach speeds of up to 45 mph in less than one and a half seconds, or within 3 strides.

Meet Luigi Zephyrini

This is my little Italian Greyhound, Luigi Zephyrini. Zephyr came to us a little over a year ago when he was being evicted from his home for a third time that month. Apparently, his original owner had become depressed and could no longer care for him. She gave him to someone else who was ill-equipped to handle the needs of a greyhound, who gave him to yet another person, who gave him to someone else who did not check with their landlord first to see if they could even have a dog. What they got was a resounding "no" to that question, and so I recieved a phone call from my step mom. She heard of the plight of this little man, and knowing I was interested in getting an Italian greyhound at some point in the future, asked if I would be willing to foster him. My son and I thought it would be a great opportunity to see if we would be a good match, so we said "yes".

Zephyr is not our first greyhound. I adopted a greyhound from a racetrack in Waterloo, Iowa almost 17 years ago. She was the most awesome companion anyone could ever ask for. Her name was Cleopatra, but we called her Patty for short. Having had such a positive experience with Patty, we eagerly accepted Zephyr into our home. It quickly became apparent that we would not be fostering Zephyr at all - we would totally adopt him.

Italian Greyhounds in the News