We took Whitney to our granddaughter's softball game a couple of weeks ago. She certainly made a good showing and spoke well for greyhounds. There were three games going on at once, so the noise level was high; there were children of all ages walking around with friends and parents. Nothing seemed to phase Whitney! She allowed the kids to touch her ears, toes, nose and just pet her in general. Of course, I was very careful and watchful for problems -- not only from Whitney, but also from the kids. We were very proud of her! She was especially curious about the games. Her ears would perk up, and her eyes would follow the movements on the playing field. We could just imagine her thinking to herself that she could certainly get that little white ball faster than those girls were getting it! There was one occurrence that proved to me that she would also be good in the nursing home or school situation. One little boy around six, who had a learning disability, stayed pretty close to his mom. He finally began petting Whitney on his own, and even followed Pete and Tyler (our grandson) around. Whitney would nuzzle him, and even kissed him once! Sierra, Caley, and Tyler (our grandchildren) are begging us to bring her to another game -- which we absolutely plan to do!
I have talked with members of my greyhound organization who take their greys to nursing homes. They all tell of how heart warming it is to see these older eyes light up! As an animal lover, I cannot think of many things worse than being in a place where I would be separated from my cherished animal friends. Many senior citizens are put in this very situation when they can no longer care for themselves, and have to move into a nursing home. One person I talked with related a very emotional incident that she had experienced. There was an elderly man who had not spoken in months -- he was severely depressed and withdrawn. The owner and her grey entered his room and ask if he would like to pet her dog. The older gentleman raised his hand and motioned them over -- he petted the greyhound for a long time with tears running down his cheeks. He began
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