Hundarna ov
Björnslottet

Dowland (left) was born on 17 July 1995 in Texas. He came up our way from his racing kennel in Pompano Beach, Florida not long after he retired from racing in the Summer of 1999. His paternal grandfather, Dutch Bahama, was a famous racer; not only that, but Dowland has some 10,000 uncles.

Sandy (right) was born in September 1990, but that's all we know about her at the moment, since she has been off the track for a number of years, living elsewhere. We haven't been able to get a lead on her racing career, but we can tell you that she's no shy dame.

Both Dowland and Sandy were adopted through Greyhound Pets of America/Maryland, a fine organization. (If you live elsewhere, visit the Greyhound Pets of America parent organization for lots of information and a list of local chapters.)

Dowland (right) has ears that are fully erect at attention, a very unusual greyhound trait. He also is brindled (striped), but only slightly so, making him look more like he's just crawled out from under a truck.

Sandy and Dowland are both red greyhounds, although Dowland is a lighter red. Sandy also has a more-classic greyhound profile, particularly with her flying-nun style ears. Both, however, have long, pointy noses, just right for sticking into all sorts of things.

Our local GPA sponsors monthly Greyhound Meet and Greet events at the nearby PetSmart. It's an occasion for our kids to get together with some of their friends, and for people who've never met greyhounds before to get up close and see what wonderful friends they can be.

It seems universal that Greyhounds prefer to play with fluffy stuffed toys, particularly if the toys have squeakers built in. Once they chase it down and catch it, punishment is called for. Dowland can make this bear squeak and squeak and squeak until it cries uncle.

This is one of the most characteristic Greyhound poses. It's a common misconception that Greyhounds, being born runners, must exercise continuously. Ha! Remember, they are sprinters, accustomed to running for about 30 minutes every 3 days or so, and that's about all they want off the track, too. This is the activity with which they actually spend most of their time.

Greyhounds are quite adept at looking sympathetic, and this is a trait at which Sandy excels. But really, she's not sad. More likely, she's just getting ready to smile because she's just finished her evening biscuit. On the other hand, if the look can get her another biscuit, who is she to argue with success.

This is, remarkably, one of Sandy's apparently relaxing ways of sitting; she also seems fond of it when she thinks her toes hurt from having the nails clipped and she feels a need to remind us of that. We don't quite understand how her neck works this way, but there you go. Since it looks like she needs only a cape to complete the ensemble, we think of this as her SuperBitch Pose.

Not to be outdone by Sandy's SuperBitch Pose, Dowland here demonstrates his own version of the sometimes elegant, sometimes absurd preferred way that Greyhounds sit. It's a sort of crouch with the stomach just touching the ground, and from which they can quickly get up. (They most often sit like this when they're waiting for a walk or a treat.) We think of it as Sitting Like an Sphinx.