Meet my new family
48I couldn’t bear to be in this empty house alone after Simba’s passing. I looked at local Great Dane Rescue but they didn’t have any dogs that met my needs. I started looking at other large and giant breed rescues in the general region, which led me to A Place for Us Greyhound rescue. I had thought about adopting a Greyhound in the past but to me they are teeny dogs. But they had a dog in rescue that was a perfect match for me. He’s a 3-4 year old designer hunting dog that was dumped in the desert along with several other dogs from the same breeder. They did a dna test on him and he is 40% Irish Wolfhound, 20% Scottish Deerhound, 20% Borzoi Hound, and 20% Greyhound. I love all these breeds and while he’s still small by my standards, he’s big by most people’s measure. I applied to adopt him, and while I was waiting to hear back a 1.5 year old Great Dane girl came into local rescue needing emergency placement. She’s also a lot smaller than Simba, but she’ll grow bit yet. I ended up adopting both dogs. I am still so terribly sad and missing Simba, but Tempest the puppy makes me laugh, and Zephyr the speed demon keeps me busy as he’s never been in a home before.
Zephyr
Tempest
- 24 comments, 29 replies
- Comment
Aww, your post made me tear up.
I’m so glad you were able to open your home to some new dogs. Of course they can’t replace Simba, but at least they’ll help fill the hole in your heart.
Best of all they love one another.
@moondrake This picture… it could be an oil painting. In the Pre-Raphaelite style, I think, with flower crowns for some reason. It’s just so lovely and timeless.
@moondrake These dogs are thinking, “We are so damn lucky.”
@Barney Also: “If we had flower crowns we could eat them.”
@moondrake D’awwwww!
Awww.
How tall is that hourglass?
@someRiverNoise 12.5".
Congratulations to all of you!
The thought of you coming home to the empty house saddened me. I’m glad it’s kinda full again.
I have a friend who has two rescued greyhounds. They are amazing cuddlers.
/giphy "beating heart"
@f00l Yes, he’s super affectionate for a sighthound. Not as much as her, but danes have been bred as companion dogs for centuries and they are as affectionate as any toy breed. He’s very well suited to be a therapy dog if I can teach him basic obedience. He’s calm, sweet and loves meeting new people. She was very timid when I got her on Sunday and I thought she was not going to be able to do therapy, but she’s already blossoming. When I took her to the park today she was excited to meet everyone.
@moondrake So glad you were able to adopt two new dogs into your home! They look very content in the pictures.
There is a group of greyhound owners that meets at the park I walk at- 5 were there today. They seem so sweet and I get to pet them. Congrats!
@sammydog01 Picture them on steroids. He’s about 5" taller than the average male greyhound.
@moondrake but I hope not as skittish as former racers.
A friend adopted a former racing dog, and it took a while before it wasn’t so jumpy. But it still tried to drag her down the street every time she walked it.
@craigthom He’s easily intimidated, but not skittish at all. I swear he’s part Golden Retriever the way he wiggle butts to greet new people. He’s going to make a great therapy team dog if 1) he can get over the car sickness problem and 2) I can teach him basic commands. Tempest is a quick learner but I’m making zero progress with Zephyr. It doesn’t feel like he’s being stubborn, it feels like the whole idea is so alien he just can’t grasp it. I’m looking for an appropriate obedience class, most are aimed at puppies.
Sounds like you got incredibly lucky with these two new dogs. Hope they help heal your heart with respect to Simba. They are lucky dogs to end up in your house.
I’m so happy for you and your two new family members. I know it’s not possible to replace Simba, but maybe your new fur babies can help mend your heart a little. Damn, there goes my tears again.
Edit: (They’re both beautiful!)
Beautiful pups! So sorry about Simba.
It’s hard to replace furry kids, but it looks as if these two beautiful dogs can manage to keep you busy and perhaps un-sad for a while until your heart heals. I’m on a very small mailing list (12 members in four countries on three continents) of dog lovers. One raises and shows salukis, another used to raise borzois, two others had herding dogs, and a friend of one owned an Irish Wolfhound. The various stories, both crazy and hair-raising, were a joy to read. I hope you’ll feel up to posting your own furry tails. Er, tales. And pictures!
@magic_cave I did senior adoptions of an Irish Wolfhound and a Borzoi and raised two Irish Wolfhounds from pups years back. Gorgeous animals.
Congratulations on the new family. Thanks for being awesome.
Zephyr’s coloration is absolutely gorgeous.
@jbartus He’s my first brindle. I call those his racing stripes.
Thank you for opening your heart and home to those two beautiful creatures. I see a future full of love and laughter.
Congrats on the new additions. Looks like they have settled themselves right in.
Absolutely gorgeous dogs. The new ones never really change the pain, but having that life in the house helps so much. I think of my Zeus at least a few times a week still…
I had a half Wolfhound, half spaniel. Smartest and most loving dog ever. He was the best.
rescue pets best pets
The are some really awesome looking dogs and I love that they are both named after types of wind
@CaptAmehrican They both love to run, but my yard is tiny. I am scheming how to fit two xl dogs that are afraid of the car into a 2dr Honda Civic to drive them 15 miles to the dog park so they can cut loose.
@moondrake Promise them flower crowns?
@Barney I’m sure they’d love to eat flower crowns, but I don’t think it will help me jenga them into the car while they struggle to escape. It’s possible that once one’s in the other will go, that’s how I’m teaching Tempest the dog door. Once Zephyr got over his WTF? reaction he started using it and after much angst she’ll follow.
@moondrake I think that once they get more used to you, they will trust you, and then getting them into the car will not be such a struggle. You’ll probably end up having to battle to keep them out.
They’re going to really like you.
@moondrake Promise you’ll post pictures of both of them in the car once you get them there? Please?
@beachbum Certainly, as long as you don’t forward them to Barnum and Bailey.
@moondrake I have to ask, just how big is the doggie door?
@speediedelivery The largest one I could find, and still too small for Simba. We set it about 8"off the floor (which is what seems to freak Tempest out, stepping over) and he still banged his shoulders on the top every time he went through. I’ll take a pic tomorrow.
@moondrake Took longer than planned. The door is 11" off the ground, it’s 26" tall by 14" wide. I had it installed as the screen room was being built. Simba was a little over 37" tall, so he’d scrape his back on the way through. Tempest and Zephyr are only 33-34", Tempest may grow another inch or two but she’s not going to be as big as Simba. I really need to replace the flap but the company website doesn’t have replacement flaps in that size. Please ignore the sorry state of the back yard. We’ve been have destructive high winds so I’ve been more focused on keeping the lawn furniture intact than getting the yard ready for spring.
My heart breaks for your loss of Simba, and rejoices for your new furmily.
i just found this thread.
i never stopped thinking about you and Simba. hurting my heart it was… for you two, to have to say goodbye …
i could not be more happy for you!! your new relationship building with your 2 new best friends? it’s going to be challenging but so much fun too. they both look, like the coolest of the cool dog/friends! you 3 ? are going to have so many great times.
Your new rescues are gorgeous! I’m partial to giant breeds, and I have friends who have fostered and rescued greyhounds and borzois. They are amazing dogs. I’ve got an Irish Wolfhound mix myself. Stubborn, intelligently thoughtful, and only willing to listen if the command makes sense to him at that moment, but I wouldn’t trade him for the world. Thank you for opening your home to both of these beauts and I hope they help your heart heal from its loss.
@PurplePawprints When I was barely three I was convinced that a greyhound was a horse and didn’t understand why I couldn’t have a ride (we were in the post office as was the dog and its owner). I still remember that.
@moondrake I am so sorry for your loss of Simba.
Losing a Dane (Ok, well I guess any dog) is so hard. They take up such a big space in your home and are so full of life that they steal your heart despite (or because of…) their shenanigans.
I am happy for you and your new family members. They are so lucky to have you, and you them. I am sure you’ll figure out a way to get them to the dog park and they will love it. They are absolutely gorgeous.
As far a small… when you have Danes everything else seems teeny tiny.
So gorgeous!! I’m jealous!
@moonhat
I am also.
@f00l We all know you’re gorgeous, you don’t have to keep rubbing it in.
@sammydog01
Can’t I be both personally gorgeous, and jealous of having those the pretty enormous pups as family? Cut me some slack, ok?
@f00l typo, you’re missing a cupla commaas
@Yoda_Daenerys
Someone else gets to do my proofreading. Always.
I seem to have a disability there.
@f00l It’s 12:45am and I’ve been sitting here for 45 minutes waiting for the epic wrassling match (that started as a rope tug of war) to vonclude so we can all go to bed. They are good at sleeping through the night but tend to have a burst of play energy right before bed time. They seem to be winding down at last.
@moondrake
I seriously hope you three stay up every night having fun for many many years.
@f00l Thanks so much!
Cute puppers!