We are on the search for the perfect dog. One would think we were trying to adopt a kid. I think I have been through more home visits, phone interviews and written applications than Angelina Jolie. I was spoiled by having the perfect dog already. His name is Silis and he is a 14 year old lab/whippet mix. He was on the small side and super mellow, sleek black fur and not jumpy or annoying. I co-raised him for many years. He now lives with his father full time but we have watched him over the years when the father travels. It has been a great situation.
We are now ready as a family to get our own. Of course my first pick would be to get another lab/whippet mix but of course finding Silis for $10.00 in the paper 14 years ago was a total fluke. I haven't had as much luck this time. So we started researching Greyhounds since they are in the same family as a whippet. There are many misconceptions about Greyhounds. They are not hyper, they don't need a ton of exercise (labs actually need more) and they are great family dogs. They do come with some special needs though. They can never never ever be left off leash. These dogs go from 0 to 40 MPH in three strides. Any moving creature will set them off and they will be miles away before you even realize they are gone. Their personalities seem like a perfect match for us but I think I want a dog I can easily have other people watch for us if we need to.
We don't want a purebred. Too much money and typically the dogs have more health problems. I also cannot justify it when there are so many homeless dogs out there.
So I am back to looking for a lab/golden/something else mix. I have found several rescue places here in VT that work with getting dogs from the South. I guess there are a ton of dogs in need of homes in the South. Way more than up North. Lots of puppies too.
If you too are looking for the perfect pup you can check out this great website
Petfinder.comI basically live on it daily now. You can search your area for dogs that are available.
Do you have a great family dog? What kind is it?
Keep your fingers crossed I find my forever friend soon.
