Greyhounds: Dogs for Cat People

“Mummy, why’s that lady got a deer on a lead?”

“Cat! Big cat!” 

“Can I pet your horsie?”

“Is that what happens when a dog and a cat have babies?”

I will never get tired of children reacting to my greyhound. Most of them quickly identify him as something other than a dog, and they’re not alone. A former landlord of mine, a Pakistani Muslim, solemnly informed me that his culture did not consider greyhounds to be dogs, and thus they were not unclean (and could be allowed in the apartment). 

Greyhounds are, of course, domestic dogs-- if you crossed a domestic dog with a ferret, a pony, a cat, or some mixture of the above. They sleep curled up in tight balls or sprawled out like beached starfish or twisted into pretzel shapes that seem to defy basic physics. Like cheetahs, they are sprinters that spend most of their day asleep, so they have plenty of time to practice their nap poses. They play with feather dusters, climb on furniture, make a variety of chattering and mooing noises, they wind around your legs (often whilst you’re walking) to show their affection, and need no encouragement to climb into your lap or curl up on your feet. 

In other words, they are dogs for cat people, and are seriously underrated writer pets.

If you are charmed by my description of these gentle alien couch noodles, you can find out more about the breed here.