The TGA received an email from one of our breeders sharing an email they received from an adopter of one of their retired racers. Please take the time to read this wonderful story and how this family fell in love with CTW Contessa, now known as Sprinkles. Greyhounds make GREYT pets and if you’re looking to add to your family, visit one of our Preferred Adoption Groups in your area to view the beautiful hounds they have awaiting their forever home. We would love to hear & share YOUR story about your greyhound experience.
Just last year my husband and I decided to take the plunge and adopt our first retired racing greyhound. We met someone in Tupelo that had been adopting greyhounds for close to 25 years and we fell in love at first site. We spent about a month planning, prepping, and researching on what we would need to do to prepare for our new family member. We already had two male dogs so we knew we wanted a female for sure so we didn’t upset the balance our two boys already had. We made plans to go to the Birmingham Race track on a nice Sunday afternoon. We went down there with the mindset that we wanted a young, playful brindle female and we ended up leaving with the complete opposite.
We adopted your dog CTW Contessa. We have since named her Sprinkles. She was 7 years old when we adopted her and will be 8 next month. There are not words for how much this dog has changed my life and won my heart. I’ve had dogs before but nothing prepares you for having a greyhound. They are so special and their needs are so different from regular dogs I was glad I did my research and prepared for her. The first week we had her was a very stressful for her but I had made sure to take off work for the week so I could properly spend time with her to help her acclimate. Poor thing didn’t even know what to think of TV. I actually ended up getting so little sleep the night we got her, my husband came home to find that I had fallen asleep in her kennel with her. What a sight that must have been!
Two months after we got her she had fit in to our little family perfectly. Unfortunately for me I had been given news from my doctor that I would have to undergo knee surgery to relocate my knee cap to correct a problem I had been born with that at this point made it where I was unable to walk. I was told I would be spending 6 weeks in bed and in a wheelchair unable to bend my leg or put weight on it. My husband could only take 2 weeks off of work and then I was on my own. I love my boys to death but Sprinkles never left my side. Her constant companionship and love that she gave me really helped alleviate my pain and kept me company. When it was time for therapy with me she was my inspiration to walk again and never once hurt me or did anything to get in the way of my recovery.
This baby girl has wormed her way into my heart in a way that no animal I’ve had ever has. She has inspired me to help other greyhounds find homes as well. I’m in the process of getting my 501c so I can be an official adoption rep to show people how wonderful these animals are. Sprinkles is also in the process of getting her therapy license, because her temperament is so good and she just adores meeting people.
Sometimes the way she looks at me with so much love and trust in her eyes just breaks my heart. I just wanted to reach out to her previous owners and let you know that she is a spoiled girl and could not get any more love anywhere else. I make clothes for her, paint her nails, and even cook her meals.
I have attached some pictures of her in her new spoiled life. She really has lived up to the name Contessa as she is the queen of the house.