Pippi - Adopted March 28, 2012

 Pippi (Fortune)

March 28, 2012 update:  Adopted to her lifetime home with the McGee family.

March 10, 2012 update:  Pippi’s cat test was rather surprising.  She met three of the five cats and the two Greyhounds in the home. She had very little interest in the cats.  She did not act afraid of them – just not interested.  She came nose to nose with three of them (even with the muzzle off) and sniffed both the front and back end of one of them.  The cats stayed around where Pippi was during the entire visit.  One cat moved from the ottoman to the coffee table, to the entertainment center to the floor, all within a foot or two of Pippi. They all generally wandered around her.  She sniffed at them but that was the extent of her interest.  Considering that she is a shy girl, more exposure to cats will tell if her level of interest changes.  For now, she is cat trainable.

November 10, 2011 update:  Pippi has come a long way in her foster home. She has learned to play with her greyhound sister and has accepted from her that retirement is not a scary place but a place of love. We don’t know what caused Pippi to be so timid and frightened, but we’re thrilled to see that it was not permanent. Although, as sensitive as she is, she will likely always be a shy girl and need a patient and quiet forever home.

When she first arrived, she would not come out of her crate. Never aggressive however, it was easy enough to gently pull her out. Today, although she still loves to lounge there, she happily follows her greyhound sister into all the rooms of the house (except, for some reason, the kitchen).   She still cannot eat with the other dogs though. She is so passive that if another dog can get to her food, she will let them have it. Feeding her alone outside, putting up a baby gate to prevent other dogs from access to her food, or just closing the door to whatever room she is in will work; but I found that it’s just easiest to put the food in her crate. (I also have to latch it because her sister figured out how to open the unlatched door!) 

Pippi has not shown much interest in toys until recently, so I think that given more time she might enjoy them. It was funny to watch her when she made it squeak because it startled her. She has chewed a couple of things she shouldn't have, and I have found that a commercial spray deterrent (such as Bitter Apple) has worked well to curtail that.

Pippi is one of the most strikingly graceful looking greyhounds I’ve ever seen. She looks like an art deco sculpture or drawing. She is a pleasure to watch in my backyard. Since she was so frightened, I have only just started to walk her on a leash.  She did not do well at first and I’ve since begun to use a “Gentle Leader” that seems to have helped somewhat. She still needs some work. She is frightened of street noises, including cars. I recently took her to walk on a busy street with her greyhound sister and she did surprisingly well.

Pippi shies away from visitors that come to the house (even people she’s met before) and will bark at them. To make her more comfortable, I put her into the relative safety of her crate. If ignored, she will relax. She has never shown any aggression. Pippi is potty trained and will let you know she needs to go out with a soft whimper.

Pippi is still a work in progress but has made great strides. We are excited to see how her personality develops. She’s very sweet and affectionate and only needs some encouragement.

Pippi will make the right person a loving and gentle pet. Although she may do reasonably well as an only dog, she will do better in a home with another dog - better yet, another greyhound.  Also, since children tend to be noisy and unpredictable, she will probably not do well in a house with children, especially young ones. 

Additional adoption information may be found by clicking here!