Meli

Our beautiful Greyhound Meli was a part of our lives for only 18 months, but it felt as if we’d owned her all our lives. That’s how easily she adapted to our home and our lifestyle, which included three Dachshunds, one cat and two very busy adults.

But Meli, nine years old at the time we brought her home, blended in seamlessly. She claimed the couch, the bed, the backyard and anything else that was available to her. Now that she’s gone – the victim of tumors in her chest that took her in a matter of weeks – we can’t think of any part of our home or our lives that she didn’t touch.

How did Meli come to be a part of our family? She needed a home because her family had lost theirs in the foreclosure mess. My wife Nancy and I had been thinking of adopting a Greyhound, and the circumstances that brought Meli to us were almost karmic: Through my wife’s friend in Arizona, we learned that an older female fawn Greyhound needed a home desperately, and as soon as we saw a picture of her, we knew she would be the perfect addition.

Susan Aceves of Amazing Greys Retired Racers served as the go-between. She was prepared to pick up Meli and several other Greyhounds at a midway point between Phoenix and Tracy, Calif., where she lives, but Nancy and I couldn’t wait. We were desperate to bring Meli to her new home as quickly as possible, and because Susan was not planning to drive to Barstow for a few more weeks to pick up the dogs, Nancy volunteered.

It was an adventure, in part because Nancy had never transported a group of Greyhounds before. But somehow she did it, driving four Greys in a rented SUV from Barstow to Tracy, and then bringing Meli to her new home. Meli must have known she was special; at one point during the trip, she squeezed into the front seat next to Nancy and stayed there the remainder of the drive.

To say she was a wonderful friend and companion isn’t enough. She was perfectly socialized and loved to meet people and dogs, wagging her tail helicopter style every time she encountered a new friend. She was so anchored to our home, which sits at the end of a small cul-de-sac, that I could open the front door every time my sister-in-law Mimi drove up, and Meli would excitedly hop down the walkway to greet her.

Now that she’s gone, we miss her terribly and think about her often. Because Meli taught us how wonderful Greys can be as pets, we adopted a two-year-old, Gracie, whom Susan asked us to foster last summer. We’re horrible foster parents; when Susan told us she had a couple of families interested in Gracie, we told her absolutely not. She was staying with us.

I guess we’ve become Greyhound people (and yes, Dachshund people, too) – all because of Meli. Susan has become a dear friend, and whenever I have a question about Greyhound behavior or medical issues, Susan is the first person I call.

Most of all, we appreciate Susan for helping us adopt Meli. Eighteen months wasn’t nearly enough time to enjoy her beauty and loving personality, but we know that she’ll be a part of our family forever.