Introducing AJ

AJ's adoption photo we fell in love with

  This beautiful boy is the newest member of my family! We adopted AJ over winter break and I just went back and saw him for the first time last weekend since leaving for winter quarter and he has really blossomed into a goofball and fits right in with our family. He is a lover of naps, which also fits right into our family, but has grown fond of mirrors and the television. He is a former racing dog from Florida and we have access to his family tree which I love to look through! He won only one race under the name 'Springwater AJ' on the 21st of April, 2017 (video replay), and retired in June, around the same time we lost Sierra. I am going to have to record that video replay as they don't stay on the website forever and I love how he came from behind and how excited the announcer gets!
  AJ is obsessed with JA, which is what we call his reflection that he loves to look at/tries to interact with. I can't wait for him to meet other dogs and learn that not all dogs are greyhounds! I am still looking into getting an emotional support animal and it will be very important that the two of them will get along as he will be their uncle and a very important role model in their lives, even if they are older than AJ...
  Anyways AJ loves his football toy, mostly because it has treats in it! He is very content to lay on his bed with his football, a blanket draped over him, and TV on to whatever morning television show is on at the time. He is a very big fan of Good Morning America but I have a feeling he would like late night TV as well. I think he likes the applause because obviously, they are applauding for him.
  It is still strange to think Sierra is gone, and I find myself constantly comparing AJ to her, but in a good way. He knows how to get what he wants just like she did, but he seems to have a more compassionate approach while Sierra would just glare at you until someone did what she wanted. AJ is also more playful than I remember her being, but I was in elementary school when she was AJ's age so maybe I just remember her as an elderly dog. He loves the ear scratches I give, rubbing my knuckle on the inside of their ear, just like Sierra did. They can't share collars as greyhounds need a special kind but I am hoping he can wear some of her holiday bandannas as we come up to some this Spring. Even though I was very excited about getting a new dog I secretly worried that it wouldn't feel right having another dog be the fifth member of our household but AJ fits right in. We had never lost a dog before and as hard as it was, getting another dog was the right decision for us. AJ helps us reflect on the happy times with Sierra and makes remembering her just that much easier. 
  I would like to thank Greyhound Pets Inc.  where we got AJ for being so wonderful to AJ and his brothers that have stayed there before. I love seeing the pictures of the greyhounds and hope to bring AJ to some events at their kennel so he can reconnect with his friends. I am head-over-heels in love with this boy and cannot wait to get to know him more!

~MG