AN ACCOLADE FOR DIAMOND DELILAH

Greyhounds are unusual pets.

I assumed that, since they are racing animals, they would be similar to Thoroughbred horses - excitable, uptight, hyper.

But they aren't!

Greyhounds are relaxed, affectionate, couch-potatoes who will sleep up to 23 hours a day.

They have a few faults - they understand only one direction ("forward"), they never learn to respect any boundaries you set (if the kitchen counter is within reach, that chicken is theirs), and they must be kept in-doors (having no body fat does have disadvantages when it is not 72 degrees outside day and night).

But Delilah learned to deal with various other dogs (Murray, Sofi, and Cissy) and cats (Pandora and Chloe) and learned (the hard way) that horses can kick.

She never even began to grasp the concept that a vehicle (car, sedan, garbage truck) might in some incredible way hurt  her - she would stand fearless in front of any moving object bearing down on her at 45 mph and not move.

Thank goodness she was never injured in such an encounter.

But day before yesterday she began to lose use of her right hind leg - by the time I got her to the vet yesterday, she was dragging the other hind leg also.

It was either having her go through a huge variety of expensive blood work and a lengthy wait trying to figure out what was causing her such pain -- or put her down.

Delilah had a lengthy and successful history on the track - and she had over six years of a pretty easy life in the Wiltfong's household.

We will miss her.