The Villages - April 2020 - 16

SEYMORE THE GREYHOUND
Owner Diane Black | Village of Bonita

"They call it roaching," said Village of Bonita resident Diane Black. She is
describing the silly way greyhound dogs lie on their backs with their long legs
jutting in all directions - like upside-down bugs.
It's one of the things you learn upon adopting a greyhound. When Black brought
her first dog home in 1997, she learned a great deal about these gentle giants.
"They're different from other dogs - not the run-and-fetch type," she said.
"They don't bark much or shed much. I really like the breed."
So much so, Black is now the proud owner of her fourth greyhound -
Seymore, a brindle boy with a beautifully distinct coat and a pair of pleading eyes.
His name, Black says, is a play on his original racing name - I'll Be Seeing You.
A new life called for a new name, and Seymore seems glad to have both. In The
Villages, he gets all the attention a dog could ever want.
"Everyone knows Seymore," Black said.
"People stop in cars and golf cars just to get
a closer look. "They want to know if he's a
rescue. When we walk around the pond, people
call from their homes, 'Hi Seymore!' When we
passed by a cycling group, one guy shouted,
'Now that's a real dog!'"
Black laughs, glancing over at the object
of everyone's affection. He is 79 pounds of
sweetness, snoozing in his oversized bed.
But things haven't been pure bliss from the
beginning, Black notes.
"I'm his second adopter," she said. "It didn't
work out with the first home. The gentleman
worked long hours and left Seymore in a crate
for much of the time." As a result, Seymore has
separation anxiety.
"He's only been with me since October, so
we're still working through it" she said. "But on
the bright side - I have a lot of new friends now."
As a member of The Villages Greyhound
Club, social outings are part of the fun.
"The greyhound community is a tight-knit
bunch," Black said. "I enjoy the walkabouts. We
just take our dogs and walk around the square.
We're talking to people constantly. They want
to know if the dogs raced and where, and if
they're always this calm."
In her neighborhood, too, residents bond
over canine ownership.
"All the dog people know each other. Without
Seymore, I would not be so popular."

16	

APRIL 2020
The Villages - April 2020

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