There are a few things about the Nut that the video didn't tell you. Peanut raced till she was 4+ years old and she was not a favorite of her trainer’s. She was unruly with the other dogs, a cage biter and wouldn't jump in a top crate- she had to live on the bottom level with the boys and she was vocal. After Peanut's racing career (108 races/ 38 wins) the trainer recommended to the owner that she not be placed in a home as a pet. But the owner insisted. When the trainer handed Peanut over to the adoption kennel she apologized for sending her such a “bad" dog. The trainer's rule of thumb was if she wouldn't want the greyhound as a pet herself then she tried not to place them.
Peanut arrived at the SEGA kennel in late March of 2008. On July 25th, Matt and I went there to pick up our 4th foster. It was supposed to be a 3 year old named Wiki Onetime, but she had accidentally been picked up earlier that month due to a dark brindle female identity mixup. My sister, Jen Bachelor, after reading her ear tattoos, figured out that we had Go Peanut Go, a 5 year old, who let’s face it, wasn’t the prettiest of greyhounds. She was graying in the face, missing teeth- the front teeth she did have were nubs from the crate biting and she had numerous scars and the tip of her ear was torn. I thought to myself how hard she would be to adopt out! She was our worst foster too. Her seperation anxiety was extreme and she wailed when crated. Greyhounds are supposed to love their crates! The first night I slept with shooting range ear muffs and Matt and Limo slept upstairs. Each SEGA greyhound had their own blog and all I could say about her was that she wasn’t like other greyhounds. I made one more public post on her blog and after that I found myself only blogging about her antics on my own personal one. It turned out she was perfect for us and about a month later we made it official and adopted her.
There is so much I can say about the Nut. She was so active and was the perfect playmate for Limo having those nubby teeth. They often bit at each other’s legs and necks to entice the other to play. I loved her sturdy frame and short neck, she was one tough Nut. To her, the barn aisle, wash rack or kitchen floor were as good a bed as any. Her favorite spot on a hot day was the tile floor in front of our fireplace. She often times came back from a deer chase with blood dripping from toes, legs or face, but she didn’t care, she would look up at me with her eyes half closed in extreme contentment as I would tend to her wounds. She never let me walk up the driveway of the Parker's old farm alone, it didn’t matter how many trips we took back and forth retrieving horses, she was always there. I am thankful the Parker’s new farm didn’t have much distance from the barn to the pasture, because even when she was slowing down and not getting around as well she still wanted to follow me where ever I went. I miss my shadow, even the times when I would get annoyed for her being underfoot.
The Nut had such a sweet side. She was a huge cuddle bug. Usually just sharing the couch wasn’t enough, she had to pull herself until she had her head and shoulders in your lap. You could just forget it if you you were using your laptop or doing anything other than petting her when she put her paws on you and gave you that look. Matt and I had to get a king size bed so we could share it with her and Limo. I often woke up to her face to face sharing my pillow.
We really loved and enjoyed her and cherish the memories we have together. Where ever you are Nut…Go Peanut Go!
