I received my first Italian Greyhound as a gift when I was 18 years old. Allegra, or Leggy, was a tiny little thing of around 6 pounds. She had been a surprise gift and, as my parents weren’t willing to add another dog to our home at that time, I looked for someone who would be willing to board her as I looked for my own place.
Since this was before we could network via the internet, I went to my local dog show to meet dog people. There I met Nancy Koker (Alveare IGs), a local IG breeder. After we talked, she agreed to take Leggy for a while. It turned out that Leggy was much happier having other dogs, including big Greyhounds, to rule over, so Nancy and I agreed that she’d keep her and give me a replacement iggy when I was ready. I married and moved to my own place, then contacted Nancy. After meeting several of her available iggies, Bullet came home with me! He was with me through multiple moves, the breakup of my marriage, and the beginning of my show experience. And speaking of showing…enter Oreo!
I’d become interested in trying to show a dog, so I asked Nancy to keep an eye out for a pup with show potential. One day she called and said, “Your puppy was born today!” Sadly, I wasn’t able to finish Oreo’s championship. There was only one other iggy being shown in my area (and even she was over 4 hours away!) and in those days you couldn’t get any points from this combination. I did, however, breed him once when he was 12 years old! The result was Eowyn, and through her and her progeny, Oreo lives on today.
Since then, I’ve had many iggies; ones I’ve bought, ones I’ve bred, and ones I’ve fostered. I can’t imagine not having at least one iggy in my life! I am NOT one of those people who looks at my dogs as merely livestock, they are my family! Sure, they are show dogs and sometimes make babies, but first and foremost, they are my beloved little friends.
–Holly
Salt Lake City, UT
