Shiraz the Aussie Girl’s New Beginnings
I was perusing The Greyhound Network that had greyhounds coming in from New South Wales, Australia and they had posted the greyhounds that would be available to adopt, along with a profile of each. I came upon a little girl Lesley, read her profile and she seemed to be a good fit for my crew, an 11 yr. old Podenco, an 11 yr. old Greyhound/Deerhound and a 13 yr. old Greyhound. This little girl was 5. I submitted an application to adopt her.
My sleek, petite 43-pound healthy greyhound joined our crew on August 30, 2025. Since she is a little Aussie girl, I renamed her Shiraz. Rather fitting don’t you think? She meshed with my crew like she had always been there. Her favorite toy became a 5 ft squeaker that was a snake. Much so that I combed the internet to get her another one months after the first one lost its squeak. She was so well-behaved and learned the ropes of our home structure rather quickly. I started socializing her immediately and she just “fit in” wherever and whatever situation she was placed in and whatever we did together. Which led me to her next adventure…
I’ve had a total of 15 greyhounds past and present (which includes her) and they all have been Certified Therapy Dogs. Since Shiraz never raced, I felt she needed beginning obedience in order to assist her in passing her therapy dog evaluation and testing. So, we began as a team in a 6 week beginner’s obedience class. My trainer who I’ve used on and off for my other Greyhounds and Podenco, remarked through the following weeks of training, that “this little girl is smart” and basically, “knocked her socks off” in her ability to catch on and work as a team with me. We became one during that time and continue to have that deep connection with each other. She passed the 6 week course and then I had her tested for the CGC Good Citizen another pre-requisite for our local therapy group Courtroom Critters and she superbly passed that test.
Next stop, Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD), which is a nationwide organization that evaluates, tests, and provides Membership for Certified Therapy Dog Teams. During the next month Shiraz and I would be evaluated and tested as a Certified Therapy Dog Team. During the month we visited and were observed by an ATD tester/observer at a skilled nursing facility. Shiraz was perfect in every way she knew without direction what to do – she was a natural. She had a purpose and that led her to passing and becoming a part of a Certified Therapy Dog Team.
Once she was Certified, I signed her up for a big event here in Las Vegas through our local Courtroom Critters therapy group. It was the annual CrimeCon convention to be held at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. I was excited to see how she would do in crowds, emotional, and busy situations. We had a six-hour shift and this being her first opportunity to work, I was curious to see if it would be too much for her or if she would shine throughout it all. Shiraz was completely in tune with the victims, news people, attendees, and other therapy dog teams. An example was a victim that didn’t have her service dog with her collapsed on the floor with stress of the event and Shiraz immediately laid down by her rolled on her back to show her tummy and placed her head in the lady’s lap to give her comfort letting her know that she was there for her. The woman was in tears and just was overwhelmed at Shiraz’s ability to comfort her exactly when she needed it. This and other interactions with others blew me away. She was completely in her norm. To complete the weekend, we went the next day to visit an elderly convalescent facility, and she was respectful and a joy for all the residents she interacted with.
Shiraz and I are attending a 6-week Intermediate level training course to learn new commands. This isn’t a requirement by all means; this is just for fun for both of us. She has the potential to succeed in anything that comes her way and it is so much fun for me to see how much she enjoys being with me one on one. I call her my “tiny tike” she is as close as you can get to a living doll disguised as a Greyhound. I truly hit gold when I adopted her almost a year ago and to see all that she has accomplished in the past few months and continuing to do so, truly warms my heart. I love this girl so much we are one.