This summer we adopted an Italian Greyhound puppy from a family who couldn’t keep him anymore. He was a tiny little guy, weighing in at around 7lb when we first picked him up. We named him Luca Brasi and basically transformed my office into a doggy nursery, decked out with fluffy blankets, beds, and stuffed animals. This breed likes to wear clothes and stay warm. They love to sleep in your bed, and burrow all the way under the covers.
On Labor Day weekend, just a couple weeks after we got him, Luca broke his leg in two places after jumping off the couch. He ended up needing an orthopedic surgeon to operate on him in order to assure him a good chance of being able to walk normally.
After he broke his leg, we decided to release a free WordPress and BuddyPress theme that that we had on deck. Luca’s Theme is based on Twitter Bootstrap and has support for bbPress.
Donations for the theme helped to raise a bit of money towards his surgery and hospital bills. After we reach our goal we’ll be donating to anything further that comes in through this theme to Hazeljane’s Blessings, our local Italian Greyhound rescue. A very sweet and loving couple runs this rescue and they deal with leg breaks all the time. Having this experience with Luca really gave me compassion for anyone who has to care for a doggy with a broken leg. It’s pretty heartbreaking.
Luca is finally all better after 8 weeks of not being allowed to walk or run. He’s healthy and happy and has a ton of energy. It’s really nice to have him with me when my husband is gone hiking in the woods or out for the evening.
If you are thinking about adopting an Italian Greyhound, I would encourage you to get in touch with a rescue. If you are local to the Tulsa/Arkansas area, there are many Iggys at Hazeljane’s who are looking for their forever homes. You can also help by providing a foster home. This breed is perfect for someone who wants a dog that will be a smart, cuddly companion. There’s also a very tight knit community of Italian Greyhound owners in the USA and worldwide who share tips and stories and pictures. Feel free to drop me a note in the comments or get in touch with me via Twitter if you have any questions.
