An ancient Egyptian root, sleek body, and the fastest of them all, Greyhounds are quite talented. They also have a knack for showing their happiness in a unique way. Meet Salty, a Greyhound from Melbourne, who shows you what it’s like to live with this breed.
Her mom, Lucy Percival, by her side, Salty ventures around the cafés and bars in her city. Her mom says, “We live in Melbourne, which is famous for its bars and cafés, and Salty is a true ‘Melbourite’ as she loves them, too.” Salty loves traveling and enjoying her favorite beverage, as Lucy continues, “Salty’s favorite things are catching the train to go to a bar, or walking to our local cafés for a puppuccino. If she chooses her walk route, she always chooses to walk to the train station!”
How do we know she really feels happy at her favorite spot? She chatters. Her front human-like teeth protrude, and her jaw starts chattering. Onlookers get worried sometimes. They think she is sick. Percival assures us that she is just showing her joy. “Some people think the shaking is because she’s sick, scared or cold, but she is definitely healthy, happy and warm in the Melbourne summer!”
It is usual for Greyhounds to chatter in this way when they get happy. While our teeth chatter when we shiver with cold or experience some form of sickness, it is perfectly fine when a Greyhound does it. This is how they show their approval of the situation.
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Not everyone knows about this fact, though, and when Salty chatters, she invites attention. It also gets a bit noisy, so we can’t blame those worried faces. On the upside, she does not mind meeting new people.
“Salty chatters a lot! She chatters when it’s breakfast or dinner time, she chatters when we come home and she wants cuddles, she chatters when she’s sleeping on me like a giant baby,” elaborates Lucy . “She also chatters a lot when we go out. Salty really loves being with people, so she often chatters when we’re in bars, pubs and cafés.”
People get surprised when they come to know that Salty’s chattering is her way of showing her contentment. They get even more surprised when they see her front teeth!
Her mom throws light, “Her lower jaw is slightly shorter so her top teeth are more prominent. I think that her top teeth have not worn down over time because she doesn’t chew with them much, but there’s no trickery in the little toofers, they’re always prominent.”
Lucy and her partner were contemplating whether they should adopt a Greyhound. That’s when they found Salty, who was called Salt back then, a 5-year-old, at the Gumtree Greys. Percival’s obsession with salts ensured that she fell for this dog at first sight. “As soon as I saw Salt, I was smitten,” says Lucy. “I have a lot of cooking salts and flavored salts (about 14 types). It’s a bit of an obsession. So it just seemed so perfect that a dog called Salt would join our family.”
While moving to a new place leads to isolation more than often, having Salty with her has helped Lucy Percival a lot. She has been able to form friendships quickly and never feels alone.
She says, “Getting Salty gave us an instant support network and amazing group of friends. We now volunteer with Gumtree Greys at its market stalls and it’s so much fun hanging out with our new friends and a bunch of greyhounds every weekend. It also helped us meet many of our neighbors and we have made lots of friends in our local area through Salty.”
Lucy cannot imagine a life without Salty. The both of them share an unbreakable bond. To quote Lucy one last time, “You can’t really explain how unconditional love changes your life. Salty is our baby and we are besotted by her … Salty’s dad is just as doting as I am. The greatest joy in our lives is seeing her happy.”
Follow Salty’s Instagram and stay updated with this lovely doggo. Show your support for Gumtree Greys and help them in their pursuit of rescuing and gifting new lives to the Greyhounds in Melbourne.
