Greyhound Chic

Through some strange circumstance, I became a subscriber to an upmarket shelter magazine. You know what I'm talking about: a super-glossy magazine that features "favorite things" of celebrities that run to $500.00 notebooks for writing down creative ideas, pages of jewelry for which a potential buyer must contact the jeweler in order to discover the price, AND page upon page of interiors designed for the very, very rich. None of which has a thing to do with the way I live.

A standard practice of some interior designers featured in this magazine is the inclusion of dogs. I have seen many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, West Highland White Terriers, Boston Terriers, and, of course, the ever popular Standard Poodle. But recently, I have seen TWO Greyhounds featured. I'm wondering if this is the beginning of a trend. If so, it won't be the first time that Greyhounds have been fashion statements.

During the 1920's, Greyhounds were frequently used in advertisements for the spare, unstructured clothing that was called The Flapper Look. When Art Moderne architecture emerged in the 1930's, Greyhounds complemented its clean lines. During the 20's and 30's sculptures and porcelain figurines of Greyhounds of such fine artistic quality were produced, that their prices have held up even in the generally depressed current antiques and collectibles market.

Actually, high end settings are nothing new for Greyhounds. Until the invention of the mechanical rabbit in the first half of the twentieth century, Greyhounds were accustomed to lives of privilege. They were companions of the leisured class. It might sound a little crazy, but sometimes I wonder if they are born with memory of those halcyon days.

I have introduced three ex-racing Greyhounds and one Greyhound/Scottish Deerhound to my home. Every single one of those dogs has immediately let me know that they require full access to sofas and love seats. They drape themselves across cushions in the most elegant poses. They know that this is where they belong.