Our Story

I gave Banjo the nickname ‘Shyhound’, because it describes his temperament, and is a portmanteau of his two main breeds: Shepherd + Greyhound.

Temple Grandin has noted that the more inquisitive or curious an animal is, the more likely they are to be highly-strung in temperament – and Banjo is no exception.

Tiny Puppy

We know a little bit about Banjo’s past. A few winters ago, he was found with his mother, a Labrador, and three brothers in a snowy ditch in Queens, New York.

New York City Animal Control picked the litter up and, as the pups were only 5 weeks old and deemed too young to neuter, they would have put down had Sean Casey Animal Rescue not stepped in.

In those early days of the non-profit, Sean Casey ran his shelter from a concrete shed in the cargo section of JFK, and this is where Banjo and his brothers were cared for until they were old enough to be adopted.

Meanwhile, we had seen his photo online (above left) and fallen in love.  We’d seen many lovely photos of puppies available for adoption, but when I saw his little peeping face I thought, That’s my dog! and I called to make an appointment to see the puppies.

Two days later, we took our little guy home that same day – and life hasn’t been the same since!

I’m posting some of my favourite photos of my shy guy because I occasionally hear from strangers who have a dog like mine, and want to get an idea of what their pup will look like when s/he grows up.

Favourite Puppy Photo

I love how curious and fuzzy he is in this photo, taken when he was around 12-weeks-old.

People-Watching

Here he is in one of his favourite spots. True to his GS genes, he’s a barker! If you look closely, you can see the crick in his tail – a congenital break. When he’s relaxed, it’s pointed, like an arrow, and when he’s boisterous, it’s curled, like a cane.

A Peaceful Moment