posted July 18, 2023
When I embarked upon the adventure of adopting a retired racing greyhound, I was prepared for some adjustments. I didn’t know the experience would give me the awareness to finally listen to my long-felt calling to be fully Vegan.
The day adopted Nila, I almost couldn’t believe that I was allowed to bring home a creature so regal. Elegant, with long legs and graceful movements, she was also rigid with fear. For the first few days, she held herself so stiffly that it felt as if I’d brought home a deer. On walks, she could barely be coaxed to move. She was afraid to relieve herself outdoors and waited until she was in her only familiar place, her crate. Although I was bursting with excitement to have her home with me, I felt there was nothing I could do to make her feel safe and secure.
With routine, repetition, and gentleness, Nila became more comfortable. The first time she relieved herself in my backyard instead of her crate was a moment of celebration. Gradually, she relaxed and started sniffing her surroundings during walks. She met my friends and neighbors and accepted treats from their hands. Still, certain things seemed to remind her of an earlier time. With confusion, she investigated particular fences like she needed to go back somewhere. At home, I learned to pet her only when she was standing up, since she was afraid to be touched when laying down. Patience, and giving her space, was the name of the game.
Unexpectedly, one day she opened up. I was kneeling on the floor petting her, and she pressed her face, from the top of her head to her nose, into my chest, and leaned in and let out a relaxed sigh. This greyhound hug meant more to me than anything. She was safe. She was home.
Almost five years later, Nila has fully blossomed. Every morning, she waits in her bed like a princess until I massage her head, ears, and neck. She now expects this kind of touch as a morning ritual, which would have been fear-inducing for her five years ago. Nila adores long walks and prances with joy to see her favorite people. Her teeth chatter when she is happy and her eyes look right into your soul. She even cuddles with me on the couch, although she is much more interested in popcorn than the shows I’m watching. Far from a rigid deer, she is more like a goofy clown full of confidence and joy.
How could I love a greyhound but force a cow to live a life of exploitation?
As I formed a bond with Nila, my satisfaction with being vegetarian began to fall apart. For years, I had wanted to be Vegan, but I compromised, eating a Vegan diet 80% of the time, while being permissively vegetarian when it was convenient. It seemed like a reasonable enough approach for a while. But as I got to know Nila, this no longer made any sense. Here I was, best friends with an individual who had been bred for profit and was liberated by love; and still, I contributed to a system that cruelly exploits other animals.
When I thought about the violence of impregnating cows and taking away their babies, I cringed at how something similar could have happened to Nila if she had been forced to breed before being adopted. Considering the confinement and machinery forced on dairy cows, I envisioned Nila spending more years in a crate on the track, rather than in our home.
Previously, the facts about the cruelty of the dairy and egg industry fueled me to be 80% Vegan. Now that I had witnessed the transformation of a rigid and scared creature into the sweet, bossy goofball who owns a major piece of my heart, I knew I had to own up to that remaining 20%. Knowing Nila, really knowing her as an individual who formerly was a number in someone’s ledger, helped me realize that every animal is an individual. How could I love a greyhound but force a cow to live a life of exploitation? I was finally enlightened enough to stop eating dairy and eggs once and for all. Having made this choice, I now feel a freedom that I never knew before. I never needed eggs or cheese: I simply need the peace of knowing what’s on my plate didn’t come from an animal’s suffering.
Lauren Oleykowski is a 2022 graduate of Main Street Vegan Academy. She lives in Baltimore, MD, with her retired racing greyhound, Nila. Together, they have provided a loving foster home to six other retired greyhounds who are now in their forever homes. Lauren works in international development, and in her free time, enjoys hiking, sailing, and making pottery. She can be reached by email.