PERSONAL INFORMATION wrote:Personality: Despite the fact that Italian Greyhounds are often seen as delicate and thin, which certainly plays into the fact they are usually rather cautious, Ilene is much more mischievous. She's been spotted trying to steal from any surface that has some sort of item Ilene finds interesting. Despite her first disposition to crowds or those she is unsure of, she is willing to and enjoys entertaining others. While still being cautious and normally calm when alone, her quirks set her apart from most other small dogs.
Daily life: A delicate ray of mischievous sunshine known as Ilene, often prances early in the sunny mornings, especially summer, sunbathing around the flowers before her morning meal. Although mostly dry kibble, her owner occasionally adds in some other foods that are healthy for her and Marylin, one of her closest friends. While Mary's energy at first startled the thin and pale hound, she soon grew to enjoy her boundless joy and company, soon letting her confidence infect her slightly. During the day, she will sometimes accompany Mary on strolls or simply interacting with the customers in the shop, though she sometimes is a little weary at first until Ilene is calmed down and invited to join in by Mary or her owner. Sometimes she'll even model the merchandise that her owner puts out for pet owners. When in the shop alone with her human, due to stormy weather or just because the shop is closed due to a holiday, she gets a bit mischievous and tried to take things off her human's desk or work space most of the day. By the time the day is over she is tired out from being social, ready to curl up with her human as they listen to sounds of the forest playing on his phone. Always a perfect day for the little delicate flower.
History: The small dog was born to a pair of winning show-dogs, growing up trained to become tolerant to other dogs as well as various different grooming methods, clothes and being touched in sensitive areas. This was as a precaution for if those she is sold to wanted to put her into the showing industry. However she ended up in a home where they simply couldn't afford to, as well as had no interest to. Ilene, then named Snow, was owned by a rather young an snobby girl who found her to be weird and didn't get much love from her supposed owner due to this. However the older sister, who was then almost a young adult, seemed to give her the most attention. Ilene spent time with her in her room, listening to her read and trying to "help" with her studies. Unfortunately after the older sister left, the family suddenly had to move and leave Ilene behind due to the long trip and their new home not allowing pets. The small, pale dog was taken to the shelter before the family left the next day, leaving her in a state of distress and shock while she was left in a cold cage, given some attention occasionally by the busy staff members and volunteers. Other dogs in the other cages told them their stories, and she was simply glad to not have been cast out into the cold, uncaring world like they were, though she still didn't feel better about her situation. After a few weeks, she started giving up hope that someone would take her, as she watched cats and dogs be taken from their kennels and cages and set into new arms or given new leashes by their owners. This was until a tall, sweet smelling man approached the desk and insisted he go to Ilene's cage himself. She approached with caution at first but as the tall human opened the door and she noticed the new collar for her to wear, she wagged her tail meekly as she approached with happy whines. She was picked up and held close, no cage for her to be stuffed into for travel. She was allowed to watch as the cars went by, paws set on the window before a stop or two where she would return to her new human's lap. She adjusted well to her new home and housemates, that being another small dog and a fox, named Marylin and Datura, as well as being taught what not to sniff or nibble when it came to the plants.
How does she show her pride?: Living with a gardener and arranger means Ilene is around lots of pretty flowers. She often spends time with her owner while he puts together arrangements, nosing at certain nice smelling flowers to help in choosing which ones to use while the other dog, Marilyn, runs around in the garden to dig at the "varmints" that reside there. Starting on a sunny summer afternoon, early in June, a pride parade was happening in town. The parade was to be the first of many to happen over the coming years. Due to this her owner was bustling around the workshop, seeming busy and maybe a bit rushed. Swiftly taking out some string, wooden circles, bunches of fresh flowers that had just been collected. Blues, pinks, yellows, greys, whites, blacks, all of them. Necklaces, wreaths, decorations, her owner made them all in specific colors and patterns. Seeing flags of the same colors, she thought that they were special, picking up a specific one that seemed to draw her close. A floral necklace of pale pink, yellow and blue flowers, known as the pansexual flag to the humans though not to her immediately. Feeling immensely prideful as the floral arrangement laid across her thin shoulders. Prancing around and "rooing" happily, the small Italian Greyhound amused those who came in to purchase the newly made merchandise as her human displayed them towards the front window. Soon taking notice, a swift hand scooped her up, putting and end to her prancing and gently removed the wonderful live jewelry from her shoulders, her slightly whining as she saw him place it on the counter top as she was lowered towards the ground. The next year was the same, her sneakily trying to remove another one of the jewelry the human had made before being stopped. Due to how busy they got, she and Marilyn were only able to see the colorful parade from afar, the flags waving over her fencing. One year however, Ilene was surprised when her own owner took some flowers which she was allowed to be around and arranged them, pink, yellow and blue. Placing them around her head and onto her thin shoulder blades, she was allowed to wear her new treasure as they closed up the shop early to go look at the parade, the colors flashing with great pride as everyone around gazed at it. She couldn't have been happier.
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