Each greyhound has its own unique personality , and Minnie and Basil are perfect examples of that .
“ She ’ s more vocal ,” Salomon said . “ She ’ s the greeter , and she loves kids .”
Minnie , who weighs 55 pounds , also can act a little bit like a teenager .
“ She stomps her feet and talks back ,” Salomon said . “ If she gets frustrated , she ’ ll punch you in the chest with one of her front paws .”
Basil , however , is more reserved but has a knack for catching flies and bees in mid-air .
Both dogs are agile and love to run .
“ They bounce ; they ’ re like Tiggers ,” Salomon said . “ I ’ ve seen Minnie jump over the couch .”
When Basil , who tips the scale at 80 pounds , runs , “ he looks like a beast ,” she said . “ He looks like The Hulk .”
During the early part of the pandemic in March 2020 when everything was shut down , Basil left the yard in hot pursuit of something . Salomon had to enlist the help of the only person she could find , a UPS driver , who used his truck to catch up with the quick canine .
Another time , Basil took the Salomon family on a run through the streets of Chicago . He escaped from Salomon ’ s daughter Jolene when they took Minnie to a dog park in the Chicago area to meet Basil before he became a member of the family .
“ He bolted and was running through Chicago , but then he saw Minnie and came up to her , and that ’ s when Ken caught him ,” she said .
“ Greyhounds can go from zero to full speed in three strides ,” she said .
“ They run like a rabbit . They can run about 40 to 45 miles per hour .
“ They can run so fast and they ’ re so strong , but their skin is like tissue ,” Salomon said , explaining that both dogs have scars from surgeries and minor accidents .
“ They don ’ t sit up like a regular dog ,” she added . “ They ’ re so long , they just fall over .”
Before Minnie and Basil entered her life , Salomon said she had Ollie , an Italian greyhound and whippet mixed breed puppy she acquired in
2009 from the now-closed Pet and Hobby World on North Vermilion Street .
“ I felt bad because nobody wanted him ,” she recalled .
Salomon said it ’ s the breed ’ s “ behavior and quirks ” that has endeared her to greyhounds .
“ They call them ‘ potato chip dogs ’ because you can ’ t have just one ,” she said , adding , “ If you have room on the floor , you have room for one more .”
Minnie , a greyhound rescued from an Iowa racetrack , relaxes on a cushion at the Danville home of Tonya and Ken Salomon . Photo by Carol Roehm
ILLIANA MAGAZINE — SUMMER 2022 9