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Experts say when you are adding a pet to your family, you should "adopt with your head, not your heart."

Those experts have never met Coral.

I saw her picture on Petfinder through Star City Greyhound Adoptions, the non-profit group from Salem that introduced me to Dexter. I thought Coral was not only beautiful, but she seemed to have a gentle, almost ladylike quality about her.

I met her at a meet-and-greet on Saturday, and she had me at hello. My husband drove out to the store, spent a few minutes with her, and he agreed she was a sweet dog. She came home with us that afternoon.

She hit it off right away with Dexter. They played in the backyard and he is sharing his pillows and toys with her almost without complaint. Even our cat, Thai, seems to accept her, a much smoother transition than he did when we first brought Dexter home.

Even though the decision to bring home Coral was largely based on emotion, we did use our best judgment. We have room for another dog, we can afford to take care of her, and we knew what to expect when we brought her home. We are familiar with greyhounds and we know how to help as Coral figures out her racing career is over and now she can enjoy her retirement.

There is always an adjustment period when a new pet enters a home, and while this weekend with Coral went very well, we know we will likely have issues to deal with as she settles in as a member of our family.

If you have a story about those initial growing pains when you first bring a new dog into your pack, post a comment.