The Lean

If you've read any of this blog before, chances are good that you already know we are besotted with Lottie and Bomber, our two greyhounds.

They of course know this (and milk it for all its worth) -  especially when it comes to scoring treats or getting attention. We don't mind at all.

Amazingly their Greyhound PR apparatus is both extensive and effective. Not only do they know when to deploy it, but they also know which method will be most effective given a specific occasion.

For a start there is "the look" - Bomber (AKA Tinkbert woffledink or the Black Piddler) has perfected this to an amazing extent.

He can give a sad hound dog look with his soulful dark brown eyes from across the room and it is pretty darned hard not to be at his beck and call.

Another great method of getting attention is the nudge. Lottie (AKA the insinkerator) will walk up to an unsuspecting human and gently nudge their hand with her nose. Subtle and even starting if its a cold day (who'd have thought a greyhounds nose could be so chilly??).

Perhaps the most effective tool in a Greyhounds public relations arsenal is the "lean". This is the canine equivalent of a hug. It involves the hound walking up to the human who they wish to give their affections and leaning on them.

The funny thing is that the more they trust you, the more they lean.

Greyhound leans are both flattering and humbling. Having a hound wander up to you and bestow such an act of affection is all but guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Ours often lean on us to the extent that they'd fall over if we moved away. This is pretty humbling stuff given the sheer amount of trust they're putting in us.

Both Lottie and Bomber are not super licky or vocal dogs. That's fine with us as they have so many other methods of getting our undivided attention. I guess this is also why Greyhounds are such a hit with non dog people, kids and the elderly.