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.

Remember, remember the 5th of November!

As a pet owner I always feel really conflicted at this time of the year. Yep that's right its Guy Fawkes. That crazy time of the year when pyrotechnics and house fires always seem to happen. As much as I love watching a good fireworks display, I do worry about my hounds.

What isn't talked about so much are the crazily large amounts of traumatised animals who escape and get lost over Guy Fawkes..

This was driven home abruptly last night whilst out walking our two hounds. Up the road from us was a tiny Sydney Silky Terrier. It was dark, cold and windy. It was also not a good time for a small lapdog to be out on the street.

Handing Bomber's lead back to my ever patient wife, I walked up to the terrier trying to entice him to come over so I could check for an owners tag with a phone number, hopefully reuniting it with its owner.

Unfortunately the terrier had other ideas and took off. I followed, keeping a discrete distance so not to further scare what was an already terrified small dog.

Sadly the little terrier was also a cunning wee dog. It had completely vanished. I suspect that in addition to heading behind some cars, it'd also wandered into someones property.

I headed back to my wife and the hounds feeling like I'd failed this poor wee dog who probably just wanted to get home to its comfy dog bed and an owner who'd no doubt be frantic with worry.

I tweeted on twitter about the dog and checked on several websites to see if anyone had reported this dog as lost. sadly I didn't see a thing.

I just hope this poor wee thing is safe before fireworks start flying (they went on sale today so I'm not terribly confident).

So whats the moral of this rather sad tale?

1) Keep an eye on your pets. This wee dog clearly has escape expertise, so be especially vigilant and check for any gaps, holes etc in your properties fences.

2) Get tags made up with your phone number and the dogs name on it. Fit them to your dogs collar. That way if someone does find your dog they can at least call you and you may get your dog back.

3) If the worst happens and your pooch does give you the slip, don't panic. Place an advert on sites such as petsonthenet.co.nz which is a website for listing lost and found pets.

4) place flyers on lamp-posts, corner store windows and go door knocking around your neighborhood. You'll be amazed at what your neighbors know about the exploits of your dog. They'll also be aware that it is lost and provided you've supplied a contact number, they'll also be able to call if they sight it.

5) Don't give up - keep looking!

Since Guy Fawkes is coming and fireworks have gone on sale today, keep any pets inside, ideally in the quietest room of the house. They may need reassurance from you if the noise from fireworks gets too much. Put some soothing music on so the noise of fireworks doesn't upset them so much too.

Tender loving care

One of the really great things about Greyhounds is that they're a purebred dog that comes with very little in the way of genetic issues due to in-breeding or over breeding. They're bred as athletes and because of this, they suffer from few of the health issues that plague other similar sized breeds.

This said, eve the most healthiest of greyhound needs maintenance and proactive going health care.  Here's what we do with our two hounds. So far it has worked a treat

One of the least considered yet most important health concerns of any dog is dental health. Many older dogs end up loosing a huge amount of teeth and this can affect what they can and can't eat.

Thankfully dental issues can be avoided by regular tooth brushing. This is such a simple and dead easy way to ensure your dog has quality of life in their later years. It'll also help counter stinky dog breath.

The tools needed are incredibly simple - just buy a soft bristled kids toothbrush fro the supermarket and dog toothpaste from your vet.

DO NOT under any circumstances ever use human toothpaste on a dog - While harmless for humans, it'll burn a dogs digestive tract and stomach. Doggy toothpaste also comes in a variety of flavours, including chicken and fish, our two hounds love it.

We brush their teeth every night and give them dog safe treat bones or rawhide chews on a daily basis. This not only means they don't have really strong dog breath, but will also have healthy teeth even in their senior years.

Getting your hound used to teeth brushing and building it into their routine can also make for far less canine stress too.

Another biggie with greyhounds is joint care. As ex racers, greyhounds like any other athlete can suffer from joint pain and arthritis in their later years.

One method we've adopted to keep the joints of both hounds supple and pain free also has the added benefit of making their fur incredibly soft and shiny.

We've been using New Zealand Hoki fish Oil from Newflands (www.newflands.com). It isn't cheap but its benefit vastly outweigh any costs. Since using it, both hounds have developed incredibly soft and shiny coats, clear eyes and there isnt a hint of any joint issues either.

We add a couple of squirts onto their morning dog food.

Staying on the topic of their coats, regular nightly brushing also does amazing things. Not only does it help keep their fur fantastic, but it is also a great opportunity for us to check for cuts, scratches and anything else untoward. They also love being brushed too.

We use two brushes, a furminator which can remove loose undercoat fur and a standard grooming brush which also massages their skin. Done nightly, the results are shiny and fantastic looking fur.  

Straying on the high tech front, we have also fitted both Lottie and Bomber with Heyrex fitness monitors. Just like those smart watch pedometers, Heyrex tracks movement but is smart enough to know when they're walking, running, sleeping and even scratching.

Heyrex sensors fitted onto our dogs collars with a few simple modifications (unlike most dog collars, those used with greyhounds tend to be wider and don't have a catch so they wont slip over your hounds narrow head).

These sensors store up to 7 days data on your hounds movements and when your dog come within range of a wireless Heyrex receiver, the data is transmitted to heyrex where is it is analysed and accessible to you via an easy to grasp collections of charts online.

So there you have it - a beginners guide to a healthy shiny and happy hound.

Adopting - what you need to know

Its been some time since we adopted Lottie and Bomber and I'd forgotten just how much we'd adjusted to them, and how much they'd changed to accommodate us.

This was abruptly bought home a short while ago when a friend decided to adopt a greyhound.

It didnt go well. After only 24 hours, the poor hound was returned back to Greyhounds as pets. This got me thinking. Perhaps their expectations were not terribly realistic, after all the dog needed time to adjust to its new home, and they needed time to adjust to life with a greyhound.

It might also have been a matter of the hound not being a good match to their lifestyle, but either way, I'd have hung in there for just a little longer than a mere 24 hours.

Thinking back and reading earlier blog posts, Im probably not being totally fair. We'd had a few minor mishaps both with Lottie (the Brindle Rocket, or insinkerator) and our big black boy, Bomber (tinklebert woofledink). Looking at them both curled up snoozing the sun after an afternoon stroll, It seems so utterly implausible that these two laid back  hounds could have created any mayhem at all, yet it did happen.

This said, I am so glad that we persevered. We now have two excellent hounds who are not only fast friends with each other but are also our best buddies too.

So what lessons we can take out of this:

Greyhounds take time to settle in - Most ex racing hounds have  never lived in a household before (it took Lottie and Bomber ages before they could master the stairs and other rudimentary household things). There's a huge difference between being a racing dog and a pet.

They're also sensitive wee creatures - telling off a greyhound can leave you feeling like a complete monster, even when you know you're in the right and that the hound has been naughty. Greyhounds are very sensitive dogs and are incredibly intelligent. Telling them off usually results in being given the "stink eye" and feeling guilty - even though you know you've done the right thing. We try encourage positive behaviour with rewards and praise whenever possible.

Perfection takes time and some work - From the get-go we decided that we'd train both Lottie and Bomber. We were also lucky to have such an amazing obedience class trainer, Shelly who  gets Greyhounds and has an uncanny ability to teach dogs and their owners. This said, before obedience neither Lottie or Bomber knew how to sit and a whole lot of other things we now take for granted. We put the time in and did the obedience work (it wasn't really work - it was an incredible amount of fun) and now have two (mostly) well behaved dogs. The moral here is that you get out of a pet is exactly what you put in to start with.

So if you're looking to adopt a greyhound, don't be put off. They're amazing dogs that'll reward you both as a pet and as a companion. The greyhound community is fantastic and we've met some  great fellow greyhound owners. 

If you're thinking about adopting a greyhound, remember the following:

Be realistic - set some realistic expectations - there will be the odd bump in what is a usually smooth road with your new hound. These typically happen in the first few months as your newly adopted greyhound adjusts to its new life and works out just where the boundaries lie. 

Be practical - if you lead a chaotically busy life, have kids and/or cats think about the practicalities involved with adopting a greyhound.  A greyhound won't automatically slot in with your lifestyle, and you'll probably need to make a few changes. Make sure any hound you adopt is a good fit to your lifestyle - adopting a hound that has separation anxiety is never going to work if they're being left at home while you are out at work. 

Its a 2-way street - don't expect the hound to do all the adjusting, your lifestyle has to change too. Ask yourself, BEFORE you adopt, are you prepared to make the required changes, remember that the changes are often for the better. Realistically there will be times when you need to take a long term view.

Be Patient - All good things take time, including training and getting a routine set up for your new hound. Look at the big picture and things should work out wonderfully, even if you do have the odd hiccup along the way.

Do the time - This is a biggie. If you own a cat and have adopted a cat trainable greyhound dont expect instant harmony. Cat trainable means the hound can be taught to live with cats. This will take some work but the results are definitely worth it as many a cat owning greyhound owner will attest. 

Love - Most important of all, greyhounds need affection and love. Its a great investment that they'll pay back tenfold with loyalty, laughter and smiles and affection. 

Cult of the Greyhound

The Oxford online dictionary defines Greyhounds as

“A person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society: the series has become a bit of a cult in the UK”

I bet that the Oxford Don who authored the above is in fact a Greyhound owner. 

You see in a cult there’s a group of people whose aim is furthering an agenda or purpose. In the case of Greyhound ownership it involves being besotted with ones hound. 

The funny thing is that after a year or so with Lottie (aka the brindle rocket) and Bomber (aka the black piddler), I've happily come to accept the fact that I am now a member of the cult of the Greyhound.

Nothing quite prepares you for membership. It usually happens not long after adopting an ex-racing Greyhound and opens up a whole new doggie perspective that connects with a group of fellow cult members who're equally mad about their hounds.  

Greyhound owners tend to have a their own language for anything relating to their dog’s behaviour. I sometimes forget this when talking to non cult members. I often get mystified looks or raised eyebrows as I talk about derping roaching and rooing.

The cult pervades your social life. There's a heap of  events like BBQs, walks and other events all organised by our rather amazing GAP (greyhounds as pets) co-ordinator, Sally. 

At these you’ll meet fellow cult members. You’ll also  spend an entire afternoon talking about your hounds and this is completely normal, even expected.  

There is a good reason for this. There's something indescribable about Greyhounds. They exude a calming demeanor and stillness that make them dead easy to be around. 

Their ears are like a crazy circus show that can’t make up its mind which act is next. Then there's their ultimate weapon – their deep brown soulful eyes. 

Non-pet owners often see animals as chattels. I think they only need look a Greyhound in the eyes to realise just how wrong they've been. There’s more soul in a greyhounds eyes than the entire contents of a footwear factories annual output.  

Oh and did I mention that Greyhounds are amazingly cute? 

I am of course unashamedly biased, but this is also borne out each  time we take Lottie and Bomber for a walk around town. We usually end up getting stopped by heaps of people. Most want to know if they are ex racing dogs, many simply ask if they can have a quick pat. (Greyhound fur is also incredibly soft)

Their effect on humans hasn’t entirely escaped the attentions of Lottie and Bomber who know all too well how effective a hold they have over us, their human servants. 

It isn’t that unusual to see fellow cult members buying designer coats, collars and PJs plus treats for their hounds, often spending more money on their Greyhounds than they’d usually spend on their own wardrobe. 

Perhaps the best part of being a member of the cult of the Greyhound (dogs aside) though is the people. If we have a question about our hounds, we’re usually inundated with answers and support. We’ve made some amazing friends. 

So if you’re considering a dog as a pet and want one without the health issues that plague most purebreeds, consider an ex-racing Greyhound. By adopting you're making a huge difference and If you’re not 100% sure, you can foster to adopt. 

Once you join the cult, your life will change completely - and for the better.

Greyhound Names

Whats in a name?

It turns out that with greyhounds there's plenty. 

Take our two adopted hounds for instance. By day our 5 year old brindle girl's handle is Lottie and our black 4 year old boy goes by the name of Bomber. 

The thing with retired racing greyhounds is that they often have several names. For a start there's their racing names. Then there's a kennel name and more often than not a demented pet name given to them by their loopy adopted owners (that's us). 

This shouldn't be a big deal, but Lottie's racing name was Lotto Profit - Its not exactly a great pet name. Imagine trying to recall her by yelling "come here Lotto profit!"  

Doesn't work does it?

Her Kennel name was Prof, an abbreviation of profit. It was still not a great name, so we renamed her Lottie as soon as we adopted her. It sounds close enough to her racing name that she didn't have to work hard to learn it. Her name was also one easier to learn as she was already dealing with learning to climbing stairs, and not running into sliding doors).

If it stopped there it'd be fine. Like most greyhound adopters we soon came up with a bunch of silly names as her goofy yet extremely loveable personality began to surface.

Lotties first silly name was Brindle Rocket. After all she zooms off like a rocketship when running with other hounds and she was of course Brindle. This was soon followed by the equally silly name of Insinkerator, named after her waste disposal-like tendencies. Other silly names have tended to be rhyming plays on Lottie such as blottie B. She loves them all and responds to all of them with equal enthusiam.

Bomber is a little more straightforward. His racing name was Lochinvar Elle. It turns out that Lochinvar is the small town in New South Wales, Australia where he came from). 

Either way it's not exactly something you'd be yelling out at a dog park either.

Given he loves being super full-on like his dad (who's racing name was bombastic shiraz), his given kennel name was Bomber. 

We didn't change it because it's suits him, he is a bomber - he'll dive into anything that looks fun.

Then there's his silly pet name. Being a boy dog he pees on everything when he's out for a walk. 

His Tardis-like bladder (larger on the inside than the outside) makes for a far longer walks than you'd think, and a super silly pet name.  

Based on his sprinkler like propensities I call him Tinklebert Woofledink. Yeah I know its just silly - Once again, not a name that we'd use at the dog park.

So there you have it, greyhounds and names, who'd have thought?

 What crazy nicknames do you use for your pets?  Do share.    

730 madness

Greyhounds have a reputation for being total couch potatoes.

Its all true. At least until 7:30pm

Ours will sit and snooze for hours and only need 30-40 minutes of walks a day.

But at 7:30pm all bets are off.

Lottie (our brindle girl greyhound) goes completely bonkers at precisely 7:30pm.

Things usually kick off with a brief "wuff" and a play bow (where she'll lean down on her front paws and eyeball her intended playmate in an invitation to play).

Accepting her play invite usually results in some pretty hilarious antics. Most funny of all are Greyhound spins.

Greyhounds are incredibly fast and graceful animals, but when they get really excited they love to do high-speed spins. The more spins Lottie does the loopier she seems to get.

She'll chase, play and spin for for all of about 10 minutes and then just as suddenly as she starts, she stops and its back to more sedate snoozing for the rest of the evening.

This is both incredibly cute and pretty darned hilarious The really funny thing is that this happens like clockwork at precisely 7:30 most evenings. Who'd have thought greyhounds could keep such precise time?