Wet, wet, wet

And now the hot weather is followed by torrential rainstorms and flood alerts. A typical British summer then.

The wet conditions cut short my walking duties yesterday, and I only managed to do three circuits with various dogs - so not much progress made on favourites again. A sweet black boy called Kevin is a strong contender, however he is already on the reserved list, so I suspect he won't be about next time I visit.

One dog that will probably not make it onto my favourites list is a tan bitch called Rosie. A better name for her would be Butch - she's big and strong and more tank than hound - and if she was human she'd either be a bouncer or a weight-lifter.

Rosie doesn't behave very well with other dogs, so she needs to be kept on a very tight lead whenever another greyhound comes into sight. (It's preferable if she doesn't see them at all).

She also has a pesky habit of jumping at least five foot into the air to try and shake the lead out of your hand - you really have to be on your guard around her.

Anyhow Rosie was my last walk of the day. I didn't expect her to be the last walk but the heavens opened about 2 minutes away from the kennels.

Now, we don't run with the greyhounds (can you accelerate from 0-40 mph in just a few steps?) but the rain was really torrential.

Should I run back? At this point dog-mountain Rosie was giving me disgusted looks and saying: "Can't you switch this weather off?"

"Run, I dare you," said Rosie. No way, thought I. Not sure it would be particularly cool to be dragged into the kennels by a charging Rosie, besides the scrages from the gravel would hurt.

I gave Rosie a hard stare and stepped up my pace - my trousers were soaked through at this point - and we got back to the kennels just before the thunder and lightning struck.

As there were other dogs in the yard Rosie had to be returned to her kennels immediately, but not before casting me a look which said: "Can't believe you didn't run, you are just such a chicken."

Re-homing update

A quick rehoming update.... while I was away from the kennels doing my exams my lovely Nicky was rehomed with another greyhound. Apparently he has settled in well.

It's great that he has another canine companion - he always seemed much happier when he was kennelled with another dog.

And news of my lovely pal Shawn. He's found a home too! This is really brilliant news, as he's been in kennels for far too long. I really hope he does well.

So, my search for favourites has started again. I didn't get very far this week - the heat sapped us all, and it was more than enough to think about getting the dogs out for a walk without overheating... no chance for having a think on who would become my next faves.

Hot weather tips for dogs

After the freezing conditions in February, we now have a heatwave, and already there are many terrible stories of dogs dying because they have been left in cars - just terrible.

The Dogs Trust has published some advice on keeping dogs healthy during the heat. Here's the top tips.

• NEVER leave your dog in the car in warm weather. Just twenty minutes waiting in a hot car can prove fatal.
• Walk your dog in the morning and evening when the weather is cooler and make sure shady spots and drinking water are available.
• Clip the fur of particularly hairy hounds and apply canine sun cream to areas most likely to burn: ears, nose, and belly. Human suncream can be toxic so buy a special pet version from your local pet shop.
• Be extra vigilant with older and overweight dogs as they are more prone to overheat. In a real emergency wet your dog thoroughly and use a household fan to blow cool air over their head and body. Seek urgent veterinary attention.
• If your dog takes a dip in a lake or pool make sure you rinse him immediately as soon afterwards as possible. Never allow your dog to drink from ponds unless the water is clear as algae in the water can produce toxins that are rapidly fatal.

If your dog shows signs of distress – such as excessive panting, blueness of the tongue or collapse contact your local vet immediately.

Stay safe!

Another shout for black hounds

Apologies again for the downtime during May and the start of June due to exams (don't try to learn anatomy in your mid-30s is my only advice).

And apologies especially to Lesley who commented back in April on how brilliant black greyhounds are.

I've commented many times that the black dogs (and girls) seem to get overlooked in the kennels - just because at first look they are not as striking as some of the other animals.

Anyhow, here's Lesley's post.

"I have a retired greyhound called Annie (racing name Annalee Girl). She is jet black apart from a white chest and 4 small bits of white on each foot. When I first got her she was also a bit tatty, but now 2 years on she is absolutely gorgeous. Her coat shines and she is just so pretty. Everyone comments on her."

I would always go for a black one they are wonderful. There is no other breed on earth that I would choose now."

Thanks so much Lesley for that ringing endorsement, and - all - keep on posting comments and sending emails. I'll try to include them wherever possible.

Wimnledon tennis hounds

Enjoying the tennis at Wimbledon? I am.

If you haven't got a ticket, but are still hoping to see some action you can always queue. It may take a few hours to get in, but it's a great atmosphere and every seems to have fun.

Even better you may get to meet some greyhounds up close and personal. Volunteers from Wimbledon Greyhound Rescue are patrolling the crowds with their greyhounds - and you will get to see how brilliant hounds are as pets, and ask all those questions you never dared about how they integrate as family dogs. (Pretty well by most accounts).

PS C'mon Murray!

Tweet tweet

Well, I'm now on twitter. Not sure what it's going to mean for the hounds, but watch this space.

In the meantime you can read my twitter updates in the bottom right hand corner of this page, or you can follow me by clicking on this link.

While I'm talking about the virtual world Melanie Winstone from Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare has asked me to mention her sponsored slim for the kennels.

She is collecting money through the kennels through Just Giving and seems to be doing really well so far - 8lbs lost since she started in May. Good on you Melanie.

I'm hoping she'll give us updates as she progresses.

Hello! It's me again!

Well, after what seems like an age, I'm back!

The exams finished last week, and so yesterday, at the first possible opportunity, I visited my darling hounds.

During the weeks I'd been away many of my favourites have been rehomed, but Shawn is still waiting to be rehomed. The fabulous news is that he has been reserved (not before time).

When I arrived at the kennels he was in the yard with another of the volunteer walkers, and as I walked across to them I wondered whether he'd remember me.

He's not the most demonstrative of dogs so I was delighted that as I sat down, he walked across and buried his head in my lap.

"Oh, he likes you!" the walker said.

"Where have you been? I've missed you," said Shawn. I was thrilled, and sat there cuddling him until it was time for him to go back to his kennel.

Helping hounds

Just taking a quick break from revision misery to post this link sent by a fellow greyhound addict.

I'm sure that hound is SUPERVISING the kids...

Exams

I have exams from late-May to mid-June, so will be having a break from the blog until they are over.

I may do some brief updates - if I get a chance to go down and see the dogs. (May be necessary for my sanity).

In the meantime if you want to pen a blog entry please email me at retiredhound@yahoo.co.uk

Greyhound evangelists

It's funny, but it seems once people have greyhounds, they won't have another type of dog. (Of course there's always the problem of the one just not being enough).

There are also a lot of quiet greyhound evagelists around and in fact - as my husband has found - once you start talking about greyhounds, lots of people either own them, or have a yearning to.

We'll often stop and happily talk to complete strangers just because they have a hound or two in tow!

And the owners are a fount of knowledge - we'll have detailed chats about how far they like to walk, whether the dogs get on with cats, where they were rehomed from, and how they are just the right size and shape for a dog.

We've also become compulsive greyhound spotters... it's amazing how you usually see at least the one on every long ramble.

Ava at home

I've heard news of my lovely big white-and-blue lass Ava.

The folks that she's on trial with contacted me through this blog and the wonderful news is that she's settling in well. They've already got one retired hound - a black boy called Mick.

Now as I've mentioned before the black dogs hang around longer in kennels than their more striking counterparts. However, here's what Mick's owners say about him:

"We re-homed Mick from Hersham and though he was a bit tatty when we first got him, he's scrubbed up very well indeed! Through a good diet, lots of grooming and a soft bed (well, usually the sofa!), the quality of his coat has improved no end. People now regularly comment on what a striking dog he is and '...Oh, isn't his glossy black coat beautiful!?!'"

So, for those of you who are tempted to go for a "prettier" coat colour than black . Don't!

Back to Ava. The little tinker is up to mischief as usual and, amongst other things, has been chewing homework... great excuse that.

And - I have a picture. Here are Ava and Mick together:

Nicky in love

As suspected Nicky's latest kennel mate was rehomed last week, leaving him on his own once again.

The dogs at the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels are generally kennelled in boy and girl pairs, so it wasn't too much of a surprise to find that Nicky had a new kennel mate when I visited last week - a lovely little black bitch, with a white tip to her tail, called Holly.

She had only come into the kennels the previous day, having just finished racing - she had been disqualified for distracting the other dogs while on the track. What a little tinker.

Now, the big surprise was how smitten Nicky was with her. Honestly he was acting like a teenager in love. I've never seen ANYTHING like it.

The normally quiet lad came bounding out of the kennels with a big grin on his face, and proceeded to SHOW OFF all the way round our walk - whether it was rolling on his back with all four paws in the air, crouching down in front of her and wagging his tail, or pressing his head against her head, it was clear he was besotted. (Perhaps she had the same effect on the other greyhounds while racing?)

Anyhow, I wondered whether she was coming into season. Apparently not. Must be puppy love?

Let's see whether they are still in the same kennels when I visit next week, too much attention can get a bit much for a girl, and we really don't want any more biting!

Dog tails

Hoorah! I've worked out how to create links to each of the dogs that I've written about.

I've moved the Dog tails posting right to the end of the blog list, so that it's not the first thing you see when you click on a dog's name. Click here to read it.

First dog Bo

The Obama's dog has arrived at the White House, and he has a blog.

First dog Bo is a Portugese water hound, and was chosen because one of the Obama daughters has an allergy to dogs.

The Obamas wanted a rescue hound, and they were pretty lucky to find a water hound in a pound - there aren't that many "hypoallergenic" dogs to be found in rescue homes. (And those that are are snapped up pretty quickly).

If you suffer from dog allegies, don't despair, there is a breed of dog that might suit you - and there are plenty waiting for a new home. The breed's a greyhound - they tend to be better for people with allergies because they have just one coat.

To find a rescue kennels near you start here or here.

Limp mystery

Well Missy's limp is still a bit of a mystery. Her visit to the vets last Friday threw no light on the matter, so she's in for an x-ray today.

I'm hoping to find out more tomorrow - weather permitting we're taking my favourite boy, Nicky, out for the day - so I'll get an update on Missy then.

I do hope it's nothing more than a stubborn muscle strain. I took her for a walk earlier in the week, and, to be honest, the limp was barely in evidence. Apparently it gets worse towards the end of the day.

And she does love having the offending limb massaged. I've found that if I rub her leg muscles with the heel of my hand, she sinks into me in delight. (If she were a cat I think she'd be purring). It may not actually help her leg, but Missy ADORES the attention.

Help please!

I've decided to reorganise the blog slightly, and have changed some of the labels (part way down the right hand side of the web-page) so that they should be more useful if you're coming here to search for certain topics.

Can you let me know if the reorganisation makes subjects easier to find? And is there anything that's missing that you'd like to see?

Finally if anyone knows how to split the "Labels" I'd love to also put each of the dogs' names on the blog entries... but I think it would be confusing to mix dog names with specific greyhound related entires.

Drop me an email (retiredhound at yahoo.co.uk) if you know how, or if you have any other comments. Thanks in advance!

Long term residents

Why some dogs stay in kennels for just a few days, while others stick around for months is sometimes a bit of a mystery. It could be just that some are much better at doing the "I must behave" than others.

Nicky and Shawn have seen several of their girls rehomed, while they've remained in the kennels for many months. In fact I can't even remember the name of Nicky's latest kennel mate - she's already got a reservation on her and may not even be there when I walk him this week.

You do get to know the longer-term residents well though - and you get a real buzz when you find out that one has either been reserved or rehomed. The latest to have a reservation on her is Spark and she's been in the kennels for as long as I can remember.

Spark's a lovely little girl, with a brilliant personality, but she can be a bit of a handful at times. (Especially when she sees something like a fox). However, in the right home she'll do brilliantly. I really hope she has a good home trial.

Hop-along gal

I'm thinking of that cheeky chimp Missy today.

She had a dreadful limp last week, and could barely walk on one of her front legs. She seemed to have difficulty lifting one of her paws off the ground, and had to drop her shoulder really low to get her toes up and through the air.

Poor girl. She was a lot better this week - and I had to look very carefully to work out which leg was slightly lame - but she's had the limp in one form or another for a while, so the guys at the kennels have decided that it's time Missy saw the vet again.

I do hope all goes well. Missy is a very lively girl - in fact I was quite worried this week when I arrived at the kennels and she didn't have nose and front paws PRESSED to the kennel window BEGGING for a walk - however, I think she was just having a little rest after breakfast. Five minutes later there she was, grinning at me.

I am really hoping that the vet finds there's not a lot wrong with her, and half suspect that she just keeps on re-pulling a muscle with all her jumping. I'll keep you updated.

More walkies...

Last post I forgot to mention the naughty dogs like Flo, who are always quite keen to get one over you when you take them for a walk.

Flo's a crafty, but lovable, black girl, and I've often seen her flying around the paddocks, with a poor walker holding on for dear life. (In fact I think I've been one of them).

She can be a little minx and loves nothing more than pulling... however she's also very smart, so the trick with Flo is to let her know that she's not going to get away with any pulling WHATSOEVER.

And, after a few minutes tug-of-war between Flo and walker, settles down onto the lead nicely and shows that she is, in fact, a delightful little girl.

Beware though if at any point she thinks she's got the upper hand - off she'll go, puffing and straining ahead of you!

Walkies!

Many of the greyhounds at the local retired greyhound trust kennels are super on the lead. Somehow they just seem to KNOW how to walk to heel.

Others are not so good. Last post I mentioned Becky who had been in the kennels for months because she pulls when she first goes out with a new walker.

In fact she is pretty good on the lead once she gets to know you, and she's a joyful little girl which makes her quite a pleasure to take for a walk.

There are a few tricks I've been taught to get dogs to behave on the lead.

The first is simple. Talk to them. OK you may feel like a bit of a nutter - although what's more natural than talking to your dog (NB I lost it years ago) - but it's a lot less embarrassing than being seen with the dog taking you for a walk.

There is another trick, and this is to hold the lead in your right hand, and have the dog on your left hand side. You can then press the palm of your left hand onto the lead to bring them back to heel, whenever they start to strain.

This is the method I used to teach Becky to walk to heel - and you only have to use it until they get the idea - and it also worked for my big girl Ava.

Sometime neither of these methods work, but there is another solution and that's a harness. These take a bit of getting used to - you don't have control of the dog's neck - but thankfully I had plenty of practice with Nicky (who couldn't walk on a lead for a while because of a wound on his neck).

Harnesses are pretty good for controlling the big powerful boys like Becker, with one reservation. You have to watch the dog's body language quite closely, because if they're on a harness it's easier for them to have a leap at unsuspecting squirrels, or cats, or other dogs. Just be ready to grab their collar!