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.

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!

White House dog breed chosen

It looks like the Obamas have finally settled on a Portugese water hound as the next dog-in-residence at the White House. Apparently the search is now on for a rescue dog.

I wish them luck and I am sure that they will find a dog waiting to be rescued somewhere in the United States - but they would a made life a whole lot easier for themselves if they had chosen a greyhound!

Like Portugese water hounds, greyhounds also seem to be good for some people that have allergies to dogs. This seems to be because they have just the one coat.

There are thousands of greyhounds waiting to be rehomed. Click here for a starting point for UK rehoming kennels, there are many others as well. I'm still working on lists for the US & elsewhere in the world - do send me links if you want to be included and are not already.

If you have allergies, and want a dog, go visit your local kennels! You should be able to spend plenty of time with the dogs to see if they trigger your allergies. They'll have all ages of dog, and while your unlikely to get a very young puppy, you may be able to get a young dog - like my lovely Ava - who has all the bounce, energy and naughtiness of a puppy. If you want a more sedate dog, they'll be there too. You could choose an old age pensioner, or go for a placid five-year old.

One final hint - ask to look at the black dogs. They're often overlooked, because they are not as pretty as some of the others. And I find these guys are often the best dogs in the kennels. (Just don't tell blue-and-white Ava I said that, she'd never forgive me).

Keep your fingers crossed for Nicky

Dear little Nicky is out on home trial! I am keeping everything crossed that he has found his "forever" home, and ask that you keep everything crossed too.

I really hope that this home works out for him - my lovely boy has been in kennels for far too long. I do feel sad that I may not be able to walk him again, but this is far outweighed by the joy that he may have found a duvet to call his own. He is such a super boy (and I suspect if he had been a colour other than black he would have been rehomed months ago).

This could leave a big gaping hole in my top dog list. It almost goes without saying that Ava and Nobby have bounced (a very appropriate word for this naughty pair) to the very top of my list - and are now the first dogs I walk when I go to the kennels - but I now have another vacancy.

Shawn can rest assured that his place remains intact, but I like to have three sets of dogs that I walk regularly (I usually do five walks).

The search will have to begin next week... although there seem to be plenty of new dogs to choose from. I'll keep you posted.

Joe goes home

When I got to the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels, I discovered that one of my favourite black boys Joe, had just been rehomed!

It's brilliant news, because the poor black boys - through no fault of their own - seem to be overlooked time and time again.

Once again there seems to have been a bit of a rash of rehomings over the past couple of weeks with at least 8 dogs going to new homes - including little Emma with her mysterious coat. I'm worried I'll never know what colour she was under that brown fuzz.

The other fantastic piece of news is that kennel-clown Josh has been reserved. Fingers-crossed for this wonderful big bouncy lad. He's going to be a super pet for someone.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

My darling boy Nicky is being rehomed. It's brilliant news, but also a little sad.

Our last walk - well unless anything goes 'wrong' and I really hope it doesn't - was today. Tomorrow Nicky will be going to his new home. He has another small dog for company, ideal as he is still quite young and can be nervous at times. I was overjoyed at the rehoming kennels, but now I'm feeling maudlin.

My husband and I did discuss taking Nicky home with us, but for various reasons - not least because I thought he would be better off with another dog - we decided not to take him.

As the months went by I thought that perhaps no-one would take Nicky on board - he's a black boy and they always seem to be last in the rehoming queue - and that perhaps we'd have many more months of walks together.

Anyhow, a home is the best place for him. So, with Pretty rehomed recently too, I have a couple of favourite dog vacancies.

There are plenty of contenders and I'll have hours of fun meeting lots of new dogs, learning all about their unique personalities, and their funny habits.

Shawn gets a girlfriend

Dogs at the local retired greyhound kennels are usually kennelled in boy and girl pairs. However the boys are often on their lonesome, because girls are often rehomed more quickly. This seems to be because people think that females will be easier to handle. Not always the case, but that's another story. (Let's just say if anyone asked me what type of greyhound to adopt I'd say - GET A BLACK BOY - the "pretty" dogs and the females seem to go first, so there are some super black boys waiting for homes.)

Anyhow Shawn is a gentle black and white boy who had been in kennels for a few weeks. I had taken quite a shine to him, and we were just about to go for our constitutional, when one of the kennel hands shouted: "Hang-on will you take out two?"

I agreed, and myself and Shawn were introduced to Pretty, a petite black and white girl who had arrived from Ireland the day before. After the prerequisite sniffing and doggy introductions I was asked to take them for a walk and "see how they get on together".

These two lovely dogs seemed to be made for one another. They were soon walking side by side, with Shawn towering above Pretty, because she is such a tiny little thing. Several Kodak moments later (one particularly sticks in the mind - with Shawn putting his head protectively over Pretty's back) we all get back to the kennels, with me able to happily report that they've got on very well - and that Shawn need no longer be lonely.