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:

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.

Rehoming, rehoming, rehoming

Well it's all rehoming, rehoming, rehoming, at the moment, which is nothing short of excellent news.

Just last week at the kennels we were bemoaning the fact that Becky does herself no favours when she first meets someone - she PULLS and PULLS and PULLS when she's taken out by a stranger.

It's a real shame because she's actually super on the lead - once she gets to know you - however, the result of her PULLING so far has been that she's been overlooked time and time again.

Until now that is. I visited the kennels earlier this week to discover Becky was no longer there.

I found this a bit puzzling and thought that maybe she had been moved to the kennels just down the road (and are sometimes used if the girls who haven't been spayed yet go on heat).

I questioned one of the kennel hands later in the day to discover the great news that she'd been rehomed with another of our rehomed rescue hounds who had been feeling lonely by himself. Brilliant.

Further rehoming news is that Emma is on home trial. Ava went to the rugby last weekend and is now reserved.

I feel this is a fitting event for my darling big lass - if she were human she'd play rugby and probably be a prop!

Guess who's back?

Just a quick one today as I'm about to go and walk the hounds. Guess who I'm going to see? Yes, Nicky's back. I am contemplating calling him boomerang dog.

I actually saw him next week and he was looking happy and relaxed. He's currently kenneled with Emma (another boomerang dog) - and it's a really nice pairing.

I had a wonderful greeting from both (well if you count being whipped by tails wagging a wonderful greeting that is), and Emma made "take me home" eyes all the time she was out.

They also decided it was a good idea to glue themselves to my legs when it was time to go back to the kennels - very amusing!

I haven't got to the bottom of why Nicky has come back - maybe I'll find out more today - but Emma was returned because of a change in her owner's circumstances.

And, I think this is another brilliant thing about our local retired greyhound rehoming kennels - they'll always take a dog back, and this means the dog will ALWAYS have a safe and happy home.

Laurel and Hardy

The good news is that there have been plenty of rehomings over the past couple of weeks. And the great news is that Nobby is one of the dogs that has gone to a new home.

This means that Ava has a new kennel mate, he's Dumbo - an older white-and-tan boy - and if Ava could be described as "wider-than-average" Dumbo is on the skinny side. They make quite a funny pairing, as they are about the same height in the shoulder... but Ava is roughly twice the size of Dumbo.

Brings to mind the classic comedy pairing of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into," although more likely to be Nobby saying it to Ava rather than the other way round.

Ava IS much less mischievous with Dumbo than with Nobby, although I wouldn't like to point a finger at Nobby and say he's the naughty one... they're both as bad as one another.

Nobby has some older children in his new home, so I'm he'll have tons of fun getting into trouble with them.

Spring is in the air?

We were away on holiday last week, and I didn't get to see the hounds. So, with great excitment I checked the website of the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels to find out which, if any, dogs had been rehomed while I was away.

Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! I am soooo excited. William is on the reserved list. Can I say it again? I am soooo excited.

A reservation is just the first step in the rehoming process, so I have to keep everything crossed for this lovely boy. This sweet lad just isn't very good at selling himself to potential owners, and actually when you get to know him he is a delightful boy. I really hope everything goes well.

Another long-term resident name on the reserved list is Ollie, a big beautiful softie of a blue boy, who is more horse than greyhound.

All thrilling news, and I can't wait to hear more when I visit the kennels later in the week.

Nicky news

I've heard news of Nicky - and apparently he was nervous at first, but settling in well. I am so pleased for my sweet little darling, and I really hope that things continue to go well for him, and we will have another happy doggy ending.

I thought this would be a good chance to have a review of all the dogs that I've walked that have been rehomed since I started this blog (nearly 6 months ago). These aren't all the dogs in the kennels (I reckon I write about around 1 in 6 of them). Forgive the self-indulgence.

So, from the most recently rehomed we have:

• Nicky (fingers crossed! fingers crossed!) a sweet little black dog and my special boy
• Crafty old black girl Angie, who had been in kennels for a number of month
• Ditzy blonde bombshell Kelly
• Beautiful intelligent black girl Topsy
• Kennel clown with a jumbo appetite Josh
• Scardey-cat Joe
• Lovely, but growly, white and brown Chas
• Darling, beautiful, black-and-white Pretty
• Another white and brindle growler Mark
• Jay who likes to chase ANYTHING
• Poppy who pulls like a train
• Mischeivous black boy Mikey
• And Pete (just recently) of the bald thigh syndrome
  
• Finally, Sal, who likes to chase things too

So that's 14 dogs rehomed since October. Bearing in mind that I probably don't meet 4/5 of the dogs at the kennels, that's a heck of a lot of dogs that are in new homes thanks to greyhound rehoming (If I only meet 4/5ths, I estimate around about 50-70 will have been rehomed from the kennels in total over that period).

That's a lot of happy waggy tails! Bless them all - such loving dogs, who expect so little, but give so much.

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.

Rehoming news

It was my Angie that has been rehomed. And she SEEMS to have settled in quite nicely judging by the pictures I've seen of her.

Meanwhile little Nicky has another new kennelmate - new to him, but sadly not new to the kennels. Emma is back due to a change in her owner's circumstances, and I can report that she is blue under her kennel coat.

Anyhow the partnership may not last long - I am hoping for good news about Nicky when I next go to the kennels. He has a reserve on him, so I hope he will finally be going home!

"I must behave" works a treat

Just back from the dogs - and I have to report that the "I must behave" trot worked for Kelly, and she has been rehomed with the couple that I saw her walking with last week.

A few more rehoming updates as well - lovely Topsy is on a home trial, so fingers crossed that that goes well. Also I didn't see kennel clown Josh about today (and believe me you know if he's about), so he was either having a quiet one, or has been rehomed too. Quite an eventful week.

Crafty old Angie wasn't about either, and for a minute I thought that she had been rehomed, but no, she was just on a trip to the dentist - I'll take her out next week.

The "I must behave" trot

I first saw it with Mikey, and now I am convinced that there is an "I must behave" trot.

Mikey did it on his first walk with his new owner and her Jack Russell. It's quite difficult to describe, but if you've seen it you'll know what I mean. It's as if the greyhound is concentrating with every fibre in their body, and they walk with a very purposeful bouncy stride, worried about putting a foot wrong.

I thought it might just be Mikey, but now I've seen blonde-bombshell Kelly do it. Normally she's as daft as a brush.

Last week I took her on her regular walk - with boyfriend Shawn - and true to form she was just as silly as ever.

After the walk a couple with two other dogs wanted to walk Kelly. They were considering rehoming a greyhound, and lo- and behold, as they took Kelly out, she started doing the "I must behave" trot, and was most unlike the Kelly I know!

I've not been down to the kennels this week, but checking on their website, I've spotted that she's been reserved... I can't wait to find out who's reserved her. The "I must behave" trot may have just done the trick.

The arrival of Ava and Nobby

Several hounds have been rehomed recently, so last time I walked dogs from the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels I was asked to collect a new pair from the holding kennels.

There always seem to be more greyhounds (especially true for boys) needing a home than there are spaces in the main kennels. As a result some of the newer dogs are kept in a seperate set of kennels - which are also used as a boarding kennels - a couple of hundred metres away.

It's quite exciting to pick up new dogs, because you know absolutely nothing about them and have no idea what you might get. I wandered down to the holding kennels and asked for the next pair... and was given two HUGE dogs.

I couldn't tell who was the female, and who was the male. The girls are usually at least a little bit smaller than the boys. There wasn't much to pick between these two. And they were VERY LIVELY. What had I let myself in for?

I was soon told that the beautiful blue dog was the boy and called Nobby. The chunky white and blue girl was Ava and "pulled a bit". At this point I was DRAGGED towards the kennel gate, and through it. (Luckily someone had the sense to quickly open it first).

These guys were really ready for a walk. After an initial tussle (incidently Nobby pulled more than Ava), both settled down nicely onto the lead.

Nobby needed a little bit of persuasion, but I've got a trick for that. The idea is that you hold the lead in one hand, and then put the dog on the opposite side of your body, with the lead running across your front. It's then possible to put your free hand on the lead to keep the dog walking to heel.

Part way round and a real test - kamikaze cat sped out onto the path ahead of us. Neither dog lurched although Nobby stared fixedly at the cat, and I think he will take chase if given another chance. All in all though a good first walk, and I delivered both dogs safely to their new temporary home.

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.

Tails from home

One of the absolute joys of walking dogs from the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels is that dogs come back - to visit that is, not for good.

Other owners come back to walk some of the hounds that are currently enjoying kennel life. (Anyone who is thinking of doing this should BEWARE. You might end up with more than you bargained for).

Pretty's owner was back at the kennels over the Christmas period, she hadn't bought the Pretty with her, but I had a good chance to chat and find out how the dog was settling in.

Turns out that she's become really playful and a bit of a tomboy. She's still a bit nervous around people that she doesn't know, but is already charging up to and dancing at the feet of the people that she knows in the park. She is happily playing with other dogs (and showing off with a turn of speed that leaves them all in her wake). All in all it sounds like she is having a LOVELY time.

Another dog that I got to meet over the Christmas period was Chas. He was rehomed over the summer, and had been overlooked in the kennels for many, many months. This was posssibly for a couple of reasons - firstly he's quite big, and secondly he was a bit growly around other males.

What a difference a loving home can make! I barely recognised Chas - he was looking so relaxed. I had a chat with his new owner and found out that he was settling in nicely. He could still be a bit growly with other males, but that he was getting better all the time. Brilliant news!

Friends Reunited

Shock! Horror! I got to the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels today to find that Nicky was back in kennels.

I was relieved to hear that he hadn't misbehaved on his home trail - in fact according to all reports he acted impeccably. However, the family who want to take him have decided that they can't take him until the New Year.

This means that he's back off reserve - in case someone else falls in love with him in the meantime. If not he already has a loving home to go to.

Now, I just have to persuade the husband that we really need to foster this lovely boy over Christmas. I'm sure Nicky would LOVE turkey.

For the love of dogs

One of the great things about walking dogs from the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels is that you often get to meet, and chat with, people who are considering rehoming dogs.

I love this as it gives me a chance to enthuse about greyhounds to people who are more than willing to listen and that want to pick your brains. And it's great to support potential rehomers by giving them another perspective on the dogs in the kennels.

What's also interesting is to hear their experiences of other non-greyhound rehoming centres. The tales they've given me make me think that, in my totally biased opinion, our local kennels are brilliant.

There are usually 50-60 dogs in the kennels at any one time. This is a relatively small number and gives the kennel hands, and volunteer walkers, a chance to get to know the personality of many of the dogs. In turn this gives a real insight into the sorts of homes that each dog would be happy in.

What seems to be most appreciated by the potential rehomers is that they also get a chance to walk a number of dogs when they visit.

Brilliant because they can see how wonderful greyhounds are on the lead, how comical they are, and - yes, canny, canny, kennel hands, we know your game - fall hopelessly in love with at least one of the dogs.

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.

Greyhounds are addictive

There's been another rash of rehomings at the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels with Greg, an eight-year old black and white boy, going on home-trial and two black and white girls - Pretty and Poppy - being signed for today.

It's the two girls that have made me absolutely certain of one thing. Greyhounds ARE addictive. Both are going to homes that have at least one other hound in residence.

And hey presto, after a quick search on the internet, I've found that there's even a term to describe it: chipping. As with potato chips - the US name for crisps - when you've got a greyhound it's almost impossible to stop at one.

I'd long since suspected this was the case, having met many people at the kennels who have 2,3, 4 or even more dogs. They're often nosing around to find another hound to add to their happy gang.

The most embarrassing discussion with a multi-dog owner was when I was discussing the best way to handle two dogs. I'd recently discovered that in most cases it was easiest to hold both leads on the same hand and walk the dogs on the same side as each other.

The kennel hand I was talking with agreed and said that she always walked her dogs like this. She said it meant that she could put one onto the other side of her if one of the dogs was misbehaving. I commented that I'd found this useful as well.

Only later did I discover that she has SIX dogs. Oh dear, I am such an amateur.

Rehoming procedures part 2

I've already said how brilliant the local retired greyhound kennel's rehoming procedures are. What I didn't mention was they are not necessarily so good for a volunteer walker with favourite dogs. The first three dogs I asked for this morning were either out for a daytrip (Nicky and his kennelmate Becky were living it up at the park), and Pretty was being pampered on a sleepover.

Poor old Shawn was feeling very sorry for himself, because he was without his kennelmate, so we went for an extra long walk. When we got back to the kennels we found, to his delight, that one of the other volunteers had cooked up some sausages.

Sausages are the only treat that Shawn will eat and he wolfed them down with gusto. He then had plenty of cuddles, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for him as he was led back to his kennel by himself. Hopefully Pretty will be back to keep him company some time later today.

Spark's new fella

I'm always learning something new about greyhounds when I visit the local retired greyhound rehoming kennels. And I guess as a novice I can be forgiven the occasional (or not so occasional) stupid question.

The latest hound to make me look daft was Spark's new fella, a wee little dog called Pete. Yes - the fantastic news is that Mikey's home trial went well. He's now been signed for and is living in a new home.

That meant there was a spare berth in Spark's cabin, and Pete was the dog that filled it. He's a dear little black boy with a white flash on his nose, and when I saw him in the paddock he ran straight over to me, looked cute, and whimpered for dog treats. As a bit of a soft-touch (how do they all know?) I fed him a couple of treats, and then decided I had to take this mischievous pair out for a walk.

Pete's a charmer and started giving me doe eyes every two minutes as we walked. He even seemed to be a bit of a calming influence on Spark. However, I couldn't help noticing that his trainer or owner had done something really quite odd to his coat.

It looked like his back legs and tummy had been shaved - I could understand it if he was a bitch (spaying?), but in a male dog? Perhaps some way of streamlining the dog when racing?

So, when I got back to the kennels, I quizzed one of the kennel hands. "Why on earth has he been shaved?"

I got back an incredulous look. Then laughter.

Apparently Pete is suffering from something that affects a lot of dogs on the track - I looked it up when I came home and found it was called Bald Thigh Syndrome - it could be stress related and the good news is it often clears up once the dog stops racing.

Not always though, and the kennel hand told me that one of her dogs gets this every year around about bonfire night - not surprised, all those loud bangs make me jump too.