Trick or treat?

What extra hour? I don't understand? What have I missed.

I woke up at my normal time and gave a few whimpers and cries to let my people know I was awake...and they came down to let me out and start the day... but they kept saying it was an hour early, and the clocks had gone back. I'm not sure what they meant.

Is this one of those tricks people talk about when they say it's the day for trick or treating?

Someone who has been playing tricks on her owners today is Maggie May - who the Lady Of The House follows on Twitter. Her tweets today reveal that she rolled in some dead fish on the beach this morning and has been stinking out the car. She does make me laugh. She likes chasing squirrels too - so she's all right by me even if she isn't a greyhound.

Ready for the weekend

Exciting day today as my new coat arrived, and the Lady Of The House got the special t-shirts she'd ordered....pictures to follow later this weekend.

But today I just wanted to share this story on Lost and Fond about the challenges facing pets in the UK this weekend.

I hope everybody stays safe. I know the main noise of fireworks SHOULD be bonfire night itself...but I think Halloween weekend will see some people setting off rockets and bangers at their parties.

Have fun...but be careful fellow pets and humans.

Christmas comes early

I'm a lucky old Winnie at the moment.

Today the Lady Of The House visited a dog show at the County Showground just outside Stafford - and she brought me a new duvet and a lovely fleecey blanket. I was so excited I stuck my whole head and neck in the bag as soon as she put it down in the hall.

I spent the rest of the afternoon all snuggled up comfy-cosy in the living room.

Tomorrow I'll hopefully have my new fleece coat that she's ordered for me too.

Till then, sweet dreams!!

It's a dog's life!

Great Greyhound food

The Lady Of The House - and the Boy Of The House - are driving across the border in to South Derbyshire today to collect a bag of my special greyhound food.

I'm making it sound a bit of a major trip across border control...but it's OK really. The natives are very friendly...in fact the people who stock the greyhound food live a stone's throw from where the L O T H was born - the wonderfully-named Eureka Road!

My family decided it was best to keep me on the food I was used to from the Retired Greyhound Trust kennels at Crossing Cottage. It's low protein and very kind to sensitive Greyhound stomachs.

Lovely John from Crossing Cottage delivers the food to a few folks and the greyhound-loving family in Midway are the nearest to us.

Hurrah for dinnertime

I am quite partial to mine mixed with a bit of a good quality dog meat and gravy...or sometimes pilchards or grated cheese for a bit of a treat.

While I think of it - and I SHOULD have mentioned this before - congratulations to Crossing Cottage greyhound Lundhill Sarah who was named Best In Show at the Great Greyhound Gathering.

Me and my shadow

You wake up in the morning and you just don't know what you're going to get these days.

It could be pouring the rain, icy and frosty, blowing a gale or glorious blue skies and sunshine.

Yesterday it was a bit of everything...four seasons in one day.

Here's a picture the Lady Of The House snapped yesterday afternoon as we walked across the Bitham Clay Pits - my favourite walking spot - when it was really lovely.

Afternoon shadows at Bitham Clay Pits

Get your little nose out of MY lawn



Cheeky squirrel thinks he owns the place

So I've told you before about me and the squirrel.......

He keeps bobbing into the garden and stealing the nuts and seeds that the Man Of The House puts out for little birds like the greenfinches, goldfinches, blue tits and sparrows.

I can always smell when he's been in the garden and if I see him on the fence I go a bit wild ...but yesterday he just took it too far!!!

I will admit that since I arrived here I have churned up the back lawn quite a bit. The Lady Of The House says it looks like a ploughed field - but that's a bit of an exaggeration. I do love having a mad ten minutes and running round in ever-decreasing circles once a day as if it's my own mini racetrack.

Well, blow me down with a feather if I don't look out of the French windows in the dining room to see the cheeky little squirrel burying the nuts he'd stolen from the bird feeders in the holes and trenches my claws have worn in the lawn.

He must have thought I'd done it for his benefit!

The Lady Of The House heard me barking and came to open the door to let me out, but she held my grab collar until she knew the squirrel had got enough of a head start and I couldn't catch him. Pshaw!!!

The squirrel may be a nuisance, but it seems my soft-hearted family don't want me to do anything to him apart from give him a bit of a scare.

Somehow, I think he'll be back.

Birthday bonus

It's a lovely weekend here as we celebrate the Boy Of The House's 12th birthday.

I got into the party spirit by wearing a party hat just long enough for a picture to be taken.

Does pink suit me?

I couldn't share the chocolate cake of course as chocolate is not good for dogs at all. But I did meet two of the B O T H's young friends (really nice boys) who came for a sleepover after going to watch ice hockey team Nottingham Panthers beat Edinburgh Capitals 8-2. They told me it was very exciting and I got lots of fuss when they got home.

Poor purple puppy

Purple puppy is no more.

Purple Puppy's last moments before being bin-bound

I love my cuddly, squeaky toys - as regular readers will know - and usually I am very gentle (certainly compared to Frankie who belongs to the Lady Of The House's friend Alyson who destroys any toy in seconds!).
But yesterday during my mad ten minutes in the garden I loved purple puppy a bit too enthusiastically and his little purple neck opened up and lots of white stuff like candy floss came out.

I excitedly pulled more out and got it into my mouth, so the L O T H stepped in and got the flossy stuff out of my mouth and took it and puppy away. I think he went in the bin.

When the Man Of The House came home, he told the L O T H that I was obviously only trying to floss after my meals like you should.

I don't know what that meant - but they both laughed. Strange people.

If you live in London please join the search for Bella

Here's a sad, sad story that I need your help with.

A beautiful black greyhound called Bella went missing on Monday this week (Oct 18) at around 4.30pm in London Fields, Hackney, East London.

Those lovely people at the DogLost website are helping with the search and her family has put up the most lovely video of Bella playing with her dog friends on YouTube.

There was a possible sighting of Bella around London Bridge station, so if you are in that area please please pass on any information of any sightings this week.

Let's hope Bella is soon home safe and well with her family.

Jack Frost nipping at my nose

Well, I've had a good nose through the undergrowth today, but I've not found anything as exciting as Angel - the retired racing greyhound that I told you about yesterday.

I still love my daily walks whatever the weather. It seems to have got wintry very fast. One minute it was all sunshine and showers and now the grass has gone all stiff and crispy.
The Lady Of The House has even dug out her gloves.

Angel takes a bow

Fabulous story in the Oxford Times today which makes me proud to be a greyhound.

Angel, a nine-year-old former racing greyhound, was having a good sniff in the undergrowth on a walk in Bourne Park, Ipswich, Suffolk - as we all love doing - when she sniffed out a case.

Owner Chris Laffin thought it was just rubbish at first - but when he checked it out, the case contained 11 antique violin bows.

And guess what!!!??? They were worth £110,000 and had been stolen from bow restorer Peter Oxley when he nodded off on a train between London and Ipswich earlier this month.

Mr Oxley's delighted and Mr Laffin's going to get the £5,000 reward that was offered for the bows' safe return. I bet Angel gets a treat too.

Finding fame on Project Dog

There's now a picture of me - in characteristically active mode - on the Project Dog website.

I am happy to admit this was nothing to do with me. The Lady Of The House had been Twittering with Project Dog over in America and decided to add an entry for me on their website.

Project Dog is trying to photograph each of the American Kennel Club’s 173 recognised dog breeds - both a purebred and rescue dog of each breed (346 dogs total), from 19 US metropolitan cities, for inclusion in a book.

(Did you know that apparently there are about 77.5 million pet dogs in America? WOW!)

But Project Dog is happy for any dog owners anywhere in the world to add their dogs to the website - although they won;t make it in to the book. The website is also publicising a lot of good stuff about dogs needing new homes and promoting responsible dog ownership.

Project Dog is the brainchild of pet photographer Kira Stackhouse of Nuena Photography in San Francisco.

Cold and wet - not just my nose

The Lady Of The House has got a cold, so I was thoughtful enough not to pull too much when she walked me this morning and we saw two cats within yards of our front doorstep. Cheeky things!

Actually, it's surprising that it's not me and the Man Of The House who have colds after our experience yesterday morning.

We were walking down the lane to my favourite place - the nature reserve near us that used to be clay pits years ago - when we stopped to watch some sort of little hawk-type bird of prey being chased by a very fiesty blackbird (Yes, I know, I was surprised too!).

The birds chased into a tree above our heads, flapping like crazy - and because of the heavy frost we both got deluged in water and melting frost that they dislodged. It must have looked very funny. We felt a bit daft as we squelched on.

Speaking of things that are cold and wet, can I recommend to you the Cold West Nose blog written by Beverley Cuddy of Dogs Today magazine? It's always a good read and she's never slow to publicise important appeals like this weekend's search - which fortunately ended happily - for a frightened, limping black labrador lost en route to his new foster home.

A date for your diary - Great British Greyhound Walk

Now, I know it may seem a bit early to be planning for next June, but......here's a date for your diary, calendar, or that sticky bit of paper next to the phone depending on how organised you are.

Sunday June 26, 2011, is the date of the second-ever Great British Greyhound Walk!

The FIRST Great British Greyhound Walk happened on 20 June this year and an impressive 1,641 dogs (all greyhounds or lurchers only) went walking with their people in 44 different locations at the same time.

The target for 2011 is to have 2,011 greyhounds taking part! Or even more if they can manage it.

Now the point of giving this an early mention is because if YOU already run greyhound walks (where owners can meet and socialise and raise awareness of the need for more families for greyhounds) you can get it registered as part of the Great British Greyhound Walk.

Visit the main website for the event here, and you can also "Like" their page on Facebook.

Let's smash that 2,011 target!

I'm ready for my walk

Galloping Greyhound Gourmet gets my vote

What a fab day!!!  The dog show and fun day organised by Perry Barr Retired Greyhound Trust was flipping fabulous.

Lots of great stalls - many of them fund-raising for good greyhound (and other animal) causes - and the Lady Of The House had a good run of luck on the tombolas which made her happy.

There were also a couple of rings were judging of dogs in various classes was going on - one ring for greyhounds and one for lots of other lovely breeds who (sadly for them) were not greyhounds.

My personal favourite bit, by a greyhound mile, had to be the Galloping Greyhound Gourmet who makes all sorts of tasty treats and had a few tasting plates available -yummy!

For dinner I'm about to tuck into a portion of a wonderful casserole she had whipped up made from rabbit, venison and three types of rice!!

But if you visit her website you will also find that she sells a cookbook called A La Bark Baking which raises money for homeless dogs as well as teaching you how to bake some of the same treats that the GGG does.

Maybe an idea for a Christmas pressie for the dog lover in your life?

A fun Saturday for Greyhounds in the West Midlands

Just seen on Twitter another great event for a good cause if you are in the Midlands and looking for something to do tomorrow.

Perry Barr Retired Greyhound Trust is holding a family fun day and companion dog show which will also raise awareness of the great work they do and boost their funds.

Hey! There are even some classes for dogs that AREN'T greyhounds - you can't say much fairer than that.

The show starts at 9am and admission is only 50p - it's £2 to register to enter a class. If the weather turns nasty on us again it's indoors too!

So get along to Solihull Riding Club, Four Ashes Road, Bentley Heath, Solihull B93 8QE

Fargo goes far thanks to the RSPCA

Here's a nice happy tale to round off the week.

The RSPCA officially opened a new animal centre in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, this week - and one of the guests was this gorgeous dog called Fargo.

Fargo from the http://www.rspca.org.uk/ website

Fargo was one of the first residents at the £2million Felledge Animal Centre after he was found emaciated and covered in sores. 

Now, as you can see, he's a picture of health and happily settled in with a new forever family who say they can't imagine life without him. So they all headed back to Felledge for the official opening ceremony.

Now, if you ask me, Fargo and his family should have done the honours of declaring the centre open, but apparently that job was taken by former Coronation Street star, actor and singer Adam Rickitt.

Adam played Nick Tilsley (some time before I started watching Corrie with MY new forever family) and is a BIG dog lover.....so I'll let him off for taking the limelight- and I'm sure he didn't upstage Fargo.

If you want to keep up-to-date with all the news from Felledge, you can follow them on Twitter.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

A walk and a half

I am absolutely shattered after a seriously major walk this morning.

I've told you before, despite what you might think we greyhounds really don't have much stamina, although we DO love the companionship of a walk with our loved ones.

However.....my loved one this morning, a.k.a. the Lady Of The House, showed that her sense of direction has slipped somewhat since she won her Pathfinders badge in the Girl Guides (light years ago, I understand).

Stepping out in the crispy, fresh morning (after a hard evening watching The Apprentice) she got tempted to dodge down paths where we had never ventured before and had to admit in the end that she'd got a bit lost.

Admit it - we are lost

We found ourselves walking alongside the Trent and Mersey canal at one point, which we know runs through our village but then we weren't sure which way we were heading.

I think it's this way

The L O T H kept her head though and eventually we were back on familiar territory. Wake me up when it's time for dinner.

Oliver Alert

I had to tell you about Oliver Alert a website set up to help reunite people with their lost pets.

The website grew out of a Facebook page created by an American family who lost their beloved, tiny dog called Oliver in July 2009.

As they continued to search, supported by friends and relatives, they realised how many resources there are scattered about online where people can post details of missing pets and search for them.

They have now done a great job of pulling all those sites and services together in one place and naming it in honour of Oliver - who sadly is still missing.

Although it's chiefly about American websites I thought it was such a lovely idea and so well done that you needed to know about it.

If nothing else it might make you treasure those daily moments you enjoy together - and, if you have never lost a pet, count your blessings.

The dogs are the stars

Wow!! Have you seen this?

Some very clever dogs have made a fabulous music video.

A band called OK Go are in it as well  - but the dogs are most definitely the stars.

Is it a horse? Maybe, or maybe not

Exciting news spotted in the Guardian......

The so-called White Horse of Uffington - an ancient hill-figure carved into the Oxfordshire land - may not be a horse at all!

The story on the Guardian website today

One animal expert says if you study it, it looks more like a big dog, like, um, ah, guess what?

A GREYHOUND!!

Retired vet Olaf Swarbrick made the suggestion in a letter to Veterinary Record.

There's a bit of hoo-ha going on as to whether it's a wolfhound, a greyhound, or a horse (like everyone said in the first place) but I'm going with greyhound.....Maybe we all had squarer faces when it was created some 3,000 years ago.

Beetle boy

I feel so sorry for the Boy Of The House when he leaves for school every day.

He looks like some kind of giant turtle with this HUGE black rucksack full of books on his back.

The Lady Of The House says it's schools like the B O T H's that cost the country millions in time off when these over-laden kids grown up to have back problems and lots of sick leave.

I don't know about that - but I do worry that one morning when we set off for our morning walk - 20 minutes or so after the B O T H has left - we will come across him on the pavement, lying on top of his giant rucksack, facing the sky, with his arms and legs waving like a distressed beetle.

Justice for Jack

The cruelty some people can inflict on dogs seems to know no bounds.

Take the case of "Jack" - whose emaciated body was found bundled into a blanket at the gates of Whitehall kennels and rescue centre in Wakefield.

Brian Wheelhouse, who works at the kennels, found the dog - who he named Jack - and believes the poor thing died soon after it was left there in the dark between midnight and 5am on Friday 17 September, 2010.

Jack's tribute on Lost and Fond

It's heartening though to see the response, though, as dog lovers across the world unite to find those repsonsible, to support the great work Whitehall rescue centre does and to try and enforce harsher punishments on people found guilty of such cruelty in future.

A reward of £1,000 is on offer for information leading to the conviction of those who starved and neglected Jack for months leading up to his death.

If you can help, or want to lend your support, you can:
* donate or volunteer to help the rescue centre through its website
* join the Facebook group Justice for Jack and sign the anti-cruelty petition you will find there
* contact Wakefield police if you know ANYTHING about where Jack was before he was taken to the gates of the rescue centre.

Squirrels are nutters - it's official

There was more than a whiff of squirrel in the back garden this morning when I headed out at 7.30am - there was in fact A SQUIRREL sitting on the top of the fence as casual as you like.

I charged across - ears and tail upright in my best aggressive pose - expecting him to disappear over the fence and out of the garden to safety. Them's the rules of the game, after all.

Not this one.

He started to run like greased lightning along the top of the fence with me keeping pace alongside the bottom of the fence.

Now when I got to the far side of the garden I had to stop because a barricade of recycling bins next to the bike shed were in my way. Any sensible squirrel (if there is such a beast) would have continued running along the top of the fence to the front of the house and safety...leaving me to growl "Curses - foiled again!".

Not this tree rat.

As soon as I skidded to a halt bin-side, he stopped above me too - turned round on his tail and ran back the way he'd come. So, of course, I took off like a rocket too.

Within seconds he was at the far end of the fence where it joins our neighbour's garden (sorry about that last fence panel by the way, guys!) and he was again faced with a perfect escape route which he couldn't fail to take....surely?

Not this crackpot squirrel.

He turned tail and headed back along the top of the fence towards the bins.

I think you have probably got the picture now. This continued for another dozen times with us both bounding backwards and forwards around the perimeter of the garden, separated only by the height of the fence panels. My eyes never left him as he motored like a demented Davy Crockett hat on little legs along the top of the fence.

To complete the picture across the road a white cat sat in an upstairs window with a perfect view - his head going backwards and forwards like a tennis fan on centre court at Wimbledon.

I think I vaguely remember hearing the Lady Of The House shout "WINNIE!!!" but I was too far gone to take any notice.

Eventually, the squirrel disappeared over the edge of the fence from site.

That was that - we all thought.

But clearly he hadn't had enough of a daily workout. When I came back from my morning walk and went out into the garden for my daily brushing with the grooming mitt, the cheeky blighter was on the pear tree.

I took off from the doorstep in a single bound and chased him across the grass...a tantalising whisker's length away from his tail. This time there was a definite "WINNIE!!!!!!!!" behind me.

I'll get you next time - given half a chance

He got away - just.

Curses - foiled again.

Hounds for Heroes deserves our support

Here's a wonderful website I can thoroughly recommend to you today.

Hounds for Heroes is a registered charity which has been set up to provide specially-trained assistance dogs to injured and disabled men and women of both the UK armed forces and the civilian emergency services.

The charity has been founded by Allen Parton, who was seriously injured while serving with the Royal Navy in the Gulf War.

You may have heard about his life was transformed by an amazing assistance dog called Endal who was named Dog of the Millennium.

Sadly, Endal died in 2009 - but his good work is continued today by EJ (Endal Junior) who was the first dog to be trained under the auspices of Hounds for Heroes.

This is SUCH a great cause and there's lots of ways you can get involved and lend your support from donating on the website, buying merchandise - like their special dog tags - volunteering or organising a fund-raising event.

Please have a look today and see how these amazing dogs are making such a difference to the lives of our heroes.

Dogs looking for homes in Sheffield

Thought I'd throw the spotlight on greyhounds looking for homes from MY old stamping (or should that be racing) ground today.

The Sheffield Retired Greyhound Trust has recently taken some newly-retired racers into its kennels and begun to search for new loving homes for them.

As you may remember, although I came to my new forever family from the RGT kennels at Crossing Cottage, Sutton-on-Trent, I did all my racing in Sheffield - so I still have a soft spot for the place.

If you use Facebook you might like to have a look at the Sheffield RGT facebook page as there are some lovely pictures on there that show how much fun greyhounds have in their new homes.

Some of the re-homed greyhounds on the Sheffield RGT Facebook page

I love the smell of squirrels in the morning

The squirrels are regular visitors to our back garden trying to get their tiny little claws on the nuts and seeds that are really out for our little feathered friends (That doesn't mean YOU, pigeons).

And they are another little beast (along with cats) which I'd quite like to get hold of given half a chance.

Instead I have to make do with the smell of them which they leave on the back fence, in the Buddleia and on and around the bird table. The scent tends to make me rocket out of the doors like I used to rocket out of the gates at the dog stadium. They are too quick though - even for me and my 40mph top speed.

Met a sweet little West Highland White Terrier on my walk this afternoon. Her name was Katie and she was six-months-old. In fact we met her twice (it sometimes happens on the dog walking circuit that you pick the same route as someone else but going in different directions).

She was very excitable and jumpy but I was very tolerant and we bumped noses to say 'hello'. It's nice to make new friends.....as long as they are not Secret Squirrel and Lieutenant Pigeon - oh and Top Cat.

Jim the adventurous whippet is a hit with us

I like nothing better than curling up in the living room when I've got at least one person on a chair or the sofa nearby for company....and fortunately the Lady Of The House has been joining me quite a bit recently as she reads a book called Narrow Dog to Carcassonne.

She thinks it's very funny and keeps reading bits out to me. It's apparently about Terry Darlington and his wife Monica...but really I think it's about their whippet called Jim. The three of them set off from Stone in Staffordshire - not far from us really - to sail their narrowboat Phyllis May down to the sea, across the English Channel (yikes!) and then down the Rhone to the Mediterranean.

Jim - from http://www.narrowdog.com/ - I think he looks a bit like me

There's sometimes a bit of confusion from people they meet on their travels as to whether Jim is a very small greyhound. I can tell he's a whippet but he does sound a bit like me with some his tricks and traits.

There's a follow-up book too now - Narrow Dog to Indian River - maybe the L O T H will get it for Christmas.

I am quite happy to leave Jim to his waterways adventures. The bath that is STILL in the back garden is enough adventure for me.

Ear ear

I'm not just a sight hound you know - I'm a HEARING hound too.

I demonstrated this morning that I can hear the faintest, FAINTEST rustle of a poop bag (degradable of course) from two rooms away even when the Chris Moyles show is blaring out of the radio.

To the surprise of the Lady Of The House I hurtled into the kitchen like the hot favourite heading for the winning post at Aintree.

I knew that that sound usually means someone's crumpling up a bag ready to pop it in their coat pocket before taking me for a walk - and I wasn't wrong.

Finding a kindred spirit on Twitter

So it turns out that I'm not the only dog who's handy with a keyboard? Or should that be 'paw-y'?

Tennis star Andy Murray's terrier Maggie May now has her own Twitter profile where she posts updates about what's doing. A bit like my blog but she only has to do 140 characters or less (which is easier on the pads and claws).

I did have to smile when I saw her update on Saturday that said: "Getting ignored in favour of xfactor, killing my stuffed pheasant in desperate bid for attention."

Me in the garden with my toy pheasant

I know what she means - not that I was watching X Factor, but I do like killing my stuffed pheasant toy for attention. Being a larger hound though I tend to stick to the garden for such activity.

Boy flu hits the house

The Boy Of The House is off school today with a bad cold.

Treatment prescribed by the Lady Of The House involves him keeping warm, drinking lots of liquid and resting under his duvet.

She's running up and downstairs more than usual - and I'm watching the goings-on through a half-open eye and I lounge in the pool of delightfully-unexpected sunlight streaming through the windows and on to the living room carpet.

Hopefully he'll be back on form tomorrow.... meanwhile I'm off to enjoy the bonus of this sunny afternoon with a saunter to the Post Office because the L O T H has an important birthday card to post to a friend. Hope it makes it to Hull in time for tomorrow!!

A heart-warming story for a miserable day

If you are as cold and wet as I am today, here's a story to warm the cockles of your heart.

The Cumberland News is reporting the tale of 13-year-old Jack Russell terrier Bam Bam who collapsed with a serious illness - and a blood transfusion was his only hope.

Enter Blue, a noble and majestic-looking greyhound currently being cared for by Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue

He was taken in to the vet to provide the blood Bam Bam needed to survive - and the little dog is now making a good recovery.

But Blue is still looking for a forever home. I hope someone can help him soon.

Apparently greyhounds are often used as dog blood donors because their veins are close to the skin and they are among the more placid and easy-going of dogs so they cope with the procedure better than some breeds would.

Makes me feel mighty proud. Here's wishing Bam Bam and Blue many more happy years in loving homes.

Good luck to all the Waggy Walkers

I'm sorry I can't join them, but I wanted to say good luck to all the dogs and owners taking part in one of the many Waggy Walks going on around the UK tomorrow.

This is an annual event organised by the Dogs Trust - and hopefully they will between them raise thousands of pounds which enables the Dogs Trust to keep thousands of dogs in its kennels around the country and carry our lots of good work like educational programmes and subsidised neutering.

The Dogs Trust also runs a great scheme for people whose lifestyles don't lend themselves to actually owning a dog - you can sponsor a dog.

The Girl Of The House tells me she used to sponsor a dog for £1 a week from her pocket money.

Good luck Waggy walkers - I'll be thinking about you tomorrow.