Winnie's sixth and final carol

Well, me and the LOTH have enjoyed (mostly) working on our alternative Christmas songs....thank you for putting up with them so graciously.

We thought we'd finish off with one that's got a few more serious sentiments - but we wanted to wish you and all your families a very very merry Christmas - and to say that we haven't forgotten our absent friends.

I'm going to enjoy the festivities for a few days but I'll see you again soon.

(To the tune of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas)

Have yourself a very merry Christmas

As 2011 ends.

This year I have made some very special friends.

Have yourself a warm and cosy Christmas

With loved ones near and far

Love brings us close however far apart we are.

Lots of pets went to Rainbow Bridge

We still miss them all, and how.

But they know that we loved them, so

We must let them go for now.

One day we will all be back together

I believe that's true

Until then, I'm sending all my love to you

And have yourself a lovely peaceful Christmas Day.

Winnie's fifth Christmas Carol

The LOTH is very happy because her freelance work is all finished now for Christmas, so today's alternative song is a team effort.

Requested by Houndstooth - and based on an original idea from the Boy Of The House - I bring you our version of Do You Hear What I Hear?

Said the greyhound to the waiting LOTH

Do you smell what I smell?

Down here on the ground, dearest LOTH

Do you smell what I smell?

A scent, a scent

I’ll call it ‘eau de dog’

I can’t walk past, run or jog

I can’t walk past, run or jog

Said the LOTH to the greyhound standing there

Do you fear what I fear?

(Do you fear what I fear?)

We won’t get home today, Winnie dear

Do you fear what I fear?

(Do you fear what I fear?)

Let’s move

Let's move

At least get to the shops

This isn't a 'walk', it’s a series of stops.

This isn’t a 'walk', it’s a series of stops 

Winnie's fourth Christmas carol

Today's festive song reflects on one of my most embarrassing moments of 2011.

It wasn't wise and it certainly wasn't clever and I hope the Lady Of The House never has a similarly silly idea again.

I didn't have to cross the desert - but I did have to cross the parade ring at the Sutton Greyhound Show.

Off we go, to the tune of We Three Kings (of Orient are...)

Me, one dog, from Burton-on-Trent.

I've got the hump. I wish that she'd spent

a bit more money

It isn't funny

My feelings I have to vent.

I am not a camel!

Not a goat!

Not a donkey in a coat.

Fancy dress!

It's just a mess!

Don't sit there and laugh and gloat.

I could've worn pink. I wish that I had

Looking at HER it made me so sad.

Tutu and hat

I could've worn that

This camel idea's so bad.

I am NOT a camel!

NOT a beast!

When will this dishonour cease?

I am a Queen

I think it's mean

Will somebody call the police!

Winnie's third Christmas carol

Yesterday's Christmas song by the LOTH may have given you the wrong impression of me, dear new readers.

Like most of my breed I love a good sleep - for LONG periods of the day - with a few naps inbetween.

So here, by popular request, is my version of Silent Night.

I like to sleep. Lovely nice sleep

Sleep so calm. Sleep so deep.

My beds are comfy all over the house.

I curl up and I'm quiet as a mouse.

Sleep from 10 until three-ee

Slee-eep from 10 until three.

I like to sleep. Lovely nice sleep.

You won't hear me make a peep.

I fluff my blankets and doggy duvet

I make a nest and then I snooze away.

Sleep from five until ten-en.

Slee-eep from five until ten.

Winnie's second Christmas carol

What? Who? Me?

Actually, that headline is ALL WRONG! Today's carol with new words is ALL the work of the Lady Of The House. Feel free to tell her it's rubbish.

(Sing to the tune of While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night)

Oh, Winnie get some socks tonight

You've dug another crater

The house is full of grass and mud

I'll have to clean up later.

Long greyhound toes trap so much dirt

You've brought in half the garden

You never seem to look ashamed

Or say "I beg your pardon".

If Santa brought some Greyhound boots

The floors would stay much cleaner

And when I saw you digging

I would be a little keener.

 

I wonder if you want to get

To sunny warm Australia?

I don't think you can dig that far

I think you're doomed to failure.

I'd miss you if you went to Oz

I hope that you're not going

The good thing is that thanks to you

The lawn does not need mowing.

("That's because we have no lawn any more, really" - the LOTH)

Yes, yes. We get it. Fine.

Changing the subject, we have had a few requests for "Silent Night" so we are going to work on that next. 

Actually, I WILL. Because the LOTH is clearly not in the proper Christmas spirit.

Winnie's first Christmas carol

As we have walked through our local village and looked at all the Christmas lights and decorations in recent days, it's inspired me and the Lady Of The House to write some new words to traditional Christmas carols which we thought we'd share with you between now and the big day on Sunday.

They are all carols we sing a lot in the UK. Hopefully you'll know them abroad as well.

Here's our first effort (sung to the tune of Good King Wenceslas)

Winnie Greyhound last walked out on a Monday morning

When the frost lay round about, and she'd not stopped yawning.

A winter sun was shining down

It was bright but freezing.

The LOTH took this nice pic of me when she had stopped snee-ee-zing.

Maybe I won't give up the day job JUST yet.

Bloggers with big hearts

I am so sorry to everyone if you think I have been ignoring you recently.

I've not had chance to visit any blogs for AGES because of the Lady Of The House working really hard on the computer on boring stuff she calls work.

But today I've been catching up a bit, and I discovered that I'd been given THREE awards while I wasn't looking.

Both What Remains Now, and Graceful Greyhounds gave me the lovely Liebster Blog Award, while Chancy the Gardener gave me the Kreativ Blogger Award.

I am very pleased and proud and I do hope that you don't think I was ungrateful for not mentioning it before.

The Liebster Blog award is given to help promote young and growing blogs. To accept the award properly I have to pick my five favourite blogs - with less than 200 followers and pass it on to them.What a lovely idea!

In return for the Kreativ Blogger award I am supposed to tell you 10 things about myself that you wouldn’t know and pass the award on to six other bloggers.

Hopefully it's not cheating TOO much if I just pick five blogs with less than 200 followers (and one with more!!) If any of the blogs I nominate have already had one of these awards, please feel free to accept the other one.

Flora, Fauna, & Food - is a new blog I've only recently started following. 'Garden Girl' explores the world through nature and food and also shares lots about her three wonderful dogs (and her two cats).

Finn's dog blog  - is a blog I've followed for a while because two-year-old bulldog Finn just has the handsomest face ever (and I love him - but please don't tell him I would be embarrassed).

Grey hares on my sofa - is a lovely blog about re-homing, fostering and adopting retired racing greyhounds (like me).

The Circus Dog - is another bulldog blog. This one tells the adventures of Lola, and American Bulldog.

Kind Hearts - is one of my all-time favourite blogs that I followed soon after I started blogging. In north east England Grumpy Bobby and Dippy Pip watch foster dogs come and go and the blog is always full of love and laughter. Grumpy Bobby is my Boy Of The House's favourite dog in the world (after me of course) and he loves watching the videos they often post.

My sixth choice - which has MORE than 200 followers - is Homer the Golden Retriever, international jet setter and another very very handsome boy who makes my heart flutter a little.

Ten things about me then......Hmmm. You may well know some of these, but here goes....

1. I can dig for England (in fact I may well be digging for Australia at the rate the hole in the back lawn is developing)
2. I love Cheese and Marmite biscuits made by the Bespoke Dog Bakery (who do NOT pay me for my endorsement of their products!)
3. I like to dig in my loose blankets and make a warm and cosy nest for myself.
4. I bark at cats, would love to chase a squirrel (if I ever got off my lead) but if I see a wild rabbit I just stare at it silently.
5. I get so excited when the Man Of The House or the Lady Of The House comes in the front door that I put my paws up on their chests.
6. I love car rides, and if we walk past a car with its boot up I often try and jump in.
7. I have an unusually long nose and an overbite that gives me character.
9. I was humiliated this summer by being entered into a greyhound fancy dress competition as a camel and came 5th (out of 5).
10. I have a scar on my nose from an operation where the vet removed an abscess by going in through the top of my snout (that was before I came here).
                                   
Like everyone who follows lots of dog blogs I have been shocked and saddened by news of the devastating fire that destroyed the home of the Houston Pittie Pack and killed five of their seven dogs - including the amazing Shelby, a severely abused dog found in a car park covered in puncture wounds and sores. One theory is that she had been used a live bait for fighting dogs. Bloggers around the world followed Shelby's fight to live and recover from the summer of 2010 onwards.She made it - but has now been cruelly cheated out of her happy-ever-after along with fellow rescue dogs Guero, Coco Chanel, Tiger and Lucky.

Sandra Gonzalez lost everything, but was able to escape with her mother, son and two of their dogs. Bloggers have been raising funds since the tragedy on December 16 through a Chip In fund. You can see a link to it below. Although the initial modest total has been reached, anything you can spare this holiday season will help this devastated family.

Wordless Wednesday - My toys are my first line of defence

From Winnie to Winnie

Today I want to say a special hello to a beautiful girl with a beautiful name!

Pictured below is ANOTHER Winnie the greyhound who came to live with her forever family in Tennessee one year ago today.

She is obviously a very kind and accommodating greyhound as she is seen here with one of her cats called Annabelle. She also lives with a black cat called Nori.

"Cats really are not all that bad," she says.

Takes all sorts.

Winnie from Tennessee follows me on Facebook

Her mum sent me a lovely surprise parcel yesterday. When we opened it look what was inside.

What a beautiful suncatcher. We are now working on finding just the perfect place in the house to show it off.

Tennessee Winnie's mum made one for her - and then realised it looked like me too! So she made me one!! I am so thrilled. Thank you so very, very much! We will always treasure it.

Santa's Little Elf-er

Here is my friend Bo, wishing you all a very merry Christmas.

Bo is certainly going to have a very happy Christmas thanks to Emma from Impawtant Pups. You may remember that we blogged about Bo during Mayzie's Rescue Me Week.

He was rescued by Emma from a dog pound where he was on death row because of his incredibly bad skin condition and the fact that no-one wanted him.

Emma brought him back to Burton-on-Trent and has done a great job of nursing him back to health in a couple of months. He's also  been welcomed into the family by her own dogs Chanel, the boxer, and Cesar, the Bull Mastiff (Gosh! He's big and he has a really DEEP bark).

When Bo is a little bit better he'll be looking for his own forever home with other dogs. He loves the company of other dogs and wouldn't want to be on his own.

His skin is SO much better than it was. Here he is a few weeks ago cuddling up to Chanel.

Most of his coat has grown back now, but because he used to wear pyjamas to cover the special cream he needed, he's quite happy to still wear clothes, like his new elf outfit for Christmas.

Looks like he wasn't too sure about the hat at first though.

I love Bo VERY MUCH! And I hope he finds the family that's just the perfect fit for him in 2012. He is such a loving boy. I just thought you might like to hear how he's doing these days. If I wasn't so committed to being an only dog we would love to give him a home. But I'm afraid I am set in my ways now and it's not to be.

Today I am again joining the Saturday Pet Blog Hop hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.

If you'd like to join in and make new pet blogger friends, please follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste this week's new Linky code into the html editor of your own blog. The list will automatically update on everyone's blogs as new sites add themselves over this weekend and we can all hop from blog to blog and find out everybody's news.

Thanks again to our three hosts for putting on the hop!

If you follow a new blog after finding them in the blog hop - please let them know that you found them on the Saturday Pet Blog Hop