What were we thinking?

Most of you will be aware of the 'quirks' Monkey has displayed since joining our forever family. I will not list them here as it would take too long. Suffice to say it has been a challenge for all of us - not least our lovely retired racer.

So why were we attempting to take our shy, neurotic, scatter-brained hound off to a chalet in Yorkshire for a week?

Lately Monkey has been showing signs of settling into family life and behaviours have been learned - by all of us - that help alleviate stress points and encourage an opening up so why were we doing this?

Because we needed a break, a change in routine, a chance to switch off the computers and phones and charge our batteries rather than theirs.

We chose Saltburn-by-the-Sea for a few reasons: we had been there before and found it to be a very friendly relaxing place; it was within three hour's driving time and also we knew our way around the town and the surrounding area.

The first concern was the travelling. Although Monkey now loves trips out in the car, none have been as long as this. Will he settle down for a long journey? Will his toilet needs be met?

We decided to stop around halfway to Saltburn for a comfort break for all of us. I took Monkey into a nearby field where I managed to stumble which of course made him jump and got him spooked up so he wouldn't have a drink.

However, we were soon back on the road and there were no untoward incidents for the rest of the journey.

When we arrived at our holiday home, in the grounds of the Rushpool Hall Hotel, Monkey and me went off for a stroll while the LOTH and BOTH unpacked and sorted out the bedrooms.

We met some of the residents of the hotel grounds while we were out - a flock, is that the right word, of peacocks - and Monkey paid them scant heed and they did likewise.

The floor of the chalet was a slippery one - similar to the dining room at home that Monkey will not go in due to past skidding incidents. But by keeping hold of his collar we negotiated our way to his bed.

For the first time that day we all relaxed.

The LOTH and BOTH then set off in a tropical downpour to garner provisions from the nearest supermarket. We had hoped to eat out most of the time but our holiday home position was such that it would have meant taking the car for every meal and the LOTH would have to forgo the pleasure of a glass of wine with her evening meal.

The next hurdle would be feeding time for Monkey, as you know he likes to be left alone to dine otherwise he won't eat. This, coupled with the fact that when we first brought him home from Crossing Cottage, the rehoming kennels, he refused to eat for some days, made me think it could be a week without food for him.

Monkey soon dispelled these fears. We put his bowl down by his bed and he dived straight in. It was the first time the BOTH had seen him eat. I was totally taken aback and for the first time thought that this might just be a good idea after all.

His evening walk was strenuous but uneventful as we explored the many paths through the grounds and into the woods. Monkey took it extremely seriously and was like a bloodhound with his nose to the ground weaving from side to side as you see tracker dogs do in those American films where they are chasing convicts through the swamps.

We settled in for the night with a bit of telly before heading off to bed for a well-deserved sleep.

Sadly that was when the peacocks decided to start saying goodnight to each other - over and over again - luckily it was not the piercing shrieks they make when you see them out and about during the day but it was loud enough to keep me awake. 

It was also coupled with what seemed to be several of the birds tap-dancing in clogs on the wooden roof of our chalet.

As is usual, I was up with Monkey at 7am and when I went in to him he was on his bed shivering. This I put down to the disturbances of the night rather than any cold. While the BOTH and LOTH slept we went out and did a bit more exploring.

To be continued.

Meet the neighbours

Well the socialisation of Monkey has started and while he still has trouble with hedges, wheelie bins, hi-vis jackets, bus shelters etc. We have to say he has no problems with other greyhounds.
We took him for a walk in Burton - on the Washlands behind the library - along with our friend Jane German and her two greyhounds. Both of Jane's were rehomed through Crossing Cottage as well as Monkey.
There were no problems at all with getting to know each other and where as Winnie used to soon tire of the sniffing, if she tolerated it at all, Monkey was as good as gold - in fact he was the calmest we've seen him on a walk, whether it was safety in numbers or whether he just felt he couldn't be seen to be a worrywuss by other greyhounds he kept his composure for the whole of the stroll.
It was a different story though when we got back to the library for a welcome drink.
Moving the metal table and chairs had him spinning and he kept a wary eye on passing people.
I think it is worth mentioning here the service at the library café. Not only could they provide one of us with a soya-milk skinny latte (I think that was it) far too complicated for me to even remember let alone drink (mine was the lemonade) but the waitress - do we still call them that or are they beverage providers?
Anyway the young lady who conveyed the drinks to our table not only provided a bowl of water for our three greyhounds but also brought out a handful of dog biscuits to treat our dogs.
Well done Burton Library we'll be back - with or without dogs - whenever we fancy a coffee in town again.

               

 

 

                 Monkey keeps an eye on passers-by

Along with the water, the Library also provided a little treat for the greyhounds, don't worry the spaniel behind also got the same treatment.

Keeping it in the family

It's the Lady Of The House here, making a brief return to blogging because Bill - who I think has been doing a fabulous job of getting to grips with it all - says I can share some exciting news with you.

First of all, Monkey's doing well and gaining confidence every day. He's also happily heading to his bed at night time thanks to the chicken treat bribery many of you suggested.

Yesterday his paperwork came to us from the Retired Greyhound Trust where we learned that his racing name was Autumn Fusion. John and Judith at Crossing Cottage had already told us he had run 129 races in his career, but now we were able to look him up on greyhound-data where we found out a bit more about his races and his family tree.

Given the way he chose us SO clearly on that visit to Crossing Cottage at the start of this month, perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised to see that he was related to our Winnie on both his mum's side AND his dad's side. Yes, we have another Honcho Hound in the house. See this Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/110335212384824 - for owners of dogs descended from Head Honcho.

What was a surprise was to find that he was ALSO the grandson of the superstar Australian greyhound Brett Lee - who I wrote about on our Lost and Fond website.

Here's Monkey's potted family tree

Of course, we realise that greyhounds at stud have LOTS of puppies so lots and lots of dogs share common ancestry with Brett Lee and Head Honcho - but maybe now that we know there is DOUBLE greyhound Royality in his family tree it explains why he still likes to have his dinner brought to him in the living room.

Perhaps that confused look in his eyes in recent weeks was actually him saying: "Don't you know who I am?"

Today we took Monkey out in the car for the first time since we brought him home. We didn't want to give him too many new experiences all at once. We just took a short drive to a local park that's near a busy road (another test for Monkey). It was also his first time without his muzzle and he had a WONDERFUL time.

The sights and smells made him skip with joy and he didn't seem to mind the traffic noise at all. We also ventured on to the canal towpath to test his reaction to ducks. Not bothered at all. So more car journeys and muzzle-free walks loom large in Monkey's future.

Now on to the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop!

Seems a long time (because it is) since I did one of these so bear with me if I get anything wrong. If you just want to use the links below to find new blogs to read and follow - that's fine.

If you want to join in and add YOUR pet-related blog, you should use the Linky tool provided to sign up. 

Please also follow your three host of this blog hop - Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume. who are in positions number 3. 4. and 5. on the listings below.

Working a treat

As I said before we have decided to go down the treat route for Monkey the Greyhound when it comes to bedtime - and it does seem to be working - if you'll pardon the pun - a treat.

Previously it involved the pair of us v Monkey, one at each end to get him to leave one bed for another at night. Now, with a little bit of chicken to tempt him it's much easier and last night we managed it without the leash.

They're getting there

Given that everything else is done on the leash - except for when he gets up in the morning. Then it's just time to lie down in the front room and away he goes.

We are delighted with this seeming breakthrough and are hopeful of a repeat tonight.

The routine is now working great and Monkey is eating and drinking from his bowls, which have been moved into the doorway, so we are on the way to the kitchen with food as well.

He doesn't seem to want to eat if you are watching and if disturbed he will go and sit down and we need to get the cheese to tempt him back.


A bone . . . for me

A bone has been introduced but doesn't seem to hold much allure for Monkey - it's rawhide free and good for him - but I don't think we'll bother with another, there's hardly a scratch on it.



. . . you shouldn't have

People can be strange. Walking on the old Clay Pits nearby can be fraught as many owners let their dogs off to exercise on their own while they have a natter and are seemingly oblivious to what's around them - including of course when their dogs toilet.

Anyway there was a woman walking her toddler through the area the other day while three random dogs were dashing about hither and thither without leads. Monkey - walking very calmly on the leash - was then pointed out to the toddler as a dog she shouldn't try to stroke as he was 'dangerous' - all down to the perception of the muzzle he was wearing.

Hopefully this will be resolved at the weekend as there is a park a short drive from us where we can leave Monkey's muzzle off as there will be no little surprises running out of alleyways as there is on our daily walks. He'll be able to see the rabbits as well.

Can't wait to show off my smile

This should enable us to see if he really needs it or it can be consigned to the bin it will also show us whether he can be tempted into the car or will need lifting in as he did when we picked him up from Crossing Cottage.

Although he pricks his ears up and pays attention we come across cats and other dogs most of the time that's all there is to it. He rarely pulls, contenting himself with twisting and turning to keep the animals in sight.

Again though, down to a person's lack of awareness we can be caught out.

There is a woman who has a poodle - one of the smaller ones - and she seems to be terrified that other dogs are going to go for hers. She may well have good reason for this assumption as something may have happened in the past. I don't know.

However, whilst we always cross the road when we meet, for which she is grateful, there are times when you wonder what is going on.

Today, seeing that Monkey was toiletting, she decided that the best thing was to run past on the other side of the road. This got the poodle excited and so it started yapping and panting which in turn attracted Monkey's attention and he obviously thought it was a game so he decided he needed to go after it.

Luckily Monkey is not a puller as Winnie was and so he is very easy to calm down by shortening the leash and holding it close to his head. Even so, when you are bending over to pick things up it can still take you by surprise - suffice to say a strong cup of tea was called for when we got in.

Monkey makes his mark

As you are aware our last greyhound, Winnie, sadly died just before Christmas and this weekend we finally set off for Crossing Cottage Greyhound Sanctuary having, of course drawn up a picture of our ideal forever hound.

At Crossing Cottage John and Judith work very hard at pairing up the right people with the right greyhound. Before you visit you can go on their website and view the dogs that need rehoming. There are a great many details on this resource from whether the dog is shy through to the best age for the children to be in the new home.

We spent several days constructing our shortlist of attributes we wanted our next greyhound to possess in order for us to live harmoniously together. We printed out the details of more than a dozen dogs and then each of us went through the details and narrowed the dozen down to not only our favourites but also the ones that we felt wouldn’t cause too much disruption in the home.

Here is a rough idea of our shortlisted criteria: Female, Winnie was such a sweet-natured girl, black or blue, Winnie was a pale fawn colour so we wanted to get a contrast so as not to be reminded of her too much.

Also we wanted a greyhound familiar with a home environment, one  that was comfortable with the smells, sights and sounds of domesticity and would fit in without too much stress – for us or the animal - and was comfortable with teenagers.

If you followed Winnie’s blog you will also be aware that the she gave us all names: MOTH is me, the man of the house, well in name anyway. LOTH is Elaine, the lady of the house, mum to everyone else. GOTH is girl of the house, Caitlin, and BOTH is boy of the house 14-year-old Tom.

Anyway, MOTH, BOTH and LOTH duly trotted off to Crossing Cottage – GOTH was on bridesmaid duties – armed with an exact specification of what was wanted.

That’s when Monkey upset the applecart.

You can plan all you want, but you can never factor in love at first sight.

While we were looking at the first pair of dogs in the kennels I felt a tongue on the back of my hand and looked down to see a brown – all right – foxy, ginger rump disappear into the sheltered part of the kennel.

We asked Judith if we could take him out for a walk. Yes, you read that right HIM.

We took Monkey along the path and when we turned again to return to the kennels he just stopped and dug his paws in as if to say ‘do I have to.’

We coaxed him back and he was returned to his run. We looked across and for a split second he looked back – then turned on his heels and vanished.

We went to John and Judith and asked about his background.

He had only been at Crossing Cottage since February 4 and was quite aloof as he was very nervous and shy having just finished racing due to a pulled muscle. He had only lived in kennels but was very clean. He had very little confidence and needed to be taught how to enjoy love and cuddles.

Monkey would need a lot of attention, patience and love to bring out his personality.

If you have a minute, go back to the beginning and look at what we set out to find.

GOTH was sent a picture of Monkey – the wonders of the modern world – and added her approval. So the deal was sealed. Not only sealed but done and dusted and instead of going to Crossing Cottage and seeing what there might be for us to pick from at our leisure we brought our new family member home with us.

We were not prepared as we had no lead, and nothing for him to lie on in the car. The house was without a doggy-thing, all having been washed and bagged up the day we lost Winnie. So we arrived home with a hound that didn’t know what a house even was and was very frightened of us and everything around him.

I took him straight in to the garden for the toilet while LOTH and BOTH got everything we needed out of the garage. After he had done his business we had a spot of grooming and then tried to tempt him into the house. He was very reluctant and I had to put his lead on to enable me to get him up the step and in.

He hadn’t been fed since breakfast at 6.30am so we tried him with food but he wasn’t having any.

We went for a couple of walks with the muzzle on, as we had no idea how he would react to who and what he saw while out. Hopefully, the muzzle will be a temporary feature as he seems to dislike it intensely and wasted no time in letting me know by belting me between knee and groin every chance he got.

He also decided that he needed to emphasise his irritation even more by stepping behind me and bringing his head up between my legs every few minutes. A shortening of the lead soon stopped this.

Bedtime arrived and after another visit to the garden and then into an almost sleepless night as I waited for the trouble to start. I needn’t have worried. Monkey was silent throughout the night and come this morning the kitchen was both still there and still spotless.

We’ve had two walks today, again with the muzzle as I will be concerned at Monkey’s response to cats until we have a close encounter of the furred kind and I know what I need to do to keep him safe. He's had his first meal with us this afternoon

As I write on my netbook he is asleep on his bed at my feet. He is interested in all the noises around him and his ears prick up at every new sound. He is still unable to meet your gaze but we are in the same room.

And so our adventures with Monkey the greyhound begin.

Today I am mostly being a... camel

Today was the 25th annual Sutton-on-Trent Carnival. It included a greyhound show organised by the lovely Crossing Cottage greyhound sanctuary which used to be my home.

There were lots of classes for greyhounds to enter, and the Lady Of The House decided (in her wisdom) that I should enter the Fancy Dress class. Due to my colouring SHE thought I would make a rather good camel. So when she really should have been doing more productive things this week she made me this 'costume'.

Now, I like to think I'm a good sport.... but REALLY......

I get in the line up and find myself next to this vision in pink. I said to her: "Love your costume. Can't BELIEVE the LOTH has made me come as a camel. I would have rocked a pink diva outfit like yours".

I think with all the head scratching going on even the LOTH was beginning to think she'd not done me justice.

Pink diva got second place.

I got fifth.

I tried to have a word with the guy presenting the awards. I said: "Are you sure that nice little trophy in your hand shouldn't be mine? Look what I have to put up with?" But he said: "Nope". By this point, you will notice, my hump and its rider were trying to make their escape.

At least my rosette was pink.The LOTH needn't think she's hanging on to it.

There was a joint entry in the fancy dress class by two greyhounds dressed as Robin Hood and Maid Marian. I have to say they were very deserving winners. Even their owner had dressed up as Friar Tuck. And all the costumes were handmade. (So was mine but I reckon anyone would have guessed that)

I liked Superman too. In fact if he could have flown me out of there I'd have been quite pleased.

I also got entered for the Vintage class for dogs aged seven and over. Can you see me?

Can you see me now?

There were three judges. They had a REALLY good look at my teeth.

I know they are not my best feature. So I tried a spot of line dancing to try and impress them.

I actually got 6th place - there was a LOT of competition - but my rosette says 4th so I'll pretend.....

The BEST bit of the day for me was that I got to meet some old friends. And they all recognised me!!

This is a lady who used to take me for walks when I was waiting for my forever home.

This lady was a kennel maid when I first came into the kennels. She is soooo nice.

I got kissed so much I had lipstick on my head...

This is Mrs Brown who was in kennels at the same time as me last summer. She has stunning eyes and easily won the class for the greyhound with the prettiest eyes.

I am glad she found a good home too.

The LOTH sponsored a class in the name of her website lostandfond.co.uk. It was for young handlers aged 11-16. But we didn't get any pictures of that I'm afraid. The LOTH was in the ring handing out the rosettes and the MOTH and the BOTH couldn't get a clear view as it was so busy. There must have been 60 or more greyhounds and their forever families.

Hopefully the day has raised lots of money for Crossing Cottage. So I suppose dressing up as a camel was kind of worth it.

Pink to make the boys wink

Today we went to Ashbourne Show.

This is a great agricultural show in Derbyshire about 40 minutes drive from our house organised every year by the Ashbourne Shire Horse Society. And when I say every year I mean the first one was held in 1881. Last year it was one of the first outings I went on with my family.

There are lots of horse competitions - and some people qualify for Horse Of The Year Show.

There are cows.

And sheep. These sheep were having a little chat with their neighbours.

There's lots of trade stands, and nice food, and I liked being with the family having a good look at everything and everyone.

Then it got REALLY exciting because we found the Retired Greyhound Trust stand run by Judith and John from Crossing Cottage Greyhound Rescue who looked after me until I found my forever and ever family. I LOVE them so much and it was so nice to see them, and they were pleased to see me too.

Then the Man Of The House said he thought the combination of my pretty pink grab collar and my blue collar and lead were confusing people who came to pet me about whether I was a boy or girl. So they bought me a NEW PINK collar and lead from the Crossing Cottage stand. (I bet Bunny will be really jealous!!!)

I also met some new nice friends who support the Retired Greyhound Trust and they are organising a greyhound walk around Barton Marina, also near to us, so we are going to go to that.

So, here's a chance for you to make some new friends too, on the Saturday Pet Blog Hop.

The Saturday Pet Blog Hop is 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.