Summer, what summer?

Are you sure I need this. It's the end of May

Walking Monkey in the wind is like taking an octopus out on a leash while it is having electroconvulsive therapy. Star jumps every two steps as the wind gusts, fences creak and bits of vegetation come hurtling past. Four attempts to toilet thwarted by a sudden blast of cold air.
Today we also had to don our winter coats and I think Monkey was a little bemused by this.
Been a while since the last post I know - but the good news is that the bathroom has now been decorated.
Life has carried on much as before with Monkey slowly getting to grips with domestic life. Bedtimes are a breeze (perhaps the wrong word to use today) with Monkey coming into the kitchen when called. I still give him the chicken treat. I know, but hey, it makes me feel better about putting him away for the night.
Feeding has now moved totally into the kitchen as well, with Monkey coming when called. I still step out of the room and shut the door but he has allowed me to stay while he ate. Mind you I had to stare out of the window as he stopped when he caught me sneaking a peek.
Early mornings are now totally under control as I let Monkey out straight away and he trots off to do his business. We went through a spell of him pretending to go when I took him in the garden on the leash. He would stretch out as though he was going and look at me to see if I had fallen for it. Now though he's out the door, brisk walk, wee and back for grooming in no time.
He is also coming into the hall when he hears me pulling on a jumper ready for a walk - although it makes me sad when he comes out and it's just me going out. Having said that when he hears me putting my cycling gear on he doesn't move from his day bed.

 

We have added tents to the list of 'things that Monkey has to avoid', last weekend while on a walk at a nearby lake some fishermen were camping and there was a row of tents. The first one was a step to the side to get around but by the third he was digging his paws in and practically had to be carried past.
I think that secretly pleased the LOTH as she now has yet another excuse for never going camping.
It makes me wonder where all these fears have come from. Some I can understand such as the transit vans and hi-vis coats from his greyhound racing days but tents?

What a nice start to the week

What a lovely surprise when I was catching up on the news from my namesake - The Other Winnie Cooper - last night and found that she had very generously passed on to me the Awesome Blog award.

I felt very privileged and proud.

If you've not met the other Winnie yet - she's a Shih Tzu and very very cute and clever. So do stop by and say hello to her.

As is the way with these awards I now have to tell you a few things about myself that you might not know. Hhhmmm! Let me think.

1. My dad was an Australian greyhound called Hahn Bale who came over to the UK to sire puppies. I look a lot like him going by the picture on Greyhound-Data.com

2. His dad - my grandad - was Head Honcho who died in 2001 was one of the inaugural inductees in to the Victorian Greyhound Racing Hall Of Fame in 2009.

2. I love sharing Sunday roast dinner with the family - well they save some for me to eat after them - but it does mean some rather bad smells coming from the direction of my bottom on a Sunday evening which I pretend are nothing to do with me.

3. I like having my teeth brushed with chicken-flavoured toothpaste.

4. If we see people jogging on our walks I act like I want to join in (you can take the greyhound of out of the stadium but you can't stop her wanting to run).

5. My favourite toy at the moment is a squeaky plush reindeer that I had for Christmas - but that will change again soon.

Now for the blogs that I would like to honour by passing on the awesome award. This is really hard because I LOVE all my virtual friends who I follow. But here's who I have decided to recommend to you this time.

Presley the Lurcher (also known on Facebook as 'King Presley') - A Lurcher from Scotland with a lovely accent

A Scratch Behind the Ears - Always makes the LOTH feel peaceful and smile

Dogs for the Paws - Inspiring stories of rescue dogs

Finn's Dog Blog - He's a handsome bulldog

Granted Wishes Greyhounds - Greyhound rescue and training experiences

Hope you find some new blogs there that you perhaps didn't know about.

Have a lovely week. It's school half-term here so I may get busy helping the LOTH look after the BOTH (he's not only on holiday from school but he's got a nasty cold too) so if I go a bit quiet you will know why.

Are you coming down yet?

This could be me at about lunchtime tomorrow, lying in the hall waiting for the Lady Of The House to come downstairs.

Are you coming downstairs now?

I don't 'do' stairs as previously mentioned.

Being a couch potato I am very happy to doze for a few hours at a time and usually choose either my bed in the kitchen or my bed in the living room. But sometimes I do wait at the bottom of the stairs, like this.

Don't feel sorry for me. It's nice that the L O T H works from home and so she gets to spend time with me and always walks me twice in the day (whether I need it or not).

But as we're always saying it's wrong to think that greyhounds need lots of exercise just because they used to sprint round a racetrack. Think how short those races are! My daily mad minute or two churning up the back lawn lasts about the same time. Apart from that I just love to chill.

Small world - where just one person can make a difference

Since I started blogging, when I arrived here at my new forever home in August, it's been lovely to find out how the Internet brings new friends into your life that you would never have met otherwise.

I love getting comments on my blogs from Bunny and my other new dog friends in America. And it's lovely to hear about the wonderful people in America who work just as hard as the Retired Greyhound Trust does in the UK to find new families and homes that are a perfect match for retired racers.

I spotted today the lovely story and pictures about a great-looking greyhound called Slammer who's now got a family - and a couch - to call his own thanks to Greyhound Adoptions of Florida.

But there was sadder news from Florida were more than 30 greyhounds were found dead in kennels at Ebro Greyhound Park. The tragedy came to light after someone took some seriously underweight dogs to the Greyhound Pets of America re-homing organisation. They raised concerns that led to investigations that revealed the neglect and cruelty.

When I hear sad stories like that it just makes me glad that there's more good people than bad out there and that individual families, like mine, and Bunny's and Slammer's are doing what they can across the world to make a difference by loving their dogs and sharing that love around.

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.

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

Suggestions for a Bank Holiday outing

Hi

I know you may well have your plans made for tomorrow - August Bank Holiday Monday - but if not (and if you're lucky enough to be off work, unlike the Man Of The House) - might I suggest Old Dalby Day?

From the Old Dalby website www.old-dalby.org.uk

It looks like a great day out for all the family with craft stalls and a street market, vintage vehicles, childrens games and a horticultural show. And my old friends from the Retired Greyhound Trust at Crossing Cottage will be there too.

Rounding off a busy day for them they will also be at Nottingham Greyhound Stadium in the evening of August 30th with their stall and lots of greyhound and RGT charity merchandise for sale.

Making a hit with the younger generation

I went visiting this morning to see the Lady Of The House's cousin and her two lovely daughters, Katie and Rebecca.

Rebecca was a bit nervous of me to start with - because I seemed very big to her (as she's still quite little) but when her mum and big sister showed her what a softy I am she was happy to stroke me and even took me on a guided tour of downstairs. I had a lovely time being fussed over.

The Boy Of The House himself has always been scared of dogs, I'm told, and that was one of the reasons why my family chose a retired racing greyhound because they knew I'd be far more gentle and good-natured than a lot of dogs (and a lot less work than a puppy).

But the Retired Greyhound Trust always works very hard to match exactly the right dog to the right family and they also knew that as an older dog that had been re-homed before I'd be just the right dog.

Unless I'm having a mad five minutes running round the garden or playing with my toys I am very calm and the B O T H loves fussing me now. Here's a pic of us getting on famously .....

Me and the Boy Of The House (and my toy monkey)

I'm also happy to stop for a fuss with the children who live in our Close. They all know my name and call out to me when they are playing and I go by on my lead for a walk.

They are a nice bunch and I hope I'm helping them learn a bit more about responsible dog ownership.

Grooming sessions that are not to be sneezed at

I LOVE being brushed I do.

I love being brushed with the grooming glove

When we race greyhounds get used to being groomed and it usually makes us very patient and quite happy with these kind of attentions. I am happy to have my teeth checked and cleaned and I let my family check my paws regularly as well as grooming me.

The grooming glove is really comfy and as my coat is only short, and one layer, it doesn't take long to get rid of some loose hairs in the garden after my morning walk.

I do still shed some hair in the house and on my beds - but I'm also quite happy to watch my family run round with the vacuum cleaner. I'm not a dog who makes a fuss about it. I'm quite used to home life.

Oh! And apparently greyhound hair is far less likely to make people sneeze. Both the Lady Of The House and the Man Of The House are a little bit allergic to pet fur but my hair doesn't give them any trouble.

See you tomorrow

Give a dog a home

Sad news from Portsmouth today where efforts are continuing to find homes for a dozen or so greyhounds who lost their jobs and homes following the closure of the city's Greyhound Stadium at the end of March.

The land where punters stood cheering as the dogs raced is going to be re-developed for houses and a park-and-ride.

Lots of work has gone into finding homes for dozens of the dogs - but the last few are still waiting for their new starts.

The Retired Greyhound Trust is spearheading efforts to match the right family with the right dog. They always take a lot of care to make sure that that it's a real happy ending for the humans as well as the dogs.