DocsDoctor

Thanks @ozgirl and @GreyPoopon! He continues to settle in happily and now I think feels very much at home here. Seems much more comfortable about being approached on his bed, though he has developed a bit of a habit instead of taking weird stuff to that - yesterday his sponge which I had left on the draining board. He tried to eat it (he is super-keen on food!) and finding it less than tasty tore it into chunks and scattered those around instead! I thought you might all like seeing this photo of him that my neighbours took recently - they keep a jar of treats for him and he has worked out out how to stick his head through a hole in our shared back wall to be given one!

Please - never, never take him on a moving escalator! The TfL Journey Planner has an option to find escalator-free routes, and it's actually getting easier all the time, as lifts are installed to improve accessibility. Once or twice I've been caught out, and had to ask a member of staff to switch an escalator off, so we can use it as a fixed stairway. That will mean a few minutes wait, because they have to put someone at the top and the bottom, but as the nice chap who I had to ask the first time said, "That's all right, my dear; I'd much rather organise this than have to sort out a dog who's got a paw trapped, and maybe his claws ripped out - I've had to do that before now, and it was awful!"

What a handsome chap! What's his name? That's great that you've made progress with the stairs; I think up always comes easier to these guys than down, so again just be patient and he will get there! Sounds as if he's beginning to feel more comfortable generally which is also great news

Hello Sarah, are you in the UK? If so I wouldn't worry about the crate - they're much more of a thing in the US, where the dogs have lived in them when they trained and raced and so find them reassuringly familiar when they retire to a home. UK racers live (usually in pairs) in kennels and don't have much experience of crates, except when they are being taken to the races. If you do want to try a crate your rescue might be able to lend you one while he settles in. But a greyhound-size crate is a big thing to accommodate in our smaller UK houses and I'm not sure how useful it would be. What I have always found useful here while my guys were settling in is to give them the run of as much of the house as I am comfortable with them using while I am out, but closing the door to my bedroom and bathroom and putting an upturned stool on the sofa in the living room! Doc my first greyhound had separation anxiety initially and I tried closing him in just a small lobby area with his bed when I went out, to see if confinement made him more comfortable. It didn't! What worked best in the end was giving him the run of the house, as above, and a special food-treat just as I went out so that became something to look forward to. Good luck! These first few days can feel very hard, just be calm and patient and things should soon improve!

What a trainer might do I guess is to suggest a one-to-one session first, to assess the dog first, though mine was happy for us just to turn up, having worked with lots of greyhounds already. She's moved away I think and now Winkie Spiers is the one I most often hear being recommended, here in South London. NB I have no personal experience of her, however.

Hi there - I'm also in London! Doc, my first greyhound had a very high prey drive and got much too excited about puppies initially; with their squirmy movements they can look very like prey.... What worked for us was finding a good, all-breeds, positive reinforcement dog training class. Here Doc got to learn that all those other funny-looking creatures he kept meeting in the streets were just other dogs, like him! The trainer also invited us to come along to a puppy class, and sniff a few puppies under carefully-controlled conditions - again, once he realised that they too were dogs, no more problems. And it was an education for me too, in learning to read doggy body language. I doubt such classes are running in lockdown, but they would be worth seeking out when they resume - maybe your vet can recommend someone local. You could also go to a trainer one-on-one, of course, that might be helpful initially, but the brilliant thing about classes is that you automatically get to meet and work with all those other dogs. PS: meanwhile, I would continue to walk him in a muzzle; better safe than sorry!

Happy Birthday Burdette! x 11!

Happy Gotcha Day, handsome Logan!

Thanks everybody - and from Tiger too! He says it was a greyt birthday

It's Tiger's first birthday celebration here, and despite the restrictions of lockdown we've managed to celebrate a bit. Two walks in lovely sunshine (yes since last Wednesday we're allowed to take more than one a day again, hurrah!), a pig toy to play with, and most popular of all, a first goat's foot: Even with this small photo you can probably see that it's more like half a goat's leg, with the foot still attached. I get them very inexpensively from my local halal butcher - traditionally they are used to add body to a stew, I think. Ken used to love them and I was pretty sure Tiger would as well. It should help get any remaining plaque off his teeth, too - they were very brown when he arrived and although he's good about letting me clean them, and Plaque Off (a seaweed-based UK remedy) has definitely helped, the back ones are still a bit grotty. I've also ordered him a new martingale (dark blue denim) and house collar (in a suitably bold red, blue and black design) but somehow I doubt those will create nearly as much excitement when they eventually arrive!

+1. My Tiger is a resource guarder and got returned to the rescue from his first time for biting while guarding his bed. I failed to read his body language properly and got bitten myself, a week in. Then again, a month later, through carelessness on my part just like you - I was trying to get him up for a last loo break before bed, and should have made sure he was properly awake and/ or found him a treat first! Though both incidents felt scary at the time - these things happen so fast - I knew in both cases when I thought about it that it was really my own fault, and actually the second incident represented progress, truth to tell - having got to know me better he growled first and it was more of a snap than a bite. I know that in his case a lot of it has to do with the fact that his first home was small and rather chaotic and noisy, and he got disturbed rather too often in his bed. As he relaxes into my quieter house we are becoming more trusting of, and affectionate towards, each other - he is happily lying on his bed beside me as I type this, with his nose about six inches from my feet - but all the same I need to remain aware of the need to remain respectful of his space.

Definitely get the vet to check her over asap; pancreatitis is one possibility.

Happy Birthday to the Divine Miss M, all the way from London. Looks like you had a greyt celebration! x 11!

Well remembered @FiveRoooooers and @EllenEveBaz! The zodiac sundial paving is since Doc's time, but here is Ken reclining on it. I think the photo I posted before was probably a more elegant version, minus the yoga mat! But I can't find that one right now - and this one does give you a bit of an idea of the rest of the garden. Originally there was a lawn, but the paving and gravel is more practical, and also gave me the opportunity to expand the flower beds. When the sun hits the paving it is like a radiator and both Ken and now Tiger like to lie directly on it, at other times the yoga mat provides a welcome bit of padding. Unfortunately Tiger decided that must be good to eat the first time I got it out for him, so it now has a chunk out of the corner!

Thanks everybody - and from Tiger, who should be blushing from all these compliments!

Hi everybody Tiger's only been with me since 3 March - I posted an introductory thread about him here. I'm pleased to say he continues to settle in really well - no more problems with resource guarding, so far at least Since last week we've been in lockdown, here in London, so are now only able to take a walk once a day. I must admit I'd been worrying a bit about how he would cope with losing his second walk of the day.... It turned out I needn't have worried, here he is "helping" me in the garden instead

Tiger arrived here on 3 March, just as all this was starting up. He'd been bounced back to the rescue from a previous home, and initially I thought he was fine being left on his own - not at all clingy, no trail of destruction - but then my neighbours told me that he was barking in my absence. We'd started working on that, with me going out and leaving him for a while each day. But now of course we are on lockdown and I can only go out and leave him for essential shopping - i.e. fairly briefly and only 2-3 times a week. I hope this won't slow alone training down too much, on the plus side all this enforced togetherness is definitely speeding up the bonding process! We can still enjoy a walk together once a day, with the parks and commons here open for now at any rate, though the council have ordered everyone to keep their dogs on leads - good news from Tiger's point of view as he had been worrying about rude offleash dogs possibly running over. He is puzzled though that when he "smiles" and wags his tail at human passers by they still keep their distance, even if they smile back. I had worried that he might miss his lunchtime walk but he seems very happy to sunbathe in the garden instead, especially when the neighbours appear on the other side of the fence with treats for him.

Such a sweet face.

Yes here in London I have just ordered a couple of 12kg bags of Tiger's food rather earlier than I would normally have done. I was able to get my preferred option but had to buy from a different supplier, because the purchasing mechanism on the one I usually use wasn't working. We already have 1 and a half bags in stock, each lasts around a month, and I always buy another two (to get free delivery) when I open the last one. But delivery times have lengthened as HeyRunDog says - from a couple of days to a week or more - and right now having supplies for longer feels like good sense. Real-life shopping has become distinctly trying, right now - empty shelves and long queues, because of people panic-buying. I actually have good stocks of store cupboard items, I'm that kind of person, but finding things like milk, eggs and fresh fruit and veg can take more time than usual!

No mine wouldn't fit under a table either but if there is a free disabled/ bike/ luggage bay as there often is on a train that provides a good space for the dog to lie down. Or a space at the end of the carriage. There is the aisle/ area between seats too but then you will have to remain on alert for anyone needing to go past! I've taken mine on mainline as well as tube trains and always found room for them, travelling at less busy times - the only journey I wouldn't want to repeat was on one of those fast Pendolino trains, which are so streamlined that there is very little spare space. On buses we go upstairs and to the back, or if there isn't an upstairs stand near the exit. As well as looking out for free spaces you also need to look out for your neighbours, of course. By and large I have always found fellow passengers and indeed train guards really pleased to see a dog, and wanting to make a fuss of it, ask questions about greyhound racing, etc. - I always say that if I am travelling with a greyhound there is no need to take a book to read! I am still walking Tiger in a muzzle and am amazed how many people come up and admire him even so. BUT you also need to remain aware that some people are scared of dogs, some are allergic to them, and some (e.g. Muslims) don't want to come into contact with them because they regard them as unclean. I am polite and smiley and accommodating, and so is my dog, but just occasionally we have needed to stand our ground. Once somebody started telling me we shouldn't be on a train - but it was a fellow-passenger, not a member of staff. She seemed quite panicky and was I suspect severely dog-phobic, and startled by seeing us. Dealt with that one by getting the dog to stand up and move right away to face the window, and inviting her politely to pass us, while pointing out that actually, so long as we behaved ourselves we had just as good a right to be there as she did. She scuttled along into another carriage, and that was that! London black taxi-cabs also work really well for transporting dogs, because of the big floor area, and again I have always found most drivers will take us. Thanks everyone for your nice messages about Tiger! He is continuing to settle in and relax.

Up to two well-behaved dogs can travel with you for free on mainline trains in the UK - I don't have a car, so mine go on public transport with me quite often. I think you used to get charged for them at child rate, but that was in the days when they travelled separately in the guard's van, which of course no longer exists.... Dogs are also allowed on the Tube and London trams, and on London buses at the driver's discretion. Makes sense to introduce them to the idea with a short journey at a quiet time of day, obviously, but mine soon grew to enjoy the experience; both Ken and Doc did long cross-country journeys with me in their time.

As I mentioned yesterday in my remembrance thread for dear Ken I have now found a new greyhound companion - Tiger! I went down to the same rescue that Ken and Doc before him came from last week, met and walked several lovely hounds, and after sleeping on it overnight decided that he was the one who would fit in best here. He's been here since last Tuesday on home trial, and we went down together on the train yesterday to sign the adoption paperwork - the staff were thrilled to see how happy and confident he was looking. He's four years old, silver brindle, and very handsome as you can see: (I have to say I am struggling to upload photos on Greytalk these days! Managed to upload this small one as a file attachment, but when I try to add the url for any of the bigger ones that I have on Google photos, the box goes an angry pink and won't accept it! All tips welcomed.) He's from Ireland originally, trained and did some trials here in England but never appears to have raced. He has been in one home already but it didn't work out - he got returned for biting and growling. Having had him here for a week I can see that he's a sweet affectionate dog, but evidently he does have some resource guarding issues when it comes to furniture and beds; ironically, having signed his papers yesterday, I got bitten myself this morning! My own silly fault for leaning over him on his upstairs bed, which he evidently prizes highly - he will take himself off there to be in the dark and quiet after dinner of an evening and was evidently fearing being deprived of it this morning. I had been warned by the rescue that this was a possible issue, and although it's not something I've encountered before I'm an experienced owner and having read some "resource guarding" topics here on Greytalk I'm confident it's something we should try and work through together. Just a question of giving him more space and consistency and peace and quiet than he had in his last home, by the sound of it. In other ways he is fitting in really well - enjoys his food and walks and has been playing with some of Ken's old toys!

Thank you so much everybody - your kindness is very much appreciated Not so much another sign, as another dog! Ken was so good at helping me get over the loss of Doc, that this time round I felt much more confident that the right thing for me to do was find them both a successor. So last week I went down to the same greyhound rescue, walked several dogs, and ended up wanting to help out Tiger, a beautiful four year old silver brindle boy. He'd been returned from one home and was so badly wanting another! Initially he came here just on trial, but he's doing so well and is evidently so happy here that we went down together on the train and signed his adoption paperwork today. I'll write a separate thread about him in Introductions and Biography....

Thank you so much, Rachel! Yes I think the whole message needs to be changed to "Dear Ken was the gentlest and sweetest-natured of greyhounds. He was able to enjoy several happy years of home life before passing away peacefully on 21 February 2020." If you think it's helpful/ appropriate to add something of his medical history (e.g. for someone researching bloodlines) please add another sentence saying. "He had recently successfully undergone a thyroidectomy, but then succumbed to hind-end paralysis." And thank you so much everyone for your kind messages. They mean a lot at this sad time.

Alas I had to have my dear Ken put to sleep yesterday afternoon. He'd been struggling with hind-end weakness for a couple of weeks; the vet thought initially that might be down to muscle weakness caused by hypothyroidism which we had just started treating - he had to have a rather nasty carcinoma cut off his thyroid back in October which had evidently mucked up his thyroid levels - but then on Thursday it suddenly became much worse, so that he couldn't use his poor old back legs at all. We gave it 24 hours in the hope that they might rally, but if anything they became worse; probably there was something neurological going on, as well. Happily I'd been using a very good local-ish mobile vet who was able to do consultations here and, ultimately, advise me that it was time for us to put him to sleep, because there was no longer any real chance of him making a good recovery. I could see he was getting worried by his incapacity, too, so it seemed best to let him go straight away, and on his own bed. He was able to enjoy a last tripe stick and doggy venison sausage first, and then left us peacefully, with me crooning to him and stroking him. It feels very hard to have lost him when he was still only eight, but to be truthful I'd always suspected he was never going to make old bones, because of the various health problems he'd long had. Initial problems with his nail-beds going back to before his adoption led eventually to a diagnosis of muco-cutaneous lupus, an immune system problem which could at least be kept at bay by keeping him permanently on vitamin supplements and antibiotics. Then there was the carcinoma, which had been come off cleanly but I had already been warned had left microparticles in his blood stream. And his last blood tests last Friday showed that his kidneys were weakening, too. He was such a sweet boy - so loving and gentle and good-mannered and also, occasionally, cheeky! His favourite game here was nicking my slippers, if I went into the garden and left them on the back door mat; when I came in again, they would be on the living room rug and he would be standing beside them looking highly delighted with himself. He also loved his own toys, being exceptionally talented at catching those when thrown and still in mid-air. And though shy on walks when he first came to me, he soon grew in confidence and ultimately became my unofficial helper as Open Spaces chair for our local amenities society, - and official mascot for our local WI's walking group, being easy for newcomers to spot at our rendezvous, polite to humans and other dogs alike, and unfazed by train, tube and even bus travel. The house feels very empty without him, of course. But I feel I can share with you here on Greytalk something that I wouldn't share with most of my real-life friends: that this morning when I was worrying about his last months, and wondering if I'd done the best by him that I could, I asked him out loud if he could send me a sign that he was okay now and that he forgave me for anything I might have got wrong. And lo and behold, when I went out to buy a paper, there one was: a silver star, I should think off a hubcap, lying on the pavement. It's in his memory box, now. (And in his predecessor Doc's is a bit of ribbon, again picked up from the pavement the day after his death, and woven with paw prints and flowers and a logo saying "Good Earth.) I don't seem to be able to post his picture here but hope you can see him enjoying a run round the park for last year's Christmas card here And if someone has access to update his greyhound-data page, that would be most helpful. Finally, a poem. Exemplary Ken Farewell dear Ken, my guileless creature, Of sweetest, gentlest, humblest nature; A greyhound pet unspoiled by favour, A model of good dog behaviour, Without a dream, without a wish, Beyond more sardines in your dish. Contentedly through life you've trotted, Along the path that Fate allotted. Now Time, your ailing body seizing, Deprives it of all strength and feeling; So lie you down without a pain, To sleep, and never wake again. With apologies to Sydney Smith (1771-1845), whose original epitaph for an Exemplary Nick can be found here .