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Feisty49

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Posts posted by Feisty49

  1. Dancer is 4 years old. We've had her for almost 6 months now. I haven't walked her in the heat of day, but of course we are quite humid here in sunny Florida. The temps have been quite comfortable since we've had her. It's usually around 75-80. If the heat and humidity are factors for her then I'm really nervous about the summertime. The temps in the evenings or early morning are around 75 with high humidity all the time. I guess we'll have to go for shorter walks. We'll try that and if that doesn't work then I will take her in to the vet to make sure nothing physical is going on. Thanks for all the advice.

     

    My Annie would be melting at 75-80. OK... she'd be panting and dragging tail within a quarter mile, even if the humidity was low. At 75 degrees, with the sun out, it's just too hot for my girl. She doesn't know it's too hot, and never wants to come back in the house, but when she's panting and her head is hanging and she's walking at a speed of less than a mile an hour, I know it's too hot for her. My suggestion is avoid long walks at temps over 65 and when the sun is high in the sky.

  2. Lagging and panting can be a function of heat. I notice you're in FL. Most Greyhounds don't do well in the heat. I live in Upstate New York but my girl is already negatively responding to temps which are only in the 50s but with a hot sun and a higher humidity than in winter, she pants quickly on a walk.

     

    If it's not because she's hot, maybe she needs to work up to a mile. When she goes out for a potty, does she get a good walk in or is it a matter of finding somewhere green and then returning to the house? I walk Annie twice a day for at least half an hour (depends on time of day, temperature, humidity, sunny or cloudy) so she's getting in more than 2 miles a day.

  3. There aren't steadfast rules about how to pick out a Greyhound. We've all talked about how we've bonded, and how she leaned, and how I loved her right away, but in my situation, if Annie had not been cat friendly, or if she had major anxiety issues, or if she didn't like children, I would not have adopted her. Yah, I want my dog to feel good about me and vice versa, but the dog has to fit into the household and your lifestyle.

     

    No matter how much you get a feeling for a dog, ask the important questions. Is there separation anxiety? Are there health issues? Can she be an only dog? Others will chime in with questions to ask. If there are issues, you need to dig deep inside, no matter how much of a feeling you have for a dog, and decide if you can work through the issues, and work it can be.

     

    Also, just as an aside, I think you're overthinking this a bit re bonding with you or your BF. What you'll find is no matter who you adopt, you will love that dog as if none other exists. While I love my Annie to bits, if I hadn't adopted her, I know I would love another Grey just as much as I do Annie.

  4. Just ignore the passive aggressive "advice." Your question was valid. Our Bootsy was interested in our older son when he was a squeaky baby, but he got over it quickly. I think you'll probably find that as you spend more and more time with your sister and the baby, Peggy will also. :)

     

    This and this. LOL I was going to suggest that the new-born cry doesn't last long. It turns into a lustier, heavier, cry soon enough and it's less piercing, IMO.

  5. IMO yet another way to guilt people into spending money on something not needed. Just because somebody said it (i.e., it's good for them) doesn't make it true, and even if it's true, just how much should we spend on our animals for unnecessary things? Better to save the money for an emergency trip to the vet.

     

    BTW, It has never crossed my mind to give Annie milk in any form.

  6. Awesome that you got to sleep in a later. Did she give you a difficult time waiting for supper till 10 PM? If it was a problem, I'd leave her on the 10 PM time for a while (at least a week) and then jiggle things around a little, such as feeding her earlier in 10-minute increments every few days. If she continues to sleep until 5:15 or later, then you're good to go. If she wakes earlier, then return to the previous feeding time and see if that works.

  7. Oh wow you have a cat. I'd love to see a picture of your dog & cat together, Feisty. Also about cost of greyhounds. How much would you say you spend all together every month on Annie if that's not being too nosy? I added up the food and advantage costs which is not bad. What I mean is how much should I put aside every month for my new greyhound when it comes to expenses? Even owning one can get a little pricey especially if you have a lot of vet bills. That's another thing. Can I just choose any vet for a greyhound or do I have to call a certain vetrenarian or what? Here is a picture of Drey my boyfriend's former female greyhound. I hope whatever Grey I get is super friendly like Drey was. Her original name was "Starizjusta Dream." I miss her leaning in on me & asking for peanut butter spoonfuls LOL.

     

     

    RIP Drey AKA Dream :gh_child :devilangel :gh_bow 12/2007 - 12/2012

    Dre2012.jpg

    She is a beautiful dog. I'm sorry she left :(

  8. My girl usually cuts back on her food when the weather gets real warm/hot. Every once in a while, though, she eats a lot less b'fast for a few days. No big deal. Maybe your dogs are self-regulating with regard to how much they eat. Maybe they're bored with their food. Maybe their appetite is just depressed for a few days. All of this happens and if there's no health issue involved, they get over it.

  9. I don't know if anything is too late when it comes to training, and I seriously mean I don't know, but it never hurts to try something new.

     

    If that makes you uncomfortable, my suggestion is to feed her two meals, with breakfast being less food than being fed now, making up the reduction in her supper, and feeding her supper late.. like really late. It will be difficult. My girl starts giving me big-brown-I'm-hungry eyes an hour before her 4 PM supper time, and comes up and noses my elbow and hands. It hurts me, but I ignore her and she returns to her bed with a huge sigh. I know if I had to, I could ignore her obviously wanting supper for hours if it were necessary and for this human, not being woken in the middle of the night is necessary, other than emergencies obviously.

     

    BTW, what does she eat? Is it enough calories to keep her from getting hungry too soon?

  10. Greyahloc I really enjoyed reading your post about how you picked out (Annie Bella? I'm assuming from your signature). Thats why I posted pics of Song because she was the first to greet me even though she was taken. Yeah that's another thing. For a meet and greet there were like 10 dogs there and only 3 available however that works. I love the coloring of your dog too. I like the tan and white face. LOL I can't believe I'm already shopping for a dog I don't even have. I've never been this excited about a pet before. I've never owned a dog only cats but wow this seems like a process like picking out items for a newborn baby or something LOL. :ghplaybow I love this message board 2. Everyone here seems chill. I guess all owner of such an outgoing laid back must be..well...laid back. Also Greyaholic do you only have one greyhound?

     

    It was me -- Feisty49 -- who has Annie Bella. (My granddaughter gave Annie her second name. Now we mostly call her Annie Bananie Whisker Face -- my dog, not my granddaughter :--). I also love the story of how Annie picked me, but I don't think it's unusual. Many Grey parents will relate how their "baby" picked them.

     

    At some M&Gs volunteers will bring their own dogs, hence more dogs there than are up for adoption, so that the general public can see all sorts of personalities, sizes, colors, etc. My group tends to have a lot of Greys for adoption-- often 10 or more -- so it's seldom, if ever, we bring one of our own to a M&G.

     

    Yes, I have only one Greyhound (I also have a cat). Part of me would love to have another but it would not fit my lifestyle nor my pocketbook, so for the foreseeable future Annie is an only. (I don't know how regular middle-income people can afford multiple Greys. I just spent $98 yesterday for Annie's annual checkup: $48 for the exam and $48 for blood work, plus tax. To do that for a few dogs would require me to cut back on something else that I don't want to cut back on.) Annie is very cool about being an only, which can be a problem for some Greyhounds. She's so cool about it that I doubt she'd welcome another dog. She wouldn't be snarky, but I suspect she'd pretty much ignore it.

  11. Leash length is a personal preference, but you can always shorten up a 6' leash by winding it around your hand but can't lengthen a 4' one. For almost everything, I use a 6' leash for Annie, and often do shorten it up when it's necessary (when other dogs come into our view for instance). I have a 4' leash for when we visit the local nursing/rehab center to make it easier for me to keep her close.

  12. Just a quick 2 cents on my part, which is probably worth only 1 cent. LO. I have one Greyhound and it's a girl. I have, though, taken care of male Greys, right off the track, therefore not yet neutered, for a few hours once in a while, and honestly, I've never had a male lift his leg to try to mark more than once because he has responded to my "eheh -- no" command (said in firm voice) and a quick trip outside. They learn quickly that marking is for outside only, even my visitors.

     

    And ya know... I don't want to insult your BF ... but IMO opinion there's no way a dog gets back at you. If a dog reacts to something being done, it's immediate. Try to take his food? If s/he cares, s/he may growl or give an attitude. But don't take him to the dog park? Dogs don't read calendars. Sure they get used to routines, but IMO there's no way a dog knows it's 2 PM on Sunday and he should be at the dog park. That's nuts! Sounds to me the male dogs in your BF's family needed more training and attention to learn marking is not to be done.

     

    The founder/president of my group will tell you that in all her years of Greyhound adoption and always having 8 to 10 Greys of her own, she considers males more affectionate than females.

     

    But.......

     

    I think you adopt who wants you. Who speaks to your mind or spirit or heart. Who just grabs at you in ways that can't always be described. :beatheart I went to a M&G just to see what was out there. I went with the intention of looking. There are a few groups in the greater Albany, NY, area so I figured I'd take my time, look at all the Greys available over a few weeks and pick one. HaHa on me! There were 4 or 5 dogs at the first, and only, M&G I went to on that mid-July Saturday in 2011. As Greys are prone to do, they all came to greet me, pushing to be the first to get close. Annie didn't win the race to be first, but she was the one who stayed with me when the others moved on. She leaned and leaned and leaned, and I pet and scratched and marveled and also thought, "If I step away, this girl will fall over." She didn't, of course, but I fell over.. errr .. in ... love with her. I spent almost 3 hours with her and never looked at another Greyhound. Exactly one week later, after being vetted as an appropriate Greyhound parent, I brought her home. She isn't a velcro dog, but she still leans and comes to me for love and affection and looks to me for approval or just to know that I'm watching her and I've got her back, so to speak.

     

    Good luck. Male or female, it's all good.

  13. Definitely read "Greyhounds for Dummies." I think it's a better book. Also, do more than check out a Martingale collar. Be prepared to buy one (or two or three... LOL), though your Grey will come with one on her. Martingale collars are not optional for Greyhounds if you'll be attaching the leash to a collar for walking. They are necessary. You'll read about them in all the reference material you access, including info on this site. I don't use a nylon web Martingale. I prefer those sold by one of the many vendors that cater to Greyhound stuff (specifically Crown Collars).

     

    I'm sorry to hear about having to wait longer. I only had to wait a week to adopt Annie and I could barely sleep at night I was so excited. Good luck!

  14. Annie and Penny-the-cat, after an introduction that lasted a minute on the first day while Annie was muzzled, have never been separated in the house. Annie 99% of the time ignores the cat. The other 1% she sniffs the cat's butt when cat walks by. I get stink eye and warnings from a couple of people in my group, along with stories about how after X number of years one of their Greyhounds turned on the cat, but I don't see it happening with Annie and Penny. Could it? Sure. Life does not come with guarantees.

     

    Annie has no prey drive. On our morning walk yesterday, we flushed out a rabbit as we walked on the grass along the bushes in the town park. I almost stepped on it! Annie, who was doing her sniffing thing, looked up, saw the bunny a foot away and returned to sniffing.

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