Feisty49

This is interesting. I take it you work and come home on lunch to take her out? I too am falling asleep by 10, if not sooner, or at least I'm all cozied up and under a throw reading or watching TV. Annie Bella usually goes 11 hours overnight without peeing. She goes out about 5:30 AM (on a leash because I don't have a fenced yard), then gets breakfast. We take a walk about 8 AM, and she always does something (usually both P&P). I take her out about noon into the woods (I have 11 acres) to stretch her legs, and while there, she pees (I've told her a woman never passes up the opportunity... ). We take another long walk about 2, and she usually manages to tinkle a little something to announce she was there. She has supper at 4:30 and then goes out for a final P&P at 6:30. Any later than 6:30, and she does not want to go out. So she goes from 6:30 PM to 5:30 AM (sometimes 6 AM) without going. She's real happy to see me in the morning.. but she patiently waits while I do "my thing" and put on shoes and a jacket.

I voted 5 but that includes the walks we take each day, which we do at least twice a day and sometimes there's a 3rd if the stars line up and I'm in the mood. (There was always a 3rd walk when it was warmer and not dark at 5 PM.) I feel for your concern and need. I live alone but since I'm retired, I don't have obligations that require me to go away for any length of time. I take Annie with me when I visit friends and family for a few days. They know we're a pair and that I don't leave her for more than 5 hours.

YUP~ ozark's pearl on the web/greyhound-data.org - excellent pic of her. My link The link doesn't work. ;(

Annie is, on her racing information, red, but I identify her as fawn, with white on her muzzle. There's a link to a picture of her in my signature. Yours is fawn also?

Hmmm... I'm both a cat person and a Greyhound person. My cat wants to cuddle with Annie Bella but though tolerant, Annie Bella doesn't want that close of a relationship. I'm thinking that since the cat is the one freakin' out, how about you confine the cat (in his cat carrier?) and let Magic sniff to his heart's content. Magic needs to satisfy his curiosity so I'd let him have a chance. You have a beautiful family. Kids and dogs...what's better than that?

I went looking for the clicker a few minutes ago. It was no where to be found. Hmmm... I know I left it right here on the end table. Then the light bulb moment hit. I bet Annie took it. Yepper...it was in her bed and she was laying on it, looking very innocent. It's hardly a stuffie but she also takes furniture and people from my granddaughter's doll house and sleeps with 'em. Apparently she likes weird things in bed with her.

Like so many others, Annie Bella is not afraid of much. Thunder & lightning, snow, cats, dogs, people, 18-wheeler trucks with loud brakes, etc., don't bother her at all. But the second I open a certain type of plastic container that has a loud "pop" to it (unless I'm real careful how I open it, which doesn't always work anyway), she freaks and runs to her bed with her back to me. It's interesting that this container has some treats in it for her and she knows it. The minute I call her for the treat, she's fine, but she takes it and runs not wanting to be in the same room when I snap the top closed.

My Annie also likes to go between my legs. She'll stand there while I pet and massage her hindquarters. No matter the outcome, I'm enjoying the additional one-on-one time we're spending together, and we already spend a lot of time together.

Though I brush Annie Bella's teeth regularly, her gums are still red in spots and sometimes her breath is bad I just researched what's in ProDen Plaqueoff and it's all natural stuff, according to the web site, and includes a seaweed that has beneficial effects for oral care. There's no artificial colors, preservatives, gluten or sugar. Sounds like a pretty good product. I'm going to try it, and also keep on brushing. Wonder if it would work for humans? I know people with bad breath. ETA: There is a Proden Plaqueoff pill for humans.

You're all very encouraging and I'm taking heart from it. I started clicker training yesterday. Just a simple thing that when I click, she gets an M&M size liver treat. All she had to do was be there. LOL This morning I did a session of just click/treat again, and this afternoon I raised the treat to my face to get her to look at me. When Annie Bella looked, I clicked and gave the treat. She's not a dog to look people in the eyes often, and most times I had to physically raise her face up and then immediately followed through with click/treat. I know I'll be excited when she can do even this simple thing without me touching her.

This is a great story! I know Annie Bella's not stupid. She's got her own mind, as most Greys do. Sometimes it's finding and using the correct word. Annie won't respond to "stay" but she does to "wait." It took *me* weeks to learn that one. I assume somewhere in her past, wait was the word of choice. I don't want Annie to do cutesie little tricks. I would like her to learn the 10 things on the list to become a certified therapy dog.

It doesn't in humans, at least this human. I've been rinsing my mouth with a water-peroxide mixture for decades and have good mouth health.

Thanks -- there are some great ideas here. Annie Bella truly is an easy dog for which I am grateful. I had a foster here for just a week, whom I feel in love with, but he drove me nuts. He pooped on the floor some times but just as often would let me know he had to go out. He cruised table and counter tops and snarfed down anything in the basket he could reach. He was a rascal - a loving, joyful, I-love-life rascal, and when he left, we both cried (I with tears, him with whimpers and roos). As much fun as he was, and as sweet in showing his immediate affection for me, he was not easy and at this stage of my life, I want easy.

I was thinking the same thing, or at least thinking it of Annie Bella, but didn't want to think something negative about my girl.

I've had Annie Bella since mid-July of this year. For the most part, she's never done "bad" things. There is no counter cruising, no basket sniffing, no going on furniture (which isn't bad to many people but I don't want it), no accidents in the house, no rooing at 3 AM, no barking, no being a pain with me or visitors at the door. She walks on a leash pretty good. She ignores and walks away from excited dogs at a dog park as if she recognizes they could be problems. When I ask, "Want some kisses?" (which is the word I use for petting and massaging her), she comes right to me. What else doesn't she do? She won't sit at all. She won't lay down on command, unless I tell her, "Take a nap," and then she *usually* goes to her bed. She doesn't always heel, but doesn't pull on the leash either. She "just" prefers being out in front. I swear she does it because she knows when I say "heel," and she returns to my side, she gets a treat, and a "good girl." The moment those words are out of my mouth, she'll go back to leading me(unless I hold her on a tight leash), looking over her shoulder as if to say, "Give me a treat, and I'll come back....for 10 seconds." She is not food motivated, other than heeling, which isn't working anyway. LOL She has favorite foodies that she doesn't get except when I'm trying to train her. She loves cheese, she loves peanut butter, she loves tiny liver treats, etc. But rather than try to do what I'm trying to teach her, she walks away from me, leaving the treat behind. I've moved a treat slowly from her mouth higher and higher so she'd move her head up and maybe sit. She doesn't follow it with her eyes or nose. The moment I move it up, she looks down at the floor. I've had a trainer from Bark Busters here who trained me what to do. I've followed her plan and it does not work with Annie Bella. Has anybody else experienced this complete lack of interest? Does anybody have ideas? She's so good, I tell myself she doesn't need to be trained, but deep in my heart I'd love for her to be a therapy dog. She has a calm, passive, sweet personality and loves to meet new people. Everybody who meets her, even people who don't like dogs, ask if she's always this calm and sweet. Yes, she is, but then all Greyhounds are sweet and wonderful.

Beautiful writing of a wonderful story. You brought tears to my eyes. Etta did have love and acceptance in her life with you and her final Forever Home. BTW, Paula from Forever Home Greyhound Adoptions is great. I adopted my Annie Bella from her organization and and recently did a temporary foster for her of a silly brindle-ticked boy who almost stole my heart. Paula runs a great group and loves the Greys.

I am not an expert on Greyhounds, or any dog for that matter, and I tend not to overreact when there might be a medical emergency, but if it were my dog who couldn't stand up -- if all 4 legs are not working -- I would run to the vet.

Thanks for the recommendations. TOTW gave her diarrhea when I tried it. Purina ProPlan wasn't too bad so maybe mixed with Iams, it would be a good choice. I've never tried Kirkland or Chicken Soup. Gosh, the foods for our kids sound good, hmm?

Positive thoughts going your way and to Pinky.

In my opinion, it's one of those judgement calls that only each "mom" (or dad) can decide for each of their Greys. I would not take kindly to someone on the street giving me advice about how to dress (??) Annie Bella. Annie Bella has a terrific fleece coat from Chilly Dogs. The cut off temp for deciding to put it on her is about 35: above that, she usually doesn't wear it; below that she does. But it also depends on whether there's wind; whether it's sunny; and generally how the air feels. Humid air, even at 35 degrees, feel warmer than dry air. I too am in Upstate New York, and it was 22 degrees at 7:30 this morning when we went out for our walk. For the first eighth of a mile, Annie Bella was shivering just a little, even with her coat. We both warmed up, though, as the sun got stronger and we walked more distance. When we took our 1 PM walk, it had warmed up to 40, the sun was bright and she was panting after half a mile of walking.

I'm thinking along the same lines but the high-end food is as much as the prescription food if not more. I'll work on it but really hate to rock the poop boat.

I fed Annie Bella Iams mini chunks exclusively for two days and it became difficult for her to poop (too hard/constipated?). I'm back to feeding her half and half at each meal: 'script foodies and the Iams. That makes it just perfect.

This is what I bought, including the mini chunks. Experimentation with dog biscuits and food sizes showed me that Annie Bella prefers smaller-sized things to chew.

Your "epitaph" is what I did remember when it came to buying Iams in Green Bag. I will probably continue with half 'script foodies and half Iams. It's what's working and honestly it makes it easier for Annie Bella. Previously it was like she didn't know if she was done doing P#2 and would spend a lot of time squatting...walking a little bit... squatting again.. walk .. squat. Now she does it and is done!

I've had Annie Bella since mid-July of this year. She came to me with soft stools that got progressively softer as time went on until they were no longer formed stools and what came out was softer than soft ice cream. I was feeding her Eagle Pack. She was worm positive but meds did the trick and being clean was determined by three follow-up tests, over a few weeks, all of which came back negative. In the meantime, I put her on a bland diet of rice and chicken, which helped a little bit for a short while. She did a couple of rounds of Metronidazole. Her stools got a bit better but they weren't even as good as when I first got her. The vet put her on Purina Gastroenteric EN prescription food and that helped quite a bit but her stools were still soft and often soft ice cream soft. So I bought Iams in the green bag and have been feeding her half 'script food and half Iams at each meal. Within 3 days, Annie's stools were perfect and have continued this way for more than a week. They are formed. They don't merge together when they hit the ground because they are not soft. She has an easier time doing her business because it comes out easier and when she's done, she's done, instead of having to keep the position waiting for more soft stuff. I am an Iams convert and intend to continue with it as well as, at least for a while, using the prescription food.