Banjoman

The walks are this coming Sunday, we are hoping to increase the number of participants at our local one in Dorset. About 80 sighthounds of varying sizes turned out last year.

You are currently in shock and stressed out at the suddenness of what has happened as well as the loss of your lovely girl but when your mind has calmed down I am sure you will come to accept that you did the right th8ng for Raffle. You query whether or not the vet was correct in their diagnosis but I think you should take comfort that they were completely honest with you and didnt suggest a barrage of expensive tests or offer the possibility of an unlikely positive outcome because they recognised that your girls quality of life was no longer tenable. I can tell you from experience that trying to move and care for even a paralysed whippet is no easy matter, there is no way I would attempt it with a greyhound. My whippet was suddenly paralysed from his waist backward when a disk went in his back one Bank Holiday Saturday evening and after taking him to the emergency vet and with the hope he might recover I brought him home but by the third day, having had to take him back to the e,vet Sunday evening to empty his bladder, I called a vet to the house to put him to sleep, neither of us could cope with the physical problems and it was obvious he was never going to recover. It was one of the easiest decisions I have had to make for my animals because it was so obviously the kindest thing for him. He wanted to be his normal happy bouncy self but couldnt do anything but drag himself along and I couldnt let him live like that. Your Raffle was lucky to have an owner who loved her not only during her time with you but who was able to put her quality of life first and make and take the decision to end her distress at the right time and no houndie can ask for more.

Hello from Dorset, Carol here with retired racing greyhound Chancey and rescue whippet lurcher Nutmeg . I too started out with whippets, four over the years but now am allowed to sit on the end of a settee occupied by greyhound or lurcher. I fit both of them in a VW Polo, Nutmeg is strapped onto the back seat and Chancey is in a purpose built cage in the hatch area. She doesn’t have a lot of room but I only drive locally for walks so it isn’t a problem. Chancey was straight off the track and came to me after being spayed. I must admit she was a handful when meeting other dogs when out walking but after a couple of years she calmed down and last year she gained her Silver KC Canine Good Citizen award. You may like to look up The Great Global Greyhound Walk website to see if there is a walk organised near you on June 10th and you can go along and see a variety of dogs and get a better idea of size etc. and talk to other owners - oh, no you cannot because you work, maybe your husband can! Although she would be silly with other dog breeds Chancey would just look at all the greyhounds on our local walk and walk without a problem with her own kind.

How many Greytalk members are joining or leading a Great Global Greyhound Walk this year? http://www.greatglobalgreyhoundwalk.co.uk I see Donna is organising one in Montreal, anybody else involved in one?

Worried about you over here, Pam. When I first replied I didn’t have the whole story, just thought Barkley had died naturally, reading more makes me feel so sad for you. Carol. x

Obviously doing it right somewhere along the line, keep up the good work!

Oh rats! What rotten news. But at least now he is chasing rats to his heart's content. Sorry Pam. Carol, Chancey and Nutmeg.

Your other problem with letting the Labrador ,or any other dog, run with your greyhound is that with the greyhound thin skin the Lab could turn to play or bite your dog and he ends up with a rip or worse down his side leaving him in pain and you with expensive vet bills. This is why greyhounds wear muzzles when racing and out in exercise pens.

Look forward to seeing more of your work!

You say "Goodbye" to your boy with love in your heart because that is the kindest thing you can do for him. Do you want him in pain? Of course you don't! Do you want him distressed? No! You have a new baby and are already emotional and tired but this is something you have to do. When we take our animals into our family we have to always keep their welfare and best interest to the forefront of our thinking. If your husband is still with Mover he can be with him at the end, supporting and loving him so that the last thing he knows is his human beside him. Be strong and put Mover's interest first, you will regret it forever if you make his suffering last longer than necessary. Carol, who has had to do this too many times but accepts it as the price we pay for the love we receive from our pets.

.....often written by Nancy ( aka "Mam") when posting a reply when another GT member has to tell us of the loss of their houndie. Some find it hard to keep this thought to the forefront of their mind when grieving for a beloved pet but it was brought home to me last week so I thought I would offer this story to you all. It is not about a greyhound but about a whippet. Nearly thirty years ago we got our first whippet, Rolo, who, when he grew up, joined my husband and son on hikes with our local Scout troop. Being an unneutered dog he liked to 'mark' everywhere he went, especially new places. The scouts used to laugh at this and it became a tradition that they would count the number of times that Rolo would lift his leg on the outward part of the hike then, after the refreshment break halfway through the day they would count him all the way back home. I think his record was 27 times! Last week my youngest Grandson went with his Dad, an Assistant Beaver leader and the Beaver group, to Pets At Home in preparation for doing the Animal Care badge. As he loves my dogs it was agreed that he could work towards the badge by helping to look after them. Now, one of the adult assistants for the outing used to be the Scout leader many years ago and he told all the little lads the story about Dexter's Grandad taking Rolo on the hikes and all about him cocking his leg and doing a wee so many times and how the boys would keep count! So, 25 years on, I know that not just me but other people still 'remember the good times' of life with Rolo and we can smile at the shared memory. I want to say to all who find it difficult to cope with the loss of their animal friends "You were lucky to love and be loved and through that love you will always have a connection with your houndie, always have wonderful and happy memories to call upon even, as I discovered last week, 25 years after they actually happened". So, may you all remember the good times and smile, whether your memories are recent or pulled from the mists of time.

If he is barking because he wants food early in the morning could you give him a snack at bedtime so he doesn't feel hungry? Is he barking because he needs to go out if his system isn't working so well now he is getting older? a light left on at night and maybe a radio left on really quietly might help.

How much feeding and training does your husband do? If the dog is responding favourably to you doesn't that tell you something? I attend training classes and when a husband and wife bring their dog it is nearly always the lady who is doing all the work and putting in the effort while the man sits back and watches! Can you attend a training class and handle a dog each? It will be good for your son too to watch and learn how to handle the dogs correctly. Even if you think you already have enough experience training your previous dogs I find it is good to have the regular attendance at a class to make you work regularly with your dog. It is a good social meeting for both dogs and humans too.

Both of mine air snap when they want me to make a fuss of them. Chancey greyhound does both the snap and the pawing if I stop!

Over a period of thirty years I have had whippets and now a retired racing greyhound and a whippet lurcher and have always warned my neighbours if their cat comes into my garden I cannot be responsible for its safety. My dogs are sighthounds and their instinct is to chase and kill a small moving animal. I would never deliberately let my dogs out into the garden if I knew a cat was out there but there have been some really stupid cats around who are prepared to risk meeting my dogs whilst hunting the field mice in the garden! These dark evenings I put several lights on before opening the back door to let the dogs out, that way any cat or fox has some warning. Sorry your Lilly caught and killed the neighbour's cat but it is what she was born to do.

Hope Shine is feeling happier today and you got some sleep last night.

Looks like you've all hit the jackpot. Welcome and enjoy your new life Emme.

A fun memory, always the best ones.

Though it hurts so much now, you know you made the right decision for Misty and no houndie can ask for more from loving owners. Run fast and free Misty.

Lots of walks at the Rainbow Bridge Max, enjoy them all.

Happy to hear it all worked out well for everyone but especially Cameron.

We loved that whiskery face, it made us smile. Now her story is told and though it is sad that the "happy ending" did not last as long as everyone wished, she reached the perfect spot from which to fly away with those cute angel wings, - somewhere she was loved. No houndie can ask for more. M. "E" C., Chancey & Nutmeg.

<- Jumping for joy!

Will the rescue agency keep the dog for you until you return from your holiday? If they have a dog that is a good match and know you genuinely want that one - maybe pay a deposit to show good faith - they may be happy to keep it in the knowledge it has an assured home but just not immediately.