rsieg

See mom, at 12.2 I can still catch the wild animals around here!

I have Healthy Paws, which I do NOT recommend. They were good, but then got sold to another company which has jacked rates up astronomically. I also suspect they jack rates up as a pet gets older knowing that you cannot switch at that point. My recommendation is to skip the insurance, set up a bank account and put what you would have paid into pet insurance into the account each month. If I had done that I would now have several thousand dollars to cover any cost.

Logan does that as well. Pretty common in dogs, actually. Lots of theories as to why on the Internet. I find if I try to keep Logan from eating grass he just eats it more quickly, then ends up vomiting it back out. No significant ill effects, but he sometimes has a problem with long grass creating "issues" at the other end. So I try to compromise and let him graze on shorter grass where there is not a sign up that it was just chemically treated.

The Cleveland Metroparks Nature Center in the Rocky River reservation allows dogs. They even keep dog treats at the front desk. At least, they used to. After being closed for over a year for COVID, the Nature Center has just reopened. So I took Logan in for a visit. He marched right up to the front desk and looked expectantly at the receptionist. She apologized that she didn't have anything for him. I let Logan stand there and stare for a few more seconds, then called him away. So much for the myth that dog's memory only goes back 5 minutes :-)

Happy birthday, Jagger!

So Logan has now been with me 8 years today. Still going strong, though with the heat he is walking less. (By his standards, low 70's is "heat"). He came from GAO on May 18, 2013. Was an only dog until September 2014 when Max came, and was a good brother until Max' passing in January 2018. Since then he has been an only hound again, and seems to enjoy being the center of attention. Some photos from our walk yesterday. They were taken at sunset so there is some yellowing. I'm sure if it was winter that would be yellow snow down there :-) ...and that spot. And, that's far enough, time to crash: FYI, we had only gone a quarter mile :-) Thanks for looking, - Rob

Congrats Starz!

Not quite yawning, but this is another picture I took from yesterday's walk. Not quite yawning, but eating grass as he is wont to do. A lot of kids call Logan a "tiger" or "tiger dog" as well. But I guess when you are three feet tall a greyhound does look like a huge carnivore :-)

So this is a new one. I was walking Logan down in the park this afternoon, and a couple passed us. The woman was in the lead, and asked what breed of dog, and I replied retired racing greyhound. The guy came up next, and said that he first thought my dog looked like one of those thylacines. I've had Logan mistaken for a Great Dane, a Doberman, a deer (including by a couple rutting bucks one time, at least they kept following us), or a tiger or tiger dog (those from little kids), but "thylacine" is a new one. In case anyone is unfamiliar with them, here is a description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine. It's generally thought that they went extinct in the 20th century, though occasionally there is still a reported sighting of them in Tasmania. Not quite as many sightings in Ohio, but apparently some... Anyway, here is the "thylacine" on his walk: Guess there could be some resemblance seen from behind, what do you think?

Logan thanks everyone for the well-wishes!

Logan turned 11 yesterday. I took off early afternoon and got him some treats, and walked him down in the park. But he was not too interested in walking as we were in the 80's for the first time this year. (He starts slowing down when it gets into the 70's :-) He also was not being very photogenic, these are the best pictures I got:

Logan is closing in on 8 years with me, and has only had one collar, which I think goes well with his brindle. Here it is:

Glad Abu is better, but my question is this. Buying sauerkraut in a tin? As a German household, I would have expected you to have homemade sauerkraut on hand, made with a secret family recipe :-)

Part of dog ownership is learning about each other and learning how to compromise with each other - both ways. Some possibilities: Sleeping at night. Would it be possible to add a dog gate at your bedroom door, and put a dog bed just outside that gate? That way your greyhound can see you and sleep comfortably, but you still have your own space. May or may not work, but something to try. I would expect that he may still cry for a while since he is gated away, but should get tired and fall asleep. After a few nights he would likely get into the habit of just going to sleep on the provided dog bed. Crying whenever alone. This is one where the dog eventually needs to compromise, as you cannot be around 24/7. There are many posts on the training forum on away training (I think that is what it is called, someone can correct me if wrong). The idea is basically to go away for short periods, maybe only a few minutes initially (even just going outside and hanging around the house), and eventually building up to hours. The goal is to teach the dog that you will be coming back, which he is not certain about right now. At least initially, a schedule can also help. My dog knows I go to work, so after I feed him breakfast and he sees me getting my lunch together he heads off to the extra bedroom where he sleeps. But even now, after over 7 1/2 years, he is unhappy if he sees me leaving late in the evening when he thinks I "should" be at home with him. Dogs are pattern creatures, so it will be easier for him to adjust to a fixed pattern in which you are gone at a set time or times during the day. Another thing that may help is exercise - a tired dog is a good dog. Try taking him for a long walk, get him really tired out, and then do an away session. If you are not walking him much then that could be part of the problem, simply pent-up energy. I'm a little confused about your statement: "can't do things like go to the loo or make a cup of tea without the dog getting stressed and crying and pacing." Is he locked in his crate? If not, I would expect him to head on over to the kitchen with you, and as long as he is with you not to be overly anxious. Does he go in the kitchen with you, and is still crying and pacing? Or, if you keep his dog treats kept in the kitchen, maybe what he is really doing is trying to get a treat? :-) Anyway, not sure if any of the above is helpful, but just some ideas. Good luck however you proceed!

Congratulations on adopting a senior! This summer when Logan was 10.5 years he had a dental, no issues. I mentioned to the vet that I would probably not have another one done on him due to his age (i.e., 11 or 12 years old next time), and the vet said he would go entirely by how healthy the dog is at that time, and not by the age. I guess another consideration is whether the teeth are actually bothering her. Hard to tell of course, but is she unwilling to eat hard treats (like milkbones), or showing signs of pain when eating? If not, I might tend to lean against having a dental done on a 12+ year old dog. But I am not a vet, so just IMHO.