smurfette

I'm so very sorry. I can't find the words to express my feelings but my thoughts are with you for the time that will follow.

Larkhill Joe is in all my three boys' background and Top Honcho or Head Honcho, too. I love their incredible characters.

I am very sorry for your loss. Run free little girl.

Not only in Ireland. Andy had to be rehomed because his first mom got pregnant and feared that he would bite her in the stomach or later creep into the nursery and kill the baby. She thought that he inherited ths behaviour from his wolf ancestors. He is such a sweet and gentle dog and he was so sad when he came to live with us that he needed almost two years to come out of his shell. And talking about stellar bloodline he is one of Droopy's Maldini's sons and my beautiful sweetheart.

Our thoughts are with you and Mango.

Thank you for the explanation - I have 3 beautiful irish hounds. I would like to foster when we get the chance. But as long as Andy lives here we won't do it because he does not take kindly to invaders in his home. He gets very quiet and when he feels overwhelmed attacks the unknown dog severly. I don't want to put either the other dog or Andy through this experience. He loves visitors for maybe a week and after this time it gets complicated. So I help my organisation (Greyhoundhilfe Deutschland -losely translated greyhound help Germany) with visiting potential new greyhound owners and keeping the greyhound owners in my area connected through organising walks and meetings.

Hey, my boys are from Limerick. In their EU passports Greyhounds for pets Limerick is mentioned as their previous owner.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I feel deeply for you perhaps because I have my own Andy here, roaching on the sofa with his muzzle already getting white. Your tribute reminds of the transience of life. It is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and memories.

Andy does the same. He barks at me in his little puppy voice whenever he wants attention. I discovered that it is less frequent the more we all roo together. I encourage my boys every few days to a nice greyhound song. I sit on the sofa and start rooing and my boys join in. It's a pack thing. A sign that we belong together. But I have to say that I love my hounds' voices and I encourage them to bark. We live in a small village with mostly elderly people and there were some breaking and enterings some weeks ago. I feel much safer with my barking trio. Even my neighbours feel safer because my boys guard their property, too. So we don't get problems. And we all know greyhounds do not bark that much, just a little... ...and out windows are soundproof...

I'm glad the shaking stopped but I like to share my experience. Andy started having tremours in his hind legs a nearly 2 years ago. I give lemon balm and st. John's wort (? google translated it for me) a teaspoon of every on his meals. It helps the nervous system and the shaking got better. It is only still there when he stands still for a longer time or when he is very excited. But not as excessiv as it was before.

It makes me sad that trust is compared to a disease. The problem is not the trust but the responsibility that comes with the trust. Our hounds can not tell us where their limits are. We have to look out for them, take the resposibility for their well-being and act in that way. How can I demand from my dogs to trust me when I am not willing to trust them in return? Trust is not blind. The day Colin and I stood in the backyard and watched a fat rabbit hop across the lawn and Colin did not run after it, he looked at it, looked at me, I looked at him and he still did not run was the day I decided to trust him off leash when we go for a walk. But not always and not everywhere. I make the decision when and where he can walk off leash and I make the decision after considering the dangers. I can understand both sides of this topic and it is always a question of the dog and the owner, where they live and many other circumstances.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Run free Andy.

It depends on the dog. I live in an area populated by all rabbits and deers which live in Germany, I think. We encounter those folks on nearly every walk. Colin can walk of leash because he is not interested in hunting, he never raced. He just wants to interact with the other dogs. And he is a terrible snob, too. He would never leave the path because he hates to get dirty. Strange greyhound, he is. The other two are never off leash. The start screaming and barking whenever they see one of those folks mentioned above. Both were very succesfull racer in their time. With Col we used the 2 people tactic mentioned above. It helps the bonding. With the others we use a friend's (she breeds horses) indoor paddock to stretch some legs.

He is a beautiful boy. I love those big boys, too. Welcome from Germany.

Congrats to you. You look like a happy family. I always wanted to have three blacks but one lost his colour while sleeping in the sun obviously and now it's back to two black one blue.

My boys had similiar problems in the early summer. I gave brewer's yeast, blackseed oil and grated coconut, one teaspoon each on every meal. And I groomed once a week for 30 minutes with a silicon brush to get rid of the old hair - my homeopath told me to do so. It needed 2 weeks but it got better and better.

Welcome from Germany. It is nice to hear from your dogs but it would even be better to see some pictures, please.

I may sound mean but that is not my intention. I'm just not good enough with the language to write down my thoughts more diplomatically. Every time she came to a new home your dog tried to bond with the humans there. Everytime she was turned down. She will need a long time to learn to trust again. And it was you who turned her down, too. It is always said that dogs live in the present, but I'm sure they know exactly what happened and they remember. When you want to keep her than you need patience, patience and a lot more patience. We are not talking weeks, more a year or more time. If you do not feel able to do this and it is completely understandable because it will be difficult and you will experience setbacks, than give her up better today than tomorrow. Everyone who will get her after you has to battle the same problems, even more so. But let me tell you this. At this moment while I'm writing these sentences there is a big black grey cuddling next to me on the sofa. I got him almost 4 years ago. His former owner got him from my rescue group and returned him because she got pregnant and feared he would bite her. I took him in. And he tried to bite me several times whenever he felt overwhelmed. He had a bad case of SA, couldn't be alone more than 45 minutes. He let me pet him but never came to me for attention. It took me two years to earn his trust. He now is the most cuddly and trusting dog I ever met. I am so proud to be the one he chose to trust in after all those failures. It took time and much work but the result is worth all of it. It was not about me being happy with him. It was a challenge and it had to be done... for him... and for me. It made me a different person, more sensitive, more understanding... a better greyhound mom.

Me too. And I wondered what I did wrong.

We use metacam as well and arnica or traumeel against the swelling.

These are some nice looking dogs. Welcome from Germany.

I have the feeling that he feels your insecurity and reacts to it. Have you tried to grab his collar and walk the stairs together? Some dogs feel safer when you are next to them doing the scary thing together. Show your confidence. They learn from experience, same as we do. And you need a really yummie treat. Than take your time throughout the day and walk the stairs again and again. Whenever there is time take him outsides to walk the steps and always give him the super yummie treat. He will learn. Another question. Does he only react like that in the dark? Maybe he can't see well in the dark?

Oh yeah, I forgot this. Learned this way to leash before tipping the bed over. Andy and I (or is it me?) running around the flat from dogbed to sofa to my bed... some people are to blond for an intelligent dog. But I learned, eventually 😉

No, he does not hate you. He is just not used to go out after dark. He will need a little time and a little, or more persistence on your side to learn. Andy was like this when he came to live with us. Today he sometimes has this episodes when he is really tired after an exhausting day. You have to change your way of thinking. Dogs do not want to live in a democracy. They need you to show them the ropes of living in your home. They won't hate you for structuring their life. But they can be offended and pout when they feel treated inadequently, like getting up before 9.00 am (mine). But that be can cured with treats, mostly.