HeyRunDog

That's interesting. Guinness's pigmentation cells must have worked overtime because he hasn't got a single bit of white on him.

He says thanks but the scar has disappeared. He's got a scar/mark on his tail, could be stud tail, but I'm not kissing there

It would be interesting to know if he messes soon after you leave him or sometime later or does something disturb him. A cheap webcam would help to find out preferably one that records movement but don't keep checking on it, wait until you get home otherwise your stress levels will go up and you can't do anything about it until you do get home anyway. I give Grace a Kong filled with kibble when I have to leave her. This seems to calm her and she accepts that it is a planned exit and I will be back.

He's trying to find the open button on the remote control food bowl.

Yes he is Check out Introductions and Biographies.

As those of you who have been following the I Must Be Mad thread in Everything Else Greyhound will know I have decided to get a companion for my nervous greyhound Grace. I am glad to say that I collected a gentle confident black greyhound called Guinness this morning (Sunday) from the Hall Green Greyhound Trust kennels on a 3 week foster to adopt basis. A bit about him. He had been adopted before but unfortunately although he was supposed to be cat safe he didn't get on with their half feral cat so was returned and put into foster care. Whilst there he apparently chased a squirrel up a tree and badly ruptured his shoulder muscle. He was collected by the adoption agency and has been seeing their vet and the physio on a regular basis. He's now almost fully repaired and I just need to keep him calm for the next couple of weeks. I had to lift his 31kg (68 lb) lump into the car to get him home where he lay down and apart from the slightly heavy breathing you wouldn't have known he was there. Grace met him with a wagging tail but he totally ignored her. This afternoon I put the seats down in the car and took them both to the local park for a short walk where they practiced greyhound lead macramé. He's now sleeping in his crate, which he went into without prompting, and Grace is asleep on the sofa. Checking out his pedigree on Greyhound Data it turns out that both Grace and Guinness have the same great grandfather. And if you want to know what happened to Antigua Rum, the winner of the 2020 Coral Coronation Cup at Romford Greyhound Stadium, he's now called Guinness and lives with me and Grace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjKHPR7cBi0 Sorry no pictures yet but I will try to post some in the near future.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday rearranging the furniture to get Grace's old crate out. I'd forgotten how much room a 4 foot crate takes up . I will use it until I'm sure the two of them get along when left alone. I took Grace along on the first meeting. Grace totally ignored him and Guinness, after a couple of sniffs, took no notice of Grace but they walked nicely side by side around the paddock as if they were two old friends who had run out of things to say but happy enough in each others company.

Thanks that would be great.

Hooray! Guinness passed his physio check yesterday and I pick him up tomorrow (Sunday) morning. I will have him on a 3 to 4 week foster to adopt footing just to make sure he has totally recovered from his injury and he gets on OK with Grace. If you can't wait to see him here is the link to his page on the adoption agency's website. Once I have officially adopted him the page will be taken down. https://www.greyhoundtrusthallgreen.org.uk/greyhounds-looking-for-homes/home-Guinness-the-greyhound/ And if you are wondering about the Arthur's brew reference in an earlier post it's because Guinness was invented by Arthur Guinness

I'm hoping to go as this event is being hosted by my local adoption agency.

Dogs pick up on their owners nerves and reactions so if you are nervous about how he's going to react in a situation he'll pick up on that and go into defence/attack mode. I know it's easier said than done but you need to take charge of the situation so he knows everything is alright and he can stand down. Grace didn't like me sitting on the sofa with her at first and it took 6 months before I could sit at the tail end and it's only recently that she'll let me sit at the head end and make a fuss of her. I've had her for 3.5 years. It might also be an idea to have him checked over by a vet just to check there isn't anything physical or mentally wrong with him.

Another update: The vet saw him on Tuesday and wanted him to wait another couple of weeks before going for adoption to make sure his shoulder has fully recovered, which is understandable but frustrating. I must have made a good impression on the adoption welfare officer and his mother who runs the kennels as they have decided to let the physio, who has been treating him, to have a look on Friday afternoon. As he's going to a calm home with another quiet female greyhound and if the physio says yes, they will release him to me on a foster to adopt as long as he's kept on quiet duties. I take that as a great compliment as he's become their and the kennel volunteers favourite greyhound especially as he's been kept in the office during the day.

I agree with greysmom. You are to be commended with sticking with her for so long. A lot of other people would have returned her long before now and if that's what you decide to do then there is no shame in that and no-one here will condemn you. There are plenty of greyhounds out there who are confident and love humans and deserve a loving family such as yours. I haven't had a spook but my Grace is on the nervous side and it took two and a half years before I could sit at her head end when she was lieing on the sofa to make a fuss of her without her getting off. It took several months to get her not to be afraid of traffic and she still is frightened of screaming children and the sound of a football being kicked or bounced.

It reminds me of the yellow pants Dogs Trust advert

A quick google search shows that Tete in Portuguese is the diminutive of Teresa, which is a possibility.

Love the ears. Well done Tete on finding someone who can help you be a dog and well done macoduck for helping Tete do that.

You all seem more excited than I am. A bit more info.... I've paid a deposit but I've got to wait until Tuesday for the vet to give him the all clear for adoption as he badly pulled and ruptured a shoulder muscle chasing a tree rat (squirrel) up a tree while he was being fostered a couple of months ago. Then I will collect him on Saturday.

Arthur's brew ETA 05/03/2022

Watch this space......

Quick Update. The owner who was going to give them away has now decided to ask full market price for the puppies so I've decided not to have one. Probably for the best as to be honest it would have probably been to energetic for both Grace and myself. But it was nice to dream for a while

It's easy to forget that retired working/racing dogs haven't been socialised with other breeds and sizes of dogs. When I first got Grace if we met another owner with a well behaved dog on its lead I used to ask if Grace could say hello. After a quick sniff we'd be on our way. She will now tolerate small dogs and even wag her tail at the ones we meet regularly.

I haven't made my mind up yet (yeah right!) as I need to ask a few questions about hip dysplasia in the parents and a bit more research about the breed but a lot depends on how Grace reacts when hopefully she's introduced to the little tornados before I totally commit

Some time ago I mentioned to my friends that I was thinking about getting a companion for Grace my 7.5 year old greyhound but I hadn't yet totally made my mind up because I didn't want to upset her by making her think she was no longer my number one. Last night they mentioned that the boss of one of their other friends had split up from his girlfriend and had to move back in with his parents with his rotund dog who then proceeded to give birth to 6 puppies. He is now trying to find homes for them and they wondered if I would like one. He doesn't want any money as he can't cope with seven dogs especially living back at his parents. They are a cocker spaniel, Labrador cross and cute. The question is: Am I mad to even consider taking on a young puppy? Will Grace cope? (She does like meeting/tolerate the young bouncy dogs we meet in the park) Is my sofa going to be big enough?

Isn't chewing what a vacuum cleaner does? Looks like Lavida has landed on her feet, tummy, sides and back

I find styrofoam is a bit squeaky on the teeth Happy gotcha day Sid.