Valencia

I am bawling at work. What a beautiful tribute. I am so very sorry for your loss.

Two of my three greys have rooed...I taught them how to do it on command (the command being, obviously, "roo".) They rooed spontaneously for every meal, treats, people coming over, me coming home, anytime they were having a good time. A very vocal foster has even gotten the chinese crested to chime in.

How promising! And totally agree with seeh2o.

What a thoughtful post, Willowsmum, and such good advice.

I agree with finding another trainer if this one doesn't get it. Greyhounds just are not natural sitters, and a trainer that requires it over a down stay is stuck in rote expectations mode. There are many trainers who recognize how perfectly suited greyhounds are for therapy dogs and who have adapted their training to overcome the sit issue. Don't be afraid to interview the trainer ahead of time to find out their feelings about this! On a personal note, my previous partner had a severe traumatic brain injury that wiped out most of her memory, including her memories of our pets. If questioned, she would say we didn't have any dogs, nor did she really like them. (Not true, and so sad on so many levels.) As soon as she moved out of ICU and into an acute rehab facility, I made arrangements for the therapy dogs to visit. Our first visitor was a standard poodle that was so sweet, and it was a nice visit. But our next visit was incredible. Not only did two greyhounds come into the room, but the person holding the leashes was one of my own adopters. My partner immediately recognized and bonded with the greyhounds. The joy on her face was priceless. I can't even express the emotions I felt to this day. I think therapy dog people know it's a cool thing to do, but I don't think they know how much of a lifeline it is for some people. My next grey will be specifically selected to be a therapy dog, so that I can return the gift that we received. Don't give up your dream, find a different trainer.

My greyhounds have all slept in bed with me, and other than the sleep aggression dog, I haven't had any issues. I regularly sleep with and cuddle with my female greyhound, and she would never in a million years react. I also cuddled with (well, mauled might be a better word ) my male greyhound, and while he had fear aggression, he didn't have any issues with cuddling in bed. I've even cuddled all of my fosters when they were in their beds (after carefully testing them and their boundaries.) I think the rule of never touching a greyhound when he/she is in his/her bed is way too strict, it should be a warning to approach cautiously and let the dog decide if they wanted that or not. My last broken leg foster loved nothing more than spooning while in her bed. I STILL miss doing that with her, and I adopted her out several years ago!! But I totally understand your hesitance in adopting again. My advice to you is to find a placement rep and foster home that will test a dog to make sure he/she is bomb proof for you. I've done that for several of my fosters and their perspective adopters, and have told some that the placement would not work if I thought there was any chance of issues (on the people side or on the dog side.) You had a very horrible experience, and I so understand your fears, but I am very sad that you would forego the opportunity to pursue adopting a 'bomb-proof' greyhound, they really are the most amazing dogs.

I push my fosters to find out what their limits are, so that when I adopt them out, I can choose parents who have the ability to deal with that particular dog's behaviors. I do this because I've been bitten by two of my own dogs; my first greyhound had sleep aggression, and my second had fear aggression. I did a lot of work with them to get them to be less unpredictable, but I don't believe that a dog that responds with biting will every be 100% trustworthy to not do so again. For an experienced adopter to choose a dog that has limits, that is one thing; but to expect a new adopter to deal with biting and advanced training techniques to try to handle it is another thing, and I believe that sets both the adopter and the dog up for too much potential for failure.

I am so sorry, I cannot even imagine. It may have been a stroke.

I put my kids on Missing Link before I found out Stewart's limp was from osteo, not arthritis; the difference in him and my female greyhound even after a few days was incredible. She started acting like a 2 year old, and she is 10. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

How awful! That is one of my biggest fears, and keeps me from walking my dogs more. I am so sorry this happened to you and Leah. :grouphug

I am so, so sorry you and Tempo are facing this. I just lost my boy Stewart to osteo a few weeks ago. He was 10 when diagnosed, I can't imagine a 5 1/2 year old getting that diagnosis. I feel for you, I was a WRECK for the first few months, the uncertainty and decisions to be made and the fear... big hugs to you and Tempo, and prayers that you and he have a long life together.

oh, how awful! I am so sorry.

You can't miss the sub-mandibullar ones on a greyhound if they are swollen; they are small lumps under the jawline, below the ear. Humans have them too; you can feel them on your neck, under your jawline and forward an inch-ish from the bend of your jawbone. (Well, at least I can feel mine, maybe that's not normal ) I'd snap a picture of the sub-mandibullar ones on a greyhound, but the greyhound is roaching on the couch with his feet up and I can't get a good shot.

Thank you, Wendy. I know it's a much less common progression, but this is also the dog that once got a kong stuck on the end of his chin, so we are no strangers to the less than common side of things. If something weird is going to happen, it's going to happen in this house.

My first dog was a lymphoma dog, we had great luck with the prednisone. Stew can't take it because he is currently on metacam, and metacam is the only pain med that's worked for him (the others have made him vomit regularly). Thank you so much for your responses, I really appreciate it.