A Novel Mum Gets a Greyhound Puppy

Unexpected Visitors

2012-03-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday today.

We had unexpected visitors show up this morning. Uncle Kevin, Vee and Zee.

It's been crazy ever since.

Finn is losing his mind.

He might be a wee bit bigger than the girls.

And a bit afraid of them.

Which he should be because this one is serious about her toys.

He's also kind of awkward.

He's all legs and he can't quite control all his parts.

I think he'll sleep well tonight.

Bonus points for noticing the St. Patty's Day decorations that are up a bit early.

Etiquette

2012-03-02T09:49:00.002-08:00

More Finn later...

All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go

2012-02-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

The girls and I were all dressed up to attend a Princess Ball today.

It was for Cystic Fibrosis.

When Veronica was a month old we got a call from the Children's Hospital telling us to be there the next morning because she had tested positive for Cystic Fibrosis.

It was one of the scariest calls I have ever received.

But we were lucky.

Her (and I) are carriers, and she does not have the disease.

My best friend's little sister's best friend's daughter does.

How's that for complicated?

We really wanted to go and support them and this event.

The weather didn't cooperate and the roads were bad.

No princess ball = sad princesses.

Instead we endured a harrowing drive from Calgary to Olds and back.

It looked like this.

I know, I know. This is a blog about Finn.

Here he is.

I was trying to capture his woeful and sympathetic look.

I don't think I got it.

I think instead I got, "Did I hear you say lunch?"

Stop Thief!

2012-02-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

Finn keeps stealing stuff.

These are the things he's managed to steal while I write this:

His ball. This was the starting point.

Zoe's fuzzy kitty.

My yogurt cup.

This was an attempt at Zoe's cheerios.

He got her boot instead.

He doesn't look ashamed does he?

I missed the lip gloss that Veronica managed to save. He left it on his bed with the rest of his stuff while he went looking for more.

I think if she was smaller he'd have taken her too.

Action shot.

Daryl's shoe.

Drama ensued when he tried to steal Zoe's bunny. Again it was rescued by Veronica.

Veronica's slippers both before and after she had them on.

The cute baby bum has been safe so far.

Oh and just as I was going to hit publish he stole this.

Veronica's boot.

Little bugger.

Gone Swimming

2012-02-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

We got back late last night from a lovely week long vacation in Las Vegas.

This was our back yard.

It was beautiful and although the weather there was cool the pool was warm.

Such a change from the dreary brown and cold of Calgary in February.

Finn (or Finny Finster as Veronica & I call him) was in good hands all week with his grandma & papa.

We sure missed him and I think he's grown 2 inches!

You can expect more pictures of Finn coming up as we don't have the same scenery as Las Vegas to distract us anymore.

Cutie Patootey!

2012-02-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

Last night was Daryl's turn to take Finn to puppy class.

They both came home happy.

Apparently Finn was a bit calmer and did really well at all the commands.

I'm thinking that we'll register for a reliable recall class next.

The socialization is great for him and he's a pleasure to work with.

Here's Finn enjoying the first squeaky toy he's expressed any long term interest in.

It's actually stolen from my brother's dogs. They left it here.

They had torn one of the wings off, but Finn is so gentle he hasn't even pierced the squeaker or

turn out the stuffing (which is virtually falling out).

Which leads me to wonder...why'd he wreck my carpet but left the stuffy alone?

And...because I haven't posted a video in a while here's a quick and boring one of

Finn chewing on his bee.

My Bad.

2012-02-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Finn chewed a section of carpet off a stair this weekend.

Not cool.

He's lucky that I'm so smitten with him.

He also learned "bow".

It's pretty cute.

Whose Dog Is This?!

2012-02-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

So remember that picture of Finn spinning last post?

Well that's what last night's puppy class looked like!

He was over-the-moon excited.

It was great to see him have so much fun.

He wasn't very focused, but at least it was happy energy and not nerves.

He didn't make a peep the whole way home.

He was that tired.

Some Random Photos From Yesterday

2012-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

It's been so unseasonably warm that we were able to spend a couple hours outside.

I spent half an hour getting Finn to take treats from near or on the ledge of the car.

It worked really well so I'll continue until I have him calmly inside.

There was a lot of digging.

Finn waited patiently for his turn.

There were disagreements between Finn & Dora.

Look at those crazy eyes!

Dora is so patient but Finn wants to play SO BAD!

There were zoomies that involved running and spinning.

Most of all there were lots of cuddle sessions. Can you see Finn under those two?

Feeling Good!

2012-01-29T19:18:00.000-08:00

Finn was fixed on Friday.

He came home smelling of our Vet who is crazy about him!

I was jealous.

Obviously he was well treated.

Since then we've been taking it easy.

We had a wonderful play session in the yard. (nothing too strenuous)

He's also doing all his basic commands beautifully.

He's the best dog ever.

Puppy Classes

2012-01-26T12:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't get any photos during puppy class.

I was busy overdosing on puppy cuteness.

Finn was a bit of a basket case.

So nervous.

Who me?!

He's not doing well in the car and that didn't help his anxiety.

We've been taking him for short drives daily and today we're going to watch a movie in the van together. Fun hey?

He did manage to do all the commands but he wasn't interested in treats (we skipped his dinner) and he wouldn't take his eyes off the other puppies.

He was better after play time.

Next time I'll bring really good treats. Cheese and hot dogs. This dog needs yummy stuff to take his mind off things.

He didn't do well at attention & focus considering his nerves.

I did have to laugh at one part of the class. We were told to attach their leads to holds in the walls, then walk away for a bit and head back to our dog. If the dog jumped we were going to say "Off" and turn away quickly. We did this with our own dogs getting them more excited if they were doing well, then we walked around the room doing it to other dogs.

Finn never jumped once. Just sat waiting patiently. It was funny to watch other people trying to practice on him. They'd do it once or twice then just stand and pet him. Good boy.

Jumping is such a bore.

In truth, I missed Sadie for this. She would have been a star pupil.

We also had another incident with the neighbour's out of control Great Dane.

People are clueless.

We were only 15 feet outside our gate when her Dane spotted us and ran at us barking.

Finn cowered. Walk ruined.

I know I should think of this as a training exercise to overcome these sorts of distractions, but the dog angers me, scares my kids and is teaching my dog to be afraid when he hears or sees other dogs.

She also can't control him, which means he follows us if we keep walking.

I was going to go to her house and talk to her, but I'm a wimp.

We have to use our gate whenever the kids are in the yard because she "doesn't know if she's good with small children" and they have nothing to keep her in their yard.

Eventually I'll talk to her and if it doesn't help I'll complain to the community association.

I just hate for us to start a feud.

Here's Finn cleaning Dora's ears.

What do you mean you didn't want to see that?!

Here. This is less offensive.

So cute when he plays like that.

Calm Sunday

2012-01-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

Sadie went back yesterday.

It was sad but also the relief we were expecting.

On the way there Sadie snapped at Veronica in the van.

We really hope that Sadie is happier or will be happier soon.

(I hope things are going well Tammy)

Finn, on the other hand, is a whole new dog.

He is so much more cuddly.

He is seeking us and the girls out all the time and didn't seem to suffer from Sadie's departure.

He spent the night in our room and seemed very content.

I didn't mention that during our 6 hour absence there were only 2 small accidents and

no damage.

Yay Finn.

Unfortunately he has started pulling on his leash when we turn and head for home.

We'll have to work on that in puppy class.

Do you think he's getting enough love?

These girls think he's the best dog ever.

I might be in agreement.

In The Dog House

2012-01-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

I had some time so I whipped up a crate cover for Finn.

It went fairly quickly.

There are two openings for the doors (the one on the left is closed).

I didn't have any velcro to finish the tabs to hold up the door so they're just pinned for now.

They look uneven but it's because the door is propping up the one side.

It's not perfect but it's not bad.

It needs to be washed and ironed but I'll wait until it's dirty to do it.

Here is Sadie trying it out.

Sadie is in the figurative dog house today.

At lunch I put her in her crate with her dog food and Finn was eating by the kitchen. It's really the first time I decided not to crate him too.

She's gotten to the point where I have to put the food in first because she can't be trusted when I go to set it in if she's already in there. Fun.

Anyhow, the kids were already eating at the table and I was just plating my food when all hell broke loose.

There was a loud angry dog attack and a high pitched scream. I think my heart stopped, I thought it was Finn attacking one of the girls (because Sadie was in her crate).

It turns out it was Sadie attacking Finn.

He was cowering on the other side of the table away from her.

As it happens, while my back was turned Zoe walked to Sadie's crate (she was crying a bit after she finished eating) and let her out.

Zoe's never done that before .

Sadie immediately ran to Finn's bowl (which was empty) and attacked him.

Finn is O.K. There was no blood, but it was bad enough.

We were all a little shaken.

So sad things have gone like this.

Something To Lighten The Mood.

2012-01-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Here's Finn with our new mat.

In other news....

I haven't posted about this but we've continued to have escalating problems with Sadie.

It comes down to this:

She has some resource guarding issues that originally were isolated to sneaking food but has progressed to all food. Regardless of our best efforts at training.

In fact, training seems to aggravate it so we've eliminated all training with treats.

She bit me when I was adding a treat to her empty bowl. No warning.

She is intolerant of the kids.

If the kids make direct eye contact or approach her when she is intent on something else. She barks. Aggressively and as a warning.

She did this directly in Veronica's face. It was marginally a bark and leaning towards snap.

Veronica was petting her head at the time.

This has been so difficult for us.

We really adore her but I just can't control enough variables to keep everyone safe and happy.

If it were just the resource guarding, we could handle it.

If it were just the sneaking food, we could handle it.

If she just didn't like the kids, we could deal with it. Maybe.

I can't deal with all the things that provoke her AND trust the kids to do the same.

Nor can we handle the fact that biting is her likely response to those issues and our kids tend to lead with their faces.

We've discussed this, we've sought other more knowledgable opinions.

It comes down to this:

We think she perceives the kids as either a nuisance or a threat.

Her issues aren't responding to traditional methods and even with more training she would be a danger until something worked.

Her issues may just be specific to our household.

She is a bit of a bully to Finn and as such he can be a bit of a nervous wreck.

We don't trust her.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to constantly isolate her from the kids, without isolating Finn too.

It's also nearly impossible to constantly supervise her without seriously restricting her freedom, which I don't think is fair to a 16 week old puppy.

She has a difficult time away from Finn, but Finn seems to enjoy his time away from her.

This maybe doesn't seem like a big deal, but it's both stressful for her and puts a damper on any fun we're having playing with the kids and Finn, while she's howling in another room.

It makes us feel bad for her and we wish she could play the same way.

If we let her join us, she won't play with us but she'll immediately start pestering Finn.

Fun over.

I think she's truly not as happy here as she would be somewhere else.

Without kids or perhaps other dogs.

I think it is unfair to her to continue to try and conform her to our home when she is so young (and still so adoptable) and she may not exhibit these behaviours in another home.

That and the risk of injury here is just too great.

I have no problem teaching my kids respect and rules, but I feel now that we've gone beyond that point in to fear and danger.

I want them to love, trust and develop a bond with our dog (s) but this is putting a strain on all of us.

We are taking her back to her Foster Mom, Tammy who has been very helpful in listening and counselling us through all of this.

I'm a little heartbroken.

Veronica is glad because she's scared of her.

Zoe is indifferent because she's never allowed near her.

Saturday is going to be both a bad day and a relief.

Just a note: Yes, we fully agree that there may be other methods that Sadie would respond to.

No, after a month of trying all the suggested methods from certified professionals we're not willing to go any further. She's a puppy with a starkly different personality to her sibling. She's entitled to her distinct personality and preferences and we respect that, which means admitting that she will most certainly prefer a different family to ours.

Morning

2012-01-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

We let the dogs have run of the house last night. No barriers, no locked crates and guess what?

No problems.

No messes. No damage.

Wow hey?

I think they might have slept a bit in every room of the house.

I woke up to Finn groaning loudly in our room once.

Heard them hop down the stairs in to the walk-out basement.

I saw evidence that someone had been on the couch in the family room.

Was greeted by Sadie sleeping in the foyer this morning.

The only place they didn't sleep was here (the other crate which is now in the dining room).

I think the only problem is that they're exhausted this morning.

Poor pups.

We're off to the vet again this afternoon for shots.

Dog Beds

2012-01-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

I hate these crates in the house. They're ugly. Huge and ugly.

I've been trying them in different locations.

Nothing works.

This is where one of them sits.

At least it's out of the way.

The other one has been moved several times.

Oh and the picture of Finn is temporarily there until I find a better location.

They make passable end tables.

Currently the other one is in the family room because I can't handle it sitting in the room above.

There's no place for it that it doesn't bother me.

I've been shopping around for crate cover inspiration and found these.

This one is from Bow Wow Beds

(I love their stuff)

These ones are from The Pauhaus Boutique

They're lovely.

I ordered canvas and I think I'll sew a combination of these.

I'm also going to sew some coats.

I know that's not very exciting, but I have nothing to post about the pups.

They're fine. No troubles.

They're asleep.

I seem to rarely be able to photograph them standing.

Unless they're playing, but who wants to see pictures of puppies doing bitey face all the time.

Here's a rare picture of Sadie standing.

This is what Finn was doing at the same time.

Almost awake.

Pictures Schmitzers

2012-01-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get a photo of the pups with the coats they were wearing in this picture to show how much they've grown in a month (photo courtesy of their foster mom).

That's Finn in the coat

This was as close as I got.

See Sadie looking guilty?

This is what they were about to do.

As I type this they're still playing.

Even my camera wasn't quick enough for them.

Maybe I should have done a video instead?

My point was that the dogs have way outgrown those coats.

In other news. The behaviourist was here Saturday with some very good tips for us.

I think it was well worth our time and I'm glad she was able to help us out.

She felt that Sadie was perhaps smarter (cover your eyes Finn) and was a bit more of a challenge because of it.

We've implemented some new training and I'll try to post a video of the differences it's made in even our basic commands.

We're really working on ensuring that the dogs respect the kids as much as us.

A Few Photos

2012-01-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

I woke up to this.

And this.

It was a magazine of Veronica's. Thank goodness we read the whole thing the night before.

I think Veronica likes these dogs.

Sadie in the sunshine.

Two goofs.

Our Tags Came

2012-01-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

The new pet tags came and they're gorgeous!

Unfortunately if the dogs are awake they're either running, fighting or playing. As a result it was hard to get a picture of the two of them together.

Here's Finn with his new gear. It's the back of the tag because even though I like to share...I don't want to give out my phone number that's on the front.

Look how dark his face is getting. It used to be lighter around his eyes. Now it's a dark chocolate brown.

Here's a look at the tag. They did a great job.

Did you know Finn is a popular dog name?

Here's Sadie's tag. The phone number is on the back. They both have beaded and leather tag necklaces. You know, so they're appropriately dressed for the occasion.

I switched Finn's from beads to leather when he came in covered in mud.

Not glamorous at all.

This is what was going on while I was trying to photograph them.

See...always in motion.

Finally a pose, only because she was about to fall asleep.

This little sweetie has been great all week too. Not a single issue.

Those nose freckles kill me.

I love her but she might be a little odd looking.

Training the pups

2012-01-02T18:42:00.000-08:00

Daryl has a bit of a tougher time getting them to listen. I have a lot more time to spend with them during the day so they're a little quicker to listen to me. Next we'll work on the kids. The kids training the dogs that is. There's no hope to get these kids trained.

Here's a look at how they're doing.

This is what the unsuccessful attempts looked like.

Check out Finn. So cute.

Pushing My Buttons

2011-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

We had a potentially serious incident. Sadie stole a dish of cat food off the counter (can you believe they're 13 weeks and tall enough to do that?), snuck around the living room and up on to the couch with it. We watched her do it and knew that it was something she wasn't going to give up easily so we armed ourselves with a spray bottle and a different favourite treat of hers to trade, and went to take it from her. As soon as we got close she started guarding it and instead of leaving her be, we (Daryl) offered her the treat, which she took, then reached in to grab the cat dish. She was mad. She growled and tried to bite him. She was very upset. We let her be for a bit. She ate the treat and was sitting calmly. I then went to push her off and she tried to bite me too. It was scary and I was completely blown away by the aggression.

After much discussion and a sleepless night I got up in the morning and proceeded to talk to about 4 different trainers, her foster mom and several others about what to do. I was (and still am) very scared that this sort of thing might happen if one of our kids tried taking something away. As a result we've booked two different animal behaviourists to help us out. We have one coming next weekend and an appointment with our vet/behaviourist the following week. We've since learned (realized) that this behaviour is very much connected to stolen items and seemingly not to anything else.

Since then I've been working heavily on training her. I've been working a lot with them both anyway, but I want to really reinforce that she's not the top dog here. They both reliably do sit, shake a paw, down, come on recall, and Sadie walks beautifully on a leash (Finn does great once you get him started). Yesterday and today we have been working on leave it and it's amazing the progress we've made. Finn has it down solid. He even backs away if you tell him "leave it" and we have a hard time getting him to take it. Sadie not so much. She gets it and she does it consistently but you can tell she's doing it begrudgingly. She's not happy about it. We'll continue to work on it until it's second nature.

I've also been walking her more on her own, twice a day and just now took away a treat she was chewing on, pretended to chew on it and gave it back to her and had no issues what so ever. I think it's really got to do with her taking things she knows she shouldn't. We took them downtown yesterday and in to a pet store to get them used to new situations. Both were very timid but Finn in particular just froze up and was very reluctant to move. Sadie was much more inquisitive but didn't want to sit on command so I made a point of making her do it everywhere we went. Just more things we need to work on. Oh and Finn puked in the van.

Some of this stuff is very exciting and fun, others not so much. Housebreaking (which I'm happy to say is going fantastic with only 1 accident in 4 days now) is not so much fun, teaching them tricks and commands = fun, resource guarding = scary and completely unacceptable.

I remember crying on the way home from a puppy class with my wire-haired fox terrier thinking what a mistake I made. He turned out to be a wonderful dog. I think Sadie is pushing my buttons and testing her limits already. These next weeks might be a bit of a battle.

Crazy Fun.

2011-12-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

We've had a house full of company and the pups have been busy.

They've been adjusting really well to all the noise and activity and they're growing like weeds. They're gaining almost 3 pounds a week.

They still sleep a lot.

Cute right?

They also play a lot and like to be in the centre of all the action.

They're learning to run fast. They're already faster than Uncle Rob.

They're learning to skate too.

Sadie insisted on going on the ice even when her feet were getting cold.

We've gone 2 days with no accidents and the last two nights there has been no crying.

We just adore these little pups.

If you ever get a chance to adopt a greyhound puppy I suggest you do it!

We're Ready For Our Agility Class

2011-12-23T14:35:00.001-08:00

The girls decided to show the pups how to go through a tunnel.

First Zoe demonstrated.

And with the aid of some cheese...

in the dogs went

Sadie loved it in the tunnel so much she's still sleeping in there

The pups are doing so well. They've learned to sit and Finn can shake a paw already.

We're still having trouble at night, but today V and I made a trip to the pet store to pick up a second crate.

Tonight the dogs will try to spend the night in our room. Not sure how they'll make it down the stairs (or up), but we'll worry about that tonight. When we're really tired.

Gratuitous Cuteness

2011-12-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Adventures in Training.

2011-12-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

We've been making some progress in terms of training.

Unfortunately some of that progress meant less freedom for the pups. After the first restless night, we left the dogs free, but contained in the living room. As I said, this resulted in far less crying. The first couple days there were a few accidents during the day but it was pretty manageable. With a lot going on it's sometimes too much to watch for subtle signs in two dogs.

We are bell training them and they're catching on pretty quick to ring the bell which we hang off the door knob when they need to go out. We're doing this because it's been my experience (with my retired greyhound, Ty) that they'll stand silently by the door and will have accidents because you don't know they're waiting. Sadie will do it on her own, Finn will touch it if you prompt him. Neither does it consistently but I've heard it can take quite some time.

Anyhow, when they need to go they need to go NOW and a few times we haven't been able to make it. So, back to the x-pen & crate combo to stay when I couldn't watch them. They sleep so much that it wasn't a big change. I also put their tag necklaces (light collars) on them.

Veronica made this necklace for Sadie (the ones they're training in are leather)

There was a whole lot of crying and a lot of it due to the collars which weigh nothing and are quite loose. I can't believe they're that sensitive to them. There was a lot of crying during the night and not a lot of sleep. However...there were no accidents yesterday, last night or today! Hooray!

We're also working on 'places', which mean the pups need to go to their place (their dog beds) before they receive treats. I think this'll take some time and the idea was to use this command to prevent them from being obnoxious when people came over. As it turns out, this is probably not necessary for keeping them off the company, but it'll come in handy for other things. They tend to not watch the door or get overly excited in general. They're also not big jumpers. A couple of times they've jumped up on Zoe's (our youngest) back, but after a quick "no" they've stopped.

Even Finn knows this isn't Sadie's place

Oh and Christmas is every day for the pups! How lucky! Or at least they think so. They've unwrapped a little bit of every present. Hello water bottle. It doesn't take many sprays before they catch on!

Walking continues to improve and we're letting Veronica help teach them. It means a lot of treats to keep them focused and our sessions only last 5 minutes or so. It's fun nonetheless and I'm anxious to get them to the stage where we can actually go out for real walks.

This weekend's big goal is to get them used to riding in the car. I think we'll be making several trips to see the Christmas Lights in our neighbourhood. It's such a hardship to hang out with these sweeties.

Greyhound Love

2011-12-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

The pups had their first vet visit last night and they were a huge hit. It helps that our vet owns a whippet and that greyhound puppies aren't that common. They were able to socialize a bit with Jazzy (the whippet) which was a great bonus. They checked out good and were very sweet and lovely. We'll be back next week for their second set of shots as this was just a well check.

I definitely need to keep working on having them on their leads. The girls and I made break-away tag necklaces and collars for them but they went crazy when we put them on. Today we walked them around the house in their regular collars and they were good. It's hard to find time to train them as they sleep a lot, so we're doing things in small steps.

Sadie enjoying her furry ball.

Winter

2011-12-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

Breaking News! This Just In!

2011-12-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

These dogs are tired.

And weird.

Lap Dogs

2011-12-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

I know why great big greyhounds want up on your lap all the time. It's because who can resist picking up these gangly soft squishy little puppies and teaching them that?

We've made a point of not picking them up or allowing them on our laps and really it's been fine.

There's only one person prone to breaking the rule and that's, you guessed it, me. *sigh*

If I'd never had to carry him at his Foster's home I'd have never known this one little fact that makes it so addicting; Finn loves to lean in to you and cradle his head against your neck and shoulder. His whole body just melts in to you. He has the sweetest little face and I'm certain that I'm not the first person to cuddle him like that. It's like doggy mom kryptonite those little eyes and soft ears.

Anyhow, today we will be doing a bit more training. They're attention span is oh, approximately, 1 minute long and they're not very food motivated or interested in pleasing us.

Oh and we have our first visit with the vet today. I broke up the well visit and their next set of shots so that their first trip can be as stress free as possible. Only problem is that I had booked the visit when we were only bringing Finn home and now we have Sadie too. I better phone ahead and warn them!

Daryl with Finn. Smitten.

I ordered these super adorable pet tags off Etsy (DogLeg Left Designs) last night. The girls and I are going to make break-away tag collars for them.

Morning Love

2011-12-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

3 accidents in 15 minutes. Lesson learned...water goes through fast. Thank goodness for barricades and hardwood floors.

In other news, they made it all night with no crying and no accidents. They are so good. Have I mentioned that? I put Sadie on a lead and walked her around the house last night and she did very well. No pulling and she responded well to redirecting with a treat. If all works well I'll keep doing small sessions until we're ready to venture outside. They're unsure of our cats but Dora (the female) is the most tolerant cat ever and she just lays down whenever they come near. If they bark at her she squeaks at them and turns her back. Good kitty.

Here's Zoe cuddling with Finn.

Loving Every Minute!

2011-12-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

Veronica needed a photo to take to show & tell at Pre-school tomorrow (I really need that new lens).

Settling In

2011-12-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

The pups did fine last night. They didn't sleep much during the day and as a result everyone was pretty tired when we finally went to bed.

There was a little bit of crying but as soon as we let them out to pee they settled right back in to bed. I got up at 4 when they woke again and let them out but unfortunately they were ready to play by then.

Both girls are super excited today but both dogs are busy adjusting which I think in greyhound puppy terms means sleeping. They're so good it's shocking really.

I don't think they're going to want for attention around here.

Sadie & Finn

2011-12-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

This is Sadie.

This is Finn.

Sadie & Finn came home with us this afternoon. They're a little sad because they miss their home, but they had a lot of fun running and playing outside with Veronica and I.

It was a big emotional day for all of us and it's likely to be a big night tonight.

I can hardly wait until they're settled and comfortable with us so we can see their true personalities. They were so relaxed at their foster home (and so loved). When we first got home we kept them enclosed in our x-pen/crate combined but there was a lot of whining. After we had a play session outside we used the pen to isolate the dining room/kitchen/living room areas off and it was amazing how much happier they were. I guess they have already outgrown a small containment area. I think if you've never seen a greyhound puppy you probably wouldn't guess that's what these guys are. They look like a hound but they don't look extraordinarily tall or muscular. So far I'd rank them as low energy. Even for a puppy. They were pretty active outside when playing together, but they're pretty calm and quiet inside. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Getting Ready for Puppy

2011-12-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Going from 3 year old former racing dog to 10 week old puppy is quite the change up. We had already purchased a large bed, 2 custom collars and leads (which we picked out to match our would-be black dog), a large coat and various toys. Today I went to the store to pick up puppy supplies. These included a crate (big enough for a large greyhound) an exercise pen (so he'll have some controlled freedom inside the house while we're training him), a dinosaur chew toy (a must for my dinosaur loving daughter) numerous other chew toys and balls, another collar and lead more suitable for his current size, treats and some frozen raw food. Oh, wee-wee pads and, of course, Cesar Millan's book on raising the perfect dog.

I actually bought and started the book last night and already have a plan of action for how we're going to train this little guy. In addition to the book and all our other research we'll have him registered for puppy classes and agility after Christmas.

The hope is to not raise an obnoxious large dog. I'm hoping Cesar can help.

Meet Finn or Maverick or...

2011-12-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is Maverick. He's a 10 week old Greyhound puppy. He was rescued from an old-school type farmer who has two purebred Greyhounds he doesn't want to spay or neuter. Maverick's mom has had numerous litters of 15 puppies each. Poor thing. The farmer wanted to kill them but a kind girl rescued them and has asked a local Greyhound rescue to help her find homes for them. Today Maverick (as his foster family has named him) is one of 3 left.

We were in the process of adopting a 3 year old former racer when things happened and the adoption fell through. As luck would have it, when I contacted another local group they were in the process of finding homes for these guys.

Although we didn't initially want a puppy, this allows us to stay with the breed we want, train it to be a more typical dog and he'll be able to grow and mature along with our daughters (4 & 2).

We haven't met Maverick yet, but we'll meet him and take him home on Saturday, assuming everything goes well.

His name will be changed to Finn and this blog will detail our adventure of raising Finn, our Greyhound puppy.