Greyhounds

Whatta Day – the Greyhounds come to visit

Before we even began looking for our next hound, we committed to watching the girls, Falcon and Clara, while their parents moved. Then we got Lizzie, and the first week made me a bit nervous that it wouldn’t be good to bring new pooches into the house. However, her rapid changes, and improvement in her comfort, play, and behavior led me to believe it was worth the risk.

I suspected that Lizzie would be fine. The reports form her foster parents were that Lizzie thrived with other dogs, while being reserved around people. But the real wild card was the greyhounds. Most of them are good with other dogs, but not all, and Falcon is very very strong.

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Falcon Cam

A few years ago, on a lark, I bought a GoPro. I wasn’t entirely sure what I would use it for, but it has a ton of potential. Videos of me playing guitar? (Nah, nobody wants to hear my shitty … Read more

Remembering Garrett

We are adjusting to life without Garrett, slowly but surely. All the myriad dog beds have been washed, the plush toys too, and all the dog treats are stashed. But the house is too quiet. (we have a shitload of dog beds)

I miss the gentle nudge on the weekend for his morning walk. His expecting a little cheese when I make a salad. Or a smidgen of sliced turkey when I make a sandwich.

It is the little things that I miss. Him snuggling on the couch. His roaching. His derp.

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RIP Garrett, the Greytest Bro of all

Garrett, 2005 – 2018 At about 10:30 PM, on Thursday, January 25, we made the difficult, but ultimately correct, decision to send Garrett over the rainbow bridge. A few weeks shy of his 13th birthday, Garrett was a trooper until … Read more

Playdates – Penny Visits

One unexpected surprise when we moved into our house was that our nextdoor neighbors had a rescued Greyhound. I mean, what are the odds, Greyhounds aren’t common in California, as there is no racing here, and we happen to luck … Read more

Sad days for Tate

Tate, our greyhound is a seizure dog. Starting about his 3rd birthday (and about 6 months after we got him), he had seizures. Not minor tremors that can be missed, but epic grand mal epileptic seizures. The whole magilla. It … Read more

The “Roach”

All greyhound owners are aware of the awesome “roaching” their hounds do. It is something that is almost endemic to the breed. Of course, it has an origin. When cockroaches die (from poisoning or natural causes), they end up on … Read more

The Greytest Christmas Gift

In conjunction with the season, we often have friends who gift us cool dog things. This year is no exception. One of Barbara’s best friends grabbed a couple of images of the boys from Facebook, and made these pictures for … Read more

Greyhound weirdness – Pooping Rituals

One thing I have noticed about greyhounds, is that they often have very distinctive and different rituals around the evacuation of their bowels. All three that we have owned had their own unique quirks. Oliver, our first greyhound, needed a … Read more

Rescuing Greyhounds

I have volunteered off and on for more than a decade in the service of transitioning Greyhounds from the track to happy homes. It is a worthy cause, and one that I gladly undertake, but it is a never ending endeavor. From helping at the kennel, to running the web properties, it is a fulfilling and rewarding experience. It has also taught me a lot about the hounds, and the enterprise that creates so many greyhounds to be placed.

Like many exploitive industries, the dog racing industry has some issues. There is a lot of infrastructure to get the hounds from their litters to the track, from breeders to kennel operators, and trainers, all with an agenda. However, at the end of the day, the product, hounds racing and being bet on, is a for profit endeavor. Winners are treated well, average hounds survive, and the losers? Well, that isn’t worth thinking too much about.

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