Show us the money! Please!

I Love a Great Dog Story

It never fails. I can be having a not so great day, and someone will send me a link to something that they hope will inspire me or at least make me smile.

I received this link, and it did more than make me smile. It warmed my heart. Give your dogs a hug. Our hope is that the dog you choose to hug and love is a Greyhound.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/19/the-birthday-girl-has-fleas/

Enjoy the story.

Did You Know?

Some little known facts about the beautiful greyhound:

• Greyhounds are the only breed of dog mentioned in the Bible (Proverbs).
• Greyhounds have a larger heart, lungs and more arteries than any other canine.
• Greyhounds came to the New World in 1493 on Columbus' second expedition.
• Greyhounds are mentioned or featured in 11 of Shakespeare's plays.
• When running Greyhounds spend 80% of their time in the air.
• The Greyhound breed is over 4,000 years old.
• Greyhounds are very quiet and need very little exercise (surprise!).

April is Adopt A Greyhound month ... and it's never too late!

The CBS Early Show did a feature yesterday morning about greyhounds! As it turns out, April is Adopt A Greyhound Month. Check out the video and then try not to fall in love with one of these pups! Whether it's April or some other month, it's always a good good time to adopt a greyhound.

Needle Noses

Elly demonstrates how greyhounds got the nickname "Needle Nose."

New name!

It's official - our previously unnamed greyhound rescue group now has an official name! We are Prison Greyhounds Inc. Exciting, I know. But it's to the point and we are ready to get to work. We have a few more things to do before we can start getting dogs, fostering them in prisons and adopting them out to their forever homes. I won't bore you with the details, but we have to be sure to dot all our i's and cross all our t's.

Keep an eye on our blog for updates. In the meantime, hug your greyhounds. If don't have one, hug someone else's and then consider adopting one!

Jasmine

I don't normally pay attention to things like this, but this "story" (or truth) touched my heart. I guess it doesn't matter if it moves you, right? Enjoy!

Jasmine

In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused.

In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need.

Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.

They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.

But Jasmine had other ideas. No one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost or hurting animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.

Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them."

"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings.

"She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.

And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the Roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted.

"They are inseparable," says Geoff "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary.

It's a real treat to see them."

Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.

The Pet, Health Connection

It is no surprise to animal lovers the benefits of owning a pet. Especially in these difficult times, anything we can do to bring joy into our lives is welcome. I know that with my family spending more time at home, the joy of our two dogs and their companionship is even more important. Walking with and playing with your dogs is free. It gets you both moving. It will make you both happy. See this article from CBS news regarding the benefits of pet ownership. Rescue a life - it might make yours longer.

Greyt Tunes!

One of my greyhound friends from Cincinnati sent me a link to the video below. Besides having some wonderful greyhound photos - including rarely seen greyhound puppies, the song and lyrics are really touching. If this doesn't make you want to adopt one of these sweet dogs, I don't know what will.

The Recession's Effect on Dogs

I have been reading more and more articles about people giving up their dogs due to the recession. I realize I might be a bit wacky about my animals, but really? Would you dump your kid at a shelter when times got tough?

Most of the articles say that downsizing into a home or apartment that doesn't allow pets is the #1 reason. Consequently, shelters are overcrowded, recieving less donations and the sweet souls of dogs pay the price. Adopting a dog is a HUGE responsibility. Not one to take lightly, and certainly not one to not consider over the long haul. There will always be something in life that makes us "uncomfortable."

Instead of ditching the first thing we see, how about appreciating the comfort and joy a pet can bring. If you choose to adopt a dog (or any animal for that matter), really look into your heart. If you can't promise to love and cherish that pet forever, don't do it.

The Attitude of Gratitude

I don't know why, but I typed into Google this morning "Can dogs feel gratitude?". I guess I posed the question because humans seem to be struggling with gratitude right now, but my dogs are definitely not!

I know it's hard to be grateful when at times it feels like we are sinking into a hole we may never get out of. But, if you are a dog owner, 5 minutes inside the front door of your house can take care of that. My dogs are grateful for the smallest things:

1. The tiny pile of snow outside of our back door that they can still bury their noses in.
2. My son's twin bed which they seem to find enough room for him and both of them to snooze.
3. The cat that puts up with them and occasionally even acts like he might like them.
4. A home that is warm and loving.
5. A lap that is always readily available for snuggling.

I am grateful that I have the furry souls in my life to continuously teach me about what is good. The greatest things are found in the simplest of life's pleasures.

I challenge all of us to look at the world through the eyes of our dogs today. I know for a fact that any rescued animal, especially greyhounds, have more gratitude than we could ever imagine.

A few Greyhounds in my time

Hi,

I was just sitting here and remembering how I got interested in Greyhounds. I lived across the street from a family that had a Greyhound. It ran free in the neighborhood and was just the sweetest thing. At first the way he kinda swung around the hood made me uneasy, but when he came up to me he was just so sweet and gentle. I never really thought much about him because he was the neighborhood dog.

Several years later, I was at a parade in Mooresville, Indiana, and again ran into a BUNCH of Greyhounds. They were with Greyhound Companions of Indiana (now since shutdown). I saw a pretty girl there named Agatha and just fell in love with her. She was she softest dog and so sweet. Her coat was a dark brindle and she had a black face. She was just so sweet. I had been wanting a dog for years and filled out an application to adopt Agatha that day. A few weeks went by and I was able to adopt her. She was 8 at the time. I only had a couple of years with Agatha but she taught me to love the breed and become passionate about them. I eventually adopted Snowflake and we all went around to meet and greets telling everyone about the breed.

Agatha made it to 10 years old and in those two years enriched my life more than I could tell you. Snowy lived to be 12 and was my best friend. If you were ever wanting a true companion I would encourage you to look into adopting a Greyhound....you will NEVER regret it.

Lean on Me

I remember when we first brought Nicki home. I wondered if she had something wrong with her as she would lean against me anytime that I was standing still. What I came to find out, was that leaning is like a full body hug for a greyhound. She would not only lean on people, but the couch and our bed; all things that she loved.

Greyhounds have some other funny habits which I thought I would share. If you are like me, you may adopt for love, and not be completely informed.

They like to lay on their backs with all 4 legs in the air. I've heard this called the "dead cockroach." If I was going to give it a name, I would call it BLISS!

Greyhounds also like to "smile." If you're not clear on this, you may think they are snarling at you. Fear not - it's a smile!

Nicki also liked to nibble on us. It never hurt, in fact, it tickled. She would lay on the couch next to me and nibble on my shirt or right on my arm. It was almost like a secret language that we shared.

Greyhounds are unique. Enjoy falling even more in love once you get to them completely.

St. Guinefort

Recently, someone gave me a book of photographs called, appropriately enough, Greyhounds by photographer Barbara Karant. It is absolutely gorgeous and the proceeds from the book benefit greyhound rescue. Anyway, I was skimming through some of the text and saw it mentioned that the only non-human saint is St. Guinefort - a greyhound! How cool is that???

I looked up the story of St. Guinefort and learned that, supposedly, he was a 13th century dog near Lyon in France who belonged to a knight. The knight went hunting and left his infant son in the care his faithful greyhound. When he returned home, there was blood all over and the baby's cradle was overturned. The dog lay on the floor next to the cradle with blood on his mouth. Thinking the dog had killed the baby, the knight then killed the dog. Then he heard the baby cry. The baby was safe and sound under the cradle, but next to him was a dead snake - killed by the dog to protect the baby. Realizing his mistake, the knight buried the dog in a nearby well and planted trees to honor him. Locals started bringing their babies to the shrine to beg for protection from St. Guinefort, who had now become known as a protector of infants.

Greyhounds are truly special dogs!

Skinny heads, but big hearts and smarts

This is an actual comment that people have made to me on more than one occasion ... I've heard greyhounds are pretty dumb since their brains have to be so small to fit in their small heads. I've managed to be polite enough not to comment on the size of the commenter's head. I'll be honest, I don't know much about brain size relative to intelligence in dogs, but I really don't think one has to do with the other. My girl Elly is incredibly bright and picks up on things pretty quickly. She was a star pupil in obedience training and she's picked up on other things very well.

My favorite thing I taught her? Well, she loves her "stuffies" - stuffed hedgehogs, stuffed snowman and a giant bear that Santa brought her for Christmas. It's so big she uses it as a pillow. Anyway, when she goes outside to relieve herself, she usually takes a stuffed toy out with her. I don't mind, but when I first got her, I quickly learned that most of her toys would end up getting left out in the yard unless I went out and brought them in for her. So the rule is, she can take a toy out but she has to bring it in with her. So if she comes back to the door to be let in and doesn't have her toy with her, I just say "Elly, go get your toy." Nine out of 10 times, before I'm even finished talking, she heads back out into the yard to look for it. Sometimes, I don't even have to say anything, just a look will do it. She's a pretty good girl!

Another thing I worked with her on was being a good walker. It took about a week but she picked up on the concept of heeling pretty quickly. She nearly always walks right next to me and rarely pulls on the lead. Even when I give her plenty of slack to go off an explore a bit, she still stays by my side. I found a post in the Never Say Never Greyhounds blog about teaching your dogs to heel and I thought it had some great techniques and some great videos. Interestingly, Jennifer, the blogger, has somehow managed to get her hounds to sit. Elly doesn't sit (she does a great "down") and the greyhounds I've met who do sit often don't for long and usually look pretty awkward doing it. Anyway, check out her blog.