Greyhounds greyhounds get your greyhounds!!! It won't be long before we are able to get some new greyhounds in the area. So if any of you have friends who have talked about adding a greyhound to the family have them get that application in. We can start looking for the right match for them or YOU. The more time we have to look the easier it is to hand pick the dog...and there may be some real handpicking going on soon...but more on that later. By way of announcement there will be a greyhound meet and greet in Hamilton on Friday March 6th at the feed store. If you would like to join us please contact Judy or Carol for details. Billings is planning a Saint Pat's hoopla...contact Trish for details. Don't be left out of these opportunities to show off your hounds.

Dogs are so wonderful!!! This week bought me another interesting case. A handsome but nervous Airedale. This woman had been told by the local hotshot trainer that her dog was hopeless and that he needed medication. The owner turned to her vet who sent her directly to me. There really is nothing wrong with the dog other than he somehow got stuck in a cycle of nervous behavior. We worked to help him relax, in 15 minutes we made some progress but nothing impressive. I decided to use my secret weapon...TAVA. I let Tava loose with him. It was interesting to watch them interact. At first he was so nervous he couldn't even focus on her. Tava would bump him with her nose if he ignored her. It was clear she wanted to reach out to him. She has such a kind and nursing way about her. In 5 minutes the dog stopped drooling and shaking....in another 10 minutes his brain had relaxed and turned on enough he could think. We started with hula hoop work and trust building. At the end of class I brought Iris to the training room to meet the owner. Iris' life with me started with her stuck in a simular nervous cycle. Seeing happy well adjusted Iris gave the owner a lot of hope. It will be a few weeks before we make big progress but he is started on the right path. Tava reached him in a way no person could and Iris helped soothe the owners fears. Those girls earned extra cookies. Dogs amaze me with their ability to sense and help with problems. Greyhounds have an usual gift for this.

We have been enjoying wonderful spring weather the past few days. The dogs all have been able to get out often. I have loved the chance to spend even more time with them. Trish sent me a copy of an article out of a recent Family Dog magazine. It was the story of a retired racer who was very fearful but over came her fears through learning tracking and agility. It inspired me to work harder with my own crew and brought into focus the value of being active with your dogs. I love doing things with my dogs. I love to watch them grow and change with each new thing they conquer. I love competing with dogs BUT it is by no means is the reason I have dogs. I have my dogs because I feel an overwhelming connection to them. Seriously I know my dogs better than I know my own family. I can tell which one is nosing me from behind or whose ear my hand finds to fondle without glancing down. I know their birthdays, their favorite cookies and although I have never tried I bet I would know them by scent alone. Last fall I received some heavy criticism from some folks when I did weight pull with one of my greyhounds. Of course my dog was absolutely safe in doing this. Since then I have chatted with greyhound specialist about this and the general consensus was that although greyhounds probably would not excel at pulling, a healthy normal greyhound should be able to pull lower weights without any harm...and might even have fun doing it. I am proud of doing things with my dogs. I personally believe activity and training is beneficial on many levels....mind, body and relationship. It humbles me to have my dogs trust me when I ask them to overcome a fear or a challenge. This trust is something I cherish and I work hard to keep that trust.
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This spring I have had the opportunity to work with some very interesting clients and their dogs. One team is a young girl and her Tibetan mastiff. The relationship between them was dying. The dog would balk and refuse to do even the simplest tasks. If the girl demanded something of the dog she received a nip. On the way here the dog pushed the girl to one corner and took up most of the back seat. If a serious re-balancing did not happen this dog would be homeless and this girl would likely never have another dog. So we began...not with strict commands but rather with massages and touches. Once we had the dog's mind relaxed we moved to simple tasks like the dog moving out of the girl's way and the girl guiding the dog over hula hoops on the ground. As they were preparing to leave I told the girl to load the dog in the far back of the car. The mother grimaced and started to express her belief that it couldn't be done. I shot her a look that kept her quiet. The girl took the dog out to the car opened the back and asked the dog to hop in. The dog refused, the girl asked again and the dog refused. From where we were watching I called to the girl to hop in the car first and show the dog what she wanted. The girl hopped in and said "Come on" and the dog hopped in. Soon the girl could get the dog to hop in without her. The mother was astonished!! Another example of when love and communication co-exist everyone wins. So I will continue to do things with my dogs....obedience, weight pull, lure coursing, tracking or whatever we can learn together. I will continue to be proud of my dog's accomplishments and I trust my dogs will continue to just be amazing. Either on the couch snuggled up or smiling at me from perfect heel position...either way...the relationship you share with your dog is where you find all that glitters

In my mail yesterday was the Belle Toll donation letter. This is one of the most important pieces of mail you may receive this year. That letter is your chance to share with homeless greyhounds. Please respond to it. I have been so impressed and pleased that Belle's memory lives on. She was such a sweet greyhound girl. Judy and I were talking about Belle and the Belle Toll fund the other day. Belle was the first dog I fostered for this group. Until Belle, Judy and I had run in parallel worlds. We kind of knew who each other were but not really. Belle brought us together in a way nothing else could and we have been closely bonded since that time. Shortly after that I was blessed with the friendship of Tripps, Trish and the rest of our greyhound family. Although Belle came to us for such a short time I always felt that she was on God's errand. Somehow in her brief stay she unified us. Belle's legacy has become the Belle Toll fund and helping other greyhounds in need and it seems helping people too.
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Speaking for myself, I would not be complete without my dogs. They are as natural and important to me as my limbs. I can not imagine my life with out them playing a major role. They have not only connected me to friends but they have been my friends. They ground me, excite me, calm me and thrill me all at the very same time. I am in awe of their ability to live in the moment and not cry about the past or worry about the future. I love to watch them learn. I am amazed by their natural abilities and their willingness to help man. They find us when we are lost (both physically and spiritually). They can help feed us thorough hunting or helping with flocks. They protects us and even guide us. Dogs are truly God's kindest gift to us.
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So take the time right now to celebrate YOUR greyhound's life, time to reflect on what they add to your life. Then do the impossible and put a price tag on it. Failing that donate what you can to help provide a safe haven for greyhounds in need.

One of the biggest mysteries is reoccurring. Why is it we have a wonderful and beautiful greyhound and months slide by and no interest. It happened a few years ago with Bam Bam and Lighting. Again it is happening to Tildy. It seems to happen with dogs we think will place very quickly and yet they wait and wait. Where is everyone? Where is her home? She has tons going for her. Sure she has 7 years under her belt but if you meet her she is lively and fun. She does jump up a bit and last time I was at Tripps I caught her as she was jumping up and was able to discourage her. She walked around thinking and watching then approached me again. She again went to jump up but placed her feet carefully on the fence next to me then leaned way over to offer me a kiss. We all laughed out loud at her cracker jack way of solving a problem. The only regret her future home will have is not adopting her sooner.

Then there is Rain. Last month her home hit a life crisis and with many tears decided to return her dogs to the program. Rain struggled with the transition. Her nearly constant diarrhea and lack of energy made us start to question if Rain was going to be able to be placed. Rather than giving up on her Dan and Carol embraced the challenge. Working with the vet to answer the question of why it was happening to her they started her on some medication. They then looked into foods and found one on which she did well on. Rain is recovering and is showing us what a fun and sweet girl she can be. Carol snapped this picture when Rain started to play with toys. Rain is standing kind of funny in this picture...nothing is wrong with her leg. Now that Rain is feeling better she needs a loving spot and a family to tend to her needs. She will likely need to stay on her meds possibly forever. The thing I find heartbreaking about Rain is her whole youth was spent...well for lack of a better word...prostituted. She ran many races then produced pups and when her body was nearly worn out she was given to rescue. Rain isn't demanding but needs a soft place of her own and a person who will cherish her and help her recapture her value.

Vixen has moved to Great Falls and will now be known as Lilly. Upon meeting her new family her first order of business was to run right over to her new mom and give her a big slurpy kiss on the lips. When her new mom laughed with joy instead of saying "blech!!" I knew Vixen had found her home. Because Vixen is a mix she was not placed directly through GPA but was handled as a private rescue. GPA listed her on the web site as a act of good will. It did help her find a home but it also brought us other poetential adopters and built good relations with area shelters and you just never know when you might need their help.

Bailey is now in Billings with Trish. No one even dared to call Trish this week end because she made it clear the weekend...the WHOLE weekend was going to be spent getting to know Bailey. I have a vison of Trish like a mother hen clucking to her chicks and fussing over them. They did venture out to greyhound play where Bailey was reunited with her daughter Hannah. Bailey is also the mother of Waldo and will reuniting with him on some later date. So if you have to call Trish this week my advice is to keep it short. Mama Trish has silken ears that need fondling and big doe eyes that need gazing into.

At long last we have sun and the dogs are getting to have some playtime outside. It seems like forever since they could get out there and really STRETCH. It is still icy but the temps are at 50 degrees. I turned the sighthound girls out, which includes Run, Tava, Iris and Kati (a sweet greyhound deerhound mix). I had to drag Iris out of her bed and outside. I laughed thinking about how much more like a hothouse orchid she is then a hardy iris....maybe a name change is in order. While the hounds were outside soaking up vitamin D, I heard a knock at the backdoor. It was the gal from German Shepherd rescue, who BTW I didn't know, and she had a surprise for me. Animal Control in Anaconda had been picking up a "greyhound" lately. They said this was her third time in the clink. This time she was not reclaimed AND her time was up. So while GSD rescue was in Anaconda doing who knows what they picked up this little girl and brought her to my door unannounced. Lucky me to be on the rescue radar. Out to her truck we went meanwhile I was planning my refusal. What hopped out of the truck was a very pretty fawn greyhound mix girl. She looks greyhound but she has wire hair. I would guess she is likely 1/4 Deerhound and 3/4 greyhound. She could be called a coyote dog or a lurcher but I think I will dub her Montana's first Galgo. She is young, about 9 months. She is average size for a greyhound girl at roughly 55 pounds. As I am gearing up to tell the GSD gal "absolutely not, I don't do mixes"....that little galgo vixen leaves me speechless with a flick of her soft greyhound eyes. She seems to say "You will help me, won't you?" Next thing I know I am nodding and planning her spay while inside I am hushing the voice that screams "WAKE UP STUPID, SAY NO!!" But honestly tell me who of you greyhound lovers would turn her away to take her chances in the big big world. So now what? She needs a name....her rescuer called her Tawny...I like Vixen...anyone have other ideas? There is a spay set up for her next week and we will go from there. Welcome to the greyhound family galgo vixen.

It is the first decent day in a long time. The temps are in the double digits (barely) and the sun is out making us feel like we are free at last. But before you take your greyhound out lets talk about running in the winter.

Greyhounds in the winter bring two major concerns. The first and most obvious is temperatures. If you bundle up to go out be sure to bundle up your greyhound. This may include boots if you are walking on a lot of ice or in areas strewn with deicer. If your greyhound stops moving for long they will get cold, when you go out keep moving until you head in. So no sitting in the car while you run errands. If it is too cold to leave your 80 year old grandma in the car it is too cold to leave your hound. Greyhound's soft velvet ears are often the first place to get cold and are vulnerable to frost bite. You can use your greyhounds ears to gauge if they are warm enough. If the ears are cold the pup is cold. Lets not forget about your those big old lungs greyhound have. Running and breathing in lots of ice cold air can cause problems that you may not even be aware of. Damaged lungs are more susceptible to diseases like pneumonia, kennel cough and other respiratory problems. This damage can last a lifetime.

The second consideration is ground cover. Ice is slippery, not only can your dog slip but if your dog pulls on the lead you can quickly end up on your can. Ice clumps and lumps can cut paws. Deep snow is a bit like deep sand. It is hard to run in. Greyhounds who are used to getting out and really running can pull muscles or even cause tendon damage. If you are going to run your dog you should warm them up a little with a brisk walk and maybe manually stretch them out for a few minutes. Try to only let one hound run at a time until they run down a little. Turning loose a couple of eager hounds may have you nursing sore muscles for weeks. Today we have crusty snow which in my opinion is the worst. The icy crust holds then collapses making it hard to find your feet. It is a lot more work to pull your feet out of the holes your feet create as you move. Walking turns to lurching. Again there is risk to muscles and tendons but for added fun it can also cut paws. Your best indicator of if it is safe for your dog is if it is safe for you. Remember your greyhound is more like a formula race car then a four wheel drive. They need flat safe surfaces to run on. Snow hides all sorts of dangers from uneven ground to things lurking beneath the snow like sticks, rocks or even a forgotten rake. Finding those things at high speed is dangerous.

The last point I want to bring up is AGE. If your greyhound is older you should be even more aware. A young healthy middle aged dog is going to be able to withstand more exposure and bounce back faster than a senior or otherwise frail dog. Just like us dog lose flexibility with age so falling hurts more. OK now go enjoy the winter wonderland...Be smart and safe.