Fife Greys Forum
This is the place to chat about your rescued Greyhound.
This is Spot that we met in the park the other day. He is 10 years old. All three were delighted to meet and consequently take a long walk together.
A very sweet dog
What can we say??? They like to as near us as possible.
Tula is making herself vary comfortable on my pillow. Pretty much as soon as I am up, they jump in. I have to admit that tend to let them in as well during afternoon naps (getting old).
The pics speak for themselves. They are pretending not to see me, yet keeping a close eye in case I chase them out...
Family nap...
Had a stark reminder of how powerful these two are the other day during the walk. Normally holding them in check during the walk is not too big of a problem even if some muscle use is required....
Booker still has a tendency to suddenly do the B-line towards whatever it is that peaks his interest, usually a bush... Normally they both indicate where they want to go by starting to pull in the relevant direction. Tula is the most stubborn here. She just keeps pulling and pulling. She will come back to heal, but then right away start to pull again. It's a slow gradual pull that gets stronger and stronger.
Booker will start pull in a direction as well, usually opposite of Tula 
but responds right away when corrected, but the shortly starts to pull again. Generally I tend to let them go and smell when they want until Booker starts to take it for granted and suddenly shoots of to the side or around the front of me so I trip over him....
Time to wheeeeeeel in the rains again and only let them smell where and when we decide that they can. I does not take too long before they get the idea again and behave, at least for a while anyway.....
A couple of weeks ago during the Glasgow Cup with lots of people of teams from around Europe, I was walking them alongside one hedges surrounding two of the football pitches. Something got their attention inside the hedge and they were both heads and shoulders deep inside the hedge. I thought it was some kind of small animal until they both came out with a sandwich each....
I am finally arriving at the point of this post.... As I was saying, the other day... I was walking them through the park as normal, trying to keep a look at what was going on around the park. At the time I was not too focused on the immediate vicinity. I had the lead wrapped around my wrist with Bookers lead also looped around my index finger.
Big mistake!!!! Don't ever loop the lead around your fingers...
Suddenly they both took of full speed and power forward and then to the left. Their hunting instinct reacted immediately when a squirrel decided to run across the walkway just 3 meters, if that, in front of us. I managed to contain them, but my finger was in pain for the day. Luckily it was not broken or sprained, but I can easily see how that could happen.
We were in from the first walk about an hour ago. Thats early for them these days. Like us, they like the long mornings, especially if we let them in to bed with us.
If we have to get up early, they practically have to dragged out of bed for the morning walk.
Weekends are good because there is a fast food trailer at the sports centre. I go by it once during the weekend and they get a warm hot dog (without the bun) each. They love it and they already seem to know that if stop there, something good will happen because they sit down and look at me, licking around their noses in anticipation. 
Now they are back to sleep after having had their normal breakfast as well, still consisting of half a can of sardines and half a cup of dry food each. We are hoping that the daily fish will keep their bones, joints and fur healthy. Bookers bald spots on his thighs are almost gone. Tula's are still there, but seems to slowly getting some fur back there. It's taken longer than we thought, but at least it is growth...
Booker and Tula had a great walk (and so did we) last Sunday. Id say it's the best walk we have done. Great place to walk on lovely afternoon.
I think They liked the beach and water, but at least had the sense (unlike some...) not to lay down in the see weed.... 
Here are the pics, some already on the walk Thread, and some only for here. 
Tried to get them to pose next to the bear...
Stand still:
Nooooooo, lets try again...
Not quite, but almost. We gave up...
Tula hiding behind Booker.
Checking out the water
Lots of pebbles on the beach
Finally off the beach...
At last some rest.... They were both happy to get back in to the "Greymobil" after a long walk.
Tula was first in and stretched out with no room left. I had to climb in and move here before Booker could come in. Very limp indeed....
We stopped by the kennels afterwords, so they got to say good bye to lots of people.
It was a great day out!!!
Kell finds that bathing in sea weed enhances the glossiness of his award winning Champion's coat
Kell finds that bathing in sea weed enhances the glossiness of his award winning Champion's coat
You know what Steve: Its well deserved. Kell is a lovely dog. Ouch! That hurt, but had to admit it.
Of course we all know that see weed and mud is a hoax.... You eat see weed...
Today I bought collars and leads from Ann Rees.
www.annrees.co.uk
She is a lovely lady and gave me a very generous discount on the agreement that I'd give it all to GRF. I put a separate thread, but though I'd put it here as well.
We are looking forward to get them. Vintage green with vintage red padding for Booker and opposite for Tula. They will look great.
Booker and Tula are great with kids. Apart from the fact they they are so big that they will run them over...
We often encounter kids on our walks and all they want is to lick the kids faces. So far the youngest was a 14 month year old toddler. They both had to bend down to lick the poor boys face. He loved it and was laughing his head off.
Last weekend we had friend over with her 5 year old grand son. He was in heaven with the dogs. They loved it too, but Tula especially enjoyed him the most. The two of them were running around the flat all evening and when he went to bed, Tula laid with him for a little while.
She would bring her toy or tennis ball to him and he would just take (she let him) and run away with Tula in hot pursuit. When he was not watching, she would sneak up and carefully grab her toy and then snatch it and run away, this time with Conner in hot pursuit...
It was great and fun to observe. Got some good pics (Not of the running) of Conner and the dogs together. Not all are in focus, but I'll put them up anyway as it shows the atmosphere really well.
Tula has hurt her paw again and is limping. This must be the 4th time we had to take to the vet for that.
Closer examination revealed a small tear or scratch under one of her paws. She puts weight on it, although reluctantly, and the vet thought it was just a scratch and no foreign objects in there. We were sent home with painkillers and antibiotics with a new appointment for Monday morning, but to come back if it got worse or had no improvement.
This was wednesday evening. We think it could have happened on the beach last Sunday, but there is no way to know.
She seems to be much better already, so we will just carry on over the weekend and keep her walks short, on the grass and using the shoe (and a sock) that we still have from the last time.
Poor girl. she has not had much luck with her paws...
Well guys, I guess this is it. The point of no return has been reach. Our furniture has left the building...
Late Monday night, or early Tuesday morning we all get in the van and head south for warmer climates.
Portugal here we come...
Booker and Tula were a bit worried over the last couple of days with all the packing etc, especially yesterday when the movers came and took everything away, including our bed that have come to love, even if it is off limits... Supposedly...
We have a sleeper couch that we sit on for now. Its more comfortable the old couch... Last night I chased (or dragged) Tu;a off if as we were having our dinner. She was not happy. She left the room for a minute or so. Then she came trotting back, straight through the room and in to the back room behind the living room. She never even looked at us as went by. A few seconds later I heard the voice of running liquid...
I know cats does that sort of thing, but dogs????... I sent her to bed and ignored her for the rest of evening until we took them out.
Now she is propped up on the couch with Greg. We will take them out for the last walk shortly.
And of course we packed and shipped their rain coats as well....
I wish you four a very happy life down there!
SO THIS IS IT!!!
We are on our way. We left at 3am. Poor Booker and Tula. They were clearly worried, wondering what was going on as we went about with getting ready and the final things disappeared one by one. The last item was their bedding. Every time one of went out they were hugging the one staying in and we both went out with something they were very restless.
Poor things never got to sleep. Before we left we took them for a final walk in Glasgow Green. When we got back to the car they were eager to get in. We had put their bedding down and made comfy for them with cushioned edges to lay their heads on. They when straight to sleep as we drove off. we don't expect to hear from them for a while..
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 
After a marathon journey over 3 days, we made it to Cascais just outside Lisbon. As I mentioned we did not hear much from them on the road. They were exhausted and nervous before we left. I think that when we took them on to the van they were relieved just to be able to go to sleep. Here are a couple of pics as we drove off and from the stop just south of Birmingham. They were happy to stretch their legs, but after they did their business, they were not interested in anything else.
Finally a chance to sleep
Not hungry, Just want to go back to sleep...
And they slept the rest of the way to Portsmouth. We had a few hours at the ferry port as there was a two our delay. All the dog people walked their dogs and they were a bit restless as a result, but well behaved, still trying to figure out what was going on.
We eventually got on to the ship. Tula in particular did not like the car deck when we had to walk between tightly parked cars and lots of noise to get up to the kennels. with her tail between her legs we almost had to drag her after us. Booker is more of the curious and exited type and wants to investigate everything. Think he peed on a car on the way...
They were not too happy with the kennels and nor were we. We had booked two large kennels. They were 1m x 1m x 1m cube. They looked like the inside of washing machine with stainless steel all around. although they were next to each other, they could not see each other, but at least they could hear and smell each other. (too many each other's...)
The kennels were on deck 10 which is the top deck. We were not aloud to take them off that deck during the 24 hour crossing. The walking area was relatively small and next to the smoke stack and on the side were large air con vents that blue out lots of air and made lots of noise. Again Tula were the least happy about the walking conditions, but eventually pooped just before landfall.
They were of course not to happy to be locked up in those cages and they were a bit nervous at first, but relaxed a lot more when they realised that we were coming up to see them frequently.
Tula may have been a bit reluctant to tackle the steep stairs when we boarded the boat, but she was flying down them when it was time to leave.... That all being said, the kennels were adequate with plenty of water, heat, poop bags and paper towels, so they were not in anyway uncomfortable. We also brought up their beds to lay on.
We arrived Santander and drove of the port at 19:00. We drove straight through the night and arrive Cascais at 06:00 in the morning. We stopped 4 times on the way. They were not to interested in middle two, just wanted to sleep.
When we got here, we took them for a loooong walk before we entered our new home and showed them around. They settled surprisingly quickly, but the real turning point came the next day when our furniture arrived. As soon as the couch arrived, Tula was straight in it and made herself comfortable. You could almost see an aura of calmness coming over her.
It has been fairly warm here. Today it reached 34 degrees, but nice and cool in the evenings and mornings. Thats when we do the long walks and we keep the mid day down to a minimum. We have places to walk that gives a lot of shade as well.
They have adjusted surprisingly well to the heat and don't seem to mind it at all. There is lots and lots of new smells and things to investigate. They are still not sure what to make out of those hard pointy leaves you get on the plants here, or more importantly how to position themselves for the required activities. Booker has however discovered that a blooming Lavender provides the proper setting for his tender bottom.. It's a clear favourite...
Below are several pics of them in this new environment. We have strictly kept to the same routine they are used to.
In their beds. We are still sleeping on the floor...
Here they are on a walk by the cliffs.
Nothing like relaxing in the sun on the balcony.
And when it gets too hot, the floor by the front door is the perfect cooling place. Booker has always liked to lay by the front door anyway, so its perfect for him.
I think they are happy. 
The days are following pretty much the same routine as in Glasgow, but for some reason they tend to pee inside if we leave them alone for a few hours. But I suspect it might have to do with all the noise outside as well. By noise I mean other dogs that barks or walk by. Lots of barking dogs in the area.
Our Balcony is one floor up on the street side. As it turns out, Tula seems by far to be the more territorial of them. When She hears a dog walking by she growls, a couple of small barks and run out on the balcony. Booker looks like he reacts because she is getting so exited.
They are also now more used to the walks and are now more into marking their way around. Booker is pulling a bit more again, but not too bad.
Today we had the first day of rain and what a rainstorm it was. Booker and Tula are not used to that sort of downpour. They were not happy at all...
On the other hand, the air is now filled with lots of new smells that must be investigated...
It was a cool 18 degrees today and semi cloudy. We thought this would be the perfect evening to take Booker and Tula to the beach as it would probably empty. And it was.
I wish I had remembered the camera. This beach sits down between cliffs on all there sides apart from one path down in on far corner. We took them down and walked them across to the other end between lots of rocks and little cliffs, There had been some large waves, so the whole beach had hard wet sand.
They loved it!
They were very exited about the new smells and curious about the sea and waves. There were still some large waves, causing the water to occasionally come fairly far up. Tula had her nose dug deep in the sand and when she looked up, she had a little sand pyramid on the tip of her nose...
When we got to the other end we muzzled them and let them off the lead. They stayed close to us until we went closer to the sea and the wave come far in way past where we stood.
Caught Tula by surprise, she jumped straight up and took off running with Booker in hot pursuit. She got very exited. They both did, and kept running around in the sand for few minutes. It was great to see the run again and how much they enjoyed themselves.
We will never be able to walk the past the car now....
They came straight back when we called them, so we kept calling them between us, in and out of the water.
They loved the running off when water came swirling up around their feet. It was all very enjoyable. After a while Tula layd down and rolled around in the sand...
Needless to say that cleaning before getting back in the van and after getting home was thorough...
We all had a great time though.
Good to hear you all have been doing so well!
I am just wondering how Tula and Booker communicate with Portuguese dogs? And...Have you managed to master Portuguese?
I am a bit jealous looking out of the window over here...It is rainy and windy at the moment...[
Needless to say that cleaning before getting back in the van and after getting home was thorough...
Sounds like Tula is only a step or two away from following in Kells footsteps and taking a seaside dip
Balcony, as it turns out, is a great thing. At the moment we have strong winds combined with continuous heavy rain. Tula in particular does not like strong winds. (Nor do we when generated inside by them...)
About 2 hours ago they started to get restless, wanting to go for their walk. A quick trip out on the balcony and went straight in to the bedroom and laid down in their beds...
They are clearly spoiled by the good weather we have had until a few days ago.
Steve: You are probably right, but I am guessing that not even the magnificent Kell with his award winning coat has seen waves like those surfers delights that we had yesterday.
Stan: We have not let them get in contact with the local dogs yet, but they communicate from a distance, and yes of course we are now masters in Portuguese after a whole 2 weeks down here...
I think we have to venture out in the "winter storm", they need to go...
As the title indicates, we took them back to the beach last night. Got some pics this time + some from the walk this afternoon.
But first, as to Stan's question about how they communicate with dogs in Portugal. The answer is simple: They want to eat them as well... Booker got very close to snatch up a little Yorkshire terrier thats always off the lead and every time charge towards us wanting to attack them. Very brave indeed... I spoke with the owner the other day explaining that Greyhounds would "eat" small dogs. Last couple of times it has been on the lead.
But back to the far more pleasant things. When we got to the van last night, there were noooo holding Booker back as he jumped straight in to the back with Tula in hot pursuit. Guess they new where we were off to.
Again they had a great time with lots of running. No one else there as it is far too cold for the locals and it was just at sunset.
The first is by far my favourite pic, just for the atmosphere in it.
Booker in the sunset
This was as we arrived to the beach. You can tell he is already exited.
Thats all from last night. We had some where they were running, but unfortunately they were out of focus.
Here are the 3 pics from this afternoon. We took them down the cliffs by the water as the tide was coming in. They had already walked a bit in the sun.
Tula always likes to lay down and stretch out, especially after a little walk.
Thats all for now.
Great pictures. I'm not jealous at all. Not even slightly...
Steve, Kell with his award winning coat would be in heaven....
They are not too keen on adjusting their times when the clock changes, are they????
We were able keep them in bed late this morning so hopefully we are able to make the adjustment.
As they are settling in they are getting more assertive towards the environment as well. Their stomachs have been pretty good throughout this whole process, although a little less firm than normal, but now we have reached the dreaded "food changeover time".
We brought two full bags of food with us down here so they could stabilise before we changed the food as well. We have started on the last bag and have now also started to mix the two foods. They seem to like it pretty good, but the "mush-factor" has definitively increased...
At least the local council here are putting up poo bag dispensers all over the place and they are free...
On a different note, Booker really likes Granny Smith apples... Wonder what that will do for his stomach...
