Nothing quite like getting up in the middle of the night for a drink, and then as you open the fridge, discover that you are standing with your bare feet in a puddle...

Greg and Nicolai, Booker and Tula,
This is such an epic post and such a great story, thank you for sharing it with us all.
Re the food change, don't forget the natural yogurt trick. I reckon a tablespoon a day makes all the difference when it comes to poo and gas control - worth a try anyway!
The beach looks almost as lovely as Upper Largo (and much warmer!) Fabulous pics.
Marion, Mike, Kim, Dylan, Bryn and Foxy

Thanks Marion. Had not heard of that, but will try it for sure.

It was a little less mushy today anyway, but that may only be temporary... They seem to like the new food. It has a little variety of flavours. I have however noticed that they are drinking a lot more than they used to. Don't know if it is the new food or something else.

Two weeks ago we gave them a treatment of Pulvex spot. It's similar to Frontline, but covers more things such as sand flees etc. They were not too impressed by that. I think it itched a bit as well not to mention that it made their look more messy...

However, they are back to their usual shiny self now.

This morning Booker's attention, not to mention hunting instinct, was triggered by a small creature zipping in and out between the bark on a palm tree. It was a lizard. The stem of this tree is covered by big "shells" with gaping holes between each.

Booker had his nose berried deep in between trying to catch this little thing, but it was too fast fro him, zooming in one place and reappearing a few inches or more away. It looked like he would get it at one point when it stopped out in the open (silly thing) but then I held him back and gave him a treat instead.

I am sure the lizard would have tasted much better...

Finally, their poo are still back to normal this morning. Tula's was in fact "beautiful"...

I forgot to mention that yesterday morning it was 4 weeks since we arrived here and then slept all day.

It's been a hectic period and the time has gone by fast. SO far so good though.

Just had them out for an early ,owning walk. Practically had to drag them out of bed... lol

It's a lovely morning down here and the sunrise over the sea looks really nice. They were of course more interesting in smelling everything rather than enjoy the view, but I am sure it was "feel good" morning of all.

Booker decided to have his first big morning poo in a lavender bush. I talked about those before. The combination of the two scents were "interesting"...

SO we are back inside, they had their sardines with a little dry food and they are straight back to bed.

A dogs life looks really good to me. I am almost jealous...

Delighted to say it's been a glorious day here too, perfect for our walk along the beach at St Andrews.

Are there many greyhounds in Portugal or do your two cause a stir?

I have not seen any other Greyhounds. I have seen the same guy with a lurcher twice and there is a Lady with 4 or 5 whippets/Italien Greyhounds that we have seen driving by us 3 times. Her dogs bark like crazy and she always waves.

They do get a lot of attention, especially from the kids in the neighbourhood. They love to come over and pet them, but still too scared to give a treat. There is a bit of a language barrier as well...

Hi guys. It's been a while sins I wrote anything, but here is an update.

I think today must be the coldest day so far with only 7 degrees and a cold light wind. In general it has been 15-20 degrees the last month. Three and a half weeks after we got here, we had 1-2 weeks with lots of rain and gail force winds. Believe me; when it rains here, it really pours down heavily. Booker and Tula did not mind the rain in Glasgow, but here they hate it. On day just as we were opening the door to go outside, it started to rain very very heavily within a couple of seconds. There were no way they were going out that door and we were not about to head out in that either. It would have been the equivalent of getting buckets dumped on us continuously. It only lasted a few minutes though.

I got the calendar as well and love the pic of their dad on the front cover. I loved the insert with a little story of each dog. seems like a good tradition to keep going.

Booker and Tula takes after their dad when it comes to make a nest, or a mess out of their bedding. Every single night... But they don't steel our food. Booker as well weighs in at over 40kg's, but of course he is not as fit as Nipper...

Booker and Tula are well settled here. There is dogs everywhere. Barking through out the day from various balconies. They have gotten used to that now when we walk them and don't bother with it any more. They spend most of the day on the couch. Tula especially "demands" to lay with her head in the lap and get her belly rubbed. All day long if it was up to here. Booker never used to get up on the couch, but discovered a couple of weeks ago that it was a very nice place to be. Its not a big couch, so there is only room for one and one of us or the two of them without us. That being said, it is incredible how small these beasts can make themselves in order to squeeze in to a tight place. Tula is not happy when there is no room for her on the couch and she doesn't hesitate to make her feelings known. Booker has developed this grunt that he does whenever he is comfortable and relaxed.

I have been made aware of two dangers in this climate. One is a sand flee who's bite is is like malaria for the dogs, but we have given them Pulvex for that. Its not season yet anyway. The other thing is called Processionary Caterpillars. They live in and feed of pine trees and are very poisonous. A dog will eat it due to the bitter sweet smell. One could kill your dog, three definitively will kill. I have been told of dogs that had they tongue cut of after having been stung by these. The good news is that the season is short and the pine trees around here are treated.

The other day when out on a walk we got attacked by two dogs that tore themselves loose from the lead. One small and one large dog. Tula had the small one pinned down with a firm neck grip. It was about the size of a beagle. The large one looked like something between a Weimaraner and a Great Dane, but I don't know. I was alone with them at the time. Luckily the owner came running right away and we got them apart, but Booker got some teeth marks on his leg. He had a fair bit of blood on his tongue, but that turned out to not be his. He was fine walking home, but later when the adrenaline wore off, he was limping. We are keeping it cleaned and he seems fine now and not bothered with it. I did see the other owner kicking the small dog as I walked away so I guess there is no wonder they behaved like that.

Thats the only bad news.

We met an english woman with three dogs. Two of them are sisters and 13 years old. She walks them separately. The other dog is a very large Portuguese guard dog and really calm. His name is Eddie... What a coincidence... lol. Thats the one that Booker and Tula has now befriended. We walk together when we see each other and it has worked well.

Our daily walks has been altered. Still 4 times usually, but often only three. Thats because we now have a bed big enough us + the two of them. We allow them up around 8-9 in the morning and they don't move before about 13:00. It's great.

I know we have showed pics of Tula on the couch before, but here are some more and also some with Both of them on the couch and finally a pic of their new friend.

Tula in her favorite position





And the two of them







Nothing like being propped up...



And finally their new friend.

Hell's teeth! Their new friend is MASSIVE!!!!!!!!!!

Great to hear that they are getting on well.
We love the photos.
That Portuguese guard dog is a whopper. Couldn't get two of them in one of our kennels.
Nice that you are all settling in.
Footnote. 90mph wind at the kennels today. Minus 2 degrees yesterday. Heavy snow predicted tomorrow.
You lucky sods.
Celia and Jimmy.

The breed is called "Rafeiro do Alentejo" Although big, he does look bigger on the pic as he is standing in front of Rose who is not very tall. When standing up, Booker is a little taller, but Eddie is much heavier.

Guess we got away just in time. Tula in Particular does not like strong winds at all.

Yesterday we finally took Booker and Tula to the local Vet. They were fine, but think it dawned on Tula where we were because her tail disappeared between her legs. No needles (or scalpels) this time though. We really liked the Vet. Her name was Louisa and she was very thorough in examining them. We got some plaque powder to mix with their food. Hope it works...

I am slightly panicking due to our friend Rose spotting the processionary caterpillars... The season is usually February and March. For the most part, the areas around here are mostly treated, but still....

It's a little warmer now, but I am not happy with the two days of rain since xmas....

A couple of weeks ago, we made the mistake of giving them a can of Purina wet food, pork I think. The following burst of a major gas pipe proved "difficult" to deal with. Luckily we avoided an explosion... The following day tula was busy cleaning her stern. In the middle of the cleaning another leak occurred and caught her of guard. She sharply pulled her head back, blew her nose, shook her head, then got up and walked out.

They still get a lot of attention when we walk them. Sometimes they are not interested, but just want to get on with their business. We met a beautiful young Boxer mix. She a year and a half and her name Lua which translates to Moon. Both Booker and Tula accepted her and I was most impressed Booker standing still while she was jumping all over him.

Booker has turned in to a big cuddly baby (unless you are a poodle...) Since he discovered the couch, he spends a lot of time on it. He just wants a cuddle.

Tula is much more "aggressive" when it comes to get a cuddle. She jumps up in the couch, put her head on your lap and rolls around on her back, expecting us to scratch her belly. It's her favourite thing and we are happy to indulge her.

They are now a bit too spoiled with us being home all the time. If they are left alone for more than 2-3 hours there is usually a spill to clean up. On the other hand, they now want out for the last walk around 9 and don't want to go out before 10-11 the following morning, provided we allow them up in our bed from around 8-9.

We got a bigger bed now...

Good to hear from you guys

I'm not jealous of your new location. No. Not even slightly. I like the fact that recent downpours here have turned our morning walk into a mud bath - it makes us grateful for the occassional freezing cold morning that makes the mud go rock hard

Surely a mud bath is great for maintaining Kell's award winning coat...

Now there's an idea - maybe I could put a mud pack on Boss's bald patches to get his fur to grow back in

Earthly minerals and all that. Saves an expensive spa treatment...

Today we were sitting down on a bench enjoying the sunset with the little darlings. While we were there a couple came up and talked to us. He introduced himself as a vet and asked if we would be interested in in Booker and Tula participating in an advertisement. He had been looking for Greyhounds, but only found small ones. Whippets etc.

He thought Booker and Tula would be exactly what he was looking for.

We are already exited over the prospect and will of course keep you posted if anything comes of it.

Wow! This could be the start of something big. You may never have to work again!

Thats right!

Two years today since Booker and Tula rescued us from a quiet life...

It's been a great experience. Rewarding,adventures, and also challenging at times.

They are a lot calmer, but still show some aggression towards smaller dogs. Don't think that will ever change. They are well settled in the new life in the sunshine.

Our routine is now back to me being away for 6 days at the time with work, but Greg is now home all day.

We do maintain discipline, but in doing so, they are spoiled with treats. It must however, be admitted that the discipline is nowhere near as strict as when we first got them, but then again it's not necessary either. The treat flow remains unchanged though. Strange how that works...

As for their movie careers, it stopped before it even started. Turns out that the trainer looking for Greyhounds for this advertisement had already gone to a Whippet breeder as he was unable to find proper Greyhounds. It could still happen though. The guy has our contact details and if something comes up in the future...

Fingers crossed.

I have now gone back to normal working schedule which means that I am gone for up to six days at the time.

Greg tells me that whenever Booker and Tula hears the entrance door to the hallway, they go to the door, waiting for me to come in. I guess they are accustomed to me being home all day as that has been the case throughout 2011. This year it is Greg thats home all day, so they are of course fine. They are such big babies. all they want is to be cuddled. We love it.

As you know if you read the whole post (good luck with that...) there was I time when we wondered if we had take on too much. Not anymore. Now we know them and they us and we better know how to anticipate and handle them.

We cannot imagine being without them. We got a bigger car (van) and a bigger bed...

I am sure they are very happy with the climate down here. We had a proper rainfall yesterday and they actually got wet!!!! The first in 3 months... They were not at all happy, but loved (and expected) the towel rub when we came in. I wonder if they noticed that the towels had not been on a hot radiator...

Two day ago we took them to the beach again in the evening. Here is a couple of pics of Tula with sand on her nose, one of Booker taken by accident, and a couple of Booker on the couch.

Having been around for the whole of the post and so having readit all I just think it is such a fab advert for taking rescue greys (or any variety I suppose!) and sticking with them through thick and thin! I know from having Bambi for 3 and a half years now how worthwhile it is, but as u well know there are times when u think "oh god what have I taken on!" lol Fab to see both of them so happy (love the pics from the beach!) and hear that u r both so happy with them too! x

First rain in three months!

Glad you and the dogs are all well and keeping in touch.

Good to see them enjoying the beach - Kell has taught them well But have they sampled the delights of sitting in the sea yet???

Last week I was away working again. Two days before I came home I got a call from Greg in the evening. The first thing he said was:

"I am going to kill your son".

Greg was not happy. Booker had peed in our bed...
Luckily he was caught in the act so no real damage, but still. We have no idea what caused this strange behaviour.

Usually after we finish our dinner in the evening, we give them a peace as well. They know this now and wait while we eat and get up as soon as we are done... This time there was nothing left, but Greg gave them a slice of cheese each.

Maybe he was not happy and decided to take revenge, or maybe he decided that he would stake his blame on the bed as we have let them in in the morning and they stay with Greg when I am gone. We don't know, but in any case we now have to pull in the rains and have stricter discipline when it comes to bed access. I did notice that they resisted getting out when I tried to chase them out after I got home, so this is now being enforced effective immediately.

On a more positive note. When I got home, Greg was out with the dogs. I was in the bedroom getting changed when they came back. I heard them come and figured I'd stay still and see how they reacted when I came out. That did not happen. As soon as they were in the door they came running straight through to the bedroom. Greg told me that as soon as they got in the hallway, they got exited and run straight towards the front door, whining and wanting to get in.

Clearly I need to shower more often...

We got a flee collar on them now and I think it itches a little. I got this pic of Tula rubbing her neck against the carpet. Booker don't seem bothered.


I thought she was gonna topple over at one point...

We got them from the vet after they examined them. We did not think it would be dangerous for them. Rather than taking any chances, I have removed them. We do, however, have to find proper protection as there are things down here that can be very harmful.

I'll check in to puppets such as Frontline (they had that at the kennels) Advantix or Pulvex.

Thanks Steve. (We never liked the collars anyway...)

Yesterday when Greg was walking Booker and Tula (I am away again) they saw the first Rabbit since we moved down there. It jumped out out the bushes and across right in front of them.

They went nuts... and thats an understatement. Starting pulling and howling. Greg said they nearly pulled him over. This used to an almost daily event in Glasgow with Squirrels and foxes all over the place, but has not been here.

Booker has discovered lizards/salamanders and is now on the lookout in the bushes. He tried to jump on one the other day. He missed... There are also a couple of cats in the neighbourhood and they have discovered where they live and like to hide. When we walk up the street they want to check under every parked car... It's not being permitted..

Finally, I was asked to write a little article about the year I had off in our crew/employee magazine. I did, about half of it is about Booker and Tula and it will include some of the pics posted here and a small reference to GRF.

It was good to be home again. I do miss my family when I am away.

Greg told me that during the walk, Booker suddenly jumped up and pounded both paws on a Lizard or Salamander and then grabbed it. He only had to chew once before he spitted it out again and, making "funny" faces and licking his lips for a while.

The vet had already told us that the little creatures around here are not poisonous, apart from the Caterpillar. Although safe, it certainly tasted horrible.

On another walk, he pee'd on a plastic bag before kicking back as they do. This time, however, the bag got caught in his foot...

The sun is getting brighter during the day. Tula got sunburned on her nose and must have been a little sore as she pulled back when touched. We now put sunscreen on their noses before we take them out.

We have spotted to stray dogs. Greg saw them the other day. I saw them today. Two of them staying together. apparently it used to be three. They are calm stay away from us. Although dirty, they don't seem to be suffering. I brought them some food and water today wich they ate after I had stepped about 5 yards away. We cannot take them in, but I will keep an eye on them.

Finally, here are two pics of Booker and Tula with Eddie.