It seems only fair that we (the blog updaters) put an update on our own dogs, so here is what the boys have been up to.
We (my sister and I) decided to adopt A greyhound, after a bit of research, viewing the Gap
Syd and the Couch
website and from visiting the Pet Expo at Upper Hutt (dropping by the GAP stand at least 3 times!). After we were approved and before we got our dog we went to a GAP run where the most common sentence was "they are collectable€ ...it has since turned out never a truer word has been spoken.
After waiting what seemed like ages (fencing issues) we got the phone call and went to collect the dog. Our only stipulation was we didn't want a black dog as my last dog was black. We were told if we weren't sure we could say no. Was it a small brindle girl (our perhaps not so secret wish)? no it was a white and black medium male called Syd (Syd Pheonix) and saying no never crossed our minds.
After a few weeks of careful cat/dog monitoring we realised Syd and Hugh (the fluffy ginga cat) were going to be best buddies and that Syd had developed a healthy respect for Louis (boss ginga cat).
Syd wasn't very confident and was a wee bit stand offish and not much of a foodie but as the months went on his personality has really come out. He has represented greyhounds at many GAP events including a pet expo and usually initiates play with his housemate and has even recently started to snuggle up on the couch. This year he has even started Rally-O and with his eagerness to please (assisted by roast chicken treats) he will do very well at it if his owners hurry up and learn the signs and do more practice.
But as we said at the beginning greyhounds are collectable. So after some discussing we decided we would get a second. And this time we were lucky enough to be offered a brindle girl!! But unfortunately Syd doesn't really seem to get girls much and it wasn't a perfect match€¦ We ended up returning her and we got offered a big black boy instead€¦.!! And it took less than 24 hours before we knew Sam (Gridiron) was staying for good.
Sam moved in like he had lived here all his life. And life with two hounds is even better than life
Sam and Hugh Cat
with one. Sam is a big sappy cuddle monster that believes every living thing will adore him (except bumble bees!) All the children in our neighbourhood know Sam by name and many come rushing out to give him pats. Syd has learnt over time to get his share too. Sam is now a veteran at GAP events and is a homechecker and I often get asked if they can have Sam, but our big black boy isn't going anywhere.
Syd and Sam were both rubbish at racing but are leading the pack at being
The boys having a chat!
pampered pets although they still love a good zoom around the back yard followed by a lovely long nap afterwards of course. We are grateful to the boys racing owners and trainers for taking such good care of them and putting them in the programme so they could be our prefect couch potatoes in retirement.
One of the many bonuses of owning a greyhound (or two) is the awesome community of hound owners that you instantly become a member of. We have met some lifelong friends and truly fascinating people since having a hound.
The hardest part of owning a hound is stopping at one (or two, or three). If a brindle boy called Sherlock comes through the programme€¦€¦€¦€¦€¦€¦€¦
Tania, Kirsty, Syd and Sam
Hutt Valley