A new Cushion for Pointies!

[SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud]

Pointy hounds include-
Greyhounds (Grunds)
Whippets (Whippys)
Lurchers
Italian Greyhounds (Iggys)
Salukis
Afghans
And any others I have forgotten. If you are a new pointy hound owner, an old and experienced owner or looking into getting one of these fabulous creatures, come and have a seat (that's not taken up with a hound).

Share advice, stories and shopping tips!

I didn?t really want you,
I wasn?t really sure,
And I?ll admit I had my doubts,
When you first came through that door.

Not small, or cute, or fluffy,
With big, soft puppy eyes,
But tall, and thin, and bony,
With bald, pink, bulging thighs.

You weren?t the kind I had in mind,
Not in any way,
?Perhaps it would be better if I took you back today,
Before we know each other,
It really won?t be kind,
To keep you here for one more day,
And then to change my mind.?

But against my better judgement, I decided you could stay,
And quickly I discovered you were kind in every way,
Your gentleness and patience, they really stole the show,
?Why these dogs are wonderful, I must let others know!?

For you?re my gentle giant,
Who just needed the chance,
To show us all what you could be,
To wipe away that history,
And dispel our preconceptions, which put us all to shame,
And so we come to know and love,
What lies beneath that frame.

And now I?ve come to understand,
What I missed right at the start,
That greyhounds need that great deep chest,
To house their great big hearts!
:)

Thank you Betsy You hit the nail on the head - I am terrified of not coping...

I only just coped when dad was dying and Sam was critically ill. I made it through by the skin of my teeth, I only started to feel 'normal' again (ie not a nervous wreck) around the end of March... So it is very early days...

One day at a time, Sam won't miss what he has not had, I know he would probably quite like a friend but he is such a people dog that he is definately not missing out at the moment - he is the most fussed and interacted with and thought about (read spoilt!) dog I know!!

Thanks for all your lovely wise words both of you

It is a pity (is it sad to get more excited at the idea of people getting new dogs than having new babies?), but it sounds very sensible. I know where you are coming from in that we had problems with ds2 (still ongoing), which meant I had to take an unpaid year off work, reduce my working hours significantly, suffered from depression and anxiety with it, didn't leave the house for the best part of a year and as a result found out that some family and friends were more "fair weather" than I could have imagined. When we got whippetty, ds2 had imoproved somewhat and we decided that it would be a good time to get a dog - but almost backed out, even up to the point of actually going to collect him! Then we got him and ds2 regressed significantly for about 2 months. We did worry that the same would happen again this time (hence my panic when ds2 got ill the weekend we brought lurchergirl home), but so far, the dogs are developing a lovely relationship with each other and it has actually been much less upheaval than it was when whippetty came home. I think this is partly because our lives already revolve around 1 dog, so two is not twice the work, partly because we have the rules established in the house with respect to what the dogs are and are not allowed to do (which was much more up in the air with whippetty) and partly because we are much more confident now in dealing with dogs and what we are doing etc.

Sam does sound like a lucky dog though to have found a home where he is so clearly loved. I can imagine many dogs may have found themselves returned to rescue in a similar situation and it is amazing you have found the strength to stick with him - somehow that doesn't quite come out right, but I hope you know what I mean.

Thank you Margrat
If you can cope, then one day so can I... I think you are spot-on with the confidence thing. Sam being so ill really dented my confidence regarding my ability to deal with him at a time when I was struggeling losing dad. To be honest we have only been able to really, fully, enjoy him since Feb / March. Until then we were still on constant vigilance and on the look out for any signs of a relapse (in fact he did relapse in Feb and require steroids again) and we still had the seperation anxiety to deal with too.

So yes, it is early days and my confidence is severely dented (not just in terms of dealing with Sam but in all other areas of my life atm). When that confidence comes back I am sure we will all welcome another pointy with open arms. Until then I shall enjoy the snuggely sofa-hogger that is Sam and enjoy him

Just make the most of only having one sofa hogging dog, you won't even get a look-in if you get another :o

Well I've stopped giving Sprocket chicken wings now. I always felt a few little sharp bits in his poo but when I actually cut my finger on his poo that made my mind up. That can't be good for his insides surely?

Cut your finger on his poo that's a bit extreme!

If anyone wants to play having two dogs they can come and help me. I've got whippety's brother for a week which would be great but bro had his testicles off last week and whippety's are coming off on Friday. If my friend didn't really need this holiday then I would have thought twice (no decent kennels round here). Still it will he an education and if I can do this I can deffo cope with another when whippety pup has grown up .

I know! Luckily I was at home at the time so I could wash my hands. It was a massive shard of bone, went straight through the bag and into my finger. If it could do that to my finger, what would it do to Sprockets insides?

All I can do is wish you good luck. 2 adolescent puppies? Have you gone mad?? :o

Yikes, sharp poo - we have not encountered that yet...

Lost, you have taken leave of your senses You will have a fab time, plese let us know how you get on...

Sofa hogger is upstairs on ds's bed with ds. Feels a bit lonely down here...

There will be a second pointy, of that I am convinced. But perhaps in a year or so.

Taking my good friend and her dd (dd's best friend) to see the puppies tomorrow. Scruffygirl will be there. I fear I will be a bit torn again. But will remain strong. (With any luck she will already be reserved)

Ouch, sharp poo! I hope you had lots of antiseptic handy!

Lurchergirl is booked in for obedience training from next week - I know we could just do it ourselves, but tbh I prefer going to the classes and I'm hoping it will give some dedicated time to focus on her and not her and whippetty.

Hope you don't mind me saying Lock, but it sounds like you have made the best decision for the time being. Sorry things have been so tough for you recently.

We are delaying any Pointy Adoption until the summer as we have a week's holiday and are having some work done on the house at the beginning of July. So once order is restored in mid-July, fingers crossed we will be able to start looking for a new addition. We may just have to sneak off and visit another kennels in the meantime though . I wonder how long dogs can be reserved for?

We had decorators in to do our house top-to-bottom last summer, but with two pointy dogs charging up and down in the hallway, it could seriously use redoing again - they use the hallway as braking distance when running in from the garden .

I love that image Magrat.

Rainy we reserved Billy for about 6 weeks in the end. We had to arrange a home check, then DH was working a lot away, then it was fireworks night. In the meantime though we went up to the kennels and walked him and gave him lots of roast chicken so he might remember us!

Two adolescent whippets, I was mad to say yes . They are lovely boys and have had fun charging around the garden but the amount of time they try to do sex with each other . There have been a LOT of time outs and no whippety cuddles in the evening because they just want to bite at each other (in a nice way) and then wave their willies around . His brother was done last week as well, thank goodness his stitches have healed well.

Sounds like you're having lots of fun Lost :o

Rainy I'm not sure how long our rescue will reserve dogs for, they had one reserved for aaaaaaaages, then when he was finally put up on the rehomed page I saw he'd been rehomed in Ireland! So that was why he'd been reserved for so long, so his shipping over could be arranged. I'd love to know why/how it came about that these people in Ireland wanted this particular dog. And also, I'd love to know how the rescue did a homecheck!
I guess you'd just have to ask any rescues you visit how long they are willing ro reserve a dog for.

Just come back from taking lurchergirl to the vet for her rabies vaccine (pet passport for summer). Apparently she has a mild heart murmur

Oh no Magrat, I'm sure it's not much to worry about though, one of my frineds DC's had a murmur and they don't seem to do much other than have a listen once a year and go 'yup, that's a murmur all right, everything else ok?'

Yes Cunny, fun, that's exactly what I thought when I stopped my friends dog from deflowering mine for the 20th time today .

Oh no Magrat, what did the vet say about it?

Lost these pointies are such tarts aren't they? :o

Well it's de-bollock day here . Trying to do mil by mouth when you have a guest whippet is fun. The shagging is lessening thank goodness but our guest is trying ti be dominant by not letting my boy eat and being aggressive at meal times. Thank goodness it is sunny so I can put one in the garden to eat.

Have they said any more about the murmur Magrat?

"trying to do mil by mouth" eh? Good luck Whippy boy! Hope you don't miss em too much :o

Not Mil nil , oops.

I have dropped him off, poor boy, not sure about having his temp taken either . He sat next to me in the car (he has a harness and sits with a seatbelt like a grownup in the passenger seat ) clacking his tongue at me as if to say 'a drink would be nice you know'. His brother is wandering around looking disconsolate trying to find his friend.

Oh, I need some advice - I'm having real problems giving Billy two walks in this heat. The morning walk is fine, warm but not boiling and plenty of shady options. I took him out the day before yesterday at our usual second walk time (early afternoon) and he was not at all happy as it was far too hot. I was really coaxing him around and I can understand why. DH is working away so I can't walk him in the evenings when it's cooler as I'm mostly on my own then.

So one walk a day? It's not enough...

at walking in the early afternoon!! It's even hotter for dogs, as they are closer to the ground, which often radiates heat too. On our morning walk, by 9.30, Andy had given up zoomies and lay down for a pant under a tree.

We switch in this weather to a very early morning walk (try to be out by around 7 - 7.30) - it's gorgeous then, much more comfortable for dogs and people. Could you do this and make it a bit longer? Ours routinely have one walk a day - but it's around an hour to an hour and a quarter with longer walks on the weekend or when time is available. Now that Booty is so frail, we are having to rethink some of the longer yomps, but in the main, she enjoys our usual route as she can lie down and rest/look regal while the boys do zoomies.

DH goes running with youngest grund on top plus there are occasional forays to classes, trips in car etc.

I'm inclined to the view anyway that this sort of hot weather is not routine in the UK, so am prepared to make special arrangements (a bit like when it snows really! ) - most of the time in the UK we are walking in pleasant drizzle.

Lost, fingers crossed for a successful op at the vets.

I have changed our walking-routine to allow for the hot weather. I get up at 6am and Sam and I are in the woods near our house by 6.15. We walk for roughly 45 minutes and then head home for breakfast.

We then don't walk all day until in the evening, when he gets a short 20 minutes on the towpath behind our house.

If you can't manage an evening walk just make sure your morning one is a nice long one. Am sure that will be preferable to Billy than an early afternoon one...

Good luck to Whippety boy Lost, am sure he is home by now looking sorry for himself??

Mmm, extra hugs to whippety boy.

Thanks guys - we will do an extra long tomorrow as early as possible I think and scratch the pm for a while. We're not fair weather walkers... we were out twice a day even when it was super rainy and that suits us just fine! I don't think I realised quite how hot it was when we ventured out the other day and we won't be doing it again. He seems quite happy to lounge in the shade in the garden or indoors and we've been putting ice cubes in his water.

It's OK when DH is here but he's so busy with work at the moment he's hardly ever in the country. Which is fine except for when it's really hot. I feel pretty stupid for not having realised this and I think it's about the only thing we didn't think of before we got him. Duh.

I'll prime the DS's bikes this evening and pack something picnicky so we can be out a while.

Betsy, hot weather in this country is so rare - it's a bit like thinking about "How will I walk him in a blizzard?"

And knowing our luck it's not likely to last for very long anyway!! By this time next week we'll probably be back to drizzle, fleeces and wellies. I still haven't taken my fleece out of the car - can't quite believe/get my head round the idea I don't need it.

It must be hard when DH is away - I manage but it's still a pain occasionally but no DC to wrangle.

And of course His Lordship is supremely well qualified for aristocratic lounging about - pointies are hugely talented at this.