Are you a Greyhound, Whippet or Lurcher owner? Come and have a seat on the new Pointy Hounds cushion!

[TheCunnyFunt]

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!
AK Creations
Bonnie dogs
GRWE shop
Our very own Scuttle's Milgi coats
Silver Peacock

Jake
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!
By Denise Dubarbier
:)

Hi all, thought I'd share some nice news about Mick, one of our long term foster boys. Mick is 10. He's a lovely boy with us, but is a bit barky when he meets other dogs, and is also a bit nervous around strange men. So we booked a session with our trainer (who I go to classes with, with Norty Minx) for a one to one session on Thursday. That went very, very well, and we now have a BAT programme to follow and we've been doing that. We also asked for some pointers for today, as our DH's sister, her DH and three DN were descending on us. We didn't have any idea how he'd be with DN (not helped by MIL earlier in the week convinced he was going to eat them alive ).

Anyway, we followed the pointers, and darling Mick was good as gold, very well behaved and happy all day. Walks are going well, but we continue to have problems with numpties with off lead dogs who seem to think it is OK to come and hassle us even if we are walking in the opposite direction with our dogs on our lead - GRRRR!!

That sounds great scuttle, sounds like a lovely boy. I feel your pain with the idiot dog owners, everyone assumes lurches are great with other dogs. Not mine!

We had the pleasure of (on day 3 of mistlehound being allowed off the lead) some collie owners continuing to play ball, whilst walking in the opposite direction to us, with mistledog clearly ignoring our calls and fixated upon their dog and the exiting game of chase the dog... If that would have been me I would have stopped playing ball and waited for the dog to be retrieved rather than continuing as if all was well....

Yeah and me. We have a similar problem with our deaf, ball obsessed staffie. They wait for me to go running across the field to get her with my increasingly agitated lurcher on the lead and my baby in the sling while they carry on walking off on their merry way. ..

Just popping my head in to see how everyone is doing!

We're good Cunny. How're things with you?

Missing Sprocket like mad, he's been gone a week now, it's his birthday next saturday too :( he's loving it though, being with 2 other hounds. Hopefully we'll get him back soon though, as soon as my brother isn't likely to suddenly be hours away from death again and we suddenly have to shoot off at silly o clock.

So your brother is improving then? That's good. Maybe you will be able to get sprocket back soon then? (If that is what you want of course).

It's good that in the meantime he is being well looked after in a home and not stuck in kennels, which is one less thing to worry about iyswim.

Yes he is, he's had 2 out of his 3 chest drains removed which is excellent :) he is paralysed too because apparently the machine works better like that. He's also on kidney dialysis to rest his kidneys because they packed up (this is normal for people on ECMO according to the Dr). We think it'll be ages yet though before he wakes up.

[Sad]

I'll try again

I've been following your other thread Cunny - so glad to hear that there's been so much improvement.

I hope that you'll be able to get Sprocket back soon. Don't feel that he's 'missing out' because he's on his own with you - just see if you can find a pointy dog nearby that you can arrange to walk with now and then. Mistlehound and I met up with another lurcher owner yesterday and our two (only) hounds had a lovely time - whilst they weren't racing around with each other all of the time (they did have one session) they were obviously interested in what the other was doing and working more as a 'pack' than two single dogs, even though this was their first walk together (they'd been off in a tennis court when we first got mistlehound).

I am pleased to say that the additional exercise from running around clearly does mistlehound some good - we've gone from being last when racing to being 2nd or 3rd (out of 4) which is good going in a month! We've just got to work on the start now I think - she's so busy fighting me holding her because she wants to run that she's the last to get off when I do let go!

DH came along too - and we picked up her new, made to measure coat (fits very nicely, and goes over the back to cover her up at the back) and a bed cover (fits a double duvet quartered) - and DH (yes, DH) suggested that we should perhaps get a martingale collar for her so that its not so tight most of the time and is softer round her neck. And proceeded to pick out some of the patterns that I had mentally ticked as being suitable. It does suit her very nicely!

Hello! I have been the worst pointy hound owner in the world and fallen so far off this thread I imagine no one knows who I am, anyway, I have Silver a 1 year old whippet, he is my darling, the love of my life and I never thought having a dog could make me quite so soppy. New Years resolution was to keep up on here more, so I will go and have a good catch up (could take some time).

(Cunny, glad to hear your brother is starting the long road to recovery, must have been a very scary couple of weeks) I'm sure Sprocket will be back in no time, he will be so happy to see you.

I'm sorry do I know you Lost? You don't seem familiar. . .

Only joking! Welcome back, lovely to see you again :) I thought you'd forgotten about us! How are you?

mistle great to hear how mistlehound is doing. :o at your DH! It's always the men that aren't that bothered about lovely collars and coats until houndy suddenly becomes 'daddys little baby' who needs a posh collar and lovely warm coat :o

Heard from the fosterer that Sprocket has been going mad in the snow today :) she says her DH has fallen in love with jim and has said if we go on holiday etc they'll have him again. I asked if she was sure I'd be allowed him back (joking) and she said yes, they're only allowed 2 pet dogs which is why they foster instead of having 3 pet dogs.

We are all very well thank you Cunny . I can't wait until we have snow, Silver's never seen it. I'm glad sprocket is well loved on his holidays, great to know if you need to go away there will always be somewhere you are happy for him to go.

I am also busy converting my entire village to pointy hound ownership as another one of my friends has just got a whippet, that's seven on our village main road now . She is beautiful and making me very broody, I spend hours on the rescue sites looking for a suitable friend for my pfb.

Mistle that's so exciting that you are racing, I bet your dog is beautiful and fit. I'm lucky that one of my friends has Silver's brother so I have a snuggly 'only hound' at home but he gets to do that pack running thing most days on the beach, keeps him very fit. Where's Scuttle actually, she will be very proud to hear that they have some of the best recall on the beach now, we are very proud of them.

Lost I think I have been even further away from this thread than you.... Bet no one remembers me

The Pointy One is fab though, the raw food we have put him on is doing wonders for him, his coat is shiny, his tummy is now hairy (as hairy as a whippety can be, but he was so incredibly thin coated post illness that this 'fluff' is lovely to see and he is full of mischief. Running around the house like a deranged pup instead of the somewhere between 3 - odd year old he should be...

A close friend of mine adopted a jack russel cross from Battersea 3 months ago called B and I look after Bo every Monday afternoon. Sam loves it, they have a fab time together... I do find two dogs hard work though, Scuttle I have no idea how you do it!!

Cunny, hope things with D are continuing to improve, sending love x

Ooh, it's so lovely to see so many old faces back on the thread! Love the way that Lost is slowly converting the village , and super impressed at the solid recall.

Norty Minx and I have been having fun this afternoon practising with her hoop - she is learning to jump through it, for class onWednesday night. Couldn't help being highly amused as we were working on this in the garden to look up and see the other three pointy faces at the door, peering through the glass forlornly looking rather mournful with a "But that looks like fun..." expression as Minx cavorted, clicked, leaped and ate sausages.

Cunny, it will be brilliant if this foster home are willing to be a holiday for Sprocket in the future - so nice to have a home environment where he knows everyone to spend time in, if you ever need to go away.

Lock, we haven't seen pics of your gorgeous Pointy lad for some time - humph. Think we should...

Yay Lock, so glad your boy is so healthy, I'm feeding part dry/part raw and it makes for a shiny happy boy for sure. On of whippety pups best friends is a Jack Russell, she runs with the pack on the beach and is the boss of them all

It's lovely to be back here, I forget that pointy hound owners are the friendliest in the world , still have to catch up but today is supposed to be a study day so I imagine I'll be up to date in no time!

Cunny - that sounds fantastic - we have people around the country who are happy to have mistlehound for us when we can't take her with us and we much prefer that to the thought of kennels - in fact our last dog couldn't be put in kennels as she would have thought that we were abandonning her like her first owners did

Last night, mistlehound came to sit next to me on the sofa (on her blanket) as normal. I glanced at her a couple of minutes later and she was staring INTENTLY at me, with a VERY LONG neck and when she saw me looking she almost prodded me with her paw and gave a very small not quite woof (very loud for her!!!)... she was telling me in no uncertain terms that she was STILL HUNGRY!!!! I had to go and put some rice on for her! Post rice she went to sleep happily.

Lovely to see you back Lock :) so pleased to hear how Sam is doing! He sounds like he's thriving on the raw food!

:o at Lost converting the village.

:o at mistlehound :o

It's Sprockets birthday tomorrow :( I was looking forward to making an extra fuss over him. I've told his fosterer though and she says she'll give him an extra treat. At least I've still got his Gotcha Day to celebrate with him though, that's on 29th, hopefully he'll be back by then.

Hey folks, can I ask for some advice on nail clipping for greyhounds?

Our Davey Dog has quite long nails and I did ask the vet and she said it was fine but I've also read that their nails should be clipped or they can break, anyone know what kind of length is ok? :)

I was given an RGT greyhound care DVD when we were homechecked, and it says when the dog is standing on a flat floor (wood/laminate/tiles etc), you should just be able to slide a piece of paper under the nails. So almost to the floor but just enough of a gap to slide a piece of paper under :)