Here are a couple of videos of Ryan, playing in the large paddock with a stuffed pheasant the other day.
Ryan would love a home with a large garden, lots of toys and people to play with. In return he’d give you lots of cuddles and kisses and affection. What more could anyone want?
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Thank you for all your comments on the last post, they were lovely to read. Please do keep them coming, and if there’s anything you’d like to know more about, or anything you’d be interested in reading about then please just let us know!
Greyhounds are funny creatures: even though the ex-racers have never been in a home environment, their life has been spent in racing kennels and then in our rehoming kennel, some of them take to home life like a duck to water. Or, as a 30 kilo furry ex-racing couch potato takes to a sofa! Quickly, in other words! They walk into a house, have a sniff around and a cuddle from their new family, and decide: “Yes, this was where I was meant to be all along! This’ll do very nicely, thank you!” And promptly climb onto their bed/the sofa (whichever looks more comfortable) and fall asleep in about 5 seconds flat, waking up only for a quick stretch before dozing off again. A nice life, if you can get it!
Other greyhounds take a little bit more time to settle down, and when you think about how dramatically their life has changed in a few short hours (from waking up at the kennels with their “reserved” tag on, running in the paddocks with their kennel-mate, to car journeys, and a strange environment unlike anything they’re used to), it’s no surprise that they are confused, worried and scared. It would take you a little while to settle down too, don’t you think?
When we took our girl home, perhaps naively I thought she would be one of the ones to settle straight away. Nothing much seemed to bother her in the kennels, she was a happy, lively thing, and I thought she’d be absolutely fine. In many ways she was, but she did exhibit some of the typical behaviour that we tell people about when they take their hounds home for the first time. She panted for the first 12 hours or so. After having her sniff around the house, she lay on her bed, panted, and looked incredibly worried. She wouldn’t eat anything for over 24 hours, and wouldn’t let us out of her sight. If we left the room she was in, she cried and howled until we came back. Thinking about it, she had no idea we would come back, she just thought we were leaving her in a strange and scary new place, and she was frightened.
The first night was not good. We wanted her to sleep in the kitchen, where her bed was, and so we shut her in there. She caused a bit of havoc by waking up at about midnight, scared, knocking the bin over, and crying. We came downstairs, cleaned up and tried to get her back to sleep. She was panicking, but eventually calmed down and lay back on her bed. Unfortunately, she cried every time we left the room, and we were up with her for about 4 hours before giving up, going back to bed, and leaving her to cry. We felt awful. I will admit, in those hours, I thought to myself “What on earth have we done? She hates it here!”
Leaving her was the right thing to do, however, because it meant that she had to settle herself down, and after about half an hour, she stopped crying. The next night was better, and it essentially got better and better as the week went on. We adjusted our kitchen a bit, got her a nightlight, a radio, and a clock with a loud tick, all of which helped her to settle and feel less alone. We also bought a babygate for the kitchen doorway, which she much prefers, as she doesn’t feel shut in, though she is confined to the room we want her to stay in. Two weeks after she came home, she was completely quiet through the night, and has been ever since. Other things that have helped are letting her sleep on the sofa in the kitchen (greyhounds seem to prefer to sleep on a raised bed) and making sure she has a blanket on her when the nights are cold.
Some people find crates, or indoor kennels, are helpful in helping their dog feel secure. We have some available at the kennels to borrow if needed. They have the advantage that if you have to leave your dog, you know that they won’t have caused any mischief when you’re out! Other greyhounds can get quite stressed if confined, and often owners find that letting their greyhounds have the run of the house, or at least not shutting doors on them makes them feel much better. It’s a case of seeing what works for your greyhound.
Many people say that it takes a year for a dog to truly settle. That you will have a different dog to the one you took home a year previously. In the case of greyhounds, they seem to become more chilled out, more loving, incredibly loyal, and a much loved member of the family. They are worth giving a chance to, and remembering that even though they may not settle immediately, it is not maliciously done. The results will always be worthwhile, and they WILL settle and feel at home and safe with you, some just take longer than others.
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We had a good morning this morning at the kennels. Somewhat unusually for a Tuesday morning, lots of volunteers turned up to walk the dogs. Often, on weekdays, and especially when the weather is not so clement as it might be, there are only a few of us and it’s a struggle to get all of the dogs out and walked, and we end up having to shorten their walks to try and get them all out.
This morning, however, lots of willing dog-walkers arrived to spend time with the greyhounds, which was fantastic. Not only were we able to make sure that all the dogs were walked with time to spare, we were even able to use some of the larger paddocks to play with the dogs after their walks. These paddocks are really big (sometimes used by the resident equine community) and give the greyhounds a lot of room to really run and stretch their legs. Combine large paddocks with fluffy and squeaky toys, and you’ve got some very happy hounds!
About half of the dogs in the kennels were able to have a good run and play in the paddocks today, some understanding the game of Fetch a little better than others! Sam was a star: running after the toy, bringing it back and dropping it at your feet, then waiting patiently for you to throw it for him again. Parker ran around enjoying and entertaining himself with the toy. Potty Potter, well, he likes to run up and down by the path, toy in his mouth, showing off his toys to those dogs and humans walking past!
Sam
Parker
Potter
We’re always pleased to see new walkers, especially on weekdays when we tend to be quite thin on the ground (today was very unusual). If you’d like to come and spend some time with our hounds, just give the trust a call (0121 426 4810) and we’d be happy to hear from you and organise a time to come to the kennels. Walkers do need to be over 16 years old, but other than that we have very few restrictions.
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One of my friends, who shall remain nameless, was very confused when she met my (black) greyhound. “Oh!” She said. “But she’s black! I didn’t know they came in black, I thought they were all grey!”
“Blue,” I corrected her. She frowned.
“But aren’t they called greyhounds because they’re grey?” She asked.
“Clearly not,” I laughed, indicating the decidedly black greyhound sprawled at her feet.
The fact is that most greyhounds are black, probably due to the large number that are related to the most successful sires, who happen to be black. The vast majority of greyhounds in our kennels are black, probably about 90% at the moment. Black greyhounds are also the hardest to rehome, especially the black boys, and stay in our kennels much longer than the fawns, the brindles and the blues.
Probably because of the vast numbers of black greyhounds, those who aren’t black tend to stand out more, whereas the black dogs tend to blur together after a while, and it’s harder to tell them apart. Even those of us who spend a lot of time with the dogs at the kennels have to ask who’s who every so often! Yes, the black greyhounds tend to show when they’re greying more, and often don’t look as pretty whilst in kennels because their coats haven’t reached their full potential, but the truth is that the black dogs are just as gorgeous as the non-black dogs.
There’s no difference in temperament, and once these black beauties get into a home, are groomed more regularly, and get a few sardines to eat, their coats gleam and shine like no other colour will.
When we chose our greyhound, we weren’t bothered about colour. We wanted a dog based on their temperament and how well we got on together. It didn’t matter whether the dog matched our sofa or not, as the dog wouldn’t be on the sofa! (Little did we know…) We ended up with a black greyhound purely because she stole my heart the first time I walked her. She didn’t pay much attention to me on the walk: there was too much for her to see and do, but when I put her back in the kennel and sat down to give her and her kennel-mate a cuddle, she stood next to me and put her head on my shoulder. From that point on, I was hers, and she was mine. I’m sitting here writing this and she’s sleeping, curled up against me.
I wouldn’t be without our gentle, loving girl, and other owners of greyhounds say the same, no matter what their colour. So please, give the black beauties a chance. They’ll repay you with more love than you know.
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It’s been a slow month this month at the kennels. The weather has been unpleasant at times, the fields are either muddy or frozen, and most importantly, only a few dogs have packed their bags and left for their forever homes.
When things are slow, it’s always a bit of a sad time for us. We see the dogs, day in and day out, waiting patiently for somebody to love them, and nobody comes. We give them as much love and attention as we can, but we know it’s not the same as being in a home. Some of the dogs have been with us for a long time. Sometimes we know why these dogs are long-stayers, and sometimes we just can’t understand why these dogs have been overlooked. The one advantage of the dogs staying with us for a long time, however, is that we get to know them really well. And every dog gets a home, eventually.
Gavin
Gavin is one of our longest-staying hounds at the moment. He’s a lovely boy, who has been with us for so long because he’s waiting for the right person to come along, someone who will give him the time, attention and love he needs. When he first came to us, he was a very shy boy, who was so nervous he didn’t know what to do with himself. He was more wary around men than women. Gradually, he has settled and calmed down, but he still needs somebody with the experience to understand his quirks. He isn’t a fan of other greyhounds, particularly the bigger male dogs. However, he met the resident jack russell, Ruby, and played really nicely with her. We even took his muzzle off and he was the perfect gentleman, as you can see from this video clip:
Gavin likes people, and with time, patience and understanding he will come out of himself and feel more secure in the big wide world. He was really well-behaved when some of the volunteers took him for a walk up the Waseley Hills recently.
Bill
Bill, our handsome black and white boy is another of our long-stayers. Those of us who know him know what a gorgeous, loving boy he is. Unfortunately, when visitors come to meet him, he doesn’t show himself off to his best advantage. He gives the impression of not really wanting to go for a walk, and once out of his kennel has a worried look on his face, and seems to just want to go back to his kennel.
Bill is a bit of a nervous boy, but once he gets to know you he is really very affectionate. He’s a quiet, gentle boy, who has excellent manners. If you sit with him in his kennel he snuggles up to you for more and more cuddles. Don’t be put off by the first impression he gives; he only needs a little time, patience and love, and he will reward you with so much affection and adoration you’ll wonder why you didn’t take him home sooner!
Speedy
Speedy is another black boy, who has been with us for a while. We honestly don’t know why he’s been with us for so long, as he’s such a friendly, happy chappie. He’s a pleasure to be around, and has an enormous, thick black tail (the most impressive in the kennels!) that never stops wagging. He’s well-behaved on his walks and is a perfect gentleman. He’d be an ideal dog for a family who will play with him, and really enjoy him. Don’t be put off by the fact that he’s black, or the fact that he’s a boy. He’s got a heart of gold.
We know that this time of year is often slow; that money is tight, especially after Christmas and in the current economic climate, but if you are planning on homing a retired hound, why not come and meet some of our lovely hounds?
Don’t forget that we are one of Waitrose’s charities of the month for the month of February, at the Hall Green branch. Please put the green tokens given to you at the till in our collection box!
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Some of you may remember Coco, one of our black beauties. Coco was with us in May of this year, waiting for her forever home. When Coco was staying with us, we knew she would make a family very happy one day. At the kennels, she was always friendly and cheerful and a real pleasure to be around. We took her to the Three Counties Show in Malvern, and it was there that she met what would be her forever family, who took her home in June.
We were really pleased to hear how she was getting on recently, and it was such a lovely letter, we thought we’d share it with you all.
“We’ve just celebrated our first Christmas with Coco and wanted to share with you the joy she has brought into our lives.
We collected Coco from you in June and after some sleepless nights she eventually settled herself into our household. Creating a safe comfy crate for her in our house was the key for settling her at night. Slowly she gained confidence and started to approach us for comfort and affection. Equally she is loved by our children and has never been a cause for concern with our cat. She enjoyed her first holiday with us in Cornwall, running on the beach (well as fast as we could run with her on the lead!). She won 6th place at a GRWE fundraising event for the most beautiful eyes and recently we took her for a few days in a log cabin in the Forest of Dean. It has been a joy to watch her learn her new life and see her tail wagging. She still has her nervous moments with new people and over inquisitive dogs but has never ever shown a flicker of aggression. We all wish to thank you for bringing Coco into our lives and opening our eyes to this wonderful breed. We will continue to support RGT and GRWE events and spread the word of how rewarding it is to home a greyhound.”
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Some of the hounds at the kennels decided to get together and put together a little Christmas song for you all…
So on behalf of Gavin, Mouse, Bill, Bailey and Speedy (and the other hounds, who helped out behind the scenes): enjoy, and Merry Christmas!
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/uY69epHbpqZFN5DM
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Here at Hall Green RGT, we all know that greyhounds make the best pets ever. But, just in case anyone was unsure, here’s the evidence.
They’re big softies and always like a cuddle; whether from you or their favourite cuddly toy!
don’t take up too much room at all, and like to curl up nice and small.
They make a fantastic and occasionally ornamental addition to any garden.
They’re helpful around the house, and will even clear up after you.
They can entertain themselves for hours with a single squeaky toy.
And, last but not least, they especially like to help with wrapping Christmas presents! Exceedingly useful at this time of year, I’m sure you’ll agree!
Photos courtesy of Lily, who has settled into her forever home very well, and is looking forward to being spoilt rotten this Christmas!
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All the greyhounds at the kennels have started writing their letters to Santa, and telling him what they would like for Christmas. Having seen a few of them, one item seems to feature quite heavily. Somewhat unsurprisingly, it’s a comfy sofa to snooze on!
One of the hounds, Monty, was kind enough to share his letter with us.
Monty
Dear Santa,
My name is Monty, and I’m three years old. This will be my first Christmas in the rehoming kennels. I’m sad that I haven’t yet found my forever home and a family to love me. I’ve tried really hard to be a good boy this year, and I think (I hope!) that I’ve succeeded. I always show the volunteers how pleased I am to see them, and try to make sure that they feel really welcome when they come into my kennel by wagging my tail lots and trying to give them lots of kisses. I try to make our walks lots of fun, as I really appreciate being out in the big wide world. I never pull, however, and I am partial to a cuddle stop half-way round.
So, my Christmas wish list for this year is:
So, Santa, I really hope that you agree I’ve been a good boy, and I’m looking forward to seeing you on Christmas Eve. I can’t offer you a mince pie, I’m afraid, but I hope that a cuddle will do instead.
Love, Monty.
We’re holding a special Christmas walk this weekend at the Waseley Hills Country Park, from 10am to 1pm. There will be lots of greyhound merchandise available to buy (an ideal time to buy those hounds a Christmas Present!) and delicious cakes to eat. If you like dressing up, there will even be a prize for the best-dressed hound and handler! We’d really love to see you there.
In “other news”, those of you who were familiar with the portacabin at the kennels, and the state of the roof, will be relieved to know that we now have a new portacabin. It’s bigger, and much brighter, and best of all, the roof doesn’t leak! We still need to put some flooring in, but it’s a big improvement so far.
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Firstly, and most importantly, let me apologise for the exceedingly long break between posts on this blog. This has been due to moving house, a lack of internet access, and a certain telecommunications company taking forever to sort things out. (I won’t name names, but I’m sure I don’t need to…!) I’m sorry for the disruption.
But, finally, we’re back, and blog posts and twitter will be resuming service as normal. As we’ve said previously, if there’s anything you’d really like to know about or anything you’d like a post on then just let us know; either on the comments section here or on the facebook page and we’ll endeavour to answer it.
We’ve had a busy few months at the kennels. Lots of lovely hounds have packed their bags and moved off to their forever homes. This includes the fabulous greyhound couple, Prince and Amber, whose lucky day came at last. Wally, another of our long-stayers, also found his perfect place in life, and is settling in nicely. He often brings his family to the Waseley walks to say hello to us, and he’s doing really well.
We’ve also had lots of fundraising success with various events, such as the Hall Green RGT Fun Dog Show, which was a fantastic day out, with lots of fun, laughter, gorgeous greyhounds, and yummy cakes. We also held a fancy dress competition at the Halloween Waseley Walk, which was won by Cruella DeVille and, er, a dalmation!
A very well-deserved win, I’m sure you’ll agree!
Don’t forget to keep up to date with all the events coming up on the Hall Green RGT website. In particular, the 11th December is our Christmas Walk and Bazaar at the Waseley Hills. We’d love to see you there!
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