Photos from Greyt Greyhound Gathering now available to order!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010
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(all photos by Trefor Ward)



I could not attend the very first GGG (Greyt Greyhound Gathering) held last weekend in Waikato :( I heard that it was great fun!
I am still compiling pictures I got from Helen, Sue and others (thanks guys!) to feature here.
But in the meantime, official photographer for the event, Trefor Ward, has put his photos on his website, and they are available for purchase. Here is the preview:



Helen and her gorgeous boys, Cruzer (Charlston Kid) and Enzo (Micro Benny)

Tom with Bobbie and Fitz
There are LOADS of gorgeous photos, have a look here:
http://www.treforward.com/ggg/photos.html

Update from Roy (Big Rig Baz)

Monday, November 29, 2010
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Cute doggie :)
Well it's been three weeks since I came to my new home and I'm settling in nicely. My owners keep disappearing during the day, then one of them pops in around lunchtime so I'm not so sad. In fact, she's caught me unawares sleeping on the deck twice now, so I think I don't mind this being alone business so much anymore.
I think I like the water, though am not too fussed by it at the moment. Yesterday we went out to Raglan and dipped our toes in the ocean which was cool.


Dad and me

Yes, I like the sea! :)

With Mum and Dad

I like the camera too!
Today I took part in the Greyt Greyhound Gathering walk along the Waikato River. This was great fun and I got to meet loads of other dogs who look like me, as well as a bunch of others that looked really weird, but smelled like dog so I didn't mind them hanging around.

Me and Mum at Greyt Greyhound Gathering

There's another four-legged furball in the house called Stitch, she hasn't come very close to me yet but likes to sit on the couch and look at me from a distance. I reckon one of these days she'll be game enough to come over and say hi properly, in the meantime I don't worry about her.

My owners say I have great manners and I've learned all sorts of things already. For some reason I have to wait before I can eat my dinner or when I'm given a bone, so I humour them and play the game.

Other than that they call me a 'good boy' a lot, so figured I must be doing something right! I heard them say the other day that they can't find anything to complain about, so I'll just keep doing what I do. :)
Love, Roy (Big Rig Baz)

Playing with my new friend Nefa :)

Ellie and Chase pass the CGC Foundations exam!

Saturday, November 27, 2010
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Ellie and Chase doing their exam;
NZ Kennel Club Assessors looking on
Today was a big day:  Ellie and Chase have passed their Canine Good Citizen Foundations Assesment! They  have been training for this in our dog club for a while now.
We all watched their exam today (in scorching heat!:) and we are so thrilled that they passed!

We are all SO proud of these two clever girls! They have achieved an amazing thing, and they are both so young , Ellie being only 10, and Chase only 2 :)

Congratulations Ellie and Chase - YOU ROCK! Check out the gorgeous pictures that Ellie's Mum Sonja took today (you can click on pictures to enlarge them):

OK Chase, lets do it...

Two clever blonde girls :)

Ellie and Chase with NZKC Assessor

Exam in progress (the first part of exam takes 20-25 minutes)

Wait there Chase...

Ok... :)

Recall after 'wait'...

Perfect lead manners...

Tied supervised separation test

Tied supervised separation test:
'Just wait there quietly Chase; I'll be back in several minutes...'

Good doggies... (one is clearly prettier than the others :)))

Back home after the exam: Two tired girls after their big day!!
A bit of a background of 'Canine Good Citizen' exam:

Since the 1950s, Dog Obedience Clubs have been at the forefront of dog training throughout the country. Clubs provide basic Domestic Dog training classes for responsible dog owners. They teach the owner how to train the dog while showing people how to ensure their dog becomes a great lifetime companion.
'Canine Good Citizen' goes a step further. Dogs are trained and then tested in simulated everyday situations in a relaxed atmosphere. Dogs and their owners are identified and rewarded for the training and demeanour to be reliable family members. Canine Good Citizen ensures that dog can be a respected member of the community because the dog is trained to be well mannered at home, in public, and around other dogs.
Testing requires an assessment by a recognised New Zealand Kennel Club Assessor.
Some examples of basic aspects tested (as part of Canine Good Citizens assesment) include:
*Appearance and grooming (dog should welcome being groomed and examined by an appointed person)

*Food manners (food being consumed by strangers in front of the dog, who should not react; also handler has to demonstrate the 'wait' comment when giving food

*Accepting friendly strangers (dog has to be patted by a stranger -head and body -WITHOUT breaking the positon selected by the trainer( sit, stand or down)

* Walking in a controlled manner with distractions and through people (to heel, on lead, including the HALT command)

*Remaining calm while tied up (Tied supervised separation; dog tied up in a selected position (sit, down , to be left for 5 minutes while the handler converses with a group of people at least 20 paces away; upon handler's return, dog should not jump or be over-enthusiastic with greeting)

* Control around other dogs

*Recall to handler

*Supervised separation (handler leaving the dog with a stranger in a selected position and going out of sight for 2 minutes)

NZ Kennel Club officials were very impressed with Ellie and Chase, and their performance at the test :)
This is just wonderful for GAP and greyhounds in general, and we hope it will dispell the myth that greyhounds can't be trained in obedience etc.
We strongly suggest to greyhound owners to enroll their dog in CGC course in their local dog club.To find out which clubs offer the course, as well as to find out more details, please go to NZ Kennel Club website:
NZ Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen webpage (click here to open in a new window)

Picture of the day : Napier sometime last week :)

Friday, November 26, 2010
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(click on the picture to enlarge )

Update from Wolf (Thrilling Wolf)

Thursday, November 25, 2010
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Wolf chilling out on the couch :)
Wolf (Thrilling Wolf) has recently been adopted by Margaret and Peter from Waikanae, joining their greyhound girl Sally (Beach Street) :)

Peter and Margaret (and their cat Timmy, albeit reluctantly!) adopted Sally in August this year, and decided that they would like a friend for her (I am happy to report that adopting a second greyhound is a growing trend!) So recently,  handsome Wolfie was matched to them.

Margaret and Peter sent me these cutest pictures:
Wolf and Sally sharing a couch :)




Just like Sally, Wolf has been an accomplished racer. It is quite amazing that Sally and Wolf have actually raced against each other, in Auckland, 03 November 09 - and Sally came first and Wolfie second!!! What a pair! :)
Wolf with his Mum Margaret

Lacey (Snow Blind) and her new friend Rove The Ginger Cat

Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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Gorgeous Lacey (Snow Blind) is a 3 year old white girl up for adoption. She is chilling out at the GAP kennels while waiting for her perfect home :)

.This morning she made a new friend - resident cat Rove! Sonja  took some pictures - aren't they a cute couple? :)
Sonja (GAP Kennel Manager) says:
Earlier today we brought Lacey into our reception area with Bailey the GAP cat (this is part of a temperament test that every GAP greyhound goes through).  Lacey gave Bailey a polite sniff but Bailey, being Bailey, just eyeballed her and Lacey got offended...
Time for her to meet Rove (another GAP cat), we thought! As you can see from these photos, Lacey is a dog who would enjoy interacting with a kind cat. She politely and gently sniffed Rove all over and wagged her tail in delight as he weaved himself gently through her legs and snuggled up to her.
After 10 minutes of this interaction, Lacey decided it was time for her beauty sleep (which she gets plenty of, as you can see)!






And last but not the least: Bailey, another GAP cat :)
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Our cute foster girl Bess (Cawbourne Bess)

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Bess in her signature position :)
Cute Bess has been with us for a few weeks now -and we are so enjoying fostering the gorgeous white girl :)
Bess has done it all - she emigrated to NZ from Australia, raced extensively with couple of trainers, and then had puppies, before coming to GAP.
Ever since Bess arrived here she has been the most perfect 'house guest' - very polite, never had an accident inside, and follows all the house rules to the T. She also helps with gardening: she follows me every evening when i water the garden, and tries to play with a waterhose! :) We hope that Bess will find a forever home with a keen gardener (!) :)Oh and did I say she is also SO cute?
Bess loves sleeping and sleeps upside down, for hours, in the most weird positions:



And she LOVES sunbathing!
Despite being a couch potato, Bess is VERY playful and she LOVES her toys! She loves running afetr toys and chasing and 'killing' them.. . She is still obsessed with her squeaky raindeer! :)

She also mouths your hands in play (very gently though, it is very cute!) like a puppy, although she is 4 years old. She also has one of the BIGGEST greyhound smiles we have ever seen, she bares all her teeth and smiles when she is happy! She jaw –wrestles with Lucy and Cilla too :)
We love all our foster greyhounds, and all of them are special - but Bess is VERY clever, very soft and emotional doggie.

She is not too confident dog - so in her new home, she will be always at the bottom of the pack. She is a true people-dog, looks to us for guidance and asks 'permission' to do anything...it is very endearing when she stands in front of one of the bedrooms, and looks at us 'May I go in...?' :)
She has fitted beautifully in our pack, currently consisting of Louie and Lucy (of course!) and our other foster girl Cilla.  

With Lucy :)
Bess is not suitable for homes with cats, but she lives with our cat Mitzi and has learned to pretty much leave her alone.

Bess has made a couple of good friends too. Besides Lucy, Louie and Cilla, Bess LOVES Beryl and Frankie (particularly Frankie -she is slightly obsessed with him - but then, most of our foster greyhounds are!), her gardening buddy is Sam The Samoyed, and when we go to the riding school, she hangs out with Benjamin The Corgi :)

Bess with Ellie and Benjamin The Corgi

Those horses are HUGE! Better stay away...
Ellie knows a lot about these giant animals...
I am going to lean on her while we are at this weird place!

Gardening with foster-Nana Yvonne
and buddy Sam The Samoyed
(Note from Bess: When I met Sam the first time, I could not believe my eyes! He looks like a giant lure! And his tail looks EXACTLY like a lure! I almost felt sorry for the poor guy!! I mean really, what sort of look is this?! Sam is VERY cool though, and we share the same passion for gardening :)


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