Saturday, December 31, 2011
Posted in
GAP
,|
Rialto Rosie
|
0
comments
 |
| Rosie's all set for a raging New Years! :) |
It's Time...
4 years ago
Update from foster care : Bree (Homebush Bree)
Posted in
GAP
,|
Homebush Bree
|
0
comments
"Miss Personality", Bree (Homebush Bree), is being fostered by Chez, Steve, Lauren and their greyhound Rusty (Classy Fort) in Taupo. They just sent us an update on the gorgeous girl:
What a fire cracker Bree can be! :)) When she's hungry she puts her head in the food bag and rattles it, she sleeps like a baby but likes to dangle her head over the side of her bed and grins constantly - in this mode we call her "Slack Alice" as she looks as though she as been out on the town, come home drunk, fallen half in/half out of bed but forgotten to take her false teeth out!
She has so much puppy in her that it is hard to remember that she is 6 in a couple of days time, she loves to try to chew my shoes but is quickly learning NO! In fact I think that Christmas 2011 will forever be known as the NO BREE Christmas for the rest of time as it is heard every 15 minutes or so when she is awake!!!
Rusty is taking it all in his stride either ignoring her or looking at her like she as arrived from a different planet but they do have fun hooning round and round the garden at full speed like things possessed!!!! They are so different - he is a relaxed laid back boy and she is so full of mischief ! :)
When she first arrived I thought that she had started to growl at Rusty but it turns out that she is gurtting at him in the hope that he will jump up and chase her and if he still ignores her she bounces and pounces in front of him head down, bum up and talk wagging furiously! So far he has joined in much to her chagrin - the only time they have at it is in the garden and then they fly round Hell for Leather play growling about 90kph - you just can't keep a straight face no matter how hard you try - we end up laughing our heads off and they come to a quick stop to see what we are laughing at - priceless... ;)
 |
| Bree and Rusty |
What a fire cracker Bree can be! :)) When she's hungry she puts her head in the food bag and rattles it, she sleeps like a baby but likes to dangle her head over the side of her bed and grins constantly - in this mode we call her "Slack Alice" as she looks as though she as been out on the town, come home drunk, fallen half in/half out of bed but forgotten to take her false teeth out!
 |
| Bree looking like a lush who has come home drunk, fallen half in/half out of bed and forgotten to take her teeth out - she really would make a fantastic drunk!!!! |
Rusty is taking it all in his stride either ignoring her or looking at her like she as arrived from a different planet but they do have fun hooning round and round the garden at full speed like things possessed!!!! They are so different - he is a relaxed laid back boy and she is so full of mischief ! :)
When she first arrived I thought that she had started to growl at Rusty but it turns out that she is gurtting at him in the hope that he will jump up and chase her and if he still ignores her she bounces and pounces in front of him head down, bum up and talk wagging furiously! So far he has joined in much to her chagrin - the only time they have at it is in the garden and then they fly round Hell for Leather play growling about 90kph - you just can't keep a straight face no matter how hard you try - we end up laughing our heads off and they come to a quick stop to see what we are laughing at - priceless... ;)
 |
| Cockroaching :) . |
 |
| Damn paparazzi have found me again! . |
 |
Nicked Rusty's bed again ...  |
Visit to a rest home last weekend
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Posted in
Cawbourne Snowy
,|
GAP
,|
Winsome Deluxe
|
0
comments
 |
| Snowy (Cawbourne Snowy) making a new friend |
I have been wanting to do this with greyhounds for a while - but other stuff always got in a way... So I was quite excited as Sue (Beryl's Mum ) and me made our way to Marton. Overseas, ex-racing Greyhounds are considered ideal prospects for therapy work in hospitals, hospices and rest homes.
On Saturday, Snowy (Cawbourne Snowy) and Beryl (Winsome Deluxe) joined other therapy dogs, mainly Labs/Retrievers. It was the very first time doing anything like this for both Beryl and Snowy -and it is just so amazing how well they did!
The Labradors/Retrievers from our club, most of them seasoned therapy dogs, did a wonderful job with the seniors: they were calm, performed tricks, were laying down at people's feet and not coming too close into people's faces as not to intimidate or scare them.
I handled Snowy, and I was again amazed just how different greyhounds are; Snowy, who has never ever done any therapy work, went and did the typical greyhound thing: he leaned on the residents, on their wheelchairs, he put his head gently in their lap, and looked into their eyes while gently sniffing residents' faces. He even kissed a few of them gently on the chin :)
He was AMAZING and a huge hit. :) I was so proud of him, and of his breed and their temperament.
Beryl took a while to get into it, but she did great too:
 |
| Beryl :) . |
 |
| Snowy wore a Santa hat :) |
 |
| The team :) |
Spion Rose Cup in Wanganui
Posted in
GAP
,|
greyhound racing
,|
Know Peace
,|
Spion Rose
,|
Terry Stanley
,|
Three Inch Nail
|
0
comments
Last two Fridays evenings I spent at Hatrick Raceway in Wanganui - Spion Rose Cup was held last week, and the qualifications were held the week before then.
I don't really know how qualifications and the grading and races exactly work -I just love seeing these amazing dogs doing what they love! :)
Danielle (who often handles her Bubba - Three Inch Nail), Sue (Beryl's Mum) and myself had a great time catching up with doggies and people!
A couple of GAP greyhounds came along with us too - they were hitching a ride with various trainers up to Auckland and Hamilton, to their new homes.
I took loads of photos... Some doggies, like the Spion Rose winner Puzzle (left) are very photogenic! :)
Terry (Terry Stanley) caught up with his trainer Kathy Wilson, before hitching a ride to his retirement home in Ashburton. How cute are they both? :)))
Danielle's Bubba (Three Inch Nail) won heat of the Group 1 Spion Rose Cup 2 weeks ago; here is a picture of him on the podium, handled by Danielle:
And a few more pictures of the winner (you can click on the pictures to see full size):
"Know Peace" was bred and raised in the Cleeve kennels, where Ashley (greyhound lover and trainer extraordinaire!) works. She just sent me this picture of Puzzle as a puppy !! SO CUTE!!!
And last but not the least:
One of the big challenges GAP faces is transporting newly adopted hounds around the country.
Many of them get adopted, for example, by a family in Auckland. However, then GAP kennel managers (Sonja and Irene) face yet another job : finding a ride for the dog to go to his new home. Many trainers help - if they are racing in Wanganui or Palmy, have free space in their trailer and if they live up North.
Some of our volunteers help too -by doing roadtrips to and from Sanson, taking dogs to their new homes. However, volunteers' time is limited, and trainers often dont have extra space in their vehicles and trailers.
As a result, sometimes it takes a week or even two weeks or more to find a ride for a greyhound who has a home already :( This of course means that that greyhound is taking space in the kennels or in a foster home, and as we all know, kennel space is VERY limited and foster homes are few. :( This slows the entire programme down...:(
IF we could get that greyhound to his/her new home faster -that means that another ex-racer can retire and come to GAP sooner!
Also, we have foster homes in Auckland -and sometimes fostered Auckland hounds need to be transported BACK to Sanson - after they dont need fostering any more, or need to go to their new home in, say, Wellington.
So this is where you can make a BIG difference.
Do you travel for work or pleasure, anywhere south of Auckland?
It does not have to be Palmerston North, or Wellington. If you come to Taupo regularly, for example, that can be a big help as we could easily meet you in Taupo and give you a greyhound to take to Auckland! How about your partner, friends, family members? Do you have a bach in Taupo maybe, which you come to often, or do you come skiing to Ruapehu over winter? Perhaps you have family in New Plymouth that you visit often? Maybe you have someone coming from Hawkes Bay who visits you often?
ALL these trips can make a huge difference to greyhounds and to GAP rehoming programme.
If you or anyone you know might be able to help with this, do contact me on favdich@yahoo.co.nz or just call the GAP kennels.
 |
| Gorgeous Puzzle (Know Peace) was the winner. On the picture with his trainer Jean Fahey. |
I don't really know how qualifications and the grading and races exactly work -I just love seeing these amazing dogs doing what they love! :)
Danielle (who often handles her Bubba - Three Inch Nail), Sue (Beryl's Mum) and myself had a great time catching up with doggies and people!
A couple of GAP greyhounds came along with us too - they were hitching a ride with various trainers up to Auckland and Hamilton, to their new homes.
I took loads of photos... Some doggies, like the Spion Rose winner Puzzle (left) are very photogenic! :)
Terry (Terry Stanley) caught up with his trainer Kathy Wilson, before hitching a ride to his retirement home in Ashburton. How cute are they both? :)))
 |
| Kathy Wilson and Terry Stanley saying goodbye :) |
 |
| The red fawn greyhound on the right is Janie (Janie Phoenix) who was hitching a ride to Auckland with Kathy. Kathy and her partner Steve have transported numerous GAP greyhounds over the years -thanks a million guys! xxx |
 |
| Danielle and Bubba :) . |
 |
| After the final - Know Peace, Little Mother, Benny Rox, and Danielle and Bubba :) . |
 |
| and the podium after the final ... |
 |
| Amazing Emma (Little Mother) was handled by her trainers' daughters Ella and Georgia... |
 |
| ...and she even had a bit of a lean onto this official who was presenting the winner with the prize! |
"Know Peace" was bred and raised in the Cleeve kennels, where Ashley (greyhound lover and trainer extraordinaire!) works. She just sent me this picture of Puzzle as a puppy !! SO CUTE!!!
 |
| Puzzle with one of his littermates :))) |
One of the big challenges GAP faces is transporting newly adopted hounds around the country.
Many of them get adopted, for example, by a family in Auckland. However, then GAP kennel managers (Sonja and Irene) face yet another job : finding a ride for the dog to go to his new home. Many trainers help - if they are racing in Wanganui or Palmy, have free space in their trailer and if they live up North.
Some of our volunteers help too -by doing roadtrips to and from Sanson, taking dogs to their new homes. However, volunteers' time is limited, and trainers often dont have extra space in their vehicles and trailers.
As a result, sometimes it takes a week or even two weeks or more to find a ride for a greyhound who has a home already :( This of course means that that greyhound is taking space in the kennels or in a foster home, and as we all know, kennel space is VERY limited and foster homes are few. :( This slows the entire programme down...:(
IF we could get that greyhound to his/her new home faster -that means that another ex-racer can retire and come to GAP sooner!
Also, we have foster homes in Auckland -and sometimes fostered Auckland hounds need to be transported BACK to Sanson - after they dont need fostering any more, or need to go to their new home in, say, Wellington.
So this is where you can make a BIG difference.
Do you travel for work or pleasure, anywhere south of Auckland?
It does not have to be Palmerston North, or Wellington. If you come to Taupo regularly, for example, that can be a big help as we could easily meet you in Taupo and give you a greyhound to take to Auckland! How about your partner, friends, family members? Do you have a bach in Taupo maybe, which you come to often, or do you come skiing to Ruapehu over winter? Perhaps you have family in New Plymouth that you visit often? Maybe you have someone coming from Hawkes Bay who visits you often?
ALL these trips can make a huge difference to greyhounds and to GAP rehoming programme.
If you or anyone you know might be able to help with this, do contact me on favdich@yahoo.co.nz or just call the GAP kennels.
Picture of ther day: Bonnie and Hootie :)))
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Posted in
GAP
,|
Iteru Kefa
|
0
comments
 |
| Just gorgeous ...Bonnie (Iteru Kefa) and her cat Hootie :) |
A new NZ greyhound blog!
Posted in
Bronze for Macos
,|
GAP
|
comments
Update your bookmarks: we have another New Zealand based greyhound blog! YEY!
This is wonderful news, as so far, we have had only three greyhound blogs in this country:
Greyhounds Can Sit, written by amazing GAP volunteer Sue,
Stanley's World, written by always entertaining Stanley (with a bit of help from his humans!),
and this one of mine of course.
And now, Mila (Bronze For Macos) has a blog too: Adventures Of Mila Grey .
Mila (nee Fiona) was one of our foster dogs; we are so proud of how well she has settled in with her new Mum and Dad, and are looking forward to many posts from her in the future!
Talking of blogs, Stanley has a great post on Animates Sylvia Park opening in Auckland. Greyhounds were in attendance, they charmed everyone and were very well behaved, despite the rabbits in the store!! :))
See Stanley's post and gorgeous pictures here:
http://bigdapto.blogspot.com/2011/12/animates-sylvia-park-grand-opening.html
Update your bookmarks: we have another New Zealand based greyhound blog! YEY!
This is wonderful news, as so far, we have had only three greyhound blogs in this country:
Greyhounds Can Sit, written by amazing GAP volunteer Sue,
Stanley's World, written by always entertaining Stanley (with a bit of help from his humans!),
and this one of mine of course.
And now, Mila (Bronze For Macos) has a blog too: Adventures Of Mila Grey .
Mila (nee Fiona) was one of our foster dogs; we are so proud of how well she has settled in with her new Mum and Dad, and are looking forward to many posts from her in the future!
Talking of blogs, Stanley has a great post on Animates Sylvia Park opening in Auckland. Greyhounds were in attendance, they charmed everyone and were very well behaved, despite the rabbits in the store!! :))
See Stanley's post and gorgeous pictures here:
http://bigdapto.blogspot.com/2011/12/animates-sylvia-park-grand-opening.html
 |
| Stanley fixating on a rabbit! :))) More hilarious pictures on Stanley's blog :) |
Greyhounds join Feilding Christmas Parade :)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Posted in
Cawbourne Snowy
,|
Chile Will He
,|
GAP
,|
Lucy
,|
Powerful Enemy
,|
Unplugged
,|
Winsome Deluxe
|
0
comments
 |
| Oscar (Unplugged) loved the crowd and the affection :))) |
We had six greyhounds attanding the parade:
Beryl (Winsome Deluxe), Stanley (Chile Will He) -certified CGC Foundations dogs.
Our Lucy The Ferret - who has CGC Silver certificate.
And by special permission from our instructor, Snowy (Cawbourne Snow), who will sit his exam soon :) and also two Sanson greyhounds currently up for adoption: Oscar (Unplugged) and Troy (Powerful Enemy).
There were thousands of people lining the streets - our little town was packed to the brim! :) Greyhounds and their friends from the club had a great time charming the crowds. I gave away ALL the GAP leaflets I had :) Sue and myself have taken loads of pictures:
 |
| Greyhounds leading the way :) |
 |
| Stanley (Chile Will He) with his Mum Sarah . |
 |
| Troy (Powerful Enemy) with the kids :) . |
 |
| 11yr old Emma did a great job of handling Snowy . |
 |
| All dogs were dressed up; Lucy wore her GAP snowman collar and a matching hat :))) . |
 |
| Oscar looked amazing in his Santa Bear hat and collar :) |
 |
| Snowy was a Christmas tree :)))) |
 |
| He also tried Lucy's hat :))))) |
 |
| Sue taking pictures :) . |
 |
| Beryl, Lucy and Snowy . |
 |
| Gorgeous Stanley :) . |
 |
| Oscar (in the crowd on the left) truly loved it! . |
Update on Zaha (All In One)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Posted in
All In One
,|
GAP
|
0
comments
We just got an update from Anna, who adopted Zaha (All In One) a month ago. Anna wrote:
It has been a whirlwind of new experiences for us both. Right from when Sonja first described her to me, Zaha ticked all the temperament boxes, and when I met her for the first time I knew she was the dog for me. She was a little larger than I was expecting - at an average male size she looks quite a sight walking down the street with less-than-average-height me! :)
Zaha is such a confident and relaxed girl she has fitted right into my life, and I was so pleased to see how calm she was with my oh-so-excited 2yr old nephew, who has entitled her "big hot dog". Their picture together below:
She has really settled in at home, and most nights now takes herself off to bed in her den under the stairs.
We have been going to obedience classes, and can now do 'down', 'sit', 'wait', 'stay' and 'come' at home, although all bets are off once we're out the gate - the world is way too exciting to be worried about all that stuff! Zaha has also mastered outside stairs, and is fine going up inside stairs, but we are still working on going down - it's a pretty big ask when you bridge three or four steps at a time!
Pictures of the day : Luke (Swannoa Snipper)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Posted in
GAP
,|
Swannoa Snipper
|
comments
.
We just got a few pictures from Luke, who now lives in Wellington. Luke certainly looks very happy in his new home :)
We just got a few pictures from Luke, who now lives in Wellington. Luke certainly looks very happy in his new home :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
