Nightrave greyhounds blog: Update from Riley (Utar Big Rig)

By Fatima |

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Riley and his big sister Mouse

Riley's new Dad Graeme sent me this update and lovely pics (thanks a million Graeme!)

Wow...it's been a whirlwind couple of months for Boof. First though, lets change that name!! He's now called Riley...I'll explain later.
He finished racing in September, then had a brief spell at the kennels in Sanson before heading to Auckland for some time in foster care. His first week in Auckland was with Margaret, but there was a little too much stimulation for him there. He's a very inquisitive dog and is interested in everything that is going on around him, which is great for him, but not so good for everyone else.

We'd expressed an interest in him, so Irene asked if we'd like to foster him with a view to adopt. We have a quiet house in the boonies with only us, one (at the minute) cat and we already have a hound (Mouse, 'Sugar Mouse'), so he would have some company. She's very laid back and is a great contrast to him, but it was a good atmosphere for him to get used to being a pet.

Graeme with Mouse and Riley

The first couple of weeks were a bit full on. There were some toiletting issues to get sorted first. If he needed to pee...he would just pee...anywhere! It's a good job that we have lino in our kitchen. So lots and lots of trips to the garden. He would also pee in the garage (his racing kennel was on concrete so we can see why). We think a couple of accidents were sheer from relief that we'd come home after being at work all day :). We still have the odd pool in the garage when we get home, but we've just about got a lid on the problem. He will, however, pee to order in the garden.

He has chewed the toilet door handle a few times in a bid to escape the bathroom (he has access to the garage and the back yard through the day)...but that's only because he doesn't have opposable thumbs with which to open it. He managed to escape from Margaret's place too...a proper little Houdini.

He's very clever, and has learned to sit for treats. We're working on the 'shake a paw' thing now, and he's almost there.

We think a number of lessons at dog training will help him next year, as he has lots of energy to use up. He also loves to chase the ball, and will happily bring it back for you to throw again.
His name change came about because when he's happy to see you, he wiggles and dances from side to side. We were going to call him Wriggly, but it's a bit of a mouthful. That and the fact that he riled me up by chewing the doorknob...Riley was a good compromise. We also found he has an uncle called 'Run Riley Run'.
Now that he's been here a couple of months, he has settled right down and he's going to live with us for good. He's still full of beans and will sing us out of bed in the morning, but we're very taken with him. We're pleased that he hasn't lived up to the name he was given, but has instead proved to be a very clever dog.