Update from foster care: cute little Lilly :)

By Fatima |

Friday, March 30, 2012

0 comments

Gorgeous little Lilly is currently in foster care with Claire and her family in Christchurch. Claire just sent us an update on her:

Lilly is a lovely little girl, very gentle, quiet and loving.  Lilly has been in our home for almost a week now and has gotten used to the life in the house, including TV and the wooden floor boards. 

She is still very unsure of the vacuum cleaner and heads straight for the nearest exit whenever I
get it out! :)
 Lilly also has a wonderful playful side and is enjoying playing soccer with the children and running around the house with my own greyhound Ben.
She also is a bit of a collector of shoes, remote controls and weirdly hairbrushes : )
Lilly still has her stiches in at the moment from being de-sexed so we are taking things easy,  not letting her run  too much - but I can tell she can't wait for a good zoom around!

Update from Syd (Syd Phoenix)

By Fatima |

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

0 comments

Gorgeous Syd (Syd Phoenix) was adopted by Kirsty and went to live in Lower Hutt in January this year. 
Kirsty just sent us an update:

When we applied to adopt a greyhound we were hoping for a slightly older smaller girl we were matched to Syd, who was anything but!!!  And -we couldn't be happier :)

Syd has figured out pet life well:  cats rule, TV remotes aren't chew toys, and if its cold and raining a pretend-pee gets him back inside quicker!

Syd loves GAP runs and did well at his first GAP event charming the public, he has made lots of
friends and has a fan club of kids from the neighbourhood too.
He has learnt heaps of tricks: sit, down, shake and stay -all these he will show off in his Canine Good CItizen classes which we are about to join :)

We look forward to having heaps of fun  with Syd and seeing even more of his personality in the coming months :)

Ginger cat invasion!

Meet our new foster doggie: famous Regent Hurricane (or, for friends, Scratchy :)

By Fatima |

Monday, March 26, 2012

0 comments

Scratchy found a doggie couch in no time!
(You can click on photos to see full size)

I was so excited when I heard we would be fostering NZ Derby winner Regent Hurricane :)
I love all greyhounds, but top racing doggies are my love and my passion. I love their temperament and their demeanor - they are extra special dogs and a joy to adopt. 

And Scratchy -well, he is truly amazing (in case you are wondering why the name - his syndicate was called 'Scratchy Syndicate' :)
Scratchy is the gentlest cuddle monster, very affectionate big soft black doggie (he raced at 33-34kg). He has the cutest face and gorgeous hazel eyes :) He is a happy, waggy boy who LOVES cuddles and hums when you scratch his ears. He is just precious :)
Scratchy is very responsive, and listens well to instructions. He LOVES his toys and his bed :)

He was trained by Denis and Pam Schofield - my Louie's trainers :) And during his very successful career, he won NZ Derby race, in April 2011. Here is the picture of Scratchy and his trainers after that win:

Scratchy after winning NZ Derby race in April 2011, with Denis, Pam , Ingrid and David

 Scratchy loves everybody: people, kids, other dogs. Last week we took him to have a run and play with Ben The Corgi -they had a great time running around together with Louie and Lucy:

Scratchy and Ben The Corgi

Ben The Corgi chased Scratchy all over the paddock and never gave up!

Yesterday, Scratchy helped out at the GAP stand at a local event too. :) He met many people and got many cuddles :) He was a real pro and worked the whole morning - I hope he gets adopted by someone who wants to get involved in promotional greyhound events etc. Scratchy would enjoy that!
Here are some pics we took of Scratchy in action:

Scratchy (left) and our Lucy proudly wearing their GAP vests

Getting cuddles :)

Making new friends :)

Cute Scratchy!

Scratchy (left) and Lucy having a break
.

Cuddle monster :)

Ashley's puppies win again !

By Fatima |

Friday, March 23, 2012

0 comments

.
I have written about Ashley and her gorgeous greyhounds already, here is the link to that post. Ashley is only 19 years old and these puppies are the first ones she has trained for racing - and they are doing so well!

Last week, two of her puppies (well, I still call them puppies, but they are big doggies now :) did great at Addington: Lilly (Silvia Sue) got first, and Sophie (Blonde Tori) was third.
Ashley sent me this podium picture from last week:

Ashley on the podium with Lilly (in white rug), first place,
and Sophie (in red rug) coming third.
 Ashley is holding Lilly , her Dad is the guy in a hat , standing just behind Ashley :)
.

Beautiful Lilly passing the winning post

And Ashley also sent me these gorgeous pictures of Lilly and Sophie when they were puppies:

Lilly as a puppy :)
.

Puppy Sophie :)
.

Sophie as a grown up doggie :)
.

Grown up Lilly :)

Picture of the day: Smig and Toots :)

By Fatima | 0 comments

Little Toots looking after Smig (Son of Smig) after him having a tooth out today

Update from Spice (Jetsun Wilkie) and Grace (Peace Icon)

By Fatima | 0 comments

Alison from Auckland adopted her first greyhound, Grace (Peace Icon) , in April last year. And recently, another girl, Spice (Jetsun Wilkie) joined their pack :)

Alison just sent us an update on her gorgeous greyhound girls:

Spice has settled in well and is not surprisingly the livelier of the two (Grace is still her calm lovely self, though she seems to be the boss which is just as it should be). They have some great following games in the garden and have both now met my son’s border collie who seems quite happy with them.

This picture above is of both of them with a friend after a great run at the beach – the first time Spice was off leash except for running round in the back garden. They had a lovely time with there and we’re hoping to go back this weekend if tides and rain permit! One of my students is in the picture with them and when I took them both to The Domain when there was an event there for all students in University of Auckland Halls, heads turned. They got a huge amount of attention and loved the cuddles they got.

Spice (left) and Grace with friends :)

Spice is a huge cuddler and you can see on the picture above she’s popular with the younger members of the family too!

 Just for the record though, anyone who thinks greyhounds are picky eaters hasn’t met these two – anything at any time! Spice has to wear muzzle on the lead just to stop her grazing on inappropriate things (chicken bones, banana skins, whatever) on the way. Grace learned not to and Spice is getting better tho :) . Spice is also way more interested in cats and would chase if given a chance...something I’m slowly teaching her isn’t acceptable!

They both are great additions and I would be lost without them.

Meet handsome Ricky (Know Help)

By Fatima |

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

0 comments

.
Handsome Ricky (Know Help) recently arrived to GAP Amberley and is up for adoption. Young greyhound trainer Ashley Bradshaw used to work with Ricky while he was racing, and she sent me a few of his pictures she took (thanks a million Ashley!).
Ashley also wrote this about Ricky:
Ricky is a gorgeous boy, a lovely quiet dog and one of the cleanest dogs I’ve ever met -he always left his bed in perfect nick! He also has a lovely personality, a great temperament - he was always so  patient with all the crazy greyhound puppies in the racing kennels. :)
 Ricky will be one of the most loyal greyhounds to own, he will be great with children , he is a true patient gentleman.
Not to mention that he is also very handsome, amazing looking dog, and brilliant on the lead. He is sure to steal everyones heart :)

Ricky at the races
.

And in his racing kennels

Meet beautiful Milo (Kapital)

By Fatima | 2 comments

Gorgeous Milo (click on the photo to see full size)

Milo (Kapital) just arrived to GAP Sanson and her trainer (Deb Edlin) sent us these beautiful photos.
Stunning doggie or what? :)
(you can click on photos to see full size)
I met Milo the other day and she is very friendly, petite, cute, cuddly silver grey doggie, very unusual color. Her profile on NZGRA says that she is black but that is because she looked black as a puppy :) According to her trainer -the tips of her puppy fur were black and she got marked as black, but underneath her fur was a blue/fawn. By the time she reached two years old she had changed to the colour she is now -silvery blue grey.  Her trainer also told me that every time Milo raced she got questioned as to whether she was the same dog! (luckily, earbrands don't lie : )
Milo spent a while living in her trainer's house too -so she is well prepared for pet life :)

This is what Deb wrote about her baby Milo:

Milo came to me at just a tad over 3 months old. She was my second greyhound, she was and remains my beautiful baby girl. Sam (a white and black greyhound puppy pictured with her)  was also purchased as a racing dog and companion for her. He is 2 months younger. They were brought up together, played together, ran together, and slept together until they were 10 months old.

I am not sure which one is Milo -but aren't they all SO cute?! :)
.

Milo showed early promise but was crowded in her first few races. She didn't respond well to the hustle and bustle of racing, and ran her races accordingly. She only had 24 race starts for a win and 2nd placing. She ran her last race on the 31st of October, 2011, and then was moved inside the house with me.

Stunning: Milo at Wanganui track
.

Milo at Manawatu track

She loved being a house dog, and always lived happily within the rules. She loves kids, she loves human companionship, she is affectionate, and very, very bright. She has always slept on a purple mink blanket, as do all my greyhounds :).
She has always had squeaky toys, balls, and tug ropes to play with in the pen even as an adult dog -she loves them! She has always lived on a fully fenced section and would climb the big log in her pen to watch the world go by on the other side of the fence:

Milo and a friend on a big log :)
.

Milo captured a carrot!
.

Milo was always the queen of the castle. She loves walks, and was a regular at the beach. She loved to chase seagulls into the sea and would often disappear into the waves. This would send chills up my spine btw!!!

She is a beautiful wee girl who deserves a wonderful loving forever home. I know there is such a place, with people who will love her like I do. It is very difficult to part with one of your babies and I write this with tears in my eyes. My family and I will miss her deeply.