Update on Bonnie (Skidaddle)

By Fatima |

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

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We just got an update and some cute pictures from Bonnie's new Mum Rosey, who wrote:

We were soo excited to get Bonnie (nee Opal), we could hardly contain our excitement, it seemed like I had been checking the website forever and seeing all the wonderful doggies up for adoption and wondering which
one will be ours. But when the timing was right we went on a 'road trip' ... just to the park... ok so the park happened to be a few hours away from home but the kids had no idea till we pulled up the drive and then the squealing commenced!

And of course we had to stop a couple of times on our way home to show her off... even popping into New World Waikanae to show Robyn ! Many pats were given by passers by!
The first few days were interesting: a big learning curve for us, and I'm sure Bonnie rolled her eyes at us many times!, as she patiently waited for us to get up to speed with having such a wonderful creature in the family!
Firstly we had to ignore her somewhat so she could concentrate on settling into her new surroundings......oh yeah that sounds easy enough... but not so easily put into practice... especially for 8yr old little girls!

We worked through the "do you think she needs to go to the toilet?" (as she snored in her bed...) note to self even snoring doggy needs to go to the toilet other wise we have puddle to mop up in morning!


She is so cute when she plays with her toys, throwing them up in the air and catching them again and running around the house and yard with them just like a puppy... not so cute when its the kids favourite teddy or my
laptop cable, but we are learning to be much tidier (ahh well its a work in progress!)

And its loads of fun seeing her try to catch her tail, and run laps around the yard, with now a well worked in track left in her wake!

And lastly getting our lazy butts moving in the evening for our end of the day walk, who would've known how much fun it is to go walking at night even in the rain... its so quiet and lovely...and quiet doesn’t happen often in a house full of kids!
She is so lovely and we are so lucky :o)

Opal and George :)

By Fatima |

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

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.
Yesterday we took our foster greyhounds Opal and George, together with Lucy, for a run at our friend's lifestyle block.
Louie could not come along as he has pulled one of his muscles and has to rest - so we only had this trio:

Lucy, George and Opal. It was a hot day, and this picture was taken after the 'run'
they had in a paddock-'the run' lasted maybe a minute! After that -it was all about  mooching around
and relaxing in the shade :)

Opal and George

Opal with Anne
,

Cute George
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Opal in a shady spot she found :)
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George
.

Lucy: Where did those foster dogs go?

I guess they'll be fine, I am going to have a nap...

Opal with Anne and Rachel

Adopt a dingo!

By Fatima |

Thursday, December 23, 2010

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Cute little Opal (Skidaddle) is our Christmas foster greyhound! She has been with us for just under a week  - she is a playful unraced greyhound puppy given to GAP by the lovely Maxine and Mike Lozell.
However, we think that Maxine and Mike have given us a dingo, not a greyhound!!!! :)
Just check out her ears! (you can click on pictures to see full size)

In case you are wondering, Opal is NOT brown color! She is black, but she still has her
 soft brown puppy coat on :) I have been slowly taking it out with a FURMINATOR, so
that is why she looks all patchy :) She has a lovely black coat underneath ...

Opal is very young (she is only just over 1 yr old :) and VERY playful! She wants to explore everything and is very active :) Greyhound puppies are not like your average retired racer -they are way more active and require more exercise and a regular run.
As Opal is so young -she will need some training in her new home. She is very playful and investigative! :) She loves stealing cushions off the couch (we are working on leaning that that is a no-no) and is completely obsessed with stealing shoes and chewing them LOL (we have totally shoe-proofed the house !:)))
Opal is a FUN dog suitable for a busy/active home, and for someone with a sense of humour! She will need some training in her new home, and lots of stimulation.  However, she is very clever and picks up things very fast! She has never had an accident inside, comes to us when called and sleeps through the night.
She is very cute, small girl with a lovely smile :)
As it has been so hot recently, we have installed a paddling pool in the garden for the dogs to cool down in. Opal  has the BEST time there, she throws herself into the pool at full speed, splashing water everywhere, and she also 'digs' in the pool to make it splash even more:

Excuse the mountain of mulch in the background! :)

Opal LOVES her soft toys  too :)

In action!

Rachel teaching Opal how to play with the Kong

Having a snooze on her bed :)

Update 25/12:
We took Opal to the velodrome and the river yesterday :) She loves water and had a great time 'helping' Frankie retrieve sticks :

Update, January 12th:
Opal is learning SO many things and is just delightful! :) I have taught her recall - when i let her off for a run and call her back, she gallops back with a huge grin!
She is lovely in the house, has settled into the routine, and is so low-maintenance, happy to sleep on whatever bed is free. :) She has learned to leave the couch cushions alone, and we are doing very well on overcoming her shoe obsession!
It has been very hot recently so she sleeps a lot during the day, and in the evenings it is all on -she loves swimming in the river! She is great with all other dogs -she can get a bit scared of BIG dogs, but that will change in time.

During the recent heat wave , Opal simply went and flopped
in the river for a little break :)

We got her coat much better too, most of her puppy coat is now gone. Here she is today:

Opal with Rachel and our other foster greyhound Tommy (National Debt)