Happy birthday Riley!

By Fatima |

Sunday, July 10, 2011

0 comments

.
Gorgeous Riley (Utar Big Rig) celebrated his 3rd birthday today!
Riley has recently  been diagnosed with benign auto-immune mediated tumour in one eye. That eye had to be removed, so Riley is now a one-eye doggie.  He has recovered great, and still looks so cute:

Birthday boy!

And he can still have a mighty run with his sister Mouse (Sugar Mouse) :) See this recent video taken by their Dad Graeme:

And one of the stills:

Mouse and Riley working the beach :)

Don't forget...I still got one good eye,
and I can spot a treat from half a mile away!



Cutest video of Mouse and Riley :)

By Fatima |

Sunday, June 5, 2011

0 comments

.
Check out this cute video of  Mouse (Sugar Mouse ) and Riley (Utar Big Rig)  posted by their Dad Graeme :)
Graeme says that Mouse loves to spin...Riley looks on. The barking is all in fun, although to the untrained ear it sounds like they're killing each other!!! :)

This and that ...:)

By Fatima |

Thursday, February 17, 2011

0 comments

.
This post is a bit of a mixture as I wanted to post about a few things today  :)

First , our gorgeous foster greyhound Snapper (Hagler). OMG he is just the cutest! He is a small black guy  -so affectionate and so cuddly! He has been with us for less than a week - and he has already settled in :) He is lovely, sleeps through the night, is great with all other dogs, sensitive and responsive doggie :)

I know I am cute :)

Snapper was given to GAP by  Taranaki greyhound trainer Don Kettlewell. I bet all of you are wondering: why would anyone name a dog 'Snapper'? Well, in case of our gorgeous foster boy -he 'snaps' at you in delight -he snaps his teeth while smiling and wagging his tail :)
He is so affectionate and loving that he snaps his teeth in delight, while wagging his tail furiously! It usually happens when he is trying to lick your face -it is hilarious, seeing all those teeth snapping, and lips trembling , and tail wagging :)
BTW -for those of you who dont know : greyhounds often snap their teeth in delight, and 'smile' with all their teeth on display! My Louie does it sometimes too -and i love it :)  It is very cute!
 Snapper is a gorgeous doggie :) He has fitted in great in our pack -here he is with Louie:

Louie (forefront) and Snapper

And Snapper is also great with our cat Mitzi :) She does scare him a bit, but I am sure, given time, they would become friends.

Just look at that little face :)

Also, today is Mouse's and Riley's Dad's birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAEME!!! -from all of us at GAP! :)
We dont have the birthday picture of  Graeme himself, but his hounds Mouse (Sugar Mouse) and Riley (Utar Big Rig) sent us a picture of them celebrating their Dad's birthday:

Happy Birthday Dad!

And last but not the least - the funniest picture and a blog post from Beryl's Mum Sue.

Beryl: WHAT the hell is that?!

Beryl (Winsome Deluxe) and her brother Frankie found a seal on Tangimoana beach!!!
See more pics and read all about it on Sue's blog:
http://greyhoundscansit.blogspot.com/2011/02/frankie-and-beryls-birthday-treat.html

Update from Riley (Utar Big Rig)

By Fatima |

Saturday, January 15, 2011

0 comments

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.

Cornwallis beach

Riley's new best friend is the oscillating fan. He was a bit unsure at first, but now
he's permanently attached. It has been very hot today.

After a run at Kakamatua, all you want to do is sleep and rest your weary legs (on your  sister!)
.

Riley's previous owners have sent us some baby pics. How cute is he?

Racing around the garden...it's all too much.

Mouse & Riley video

By Fatima |

Sunday, November 21, 2010

0 comments

.
Graeme just sent me this video of Mouse (Sugar Mouse) and Riley (Utar Big Rig).
Riley LOVES retrieving that ball! :)

Mouse (Sugar Mouse) with her Dad Graeme

By Fatima |

Monday, October 18, 2010

0 comments

.
Mouse's Dad Graeme sent me a video of Mouse (Sugar Mouse) and himself having a run at one of West Auckland beaches :-)
Enjoy! (you can hear the waves in the background too!)


.

Update from Mouse (Sugar Mouse)

By Fatima |

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

0 comments

Mouse with Graeme

I just got an email from Mouse's new dad Graeme, who wrote:
It's about time we dropped a line to let you know how Mouse (Sugar Mouse) has settled into life in the big city. It's almost 3 weeks since she travelled up to Auckland from Sanson, and she was as quiet as a mouse all the way (7 hours).

She loved the fact that we had put an old duvet in the back of the car along with her brand new softsac, and she has since adopted this as her preferred sleeping partner. She ignored the softsac for the first week as we don't think she liked the way it moved around under her feet when she stood on it. A few well placed breathing slits in the material seems to have done the trick as it deflates as soon as she gets onto it and she seems much happier with it...it doubles as spare bed and transport bed for the back of the car (talk about spoiled :)

So, after a quiet start, Mouse seems to be finding her feet at our place. Her character is becoming evident and she's a happy little hound. She spins before dinner and races round afterwards, and is always happy to see us...although getting her out of bed for her evening pee is often a battle of wills.
Harry the cat has given her a wide berth since she investigated his tummy with an over-enthusiastic nose. She got a swipe across the nose and has learned a valuable lesson...we have noticed however that Harry and Mouse are able to share the kitchen space and we think that Harry was even considering a seat next to her on the bed earlier this evening.

She's doing well with the days on her own when we are at work, and has almost sussed out the dog door into the garage. We're trying it without the flap for the time being, and she can get out but is a little hesitant about coming back in. It's early days, but we think she'll crack it. We keep telling her that Kylee's greyhound Floyd managed it in one attempt, which has given her a bit of competition.

Mouse at the Animates "Greyhounds Galore" last week :-)

She met some new houndy pals at the Animates day in Mt Eden last weekend, and is hoping to be a regular attendee at future events. We were happily surprised at how folk reacted to her size...it would seem she's a little girl in comparison to most hounds, but is big in affection (and sleepiness). She loved meeting the new pals, but was a bit taken aback by a very enthusiastic terrier that got a little too 'up close and personal'.
Living near the beach is easy for her recently removed corn as she's able to walk on the soft sand without too much discomfort, and has even been off lead for a couple of runs too :-)

Censored photo! :-)