"A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet"

I think Stephen and I have finally settled on the nickname "Midget" or "Midge" for Reagan. She is not all that short, but she has this tiny little face with a short nose, little cat feet, and weighed in at 49 pounds recently. We like for our greyhounds to be very responsive to his or her name, so we do not over use names and inadvertantly desensitize the dogs into not responding. We nickname each hound so we can talk about them without the hound in question responding to our conversation. We call Travis T.J. for Travis Jigmo (his NGA name is E.O.'s Jigmo) or Nancy because he follows his mama to every room in the house. Katie is Pumpkin.... don't ask me why. Stacker is Scarecrow because he is scared of loud noises and thunder. Allie is The Mule..... need I say more? And Julie is "J" or Snow White because she is black. So if I say "Did you give Snow White her pill?" She does not respond to the casual mention of her nickname.

Greyhound Bus

Memorial Day weekend began with the greyhound bus not starting. I had loaded the A Team (that is what Stephen calls Katie, Travis, and Reagan..... his pups make up the B and C Teams), turned the key, and it just choked. Sounded like the fuel was not getting to the engine. Sure enough, it needed a new fuel pump. The van is at the point where we know a replacement is on the horizon. Every repair expense is considered in a new van's payments. We calculated the latest repair to be 3 payments, so we figure we can get 3 more months out of her. We are at the point of just putting Band-Aids on and are not willing to do any serious repairs.

Our next cargo van will be "new". Cargo vans are perfect dog vans because they do not come with passenger seats that you never use and therefore mildew in your basement. They do not have a bunch of windows, so your dogs have privacy and stay much cooler without all the glass turning your van into a greenhouse. There is no carpet for you to ruin. I am not sure why most dog people haven't figured out what a gem the cargo van is for dogs. Many still purchase passenger vans. We have decided that the only new car we will probably ever buy is a cargo van because we would like to get rear A/C, power locks and windows, cruise control, and arm rests (one of those things you don't realize you want until you don't have them).

I thought I would share the bumper sticker we have on the van. I love to watch the expression on people's faces as they pass by and read it in a parking lot. They either hurry their children past, smile, or make a funny face.

Lastly, I am so extremely satisfied that I actually started and finished a big house project over the weekend. I painted the office. So you will not longer see pictures of the dogs snuggling on the mattress with a lavender background. Its now green. Fresh paint looks so awesome!

Decatur Alabama Kennel Club Agility Trial

Stephen and I left for Decatur, AL at 4:30 AM on Friday morning. Very early, but it means one less night in our glorious tent. This was the first time we actually camped at the competition venue. It has its pluses and minuses. The plus side is that when you wake up, you are there. You don't have to spend time or gas driving to the site each morning. If you forgot to bring something, you simply walk over to the van or the tent and get it. However, I do think that managed campgrounds tend to maintain the bath houses better..... maybe actually clean then. Regardless, I am a germ freak thanks to my experience with MRSA a couple of years ago. I Clorox or Lysol everything I come into contact with at hotels or bath houses even if it appears clean.






Allie was again the token stepdog to tag along. She is a total freak at meal time. She and Travis both act as if they haven't eaten for days. But after breakfast, she pretty much lays comatose in the ex pen until breakfast the next day.



So you already know what happened on Friday. When a dog earns his MACH you are usually allowed to keep the bar of the last jump your dog cleared. Some clubs give you another bar, but this club allowed me to keep it. Then all of your agility friends sign the bar. This club also presented new MACHs with a beautiful ribbon. The really cool thing is that it doesn't just say MACH... it says MACH II. Stephen had also brought along a cookie cake. He didn't know that it's bad luck to buy the cake before the goal is achieved :-). Everyone enjoyed it and was thankful that Travis and I were able to pull it off on Friday while the cookie was still fresh.



Travis and I QQed again on Saturday (QQ #1 for MACH3) (see below). The big dogs ran first so we were done competing around lunch time. Since it was Katie's 10th birthday and Travis had earned a MACH, I decided to give them a special treat. But what do you give dogs that already eat such good stuff? I came up with fried catfish. I never give them fried food, so I decided that would be something unique for them.






Stephen and I were able to locate a Red Lobster with a nice shade tree for the greyhound bus and small bar with a TV. We hung out there for a couple of hours watching the Preakness and the pre-race coverage. Go "Big Brown". It should make for an interesting Belmont this year.


Travis ran clean and QQed again on Sunday (see below). I checked my records and that is his 6th QQ in a row now and in just the first 5 months of 2008 he has earned 12 QQs. For comparison sake, he QQed 10 times in all of year 2007. So we are having one heck of a streak right now.



Sunday was a long day and I think we started for home around 3:30 PM. I soon discovered that our camera was nowhere to be found. We pulled over and still could not locate the camera so we headed back to the trial.... probably 15 minutes away. It appears that when I opened the front door and got into the van... it fell out. The person parked next to us found it and was still there. Thank goodness. There were so many wonderful pictures and video clips, I would have been so disappointed to lose them. There happened to be a field next to the show site with different colored flowers and we had fun taking pictures of the dogs in the flowers.




























The last exciting part of our adventure was witnessing a drug deal at the Gadsden Taco Bell. We were behind a person in the drive thru that did not have a window that operated so she had to open her car door to shout out her obnoxiously long order. Finally, we place our order. When we came around the corner, we noticed a strange car in front of us. We wonder what is going on as the obnoxious woman sits in her car as the Taco Bell employee nearly falls out of the window handing her sacks of food through her open car door. We watch as the second car pulls to the window and it appears that the Taco Bell manager hands the stranger in the car a wad of bills in exchange for some pills. That is just great and the best part, these people prepared my dinner.


Saturday Standard run - I'm not sure why he decided to turn away from me at the bottom of the dog walk into the tunnel. The point to me running on that side was so he'd turn towards me and go straight in the tunnel. Regardless, it was still clean, but wasted a little bit of time.

Saturday Jumpers run - Lots of front crosses. Nice and smooth.

Sunday Standard run - No problem with this one. I am starting to notice that he sits very slowly at the start and also the table. Yet he was quick to lay down on the table as required on the other 2 days. I wonder if there is an issue with that. I may retrain the start with a stand stay instead of a sit stay.

Sunday Jumpers run - I was pleased that I was able to get in my front crosses towards the end of the course. I was prepared to cross behind him if he was getting ahead of me, but I was able to get to where I needed to be each time. Front crosses are usually create a tighter (quicker) path for the dog.

Mission Accomplished!

I am very pleased to present MACH2 Never Expected CDX JJ. Travis is now the first greyhound to ever earn 2 Master Agility Championships. He needed 1 double qualifying score (QQ) going into the 3-day Decatur, AL agility trial. He easily earned it on the first day making the rest of the weekend relaxed and fun. He then proceeded to earn QQs on the other 2 days as well....... his 6th QQ in a row.... and the 12th in just year 2008. For those that don't do agility, agility competitors will often go through long, slow dry spells of no QQs, so this has been a tremendous year for us thus far. He also finished his MACH2 with over 2,700 speed points (only 1,500 are needed). I just couldn't be any happier with Travis right now. He is so much fun to run and we are having such a streak of consistent runs. Travis turns 10 years old in 3 weeks. I continue to "knock on wood" and I'm thankful for how sound, sane, and healthy he is. May it continue. Thank you for letting me brag!

First Half of QQ#20 - Standard Run - Stephen was a litte late on the filming so it starts with the 2nd obstacle.

2nd Half of QQ#20 - Jumpers Run - Really an awkard, choppy course to run, but when I watch it... Travis makes it look so smooth.

And then as if my day couldn't get any better......... I find a $20 bill! :-) I will post more about the rest of the trial this week!

A Decade Ago....

... a little fawn female greyhound with a black mask was born. I sometimes

wonder if anyone from the farm or from the kennels she raced for remembers the dog named SA Dallas. In 36 races, Katie placed first twice, but came in last in nine other races. Hardly worth remembering, I'm sure. I will certainly always remember her and I would bet that the people who were apart of her past life would be proud of her if they knew about her life after the track.

I still get a kick out of her SEGA adoption picture from the website with her Arnold Schwartznegger muscle pose. "Tested curious about cats and would take some guidence to live peacefully with cats" is the understatement of year 2001. Does that facial expression in response to the camera man squeaking a toy tell you anything? At age 10, nothing has changed. Katie is still a very high prey drive machine.



Katie continues to stay young by doing some backyard agility. I've lowered the jumps and the teeter a few inches. I don't allow her to do the dog walk anymore since I cannot lower it to a safe height to fall off from. I am amazed by how well she still weaves. Overall, she is doing well. If she hadn't had the spinal stroke, I think she would still be as good as she has ever been.



Happy 10th Birthday to my most Favorite Greyhound in the whole world! Katie, it has truly been an honor spending the last 7 years with you. You are everything I was looking for in a greyhound and you are everything I later found out that I also wanted in a greyhound.

Hiking with Greyhounds

Stephen and I enjoy hiking with our greyhounds. We usually do a couple of short hikes each week on some private property near our house. Occasionally, we seek out a longer 5 - 6 mile hike. We thoroughly enjoy going to Cloudland Canyon. Teresa, especially, loved to hike and we took her to Cloudland Canyon when we knew it was our last chance and that her failing health would be slowing her down in the near future.

Unfortunately, not all hikes are suitable for dogs. Park rangers and volunteers will build bridges and stairs to make unpassable terrain... passable, but I don't think they consider safety for dogs in their designs......... or even humans in some cases.

For today's hike (the Cumberland Trail), we chose Travis and Reagan. Travis is always good for a long hike if its not too hot and Reagan was ready for a good test. Well, the trail proved to not be very dog friendly, in my opinion. It was very rocky and the dogs struggled and climbed over seemingly endless rocks. There were steep flights of stairs with missing steps..... some were carved out of the rock, some were railroad ties, and the rest were made of wood planks.

The worst part was 2 sway bridges that we had to cross going out and then again coming back. The first bridge was not very long, but the first wooden slat on land was missing. It was best if each person and dog did the bridge by him or herself to minimize the bounce on the bridge. Stephen went first, then Travis, then Reagan, and then me. Travis didn't clear the gaping hole with his right hind leg and slipped through scraping up his stifle joint. Reagan was smart and jumped off the side of the bridge onto land rather than trying to negociate the missing slat and the slippery wood slope leading to land that follows. The next bridge was even worse because it was 3 or 4 times as long as the first one. Again, Stephen went first and then Travis followed. And then Reagan. Both dogs started out trotting and then finished the bridge in a gallop........... me cringing from the other side, but not wanting to interfere or cause problems.

At this point, I asked how much further till we would reach the turn around point and hike everything we had already been through again. Stephen estimated that we were about halfway and asked if I wanted to turn back. I wussed out and was ready to head home. For me, I'm out there hiking my "show" dogs if you want to call them that. They are very valuable to me in the respect that I spend a great deal of time training and I would hate to do anything that may undo any of our hard work by taking unnecessary risks. In less than a week, Travis is competing for his last double qualifying score towards being the first greyhound to earn two Master Agility Championships and the last thing he needs is to have bruised feet or to be injured. Reagan is learning about contact obstacles (A-frame, teeter, and dogwalk) and if she slips and falls on a stupid wooden bridge, she may decide that climbing and crossing wooden obstacles to not be her cup of tea.

I don't believe in keeping them in bubbles, but there is no reason for me to take my greyhounds on difficult hikes when we have a safe, local options available. Its the same reason I don't lure course. We have so many other safe options for exercise and fun that there is no need for my greyhounds to lure course. Its not "if" a greyhound will get hurt, its "when". I'm not against lure coursing at all, but its just too risky for my greyhounds and the plans I have for them.

Stephen had done the Cumberland trail once before with one of his greyhounds, Julie, and felt that it was a good hike for dogs, but I think we discovered that our opinions differ when determining trail "suitability" for dogs. The difference is that his dogs are hiking companions and pets. If Julie had slipped on the bridge it would not interfere with her job as house pet. If she bruised a foot, she can take a week off. Its ok to do a challenging hike with a dog you consider a hiking companion..... but I decided I probably shouldn't with a dog I consider my agility superstar :-). Unfortunately, Stephen's hiking companions are now limited to shorter local hikes due to old lure coursing injuries that flair up after a couple of miles, so for now I think we will just enjoy long, challenging hikes without dogs.

Progress Report

Kathy from Gainesville (Blaze's mom) came to my side of Georgia on Saturday for some greyhound and agility fun. It was a lot of fun to see little Blaze at 4 months of age and it will be fun to see him grow. Generally, I train solo, but on Saturday I had Kathy available for some picture taking. I really have not been working Reagan that hard on anything in particular, but when I look back over our time together (just shy of 3 months), I'm really impressed with her progress. In my attempt to keep things interesting, I keep introducing her to new things all of the time, but it really is amazing how fast she is picking things up.

Here is Reagan jumping 2 little jumps and then a jump to a tunnel. She is just learning to follow my hand.

Here is Reagan learning to teeter. To start, I reduce the height of the pivot point so that it is lower to the ground and I have placed a block under the far end so the teeter does not pivot all the way to the ground. This allows the dog to build confidence on the teeter while it is closer to ground and without having a full pivot. Reagan isn't the least bit hesitant to slam it down which is what I like to see. Gradually, I will raise the teeter to full height, but for now there is simply no rush.

Currently, we are not practicing the A-Frame. I have introduced it, but later I will teach her to stop with her back feet on the A-frame (dog walk and teeter also) and her front feet on the ground. This will ensure that she moves through the required yellow contact zone and does not get into a habit of jumping off early.

Lastly, I have started to work on Reagan's jumping style using Linda Mecklenburg's jumping program. It is definitely designed for a dog with a border collie work ethic, but with some greyhound modification, Reagan made huge strides today. The goal is to teach the dog to collect and jump a nice round arc with tight front legs. Generally, agility encourages the dog to extend and to jump flat, so Linda suggests teaching the dog how to collect and to maximize the jumping effort before the dog has settled into a style. Step one is to take one jump and simply have the dog jump it with no running start. Reagan has been doing this exercise with a low jump height, but you need to move to full height for the dog to really have to jump. So today we moved up to about 20 inches (full height will eventually be 24 inches). Reagan jumped beautifully! Very round with her front legs folded neatly out of the way. I wish I had a picture!

All in all, Reagan is coming along very quickly despite there being no rush. I have not introduced weave poles. I'm not planning on doing very much weave pole training, full height jumping, or 2 feet-on-2-feet off contact training until she is 15 months old and all of the growth plates should be closed.

Happy training!

Growing Up Greyhound

The greyhound is an interesting and adaptable breed. I am not sure how the temperment of the AKC variety compares to the racing variety (especially since they are generally raised differently), but I'm really amazed by the racing greyhound's ability to be social, adaptable, and easy going.













Since I compete in various dog sports, I have lots of friends with a variety of dog breeds. Most of these dogs are acquired as puppies and people who compete with their dogs tend to heavily emphasize socializing. Socializing is a process of exposing the puppy at a very young age to as many different kinds of people (white, black, male, female, short, tall, fat, children, hats, beards, glasses, and so on), as many different situations (indoors, outdoors, noises, crowds, variety of floorings, etc.) and as many different dogs and even other animals as possible. Socializing helps to ensure that your puppy grows up to be a happy, friendly, well adjusted adult dog. However, racing greyhounds receive little if any formal socialization.







Reagan, for example, lived her first 10 months of life like most other racing greyhounds. She was living with her littermates in a sandy, chain link enclosed run. Through the fence, she had seen different people and vehicles come and go. She had seen feral cats and possibly a neighbor's dog. Her nails had never been clipped. I am not sure how much she was handled (and I'm sure it varies from farm to farm), but it may have been only to be wormed or vaccinated. She had never worn a collar and certainly couldn't walk on a leash yet. All in all, it was a fairly calm and consistant existence.............. at least until Kate and I showed up :-).







With no formal puppy socialization, Reagan has been friendly and accepting of all the dogs and people she has met. She never fought wearing a muzzle. She has crated and traveled by car and van with no problems from day 1. She has been curious about all of the new places she has been to. Her only fault is that certain noises do concern her........ something that could have been avoided with careful, early exposure. Nonetheless, Reagan, Katie, Travis, and many other greyhounds are as equally well adjusted (maybe even better in some cases) as many of the adult dogs carefully socialized as puppies. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about my neighbor's little white dog. Buddy is a prime example of what can happen to dogs when they are not socialized. His entire life has been spent in a fenced backyard on Oakmont Drive. Sometimes he barks at us. Sometimes he greets us through the fence. I would bet that a fun trip to PetsMart or a park would be mental overload for Buddy. He will probably eventually hate riding in a car (if not already) because it only results in a trip to the vet. Due to the lack of exposure, Buddy is likely to approach strange things with caution or fear simply because he has not seen them before. There are greyhounds with personalities like Buddy and often people are quick to assume that they were abused, but in fact most are not. They simply were born approaching the world with caution and nothing was done to counter it when they were puppies. Simple as that. Then you have the opposite extreme... i.e. Travis. Travis approaches everything with extreme curiousity, confidence, and fearlessness. I don't believe he has ever feared anything and its likely that he will leave this world without a fearful experience (can you imagine if you could live life like that!). He simply lets go of bad experiences or more importantly doesn't consider them bad experiences. And he was just born that way.






Most greyhounds fall into the middle-of-the-road category between Buddy and Travis. Many will have a quirk or 2, but in reality the racing greyhound is generally born friendly and well adjusted. Why? My guess is that winning racing greyhounds are those who typically handle life with ease. Most probably rest well, travel with little stress, and handle new people, new greyhounds, and new situations easily. Yes, there are "freak" exceptions. We all know a few shy or spooky greyhounds and a few of them probably won some races, but all in all, a kennel full of easy going greyhounds are going to be quicker to care for, less likely to cause trouble, and more profitable. These greyhounds race well because they don't waste all of their energy stressing out. Eventually, these winning greyhounds enter the breeding program and go on to produce more adaptable, middle-of-the-road greyhounds. So I believe its simply in the genes. Racing greyhounds were born to be this way.






Lastly, there is one thing to keep in mind. Because greyhounds are born the way they are, a lot of adopters take these qualities for granted and assume things they shouldn't. Remember that the majority of a racing greyhound's social interactions come from other greyhounds and the canine species doesn't communicate like humans do. We tend to be verbal, direct, make eye contact, and are very affectionate and touch feely. Dogs do not hug. They communicate mostly with body language. While most greyhounds indulge us and eventually grow fond of our primate like behavior, others just do not get it. Its not smart to assume your greyhound will accept kisses on the forehead, hugs, or cuddling initially. If not pleased with your bad manners (from a dog's perspective), a greyhound is likely to scold you like another dog and growl or even snap at you. Do I hug and kiss my greyhounds? Absolutely, but not right away.




The same goes for high value items. A racing greyhound has not had chew bones or toys before. Yes, you should be able to claim those items from your dog, but you shouldn't assume you can do so without establishing any authority...... something a lot of pet owners are not very good at today.





So when you encounter a problem with your greyhound, you may be able to figure out why if you consider what it is like growing up greyhound and tackle it from your greyhound's perspective.




Left to Right - My little Reagan (13 months), Kathy Rakestraw's Blaze (4 months), and John and Laura Parker's Guinness (7 months).