Nanny's House

Today Beckett and I went for a visit to my mom and dad's house.  Beckett seemed very happy to get some special time away at his Nanny and Papa's.  It is about an hour's drive away and he was such a good boy in the jeep.

This was the spot he picked to sit, where he could watch the traffic and people walking on the sidewalk.  My parents live on a busy street so there is always lots of activity outside.  Beckett never barks, he just likes to see what's going on.  This was Mom's dog, Daisy's favourite spot to sit too.  I thought it might have been a little sad for my Mom to see Beckett laying there like that.  It's been a month now since Daisy left us and I know it's still very hard for her.

Beckett did manage to get a laugh out of them though.   I noticed him listening to the sound of the shower going, while my father was in there.  I didn't think much of it until as soon as Dad came out into the living room, Beckett jumped up and ran down the hall.  Then I said "where did you leave your towel", just as Beckett came prancing into the room with it, dropped it on the rug and proceeded to rub himself all over with the towel, just like he does at home.  I still don't know how he knew where to go to find that towel.

Wordless Wednesday 04-11-2012

Note to the Easter Bunny

Dear Mr. Easter Bunny,
Mama always says it polite to thank people for their gifts, and you are included in that too.  Although next year I will try to be a little more specific on my easter request to you.  I know I asked for something white and fluffy to "play" with... I think I may have insulted you or maybe you just have an ironic sense of humor because, really, this is NOT what I had in mind.  So thanks anyway, I guess.

Miss Veil

Ok, Mom, that's enough know let me in.

Back to Basics

Recently, I think I have dropped the ball with my greyhounds.  Not that they aren't getting lots of love and attention, good food, treats and exercise (as I wrote that I noticed that probably the order of those things might be some of the problem) but I have been remise in the "training" part of their activities.  So now, it's back to basics. I used to always make them sit and wait for their food to be put down and wait until I said OK before they touched it.  This week, I started again and surprisingly, they seemed to remember it well and had no problem doing it again.  Why I thought I didn't have time to wait that 2 minutes to do it, I don't know.  No more slipping the collar over Beckett's head while he is spinning in circles trying to make sure he is the one going out the door...now it's sit and be calm or he doesn't go.  He didn't take long to realize that the spinning and jumping wasn't getting him anywhere. 

Now to tell you the reason that I came to the shocking realization that I might not be doing what I needed to for them.  Last weekend I had taken Maddy for a walk back to my in-laws, like we do every weekend, and we met a man walking his husky near the end of my in-laws driveway.  Maddy started barking and jumping around.  I couldn't get her attention back on me at all. Later that weekend, when my husband and I went to visit his parents, they mentioned that they had seen us at the end of the driveway and "didn't realize Maddy was so vicious".  I was shocked and it really made me think about what her antics must have looked like.  So now I will be carrying chicken or liver or something equally enticing in my pocket and work on the "pass-by" again.  I wish I could get someone to video tape it if it happens again, so I can watch it.  I know when you are in the middle of the action, it often feels different than what it looks like from the outside.  I couldn't tell at the time, if she was being aggressive or not.  If I could watch her body language on video, I think I would have a better understanding of it.  I know that I never want anyone to think my greyhounds are ill-mannered or vicious and I take full responsibility for their actions. So it's back to basic training for all of us!

Earth Hour

Sunshiny Day!

Three days of mid 20 degrees made fast work of our snow and the hounds approve.    We spent most of Saturday outside enjoying it.  I think I walked each one of them for almost an hour, which was almost three hours for me!  Needless to say, but my legs were tired after that was over but I like to walk them separately sometimes just to spend some special "alone" time with each of them.

Sunday I started some "spring" cleaning. That's what I will call it, although I don't know if it counts as that when it really is just that I haven't be keeping up with it lately. Beckett is just as tired from that as his walk yesterday.  He follows me from room to room to room.  Well, except for when I go down to the laundry room, since he won't go down those stairs, but he does wait at the top for me to come back.  Then he looks at me as if to say, "Come on, sit down on the couch with me, I need a nap!".  I almost gave in a few times, believe me. 

Wordless Wednesday 03/20/12