Fletcher’s First Bath

Wow!  So we decided it was time to get Fletcher wet and what an experience that was!  We picked a nice day so that we could wash him out in the garden rather than drag him up the stairs…somewhere he has not been or shown any desire to go.

Apparently – and I can now confirm this is true – greyhounds are inclined to ‘zone out’ and get all wobbly while they’re being bathed.  The trick is to keep them ‘in the moment’ and not let them fall to the ground.  Why do they do this?  Is it the warmth of the water or the weight of the water on their coat?  Who knows….all I can say is that as the minutes passed, poor ol’ Fletcher’s back legs started to wibble and wobble and he was having difficulty staying upright …and awake.  A tasty little snack soon solved that and before we knew it, he was clean, shiny and fluffy.  He looked naked in all his fluffy fur and then spent the next half hour lying on the grass drying out.  Check out those ears, what a cutie

nom nom tasty bathtime snacks

Fletcher says “omg I feel naked without my collar and my fur looks all weird…what just happened?  Oh well my housekeepers think I look – and smell – a bit better so I spose that’s the important thing.  Won’t make any difference once I’ve had a roll around on the ground though.”

Is Fletcher really too big?

"I'm quite small when I'm lying down"

So that was a weird walk….  Fletcher was walking nice and slowly, being his calm usual self and not at all bothered by the desperate barking of a Yorkshire terrier!  In fact he was more bothered about the rain really, but then I did read the other day that a greyhound would rather walk on the surface of the sun rather than go out in the rain!  Anyway, I digress, where was I?  Oh yes, Fletcher being barked at, the sound of scraping claws on pavement, as the tiny dog made a frenzied attempt to intimidate the boy.  And what happened?  The ‘owner’ of barking dog, disrupting our peaceful morning walk shouted across at us “it’s your dog, he’s too big”.  I’m ashamed to say that I was at a loss for words and said nothing in Fletcher’s defence.  I suppose it left me a little deflated, especially after a previous walk where two other owners ran – and I mean literally ran – off in the opposite direction with their small dogs as we approached.  Ok, so we are just getting to know Fletcher, but to be fair, he has yet to demonstrate the ‘stereotypical greyhound’ that these dog owners seem to fear. 

Thankfully my faith in small dog owners was restored last night, by a couple with their terrier who stopped to chat and asked lots of questions (it had never occurred to me that people would think we were his trainers…oh dear) about our lovely hound, while their terrier happily played around us.  The pic says it all, he’s just a big ol’ softie

 

Look into my eyes, not around the eyes.....

Update:  Fletcher read the Herald newspaper this morning! I think he must have enjoyed it though, because in all the excitement, he shredded it into a million pieces.  I think a lot of people probably feel like that after they’ve read the Herald!!  But who can be cross when this face is looking at you?

Does my bum look big in this?

What a weekend….after his trip to the vets on Saturday morning where he had his stitches removed and a quick once over by the

Fletcher decided to upgrade to Kev's chair!

vet (apparently he’s got great teeth for a greyhound!) poor Fletch has ended up with a sore paw after a walk on Saturday evening, which has meant even more 5 star treatment for him over the weekend!  After a quick read up on the Internet, it appears that it’s quite common for this to happen to ex-racing greyhounds, as they’re not used to walking on pavements for any length of time.  So, feeling quite sorry for himself, Fletcher decided to upgrade to Kev’s chair.  I’m not sure how he could have been comfortable like this, but it seemed to make him feel better!

So instead of going for a walk, Fletch got carried out of the car on Sunday to be placed on some nice wet and soft grass in West Hoe Park.  He loved it!  A miracle seemed to occur, as he went from limping rather dramatically to trotting and sniffing in one split second.  What a drama queen!

Does this make me look even cuter?

There was a whole new range of comfortable sleeping positions displayed over the weekend and Fletch is also getting to grips – quite literally – with his Kong toy.  His favourite filling so far seems to be some kibble mixed with grated cheese, nuked in the microwave for a second to melt the cheese and then put in the fridge to cool.  Yum, yum!  And when he’s not pushing it around, losing it behind furniture or trying to get his treat out of it, he particularly seems to enjoy lying on top of it….the ‘princess and the pea’ he is not!

So Monday started at 6.30am (argh) and the good news is that Fletcher’s paw is better – or maybe he has just forgotten to limp?! 

“I want one of these mummy”

From Kitsch Collars www.kitschcollars.com  Oooohhh soon Fletcher, soon!  You’re being such a good boy and I know you would look even more beautiful in a shiny collar….. I think there’s going to be an ever-expanding collection of accessories appearing in the coming months. 

 

“I’m tired”

A pattern is emerging…..Fletcher likes to sleep!  Another brilliant night, Fletcher was quiet until 7am when he heard Kev get up – I guess he knows he’s going to go out for his morning pee and have his brekky before, you’ve guessed it, he needs to have another sleep   After a power nap for about an hour, Fletcher went for his walk and encountered lots more dogs this morning (without his muzzle on) and was just the perfect gentleman.  No barking or cartwheels on the lead, that’s just not his style….he just kept walking, despite the lunging, barking dog on the other side of the road. What a joy owning that dog must be :-0  

Well done Fletch, you’re turning out to be a little star.

Plastic bag day….

Day 5 with Fletcher…seems like we have come a long way already.  Despite feeling anxious in the first couple of days that the cats were freaking out and that life would never be the same again…I think some sort of ‘normal’ may be returning to our home life.  Although is it normal to get used to picking up dog poo?  Scarily I think the answer to this question is yes!

So today I went to work for the first time since Fletcher came home.  It wasn’t long before I had a phone call from the eldest son, telling me that he had rummaged through my work jute bag, which I had left in the room with him.  In fact this bag has been there since his arrival and he’s taken no notice of it, up until today.  Inside was a plastic bag containing gloves and a knitted hat – luckily these escaped his attentions, but the plastic bag did not.  He had ripped and shredded it in some sort of frustrated and frenzied attack, for being left on his own!

On a plus note, he has coped brilliantly with all the new people he has met, all the new experiences he has had in the last 5 days, which include traffic, cyclists, a river, other dogs and people!

Day One….

The week has dragged, but finally Saturday arrived and we set off to collect Fletcher from kennels for 11am.  We knew that we could only do so much preparation – after all, this was going to be a steep learning curve for us all….

We met our re-homing officer at the kennels and she took us along to meet all the greyhounds that were being kept there – as well as see Fletcher.  What a gorgeous bunch, but sadly some of them had committed misdemeanours that meant they had found themselves in need of a new home….again.  These included some that had killed cats, and so we were reminded of the need to be extra vigilent at home, with the introduction to our felines, Rosie and Harriet.

Once the paperwork had been done, coats purchased and a final pee stop had taken place we set off back to Plymouth with Fletcher sprawled across the back of the car   At home, we began the necessary ‘pee in garden=treat’ routine….I think this will be one of the main activities in the next 48 hours.  We also had to do the cat/dog introductions and so with some apprehension, we all gathered in the living room.  Rosie’s tail took on the appearance of a squirrels and Harriet just continued with her lazy sprawl across the windowsill.  Fletcher though, tried to hide in the corner!  In fact, he attempted to put his head into the corner unit and then, when asked to parade one loop of the living room, refused to get any eye contact with the cats.  This was followed by him curling into a ball in the corner by the door….I think he is scared of cats, but of course we can’t take any chances.

As soon as the heat of the midday sun had disappeared by late afternoon, we strolled up the pub and got a pint of ale.  Fletcher had followed a small fluffy white dog up to the pub – no reaction – and then when we were sitting outside, he was greeted by the nose of a white Westie up to his muzzle – no reaction again.  What a star!  After his second poop of the walk, we came home via the woods and he is now flaked out on his bed, legs in the air, looking very relaxed. 

All in all, a good start which will hopefully continue and we can watch him flourish in his new home

Hello Fletcher!

After much deliberating and reading up about greyhounds and the cruel fate that so many of them suffer at the end of their racing career – let alone what they endure throughout it – we have decided to adopt a greyhound.  We contacted the charity GRWE (www.grwe.com), were home checked and surprisingly quickly have been found a cat-friendly greyhound.  The aim of this blog is to record and tell the world about our story.  About re-homing one of these beautiful mis-understood hounds and giving them a comfortable and happy forever home for the rest of their lives.

Tomorrow we will be collecting Fletcher from the kennels where he has been looked after, thanks to GRWE, before being re-homed.  He is only 4 years old and is utterly beautiful!

Kev with Fletcher on our visit to the kennels