Silly girl...

I had to chuckle at this... My dad is an avid hunter, and about a week or two ago, Goody and I went to visit him. He has a fake, life-sized deer in the backyard that he uses for target practice with his bow and arrow. When I let Goody out in the back for a potty break, she promptly trotted up to "Bucky" and sniffed his, well, rear end... When that didn't lead to any good smells, she made her way to his face and sniffed that. After no reaction from dear old Bucky, she lost interest and meandered around the rest of the yard. But every time we let her outside that day, she'd run over and try again. Silly girl!

Smart little girl

I have to brag about this girl... She is such a smart dog. She is really learning what various words mean. When I ask her if she has to go "potty", she runs to the back door... When I ask her if she wants to go for a "walk", she runs to her leash that hangs on hall door knob... When I ask if she wants to go to the "park", she runs to her leash as well... When I tell her to "kennel up", she happily obliges. At breakfast and dinner time I ask if she's "hungry", and her tail wags as she runs to her food bowl where she helps me prepare her meal. She also knows to "stay" out of the kitchen whenever I am preparing people food.

She is such an easy house guest - we have truly enjoyed having her in our home. As I've said before, this girl wants nothing more than to make you happy. I think we'll start working on some basic obedience commands such as sit and down. I have no doubt that she'll pick up on those quite easily.

Catching up

It's been a while since I've posted so this one might be a little long...

Fourth of July Weekend:
Goody came with us over Fourth of July when we went out of town to visit our family. She did well on the 2 1/2 hour car ride, sleeping most of the way. My parents had a cookout with a few friends over the first night we were there... Goody was happy to meet everyone, including my parents' Cocker Spaniel. She did, however, sort of fall in the pool - she saw me go down the steps into the pool, and decided to follow. Not realizing the water was not a solid surface, she walked right in and went under. I helped her get out and after a few minutes she seemed to have recovered from the ordeal. As the evening progressed we started hearing fireworks from around the neighborhood. Given her nervousness during severe thunderstorms (which, by the way, seems to be improving with each storm), I was worried that this would scare her. She perked her ears a bit each time, but that was the only reaction she gave. By the end of the evening she found her way to her bed, exhausted from the long day.

Funny girl:
A while back we discovered that Goody likes to watch tv, particularly when there are animals on. She perks her ears, and follows them with her head. It's quite funny to watch. She hasn't quite figured out why a running dog on tv doesn't keep running out the side of the tv... As she's laying there watching, her head moves like she is expecting it to keep running, then she jerks it back as she realizes it's still "in" the tv. We also recently "inherited" a 75 gallon aquarium with fish. Goody loves to watch the fish! She is especially interested in watching them when I feed them. The first day we had them, she tried to bite at them through the glass. A few sharp no's and she hasn't done it since.

We take both Goody and our own greyhound to the park on weekends, and on daily walks. I continuously get compliments on her polite manners around other dogs and on the leash. She really is a good girl!

Goody has really settled in to our routine and is the perfect house guest. She's a real snuggler if you lay down on the floor with her, and often shares the doggie bed with our other greyhound too. The other morning I woke up and caught her roaching for the first time! She's done it one more time since, but I haven't been able to catch it on camera... This girl really has no issues - her tail is always wagging, and she's always eager to please. The stairs are no longer a problem for her, she goes into her crate whenever I point and tell her to "kennel up", and she has wonderful manners on the leash when we walk around the neighborhood. I couldn't ask for a better foster!

Goodinmyshirt (Goody) has been with me for a few days now... She is a sweet, affectionate, and happy little girl. A bit timid at first, she quickly warms up to anyone who is willing to give her a scratch or two. She absolutely loves to chase a tennis ball, and is happy to share her toys with our other greyhound. The two of them run zoomies around the yard together, often jumping at eachother and playfully barking as they try to outrun one another. She loves to cool off in the kiddy pool after a good zoomie, even laying down when it gets especially hot out. She is really getting good at the stairs - she does best when I am right by her side to encourage her and help her along if she gets a little unsure. She is sleeping through the night now, and has even been alerting me with a whine or bark to get me if she needs to go outside for a potty break. When she first came to our house, she seemed a bit noise sensitive and, of course, with all of the thunderstorms the past few days, was getting a little nervous. She stayed by my side the first evening during the storm and was panting a bit. However, the past two evenings it has stormed and she's been fine. She was also a bit apprehensive about her crate when she first came to us, but has now learned that food and treats await her when she goes in and is happy to "kennel up" whenever we ask her to now. With a constantly wagging tail, this little girly is eager to please and would love to have a home to call her own.