Declan was deluding himself again.......

"This is my intellectual look. Bet I get all the girls now....."

For all the girls I've loved before!

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow... la la la

I am really excited because Mum is coming home tomorrow.... YAY!!!

See the dust on this sofa Mum!!!

As you can see, other mum has been running me ragged getting me to help with the housework.... Excuse me, but surely that is what you humans are for! Jeez, she even needed instructions on how to work the washing machine, I do hope that she doesn't plead ignorance about the vacuum cleaner too... surely she can't expect me to push that around!

I do hope I am going to get a present for all the hard work I have put in....

Don't I look really really cool in a baseball hat?

Now I REALLY need everyone's help with this... My Uncle Flynn always wanted one and so do I, but somehow our pleas fell on DEAF ears!

I have been a really good boy this last week and I deserve a present...

Pleeeeese Mum?

Of course I had to borrow one for the photo shoot but it would be oh so nice if I had my own.............

It would be so much nicer than a new scarf..........

Sooooo.... I need EVERYBODY to vote which present I should get.... If you can't decide which one just click the one at the top it's ok with me... and if any of your friends want to pop along and vote I would be ever so grateful, we need as many votes as we can get..... hehehe.... 

Deccy x 

We’re participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosted by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.

Wordless Wednesday

Beryl is right; Greyhounds CAN Sit!!

I'm off!!

It's the Dec & Dom Show!

Well, despite Mum being a bit stressed, she still found time to take me to tennis courts so I could have an off-lead run. When we got there we found another Greyhound having a good old gallop. His Dad told us he doesn't get on with other breeds of dog and hadn't met another Grey since he came out of kennels earlier this year. Mum and his Dad let us have a sniff and  we liked each other so they let us loose and boy did we go! My new friend is called Dom and is 5 years old. Mum said to look at us, we could have been brothers!

KC has already gone off on her holiday, to stay with Aunty Steph and Aunty Lisa. She'll like that as it means she won't have to go outside for over a week. KC hates going outside unless it's dark. I told you she is evil.... Aunty Steph calls her Princess. Pah! I never met anyone less princess - like in my life. Aunty Lisa doesn't call her anything as she is scared of KC. She knows she's evil too...

KC - looking evil......

Although I thought I'd win her round, Mum is still insisting I leave the laptop at home. I suppose other Mum might let me get my paws on her Android, but I don't hold much hope. As  I'll probably be incommunicado for a week or so, I just wanted to wish my friends a good end to the week and I'll look forward to hearing about your exploits when I'm home. Now, where is my bucket and spade.........

Freedom Friday

Today I got to run free off my lead for the first time in ages! Mum has been trying to find a safe fenced in area and now we have one. It's all thanks to my new friend Alan.

Mum got in touch with Alan through the Grey Walks West Yorks website and he arranged for us to to use some old fenced off tennis courts near his house. So thanks very much Alan!

I was a bit wary at first but I soon got into my stride......

..... and had a seriously good gallop! Mum says she'll take me there a couple of times a week, but it can't all be play. I think she said something about it'll be good for recall training, but I wasn't really listening. And that's the whole point Declan - Mum

Anyway, I'm one dead tired Greyhound now, so I think I'll just have a little sleep before dinner...... Have a fun weekend everyone.

Caught in the act of bikkie nicking!

The lid just fell off; honest....!

This is me with my doggie treats tin. Seconds before sneaky old Mum crept up and took the photo, the lid just came off all by itself.....Nothing to do with my particularly powerful and bendy nose.  I'm wondering if I might be psychic or something. Uri Geller can bend forks and I can remove tin lids with the sheer power of my mind.

Anyway, it's Mum's fault. If she's going to make me my favourite homemade dog treats and then leave the tin on the sofa, frankly she's just asking for trouble.It was only a small batch, so she can't mind that much. "Declan you little git" is a term of endearment, surely? If you'd like your humans to make you some of my treats, so that you too can get into trouble for stealing, just click on the link.

Aren't toys just brill?

This is me with a selection of my favourite toys. From the left we have Bone Pillow, Mr Fog Fog, Dong and Mr F B Hippo.

I'm very very fickle about who is my favourite. Up until recently it was Gilly Gorilla but I accidently ate his insides so he was sent to the dust bin. Then Fog Fog got all my love and attention until yesterday when Mum came home with FB Hippo! She'd only popped out for some picture hooks but came back with a new toy, chew sticks, my favourite donut treats and a large can of expanding foam - don't ask! No picture hooks though. Still that's not as bad as the time she went out for a loaf of bread and came back with a new car; that's my Mum for you..

Oh the Indignity of It.......

Well, summer is pretty much coming to an end now and where most normal people's thoughts turn to log fires and cosy evenings, my Mum's thoughts turned to baths... "It's our last chance Deccy" she said, reaching for the Tea Tree shampoo. Fortunately (for her, not me) I didn't know what this meant as I've not had a bath at home before, so I stood and watched ever hopeful that a large knuckle bone or at least a rawhide chew would appear. But no! There I was admiring my tomato plants when a whole watering can of warm water gets tipped over me. Then there's a load of smelly shampoo (nothing pleasant like fox poo) gets rubbed in and my unmentionables are scrubbed with a sponge... not that I have any unmentionables anymore, but that's not the point.

The final indignity was being dried with some new towels Mum had bought just for me. Except they were red, and she hadn't washed them first. So I'm not blue and white anymore, I'm blue and pink. The only saving grace is that she couldn't find the camera. It's bad enough with the cat laughing at me. I just hope it wears off soon or I shall only be going out under the cover of darkness.

Great Greyhound Gathering National RGT Show

STOP PRESS!

The 2011 Great Greyhound Gathering will be held at Nottingham Racecourse, Colwick Park, Nottingham NG2 4BE on Saturday 17 September. For more information, visit http://www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/Great-Greyhound-Gathering-2011/

A fun day out for all the family, and great way to find out all about owning a Greyhound! Remember, Greyhounds make wonderful pets; my humans couldn't live without one - especially me!

KC Won't Play!

Just sharpening my claws Declan!

KC and I are still kind of rubbing along, but you wouldn't exactly call us close, you know? It's really not my fault; I'd like to play with her but what can I do when she disappears in a puff of smoke when she sees me?

Mum says "play" is not pinning her to the floor with my rather fat nose, but hey Mum, we can iron out minor details like that later can't we...?

It's a shame that KC won't talk to me as I've had a few ideas about hiring her out for Halloween, what with her being jet black and everything. I'm just trying to ease the family finances but Mum keeps muttering something about it practically being akin to prostitution. Oh she does over-react. Perhaps I'll set up another site called "Pimp My Cat". Heh Heh Heh!!!!!

Anyway, Mum's latest idea is to put KC on a harness, put me on my lead, bribe her with tuna and me with gravy bones... and see if we can stay in the same room without KC having a hissy fit or me having uncharitable thoughts about cat club sandwiches. I'll let you know how we get on........

My New Winter Greyhound Coat

I'm thinking of getting some black boots and
a white beard and getting a job as Santa Claws!

Greyhounds need coats; lots and lots of coats...

Although we're big dogs we have very short fur and very little fat on us so we really feel the cold. General rule is, if you need a coat on to go out, then so do I. That's unless you come from Newcastle and you're really hard and go out in December in shorts and a T shirt. I'd want a coat.

As I said, lots of greyhound coats for every possible situation...

I have a mac in case it's wet but not cold. A fleece in case it's cold but not wet, A towel coat in case I'm wet and need drying and lastly my brand new bright red Blizzard Jacket! This is fleece lined and waterproof and is in case I fancy an Arctic expedition.... or a trip to Northumberland. 

Mum got my new greyhound coat from Jan's Greyhound Gifts. She's been getting Greyhound gear from the site for over 9 years now and reckons it one of the best value and most reliable places on the net. I'm just very keen to encourage Mum's liking for shopping. After all I've only got four leads and three collars, and I'm seriously wondering if I need a baseball cap..........

Declan Petrol Head

Hello! I've just got back from a bit of a road trip with my Mum. You know, visiting a few friends and relatives; and meeting yet more people who adored me!

Anyway, it was nice to meet some new friends, but the best thing about my trip was being in the car. I LOVE cars! 

Mum says she thinks it must be a Greyhound thing, as Flynn was just the same. She even bought him a new car when she had him, but what with the economic climate and everything, she says I'll have to make do with Flynn's old one. I don't really mind. It's a nice big roomy estate with a comfy duvet and a dog guard to keep me safe.

I like to see myself as the Jeremy Clarkson of the dog world. Actually I've heard said more than once that Mum might be his long lost sister. If I had a gravy bone for every time I'd heard Mum say "For God's sake, how difficult can it be....." or "bored bored bored", well, I'd have a lot of gravy bones! 

If my humans do win the lottery I'm hoping I might be treated to a new set of wheels. Something sleek, sexy and sporty - a bit like me. Mum says that, unfortunately, as far as she knows, Aston Martin don't make an estate car, otherwise she'd get me one....obviously.... And on that bombshell..... goodnight!!

A Dogs Thoughts On Holidays

Uncle Flynn and his black pudding birthday!

I’m really looking forward to my holidays!

My humans are taking me to Northumberland in a few weeks time. They took Flynn there a couple of times and he loved it. Hated the sea and the beach but loved the battered black pudding apparently! Mum hopes I might be a bit more confident than he was about the sea, but I won’t be able to be let off my lead this time, Mum can’t trust me yet! Greyhounds should never be put on extending leads as we are way too strong and fast. I’m still pretty young and fit and can get close to 40mph in three strides. I could break my neck and Mum would have a dislocated shoulder, or worse. Mum’s bought a training lead that she can wear draped over the shoulder and is hands-free, which will give security and me a bit of freedom. I’ve told her to pack her wellies and plan on some paddling!

Mum says there’s a great Sunday market at Amble where you can buy fresh fish from the quayside and she also got the best dog bed Flynn ever had from there too! Yeah well.. I bet it wasn’t as good as my bed; it’s huge! Mum keeps muttering about needing to build an extension to put it in, but she is prone to exaggeration. We do like to stretch out, do us Greyhounds and as you know, we really like to sleep. I’ve told Mum, if she doesn’t want to lose the couch completely, she’d better buy a spare whilst we’re there..

Declan's Thoughts On Cats...



KC - Or The Princess Of Darkness
as Mum likes to call her!

As I’ve already mentioned, I have a cat called KC. My humans have always had cats and Mum has always said that the cats and dogs have to get along. It was a bit of a risk with Flynn as Mum had him straight from his racing kennels, so he was a bit of an unknown quantity. However, as he’d not done a lot of racing his chase instinct wasn’t that strong. Couple that with the fact Mum had two cats back then, one of whom was a bit hard (I’m glad I never met her from what I’ve heard....) and Flynn was soon knocked into shape -quite literally!

With me it was a bit different. Because I came from a Retired Greyhound Trust kennel, I had been “cat tested”. Mum asked if they dangled a cat on a pole over my kennel to see if I’d eat it or not... I hope they knew she was just being silly. Anyway I passed my cat test, though my humans sometimes wonder how! My problem is twofold, you see. Firstly, I had a lot of races and my chase instinct is strong. Secondly I live with the biggest scaredey – cat in the world.

KC is a wimp! I look at her and she screams “He’s trying to kill me” and bolts behind the sofa. She is such a drama cat. How am I supposed to learn to love her when all I ever see is a furry blur shoot across the room?! Mum says we’ll get there eventually. She’s thinking of hiring some right bully-boy ginger tom to put me in my place apparently. Meanwhile KC is living the high life – upstairs. She’s taken to referring to the other side of the pet gate as “my apartment”. As ever, she’s getting ideas above her station; but that’s cats for you..

Dozing...

I always do my best thinking when I'm sleeping

I've been thinking.. I have a lot of time to think when I'm lying on my big soft bed. Mum thinks I'm asleep, but I'm just pretending. Rumours that Greyhounds sleep for 22 hours a day are ridiculous. I never sleep for more than 20 hours..

People have lots of misconceptions about dogs like me. They think we need loads of exercise, well I beg to differ!. I packed all the strenuous exercise I need into my racing career. A couple of 20 minute strolls twice a day and the odd gallop when we have somewhere safe is fine thank you very much. And if you want to take me out in the rain I rather cleverly velcro myself to my bed.. I don't eat that much either for a big lad. I weigh about 32kg and stand at 70cm to the shoulder. 4 mugs of good dried food a day, some nice tit bits thrown in ( you can't beat liver and carrots -yummy!) and the odd pigs ear treat and I'm perfectly happy. Best of all greyhounds are the soppiest dogs! Mum says she thought Flynn was daft until she met me. There's nothing wrong with being cuddled, kissed and generally adored, that's what I say... Well I think I've worn myself out, so I'll catch you later.

Welcome To Declan's Dogs Blog!

Hello, and welcome to my Dogs Blog, I'm so glad you dropped by!

Let's get the introductions out of the way shall we. 

My name is Declan, I'm the handsome chap in the photo, and I’m a retired racing Greyhound. I live with my two humans and our cat, KC.

I was born in Ireland in 2007- my racing name was Barrigone Bank back then, and I came to England to race in the Midlands. I was quite good at running and had 61 races until I was retired in February 2011. After that I was sent to the Wolverhampton Retired Greyhound Trust re-homing kennels, where I did my best to look terribly handsome and get myself adopted by a lovely new family. Luckily my mum came along, fell in love with my stunning good looks and winning personality and took me home in July 2011.

I’m the second greyhound that my family has adopted. Mum says that greyhounds are addictive; once you’ve had one you can’t give us up! Sadly she lost her first dog Flynn in May this year. He was 12 ½ when he died and Mum had had him 9 years. Flynn was actually my great uncle, although mum didn’t know that when she first saw me. We didn’t really look alike, except Mum says there’s something very familiar about my nose.. I think it’s just the way I stick it in everything!

You may think that Flynn and I being related is a bit of a spooky coincidence, but when you know that my granddad, Larkhill Jo had 7344 pups and my great granddad, Staplers Jo had 4158, you can see it’s not unusual to find Greyhounds years apart that are related. You can also see why there are so many of my pals out there looking for safe loving homes.

Anyway, I’ll tell you all about what it’s like to live with a greyhound and about the adventures I plan to have with my family. My humans are taking me on holiday to the seaside soon, so I’m dead excited as I’ve never seen the sea. Mum says I’ll have to take my lovely new snuggly walking-out jacket so I don’t get cold.. Mum’s eh?!

That’s all for now. I hope you’ll come back and see me. Maybe I can convince you to adopt another great dog just like me. Remember, Greyhounds make wonderful pets!