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.

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..

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!

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!