Where Are They Now?
Here at West Yorkshire and District Retired Greyhounds, we like to keep in touch with the people that give our Greyhounds a loving home. It's great to see how they've settled and hear some of the lovely things that people have to say about these wonderful dogs.
Tom
"Hi Kath! Well it's been a week and I think it's safe to say that Tom has settled in a little too well! He is a wonderful boy, thank you so much xx"
- Tom's Owner
Freya
"She is an absolute dream, she settled in her new home. She relaxed so quickly and from day 2 she plonks her head on my lap to cuddle on the sofa. She is learning things well - only one time of chewing something that wasn't hers but no accidents since then. She has learnt to not jump up on the counters etc. She is also comfortable and confident in the house by herself. Since moving past her having problems whining when we left the house she has come on so well, I think being more firm with her and making sure not to encourage her whining as you advised, has helped a lot. I took myself out for a coffee and watched her for 30 minutes on the camera and she just laid out on the sofa, happy as ever. She is truly a fantastic dog and we can't thank you and the staff at the kennels enough for bringing her into our lives"
- Freya's owners
Norma Jean
Hi
I adopted a greyhound from yourselves; racing name Milestone Genie.
We adopted her in 28/06/23
Her name is now Norma Jean named after Marylin Monroe. Beautiful and a delicate petal.
She's the best little girl,
She learnt a lot in 8 weeks. She now comes to her new name, walks well on the lead, responding to wait before we cross the road.
When asked to lay on her bed she does....most of the time haha.
She knows when it's mummy & daddy meal time and she goes to her bed.
So loving our girl.
Kathleen Giles
Cassie
(Previously known as Debbie to us)
"She has certainly made herself at home, I still can't get her upstairs but I'm working on it ha ha!"
- Cassie's Owner
Charlie
"Charlie has made our home, his home and seems happy and comfortable.
He's already met the new neighbours and is now having a lie down"
- Charlie's Owner
Bob
Just thought we'd send a quick update on Bob who is coming up to his first gotcha day on Thursday. He was very much a velcro dog when he first came to us and still likes to know where we are in the house.
We moved to Northumberland at the end of July and he has settled in very well. He loves his trips out to the beach and countryside though still refuses to jump into the car! We're involved with a few greyhound groups so he gets to meet other greys quite regularly. He's really good in the house and despite not jumping into the car travels very well. He's also donated at the Pet Blood Bank a few times where he can't get enough of the treats and fuss on offer.
So safe to say he's very much part of the family and we love him to bits.
Wishing you all the best for the festive season and hope 2024 brings everything you wish for.
Best wishes
Jean, Steve and Bob 🐾
Zippy
Hi Kath and the rest of the lovely team.
I thought it was about time I sent you in Zippy's update.
The last 3 months with Zippy have been nothing short of fantastic and life changing in the best way possible.
She took to home life really really well. A really affectionate lady who we think found a lot of comfort in the boundaries we set from the moment she walked through the door.
Not letting her on the sofa for a cuddle for the first month was really hard. We would just stare at her longingly wanting to fuss about over her, but it was for the best. She learned really quickly that her beds were her safe spaces and the places she could get comfy and have "zippy time". We needed to respect her boundaries as much as she needed to respect ours. Nowadays when we come home from her morning walk she takes herself upstairs to her bed to have a long snooze until lunch time... then she comes downstairs and has a long sleep on the couch. She LOVES a sleep. You'll notice most of the pictures I've sent in are of her asleep. I've never known a dog look so happy whilst asleep!.
She's socialised really well too. She has some other greyhound friends in the area that we see on the morning walk and she gets to run around with them. Recall training took a lot of work and is something we practice every day to make sure she can play off the lead safely but has been so worth it to see her running for fun.
There were of course challenges. The stairs was a huge one, freezing on walks, coming across very small dogs etc., but with time and patience these are issues of the past. She goes up and down the stairs a bit too fast now, only freezes when she doesn't want to go home, and ignores small dogs at the first command.
I could go on forever about how amazing it's been but long story short, adopting a greyhound is the best thing we've ever done. I would (and do) recommend it to everyone and anyone who will listen. The patience and love you put in you get back 10 times over.
Thank you Kath for bringing Zippy into our lives! When we have a bigger house we'll be back for more!
Many thanks,
Sophie, Rob & Zippy
