Happy Halloween

I think our first impressions were correct - Kanny seems to be a little goofy (okay, a lot), a teensy bit of a drama queen, and soooo into people. He's a big cuddle-bug!


He's still dealing with the time change so we've had a few restless nights but I'm sure that he'll adapt soon. One other issue we've been dealing with is this problem: Kanny knows he should go to the bathroom outside. However, he DOES NOT want to poo with a leash on! We've had a few incidents where we've gone for long, long walks, and within two minutes of getting back in the house, he'll be caught trying to poo by the door. Poor guy; it's all so very confusing! In his previous life on the track he was trained not to do any 'business' when on leash, because often when they're on leash, they're being paraded around for the spectators to look at.

The good thing is, he's smart and he really wants to please us, so "this too shall pass". Oh, I'm sorry. That was really bad, wasn't it?

Other than that he's fitting in really well. He walks pretty well on a leash, leaning into his person's body sometimes while walking. It's sweet.

He's incredibly tolerant of our two dogs (one is his size and the other is six pounds, for those of you who haven't met our family). He is curious and somewhat bold, but not pushy or bossy. He's interested in other people, dogs, and moving things in general when we're outside. I can walk him down a busy road without a blink - he doesn't mind traffic at all.


One thing we still haven't gotten is that high, contented tail wag. I guess he's been bombarded by so many new things over the past three days that he doesn't quite feel completely comfortable and at home yet. I'm sure it'll happen soon.

A few minutes ago I got some intriguing news regarding Kanny...but I won't say anything more for the moment. Oh, that reminds me, we're planning on taking him to the Greyhound Rescue Co-ordinator's house sometime soon to introduce him to a cat and see how he reacts. Yes, we have a cat here, but Tex is still quite feral and will rip either my or Kanny's face off if we try to get everyone close enough together to do an introduction. So he'll meet a domesticated cat instead, and I think it will go well - he doesn't seem to have a high prey drive, and although he knows there is a cat in this house, he does not seek him out.

I'll let you know how it goes with the cat - keep your fingers crossed! Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Kanny has arrived

Kap Kanny Fly, our latest rescue Greyhound from Kansas, arrived yesterday. My first impression of him is that he is a big foolish goofball. He likes people and other dogs and although he can be quiet, I wouldn't call him timid.


We went for lots of walks yesterday after he arrived and as a result he slept well last night. He sometimes flips onto his back as he sleeps! His legs are so long that this position looks absolutely ridiculous. One important item of note: no accidents in the house, yay!!

This morning Kanny thought he'd explore his new surroundings. He sniffed everything possible in our house, including pictures, books, mugs of tea, the computer, basically anything he could reach. I could hear all the little thumps from the framed pictures being shoved around by his nose (he's not very delicate).

Later on he decided to take most of the dog toys out of the basket where they're kept and distribute them evenly throughout the house.

We haven't gotten a tail wag yet, but he'll follow us from room to room if we're moving around, so I'm assuming he likes us. He is not shy about encountering new people or situations either.

He's hard to read at this point and I'm sure he'll change as he gets used to being a house dog, so I'll update more as things happen.

Kap Kanny Fly

The Greyhounds are coming!


This Sunday another haul will arrive from Kansas, and we're set to foster Kap Kanny Fly, call name "Kanny". I don't know anything else about him yet but I will update as soon as we get any news.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Texel the feral cat deserves a nice big update since I'm posting anyway. Lately he's been slinking around the house while people are up and about, and even in the same room as him. He'll glide slowly out from whatever furniture he's hiding under, sometimes stopping to look at any humans that may be in the room. He then continues on his way to either another piece of furniture or to the office where his food and litter box are kept. What a brave boy!

He's also found some confidence recently. When he's in a bad mood and/or doesn't want to be touched, he's getting brave enough to swipe at us every now and again. He connected with my hand yesterday but didn't break skin. I take it as a sign that he's secure enough now to know that we're not going to attack him if he shows a bit of attitude, which is fine by me. His tantrums are neither vicious nor frequent.

He is definitely progressing and losing his fear of people. When he's in a good mood he hardly looks at me when I touch him, and will roll around purring. I can ALMOST get him to eat a treat out of my hand. Overall I think he's doing well. I'll try to get a decent picture of him sometime for you to see - but it's no easy feat photographing a black cat that only hides in dark corners! Wish me luck.

More on both Kanny and Tex later.

Another cat sighting!

...Guess who popped his head out from under the futon to look at Mark?

Good job, Tex! Mark was rummaging in his book bag near the futon and Mr. Tex was brave enough to investigate! I'm VERY happy about this.

At the urging of our feral expert, earlier I'd pulled him out from under the futon so he could get used to being in the open with me. I held him gently in place and petted him. He didn't freak out which is great, but he did want to go back to his hiding spot (of course). After a bit of petting I let him go and he slunk back under. I gave him a bunch of treats and hopefully he felt okay about everything.

Things are going well!