Dog Blog

I had said in an earlier post that I would introduce the furrier members of our family. They are such an important part of my life - I can't imagine being without them.

I always think that life would be so much easier without them - they do tend to complicate things - but then I know I'd be lost without having dogs in my life.

Chorney

Chorney came from a breeder and is my 'bargain basement' dog. When Gerald and I were buying our first house, my son Mike was 6, and I insisted that every little boy should have a dog. My friend who lived out in the country knoew of a breeder up the road and suggested that we go to see her. So, we're wandering around the barn and the bredder was telling me that she didn't have many pups left, but was expecting a litter in a few weeks.

Along comes Chorney. At 10 months, she was all gangly, leggy and awkward. She walked right up to me, laid down, and put her chin on my foot. It was love. The breeder told me that no one wanted her - she was the runt of the litter. I couldn't say no. She offered her to me for half of what she normally charged for one of her pups. I paid her and make plans to pick her up the day we took possession of the house.

The breeder was calling her Shorty and I hated it, but she responded to it. I wanted to find a name for her that sounded similar to Shorty. On the drive home I started listing every word I could think of that rhymed (Morty, Forty etc), and then a light bulb went on! I remembered a police constable from back home in northern Ontario who had been friends with my parents, and his last name was Chorney. Hence, her name is Chorney.

She has been the best dog. Although first impressions would lead you to think that she doesn't have much going on upstairs, she's an amazingly smart dog. Without a day of formal training, she picked up every command we threw at her with ease. I have no idea how many words she recognizes, but the number is probably astounding.

These days, she's lost most of her hearing and responds mostly to things she can feel, like vibrations and thumps. Her back end is terribly arthritic and she's lost a lot of control over it. She's still a happy girl though, who loves to go for (shorter) walks, and plays with her toys. A good day includes breakfast with something yummy thrown in, and then laying out on the back deck in the sun - whether it's summer or winter.

Trap

Trap is a retired greyhound who came to Canada after racing at Melbourne in Florida. He was 2-1/2 when he came home after a very brief racing career. Turns out he wasn't much of a racer. He ran a grand total of 8 races and won - 0. That's my boy! He must have known there was a forever couch out there waiting for him, so why run?

Trap is a BIG boy. He weighs about 85-90 lbs and can walk along our dining room table with his head over the table. This sometimes poses a problem when we have people over for dinner. He's slowly learning manners though, and leaves when told.

Trap isn't what you'd call a fast learner. Stairs are still something he has a lot of problems with. Greyhounds come into homes with no knowledge of 'petdom'. They don't know how to be a pet. I could talk for hours n this subject,so I'll just leave it at that.

Trap is mommy's boy in a very big way. He follows me everywhere, stuck to my leg like velcro.
Sometimes when he really wants something, he'll run along beside me, body-checking me in the direction of what he wants. Maybe he's not so dumb after all!

Greyhounds are like big, huge cats. Don't let anyone tell you that they need a lot of excercise or need to run everyday. There are TONS of misconceptions out there about the breed. Trap is happy to plant his butt on a couch and sleep the day away.

We have also pre-adopted another greyhound, Elliott, who is only 6 months old. He will stay where he is in Iowa until he's about a year old, and then he'll go to schooling. From there, if he's good enough, he'll move to a track where he'll race. When he's done he'll come home to us!

So there you have it. Our dogs are an important part of our lives, no matter how much of a pain they are!