Breakout!

I came home last night and was met with this:

No dogs.

To say I was worried would be an understatement.

Elsie's dog tag hasn't arrived and although both have been microchipped there is still the possibility that either of them could have gotten hurt or shot while out wandering.

We live in a rural area full of sheep farmers and I have been told that farmers don't think twice about shooting down big dogs which could cause potential threats to their baby lambs.

My other worry was that they might've gotten hurt either on the property or swiped by wildlife, bitten by snakes. I'd gotten home just at dusk and although I did walk around and call for them, I didn't do a circuit of the entire property. 100 acres is a lot of land to cover at sunset. Especially if you don't want to be wandering in the dark.

I kept on imagining Freddie lying in a puddle of blood or gasping for breath in the middle of the bush and me not finding him. I'd planned to do a proper circuit of the property in the morning and still worried that I'd find him but then be too late to save him =(

I felt so worried and listless I cleaned up both the kitchen and the bathroom and wasn't in the mood for dinner.

Finally at 8.30 I heard a thundering outside and ran to the back door to be greeted by my two puppies panting happily.

*shakes head*

I'd come home early at 6 and sat at home waiting for 2 1/2 hours worrying my head off about those puppies.

I let them in and fussed over them but boy did they stink!

Upon further investigation I realised Freddie was the source. It smelt like stale urine around his head, neck, back and ears. It was almost like he'd shoved his entire body under either Elsie or a sheep while they were peeing. That or he rolled in it straight after it happened.

I also double checked their muzzles and coats but didn't find any blood. Much to my great relief. The last thing I wanted was to know that they'd been attacking wildlife/livestock.

Interestingly Elsie didn't smell although she definately felt a lot more dirty.

Based on time and my own energy levels I ended up just washing Freddie. I dragged him into the shower and did a proper wash. Although he resisted at first he ended up sitting quietly while I washed him and when we were done and I went to look for a towel, he actually stayed in the bathroom for a moment or two rather than running straight out. Of course he didn't bother shaking out the water in the bathroom and instead chose to do that in the hallway on the carpet. Typical dog.

I gave them a light supper and they both pretty much zonked out afterwards.

This morning I've tied them both back up onto their chains until hubby can come home and fix the hole properly. I hate tying them up even if they are on 9 and 6 metre chains. But it's for their own good - especially since they're trying to escape.

I thought that desexing Fred would stop him from wandering but it seems I was wrong.

The Grand Plan is to eventually save enough money to get a solar electric fence but money is tight at te moment, ironically because we spent so much on getting the puppies desexed and buying Elsie in the first place.

Until that money can be saved though, unfortunately they'll have to stay on those leads during the day.

Wolfhound - a - plenty

When I went looking for a second companion dog I'd subscribed to a number of pounds and pet rescue sites. After we got Elsie I started unsubscribing.

Yesterday I got an email in my inbox from the Queanbeyan Pound where I'd gotten Elsie. It turns out I'd forgotten to unsubscribe to this one.

And guess what Queanbeyan Pound has? Another wolfie girl!

What are the chances?

I've been on that mailing list for over a year and Elsie was the first wolfhound x they'd had all year. And then suddenly within a fortnight, here's another!

You can click on the picture to see her full details on the pound website

And she's ten times more wolfie looking than Elsie! Much more solid looking too! She's listed as a year old, which suggests that she might be even younger!

Of course she doesn't have the same colouring as Fred and Elsie, but she's definately got that wolfie look I was after.

She was found wandering I think, on the Monday and won't be available until next Monday. Interesting the comments only say that she's a gentle natured girl. Whereas Elsie had 'Lovely social girl with a gentle nature'. Does this mean that Elsie's better than this one? If nothing else this one certainly looks a lot more cared for. Makes me think/wonder if she had an owner and just wandered off the property.

I know I shouldn't be looking and I should be pleased with what I have. Especially since we can't afford to have another, and it would be total madness to have 3 dogs anyway!

And what's wrong with Elsie other than her not looking the way I originally wanted her to look? She's super sweet, likes us, is lovely and social with Fred and doesn't even growl at me when I get near her while she's eating food. She's super excited to see me be it first thing in the morning (she attacks me with licks and thumps her head on me pretty much at 6.30 every morning) and in the evening when I come home. Sure she's a bit lazy (doesn't always sit when you ask her to) and looks little like a mouse/rat (come on you know she does), but looks aren't everything. Temperment makes up for a lot.

I'm finding it interesting when I spend time with Elsie and then look over at Fred. Fred looks so much more... cartoonish and solid looking than her. It's like I have to recalibrate in my mind what I'm looking at. Odd isn't it? Perhaps it's because they have such similar colouring.

I bet this girlie doesn't stay in the pound long. She should get snapped up in an instant. That or her owners find her - after all she's only been in the pound for 2 days before they put her online. Elsie only got up there a week after she arrived. I'll be curious to see if this wolfie girl stays on the website for any longer than the 2 weeks before they update again. Especially since Elsie stayed up on the website even after we got her 2 days after she was put online.

Seriously though.. 2 wolfhounds in less than a month available at the pound - what are the chances???

Settling In

So despite all my worries last Friday, I came home relieved to find a very wide awake and happy Fred come and greet me.

Elsie and Fred have started getting to know each other better and have been either left outside in their pen to play or off leade while I'm in the garden. Each night they're now being let inside to sleep in the bedroom with us (previously Elsie was put in the laundry).

Funnily enough whenever I go outside Elsie will follow me, her head practically in my hand. Whereas Freddie follows at a more sedate pace behind.

Their wounds are healing, although Freddie still seems a bit lethargic. He seems to be a lot more affectionate although it could be my guilt talking. And fingers crossed he hasn't run off on the scent of something or gone exploring much.

Most of the time he just spends it at home.

Apparently on Sunday Elsie was trying to entice Freddie to play and all he was interested in was sitting on his bed.

On Saturday morning I let them out into the pen and when I went to check on them later, this was what I saw:

I think it's so cute that they're not facing each other.

Elsie has started rolling on her back and exposing her tummy for cuddles. Reassuring for me as it means that she feels safe enough to expose her belly and acknowledges that we're the bosses. Rosie hardly ever showed her tummy to us.

It's funny, having had a problem child/dog like Rosie and then suddenly being faced with a sweet tempered girl like Elsie has made doubly appreciative of what we now have.

Hubby watched in awe as the puppies got fed the other night. "Look at that! No growls, no dramas. Just normal dogs eating their dinner!"

Rosie used to growl at Fred and not let him eat until she had eaten. And let's not forget those 48 hour starvation periods where she refused to eat (and by default wouldn't let Freddie eat), just to prove she was superior.

We've started giving Elsie a bit more food now that she's on the mend. The other morning we caught her eating out of Fred's bowl. Both had been given some bones and he'd been a bit slower to finish. She had already gulped down all of her food and proceeded to eat his. I caught her a bit late (I wasn't paying attention) and I have a bad feeling she ate his last painkiller tablet =( naughty girl.

 Here is a sweet photo of the pups on the verandah admiring the view...

Elsie: "Gosh check out the view!" Fred: "Huh? Yeah, it's ok"

This is a very funny picture. Elsie seems to have a particular liking for the slopes. And Freddie looks like he's a bit miffed to discover she's taken his spot.

Fred: "Ah damn, I can't believe it, she's still there! I want my spot back!"

 

I love this pic. It's like Freddie's praying to the gas tanks like if they were gods.

Fred: "Please, make me an only puppy again. She's nice, but she keeps on taking my mum's attention/affection from me!"

Here's Freddie looking all concerned again. If anything, he looks a bit sulky!

Fred: "What is that girl doing???"

This one's also very funny. You can almost hear the conversation.

Fred: "Gosh she smells"    Elsie: "Hrmpff. Just you wait, fella"

Speaking of smells, Hubby gave Elsie a proper bath on the weekend, right down to 2 lathers with soap. She's come out squeaky clean, smelling lovely with big fluffy hair. She's definately a lot lighter than Freddie in colouring and a lot more grey in her coat. Although you can still see the tips are red along her back.

This was an accident shot, but I somehow managed to catch her tongue. lol

 

I was looking at Freddie yesterday and noticed that his muzzle is actually getting quite white. I don't seem to recall him having that much white before? Or am I just imagining things? He's only 3 and 1/2 so he's not that old, but I definately noticed the white on his brows and face.

Freddie's still as cute as ever, sitting for the camera.

and Elsie's not too bad herself!
 

 I was gardening the other afternoon and happened to look across to see where the puppies were. I laughed to see them. Both lying down watching me, but with Freddie at the back in his usual spot and Elsie in the middle of the yard.

Elsie has learnt pretty quickly to sit pretty for the camera.

Previously she'd come up to inspect but these days she just watches. She's definately not as camera shy as Freddie was when he first came to us.

Doggy yawning photos are the cutest. Check out her eyes all squeezed up tight and her bitty teeth!

Here is one of my favourite pics. She's found a spot near the gas tanks and you can see by the crushed grass that she's gone and made it all comfy.

I swear from certain angles she looks a little like a rat/mouse. I think it's the longer nose and smaller ears that make me think that. But anyway - how sweet is this pic??

Here is my other favourite. She looks so angelic. LOL. God knows what mischief she's brewing inside that pretty little head of hers!

Freddie's home!

Freddie came home after desexing yesterday. They gave him anesthetic to put him out, and when I went to pick him up, he walked soooo slowly - like an old man. His tail wagged a little, and he looked sooooo dopey.

It tore at my heart strings to see how doped up he was.

I know that desexing is for the best, but gosh... I felt soooo guilty.

He slept most of the way home, and had a long snooze inside.

I also got him to take a vaccination, and along with an examination fee (I didn't know there'd be one) it came to a whopping $380! I was so shocked. They'd said $270 for the desexing and $58 for the vaccination. But they'd never mentioned the examination fee... *sigh*

We are now officially totally broke. =(

What a week.

New puppy, vaccinations, puppy "accessories" (bed, collar, chain, lead), Fred desexing...

Ah well - it's an investment right?

Elsie was really good last night. It was her first day on her own tied up on the long chain. When I came home the water dish wasn't tipped over and she seemed fairly content lying on the ground.

Once I let her off though it was an entirely different story.

She did the same thing as Fred and ran fast back and forth along the verandah. It was very cute.

I'd put Fred inside the house because he was so dopey and thought I'd let her in. Bad idea.

She ran in was sooooo excited to see Fred that she lost her footing and slid right across the tiles. I should've videotaped it, it was so funny.

After she regained her footing she was all over him trying to play. I tried holding her down but it was such a struggle that I ended up taking her for a quick calming walk up the hill and back again. And then she was right as rain.

I'm not sure if she's enjoying Freddie's foot fetish or not. If nothing else you can get a better idea of their comparative sizes.

Fred's big and chunky whereas she's a bit more slight and fragile.

He does seem to enjoy chewing on her though. The night before it was her ears and last night it was her legs, although he has paid a lot of attention to her bottom.

We had a bit of a cuddling session later on in the evening, and I rolled her over to cuddle her from behind. Next thing you knew she'd flipped onto her back, and we had a good tummy scratch.

I think she might need a few washes before she's nice and clean.

Her fur and skin condition isn't the best at the moment and I think it affects how effective washing can be. But her belly definately needs another wash. It's all icky/leathery, like sweaty. Not soft and clean.

She's back in the big pen today while Freddie is tied up closer to the house. Hopefully seeing each other will make their day go a bit faster and reassure them. And hopefully Freddie will spend his time on his new bed and have a relaxing snooze. The last thing I want is for him to get stressed by tangling himself between the cables.

Hubby is home now and this weekend he plans to finish the fence so that they can both be left in the pen without being tied up. By then Freddie's wounds will hopefully have healed enough for them to play with each other. Elsie's quite a runner and I think she'll wear out Freddie pretty quick smart.

I checked with the vet, and Fred's a whopping 42.8kilos!

Queen Elsie and her put out Squire Fred

Just digging through my photos and found some funny ones I took on Tuesday when I was at home to keep an eye on her after her desexing.

The vet had requested she keep her elizabethan collar on to stop her from licking the wound and chewing out the stitchess.

Here's what Elsie thinks of this idea:

She looks a bit scary, doesn't she? Based on this pic, hubby reckons perhaps we should've called her Elizabeth.

This is one of the cutest pics I've got of her so far. Perhaps when she puts on a bit more weight you can see the potential cute factor go up a notch or two:

Don't mess with me! I am scary and brutish even if I have a cute nose..

That or she's just speaking Pirate.

It's funny, looking back at the older pics of Freddie - he wasn't exactly super cute either when we got him at 6 months. So perhaps once she fills out we'll see more of her wolfie side. I certainly hope so.

Is it bad of me to get second thoughts? Is it bad of me to wish she was cuter? It's not the looks that count, right? It's wonderful that I was able to get her out of the pound, and it's great that I can give her a home. So why am I getting second thoughts? Am I just still smarting from the last dog scare?

Here's Elsie a little nonplussed that she has to continue wearing her collar:

I wonder what she's looking at all the waaaay up there on the coffee table.

Oh, she's heard something. Least she's got nice floppy ears =D

Here's another funny one. I love how you can see Freddie in the background "just watching". Poor boy.

Here's the boy caught under the coffee table. He looks a bit suspicious, as if he's been caught drinking beer (note the beer bottle cap on the tiles)

But here is my favourite of all so far:

I don't remember when I took this pic, but if you ever wanted to know what a sulky put out wolfhound looked like, here it is!

Meet Elsie, latest member of the pack

Here is Elsie, our new wolfhound x greyhound after her wash. There's been plenty of activity since we brought her home.

Freddie was extremely jealous on Monday night. I didn't expect that. Every time I cuddled her there would be whines from him.

The funniest thing though was when he did a double take through the window. Elsie had only just had surgery and the vet had advised she be kept quiet as her stitches will take a little while to heal. Freddie still hasn't been desexed yet, so it was crucial that he 1. not lick or chew her stitches, and 2. not attempt to mount her.

So we had let her in first. Freddie was let off his chain and he was running back and forth along the verandah to get his energy levels back to normal when he passed by the back door. He looked in as per his usual wont and did a double take when instead of seeing us, he saw me with Elsie. Talk about the look of shock on his face. He looked as if to say "hey! what is THAT doing in there? How come she's in there and not me???"

When later both were let inside and he was just settling into his tummy scratch, Elsie came over to me to see what I was doing. Freddie did the quickest flip I'd ever seen. As if to say "I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm definately not being submissive to you!" It was very amusing to say the least.

Interestingly, when the two dogs were greeting each other at the pound the ranger commented that it looked like Fred would be top dog in this pack. I was looking forward to having my Fred be top dog for once. This is the Fred who got snapped at by a Jack Russell for looking down and saying hello, and then immediately ran behind me terrified. This is the Fred who ran petrified, constantly looking behind him like Helen Hunt in Twister when they spot the tornado coming straight at her, when a maltese terrier yapped at his heels. It'd be nice to have my submissive bottom rung dog finally be in charge for once.

But it looks like it's not going to be the case.


Every time I gave Freddie a cuddle Elsie would come up to inspect. She hasn't learnt her name properly yet and will come whenever there is any sound made which might imply a cuddle. She'll push Fred out of the way (she's skinny enough to slip through the gaps). If Fred's lying on the ground, she'll simply walk over him. It's like he's not there!

And what's just as disturbing is that Fred doesn't react.

Instead, now, when I am giving her attention, he simply looks up from where he is, a little folornly, as if to say 'you're busy with her, but can I have a cuddle too?'

Fascinating.

And also a little disappointing.

I was so looking forward to him being able to lord it over someone, anyone!

As hubby puts it, Fred's a bit of an embarrassment. 40kgs of dog, undesexed and totally ignored by a 26kg, desexed featherweight of a girl. *shakes head*

I finally got around to giving her a shower yesterday. She's not that great with water, but she's definately not as bad as Rosie was.

I only managed to wash her top bits. I didn't want to get too close to her wound, and it was getting late so I didn't really do as good a job on her abdomen and legs.

Either way it was good to get the gunk and smell off the fur on her back. She was one stinky dog when we picked her up. Even her pound notes said she needed a bath.




It was funny - her hair didn't lather like Freddie's does. She has curls all over, whereas Fred just has the wolfie fur on the back. The rest of him is a bit shorthaired. And her curls never really held much sudsing. It was all very fine and wiry.

You can see her hair all fluffed out like a fluff ball on the right.

You can also see that she's got more greyhound in her face than Wolfie.

Fred's face is big and square whereas hers is more pointing and triangle-y.

 She also has a white patch of skin next to her nose.


What's made it interesting after washing her, is that you can get a better idea of how bad her skin actually is. The pound reckoned it looked like she'd had fleas at some stage, which would explain the short patches of hair. Her pound report also noticed red irritated dermatits patches. I'm hoping a healthy diet and a clean home will fix all that.



You can tell by her feet that she's not going to get any taller but the pound assures me she should fill out quite a bit. Her claws are also quite sharp! She managed to get me in the palm yesterday and nicked some skin.

It's been 3 days since she's been home, so I let her off the lead (I've been putting her on lead whenever we go outside) and let her play with Fred. They seemed to get on really well and at one stage Fred was chasing her around the garden. Since then there hasn't been much whining. I think perhaps the first night was a bit of a shock. And the fact that they didn't get to socialise before coming in and getting human attention didn't help. Over time I think they'll be the best of friends.


I tell you if there were any doubts that she had greyhound in her, that chase put them all to bed. She was like a grey furball! Powering around the pen. It was amazing. I've never seen a dog run so fast.

I must admit that I do worry a little - I never expected to be a greyhound owner, and I hope that she will fit in well with us. I also admit that it's a bit odd looking at her pointy face. I've had to adjust, considering my original list of requirements for a puppy and constantly looking at wolfie faces. She just looks so different. But at the end of the day I have to be reminded, it's not all about looks. Rosie was a beautiful dog but her temperment just did not suit our family. Whereas Elsie looks like she'll be a good fit, even if she isn't what I'd consider to be the cutest face - not like Freddie.

Knowing that she will most likely dominate Fred if she chooses to also turns the tables a bit for me. I've been trying my best to shower her with love and affection, in the hopes of securing her love and confidence. I want her to be a homebody and encourage Fred to stick around rather than go off chasing roos and accidently getting shot by angry sheep farmers. But also knowing that Fred will remain bottom dog is a bit of a disappointment.

They are still currently sleeping seperately. She's in the laundry while Fred is in the bedroom with me. This will stay this way until Freddie heals from his desexing which will happen today.

I must say she definately seems smarter than Fred. And while everyone (the pound, rangers, vet, receptionst @ vet) all claim that Elsie is a lovely 'gentle natured' girl, when I compare her to Fred, I must say she doesn't stack up as well.

I guess not everyone has a Fred to compare with. Probably in comparison to other dogs Elsie is wonderful. But not as wonderful as Fred. Aren't I biased? ;)

For example, she walks into any room she chooses. Not like Fred who won't walk into a room unless you invite him to. She even sauntered into my veggie patch! Of course she wasn't to know she wasn't allowed in there. She was simply following me around. Who would've thought I'd find a dog that was a better shadow than Fred?


Still I think she's going to be a good addition. At the moment she's getting plenty of attention from both me and Fred. Fred's constantly sniffing her bottom and last night chewed her ears. She was sitting in my lap at the time and it felt like a total love fest.


She also gets lots of pats from me and treats when I call her or try to get her to sit.

In all it's been a very big week for me. I stayed at home on Tuesday to take care of her and make sure she was ok - which was good, since she threw up 3 times. I didn't even get to sleep in, because after hubby left for work there was this whiney howl emanating from the laundry.

I also wasn't sure whether or not she's toilet trained, so every morning I've put her on the lead and walked her around the house first thing in the morning while I'm still in my dressing gown. She always seems a bit restless when I let her out so I figure better to get this over and done with now rather than risk her peeing all over the house. Interestingly she has picked her 'toilet spot' and pees in the same spot every morning.

The first morning was quite disturbing because Freddie was with us and proceeded to drink her pee as it was coming out.  =S Kinky dog.

I've had to keep a close eye on both of them and that's quite draining. Freddie's not allowed to lick her wound and I'm trying to keep him from sniffing her bottom too much, mainly because I don't want him to be interested in mating.

Her, I've had to keep an eye on to make sure she doesn't lick or chew her wound too much and break it open. That would be icky... and costly. The pound paid for her desexing, but I'm not sure if they'll cover anything if she stuffs up her wound.

I have to go and pick Fred up from the vet's today. He's also getting desexed and will hopefully curb his wandering spirit.

We found a pigging site the other day (where people breed dogs to hunt pigs) and there was a cross breed there that looked exactly like Fred's twin not so good looking brother. It was the same markings down to the white line on the forehead, white chest and hocks! Amazing.

I definately don't want Fred to be a pig dog. I'm more than happy for him to just be a pet/house dog. And hopefully the desexing will help with that. It does feel like a slight pity in that he's such a lovely tempermented dog that I'd like for more dogs like him to be exactly like him, but I'm not really the puppy breeder type. I certainly don't have the stamina to take care of puppies. Just look at me struggling with two dogs at the moment and feeling frayed at the edges!

So because Fred is at the vet's today is Elsie's first day at home. I put her on Fred's chain and left her with some breakfast and a stinky meaty bone which will hopefully keep her occupied for quite a while.

What will interest me is whether or not she will take advantage of the dog house. Hubby bought that thinking that Fred would need shelter from the weather in the dog run, but so far he hasn't used it, except for a chewing exercise (you can see the chewing marks on the corner). Silly puppy.


 

I also worry about her dominance issues. So far she has a tendancy to try and crawl into my lap or at least put her front paws on me when I am sitting on the sofa. I see it as a dominance thing which I am not prepared to allow. I need her to know that I'm in charge, not her. Perhaps I'm still skittish from Rosie, but I do not want a repeat of a dog who thinks they are dominant and refuses to learn.

Adding to the pack

It's been a while since I last updated. We've been talking about getting Freddie a companion for a while, but timing was never right. We were either moving house, going away on holidays or simply getting on with life and short of cash.

For a while there, talk of getting another dog was simply put on hold. But after Fred was found on our neighbour's property, exploring his boundaries we decided that it was time Freddie had a new companion to keep him company and hopefully keep him on the straight and narrow.

We live in a farming community, and it's been lambing season for the last few months. If Freddie had been seen by any of these farmers he would've been shot on sight. Not exactly pleasant for me.

Having had such a bad experience with our last companion dog I was very wary of what kind of dog we would pick for Fred. Having had Fred to ourselves for the last year it's been a wonderful opportunity to get to know him better. I certainly think he's bonded a lot closer to us.

I've been searching on foster care sites, dog rescue forums as well as subscribing to pounds so that I could be notified if new dogs came in.

My requirements were:

*      A wolfhound type dog. Once a wolfhound owner, always a wolfhound owner. I have yet to meet any other dog which can beat the wolfhound temperment.

*      Submissive - don't want any more aggression aka Rosie

*      A girl. Better for Fred than a dominant male.

*      People orientated. Rosie never cared for us much and she was more of a cat than a dog. She chose when she wanted a cuddle and was never really interested in us giving her that much attention. She was more focused on Fred and getting him to chase her around the yard. Of course one of the worst things was, she was constantly in 'game' mode. So if you took her for a walk off lead, inevitably she would run off, and when you called her, she'd come a little close and then run off again, as if daring you to chase her. And 9 times out of 10 you couldn't get her back on lead. Talk about frustrating.

*      Non food aggressive. Another Rosie trait that I disliked very much. If you fed her and then came near her while she was eating she would growl at you. Whereas you can take food out of Fred's mouth. In fact, if you feed him and then stand next to him - he won't eat. He looks at you as if to say, 'do you want some? coz if you want some, you can have it. I can wait!'

*      Long haired. Our winters here are very cold, and since the puppies will spend the majority of the day outside they need to be protected from the weather. Making a short haired puppy not really suited to the climate here.

*      Fairly young. Hubby felt that part of the reason that Rosie was so untrainable was because she was already 2 when we got her, and must've had quite a spoilt life before she came to us. As a result she didn't seem to believe that anyone else was top dog except her. Hubby wanted our next dog to be younger so that they could better integrate into our family and essentially be easier to train. Ideally for him would've been a puppy - which I wasn't 100% keen about. 3 meals a day, toilet training, teething, etc. Talk about a full time job!

There have been a number of wolfhound crosses available through the pounds and rescue groups lately, but most of them have either not caught my eye mainly because they haven't met my requirements or were simply too far away/not convenient for us to go and look at.

Finally last Thursday I got an email from Queanbeyan Pound (I was on their mailing list) and they had in an Irish Wolfhound x Staghound. It sounded promising and was local, so I rang them up for more information. I was directed to their website where I saw a picture of a greyish looking girl who looked quite big. She had the shaggy hair of a wolfie and seemed quite nice. It helped that the description described her as a lovely social girl. It all sounded promising.

Here is her pic from the pound website:

Doesn't she look sweet?

I teed up with Hubby to see her on Friday morning (the Queanbeyan pound has such weird opening hours), and off we went.

I must admit I was slightly dubious when I met her. She was smaller than she looked in the photo. She'd also only just been let our of her pen (we were there at opening time) and as a result she was quite jumpy/scattered. Having said that, when I came in, the first thing she did was jump up at me, and licked me on the nose. Then she proceeded to run around the pen sniffing. Reminded of Rosie's tendancy to be jumpy and scattered/not interested in her humans, made me a little wary.

The ranger had warned us to give her a bit of patience, since she was in a pound environment and locked up overnight meant that she was just starting to ease into the day. But even with that caution, it's hard to not make judgements. We spent about 15mins with her (we had to go to work aftewards) and I left still not 100% sure. I was worried since she was so jumpy that she might try to scale our dog pen fence. And I wasn't sure she was going to be affectionate enough.

Having said all that, I did make a booking for the next day, so that we could bring Fred along to see how she would go with him. I guess I was trying very hard not to be judgemental, and I knew due to past experience that girl wolfies don't come around often through pounds. They're just not as popular a dog as your staffy, cattle x or mastiffs. So I was keen to give her a proper chance despite my initial concerns. It didn't help that she hadn't had a bath and stunk to high heaven. It's hard to give a dog a cuddle and see if she reacts well when she stinks so bad!

The other concern I had was that she had simply been left in the outside pens. She wasn't microchipped or desexed and hadn't been surrendered. It made me wonder what her past was like.

While the listing on the pound site had said she was 1 1/2, the ranger said the Vet had been by the day before and had judged her probably closer to 1 than 1 1/2. Which was a bit more reassuring.

I slept on it and still wasn't 100% sure. I decided it would probably depend on a second viewing. The more I thought about her, the more I thought, gee, she sure is small - would she fit in with us? Since having Fred I've taken to liking big solid dogs. I'm fairly rough with Fred and it never matters. As a result I always forget when I'm around little dogs that I have to be gentle. This girl looked so thin and frail and practically danced on her feet in that pen. I worried that I'd have to change my perspective while owning her. I wanted big solid dogs, not delicate ones that I had to watch out for in case I stepped on them!

She also had more of a greyhound build/face than a wolfie. And to be honest, being picky the second time around I was more interested in wolfie looking dogs than the santa's little helper types.

I'd asked hubby how he felt and he was fairly indifferent. Said she was a nice girl but that it was up to me. I'd said I wasn't sure, and he said to me, 'look if you don't want her, don't get her'. Which meant the decision was totally mine to make. Talk about pressure! It's a big deal to know that you are responsible for whether or not a dog gets to get out of the pound.

Anyhow, the next day came and we went out to see her, Fred in tow. It was strange seeing her the second time. Next to Fred she was in fact not as small as I'd remembered. In fact she was probably only about a hand smaller than Fred. That was very reassuring as it meant that while they were playing Freddie couldn't hurt her or accidently squash her flat.

Interestingly, when we let Fred into the pen, he was more interested in marking out the pen as his own, peeing everywhere, than he was interested in her. She tried a few times to engage with him, doing the bowing/bouncing moves that dogs do when they are trying to play and getting the other dog to chase them. Usually Fred does that with other dogs and they ignore him. Similarly this time he ignored her and continued his rounds, sniffing and peeing everywhere. I felt bad for her and got down to her level to see if she was interested in us.

I'd done quite a bit of reading on greyhounds the day before and a bit on temperment testing, so decided to see how she would react to things like me wrapping my arms around her for a hug, lying her down on the floor and rolling her over. Each time she was submissive - which was a good sign.

After I spent a few minutes with her, Freddie came up to inspect, and started to get interested. Looking at the two of them (she also has a brindle coat) it was like watching a family/pair of dogs. It was a pleasant sight to see and they definately looked like they were getting along. I think that, combined with the pound's report on her temperment (they'd done a test before we came) that was what sealed the deal. Knowing that she was big enough to handle Fred and that Fred seemed to quite like her just made it easy. And she definately seemed interested in us.

We had a chat with the ranger who told us that she had passed her temperment test with flying colours. No aggression with any dogs. Knew how to 'sit' and 'shake hands' and that she was one of the nicest dogs they'd ever had in the pound.

It was interesting comparing the two dogs side by side. Freddie's brindle coat gleamed in the sunshine. He's a big strapping boy. In comparison, she was bony (you could feel her ribs and chest bone), her fur was all matted and grey, even if her head was brindle, and just looked.. washed out. She had little short patches on her legs and her fur just looked scraggly. It looked like she'd definately been through the mill. Scrawny would probably sum her up to a T. It definately made me feel good knowing that we'd been responsible for getting Freddie to look so healthy and loved. He just looked so.. prosperous in comparison to her.

We sorted out the arrangements and settled on picking the girl from the Vet's on Monday for desexing.

Considering my initial concerns and worries, it's interesting to see how quickly I flipped from 'not sure if i want this one' to 'let's get her!' I think Freddie's interaction with her was the deciding point. Being able to see her size in comparison to his was a big factor for me, and knowing that she seemed quite sweet and people attentive was also very important for me.

So now it's down to waiting for Monday to pick her up from the Vet! Wish us luck!