Nevada Greyhounds Unlimited Annual Picnic 2011

We attended our first greyhound rescue fundraising organization event as official greyhound owners this Saturday: The Nevada Greyhounds Unlimited Annual Picnic was held at a private residence in Gardnerville, Nevada. We got up early to shop and chop things into a watermelon-feta salad with yogurt-mint dressing–our potluck contribution–and loaded up the Forester with the camp chair, blanket, and cooler. It was then time to make our second go at getting Poncho into the car. To our surprise, he put up but little resistance and, once he understood what was expected, he jumped right in! On the road, we headed through [...]

First Car Ride

Taking our greyhound for his first car ride was not something we had not yet tried. Wednesday, I wanted to make a run down the street to Super Burrito. We figured that, because we will be driving to Gardnerville for the NGU Annual Picnic, this was as good a chance as any to see how Poncho does in the Forester. The interior is leather, so I wasn’t sure how this would hold up to Poncho’s nails and girth, so I put the back seats down flat. Initially, Poncho was skeptical about getting in the cargo area. I don’t know what [...]

Greyhound Roaching

Cockroaching, or roaching as to which it is more commonly referred in the greyhound rescue world, is the common practice of rolling onto the back, and artfully splaying legs at creative angles in all directions–a position reminiscent of deceased cockroaches. Like playing with toys–once the activity has been learned and/or understood by rescued greys—roaching appears to be indication of comfort within their environment and, unlike learning to play with toys, the behavior seems innate. Poncho roached in our living room on his second night with us, as he was also reported to have done at his foster home, and has continued to do [...]

On Location: Reno Truckee Riverfront

Poncho and I took a very long walk around Old Southwest Reno, and then down to the Truckee River and Winfield Park here in Reno, Nevada. He seemed to enjoy wading his front paws into the river, but I was hesitant to allow him any farther. He did pose for a few on-location shots…

First Dog Toys

Before he arrived, and after standing in the aisle at PetsMart without a clue about what he would like best, we bought Poncho two dog toys. We knew that greyhounds generally enjoy stuffed animals, particularly those with squeakers. We also took into consideration the dangers of ingesting plastics or vinyl, and that it is important to make sure that the toys have no choking-hazard potential (i.e., small, plastic eyes that could be chewed off). We purchased what I call the Blue Humanoid, and an elongated, grinning Dachshund with double squeakers. Poncho’s arrival brought with him two more toys. In the tote-bag [...]

Beef Pizzle is the Shinizzle

Not only does Nevada Greyhounds Unlimited hand-deliver your newfound canine friend — they come bearing gifts!!! Included in a nice totebag from our placement gurus, Gay and Sharon, was a “Beef Pizzle” – or two. What is a pizzle?  We asked ourselves…  a Google search or two indicated: (a) that a Pizzle is a totally gross thing; (b) that the doggies like to chew on it; (c) that it is good for cleaning teeth; (d) could be a general tool to fight boredom; and, (e) is  apparently widely available at Trader Joe’s. Good to go — so on a whim on [...]

Dutch Poncho is Here!