Hi, I’m Fiona and have three greyhounds, Hazel, Monty and Aisha. I got Hazel from the original Lifeline kennels and Monty was a stay put foster also from Lifeline. I got Aisha as a puppy. I used to volunteer at Greyhound Lifeline and some people will recognise my name and/or the dogs!

 

Just before Christmas I moved to Nottingham; to a very different home and environment. The dogs settled easily and quickly (I’m still working on it at times). There are different rules here. I have doors, so I can shut them out of places – no more raiding the kitchen rubbish bin or fridge for Monty! They quickly learnt that they cannot sleep in my room as there are stairs and a stair gate. These are all things that I didn’t have in my old place.

 

There is a very big park/pleasure grounds near me where I have had a few interesting incidents. The first time we visited I was on my mobility scooter and Monty accidentally followed someone else on theirs. He was completely oblivious to the fact that it wasn’t me riding it. Fortunately a nice couple stopped him at one of the parks exits and phoned my mobile. They kindly brought him back to me.

 

On another occasion while we we walking round the lake Hazel took a dislike to some swans and despite the freezing weather and wearing a very heavy coat jumped in to scare them away, I thought once she had been in and found out how cold it was that would be that, but she really didn’t like the swans and jumped in several times whenever the swans appeared and before I could put her back on a lead.

 

Only a couple of weeks ago Aisha was having a five minute madness running round the park when she ran up a hill, but didn’t allow for it going down the other side and crashed down it! She was quite badly hurt and the state of one of her front legs made me think I would have another three legged dog to join Hazel. It wasn’t as bad as I thought though and has healed nicely along with several other cuts and bruises – it hasn’t stopped her charging about like a loon throwing caution to the wind!

 

Today, as quite often happens, Aisha was bullying Monty, usually time out on the lead and a telling off stops her, but today she was relentless. She crouches on her belly like a sheep dog and waits until Monty is innocently trotting around than charges at him. Usually she is instigating a race and Monty often obliges, but today he didn’t want a run and so Aisha kept putting herself between myself and Hazel and where Monty was so that he wouldn’t/couldn’t come when called.

 

She really was being the worst I’ve known her and totally ignoring me calling her. Eventually I had Hazel on a lead and had to hide down the pathway we had entered the park in the hope that with me not calling and not being visible would make one or other come to look for me. I waited quite a while and nothing happened so I crept out to look (thinking to myself that they clearly didn’t know the rules of The Dog House that they should want to know where ‘mum’ has gone) only to find they had both disappeared.

 

I started calling and someone told me if I was calling two greyhounds they had gone out a different entrance. Fortunately it turned out they did know the ‘rules’ but had gone to look for me in the wrong place, luckily –because they had gone out to a minor road – they were spooked enough to come immediately they heard me calling and I was able to lead them up and come on home.

 

I spoke to Marie about the incident because Aisha is having a definite issue of placement in the pack and authority over Monty. I had decided that I would have to take it in turns letting them of the lead but Marie pointed out that Aisha is not respecting me as top dog and coming when called and that I should try long line training to reinforce I am boss. I will definitely give it a go as poor old Monty just wants to enjoy pottering and sniffing and doing his own thing and (usually) comes when he’s called if Aisha is leaving him alone. I will give it a go on this afternoon’s walk.