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This is not a megathread, but it is a thread about greyhounds! Greyhounds are good dogs and deserve a thread.quote:These are the thread's dogs! If you have a longdog, please add them! Union, a Good Dog   Greyhounds are an ancient and noble breed. They are elegant, gentle, and don't stink like other dogs. Evidence:  Greyhounds are known for running. They gallop kind of like horses, and I call Union "horsedog" all the time. They are pretty fast when they want to be.  Greyhounds are also known for being lazy bastards.  You may think that greyhounds come in three convenient sizes:  Do not be fooled, only the largest is really a greyhound. Whippets are okay, I guess. Owning a whippet is for people who like greyhounds but have trouble committing fully to a cause. Italian Greyhounds are tiny and have matchstick bones, so if you like dogs whose legs break I guess??? Me, I prefer my dogs large, with long legs full of elbows and bones, a big meaty musclebutt and whippy tail that hurts when it whaps you. The only downside is that if you let them on the furniture they will demand 80% of the furniture space. Most greyhounds that people own are retired racers. They had their racing life and when they flunked out they got pawned off on suckers. Because they spend their formative years in kennels (probably), they usually don't act like normal dogs. Toys, what are those? Stairs and sliding glass doors need to be discovered. How do I interact with other dogs, they are barking? What is bark??? Some greyhounds come to learn how to be a normal dog, however I prefer the ones that never pick up the barking thing.  But what you've heard about them being gentle sweeties is totally untrue. Greyhounds gained a thirst for blood from their racing time, because after every race their handlers take them back and feed them a rabbit only strong enough to try and escape. The greyhound is allowed to murder the bunny and eat its face as a reward.  That previous paragraph isn't true, but it probably is a bad idea to leave a greyhound alone with anything small and fluffy at first because of their prey drive. Lots of greyhounds learn how to co-exist with cats and things, probably because of their shared interest of napping. Though they may always have the instinct to chase a fluffy thing that runs. Which is the whole point of lure coursing, which a lure coursing goon can talk about. Greyhound goons please check in  Possible topics: dumb greyhound habits; dumb greyhound nicknames; dumb greyhounds
skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 19:46 on Jan 18, 2022 |
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May 17, 2013 20:45
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I think part of the emphasis on the muzzles etc. is because of who adoptive greys are 'marketed' to. They are talked up as sweet, docile and lazy dogs that are perfect for first time dog owners, older people, and people who prefer their dogs more like cats who will sleep all day. So they have to make sure that owners are attentive to the fact that despite the dog's behavior 99% of the time, there is still 1% where they might see a yorkipoo and go "man I wanna tear that thing apart." Anyway, I love all the greys (and wannabe greys) so far! I'll admit those wind hounds are very pretty.... Glad to see Husker too, and I seem to have missed Fake's alarm clock's name?? Good luck with the adoption Tank, he is lovely 
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May 20, 2013 07:24
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OK, I'll admit it, whippets and IGs are cute. But they're still too small.  Union took a while to settle in and open up, just like a lot of greyhounds. She really hated having to sleep downstairs from night one though, and she wouldn't climb the stairs, so we had to cave in and carry her up and down for a couple of days til I got her to figure out stairs on her own. I should take a video of her going up and down the stairs actually, it's pretty funny with their long legs. I can see why she wasn't sure about the whole procedure. Anyway I tried treats, coaxing, 'tough love' abandonment, etc. to get her to try the stairs on her own. In the end it took hamburger. I was doing up some ground beef for tacos one night. Union was upstairs with my bf. I hear tentative thuds and then a controlled avalanche of thuds. And then Union appears in the kitchen with her best "I'm a poor abused dog" face. I did give her some. :] After that she was good to go. Union also doesn't like the water much. There's a little lake at a park nearby sometimes she'll go a couple inches deep on the beach, but otherwise she just isn't interested. But there have been a couple instances of misjudged pond depth and crash-splashing. It was really easy to wear her out at first too. I'd stand with her at one stretch of a field, and a friend would stand at the other. Then I'd let her go and she'd tear off straight for the other person (who'd have a treat for her). Do that 5 or 6 times and she was ready to go home and have a nap. It was interesting to watch how her tail balanced her while she ran. Approximately half of Union's nicknames are from her being a greyhound, another 15% from the fact that she has a butt, 10% are related to her name, and the last quarter are general princess nicknames.
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May 20, 2013 19:56
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I didn't even know they had housetraining issues til this thread. What is up with that? That seems weird you have a whole breed that is known for being impossible to housebreak.
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May 20, 2013 22:46
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I'm pretty sure I said something about dogs needing to eat burgers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rfu1s_8dYg (I told youtube to edit it so it cuts off after 2 minutes, but the changes haven't taken effect yet)
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May 22, 2013 23:21
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Trauma Tank posted:Dogs eating burgers should be a spectator sport. Someone should make a thread. Burgers for all dogs.
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May 23, 2013 11:35
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Remind me again why you haven't taken that fella home yet? :] I have to tell you hoe much my black cat loves Union. She loves har a lot. More than she loves me or any person or maybe even tuna fish. Whenever Union takes a nap, Zoe is usually there to bother her, wanting pets or something. She'll love up on her and be all in her face and eventually settle down next to her. Union doesn't get it though and just tolerates Zoe, until Zoe love bites her and then she leaves. Union is a pretty good tolerater though. 
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Jun 2, 2013 18:52
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RazorBunny posted:It took a while for him to grasp the idea of weekends. Eventually we got to a point where as long as someone got up and took him out to potty, then fed him his breakfast, he was happy enough to come back to bed and let us sleep in for a couple more hours. If we didn't mess with breakfast and dinner times, he was cool with weekends being a little off from the normal routine. But holy poo poo if you tried to change mealtimes, you are talking one seriously worried pooch. Even feeding him early seemed to make him uncomfortable if it was by too wide a margin. Yeah Union doesn't care about too many day to day changes, some days I work from home and some days she gets left to hold down the bed. She's pretty happy to up and go anyplace and equally happy to have people round. However she's pretty gregarious and stoic for a greyhound (who can be crybabies), so I'm not sure if that translates to more sensitive ones. She doesn't like me messin with food times though. she'll wake me up if I oversleep too much. Just a big ol bark right in my sleeping face. I do have to stick to mealtimes pretty close anyway, because if I let her get too hungry (ie feeding her too early of breakfast) she'll get confused because her tummy hurts so she thinks she's sick, so she won't eat, but wants to eat grass, then looks at her food like I can't eat that I'm sick and miserable :[ :[ :[ dumb dog.
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Jun 3, 2013 17:40
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Ok whippet owners, how many times a day do you sing "whip it" to your dog?
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Jun 3, 2013 20:44
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Bruinator posted:Last Friday the local rescue had a litter of puppies from a girl who came in at the beginning of May quite pregnant. They do have scrawny little greyhound legs! That doesn't stop one of the black ones from motoring along on his tummy. The one with brown spots is a little whiner. :3 I can't wait til they get a little bigger!
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Jun 4, 2013 18:10
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The black ones are the best because when their good coat grows in, it is all shiny and silky. And they get all warm from sunshine. And they look good in any color scarf.
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Jun 4, 2013 20:57
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Yay congrats Trauma! He looks like a sweetie, and like he is settling in pretty well! He is probably already a bit comfortable with you because you've visited him. If he already knows to take his toys to his bed,match out for socks, slippers, etc to disappear to his bed too. One of union, and my favorite games is "no, MY slipper"
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Jun 14, 2013 22:31
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I've never seen a white greyhound, how pretty! Or a grey with such huge ears.... I love black greyhounds because they look all sleek, but I think my second favorite kind are the ones who have pale fur and super spotty skin all over, freckledogs Union only barks sometimes if someone is at the door or if she is desperate for me to wake up. And it is always just one big bark. It's surprising what a big-dog bark she has. Must be those big lungs.
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Jun 15, 2013 04:33
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Sassafras! Sassafras sassafras Your dog's got a dirty face.
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Jun 24, 2013 23:40
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notsowelp posted:Oh I get that, I was just wondering what others say in response to being literally accused of neglecting/starving their dogs. (Personally I just get kind of flustered and British and usually end up apologising somehow, o the trials of being English) I usually just say something like "the vet says she's the perfect weight" which seems to work. There's just so many visible bones and muscles on a greyhound people think it's bad, but it's mostly because they have zero body fat and thin skin. Usually people don't just up and say "wow your dog is thin," it'll be a comment after they've asked if they can give her a treat or something, or they're petting her and they'll say "she seems so thin."
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Jul 1, 2013 17:27
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Well I have learned that Union has bone cancer in her front leg. They are going to remove the leg on Tuesday but the vet kept saying how it was a risky surgery because Union is old and has heart problems. It was pretty not awesome hearing about how it's the second worse type of cancer and it will probably come back somewhere else because its aggressive, and also super painful. I might have to make Union another hamburger this weekend. Edit, correcting autocorrects skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Jul 19, 2013 |
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Jul 19, 2013 19:28
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It's osteosarcoma in her front shoulder. He said her lungs sounded clear so amputation would extend her life for several more months to a year probably, but he didn't want to be too optimistic because I guess the tumor developed fast (4 weeks) and the X-ray was not nice. She has a big ol lump coming out of her shoulder. She is 11 years old and has cardiomyopathy but is otherwise in really good health, so I'm hopeful about the surgery, but they kept saying it was risky. My options were basically palliative care, amputation and waiting, or euthanasia. Union is like my only friend in England and I just want her to have the best life she can.  why does there gotta be cancer
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Jul 19, 2013 20:08
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Union didn't make it. She was doing well after the surgery and they asked me to come pick her up to move her to the emergency clinic so someone could watch her overnight, but then suddenly her heart gave out I guess. They called me back just as I was getting into the car. I'm pretty devastated right now. She meant everything to me and I feel like I let her down, what an awful way to go.
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Jul 23, 2013 19:42
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Thanks guys. I basically slept for 24+ hours and felt bad a whole lot but your posts helped. I'm glad that this thread convinced some of you that greyhounds are the dogs for you. They really are good dogs and deserve the Good Life that you can give them. More greyhound pictures please. :]
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Jul 25, 2013 00:16
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Oh god that is so horrible. I am so so sorry. :[
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Jul 25, 2013 23:28
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Aw what a good boy! Looks like you're taking him to interesting places already. :] Yup, greyhounds can be described as "aloof" for the types of things you're describing. I tended to think of it more as confidence and easygoingness, though. Some greys can be nervous but in my experience most of them are pretty steady. They can get interested and excited about things, but they're not excitable. Racers do get handled a lot, and I'm sure as their breeding history goes, they're meant to be easy to handle and be comfortable in different situations. Mine took some getting used to small dogs, and didn't like things such as busses, but it was not too hard to work her through those.
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Aug 7, 2013 02:23
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It was always entertaining when Union spent 5 minutes fluffing and arranging her duvet, only to flop down with most of her not even on it.
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Aug 10, 2013 21:07
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Man it has been super hard the last few weeks without Union! She was so important to me and it's just tough without her, her schedule, empty spaces in the house and stuff.  Anyway I thought I would share some Union stories! Because dogs. Union always took treats and 'chunky' foods to her bed if she could. Even if they were things she didn't particularly want to eat. Sometimes I would try giving her things like apple slices, lettuce cores, and scrambled eggs. Those she just carried back to her bed and tore up and made a huge mess. Thank you dog. Greyhounds love chasing rabbits and near my there is a huge nature park called Sutton Park. If I went near dawn or more often dusk, all the rabbits (the park is overrun) would be out pokin' around and Union could scare 'em up with a little chase. She'd see them from really far off and tear off at them, ripping up dirt clods behind her. She never got that close to catching one though (except once). I could tell when she started to get old though because she lost interest in chasing them, and stopped being able to see them unless they moved a lot (old dog vision). It was a little sad but every now and then she'd put up a spirited jog after one she'd spied. Sutton Park also has a herd of grass-trimming cows and another herd of exeter ponies, and we'd come across them pretty regularly. They're wary but if you're respectful they'll tolerate you to a distance. One time we came across a bunch of teenager cows though (herd replenishing) and one of them was super brave and curious and followed Union around for the 15 minutes or so that we hung out. Union was like 'what is goin onnnn??' She also came over to me and snuffled me up and down and let me scritch her head.  cowsI have long believed that the best, friendliest dogs wear bandanas. Also Union was mostly black and so colorful ones looked really nice on her. It started small, just a spare one I had already, and then a pink punk-skull one I picked up at a store. At a visit to a fabric store with my mom though, there were so many lovely fabrics... anyway I have like fifteen or so different ones now, all different colors and patterns. Modern red-green-orange stripe. Red with golden suns. Greeny with flowers. I think once I learn to sew a little better I'll try to make some kind of... fabric mosaic thing with them or something. One time I took Union to a country fair thingy and a kid came up to pet Union, asking if she was friendly. I said "yeah she is really gentle" and his dad said "dogs with bandannas are the friendliest dogs" and I was like YES IT IS TRUE Union did not like water other than to go ankle-deep to have a drink, but she loved mud for some reason. I had to learn where in Sutton Park not to go after it had rained or else I'd have a super dirty dog to clean off. She'd really wade around in it. I had Union for a year or so before I managed to get my cats over from America. I kept the cats in the bathroom for about a week to start introducin them to the house and dog slowly. It turns out Union was pretty scared of them and refused to be in the same room for a while. This would have been fine with Godzilla who doesn't care about dogs, but Zoe loooooves big gentle dogs and basically harassed Union until Union tolerated her. Union never really was affectionate to her, but it was cute to see how she warmed up over a longish time and let Zoe get away with more and more before getting bothered and leaving. Also there are some neighborhood cats that would cut through my yard, or hang out in the weedy bit in the back, or sometimes try and have a poop. Union was great at spooking them off, but one of the cats was fearless and would let Union charge right up to it. It would stand there all poofed and ready but Union did not know what to do other than sniff at it, because it wasn't running. I also have had hedgehogs and baby hedgehogs in my backyard! Union did not know what to do with those either, other than sniff them. Pokey. Union also loved meeting new people and getting out and about, so I took her to a bunch of publicity events for the rescue. Waiting in front of shops with a donation bucket, country fairs, stands and things. Most of the other attending greys would get bored and go lay down on the provided beds after a little while, but Union was determined to Get All The Pets and even when we'd be at Crufts for 8 hours, refused to go lay down. She was a good ambassador. Another crufts story, they set up barricaded indoor areas with sawdust for dogs to pee in, but Union was a lady and refuses to pee on anything but grass. I'd always have to find a side exit with a grass patch nearby for her to pee on.Union hated me messing with her duvets. If I tried to pick them up and fluff/arrange them, she'd come over and sit on it so I couldn't. DOG. I also mentioned how she'd sometimes spend like 5 minutes kicking and pulling her duvet around to get it just right before flopping onto it. Sometimes when I was away, a friend's family was able to take her. They realized quickly that she wanted to sleep in the same room as people, and apparently her fixing her bed was really fascinating to them and caused a lengthy discussion about dog personalities. The first time Union really barked she scared herself and she ran upstairs. skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Aug 15, 2013 |
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Aug 15, 2013 00:48
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What a lovely boy. :3 You only adopted him 6 months ago? What is his story?
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Sep 3, 2013 22:34
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My fresh off the track 3 year old was perfectly mannered. sure she had to figure a couple things out, but she wasn't a hell beast. Talking to the rescue volunteers they will probably have a good idea of the temperament of the dogs in their kennels. Unless by fresh off the tracks you mean no time in kennels, fosters, or social time with volunteers or other rescue dogs at all.
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Oct 3, 2013 14:29
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rhoga posted:
Dog!!! Sometimes Union would rest with her nose smushed into the bed so she could barely breathe. Heaving, labored snorfs would get worse and worse until eventually she'd wrench her nose free and look disgruntled at her inability to sleep nose-first.
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Nov 4, 2013 21:04
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Oh goodness Trying to share the sofa! All the greyhounds are such pretty boys and girls, I'm nowhere near ready for another one but I think when I am I might have to get two or three.
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Nov 6, 2013 21:18
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rhoga posted:Dogs can take up to a year for their personality to really unfold. It wasn't until 7 months after we got her that Tess started to be Very Talkative. When we got her, she was quiet, now she has Opinions on just about everything that happens. I want a video
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Nov 8, 2013 08:35
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Oh gosh, what a cutie! Roo roo roo hrnf
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Nov 8, 2013 20:56
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Meowenstein posted:I've been thinking about getting a dog, and hearing about how greyhounds are a good sized breed that do well in apartments is making me consider one. I'm also looking for a fishing companion and a general outdoor adventure buddy, though. My fishing trips are pretty lazy and mostly consist of sitting on the riverbank or lake shore enjoying the outdoors. I also live in Iowa so there's all kinds of weather here. Would a greyhound work well in this situation, or would a different breed be more suitable? It'll depend on the dog, I think. I've seen some greyhounds that enjoy sitting around doing nothing outside, but others won't lay down or they start whining and grumbling about it. Mine loved walks and would walk forever, but she didn't have any patience for standing/sitting around to no purpose. She'd lay out on the patio with me for a little while (only if it was sunny, but not too sunny, and I had to bring her duvet outside for her to lay on) but she did not like resting on the grass. The thing to keep in mind about greyhounds is that they have no fat or fur really, so they're really sensitive to temperature, and also lying on anything hard is going to be uncomfortable to them. If it's really sunny and warm they're gonna get hot without shade, and if it's a little chilly they're gonna get cold if they're not moving around. You can get greyhound jackets which are good for walks once the weather turns, and might be enough insulation from the ground if they're laying on it when it's chilly out. If you're sitting around outside with a greyhound, be careful they don't up and take off after a squirrel or something they spotted, 'cos that dog is gone. I've also seen some greyhounds that love the water and others that hate it.
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Dec 10, 2013 17:16
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Aw, what a great batch of photos (and batch of greyhounds). That's so sweet that she kept track of Explosive until she could adopt him! They're all so handsome, especially the diluted brindle. The same thing happened with one of my cats, I had Union and when I got my cats over from America, I had to introduce them. Union was scared of the cats but Zoe looooooves big gentle dogs and would not leave her alone. Eventually Union realized that putting up with the purring fluffy thing that wanted to lay down next to her was all right after all.
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Dec 16, 2013 14:26
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Oh my goodnesssssss Man I can't believe what sweethearts every greyhound is. Union hated being under blankets! How long did she put up with that?
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Jan 20, 2014 00:06
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Yeah Union had three beds, but mostly because I couldn't be arsed moving one bed all over the place. She did always want to be in whatever room I was in. This came up on my tumblr, http://youtu.be/RGkiq3W-XGo It is a yearlong video of a greyhound taken in one-second-every-day clips. You get a surprisingly good picture of a sweet doggie
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Jan 20, 2014 14:29
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actionjackson posted:Birthday party for my girl Abby (you can see a bit of her face, just to the left of the hot dogs) and Sugar (her owner, who hosted, is in the center, and Sugar is the one next to her with the pink bandana). I'm the headless person to the right. Oh my gosh oh my gosh!!!! And aww look at that little 'un sitting on the chair. So cute to see Abby again, too. I hope she's settled in finally!
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Jan 28, 2014 21:45
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Gosh I love seeing all these cute puppies
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Mar 4, 2014 12:19
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I just wanted to say that I filtered for your posts in this thread and read them all in order. Such a lovely little story. I'm so glad Remy is settling in so well with you, please keep us updated!
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Jun 1, 2014 14:13
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Pigsfeet on Rye posted:From the comics megathread Aw
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Jul 20, 2014 13:09
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Lhet posted:Earlier Remy ran down the hall to the elevators, back to me, then back to the elevators again; but near the end yelped, held his front paw up, and limped like that for a few seconds before walking with me. He's done this a few times before (though this was the first yelp I've heard), but each time he seems to recover pretty much immediately. Does this sound like anything I should worry about, or is he probably just running too hard and landing wrong or something? I know with Union, her front feet outer toes were a bit dodgy and would pop out of place if she torqued them. I would just have to nudge them back in. Apparently it's not that uncommon, since racers rely on those toes for turning they can get damaged from racing. Union was a bit funny, sometimes she would be a big crybaby over nothing, and other times she would be completely stoic while bleeding profusely. Gotta check em over real careful.
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Oct 14, 2014 07:32
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Jack is a very handsome fellow, but oh my god him in the pool is so cute
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Oct 15, 2014 19:28
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What an orangey brindle, so pretty! Please keep sharing updates on how she is settling in!
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Jan 3, 2015 13:42
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