As you can see, Tip doesn't think the weather is a problem :)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Our good friend in the north!
This is Tip, one of our adoption alumni and a resident of Alaska. We're so lucky to have folks to do home visits for us in the wintery north because we've been able to place some wonderful dogs in truly fantastic homes!
As you can see, Tip doesn't think the weather is a problem :)
As you can see, Tip doesn't think the weather is a problem :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Time to hit the road
With the weather improving by leaps and bounds many will start thinking about taking their dogs on trips with them. Most will travel by car because it is convenient and allows for more frequent stops. There are many things to think about before taking a trip with your best friend.
1. Does your dog have much travel experience? Do they do well in the car or is it stressful for them? If you are unsure it is best to start with a few short rides to get them acclimated to being in the car, the sights and sounds and other stimulus so they are less likely to find travel upsetting. Dogs that pant or drool in the car will need more time to adjust and if you're on a tight schedule it may be best to find a boarding kennel rather than having a sick and stressed pup in the back seat.
2. Do you have a way to keep your dog from distracting you? Ideally, your dog should have some kind of restraint because the last thing you or anyone else on the road needs if a greyhound in your lap. A lapse in concentration could be fatal so find a way to keep your dog under control in the car.
3. Identification! Make sure that you have current identification on your dog. It is important every day but even more so when you are in an unfamiliar place. If you have had your dog microchipped, double check to ensure that all of your information is accurate before you leave town.
4. Think about where you are staying. If you're going to be stopping at a hotel ask if your dog is welcome, if they have a weight limit and what extra costs there are for bringing your best friend. There are lot of dog-friendly places to stay throughout the NW but you may have to do a little more research. For those who will be staying with friend or family, make sure that they don't mind if you leave a greyhound-shaped impression on their sofa. Do they have pets? Have your respective pets been introduced? It is likely that the travel will have cause some stress in your dog, DO NOT leave your dog unsupervised with your hosts pets. We all want to get settled in but nothing ruins a vacation more than a trip to the emergency vet.
5. Vaccination and veterinary care are important. While heartworm is still uncommon from Portland on north if you are traveling south you should put Fido on heartworm preventative. Heartworm is a nasty parasite and it can be expensive to treat (requires months of medication and restricted activity). Make sure vaccinations are current and keep a copy of their vaccination records with your travel documents, you may need them. It is also advisable to locate a regular and emergency vet at your destination. The last thing you want is to be in a strange place with a veterinary emergency and have no idea where to go.
6. Have you planned stops along the way? It is recommended that you stop every two hours to stretch your legs and let your dog have a little reprieve from the car. You may be able to push the time between stops but be mindful of your friend in the back seat. Also, beware of dog parks when you're travelling. We think dog parks are an accident waiting to happen under most circumstances but if you frequent one now chances are you see the same people and the same dogs but if you have a pup who is out-of-sorts because of the trip and a bunch of strange dogs trouble could be close at hand. Instead, consider just pulling off at a rest stop, most in Oregon and Washington are dog friendly and the facilities are well maintained.
7. Suds up you bud! You're going to be in a confined space so give your dog a bath before you leave.
8. Don't forget to pack for the dog too! They will need food, bedding, bowls, leashes, medication and a first-aid kit. Remember to bring water so that if there isn't a ready supply when you make your rest stops you can still get your dog hydrated.
9. Have fun and take pictures of your adventures with you greyhound so you can share them with us!
If you have any additional tips or trick that you want to share about traveling with your dog please feel free to email us! We would love to share your experiences with everyone!
1. Does your dog have much travel experience? Do they do well in the car or is it stressful for them? If you are unsure it is best to start with a few short rides to get them acclimated to being in the car, the sights and sounds and other stimulus so they are less likely to find travel upsetting. Dogs that pant or drool in the car will need more time to adjust and if you're on a tight schedule it may be best to find a boarding kennel rather than having a sick and stressed pup in the back seat.
2. Do you have a way to keep your dog from distracting you? Ideally, your dog should have some kind of restraint because the last thing you or anyone else on the road needs if a greyhound in your lap. A lapse in concentration could be fatal so find a way to keep your dog under control in the car.
3. Identification! Make sure that you have current identification on your dog. It is important every day but even more so when you are in an unfamiliar place. If you have had your dog microchipped, double check to ensure that all of your information is accurate before you leave town.
4. Think about where you are staying. If you're going to be stopping at a hotel ask if your dog is welcome, if they have a weight limit and what extra costs there are for bringing your best friend. There are lot of dog-friendly places to stay throughout the NW but you may have to do a little more research. For those who will be staying with friend or family, make sure that they don't mind if you leave a greyhound-shaped impression on their sofa. Do they have pets? Have your respective pets been introduced? It is likely that the travel will have cause some stress in your dog, DO NOT leave your dog unsupervised with your hosts pets. We all want to get settled in but nothing ruins a vacation more than a trip to the emergency vet.
5. Vaccination and veterinary care are important. While heartworm is still uncommon from Portland on north if you are traveling south you should put Fido on heartworm preventative. Heartworm is a nasty parasite and it can be expensive to treat (requires months of medication and restricted activity). Make sure vaccinations are current and keep a copy of their vaccination records with your travel documents, you may need them. It is also advisable to locate a regular and emergency vet at your destination. The last thing you want is to be in a strange place with a veterinary emergency and have no idea where to go.
6. Have you planned stops along the way? It is recommended that you stop every two hours to stretch your legs and let your dog have a little reprieve from the car. You may be able to push the time between stops but be mindful of your friend in the back seat. Also, beware of dog parks when you're travelling. We think dog parks are an accident waiting to happen under most circumstances but if you frequent one now chances are you see the same people and the same dogs but if you have a pup who is out-of-sorts because of the trip and a bunch of strange dogs trouble could be close at hand. Instead, consider just pulling off at a rest stop, most in Oregon and Washington are dog friendly and the facilities are well maintained.
7. Suds up you bud! You're going to be in a confined space so give your dog a bath before you leave.
8. Don't forget to pack for the dog too! They will need food, bedding, bowls, leashes, medication and a first-aid kit. Remember to bring water so that if there isn't a ready supply when you make your rest stops you can still get your dog hydrated.
9. Have fun and take pictures of your adventures with you greyhound so you can share them with us!
If you have any additional tips or trick that you want to share about traveling with your dog please feel free to email us! We would love to share your experiences with everyone!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Thanks Green Dog!
Thank you to Green Dog Pet Supply and all the folks who came out to visit! It was another incredible event and the hospitality was superb. We saw some familiar faces and met many potential adopters, it was so much fun and it seemed like we were packing up in no time. Plus Green Dog had a great sale so we stocked up on supplements, beds, bowls and treats for our pups who graciously allow us to cheat on them and go out with other dogs ;)
If you missed the event and are interested in adopting a greyhound give us a call or send us an email, otherwise we will catch you at next month's event!
If you missed the event and are interested in adopting a greyhound give us a call or send us an email, otherwise we will catch you at next month's event!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Canine cooking
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not expert but I've been cooking for my greyhounds for the past two years. Their health is good, their coats are shiny and they are happy. When people find out I cook for my dogs they are either incredulous or they're interested so I thought I would share my recipe.
Keep in mind that this feeds two large male greyhounds for five days. One of them is prone to stress related weight loss so he literally eats twice as much as other dogs his size so assume this works for three dogs at 5 days each. One cup of home-made food is roughly equivalent to about half a cup of dry kibble so for my dogs I feed them the recommended amount for their weight and activity level in kibble less half a cup which I make up for with a full cup of homemade food.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds of carrots
3 pounds of sweet potatoes
3 1/2 - 4 pounds of chicken (I buy thighs with bone in and skin on)
32 ounces of cottage cheese
16 ounces of frozen green beans
8 - 10 ounces of frozen brussel sprouts
powdered supplements
Step one: Cut the carrots into one inch pieces and boil for approximate an hour and fifteen minutes.
Step two: Cut the the sweet potatoes into two inch thick slices and add to the carrots. Add the chicken to the boiling water, cover and cook for thirty minutes.
Step three: Allow the carrots, sweet potatoes and chicken to cool. You can pour off some of the liquid to speed the cooling process but reserve three and a half cups for later use.
Step four: Take the three and a half cups of liquid and add to it your vitamin supplement, cottage cheese and frozen vegetables. Then shred the chicken while adding it to your vegetable/cottage cheese mixture. Add the remaining vegetables and mix thoroughly. The sweet potatoes will be soft and will probably fall apart.
Step five: Spoil your greyhounds.
The nutritional supplement I used is NuPro and it makes a kind of gravy when you add it to liquid.
Final disclaimer - I am not a veterinary nutritionist and while my dogs have thrived on this food it may not be suitable for all dogs.
Keep in mind that this feeds two large male greyhounds for five days. One of them is prone to stress related weight loss so he literally eats twice as much as other dogs his size so assume this works for three dogs at 5 days each. One cup of home-made food is roughly equivalent to about half a cup of dry kibble so for my dogs I feed them the recommended amount for their weight and activity level in kibble less half a cup which I make up for with a full cup of homemade food.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds of carrots
3 pounds of sweet potatoes
3 1/2 - 4 pounds of chicken (I buy thighs with bone in and skin on)
32 ounces of cottage cheese
16 ounces of frozen green beans
8 - 10 ounces of frozen brussel sprouts
powdered supplements
Step one: Cut the carrots into one inch pieces and boil for approximate an hour and fifteen minutes.
Step two: Cut the the sweet potatoes into two inch thick slices and add to the carrots. Add the chicken to the boiling water, cover and cook for thirty minutes.
Step three: Allow the carrots, sweet potatoes and chicken to cool. You can pour off some of the liquid to speed the cooling process but reserve three and a half cups for later use.
Step four: Take the three and a half cups of liquid and add to it your vitamin supplement, cottage cheese and frozen vegetables. Then shred the chicken while adding it to your vegetable/cottage cheese mixture. Add the remaining vegetables and mix thoroughly. The sweet potatoes will be soft and will probably fall apart.
Step five: Spoil your greyhounds.
The nutritional supplement I used is NuPro and it makes a kind of gravy when you add it to liquid.
Final disclaimer - I am not a veterinary nutritionist and while my dogs have thrived on this food it may not be suitable for all dogs.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Adoption event this weekend
Join us this weekend to celebrate Earth Day at Green Dog Pet Supply and meet some wonderful retired racers waiting for a family to take them home and spoil them completely rotten!
If you've never visiting Green Dog this would be a perfect opportunity. They have a great selection of natural and organic foods and sustainable and durable pet product that incorporate environmentally and socially responsible materials and practices. Green Dog also has a great newsletter that is a wealth of information about pet foods and pet nutrition.
Where: Green Dog Pet Supply
Address: 4605 NE Fremont St., Portland
When: Saturday April 18th
Time: 11am - 2pm
If you've never visiting Green Dog this would be a perfect opportunity. They have a great selection of natural and organic foods and sustainable and durable pet product that incorporate environmentally and socially responsible materials and practices. Green Dog also has a great newsletter that is a wealth of information about pet foods and pet nutrition.
Where: Green Dog Pet Supply
Address: 4605 NE Fremont St., Portland
When: Saturday April 18th
Time: 11am - 2pm
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Great Easter Walk!
The Greyhound Walking Club invites all greyhound adopters to join their monthly walks. We are not an adoption group nor are we affiliated with any specific group but welcome all hounds and their humans. We are currently in the process of setting up our own website but in the meantime Oregon Greyhound has kindly provided us their blogspot to post reminders of upcoming walks and Jeff Yen’s wonderful pictures of the walks. Stay tuned for The Greyhound Walking Club website!
Emily and Carolyn
It wasn't too surprising that the walk's attendance was rather low today being Easter but the weather turned out to be ideal. It was brisk but there was no rain and the scenery was really beautiful. Below are some pictures from the walk, if you didn't make it think month I think next month's walk is going to be is Eastmoreland on Mother's Day.
Emily and Carolyn
It wasn't too surprising that the walk's attendance was rather low today being Easter but the weather turned out to be ideal. It was brisk but there was no rain and the scenery was really beautiful. Below are some pictures from the walk, if you didn't make it think month I think next month's walk is going to be is Eastmoreland on Mother's Day.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Have great photos to share?
Do you have some great photos of your greyhound to share? The Greyhound Night of Stars benefits greyhound adoption and they have a photo contest, although we aren't recipients of any funds raised it is still a lot of fun.
You can find more information at the Greyhound Night of Stars website.
You can find more information at the Greyhound Night of Stars website.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Walk this weekend!
The Greyhound Walking Club's next walk is this Sunday. We're going to see if the Easter Bunny is as exciting as Rusty, the bone-shaped lure on the race track :)
When: Sunday April 12th
Time: 11am, rain or shine
Where: Fanno Creek South, Durham Clean Water Services
SW 85th Ave. and Durham Rd.
Inquiries: greyhoundwalkingclub@comcast.net
Friday, April 3, 2009
Comet is all settled in at his new home!
Yay! Comet finally hit the jackpot and has a wonderful family to dote on him. He was one of our favorite dogs and every time we showed him to a prospective family he would make it to their top two and every time the other dog would go home. Well, maybe that was for the best because he really got lucky and has a great home with people who will appreciate him in all of his quirky perfection. Comet finally has a home where he can squeek his toys until his heart's content :)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April's Adoption Event!
Join us on April 18th to celebrate Earth Day at Green Dog Pet Supply and meet some wonderful retired racers waiting for a family to take them home and spoil them completely rotten!
If you've never visiting Green Dog this would be a perfect opportunity. They have a great selection of natural and organic foods and sustainable and durable pet product that incorporate environmentally and socially responsible materials and practices. Green Dog also has a great newsletter that is a wealth of information about pet foods and pet nutrition.
Where: Green Dog Pet Supply
Address: 4605 NE Fremont St., Portland
When: Saturday April 18th
Time: 11am - 2pm
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Keep those teeth clean!
Dental care is an important part of your greyhound's overall health. According to the American Animal Hospital Association over sixty percent of pet owners fail to provide dental care considered essential by veterinarians. Proper dental care is so essential to your dog's heath that studies have found that dogs may experience depression because of failure to address this aspect of their well being.
American Veterinary Medical Association president James Cook, DVM says "Oral disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem for pets. Twice-a-year checkups, including an oral health checkup, are important to ensure your pet is not in pain and is not suffering from serious oral health problems. Besides causing receding gums and tooth loss, bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream, potentially infecting the heart, liver and kidneys, which can be potentially life threatening."
Making dental care part of your standard veterinary checkups is important to the long-term health of your greyhound. While in our care we monitor our adoptable greyhounds' oral health and have their teeth professionally cleaned before you take them home but it is up to you to ensure that they continue to get the care they need for a long healthy life.
American Veterinary Medical Association president James Cook, DVM says "Oral disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem for pets. Twice-a-year checkups, including an oral health checkup, are important to ensure your pet is not in pain and is not suffering from serious oral health problems. Besides causing receding gums and tooth loss, bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream, potentially infecting the heart, liver and kidneys, which can be potentially life threatening."
Making dental care part of your standard veterinary checkups is important to the long-term health of your greyhound. While in our care we monitor our adoptable greyhounds' oral health and have their teeth professionally cleaned before you take them home but it is up to you to ensure that they continue to get the care they need for a long healthy life.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thanks Sellwood Dog Supply!
We would like to thank Sellwood Dog Supply for graciously hosting out March adoption event. Also greatly appreciated are all the adopters (past, present and future) who came to see us, meet the dogs and help pass the time. It was great meeting new people and seeing familiar faces.
If you weren't able to make it to this event we will be posting our April event shortly :)
If you weren't able to make it to this event we will be posting our April event shortly :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Happy, belated, St. Patrick's Day!
We had a lovely walk on St. Patrick's Day! The rain stopped long enough for us to stay dry and have a good time.
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