Thursday, September 30, 2010

A picture is worth a thousand words

Does anyone ever work with their dog in silence? Does anyone else try to work in silence? Anyone who has met me knows I talk incessantly. This extends to time spent just me and the dogs. OK, honesty check here. I also babble when I am by myself, sans chien. And yes, I answer myself as well. Very scary! Unfortunately, it seems the non-stop prattle is a hindrance when working with dogs. The saying, "Actions speak louder than words," appears quite true in dog training. After publishing the post on deaf dogs featuring Sam, that gorgeous hunk of a hound, I realized I had neglected to mention this. Deaf dogs are very easy to train once you remember to use actions, like hand signals, instead of words. Though lack of hearing can make getting their attention more challenging at times it also removes most or all noise distractions. Several times this week I have done very short training sessions with my Greyhound maintaining absolute silence. They had to be very short because I could not keep my mouth shut for longer than that.

Though I have known for many years that my dogs pick up hand signals faster than voice commands, I am still sometimes caught off guard when my dog not only does not respond properly, whether that be to a verbal or hand cue. You can sometimes even see the confusion on her face. (I'm not a behavioral scientist so I will not apologize for anthropomorphisms.) Others have had this happen as well. Just ask any dog trainer of any level. The problem is that though we may think our dog knows what a particular cue like Sit means, our dog may actually be cuing off something in addition to or even instead of our intended cue. This can lead to misunderstanding & confusion should any of the many variables change. After just one session session in silence my Greyhound began responding faster and more reliably to my hand signals than she does to verbal commands. Yes, yes, all you obedience training geeks. I am constantly using double, triple or quinticazillion cues.

This same dog-human misunderstanding frequently happens when attempting to correct their dogs. That is one of many reasons I prefer reward based training rather than relying so much on corrections, particularly verbals scoldings. More often than not the dogs just don't get it. Neither misunderstanding is a crisis & at least one makes her happy while the other makes her less enthusiastic about training.

[From Gary Larson's Far Side cartoon]

Our dogs see the big picture and learn things contextually. Humans do as well but to a lesser degree. Most of us have experienced this confusion, ex. meeting up with an acquaintance from church while grocery shopping only to find that though they look familiar you cannot for the life of you quite place who they are or why you should know them. This happens to you right? Please say it does. (And then consider that my entire life is spent like this so if you greet somewhere without your Greyhound in tow and I look befuddled please remember it ain't personal.) Our dogs view the entire context of the situation to determine what the cue really is with no two dogs taking in the situation in quite the same way. It is up to us to make sure our dogs recognize what the cue is and what other info is irrelevant. We humans, verbally centered beings that we are, often have great difficulty conveying this information to our dogs.

For this reason, it takes many, many repetitions of using a command in a large variety of settings, at many different distances, in a variety of tones of voice at varying volumes, etc., etc., so-on & so-forth, before our dogs learn that the real cue is really just the simple word Sit rather than when I say Sit while facing you with my hands held just so, a gentle breeze blowing from the Southeast and the sun at this particular angle as three geese fly over head. I remembered a little Dr. Seuss like poem I had read that played on this training issue. After some search I found it on Suzanne Clothier's website in her "Green Eggs & Ham & Dog Training?" post. Please, please read it. I love that poem & searched it out just so you could enjoy it also. For the record, I had already written the "contextually" statement before reading her post. She certainly does say it much better than I ever could. Shortly before finding Clothier's poem I stumbled on this post from Susan Garrett's site, "Can You Do It In a Box?" I do have to admire a woman who will not only stand on her head to train her dog but share the video on the internet. I'll leave the readers to ponder the similarities between the Clothier & Garrett posts or any possible meanings. Both while saying similar things are worth reading.

One of the most interesting things I have discovered recently came after a volunteer session at a local assistance dog training organization. As many of their clients have limited hand control or speech ability, the dogs are taught to respond to eye gestures as well. I came home and gave it a try with my dogs. To my amazement I discovered that if I remain silent and motionless while using just the eye gesture of looking down at the ground just in front of my dogs' feet they both will usually do a down for me... Though the Greyhound needed to be in the living room with her back to the windows.

There are quite a few cues that can be done just with eye gestures. Some like the down are easy to add because they are connected to things we may already be unconsciously doing. Others are very easily taught with clicker or marker training. But no, I've not done it yet. Remember the first paragraph about my chatty nature? Yet a recent experience showed me that it can be very, very handy to have not only a verbal cue and hand signal but also eye gestures. I found out when carrying far too many things requiring both my hands and my mouth. I tried to shuffle things around to get my car keys while worrying my dog would drift into the traffic lane. Unable to give my dog a verbal cue I amazingly got my dog to sit and wait using just eye gestures. [Cue the advertizing announcer's voice.] "Amaze friends and astound your neighbors. For the low, low price of ___ we'll send you this book with the secret methods of assistance dog trainers." Or you could just click the link on the right for the Sue Ailsby training site and save yourself some money.

So Sam, what do you think of green eggs & ham?

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunday Special Edition - Celebrating the Deaf Dog



This special edition will feature a hound who was a special addition to the Manning household three years ago. Sam fka "Every Day Romp" is as striking looking as he is special. Since Sep. 19-25, is Deaf Dog Awareness Week, it seemed a fitting time to feature Sam. [Ahem, well it was fitting. As usual I am a day late (and a dollar short) but finally getting the post up.]


Sam raced in Birmingham. When he retired & was staying at the SEGA adoption kennels some of the volunteer hound walkers noticed a few things that tipped folks off. It turned out Sam is deaf. The story of Sam, the discovery of his deafness & his subsequent adoption even spurred a couple of imaginative Greyhound adoption volunteers to write & perform a skit at a SEGC meeting. Wish I had seen it. Here is part of the script of "Life at the Kennel – by Every Day Romp nka Sam":
Hi, I was born April 12, 2005.  I’m a big ol’ white male dog, 2 years old now.  I used to live in Alabama with lots of other greyhounds.  It was pretty easy for me there, because all I had to do was watch the other dogs and follow what they did.  A nice man named Bobby was my owner there.  He said I didn’t know my name – whatever that is.
Then, a few weeks ago, some nice people with big smiles came and put several of us in something called cars.  They kept smiling at me and moving their mouths like this…….. (demonstrate)   The other dogs told me they were saying I was a beautiful boy.  I don’t know how they knew.

Dogs are masters of reading us. They can be so good at paying attention to our body language and environmental cues that many dogs like Sam may not appear to be deaf. So when these dogs miss verbal cues it can lead to misunderstandings. Sam's race trainer, Bobby, also commented about Sam, "Yea, he really was a stubborn boy!" When later told Sam had proven to be deaf he reportedly laughed & said, "No wonder!" While Sam, like other deaf dogs, may never hear his name he is a wonderful, loving boy with a huge heart. In turn that allowed him to quickly captured the hearts of the Manning family. He was very lucky. Quick adoption is rarely the case for deaf dogs who are too often passed over by families worried about the challenges of owning & caring for a deaf dog. There are many resources available online to help people learn tips & info to make owning a deaf dog just as wonderful & rewarding as owning a hearing dog. A quick search will turn up a wealth of info.

 Sam's first day in his new home:
                  Saying "Thanks, Mom!" to Susan           Taking in the sights with his new friend with Lydia.


The post this week on Melissa McDaniel's blog highlight's "Deaf Dog Awareness Week". A fantastic dog photographer, Melissa is trying to raise awareness of deaf dogs as part of her photo books project. I was happy when Susan wrote, "Sam was photographed last year by Melissa McDaniel to be featured in her Deaf Dogs Book" The book will be released soon & is currently available for pre-order. His photo appears in a collage print, on sale at her Etsy site . Sam is the third dog on the seventh row, second from bottom. Plus, her accompanying YouTube site features this video of Sam lure coursing taken by Michael Strickland:




That leads nicely into the obligatory info on Sam's various activities. Obviously, one of those is lure coursing. The video speaks for itself. This boy loves to course. For me few things about owning a Greyhound can rival seeing the joyful expression & intense excitement these dogs get from running events. Will feature some of those soon. If you have not gone to a lure coursing or amateur racing event I encourage you to attend. It is a wonderful sight.

 Sam love coursing!


But he also managed to win 3rd place in the conformation portion of the ASFA Greyhound Specialty last year.



Sam is an M&G pro, schmoozing with all the ladies he can find. I've seen this boy at work & he is very good at attracting adoring admirers. Susan comments, "I think his 'leaning' touches their hearts. At almost every M&G someone wants to adopt him. We have to say, 'Sorry, he is our boy'." Between his stunning looks and his signature Sammy-lean the boy is a real chick magnet. And it seems to me John is usually the one holding the leash more often than Susan. ... Hmmm?? ... Oh, nevermind that. It's pure coincidence, I'm sure.

Pet therapy is also on Sam's list. Susan says, "Sam has the most gentle nature but is such a big ham! Because of that, I call him my BIG LUG. Because he is so gentle, he makes the perfect Pet Therapy Dog. He goes to Egleston Childrens' Hospital and various assisted living facilities to visit. He is always well behaved and everyone loves to pet him, as his coat is so soft."

Where this boy's light shines brightest is being a loving companion & family member. Susan also adds, "What he does that is so cute: When the mood strikes him, he entertains the other greyhounds who are laying around, by doing zoomies in the living room (in a very, very small area), first going clockwise, then reversing to counter clockwise. You can tell by how happy it makes him that he knows exactly what he is doing, impressing the girls. Susan sums it up nicely when she writes, "Even though Sam is not the best "trained" Greyhound, he brings great joy to John and me and the other 7 hounds and anyone that has to pleasure to meet this sweet boy."

So who wouldn't want a wonderful dog like Sam? 
OK, except this. Ignore this part!
Just look at me & admit it. Deaf dogs are sexy.



Of course, more training can be added at any time. I have known Sam for several years and can assure you he is a very bright, trainable boy. He is also a great ambassadog for the joys of adopting a deaf dog.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Featured Hound - Cinderella Story

While not a Cinderella story in the usual sense, this is a a quick feature on a Greyhound named Huntington's Cinderella. To be even more precise, she is known at this time as CH Huntington's Cinderella CD SC. What do all those letters mean to those of us outside the dog show and competition world? It means that "Cinder" is proving herself quite versatile indeed. In addition to her conformation championship Cinder also has an obedience title "Companion Dog" and a lure coursing title "Senior Courser".  At three years old Cinder is just getting started. With looks, brains and athleticism, this girlie Grey is the whole package. Her owner and trainer, Laurel Drew, is no stranger to versatile Greyhounds. She enjoys showing folks exactly how versatile Greys can be. If we are lucky, Laurel may be a guest writer on the blog sometime in the future. Though they do not live and compete in our neck of the woods, I asked for and Laurel was kind enough grant permission for me to share her Labor Day Weekend report originally posted to a Greyhound email list.
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Well, I guess I've finally come down to earth after a nifty weekend of obedience and rally.  I entered Cinder in 4 classes, two obed., and 2 rally, and she qualified in all four and earned placings in all four.  She got 3 seconds and a fourth with a 99 and a 100 out of a possible 100 in Rally.  She'd have had 1st place in Rally except for a tie and a goof on the stopwatch.  I had a choice to rerun for score and time, but I wasn't about to risk giving up a 100 so, I settled for 2nd.  Besides, the gal who took first was very deserving and really was thrilled.

I worked my tail off helping haul equipment back and forth from the Club training site to the trial site...and storing a huge amount of it in my big van for the week between our fun match and trials.  I think it's the first time my van has really been tested for hauling weight.  It was sinking a bit in the rear!

BTW, know anyone who needs a big van?  I just downsized to a Ford Transit Connect.  If you are just showing a couple hounds, look at one.  They have enough room for two big crates (4 feet) between the wheels, the first small van I've found with that space.  Economical too!  Well, enough of my customer relations gig.  Good luck to all at the Eastern.
             Laurel
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She settled for 2nd? Well, I suppose a near perfect 99.5 average score will just have to do. lol  Big congrats go out to Laurel and Cinder. What I love most is that they had fun and still showed that Greyhounds can compete well with the more traditional obedience and rally-o breeds. I look forward to hearing more updates on their adventures in the future. Things like this are part of what this project is all about.  

See folks, just because competition scares the bejeepers out of me doesn't mean others do not find it a blast. Perhaps some day I will get my courage up to get back in the ring. Laurel's report is almost enough to make me want to give it a try. Maybe one of you will want to do the same? If you are already competing, please send me a note. We love when people share their adventures... or in my case, misadventures. (Later, later, folks. I'll get to that in a future post.) 



For the record, I left the part about the van in there because we just upsized to a Transit Connect and love it so far.


[Note: You can find out what AKC's alphabet soup of abbreviations means on their prefix page for championships and their suffix page for titles. Don't ask me more about this. My girl is just a blue collar, working stiff of a hound. She can retrieve a dropped security badge but would need a Dumbbells for Dummies book before she could earn a CD. OK, honesty forces me to admit she would also need a new trainer and handler as well.]

Monday, September 20, 2010

Sound habituation and dog wash

[Trust me, these two seemingly disparate topics are loosely related.]

Anyone in the Suwanee area may want to take advantage of an upcoming dog wash. The North Gwinnett High School Humane Society Club... yeah, try to write all that out on a t-shirt... is hosting a dog wash in a couple weekends. Wanted to mention it here because I believe it important to support youth efforts at humane education. While at the Suwanee Day Festival this weekend, some of the students stopped by our booth with some fliers. Here is the info :

When?  Saturday, October 2,  from Noon to 2:00 PM
Where?  Suwanee Animal Hospital, 85 Buford Hwy, Suwanee, GA
(Next to George Pierce Park)
Here is a map http://tinyurl.com/Oct2DogWash


Suwanee, Georgia is Northeast of Atlanta and was once a small town. In the last 20 years it has grown to be a large, suburban community. The Suwanee Day Festival this past Saturday is a growing and very well attended annual event there. It makes for a loud, active, at times quite crowded, venue to hold a Meet and Greet. And this year it happened to be really hot, as in temperature not just popularity. The Greyhounds never fail to impress people at these events. This may have been the most challenging we have attended, one that could exhaust even the well seasoned M&G Greyhound. Thankfully our M&G hosts, the Stricklands, had provided us a wonderful set up including two comfy, shaded xpens for any hounds needing a much deserved break. The tent was frequently crowded with people. Many, many children wanted to pet the dogs. We were set up right by the amphitheater which meant more traffic, a good thing, but also as the day went on the noise level kept increasing, not a good thing.  People were amazed at by how calm and wonderful the Greyhounds were especially when the live bands started and we had to yell just to try be heard. One person said, "I cannot believe how relaxed they look with all this noise. My dog would be freaking out." Numerous others expressed similar sentiments. They were correct and I know there are many Greyhounds who would not have handled it as well. Their loving owners wisely leave them out of these situations.

Then Sunday we went to the Fall RV show held at an expo center in a different Atlanta suburb. It is a much quieter, less hectic scene. As a bonus it is indoors with A/C. I love that!... um, for the hounds... yeah, that's it... just thinking of the hounds best interest...  Anyway, our booth was in a nice spot, near the back but right on the path to food vendors and the ever popular restrooms. No loud bands here, even the PA system was of reasonable volume. All relaxed, comfortable, pleasant visiting with people...  [cue the soothing orchestral music] ...but then... [the string section builds to suspense] ...BLAST comes the sound of a huge truck horn blaring right next to our ears. Someone had hit the horn of the RV parked next to us with its front end grill just 4 feet away. All the humans jumped or flinched. The hounds just blinked, one's skin twitched, my girl perked her ears and turned her head. The dogs appeared less startled than the humans.

This leads to the sound habituation observation I want to make. In this case I am using the habituation definition from Merriam-Webster Online, "decrease in responsiveness upon repeated exposure to a stimulus". So why are some Greyhounds nearly bomb proof with sounds while others startle reflex kicks into high gear? The same question could be asked of individual dogs of any breed but since the majority of Greyhounds are raised in fairly similar circumstances the variance in response seems more interesting. What is the correct answer? Sorry folks but I have no idea. Wish I could tell you. Maybe some wise, knowledgeable Greyhound person reading this will offer a response I can post. I suspect, with what limited knowledge & experience I have in these things, that the answer is both simple and complex, not necessarily just nature or nurture but the usual messy mix of both. Greyhounds are individuals born with a range of temperaments and innate tendencies. Various experiences and exposures to stimulus then get mixed with what nature originally provided and later we get to adopt the complex and wonderful, jambalaya like concoctions that are our beloved hounds' personalities. Still, it seems to me at this point fours years out from my indoctrination into the Greyhound cult that this breed in general adapts or habituates more quickly than the average pet dog. Well, that is at least when I am comparing adopting an adult Greyhound to the average adult dog from a local shelter.

My girl, Venus, is the Piglet sort. She would like to be brave and get involved in everything but it is such a big, surprising world for such timid creature. You can watch her body and know she is debating where to give something a try. She is the first Greyhound I adopted. At the adoption kennels she was friendly but not needy, played with balls but wasn't obsessed, confident not pushy, but most of all she was very, very polite. In short, she was little miss perfect. I loved that and chose her that first meeting. Venus was very trusting of the leash. From the moment of adoption she would go anywhere I lead her as long as the leash was on her. Her head was up. Her tail was relaxed. That gave me a false idea of her confidence level. If I had known more of canine body language and had more Greyhound experience I may not have been surprised to find out that she was actually feeling rather overwhelmed with everything, "Oh d-d-d-dear me," as she followed me with blind faith that it was all going to be alright because her leash was on, "Oh my. It's all going to be OK. We are going to be fine... right?"

So, whether because of inexperience, ignorance, lack of observation or some other reason, it caught me totally off guard the first time something out of the blue happened and she tried to bolt. This occurred on our second day together, July 2, on our first walk through the neighborhood. Someone set off some fire crackers and suddenly it felt like I had a young, terrified colt at the end of a lead rope. The event was to be repeated multiple times in our early months together and usually the trigger was loud or sudden noise. Interestingly, though she proved to be a much more timid dog than I thought I was adopting, with a stronger startle reflex than I would have expected, this girl has amazing bounce back. She is far from a spook. Each time she tried to bolt it was to a spot maybe ten feet away. At that point, she would stand still and again collect her composure. Then to my amazement we could simply continue on our way and shortly she acted as if nothing had happened. In time, bolting 10 feet away faded to a hop sideways or backwards and now she barely even bats an eyelash.

So what did I do to improve the situation, helping her to get to the where we are today? How did we go from terrified colt to could hardly care less? Um, well again I would love to give you an precise answer. The best I can say is habituation. I just tried to learn what startled her, minimize her exposure to it but still keep her active, taking her places that I thought she may be ready to handle. At times it pushed her limits a bit but if she startled or froze I learned to just let her stop and take it all in for a bit. Then I asked her to proceed. If she wouldn't I gave her a bit longer hoping to at least get her to take one step, move one inch more. At that point either she recovered and continued or we retreated and found another less intimidating route. Blessedly, I think we only had to reroute a couple times. As she had more and more experiences that proved to be safe she became more and more comfortable. She habituated. I guess at least one of us, her or me, did something right along the way.

If I were to do it over again, I would try to be more careful in some ways and more diligent in others, seeking out good opportunities to ease her into this big wide world, trying to strike an appropriate medium between over-sheltering her and pushing her over-threshold. One way or another, my little piglet dances a jig each time her leash comes out. She is thrilled to get out of the car and join me any time she is given the chance.

Habituation, it's a beautiful thing.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Suggested Reading: "A Dog Who's Always Welcome"

Here, I'll give you the ending of this post first. I highly recommend the book, "A Dog Who's Always Welcome" by Lorie Long. Feel free to quit reading this blog entry if you want to leave now to buy, read and start following the great information this book contains.

Socialization is one of the topics I want to cover soon. Actually, socialization and habituation would be the full topic. I have had a few dogs who were real go anywhere, do anything dogs. By that I do not mean the "Lassie, get the C-clamp" kind of do anything, though my Greyhound did retrieve an empty soda can for me the other day & a binder clip today. Instead though I mean dogs who were not only happy and willing to come along with me anywhere I went but also well behaved enough to be able to go and do just about anything we were doing. One of the reasons I chose Greyhounds was the hope of increasing my odds of getting another such dog and I did. However, proper socialization and some habituation is required. 

Greyhounds never cease to amaze me. We take them out of the racing kennels, a controlled and regimented lifestyle that is nothing like the one other pet dogs have been raised in, then expect them to quickly adapt and join in our busy lives. The amazing thing is that so very many of them do just that, barely missing a beat. However, some need more help and a longer transition time than others. Careful socialization and a logical approach to habituation can really help this along. 

Lorie Long has written a book I believe could help quite a few of us as we work to help our former racers make the switch to full time companion. It is a big wide world and I know my little piglet, "Oh d-d-d-dear me", Greyhound would have benefited a lot if I had read this book much earlier. The insights and suggestions apply to a wide range of circumstances and temperaments. If you want to do pet therapy work this book could be even more valuable. Whether you adopted the social butterfly or the wall flower this book has good advice to offer to all.

Here is the publisher's write up. I believe this does a good job of summing up what is in the book, much better than I could do:
_ _ _ _ _

You can take her with you...

 If you're like most dog owners, you want a trustworthy companion you can take on family vacations, to ball games, on hikes, and to cafes and festivals. You want your dog to behave when you have guests, stay peacefully at hotels, ride calmly in elevators, and maintain proper doggie decorum in all kinds of situations.
Chances are, you've watched and admired assistance and therapy dogs who are attentive to their owners' needs no matter what. This book taps into the secrets of assistance and therapy dog trainers and shows you how to use focused foundation socialization training to make sure your dog is well behaved--even in unfamiliar environments loaded with distractions and temptations. It goes beyond typical behavioral training and basic commands and covers:
  • Evaluating your dog and recognizing traits that will affect her needs
  • Using reward-based processes to teach complex behaviors and self-discipline
  • Creating a socialization program that makes your dog focused on you and confident in different environments
  • Reading your dog so you can anticipate her reactions and keep her focused on your directions
With these sophisticated training techniques, you'll turn your family pet into a sociable, take-anywhere dog who will always be welcome!

_ _ _ _ _



Friday, September 17, 2010

Featured Hound: Blaze, agile by design

Sometime about two years ago I was at an ASCA agility competition to watch my sister competing with her Corgi. My Greyhound, Venus, and I were currently in agility classes but not competing. Just up the hill was an AKC agility competition so we took a walk up there to see if Jen Bachelor or anyone else we knew were there. That is how it happened that not one but three Greyhound people interested in agility happened to end up coincidentally meeting. OK, one was technically not a Greyhound person yet. Kathy had adopted an NGA Greyhound puppy, the soon to be Blaze. He had not arrived in Georgia yet. Agility is one of the reasons she chose a Greyhound. Kathy was there because she was competing in the ASCA agility trial with her very cute mixed breed, Rio. I often tell people that Greyhounds are versatile and can be a lot of fun in a wide variety of venues. Blaze and Kathy are helping to prove that. I will let her take it from here.
________________________________

I decided to adopt a greyhound specifically as my next agility dog. I like having a dog that is my companion first and then my performance partner second. Most people typically do NOT think of greyhounds when they think of agility. This was before I had met Jen Bachelor (Never Say Never Greyhounds) or even knew anything about her. I was fortunate to get to meet her right before I drove to Ocala, FL to pick up Blaze as an 11 week old puppy from the rescue group Crone's Creatures Greyhound Adoptions. Jen has been a great inspiration and mentor to us.

Blaze is now a little over 2 years old and is in training for Agility, Rally Obedience, Dock Diving and Canine Musical Freestyle. We may even try tracking at some point in the future. He has competed in Rally Obedience and earned 2 legs towards his AKC Rally Novice Title. He also has his CKC Level 1 Obedience title. He plans to finally go for his CGC (Canine Good Citizen's) certification this year too.

Blaze poses after a Rally O competition
Kathy and Blaze in CKC obedience
Greyhounds - Masters of the Down
"My Greyhound makes your Border Collie look slow & ackward"
We've tried a few agility trials, but he's just not ready to compete yet. We still need to continue working on focus. His idea of competing in agility is to do 1 or 2 obstacles then run around the course and show off about how fast he can run :)



He participated in a dock dogs competition in 2009 and put on a great show on the dock, but was not ready to jump in the water :) He is quite an accomplished swimmer however.

Later this year, he will try his paw at his first Canine Musical Freestyle competition with CFF (Canine Freestyle Federation) in North Carolina. We also have a freestyle demo at the Elk's Aidmore Children's Center in Conyers we'll be doing this fall. 

 

Blaze loves doing community service, especially related to Greyhound Adoption awareness/promotion. He is quite the social butterfly. Last year he was a regular at the SEGA Cumming Meet and Greet before we moved.
This year he's done several Meet & Greets such as an RV Show, Texas Roadhouse in Hiram, Hooters in Canton (promoting the Hooters for Hounds Poker Run) as well as the actual Hooters for Hounds Poker Run in Kennesaw. 


He participated in the acupuncture training for veterinarians earlier this year that SEGA was involved with. He loves a parade as well and walked at the Fisher King Trail dedication in March.

Blaze is a wonderful ambassador for greyhounds because he is such a happy, loving, friendly, active and well adjusted greyhound.

________________________________________________________________________

Many thanks to Kathy Rakestraw for allowing me to include she and Blaze's story. Their household added another Greyhound this year. Cori, a young retired racer, is still learning the ropes but already making steps toward following in Blaze's versatile paw prints. You should be seeing her featured soon.

Cori, left, relaxing with Blaze, right.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Featured Hound: Drew lends a paw in many areas

Drew has proven to be a very versatile hound in the Greyhound adoption promotion and community service categories. In addition, he has done well in his training. So Drew can claim three different Versatile Greyhounds categories. Most importantly, the multiple activities this team takes part in on a regular basis shows a nice variety of ways to enjoy your hounds talents. I will let Drew's teammate, Lisa, tell you more about him and their many activities below. You can also read more about him on his READ'ing Paws Page here: Drew on Reading Paws More information on R.E.A.D. is available here: READing Paws
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Drew, fka L's Main Event, former racing greyhound in Iowa, Alabama and Florida, is a READing Paws Champion now!  Drew is a registered R.E.A.D member (Reading Education Assistance Dog) at the Powder Springs Library every other Saturday afternoon.  Regular young library visitors make appointments to read to Drew.  Most of his readers are between 6 and 9 years old, K-3rd grades.

Drew poses with one of his readers.
 Drew knows the show is on when we suit up to go READ.  He has a special vest and bandana that he wears to the library.  He knows it's his special trip to meet and help the children in his community.  He 'gets his wiggle on' when the automatic doors at the library open.  He turns on his special charm with a big smile and a wag of his short tail as he prances through the library to the special reading room for the children.  He has a special fan group of 3 sisters that are always present when he comes to the library.  They don't always read to him, but are always ready with extra hands to put down his reading blanket, book and brochures about the reading program, as well as his special signs that announce his presence at the library.

Drew settles in with his friends.
As a team, I've experienced the marked improvements on his first grade readers this year.  Some readers have even shared their report cards with Drew to celebrate the improvements they've achieved this last year since his reading sessions started at the library.  As you can see by some of the photos of his reading sessions, he really enjoys his time with the kids (and he gets extra treats and scritches from them as well).

"Excuse me, lady, but I'm working here."

In addition to READing Paws, Drew visits Arbor Terrace Assisted Living in Austell.  He enjoys visiting the retired residents in the home, especially the ones who keep extra dog treats in their rooms for the special greyhound visits.  He has participated in the Children's Christmas Parade dressed as an elf with long striped stockings that begged many comments of "Mom, look at the dog with this long johns on!"  I know his heart smiled every time he heard the children talk about his striped socks!  He's also made several appearances at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to visit the children that cannot visit their pets at home during their chemo and dialysis treatments.  He is so gentle with the children, as if he knows they are limited in their abilities, but not their emotions.  He'll stand over a small child in a wagon so they can reach up and pet his chin.

Drew is also the perennial Meet and Greet hound at SEGA's M&G Events.  He makes his appearance, and then lays down so all of the kids can gather around and lay with him and snuggle.  His beautiful deer-like appearance with large brown eyes and soft fur draw the children like a magnet.  You could call Drew the "Ultimate Kid Magnet", and he really loves that honor!  Drew makes regular appearances as one of SEGA's Mascots for the Pope High School Football Team, the Greyhounds.


Drew schmoozes with a cheerleader.


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Thanks go to Lisa Poole for honoring my request by graciously writing this post and including pictures. Looks like Drew is having a great time participating in all life has to offer. I would love to feature your hound doing one or more activities. Please send submissions to: versatilegreyhounds@kudzublossom.com