Miles did an ASFA lure coursing competition on the 4th of July in Georgia. There was a heat wave going on at the time and temps were around 100 degrees. It was a wonderful field with plenty of shade. They had misters and baby pools and I had fans in my van. By staying wet and keeping the air blowing on us all day we stayed very cool. Miles got his first ASFA Ribbons - a nice blue one and Best of Breed and won a stuffed rabbit and a champagne flute with a greyhound on it.

In August my brothers were in town for my parents 50th Anniversary Party and everyone stayed at my house. Miles had CHILDREN to play with - 6 of them. He was in heaven- until his fur got nearly brushed off by over zealous grooming. We had to limit the grooming to once per day. He really enjoyed the leash walks around and around through the house and having kids to throw his toys for him and swim with him. I came in one day to Miles sitting in his crate WITH two little boys. He was squeezed as far back as he could get to make room for them. Moose wasn't as sure about the kids but decided they were OK after I gave them all treats to give the dogs. The kids passed out treats to the dogs several times a day and were very fair making sure everyone got equal amounts. Pinky the tiny Italian Greyhound got the same amount as the big dogs and is still on a diet to lose all the weight he gained. I came in one day to find Pinky sound asleep in his crate with a pair of kids swimming goggles on. I ran to get the camera but he had moved by the time I got back. My sister in law did get a picture of Moose wearing a swim mask though.

Miles and Jasmine

Moose ready for a swim

Miles and Jayli - she was the main dog groomer and dog walker

Miles newest sport is dock diving. He has been to two different docks on two different lakes and will jump off of them. Still working on getting a big jump with speed. He started out going to the edge, looking over at me in the water then carefully jumping in. Gradually he started leaping out into the water pretty far to get to me but that still isn't really far from a standstill. If I run and jump with him he will run and leap in but there is a huge downside to that - he tries his best to land ON me. If we can get that greyhound speed AND a big leap he will fly. We have lots of work ahead of us.

Miles and I went up to Midway Tennessee last weekend for his first competition since his injury in March.  This was a NOTRA race that is popular with owners of sighthounds. All sighthounds can compete and we had whippets, borzoi, basenjis and greyhounds at this competition. This is not professional racing - no betting. Dogs win titles, ribbons and dog toys and just have fun. The dogs love the chance to chase the lure and do what they were bred to do. It is a great way to keep dogs in exercised and in shape.

Miles had been sore after a collision with another dog back in March. For the first week or two he was too sore to run fast but we did acupuncture, massage and other therapies on him and gradually the soreness went away. His stride was a little off for awhile after that so I didn't let him run after a lure or with other dogs for a couple of months. Then I had to get him back in shape again before I could let him run hard.

 I wasn't nearly as careful about my first greyhound and wondered why the other owners at lure coursing events checked the dog over after every run and worried so much about them. If they even thought the dog might have soreness they would drop them out of the competition even if I could see absolutely nothing wrong with the dog's stride. A dog could change its stride one time in a course and the owner would take them out of the competition just in case there was a reason for it. I had no idea back then how they will run through an injury and make it worse because they love to run so much. The owner has to be really cautious to make sure they are fine to run because they will give it 100 percent no matter what. It is like having an airplane. You better be sure you take care of it and that nothing is wrong with it before you think about running it. At the competitions you have to trot your dog in front of the judges before they are even allowed to run so experts can make sure they look sound to avoid injuries. It is all about fun for the dogs and keeping it safe.

When we arrived Miles spotted the boxes and the track right away and tried to drag me over there before the lure even was hooked up. He was ready to go. The first race I was nervous to see how he did and watched his stride to see if he showed any sign of the old soreness. I was also hoping he wouldn't be timid passing or running with another greyhound after having one fall on him. I didn't see any sign of soreness and he ran with a lot of drive. He did end up behind the other greyhound and had to get by her which took some doing. He tried hard to get to the inside rail but she wouldn't let him through so he went around her on the outside. She caught him and passed him when he did that. At the straight at the end he pulled ahead of her for the win though.

The first two races were close and exciting. The last one was a box to wire win for Miles though. He really turned on the speed and looked really good. He always seem to do better in the later races or maybe the older dogs just start to slow down in the later races and make him look faster. He is only two and most of the dogs he runs against are older dogs that are retired racers so he should be faster and have more endurance.

Miles in #2 Willow in #1. Willow has the rail and the lead as Miles tries to pass on the outside - Photo Jennifer Ng

Miles pulls ahead for the win. It was an exciting race several lead changes and he pulled ahead at the last second in the home stretch - Photo Jennifer Ng.

Here is a video of the last of 3 races. Miles seemed to do better with each race This one he stayed in the front from box to wire. I was very happy and relieved that he seems to be OK after his injury and will still be able to do this. He loves to chase a lure so much that I would hate to have to retire him because of an injury.

Greyhound Agility

Miles and I have been taking agility lessons for awhile now from Rhea Jacobus. She is the same trainer that my previous greyhounds JD and Streak and Pinky my Italian Greyhound took Rally Obedience from. Miles loves it and gets so excited when we pull onto the agility field. We go to classes twice a week but he would love to go every day.

Miles rarely touches a bar on the jumps which is why I thought this photo that captured him knocking one down was pretty cool. Dean Lake Photography

Unlike my previous greyhounds, Miles loves to jump. Dean Lake Photography

Miles is really tall for the tunnel but crouches down and gets through it fast. Dean Lake Photography

Dean Lake Photography

Greyhound Models

Miles and Moose Model!

Miles and Moose did some modeling awhile back for a plastic surgeon. Here is their ad. I think the gorgeous thin greyhounds were the "after" and the wrinkled chubby shar peis were the "before". They were very good during the photo shoot and stood next to the doctor and for the most part faced the right way and did what they were supposed to. I was very proud of Miles that he was able to resist playing with the other puppy that was jumping on him and the doctor. I was surprised that they ended up using a photo with none of the dogs looking at the camera. The greyhounds were looking at the camera most of the time. The other dogs weren't and we were lucky if we could get them to face the right direction. The pup was really wild and probably was a blur in some of the photos. Boy she was cute though with all those wrinkles. Here is a link to the online Look Book that this is in. Our ad is on page 7.

Front Page of the Paper!

Left to right - Pinky (My IG), Tom Dooley (Foster), Moose, Jawa Rye (foster), Miles Per Hour, and Miles brother Ottobahn

The article inside Moose and Miles in the photo at the top and my bridge boys Streak and JD in the back and a friend's dogs Stormy and Lakota at a for fun event where we let retired greyhounds have a chance to chase the lure again. Boy do they love that!!

Somehow the dogs and I ended up on the front page of the paper without committing a crime or running for office!! I was asked to do an interview about breed rescue vs. shelters, the differences between the two and why we choose to be breed specific. The writer did such a great job on the article and it ended up being more promoting greyhound adoption. Only the last couple paragraphs was about breed specific vs shelters. Here is a link to the article that is easier to read.

GA Renaissance Festival

Miles and Moose will be performing this April 21st and 22nd, April 28th and 29th and May 20th at the GA Renaissance Festival as members of the Kings Court. Look for us in the Royal Pavilion and on stage at the Joust. GA Renaissance Festival Link We are members of the Hounds of East Fairhaven. Miles this will be Miles 3rd year performing here. He was first here when he was a few months old.

Sorry pets are not allowed at this event.

Updating

Have gotten pretty far behind in posts so will do a bunch of quick updates.

Miles and Moose had their first modeling gig for a local plastic surgeon. They were the "after" dogs and two Shar pei dogs were the wrinkly, "before models".  The photo shoot was done in a beautiful local park. The dogs just needed to stand next to the plastic surgeon who was holding their leashes - all 4 dogs. Easy for the greyhounds, not so easy for the Shar peis. One was a puppy and was jumping up on the surgeon and the other dogs most of the time. They took her out for some of the photos so I am not sure if she will be in the final ones or not. It was a miracle that Miles didn't start playing with her since he is young too. I could tell he really wanted to. I kept telling him to "leave it" and he did. I was very proud of my boys. Will post photos when I get them.

Miles spent some time in a real racing greyhound kennel while we were doing a dog haul. We left Miles and Moose there for a couple of hours while we went to have lunch and watch the matinee races. I took a couple of photos but it was in low light and taken on a cell phone so they were blurry. We brought back nine fosters for our greyhound adoption group, Greyhound Crossroads, to place. We used the dog hauler and my van on that trip so we could bring back a lot of dogs.

Our vintage dog hauler

Miles continues his agility and obedience classes with his trainer Rhea. He LOVES Rhea! She trained my first greyhounds JD and Streak for Rally Obedience and they both earned their Rally Excellent Titles. Miles had to take a little break from training after his muscle pull because sitting seemed to hurt him. We also didn't want to take any chances with jumping or anything that might hurt his back. He will be starting classes again next week.

Miles won his first LGRA straight racing competition right before he ran in his first NOTRA competition. LGRA races are very short 200 yard straight races so he really has to be quick out of the box. He won't have time to catch up over such a short course if he has a bad break. Four greyhounds at a time run and they chase a fuzzy lure with a squawker. It is more exciting for the dogs than other types of lure coursing where they just chase a plastic bag. Because of the short distance it is perfect for retired racers that might not be as fit as they once were but still want to have the fun of chasing the lure.

A greyhound that lives on the same street that we do won Best of Breed at Westminster! His name is Duncan and he is the most beautiful greyhound I have ever seen. Before I got Miles I looked at his brother who was available as a pet. He was a very big, young guy but he was not able to lure course because of an injury to one of his legs from what I remember. I really wanted a dog that I could course or I would have been very interested in him. The breeder is a really nice lady that has coursed some of her greyhounds so they are bred for form and function.

Front Page of the Woodruff Paper! A photo I took of Miles with Streak

Miles and Moose have gone to several schools this year with me to do talks on greyhounds. We have a powerpoint with photos of greyhounds from birth through their life on the farm, training, racing then retirement that we show. We talk about why the breed is special and what we do as an adoption group to find them homes. We adjust the talk for all ages from kindergarten through high school. Moose has gotten over his fear of children and is fine now doing these pretty intense visits. Miles loves them and I always take Miles with Moose for moral support. Not sure how Moose would do without enthusiastic Miles beside him.

We did a similar presentation on greyhounds for the Woodruff Rotary club and ended up on the front page of the Woodruff Paper. Miles and Moose went along so the Rotary Club could actually meet greyhounds. My friends that set it up - Wayne and Kerin brought their greyhound Tequila along. The greyhounds were the stars as always and perfectly behaved even during the meal that they served before the presentation.