Brotherly Love

Otto and Miles went in for their neuters August 23rd at 19.5 months. We waited as long as possible but we had to have them neutered before they can get their AKC ILPs. Lure coursing starts in September and we have to have them registered before we can enter them.

I got to stay with them both during the entire surgery. It was pretty interesting. Miles went first and recovered on the floor on blankets while Otto had his surgery. After both were awake they put us all in a room while the boys finished waking up. Since Miles had surgery first he was ahead of Otto in waking up and was pretty concerned about his brother. Even though he was having trouble holding his own head up he carefully checked out his brother Otto. It was so sweet I had to take a video of it.

After Otto woke up he scooted himself over so he could check out Miles. They both could barely hold up their heads but the urge to play got the better of them. What sweet loving brothers! 

 

Miles recovered nicely. Ottos family says he has too. Miles slept most of the day today and was pretty mellow but hopped around happily this afternoon. No running for awhile. He blew a few pads running last week so hasn't been able to run for over a week now and now needs to wait another week. Not a good thing for a puppy.

Jekyll Island GA

 Roy and I took all 3 dogs to Jekyll Island GA for a little vacation. A friend, Sam, lives there with her 4 greyhounds, a bird and cat. She needed a sitter for them so we had a vacation and helped her at the same time. We had a bit of a snafu on the way down when the van broke down in Walterboro. They couldn't get it fixed so we ended up having to call Roy's son, Cole, to transport the dogs and all of our stuff down to Jekyll Island. That was after spending an entire day in Walterboro waiting for them to fix the van. Actually the dogs and I were invited to stay in the museum across the street from the garage. The museum is still under construction but had air. The dogs were very good and just laid on their bed all day. They were so good that they were invited back for the grand opening of the museum.

 Since our van was in the shop we used bikes and a golf cart on the island. It is only 7 miles long so there was no problem getting places. It was more difficult to get the dogs to the beach since it was a distance from the house and it was too hot to walk the dogs that far. Miles liked riding with us on the golf cart so he is the one that got to go to the beach and be in most of the photos.

 There were lots of loggerhead turtle nests on the beaches.

Miles, Pinky and one of Sam's dogs Zoomie watching the deer at the feeders. Sam's dogs didn't pay much attention to the deer but my dogs were very interested in them at first. They would come right up to the glass. When we arrived the first night and were unloading the dogs, there was a herd of 8 or so deer just standing a few yards away from us in the front yard. I could walk out in the front yard with them and take photos and they wouldn't run off. When we would walk the dogs through the neighborhood in the evening we would see deer in the yards and crossing the street. Just beautiful!

Otto

Otto, Miles brother, is such a sweet guy. I have dog sat him at least 2 days a week since he was adopted. So Miles and Otto still get to play together often. Otto is smart, learns fast, minds well and always wants to please. He gets his feelings hurt like Miles if he gets into any trouble. The boys seem to have the same energy level and love to play. Otto loves to play fetch and is better at bringing the ball back than Miles though. Otto is a little less confident and a bit more nervous of new things like learning to swim in the pool. He is a little nervous of dogs he doesn't know yet Miles runs right over to play with the dogs next to a baseball field I take the pups too. Otto usually stays away from the fence and the barking little dogs. He lives with little barking dogs so may just have more than he needs of that at home. LOL He isn't shy just a bit less confident. I think he is more confident with other dogs at his own house. Miles tends to be bossy with him here but I have heard that Otto is the boss at his own house. Otto is very friendly with new people like Miles.

Otto's family has done a very good job of training him. He knows obedience commands and some tricks and has great house manners. He doesn't jump on people and walks very nicely on leash. His family hasn't had any issues with him either and their greyhound puppy raising experience has been a good one so far.

7 months!

The puppies were 7 months old on August 6th. Miles weighed 60lbs and Otto weighed around 55 - I think that is what his dad, Joe, said. I can't believe they are so grown up looking. That cute little puppy stage sure doesn't last long. The puppy brain with adult sized body lasts for 2 or 3 years. Why can't that be reversed?

They are about as tall as a 75lb male and are towering above most females now. Of course they still don't have the adult length or muscle yet so look like little giraffes. If they stop getting taller right now and just start filling out they will be mid sized males. They should keep getting taller for another few months so could be very large males.

Miles has had a little growth on him for a few weeks. Took him to the vet and she thinks it is just a histiocytoma. Will give it a few more weeks to go away on its own. Probably nothing to worry about. Pinky had the same thing a couple of years ago.

Miles is chasing the lure and has been since he was about 6 weeks. This video was taken when he was nearly 6 months old.

6 months old

A little late posting but Miles (above) turned 6 months old on July 6th. He weighed a bit over 50lbs and Otto slightly less. Not sure what Kohle weighs or the size difference between the boys because we haven't seen him all month. The pups are very tall and lanky. At 6 months they are the size of a female greyhound and taller than some of the foster females we have had recently. They aren't as long or as muscular as adult greyhounds so are much taller than an adult female that weighs the same as they do. They were closer in height to a 60 - 65lb female (racing weight).

Miles blaze is getting smaller and thinner the bigger he gets. It is getting harder to tell him and Otto apart now. Otto is just a bit darker in color and more narrowly built but they have been the same height for awhile. Miles used to lay with his legs straight out behind him like a frog but he quit doing that about the time he turned 6 months old. The other pups hadn't done it since they were pretty small. He started a new behavior about the time he stopped that one. He grins now. Usually when he is very happy like when we come home or when we have company. He lifts that nose and lips and shows all his teeth in a happy greyhound grin sometimes his teeth snap together like a gator just like JD's.

Handsome Otto looking very grown up


The pups are going through the 2nd fear phase now. Odd things scare them - like swimming in the pool. They tend to over react to things that never bothered them before. A larger dog coming over to play scared Otto and he ran away screaming and peeing in spite of all his early socialization. The boys were both very afraid of the water when we finished filling the pool and would even run away from us after a few swimming lessons that they didn't enjoy. Even after Miles started swimming on his own he would not get in the pool if Otto's owner, Joe, was in the water just because he had helped during some of the early swimming lessons. Glad I had read about this stage beforehand so I wasn't surprised by it.


Love this one! Otto looks like a grazing deer and Miles looks like the big bad wolf.




They are great pups. Very active. Although they play very rough, blood has never been drawn. It often looks and sounds like they are killing each other though. After watching them play, I can see that most of the loud rough housing at the greyhound playgroup that we stop really is just play. Greyhounds stay with their littermates for the first year of their lives instead of being separated from them at 6 or 8 weeks like most dogs. Their play gets rougher as they get to be adolescents but they have learned to be gentle with their bites. They have so much control. Even when one is clearly angry with the other, the discipline that is given does not draw blood. Occasionally there is a scratch or a scab that I find later but so far that is as far as it has gone.


Water still coming out of one of their pool toys as they carry it around.

Typical Morning

Why do you always blame me for tearing up the toys? One of the other dogs MIGHT have done it.




A typical morning with the dogs:
I take my coffee out on the porch in my pajamas to supervise the morning potty. This morning I have pups Miles and Kohle (his littermate), Pinky the Italian Greyhound, Streak my adult male greyhound, and Vanna the foster greyhound.


Things we don't want:

Pups digging in flowerbeds
Pups pooping or peeing on tile porch
Pups peeing or pooping on rock deck around pool
Pups falling into partially drained pool.
Pups eating too much grass and then throwing it up in the house later
Pups dragging trash bags full of poo around - they are conveniently located beside the two grassy potty areas (and need to stay there).
Pups playing in mud or poo.
Pups walking under taller dogs when they are peeing or pooping.
Pups playing instead of going potty.


All we do want:
Pups and foster(s) to pee and poop in one of two grassy potty areas while I enjoy my coffee.
Doesn't seem like that should be so difficult.....


What actually happens:

Foster Vanna immediately squats to pee on tile porch right outside door while the other dogs walk through it tracking it the length of the porch.
Set coffee on outside table and get hose.
While turning on hose notice Kohle starting to squat on rock deck by pool to relieve himself.
Try to get Kohle over to grassy area but succeed only in making a trail of poo across rock deck all the way to the grassy area. He is completely finished by the time he hits the grass.
Go back to turn on hose.
Chase Vanna away from my coffee.
Hose off tile porch while making sure other dogs are going in the correct places.
Get clean up scoop and clean up trail of puppy poop from pool deck.
Chase Vanna away from coffee cup again.
Hose off rock deck.
Still watching and loudly praising other dogs for any potties in the proper spot (Maybe the foster and pups will hear it and it and learn).
Decide that leaving my post to wash hands with soap before returning to my coffee is probably not a good idea. Rationalize that I only touched the scoop handle, not any actual poop.
Rinse hands in cold hose water.
Take a swig of lukewarm coffee being sure to keep my possibly contaminated hand on handle of cup only just in case.
Notice Miles throw his ball into favorite flower bed to dig in - the one with the muddy hole.
Take coffee cup with me this time since Vanna has been eying it and head down to get the ball out before Miles takes the opportunity to get muddy.
Breath a sigh of relief that trouble was avoided.
Toss ball for Miles who does a soccer kick with his front leg that sends the ball flying into the pool.
Try to grab it without spilling coffee into the pool but it is just beyond my reach.
Hurry to pool house to get net while yelling "Leave it, Miles!" so pup doesn't jump in the pool after his toy.
Hurry back carrying long net and coffee, trying not to spill anything.
Realize I will have to set down coffee cup to use the net.
Check to see if it will be safe from Vanna.
She is on the other side of the yard not paying any attention. Its a go!
Set the cup on bricks around raised flowerbed and scoop the ball out of the pool and toss it a safe distance from the pool.
Turn to retrieve the coffee and there is Miles with his face all the way at the bottom of the cup happily getting his first taste of coffee (probably not the last).
Oh well it was cold anyway and how could I be mad at a face like this?

Bad Ear Days

You will notice a common theme in all the pictures this week......bad ears. Suddenly they were like little satellite dishes pointing every direction. Guess it is a phase because it happened to all the pups at the same time and Miles ears have improved since the photos were taken.

Yet to be named brother. He weighs 15lbs now. All his hair is growing back in. He still has just a little of the scruffy old fur from his skin problem days but this guy looks like a totally different pup now!




Otto, who had the most beautiful perfect ears... last week.








Miles is 25lbs now. Which foot is Miles and which one belongs to his mom Sara?






The foot with white on it belongs to the 12 week old pup Miles.

Here is another one that shows how big he is. Really too big to fit on a lap now but we still try.


Miles is a frogger and crawls around like this with his legs out in the back. Doesn't look very comfortable. Have taught him to army crawl like this on command. When he does it on a wood floor it looks like he is swimming in place.


Puppy Roaching


This sweet innocent looking pup did finally destroy something this week. I think this is the first item I have lost to the "horrible wild greyhound puppies" that everyone warns about.... a pack of basil seeds. The evidence was found chewed up in his crate. I did catch him munching on the wicker couch in the dog room once but it was before any real damage was done. He is very energetic like any other pup and getting larger but he is smart and has learned which toys are his and which are mine. So far so good... knocking on wood.

Unnamed brother and Otto playing


Miles ears


The pups with Pinky my Italian Greyhound. When the photos were taken the pup with no name was about the same size as Pinky at about 13lbs. He had narrower legs like Pinky and was more petite than his brothers. When this photo was taken Otto was about 20lbs and Miles was 23 or so. Their legs and paws were about as big around as an adult greyhound's already although they weren't as long. They are a few inches taller than Pinky.