1 plus 1 equals.....

Suzanne · Guru

1 plus 1 equals.....

greyluvver · GAL Membership Co-Ordinator

Well, our second dog appeared as we made the decision to foster, as we seen it as being a great way of helping GAL and enabling a dog who's already lived in a home environment to carry on in a home instead of perhaps going into a kennel. I didn't instantly adjust to 2 dogs, but now there's no looking back, I just cannot imagine now only having 1. Two can be a great benefit to each other, like bringing about a playful side, bit of competition to keep things interesting, and of course doggy company.

takecon · Master

Hi Suzanne,

Well I have always had 2 dogs - so When I got Snap i was already considering the next one.

Then decided to foster as there was a shortage of foster homes - so started an adventure since July 04 with Scooby, Oscar, Reily, Scamp, Sim, Suzie, Sally, Cleo, Trei and Tinker

Cleo and Trei stayed so that put me up quickly from 2 to 3 to 4 and now 5 with foster Tink.

Charles

I'm mad I know. But it's been a great adventure. But I had the time and space to do it.

Lesley · Guru

Hi Suzanne

Sim came to live with us in December 04 and by January 05 we were already considering a second. We both felt that Sim would be lost and miserable if we had to put him in kennels and that being in kennels with a familiar companion would be much less traumatic.

Around the same time Charles sent me an email about his current foster - Suzie - telling me how good she was with his cat and that it was his opinion that, at 9.5 years, what she needed was: "a nice quiet home with no kids and perhaps another younger dog for company"!!! So Suzie arrived at the end of March and within one week we felt like she had always been here.

We have been so lucky: no traumas, no dominance, no jealousy.

However - I may be about to get a wake up call as we are going to foster Lilac Pride. He will hopefully join us later this week!!!!!!

So - 1 plus 1 plus 1 equals . . . . . . . .

JanW · Master

Lesley that's great news that you're taking Lilac Pride!

Well done, I'm sure he'll settle in well with Sim & Suzie for company.

bluesmumanddad · Master

Lesley

Congratulations on fostering Lilac Pride. Sim will enjoy having a play mate whilst Suzie is recovering. Will he get called Pride for short? Or do yoy hae any other names lined up for him.

Look forwards to hearing all about your adventures with him

dannyboy · Graduate

When I first decided to adopt a greyhound we contacted GAL and before I could blink an eye we had flynn (a lurcher) after the initial joy of getting him home and settled I thought wait a second "I still dont have my greyhound!" A year later and after much gentle 'nagging' John gave in and we decided we would like to adopt a second dog (a greyhound!) We went to an event at Stratheclyde Park and came home that day! with Dan our nervous greyhound boy!! We have now had Flynn 5yrs and Dan 4yrs. In that time we have had a few problems,but on the whole both dogs get on well(as long as Dan remembers Flynn is the boss!) Two dogs are as easy as one,you have just got to be sensible, take advice that is given( it is true that the advice given is only as good as the person following it!) eg when we go out we put Dan upstairs and Flynn down, we have found that when we are out of the house that is when the dogs have their disagreements!! We also fostered a few puppies in that time, one of which (Mallaig) we decided to adopt, so we are now a three dog family!! The house is now a mad house!! Mallaig is a year old this month so is still doing all things puppy! Her and Flynn are best buddies, they get on really well ( more so than even Flynn and Dan) Dan is very indifferent to the pup, does'nt play etc We are stopping at three, for us it is more than enough, John can manage to walk the three on the lead no problem but I find it a bit more difficult! Saying that we would'nt change a thing, grey's and lurchers become part of your life and who you are and I can't imagine not having any of them in my life

greyluvver · GAL Membership Co-Ordinator

Oh Lesley, you never let on yesterday that you're taking a foster dog, but well done you. Now I realise why you were wondering about how attached one can become to a foster dog!!

Going from (Bill) Lilac Pride's photo on the BGRD site, he looks quite small, but photos can be deceiving. Lookforward to hearing all about him.

Christine Young · GAL Newsletter Editor

Well done Lesley, for fostering Lilac Pride! Looking forward to meeting him sometime and to hearing about how he's getting on with Sim and Suzie.

Christine

Carol · Master

Firstly, well done Lesley! GAL magic works again.

Well, we got Luca last January and we felt heart sorry for him because he was always running away to play with other doggies and seemed lonely. We thought about getting him a pal, but had plans to fit a new kitchen.

At the end of the summer, once the refit was done I contacted Dave and he told me that the only wee doggy that might suit us was a pup called Switch. He said she was a bit daft and in need of some socialisation. That'll no bother us, we thought so along she came.

Then there were two and Switch became known as Eilidh.

The third wasn't planned at all. We had seen Whistler on the site and someone in GAL had kindly emailed me his photos to tug on our heart strings. We tried to be sensible and resist. This was going to plan and we heard that Whisler had been rehomed. In May, we went to the GUMVA Rodeo and there he was in all his gorgeousness. Denise gave us him to mind and we were surprised by Eilidh's reaction because at this stage she was still being a bit narky. Rather than be a nippy wee moo, she was quite comfortable with him.

At the end of the day we decided to foster Whistler and Denise skipped off with a glint in her eye. Think she knows how soft Iain and I are and the chances of getting him back were slim to none. Anyway, he came home with us and just never left. I think it was meant to be.

So within the space of 18 months, we went from being a zero dog family to a three dog family.

We have plans to move next year to a wee cottage with a big garden..so you just never know, three might become four, or five, or six.....

-- Edited by Carol at 18:35, 2005-09-04

BOWGANG · Master

We had often talked about adopting a grey once we no longer had our beloved dog Thor (a border collie/lab cross). When we lost him in Feb of this year I vowed no more dogs as I couldn't cope with the idea of going through losing another one. But after a week I was missing having a pooch about the house..it seemed strangely empty and that's saying something with 4 kids!! I really missed going for walks and the welcome I got when I came home from work etc. Anyway I came home one day and Jim had found the GAL website so I had a look,spotted Gambol,phoned Denise,filled in the form and within the week Denise brought Gambol to the house to meet us and to do our home check. We were in love ...with Gambol of course!! The following week we picked him up and we were totally hooked.

About a week later Jim said wouldn't it be nice to get a friend for Gambol so we let Dave know and shortly after were put in touch with Charles who was fostering Keera (she was called Sally at the time). We arranged for Charles to take her to the house to meet us and Gambol to see how she got on and everything was fine ..she stayed that night! So we went from 1 to 2 within a month.

We then went to the GUMVA rodeo and mentioned that we might like to foster at some point and Denise said she had just the dog in mind..surprise surprise!!!! Jamie was at Strathaven kennels so the next awareness day there my eldest daughter Lori fell in love with him and held onto him for the full 4 hours we were there. Anytime prospective adopters came on the scene she took him for a walk so they wouldn't see him!! Anyway I was trying to be sensible..you know the 'we have no room in the car/house' etc but I was worn down by the whole family and we fostered Jamie in May. In August for his 3rd birthday present we adopted him and it's like he's always been here.

I can't imagine life without any of them and they are so loved and spoiled it's not true.The house is mental at times with 3 pooches and 4 kids...but hey it's worth it!!

Shirley

Andy · Old Hand

Iluska had been on at me for ages about getting a dog and I was being all sensible - we are too busy / work away from home etc. etc. One Sunday we were walking round Queens Park when we bumped into two fabulous deerhound lurchers and soon got talking to the owner about all things greyhound.

One thing led to another and before I knew it we were attending an awareness day at Langbank with all these wonderful hounds - too many to choose from. What a dilema. I was talking to Leslie while Fiddie had a "lean" and that was it. A couple of days later and he was home with us. Number one had arrived.

Fast forward a couple of weeks to the June walk at Strathclyde Park. Steve arrives with Jess, Rosco and new arrival Joy (Coco). Steve asks me to hold Joy as he ties his shoelace, and I end up talking her for a couple of hours walk. That was it - number two had arrived.

From no dogs to two dogs in under ten weeks. Now I can't think of a time when we didn't have them.

Teresa · Enlightened One

well, i first had dogs at home with my mum, from a very young age (me, that is !) so i was used to having them around. mum only ever had one at a time cos she wasn't working at could give it all the attention it needed.

when i married, in 1984, we decided we wanted a dog so got Pip as a puppy. course, we were at work for a lot of the day so he was a little destructive to things like door frames etc ! then, bingo, a great idea hit us - let's get another dog to keep him company. Meg arrived and it worked like a charm and the two dogs were as easy as one.

then, when neil and i decided we wanted to adopt a greyhound, it was obvious to us that we needed two. again, we work for much of the day and they would be company for each other.

we went to see Kevin, the trainer, and he sorted us out two dogs to walk with neil's children - i think he was giving us a choice but they were both delightful. he seemed a little surprised when we said we'd take both of them !

the rest, as they say, is history........dave and daisy are so good together, i can't imagine them being parted now.

-- Edited by daves_mum at 22:14, 2005-09-04

Dave · Enlightened One

some interesting stories! The point I as making to Suzanne about the second dog always being the hardest to home is because a lot of people get the 'perfect' dog as their first, introducing a second dog into the mix often upsets the apple cart, or more likely isn't as well behaved as dog No. 1.

A lot of owners think (or expect) their second dog will be a mirror image of the well behaved well mannered dog No. 1 and that usually doesn't happen!....

Chas · Old Hand

I have to say that going from 2 to 3 is harder than from 1 to 2. Going from 1 to 2 was hard but in comparrison..........

I was never a doggy person as my parents were never really into pets - apart from the fish

I was persuaded to go to an awareness day at Bothwell Bridge and was "tricked" into taking Freddy for a walk - don't know who was more fond of who, me or Freddy!! After a year Sharon was nattering for another dog, and after getting paw prints on my shoulders (!!) dog number 2 was adopted!! We did have problems - the dogs got along fine, it was Wilma's insides that were the problem!! After many trips to the vets, and clearing up the kitchen at 5am we discovered she had a white meat intolerance. One change of food later and that was sorted!

After a year came the discussions of adding a third dog to our family. We went to the awareness day at Strathaven and fell in love with Barney! Barney would seem to be the first dog that we have had that had only lived in kennels (or as a stray) before he came to live with us. In saying that, we have had very few accidents in the house.

The biggest problem of going to three is the space they take up for their beds. And walking them together is a nightmare. Freddy has never been a "pully" dog and Wilma is too thick (or is that clingy) to pull on the lead. Barney, on the other hand, is a total nightmare. He is so keen that he walks twice as far as everyone else - zig-zagging in front to see everything that is in front.

The pack structure is the other "difficult" part of having a third dog. One dog, one bitch is no problem. Add another dog and the whole dynamics change. What will happen when (oops sorry, if) dog number 4 arrives......................?

All I can do is take my hat off to all owners of more than three dogs!!!!

Chas

Carol · Master

I certainly agree that no. 2 is the tricky dog. Not that Luca was perfect...far from it.

By the time no. 3 arrived, I guess Luca and Eilidh were both used to being with other dogs and well, Whistler is sooo good that he just fitted right in.

I do also agree that the pack instinct maybe kicks in once you go over two. If one of my dogs barks, the other two automatically join in and then you see them looking as if to say, 'And just what is it exactly that I'm barking at?'

The best thing though (and this is the wickedness coming out in me so sorry) is when owners of wee dogs look at what's coming, scoop their dog up into their arms and try to hide it in their jacket. That really makes me laugh every time. Oh, if only I had a penny for every person that said to me, 'It's just in case they think it's a rabbit, hen!'

If only they new that all my dogs prefer being pals with little doggies, not big ones.

greyflintstone · Master

Carol wrote:

The best thing though (and this is the wickedness coming out in me so sorry) is when owners of wee dogs look at what's coming, scoop their dog up into their arms and try to hide it in their jacket. That really makes me laugh every time. Oh, if only I had a penny for every person that said to me, 'It's just in case they think it's a rabbit, hen!'

Yes, I feel like that too! Or when people at the school ask "are they vicious?" - I always feel like saying "yes, I have vicious dogs and I'm here to pick up my young children"!!!

Chas wrote:

What will happen when (oops sorry, if) dog number 4 arrives ......................?

You know, he worries me when he writes things like this!! I just hope Denise isn't reading this!! If she is ...... no, no, no, no!!!!!!

-- Edited by greyflintstone at 17:46, 2005-09-06

Dave · Enlightened One

Chas wrote:

What will happen when (oops sorry, if) dog number 4 arrives......................?

Duly noted and filed for future reference Chas...

Dave · Enlightened One

actually all this talk of a second dog got me thinking, from experience adding the 8th dog is really the worst, you can remember 7 (short) names quite easily, when you get No. 8 thats when it gets confusing, dogs name's get mixed up and you really have to revert to simply counting to make sure you've got yer pack all safely home from the local park.

Another good point to note here is if you have more than one brindle then thats just asking for trouble, they just look so similar, it's always a good bit of advice to keep close check of yer brindles weight, if one starts to get fat and the other skinny then it's obvious you've been feeding one twice and the other not at all, time to get different brightly coloured collars...

Of course there is always the transport side of things to consider, ditch all thoughts of that Audi TT you were planning to buy to interject a little happiness into the mid life crisis and start looking in the backs of all the largest most ugliest vans you've ever seen muttering things like 'oh, it's so spacious' and 'top speed only 50 mph, REALLY?'..

Surprisingly enough the 8th dog always seems to eat about 10 times more than the rest of the pack, a few weeks after it's arrival there will be an enlightening moment in the local pet shop when you realise you were just in 2 days ago, your credit card is maxed out and you'll find yourself being invited to the store owners sudden retirement party..

Finally there's the sleeping arrangements, you'll find your spacious lounge with 7 dog beds and plenty floor space suddenly develops a case of the 'smalls' and turns into a Greyhound version of spagetti junction in rush hour with what was once a 2 second journey to the remote becoming more of an expedition into the unknown..

Well I guess you've been warned, make 7 your limit and stick to it!!...

Christine Young · GAL Newsletter Editor

Dave - I often have difficulty remembering three names. Billy's often been called Vegas, Vegas has been called Martin and doh, you get the idea! Martin is often greeted with You - oh whatever it is I called you! Now is that an early sign of senility or is it a case of memory overloading? Another sign of this is that I often find myself in cupboards or rooms with no idea why I'm there or what I need to get.

To add another name to our family might just be enough to tip me over the edge. How you remember seven short names, I'll never know - and I see what you mean about brindles!

Christine

Susan Ian and Erin · Old Hand

This is sort of relevant!!!!

You may have noticed we have been quiet of late..........well this is sort of 1plus 1 equals too many ......children that is. As you may well know we have four children, 2 dogs, 1 foster dog, 2 cats and 2 gerbils well child number five is on the way. I have spent the last three months sleeping and eating no time for checking GAL website, probably just as well having seen the pups that Dawn has fostered (I am jealous).

Any way the sort of relevance of this is I don't think it is the amount of beasties you have it is their ability to decide if it is the right place for them. benson first dog, Erin dog no 2 absolutely no problem but I think that is because she enjoys this sort of environment. plus Benson is the most laid back mutt I have ever owned. 20 dogs cats or whatever could walk in here and as long as walks fun and food were forthcoming he would not care.

Hey it is nice to be back in circulation . For all of you that saw Ollie on the website he has gone to a lovely home up north. his new owners wrote to say he was getting on great and was enjoying his new home.

Have a look at Tess she is with us at the moment and if you are looking for a well trained dog she would pretty much fit the bill.. housetrained, loves to play and gets on great with the other two dogs

pps new baba is due in march!

Susan

bluesmumanddad · Master

Congratulations Susan!!

I admire you grately for still fostering whilst pregnant. We had Sparty with us when I first found out I was expecting and although he was a sweetheart I found it difficult to cope.

Nice to hear Ollie is settled in a lovely new home he looked lovely. Looking forwards to hearing more about Tess.

Nicki · Big Cheese

Congratulations Susan

love nicki and janie.x

Teresa · Enlightened One

many congratulations susan. by the way, how is erin's toe !!! we've all been asking about her !

Suzanne · Guru

oh wow Susan!!! congrats big style!!! after 4 boys Ill keep my fingers crossed for a girl for you ;) !! Im delighted for you all!!

Glad you are all doing well! Maybe you should book Iain into the vets after this for a 'you know what!'

(he'll kill me for that on my next visit to see you ;) teehee

Hope to see you all soon - although with visitor & 2 dogs - where will we sit?? LOL

Loads of love to you, bump, doggies & family

Suzanne, Murf n Mais xxxx

Dawn · Guru

Hi susan,

Tess couldn't be with a nicer family, I will be watching this space with interest to see how see gets on with the cats.........??????? Have a look out to see if this wee beauty would be Denzel safe??? Just in case!!

Mac doing great, pups doing great, Denzel doing great....me having a nervous breakdown!!

Love to the family Dawn x

FAJ · Enlightened One

Congratulations, Susan!!! Wonderful news.

We mithered about getting doglet number 2 for ages, constantly asking Dave about dogs that we'd seen on the website and generally dithering about the whole thing. Then Harry came along to GAL, Dave got in touch to say that he thought we might like him, we went to see him, were captivated by his hairy tummy (Harry's that is, not Dave's!) and that was that - 5 days later, he was esconced chez Williams/Jamieson and we were a 2-dog household.

From the word go, Harry has been THE perfect house-dog. The only downside to him is his barking and lunging at other dogs. We're working on it, and softly-softly catchy monkey seems to be the way to go. Oh, and it's a shame that he and Pearly won't play together. He's a bit rough with her - though thankfully he's stopped battering on the head with his massive paws on a daily basis! - and I suspect she thinks he's a bit of a yob, being such a laydee, and all.

For us, two is the magic number. Though I still have a hankering for a lickle doggie that I could pick up and snuggle into my neck.......

emma · Guru

We had been quite happy as a one dog household until we lost the first grey Rusty. We spent about three weeks in mourning and could not cope (especially with people telling us it was only a dog and it's time you were over it) We then aquired dog number 2 (Charlie) and fell in love, as he got older and we got a bit more nervous we took in number three (Tiger) and arn't I glad we did. We have just lost Charlie, I'm sure you must have seen my post, and if I hadn't had Tig I don't know how I could have coped again.

I think Tiger has clung to me and I to him in our hour of need and in a few weeks we may be strong enough to find a new friend....

Em and Tiger XX

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

Firstly congratulations to Susan and family.

All through my life we have always had one dog in the family- since I was 17 which was .....a few years ago I have had one lurcher after the other 2 rescue, one as a pup. (I find it extremely hard to be without a four legged friend about). Anyway a year ago we got our Saska (hungarian vizsla pup) she is completely mad and because of my love for hounds we decided to get a calming dog to be a companion for Saska (well that was my excuse) and you cant get much calmer than most greys and lurchers in my experience so now we have Zada. And I would say for us have one Saska was a lot harder than having one Saska and one Zada, Zada has been no trouble whatsoever, she's a gem and puts up with a lot of pestering from Saska. The only thing I wish she would be getting better with is not being so afraid of people. but we will get there.

Siouxsie