Best Buds

JENNY · Big Cheese

Best Buds

Valerie · Guru

Jenny - I LOVE this picture. Jasper looks a gorgeous cat, and Vernon looks so tolerant, but they both obviously love each other

FAJ · Enlightened One

That surely is a contender for a big piccie in the GAL calendar! Wonderful piccie.

emma · Guru

How cute! Lovely pics of lovely pets!

It is amazing for me to see greyhounds with cats as none of mine would ever have tolerated a cat. Past or present dogs, cats are I am sorry to say just prey!

lol Em xx

Jax · Master

Awwww, so sweet, Jasper is a beautiful cat! That's a great picture too.

Oh, by the way Jenny, bad news I'm afraid, Sally ate the collar you bought Dan while he was with you. She ate everything except the metal bits, so now Dan is having to wear Sally's old collar which has her name written across it (he's quite embarrassed at this). Shame really, it was a lovely collar. We're in the process of getting him a new one.

Jax xx

JENNY · Big Cheese

LOL she has a thing for leather chewing just like Vernon.
I don't have a watch at the moment as he chewed the strap into pieces.
The collar was one I had bought for Ziggy but he has a skinny neck. Not to worry I'm sure it was tasty!!

Jax · Master

Ha ha, yip tasty on the way down, not so sure about the way back up. Obviously she couldn't digest all of it so it's just reappeared on the rug in the living room.

Gail · Big Cheese

Jenny, that is a fantastic photo, i love cats but Neo would not allow one in the house!! Vernon and Jasper are gorgeous

Would you mind if i sved your photo to my collection of cute ones that i look over whenever i need a greyhound fix?

JENNY · Big Cheese

Not at all.

Siouxsie · Enlightened One

That is a fantastic photo Jenny - well done to you on having best buds

max · Enlightened One

What a great shot, perfect advert for cat loving greys.

Nora

Teresa · Enlightened One

Beautiful picture

greyflintstone · Master

Lovely! I think the "powers that be" should be using this picture for publicity somewhere along the line!!!

Sharon

Isla · Enlightened One

I think that's a great idea and perhaps they could also consider that lovely photo of the grey lying beside the baby.

Whoever owns both baby and grey, sorry but I can't remember names. I do remember that someone doctored the photo to make it lighter so that we could see what a bonny colour the dog was.

Nicki · Big Cheese

That's such a cute pic Well done on having best buds

Nicki and wee janie.x

Jennifer · Big Cheese

aww thats really cute Jenny. Jasper looks really cheeky like he's play biting Vernon's neck

Fiona · Master

That photo is fantastic Jenny! Can I print it off to show my work? I'm sure someone said we wouldn't rehome greys to people with cats, I'm going to check if that's right and then show them your photo!

How did you manage to get them to be friends?

JENNY · Big Cheese

Greyhounds who aren't guaranteed cat safe wouldn't be rehomed with cats.

And Dogs Trust would not want to risk the life of a cat to test the hounds in their care quite rightly.

However I felt I could work with Vernon after doing lots of research on techniques for detraining the instinct and to accept cats as part of his family. And I had already fell in love with him.

It involved me having him on a lead practically 24/7 and introducing him to the cat fully muzzled and well secured to me. It took literally a full week of working with him constantly using rewards when I distracted him from being interested in the cat. Luckily he is very food motivated and could be distracted.

Some/most greyhounds wouldn't be distractable even with food if their instinct was roused and therefore couldn't be changed.

He does have a prey drive out of his home environment so it isn't lost. He has just realised that Jasper is part of the home and accepts him as such rather than lunch!

Valerie · Guru

I too was wondering how you managed it Jenny, that's really interesting, and shows your determination and devotion to get it to work.

Isla · Enlightened One

Pity Opal's previous owners couldn't have put in even a fraction of the effort you did. Well done it certainly shows how a bit of patience pays off!

Fiona · Master

That's really good. I'd always planned on letting any future fosters meet my rats on a lead and muzzled and with the rats in their cage, but the rats are terrified of my foster rabbit, so don't think I'll even bother!

I knew we wouldn't rehome non catsafe dogs, but I'm sure I heard someone saying we wouldn't rehome any greys with cats, which to me doesn't make sense as if we know for sure it is catsafe then we would be losing a potential home for that dog. We are actually getting a cat for the centre, it's got 2 jobs - to chase the rats away (wild rats, not my rats) and to tease dogs! So, we'll know very quickly what any greyhounds initial reactions to cats are anyway.

Anyone notice I always manage to get a bit in about my new job in every post, I'll calm down eventually. Maybe!

Jennifer · Big Cheese

Fiona wrote:

That's really good. I'd always planned on letting any future fosters meet my rats on a lead and muzzled

You muzzle the rats??? Is that to protect the greyhounds lol

Isla · Enlightened One

Yay, I thought it was just me who found the idea of muzzling rats and keeping them on a lead odd!

JENNY · Big Cheese

I have an image in my head of a huge rat muzzled and straining at the lead to get at a wee terrified greyhound.

greyluvver · GAL Membership Co-Ordinator

Wonderful photo Jenny

Your knowledge, patience and determination certainly paid off!

-- Edited by greyluvver at 21:06, 2006-08-19

Fiona · Master

Some people do walk their rats on a harness! I'd have no chance, my rats don't even want to go anywhere and they eat far too often for me to try to get their muzzles on!