Lou's Gorgeous Greyhounds

Hi all. Hope everyone's well and looking forward to the coming months now Christmas is well and truly on the way. I apologise for my absence from regular updates the past week. I've been rather ill and am just starting to feel human again now. I've noticed plenty of emails with news and updates in my inbox and I will get around to posting them in the next few days so bear with me...

In the meantime, having been laying around and doing nothing for a few days, I've begun to look around for Christmas presents and found one of the best online pet stores ever! If you have a pet greyhound and want to buy your pooch a gift for Christmas then I would highly recommend it. Puchi Petwear is an amazing store. It's supposed to be a designer store but the prices are highly reasonable. Although it is a UK store, you can place orders from anywhere in the world for delivery. All of their products come in various sizes for the different sizes and breeds of dog so you could purchase gifts for any of your dogs there.

Although I highly recommend checking out greyhound rescue centres for gifts like collars or merchandise for your family, this is the next best place to stop because the product range is huge and absolutely beautiful!

***If you work with or own a greyhound rescue or charity and have Christmas appeals or ranges of merchandise that you would like to advertise then please contact me. I'll be happy to post about them and link to your site in the coming weeks. This also includes any fundraisers etc because we all know how hard the credit crunch is hitting. Please email me.

I am pleased to introduce our new greyhound... Hardy! He's certainly been a lively addition to the brood here! He's currently 8 months old and we got him from Dun Roamin, the local shelter that needs our help. He's a beautiful dog, as you can probably see from the pictures below...

I read quite a disturbing article earlier on today in one of the dog magazines I regularly read. The whole article was about the importance of pet insurance, especially for breeds that are prone to certain injuries and afflictions. Anyone with an older ex-racing greyhound will probably understand just why the breed should be included in this. With old racing injuries and wear and tear on the joints, having pet insurance is a godsend for those individuals that own an ex-racing greyhound. However, the credit crunch may well affet that in a wholly negative way.

The journalist found that more people were likely to see pet insurance as an unecessary expense when they are struggling for money but it is important to take care of your dog as and when possible in this way. After all, how would you be able to pay vets bills if you do not have insurance? What would you do if you could not pay them? This does not bear thinking about.

If you cannot afford your current premiums then get quotes as you would if you were renewing your car insurance or discover supplemental insurance, which would save you money. Whatever you do though, make sure that your greyhound is covered. You never know when you may need it.

Around this time last year I started writing a blog entry that I didn't finish, purely and simply because I ran out of time. Halloween is quickly approaching and we all know that it is an incredibly difficult time for some pet greyhounds. Those that have previously raced and been rescued should be made to feel like part of the family and should be comfortable at all times. However, some owners insist on dressing them up to the eyeballs for Halloween. There is nothing wrong with buying pet costumes to celebrate certain times of the year for your greyhound but it is important to bear in mind that there are certain guidelines that you should follow.

Firstly, if you do want to choose Halloween costumes for your greyhound then remember that full body costumes will undoubtedly make them feel uncomfortable. I do not like them at all on greyhounds because many will cause nerves and a lot of discomfort. However, greyhounds should be wearing a coat when they set foot outside in the fall and winter as a result of their human-like ability to feel cold through their short natural coats. Why not choose a Halloween themed coat instead? This will ensure that they stay warm without causing upset. There are some gorgeous Halloween greyhound coats out there to choose from. Alternatively, decorative collars are the perfect choice for greyhounds because they provide a little colour without upsetting your dog too much and allow him or her to join in the festivities.

Secondly, go for a professionally made costume instead of a home made one for your greyhound. The reason behind this is that professional ones are designed to fit dogs perfectly and will have all of the necessary seams and padding. Any you choose to make may not and thus may restric the comfort and movement of your greyhound. They may look cute but that does not mean they are happy!

Finally, make sure that you get your greyhound used to the costume before leaving it on for more than thirty minutes or so because this gies your greyhound a chance to get used to the outfit and will not prove as stressful a little later on. No costume, including novelty coats or collars, should be left on for more than a couple of hours. Would you like to be dressed as a pumpkin for upwards of three hours? No, and the same applies for your hound. Moderation is the key.

The reason why I started ths post last year was because I saw a greyhound that is owned by a man in my village paraded around as a pumpkin. As ridiculous as that may sound, it is true. The poor sweetheart was obviously uncomfortable because the costume was incredibly large and very poorly fitted... and yet I saw him wearing it for a good few hours. I just wanted to mention it because there are ways and means of encouraging your pet's comfort whilst celebrating Halloween and there are plenty of tasteful costumes out there for greyhounds and other breeds alike so be responsible and fun can be had by all, including your dog.

... I saw this gorgeous picture and just had to post it! How cute are those dogs? Check out the little greyhound on the right. How sweet!!!