The Intelligence of Greyhounds

September 20th, 2010 by

It seems that there is a good deal of variation in the intelligence of greyhounds. On the high side, there is Darryl. At the other extreme is Tasha.

Darryl


Darryl has a good memory. He also learns from his mistakes and tries new things. I have noticed that all of the dogs are unable to understand that what they see through a window is what is happening outside. If it is raining outside, they can see the bad weather through the sliding glass door, but until they go outside they do not seem to understand that is is raining. Recently, Darryl has learned that what he sees outside is real. Now, when it is raining out, Darryl only has to look outside to know that he really does not want to go out and get wet.

Tasha


Tasha is an example of the other extreme. Every morning when she wakes up she is just as happy to see me as when I return home. The other day I called the dogs into the kitchen to give each one a dog biscuit. When I gave one to Tasha she did not grab it firmly enough and it slipped out of her mouth and remained in my hand. To my surprise, Tasha trotted off to the bedroom to eat her “air cookie”. She did come back for seconds.

Bark at the Park

September 13th, 2010 by

This is a fun event where you can take your dog to a Florida Marlins baseball game. Friends of Greyhounds is organizing a group to attend.

Click here for information about attending Bark at the Park.

Safari vs. Firefox & Internet Explorer

August 29th, 2010 by

I’m working on a project for Friends of Greyhounds creating a web-based interface and a database to manage the ex-racer greyhounds that they rescue and adopt.

I’ve been doing my development & testing on an iMac and have been using the Safari web browser. When I started testing the application on Firefox & Internet Explorer I discovered that a certain Javascript code would not work.

Here is what I wrote that worked with Safari, but failed to work in FireFox and Internet Explorer:
    <input name="some_text" type="text" value="">
    <select onchange="javascript:some_text.value=this.value;">
    <option>CHOICE 1</option>
    <option>CHOICE 2</option>
    </select>

Here is the corrected code that works with Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer:
    <input name="some_text" id="some_text" type="text" value="">
    <select onchange="javascript:document.getElementById('some_text').value=this.value;">
    <option>CHOICE 1</option>
    <option>CHOICE 2</option>
    </select>

I understand what I did wrong. But Safari functioned like there were no errors in the Javascript. The selected value was assigned to the “some_text” text box and the error console did no show any messages at all.

Protecting Your Dog from Overheating

August 27th, 2010 by

Summer in South Florida means rain, more rain, high humidity, hurricanes and extreme heat.

If you think dogs can handle the heat you are making a fatal mistake. Dogs do not perspire, they pant to stay cool. If the surrounding air is hot then they cannot cool down. The slightest exertion can cause their body temperature to rise.

Here is a link to Friends of Greyhounds with more information on how to protect your dog from overheating. Also, there is information on what to do if your dog gets too hot.

If you think is okay to leave your dog in the car with the windows down, I recently noticed that the temperature in my car with the windows open was over 105° F.

We need to be very careful and protect our dogs. After all we are the smart ones and our dogs have less sense of their well-being than a 2 year old child.

Jimbo Understands “Four”

August 23rd, 2010 by

I have four dog beds in the family room. Today I was there watching TV and I noticed that one of the dogs had piled 2 of the beds together to make an extra thick and soft bed. It also meant that there were only 3 beds available.

All of the dog beds were occupied when Jimbo joined us. He kept staring at the dogs and the beds, In the past when there were 4 dogs on 4 beds he would just find a place on the floor, but today he just kept looking and looking. After a few minutes he walked over and laid down on the doubled up bed next to the dog that was already there on the bed.

Delsa

August 19th, 2010 by

I am posting this because Delsa is looking very hard for her forever home…

This lovely 7 year old fawn greyhound was a brood mom and after having lots of puppies, she’s ready for her forever home.

Delsa is crate trained and even understands English! She is a very social girl, both with people and with other dogs. She walks great on the leash and LOVES her baths. She has a calm, friendy, quiet demeanor and will probably cuddle up to you in no time!

Delsa has tested as cat tolerant and with proper introductions, will probably be able to live with cats and/or small dogs.

Won’t you make room in your heart and home for Delsa so she can get started on her new life? You are welcome to come meet her this weekend or any weekend at our open house in Hialeah. (For directions, FriendsOfGreyhounds.org.) Our hours are 10 AM to 3 PM, Saturday & Sunday and we’re Soooo easy to find and get to.

Come on out and just meet the dogs. You’ll like it and so will they!

Make a fast friend today.
MCP’s Delsa is up-to-date with routine shots and spayed/neutered.

What’s Wrong with this Message?

August 19th, 2010 by

I manage the Google AdWords account for Friends of Greyhounds.

Today when I checked the account, Google had this message: “On January 1, 2005, AdWords system will be unavailable from approximately 3:00 AM to January 1, 2015 3:00 AM Eastern Time due to system maintenance. Please note that your campaigns will continue to run normally during this short downtime. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

I can understand one typographical error, but two errors.

If you missed it they say they will be down from the year 2005 until the year 2015.

FoG – August 2010 Photo Gallery

August 15th, 2010 by

Greyhound Adoptions and the Number 98

June 30th, 2010 by

I never planned ahead whenever I adopted a greyhound. The adoptions just happen when the time is right. Looking over my records I noticed a peculiar pattern with the number 98.

I adopted Jimbo on September 15, 2007. Darryl was adopted 98 days later on December 22, 2007. Tasha was adopted 98 days after Darryl on March 29, 2008.

I adopted Jazzy on September 27, 2009 and Dakota on January 2, 2010. But that was 97, not 98 days between the two. However, January 3 was the anniversary of Salina’s adoption. January 3 is 98 days after Jazzy’s adoption.

Because I am sharing this coincidence the number 98 will probably never pop-up again.

Darryl’s Roadtrip

June 9th, 2010 by

I just got back from my nephew’s high school graduation in Lima, Ohio.

Darryl in Lima, Ohio

On previous visits there would always be someone suggesting that I should bring my dogs. Since this was the last time to visit for a graduation I decided to take Darryl along.

I was worried about how Darryl would react to the 2 small dogs at my brothers house. When we first came in both dogs barked at Darryl. This helped Darryl to understand that they were not rabbits with bad haircuts.

Bella Plays with Darryl

Darryl also got to see a deer. Based on his reaction I think he thought he was looking a dog.

Deer in the Backyard

I brought along a folding crate borrowed from Friends of Greyhounds and the few times that I had to leave Darryl alone he spent his time in the crate.

Tyler & Parents