RGT South Lakes, Cumbria Greyhound Rescue - Retired Greyhounds make great pets

GREYHOUND RESCUE
Fostering Greyhounds in the South Lake District, Cumbria

Pearly

Pearly arrived on Sunday 3rd April 2011
Went to his new home on Sunday 7th August 2011

Pearly's arrival and a brief history
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Pearly is a black ex-racing greyhound with tiny white spots on his back, hence his name. He was born on the 5th October 2006 and weighs 27.6k, is neutered, house trained, inoculated and microchipped. Pearly is quite a nervous dog until he gets to know you then he becomes a friendly, happy, playful and loving dog .
When he first arrived he used to bark at our bed and breakfast guests who came with dogs, but this we felt was strange dogs coming into his new 'kennel' until we came to realise he was warning them not to come too close and hurt his leg. As Pearly got used to seeing them it began to disappear because he is getting used to seeing them.
Pearly walks nicely on the lead with our greyhounds, but if on his

own he looses confidence and gets quite anxious if he sees other dogs on his walk. Pearly suffered extreme pain and trauma when he damaged his leg and this sometimes makes him a bit defensive when he meets strange dogs because of the anticipation of being jostled and the pain he once suffered recurring. As a result, when on his own we keep behind the other dogs if possible and at a distance that keeps Pearly inside his 'comfort zone'. In time we have been told his comfort zone will reduce as he comes to forget the pain he suffered and realises that not all dogs are out to hurt him.
Pearly is a gorgeous dog who gives us a lovely welcome each morning, loves to play with us and we are helping him to overcome his anxiety of meeting new dogs that he thinks may cause him pain. Pearly is being fostered with Julia and her family along with their 2 lurchers and labrador, all of whom he adores.

Pearly's Diary

3rd April 2011
Pearly's owner brought him here this afternoon so we could foster him until he finds his forever home. When he arrived he was very nervous and wanted to cock his leg every five minutes He was so bad in the house one of his owners took him in the garden on the lead where he could do it to his heart's content. His owner was telling us that Pearly, when they first got him was very, very nervous and shied away from people, but has got better in the time they've had him.
When they left I took him round the garden and praised him every time he did a wee. However, he is, as we call it a 'leg cocker' in that he wants to cock his leg on everything and every couple of minutes, which is nerves and will abate once he settles. As he was panting and pacing I attached his lead to the hook by the side of the kitchen fire where he could lay on a dog bed and reach the water bowls.
5th April 2011
We had a better nights sleep last night. Pearly slept in our bedroom and never moved, but then he couldn't because I tied the lead to the leg of the wardrobe, which mean't he could sleep on the dog bed in front of the wardrobe, but couldn't wander around in the night and aggravate the others. Indi is a monkey for grumbling and snapping at them if they wander around in the night, bless her she's telling them to behave, but we wish she would whisper and not shout!
After I walked him round the garden on the lead first thing he went back on the dog bed and I put his lead back on while I did the b & b guests their breakfast. I did this as I was on my own this morning and knew I wouldn't have time to sort him out, so in leaving him this way I knew he had the freedom away from the crate, a nice dog bed to lay on and it was a lesson in how to behave when we are serving breakfasts. The last thing I wanted was for him to wander around the living room or bedroom cocking his leg everywhere without my knowledge.
After all the breakfast things were cleared away Pearly came into the kitchen, wandered around and tried to cock his leg again, but we had 'words' and he hasn't done it since apart from when he walked past Sandy on the settee to find him growl at him, causing panic and another leg cock, and more words!
Tonight he's a different dog, been in the garden with no lead and comes running to me when I call his name, crashed out on the floor with the others as greyhounds should be, and not a word from any of them, he even tried to get Blue to play with him! What a difference it makes once the 'penny drops' this is a nice home. Sunday afternoon and Monday were hard because of his nerves, but today he's been a pleasure to have and I think we shall enjoy his company once he settles and his character shows through.
8th April 2011
This afternoon Stuart returned from working away and as he entered the house all the greyhounds ran to say hello with the exception of Pearly. This is the first time he'd met Stuart so he barked at him then ran behind Sandy for safety!
9th April 2011
This afternoon while on our walk we came across lambs on the road, having got through a hole in the hedge. When the lambs ran Pearly showed no interest, unlike some of the others!
14th April 2011
This morning Pearly went to the vet to be neutered where he weighed in at 27.6k. He wasn't too bad in the waiting room, but when the time came to walk up the passage to the consulting rooms he became quite nervous and not sure of things at all. The vet who met him was female, which was a bonus because of him being so unsure of men. All went well with the operation and we collected him later in the afternoon.
17th April 2011
This afternoon we gave Pearly a bath, which he wasn't too sure about at all, but he had a lot of dry brown skin on his back that

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Pearly in our garden
15th April 2011

. . and again. . .

really needed washing off. Although he wasn't too happy about having the bath and nerves caused him to lay down in the water towards the end I think he really liked feeling cleaner after and enjoyed a shake, then a run around the garden.
26th April 2011
This morning when we took Pearly's stitches out we discovered a hard lump in his scrotum which felt like a testicle. Stuart had noticed it a few days ago and we thought it was just swelling following the operation, but today it wasn't soft, and there was a lump inside. A trip to the vet this afternoon confirmed he had indeed been neutered and the hard lump was a reaction to the sutures used to tie everything off - nothing to worry about, and it would settle in time.
Driving to the vet Pearly stood in the car most of the way and was quite anxious. A little anxious in the vet's waiting room he soon settled, saw a couple of dogs, but it was difficult to tell his reaction towards them as he was nervous to begin with so his body language was hard to read. He was looking, but there was no pulling, barking or growling. He was fine with the whippet and labrador in the pub the other night so we will watch him again when he is more settled to see if the reaction today is just nerves of the surroundings he's in. Sometimes when he sees dogs over the gate between the hall and the conservatory he will bark, but we think this is excitement more than anything else because he will then back off and be quiet along with the others once given the water spray treatment.

July 2011
Over the past few weeks we've been watching Pearly very closely to try and work out why he's behaving the way he is when he meets other dogs because he's sending us very mixed vibes. Having watched him carefully, mulled things over and having had a long chat with a behaviourist who we've been involved with since we started fostering greyhounds he confirmed our suspicions. He gave advice on how to resolve the issues, confirmed Pearly had experienced severe, continuous pain and an extreme trauma when he fractured or broke his hock and during the recovery period following it. He isn't an agressive dog, but a defensive one. When he gets within a certain distance of another dog and is outside his 'comfort zone' he growls and snarls at them in warning to keep away. He still vividly remembers the pain he suffered and it is believed that being amongst other dogs while he was in such pain and being jostled has caused him to become defensive so as to warn them to keep away to prevent the risk of them knocking him and bringing on the pain again. The behaviourist suggested we give NO corrective measures, but go softly, softly, gently gently, and when out if his body language indicates he's becoming anxious we have to back away from what is causing the anxiety to a distance whereby he feels safe and can relax. Doing this over and over again over a period of time, and we've been told it may take months Pearly will slowly learn that when in the proximety of other dogs he has no need to be defensive when they first meet.
Pearly is absolutely fine with Maisy, Shane and Hazel who are Julia's lurchers and labrador and doesn't bother being all together in the close confines of the back of the car. So to dogs he knows he is fine, it is just strange dogs and dogs that come at him 'in his face' that give him most anxiety in anticipation of the pain they may cause him if they knock him.

13th July 2011
Julia mentioned today that Pearly had a good walk this morning. It was a tricky one, because they met a Spaniel approaching along a path with ferns on both sides making it impossible to walk to one side, and at a distance. Julia trampled some ferns down enough for her to get Pearly, her and Maisy who was on a lead into. Hazel, Julia's labrador wasn't on the lead, but stood in front of them waiting till it was time to move on again. The Spaniel and it's owner came level with them and passed with just a tiny grumble from Pearly. He was the best Julia had ever seen him while so close to another dog and she wondered if the position Hazel and Maisy were standing in blocked him from the spaniel as it passed, making him feel more safe.
19th July 2011
We received an email from Julia this morning letting us know that Pearly is having more and more good days. She took him to the bus stop this morning and he stood about 1meter away from a spaniel he has met before, and there were no grumbles. Then on their walk they passed a staffie behind a gate. Pearly had a little grumble but then wanted to go up to the gate to say hello and had a sniff, again with no grumbles. So a good day so far.
31st July 2011
We received an email today from Julia letting us know that Pearly walked past 2 dogs yesterday with no fuss. He was on the lead with her other dogs, so may have felt safe with them and he was praised for being good.
7th August 2011
This afternoon Pearly went to his new home where we hope he will have a long and happy life.
9th August 2011
We received a phone call today letting us know that Pearly wasn't well, he'd not eaten this morning and wasn't putting any weight on his front right leg. His new owner said he was asleep on the settee last night and a cat walked in the house. Pearly saw it and flew off the settee after it and they were wondering if he'd banged himself on something in the kitchen as he chased the cat outside. From the conversation it sounded as if he may have fractured his leg so we arranged for him to see our vet. The vet kept him in as they wanted to get the swelling down and xray the leg.
10th August 2011
Received a phone call this lunch time from Pearly's new owner saying the vet had phoned. The xray showed no sign of a fracture, but they found three puncture wounds in his leg. As a result they had put him on a slow antibiotic drip that would take all day and this evening at 7.30pm he should be okay to come home. At 7.30pm I called and collected him and took him, along with two lots of antibiotics and some Metacam, back to his new owner, whom he was pleased to see.
15th August 2011
We received a phone call this afternoon from Pearly's new owner letting us know that he's made friends with the lady across the road. The swelling on his leg, although still there is going down, and he is going to their vet on Wednesday for a check up. He's still on the medication given him and they say he seems happy, is eating well and giving them nice greetings. He's had no further accidents during the night, but he's done a couple during the day, which may still be nerves or it may be his new owner wasn't too sure of letting him in their back garden off the lead while his leg was so bad, so he may only be doing a 'token gesture' instead of doing what he should be doing. It may also be he hasn't yet learn't how to tell his new owner he wants out or they haven't yet learnt how he's telling them. This will come in time.
17th August 2011
Pearly's new owner phoned this afternoon to let us know she'd taken him to see her vet today for a check up as requested by our vet. As his leg was still swollen, but not as bad, she's been given another week's supply of the two types of antibiotics and is to take him back in a week's time for another check up. Since his leg became swollen his new owner's only been walking him round the garden on a lead so as to allow him to rest it, but today he's been out in the sunshine and had a run around the garden before coming back inside the house to flop on his bed and rest a while. She says he seems happy enough, but they are still getting the odd accident from him during the night so they are thinking of putting up the crate I loaned them and make his night time bed in there as Julia did. Julia found the crate gave him security and the accidents in the night, which are nerves, stopped instantly.
10th October 2011
We received a phone call this afternoon from Pearly's owner letting us know he has settled in well and his leg, where he was bitten is now healed and all is well again.
16th January 2012
We received a phone call today from Pearly's owner letting us know she had to take him to the vet today. He was charging down their drive as he often did, but this time skidded into the corner of the garage cutting his left leg. The vet put him on antibiotics and metacam to ease the pain and wants to see him again in three days to ensure all is okay. While at the vets they weighed him to find he was 29k.