An update from Calamari from his forever family

Just in!  Calamari, now named Phineas, is doing GREAT with his new family.  They sent this wonderful update to us this weekend.  We are so happy for them.

Laura

*****
Hi Laura and Christopher,

I've sent a couple more photos of Phineas, that's him outside enjoying
his backyard.  We take him out on a very long leash, he plops down on
his blanket and lies there while we relax.  He loves shady area under
trees, on walks he has plopped down on the grass underneath a tree and
just watch people and things.

He's getting used to his life in a home, there's so many new things.
The stairs continue to be a challenge so I only
 let him go up and down

when I'm with him.  He is an extremely smart dog, and probably the
smartest greyhound I've ever met.  He learned "down" the first day we
got him home and just recently taught him "sit".  He knows the words
for "bed", "food", "outside", and "treats".  He is intensely
food-motivated, so much so that we are working on "shake" and all he
looks at is where the treat is, and forgets to look at my hand.  His
brain goes into short-circuit when a piece of bacon or some grilled
chicken is held out.  This is sort of back-firing on us a bit because
he will do ANYTHING to get that chicken, so he goes through all the
things he knows, runs to the bed, come back to me, sit down, lie down,
sit up again, ANYTHING so he can get this piece of chicken.  I'm not
sure if he can distinguish between "down" and "sit" because he does
one or the other until he gets the treat.  LOL!  He also loves fruits.
 Isn't there anything he doesn't like to eat?  I gave him a lemon
wedge to taste one time and he actually wanted more of it, he's such a
goof.

He sleeps frequently on his back, still likes his crate but he has
figured out where the sun is and will go lie there.  This guy is part
rooster, he goes to his crate very early, 9PM, and wakes up at 5AM!
Then he pads into our bedroom and huffs and lies down and starts
whining softly so there's no staying in bed.  He is a very vocal
little guy, when he's excited and happy he makes a mixture of barking
and rooing.  Getting a little bit used to getting his own way, he will
cry and whine at me until the food appears.  We'll have to have a talk
about who's the boss.  The stubborn streak is still there, but I think
it's because he's still a big puppy and hasn't figured out how to
behave in every situation yet.

He is a very smart, very sweet and loving dog.  He will come to me and
tuck his head under my chest for head rubs and ear rubs, although he
does not like to be smothered with hugs for too long.  He still likes
to lie by himself most of the time.  We're really happy to have him,
he makes us laugh, and we love him very much.  After Phineas has
settled in we'll be looking to get him a greyhound friend sometime in
the future.

Sorry this got a little long-winded, there seems to be so much to tell
you about our little guy.  I'm so glad you're getting a new foster.  It's
an adventure isn't it?  I hope the foster will find a good permanent
home soon.  We'll keep in touch and good luck with your new grey!

******

New Family

Calamari got a visit from a wonderful couple this weekend and they have decided to take him home.  Lucky us, we get to have him for one more week before having to say goodbye to this sweet boy.

We are so HAPPY for you, Calamari!

((See...i don't even need a pillow to get in a good nap!))

All Smiles

Calamari is really starting to relax at home and actually enjoy life with us.  This is fairly new..naps that go belly up, with a huge smile showing his gorgeous teeth!  Avery and Emersyn call this the 'superman' pose.

We are working on countersurfing with him.  We found out this morning that he likes Chinese food!  He snagged an empty box out of the sink...the box i placed in there after packing leftovers for my lunch at work.  I've learned my lesson.

Refrigerator stare down

Here is a side photo of Calamari.  As you can tell, he's very intent...what's he staring at?  Our refrigerator.  He knows there is something very YUMMY in there!

Last night we took him to my son's little league baseball game.  He was a bit out of his element with all the rowdy parents, but he got lots of attention from kids and adults the same.  He also seemed to want to lap around the baseball field...most likely because he's used to running laps.

Calamari is definitely a puppy in a big dog body.  He's so curious and loves to play with his stuffy!

He hasn't met our cat, yet.  She's decided 2 greyhounds in the house is too much for her and has taken up the basement.

Welcome Calamari

We got the call to pick up our first Foster Greyhound early Saturday morning.  So Excited to help out!

When we got there, Calamari was reserved and much more interested in his reflection in the car than anything else.  But, that didn't take long to change.

This is Calamari:  Gorgeous Red Brindle Boy

It's been about 48 hours now and he's come a long way into getting used to living in a house. 

Calamari found his first stuffy very quickly and if it squeaks the better it is. 

He learned the stairs in the first couple hours.  Going up was not an issue, coming down took a little nudge.  Now he's a pro.

He's figured out where the humans keep the treat jar and understands the kitchen is the place where all the food is kept.  He's really interested in the cold box that holds food because it smells so YUMMY in there and what the humans call the toaster oven.  He's learning not to counter surf with either his nose or even is front legs. 

The first sit down dinner was interesting, but once the little humans figured out to ingore him, he finally decided to lay down--but laid down in the kitchen to keep an eye on everything.

Calamari is fantastic on the leash and could walk forever checking out all the people, neighbor dogs and even the squirels and rabbits along the walking path.

We had a bad thunderstorm last night and Calamari was unfazed, while Ziggy hid.

I think he's starting to relax and enjoy the retired life already.