Dasher at just 9 weeks of age!
(Portrait photo of Dasher at 9 weeks, courtesy of Adrian Frimodt-Møller.)
Dasher's Italian Greyhound blog 2009
This is the story of IG Dasher (Sissala Sakramento) who we collected from his breeder when he was 9 weeks old on the 9th of July 2009, in Denmark where we live. The latest "happenings" will be put on at the top at frequent intervals, so the story unfolds from the bottom and up! He lives with our two Whippets: Magnus 9 years and Timmi, 7 years.
There are videos on YouTube, if you search for my YouTube name: sighthounddotnet

 
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The morning of the 1st of January 2010
Well, Dasher survived the nightmare of illegal canon-bombs exploding, whizzing rockets, “witches screams”, pretty lights and all the rest of the crazy show costing people SO much money and all burnt up in a flash – literally!
Setting him an example was Timmi on the one side, who doesn’t appear to see or hear a thing (as the majority of my whippets through the years) and on the other side, there was Magnus, who never left my side so I was tripping over him all evening and who trembled badly and at times was so scared, his little heart was bursting and he gasped for air. Svend and I also acted like we couldn’t hear or see anything, even though the roof shook and the windows rattled - and I'm NOT exaggerating!!!
Dasher chose to judge for himself! He was extremely interested in what was going on.
When outside in the afternoon and a rocket went up with a fine display of stars in the sky, he dashed to the gate to see better.
He wanted to UNDERSTAND it all.
Although he leapt in the air at times (as many of the bombs were so deafening that even we got a shock),
and he also did a fast trot from room to room to try to see what was going on, he was not actually afraid – just mystified.
We had all the blinds pulled right down and all the lights on plus TV to drown out the worst of it.
At the time to go for a walk, at about 11.30, it was relatively quiet as we predicted.
We had to do “plan B”, as the middle house down the lane was responsible for most of the terrible explosions, sending large chunks of plastic (some nearly the size of your hand!) and wood falling on our roof and in the garden – large enough to cut your face open, if you were looking up! We would never get past them!
Plan B was to turn the other way out of the gate and walk round into our neighbour's garden at the end of ours. The house was in darkness and there’s a large garden full of trees and bushes perfect for peeing up. (We of course cleaned up the poos.) The neighbours have moved away to a bigger house that he has built for his family and this one’s not sold yet – so here we could get some peace whilst the view towards the sea 6 miles away and the flood-lit bridge to Fyn with fireworks going up in the distance, was wonderful, as it was a clear frosty night.
Dasher and Timmi didn’t mind the walk, though it was minus 7 C (19.4F) but Magnus hated every second of course.
After the walk, all are grateful to get back inside in the warm. They feel much better having relieved themselves and they settled down on the sofa with me to see a film, whilst from midnight and the next two hours, all hell let loose with NON-STOP fireworks and bangs. New Year in Denmark has to be experienced to be believed!
(Our sons don’t care any more and spent the evening with their respective girlfriends in Milan and the other in Sweden with some colleagues and friends, who live there.)
This morning, everything’s quiet, frosty cold weather and most are still asleep.
So Dasher managed VERY well indeed, especially considering the breed can be a bit jumpy and nervy!


New Year chat!
Denmark always celebrates the New Year with a more or less non-stop evening of fireworks!
These fireworks have been slowly getting more and more professional, with many very beautiful displays from almost every family and (illegal) ear-splitting bangs etc. It is like being in the middle of World War III, only prettier!
Of course dogs (and cats and other animals) are terrified of both the sound and the sight of these things.
We found out many years ago, that for those who are terrified, (we have had many dogs who have been totally unaffected!), cannot even pee or poo in the garden at night, even tho' we stand with them for hours urging them. They just stand by the door asking to get in and paralised with fear. So we discovered a good solution:
Between 23.00 and 23.45, many people hold a break as they prepare for the “big show” at midnight where drinks will be renewed and so on, so there's a bit of a lull. So we all dress up in our warmest clothes and dog coats and where we lived before we could, armed with torches, walk down to the beach, where we were actually leaving a lot of the sound behind us. The few dogs we had who were badly scared were forced to walk with us. After a while, the cold gets through to them and one by one they do what they have to do and when all are "relieved", we reward them by hurrying back home again. They are usually feeling tons better afterwards and quite proud of themselves and seem a little less frightened. They then relax with us while we say Happy New Year to each other. We have long stopped going to parties on this evening, purely for the dog's sakes.
In this new house, we are separated from the neighbours by a wide grass area - as wide as a narrow road. (The whole area where we live is extra pleasant as it is full of wide, open grass areas and the space between the houses is both practical and attractive.) This particular grass "path" was intended for the old dears from the Nursing Home just 5 minutes walk away to be able to take a walk down there and admire the fantastic view over 6 miles of rolling countryside, the sea in the distance and beyond that, the island of Fyn. Also clearly seen is the the very high bridge over to Fyn, which is lit up at night. However, no old dear actually does walk this way as it is too uneven and ankle-twisting and as for a walking frame - well that would have to be carried!
Last winter the neighbours at the end (there are three gardens down the far side) held a wild party where late evening, a sausage and ice cream van was hired to come and supply the partygoers with refreshments! The driver unfortunately chose to drive down this green grassy path to the garden, rather than take the road! We'd had a lot of rain and halfway down, he got thoroughly stuck with the wheels spinning down into thick mud! So everyone had to help push and dig him out and Svend was amongst the team so got to know a few of the neighbours we'd never met! But they had to give up and a local farmer was called in to help. He came with a huge tractor that hauled the poor van backwards so it shot out of the mud at high speed and the party was saved!
So between deep the ruts made by the van, and the giant tyres of the tractor - it's never been quite the same!!!!

So what we did last year was take the dogs down this grassy "lane” to admire the view of the countryside and all the fireworks far away, the neighbours were mostly out and it was a clear, beautiful night - and the dogs did what they had to do - they know the routine!
Well little Dasher is new to all this, so we practised the trip at 22.00 last night and will practise it again tonight, so when it comes to the the “real thing” with fireworks exploding all around us, they know what we are planning to do – and why!
They were a bit amazed last night, but thought it was fun. We will do the same tonight – so then they will be well prepared for the repeat performance on New Year's eve.
So my tip to everyone with a dog who is terrified New Year’s eve: Get it out in this lull before mid-night, even if you have to drive somewhere first and take it for walk somewhere relatively quiet until nature takes over at it relieves itself.
They all need to relieve themselves as usual and they WILL give in during this walk, whereas it is straight cruelty to give up and let them stay in - and hold themselves all night.
We have always avoided “doping” our dogs – which often makes things worse, indeed a few years ago, the drugs given ENHANCED sound, so what was already a nightmare for the dog, was then even worse. We also play a CD recording of fireworks over and over for a month beforehand, so they are used to the sounds even though they know it’s just a CD.


The 26th of December
New videos! Dasher pestered as we ate lunch today in the kitchen and so I threw him a small piece of orange skin!
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Above: Dasher with the bit of orange skin. Below: Fallen asleep 5 minutes later!

Dogs hate the citrus fruits and so whilst he wanted to play, he did not like the smell or taste! See what he did here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wumWVnfP-yA
Video 2: Dasher playing around in the snow just before Christmas as our 10 year old Grandchild helps to clear the driveway for the coming Christmas guests! Dasher is good at distracting! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab8T8aTeZyE

We have otherwise been in Albertslund centre and distracted many people from their shopping - by Dasher parading around in his new Father Christmas get-up! Heads were turning, smiles and comments were many and the whole carpark came to a standstill as drivers stopped to stare and passengers pointed, holding up queues of cars waiting behind them! It was difficult to keep from giggling! Dasher has no idea why he's so popular!


The 23rd of December, 11 am
See what came in the post today! Santis owner Dorte has very kindly sewn a Father Christmas coat just like Santi's specially for Dasher! Now we to can go on doggy walks and spread the Christmas cheer everywhere! I can't wait!
Here's Dasher saying as best he can with a look: "I love it Dorte, thank you!"

and out in the garden:

Personally, I think it's "must have" at Christmas time!!!
It will last a dog's lifetime, as one would only use it through the Christmas days and it makes EVERYONE smile.


The 19th of December, 8 am
- and freezing temps. down to minus 9 degrees C (15.8 F) this morning and all dogs (not to speak of myself) with their warmest coats on for a quick pee in the garden. After 2-3 minutes poor little Dasher, despite TWO coats on, had his legs freeze and go numb so he staggered over to me and squealing in pain. Then he stood all hunched up and unable to walk. I have seen this before with my other IG - they just can't stand the cold on their legs and feet - so I rushed him inside to our very warm kitchen with underfloor heating and he soon thawed out. I cannot walk the dogs at the moment. Unable to run and keep warm, even tho' I walk as fast as I can, they quickly start limping badly and their feet are clearly freezing to bits. They can manage better running in the garden where I can keep them moving. I am praying for warmer weather SOON - how can they say the world is warming up, we haven't frozen like this for many years???? Ironic. Two days later it was "only" minus 4 degrees and we had all got used to it.

The 17th of December
Finally the snow came - after two days of just a "frosty look" and threatening skies - we are now practically snowed in with high snow drifts, but mustn't complain as other parts of Denmark are really seriously snowed under.
Dasher took it calmly but had great difficulties find where to pee and poo - how do you do it with this icy cold white stuff up to your knee caps???
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Above: Early morning - creeping around in the car port where it's not so deep! Below about 9 am and still snowing.
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Good to have several coats as they soon get soaked and uncomfortable with thawed snow. (I don't know how I would manage without this one with the warm chest cover, Dorte!) See the snow on his face? Below: The kitchen door at 6.30am! The snow drift's up to the glass!
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The 13th of December:
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Our new doggy friends came this morning with their 2 Danish/Swedish Farm dogs and played with Dasher! There was hard frost in the garden but it was very sunny and all 3 dogs had a good race around. Here is a little clip from a dizzy game with Shiva!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9NlXbdrlio

Remember to visit www.togsfordogs.net


 The 9th of December
Santi and Dorte came on a rare visit and the dogs played in the garden, Santi loved the football which doesn't interest Dasher at all!
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- and later, while we had coffee in the kitchen, they played around at our feet, see the You Tube video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkZ17LPRZYk
Dorte is very kindly sewing Dasher a Santa Claus jacket so we can put everyone around here in Christmas spirit when they see him! You just HAVE to smile when you see this outfit! Here is Dasher trying on Santis for size!

Smart huh?


The 4th of December
And Dasher is 7 months old today! AT LAST I met the 3 day care mothers who Dasher and I pass very often on doggy walks WITH my camera on me! They have up to 5 small children each aged from 1 year to 3 years old. This is because Danish mothers can take a year off from work for almost full pay! These 3 day care mothers live near each other and meet up every day to go for long walks with the toddlers - visiting several public playgrounds along the way. They all look so eye catching in their screaming-yellow vests - which help car drivers take a wide birth on the narrow country lanes round here. It can be misty and a bit dark in these winter months. I have been dying to photograph them for months! Dasher loves the children as they give him titbits (which I give to them)! From now on they look extra cute in "nissehuer" as they call the "Santa Claus-like" red hats! Today the walk was to take them past a house where they had arranged a surprise for the children: Santa Claus himself would come out and give each child a treat - what a great idea, I'd have liked to have seen that!!!!!!
Here are some pictures taken under difficulty as Dasher was leaping about all the time!
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(Our house and garage can just be seen behind the left tree! Between the houses is a fantastic view of 10 kilometres of countryside, then the sea and the island of Fyn - plus the enormous bridge over to Fyn! We are very high up here!)
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Aren't they just SO cute? Slots Bjergby's nicest kids! Running to greet Dasher!
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Aren't they just gorgeous kiddies? I have printed out the above photo 12 times - one for each of them to take home. Just an awful shame about the little boy on the left who can hardly see! But they didn't sit still for very long!


The 30th of November
You just have to see this wonderful Christmas jacket, modelled by Santi and designed and sewn by Dorte -
(I WANT ONE TOO!!!!) It's a "must have" for December and she says it is very popular with all the children she passes in the street - but nearly causes car accidents as drivers get severely distracted when they spot Santi tripping along the sidewalk!!!!!!!!
She has lots of fun when she's out, everyone gets in a good humour!
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The 29th of November
Dasher has received the most wonderfully soft and lightweight fleece "jacket" from "Togs For Dogs.net", just perfect for walks on these chilly days, when it's not actually raining - or for sitting in the car and other cold places. (Thanks, Helen!) See the website or ask Helen at togsfordogs@btinternet.com for the new Christmas gift catalogue.
He is a nightmare to photograph, so these will have to do for now! (There are many other colours!)
dasher and girls.dasher and girls


The 22th of November
Dasher looking intelligent - just before I blinded him with the flash!
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(Compare with the photo above of him at 9 weeks!)


The 20th of November
Below: We visit our "whippet friends" whose two dogs we should have cared for whilst they gave birth to baby "Linus", now 2 1/2 weeks old. They always look after our dogs while we are on holiday and we have theirs stay when they go away - and also whilst they give birth to their now three children!!! A perfect arrangement! We had the most wonderful weather on this day - after a month of grey skies and almost non-stop rain. Dasher met the two sisters, Fanny and Dharma for the very first time - and succeeded in getting them to play and at one point Fanny ran like crazy several times around the big garden, and Dasher did his best to chase after her, but he couldn't keep up!! He IS fast, but will never be as fast as a Whippet! Unfortunately, I did not get many pictures. The children were angels as they are well used to dogs, including mine and we had a wonderful lunch and a good chat!
dasher and girls

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Left, Dasher is challenging Fanny, who looks to me for help. There is not really room for the two of them in that bed!
Right: "Is it alright if I stand on the coffee table?"- he looks like he's asking me!


The 19th of November
Photos from the vet's puppy playground! He hits it off with two dachshounds - but plays with and chases many other breeds.
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Dasher shows off his very "Italian" lines in this one to the right! He's about 6 1/2 months.


The 15th of November
Help!!!! Does anyone know how to get chewing gum off dog's hair?
Dasher stole a lump of chewing gum from my waste paper basket, left it on the bed the dogs lie on while I work with the computer and it melted and stuck to him! So he has a white stripe left that I guess will have to grow out???


The 14th of November and Dasher tried Lure coursing for the first time!
the place where we held the coursing
Here is Santi about to start and several people take a turn to drive the "cross machine," which lays out the course for us. (The fast moving river Suså is in front of the buildings and down out of sight. The distant tractor is part of a project to build a bridge over at this point, for the huge farm estate that owns this land, but they have trouble with the cement pillars sinking all the time, so they told us...)
Dasher COULD have gone last time but we had to collect my brother from the airport. The time before that it was cancelled due to heavy rain. So finally the day came! The field was right out in the countryside with very narrow, winding roads and wonderful rolling scenery where we have never been before. We were almost there when we took a wrong turning. We realised our mistake and turned around, encumbered by a group of pheasant hunters with their dogs all filling the road! A car behind us started flashing its lights so much that Svend stopped to see what they wanted. Turned out it was two old “greyhound friends” from the race track, out on a Sunday drive (the weather had cleared after weeks of rain) and they wondered what we were doing looking clearly lost in their neck of the woods! The way Susanne leaned in the open driving window reminded me of the customs check we have had SO many times during 40 years of driving across Europe to England and back – so I told her we had nothing to declare and we had packed our bags ourselves!!! Well they kindly insisted on driving ahead to show us the way and then meeting all the group of coursing enthusiasts, some of whom they knew well!

Santi's just started to run - he looks almost exactly like a hare when he's far away!
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Santi after his run - a bit bored - and looking very "Italian"!!!
Dasher was fairly interested when I showed him the “hare” - a bunch of white and yellow plastic strips – but he prefers to run after small things...then there's no stopping him!
Soon it was his turn – after he’d looked very intensely at the others before him all chasing around like mad things!
He set off at reasonable speed but the hare got too far ahead whilst he at the same time was actually loosing a bit of interest, so it ended with him standing looking very unsure of himself at quite a distance from us  - a distance that he’s never experienced before! Karin, who is in charge of the whole thing (and without her, there wouldn’t be any coursing!), shot off after him at an amazing high speed! No doubt to stop him running back to us. She works very hard with it all and I couldn’t let her do all the work helping Dasher to find the hare again, so I lumbered along after her and showed Dasher the hare. The hare started up again, and off went Dasher after it, but he quickly lost interest and this repeated itself several times. I ran with him so we did get him back to base ok in several “goes”, but he showed us that he still can’t yet see the fun there is for him – he would sooner sniff and check the area out rather than run mindlessly!!!
He does enjoy meeting all the other sighthounds too, including some 8 month old afghans that he’s met off and on all summer so they recognise each other and are just as skittish and playful as he is! Of course Santi was there and his owner Dorte does not have to run round the course herself as I did! They recognised each other and several times started mad play whilst still on leash! I was unfort. unable to photograph.
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Above: All dogs here are 6 months and new beginners!

We all had a good time! Most of us take thermos of coffee which we share and someone had baked a large cake! Mmnn!
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Aghan hound owner Marlene, suddenly picks Santi up and hugs him - and so he responds with a big "kiss-lick"!

The 11th November, a single photo:
Who was it said my ears were floppy?

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The 4th of November and Dasher is 6 months old.
It's from now on that one really can begin to see how beautiful he will be as an adult!
He is now the magical 38 cm at the shoulder. (The max. that the European FCI standard will allow.)
No photos, as the weather has been terrible, sheets of rain and hard winds and the temperature only 1 degree C above freezing!

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These photos taken the 10th of November - could be better but will have to do for now!

On the 2nd of November we took Timmi to the local Animal hospital to get advice about his foot. Way back end July, he dislocated his right little toe after coursing. I "stroked" it back into place and ever since, during the day, he has worn a little elastic bandage to hold it in position. For 5-6 weeks he was on the leash at all times. Now the bandage holds his toe in place so he can run around the garden and get "a life" - he is a lively dog and Dasher encourages him, of course. The problem is, that he cannot "brake" and stop after running fast. He gets terrible pain if he brakes, (which spreads the toes and puts a lot of pressure on them), if the bandage is faulty or fallen off - rare, but does happen unfort. The vet spent a long time feeling the toe. The foot as a whole looks good and if you didn't know, you wouldn't see anything wrong. But the toe joint is a little enlarged and there's a small flap of skin between toes that isn't on the other foot. We discussed how long these things take to heal and he told us a long story about an accident he had with a Black & Decker power drill and it was 2 years before his finger joint looked normal again. I cited the case of my foot injury that was nearly a year to be normal. So he doesn't think an operation will help - and could make things worse with scar tissue etc. I am to go on putting on the bandage during the day and hope that time will heal. Poor Timmi, once a lure coursing star (and SO beautiful with superb muscle tone, just how a Whippet should be) and now he is only allowed to run a little in the garden. We keep our dogs in perfect condition by racing them to and fro between us in the garden 3 times a day, just for 2-3 minutes or so. They get a small treat each time they race towards us, and we stand as far apart from each other as possible. Timmi can manage one or two of these sessions with the toe/foot well strapped up, so the toes are kept togetherwhen he brakes hard. Timmi has no pain, as far as we can see - and he walks daily walks with no bandage at all - since he won't be braking when on the leash! You will have seen his bandage in the videos of Dasher playing with him.
It cost all of 512 kroner to hear the vet tell of his power drill accident and feel the toe thoroughly, we were only there about a quarter of an hour and all the "treatment" is done by me!!! It is SO expensive to go to the vet these days that no wonder a lot of animals suffer for years - many owners cannot afford to pay.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn2JWcUKvJE
The above is a video taken the 31th October - Dasher LOVES to chase after a laser light. Good exercise on a rainy day too. Thank you Gregor for buying it for me!

Video taken the 29th October - Dasher at the vets's puppy playground again.
It is such fun to see him interact with the other dogs, but this time he didn't find a good friend to play with, so he really didn't know what to do and kept on coming back to two unhappy Chihuahuas, who just wanted to go home and not play at all. Dasher is good to get any dog playing, so he couldn't understand why these two didn't want anything to do with him!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i-evbUFqXo

28th October - a few days ago Santi visited us...
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Santi balancing on owner Dorte's lap in our kitchen. They look like are ready to be models in an oil painting!!!!
Santi's the coursing star on several photos below and of course much faster - and Dasher finally got to play with him in our garden and he loved it! He was asking Santi to race and run, he just couldn't get enough. Here's a short video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaaQrQkOUmM&feature=channel
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28th October - at last, the last of his sharp milk teeth fell out today and he now has a perfect set of VERY white pearlies!


24th October - slight hold-up as my brother is here on a rare visit from Florida!
But I DID load up the video of Dasher playing with a plastic sack, see here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKCeJagy7yY

19th October
Mad and hectic games in the garden with the Danish/Swedish farm dogs again! Dasher is very fond of them and whimpers every time he sees the video of them!

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Left: Anton demonstrates how you throw your partner down and proceed to murder her - Dasher studies closely!
Right Dasher takes a breather after fast chasing all over the garden!

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Here, it's Molly's turn to need a break from all the running! Left: Anton is so kind and tolerant when Dasher wants a sniff!


17th October
You can spend a fortune in pet shops getting toys for your dogs, but there's nothing as good as the home-made sort!
Talk about recycling! Today, our dead tomato plants went on the compost, the earth in the grow-bags was distributed on the flower beds and then Dasher found he had a wonderful toy: The empty plastic "grow-bag"! He even got the others to play with it! He chased up and down for a very long time with it in his mouth, often unable to see as it blew over his head and often he tripped op and fell in it - but this dirty and torn plastic bag gave him more fun than all his other toys put together!!! I took a really funny video but this will have to wait, it's stuck om the memory card again. Here he's fetched a ball to distract the other two as they won't share with him! The ploy worked!
NOTE: 24th October: Got it off the camera now, see here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKCeJagy7yY

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16th October
It's a deadly secret, so I'm not telling anyone...but Dasher measures 37,5 cm at the shoulder at almost 5 1/2 months!
(38 cm is considered the perfect height in the FCI countries.)
My dream came true as I wanted a big dog since he's playing with far bigger and heavier dogs every day. Small and fragile is dangerous here in our house! So I've fed him plenty of the best puppy food. I always use several manufacturers so it's interesting for him (to stick to the same brand month in and month out has to be wrong! Dogs need variation, just like us - and they would get it in the wild. It must be like having cornflakes morning, noon and night otherwise!) Changing the dog food manufacturer menas that what the one hasn't got so much of, an other might have! This is so he can reach his maximum potential growth and get good stong bones and teeth too.

14th October

Two friendly and playful Danish/Swedish farm dogs (this Scandinavian breed is called "Dansk/Svensk gårdhund"), came to visit us and play with Dasher! He loved them and now, if he sees the video clips he whimpers as he would like them to come again! They live locally, so we will no doubt arrange this! These video clips don't do them justice. See Molly and Anton on:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VPqnhy_In4&feature=channel


11th October
Good news! Helen Lister's auction on Ebay for the charity IG Rescue of an orginal of two IG's by the famous artist Mary Browning brought in the fabulous sum of £1053.33!!! Well done!
www.italiangreyhoundrescuecharity.org.uk/

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10th October
Today, Dasher spat one of his baby canine teeth out on the sofa! Looked at it and decidede not to eat it - by which time I was able to see what it was and take it away! He had been playing "tug of war" with the others earlier on (www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQh2eK4Wkvg&feature=related) - a first class way of wrenching these sharp milk teeth out. The upper canines ones are still there - the new ones are coming out alongside!

Mostly these milk teeth are swallowed unknowingly! I do hope the others don't give any trouble, they should go soon...
PS He showed NO signs of having any pain.


9th October
I had to tie Dasher up to get a photo of his smart new collar! From: www.togsfordogs.net/18.html
This traditional wide design is so "kind" to the delicate sighthound neck and also looks stylish and elegant!
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Right: Dasher playing "David and Goliath" with two strong Goliaths! Here you can see how big he is - or little, depending on your viewpoint!


8th October
Dasher gets a new winter coat in the post this morning - in the nick of time, as winter is on it's way! Also a lovely blue collar to match in the true sighthound wide design for these delicate sighthound necks - breeds that can "take off " impulsively at 90 miles an hour, completely forgetting they are on the lead! The wide collar is far kinder and more elegant too.

Dasher says: See my new coat at www.togsfordogs.net/18.html
(Good to buy from England right now as the pound is so low!) This coat will do for the most of the winter and/or rainy weather. A friend is making me one for when it's REALLY cold that has a warm, fleecy chest piece.
4th Otober
Dasher is 5 months - and did we celebrate it? No! Not even a photo. To compensate here are some more from Tivoli where Dasher met his sisters.

5 photos by Adrian Frimodt-Møller - but the dogs were so squirming around and we were so disorganised that this is the best of many.
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2nd. October:
Finally got the videos off the camera and here is the first one: "Timmi gets his own back" showing that Timmi, when he makes up his mind, CAN get his own way! He acts blind to all of Dasher's drastic and madly irritating "tricks" to try to get him to give him the small "chew-stick". But Timmi finishes it and eats it all this time.
Click on: www.youtube.coown m/watch?v=eTOXTLKoQo8&feature=channel

I have 2 new videos of Dasher, (one's very funny) - but they are jammed up on the memory card. Hope today to get one of my 2 clever sons to get them off! (Seeing them tonight.) Maybe my camera's breaking down...

24rd Sept.:
Dasher goes to the vet's puppy playground again. He really enjoys himself. Here is a video where he nearly breaks his legs leaping around on a very slippery upturned child's sandpit playing "I'm the king of the castle"!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBzZ3ML-CzA&feature=channel
I'm not too pleased with the quality - I tried another setting on the camera and it's a new memory card, so something's wrong - I'm sorry it is not better than this fuzzy look...

20th Sept.:
Get your IG clothes from Helen Lister, (who I have known from our first IG so I can recommend her things, I still have an IG cushion she made for me some 20 years ago, before she made dog clothes! The silk dog was once black, (as she knew my first IG was at that time) but alas, it has faded to grey over the years.
Explore: www.togsfordogs.net/18.html


18th Sept.:
Dasher went to the vet's Puppy Play time again yesterday. First he was in with the "small and delicate", then he went in the enclosure with some of the "big ones". I weighed him on the vet's weighing machine and he is 5.5 kilos or 12 pounds and about 35 cm or 13,7 inches high at the shoulder. Afterwards, he got his second injection against a number of serious "doggy illnesses". The vet confirmed that he has all his new front teeth now, but we are still waiting (looking forward!) for the "sewing needles" at the corners to fall out!
See him playing at the vet's here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Ei-bVG1Mg&feature=channel

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17th Sept.:
First, he did it only once, then he did it twice and now he does it all the time! Yes, at only 4 1/2 months - he lifts his leg to pee! A bit early I'd say, but then he sees the Whippets do it very often....and "Italians" are always quick off the mark!
When he first went on doggy walks, he held himself until he came home again - but finally he's got the idea and so he too can "make his mark" on the local landscape!


13th September, Dasher goes to Tivoli gardens and meets his 3 sisters!
wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoli_Gardens

This afternoon, Tivoli opened it's gardens and amusements to DOGS and their owners!
They do this once a year. The Danish kennel club (DKK) organises a parade where the dogs are grouped together under the European FCI system (wikipedia.org/wiki/Fédération_Cynologique_Internationale) ending with chosen breeds going on stage where a representative from DKK will tell the audience about them. Various other dogs called service dogs etc. give demonstrations. Everyone has fun seeing and petting all the dogs and often chatting to their owners.
Dasher was very overwhelmed at walking through the noisy and VERY busy streets of Copenhagen - the car had to be parked miles away! He's only been to Copenhagen once before when picking up our grandson from school and that took only ten minutes! But after a wonderful time greeting all manner of other dogs, (he's not afraid of ANY dog) and then playing with his sisters, he really enjoyed himself and agreed to do the "Crufts walk" (see my previous chat below), most of the way back to the car! I was amazed and very proud of him! Quite a few people turned their heads! He know longer cared about the noisy traffic and so many people.
In Tivoli, one of our friends represented Italian Greyhounds in the parade with her "Santi", (a coursing star seen below!) and Svend and I met up with Dasher's 3 sisters, (2 for the very first time) and walked along behind. At first the puppies did not realise who they were, but then the wild play began so I could only take blurry action photos and it was very difficult! They never stopped moving.
It was wonderful seeing them  - and so good for the dogs too, maybe we can meet in Tivoli next year, who knows....
One sister goes to lure coursing already - and runs well, (only part of the course, of course!) and this has inspired the others so next year promises to be great fun, if they can run against each other!
Below is a couple of hundred photos, don't bother to look if you are not a mad enthusiast like myself...


Dasher, Sally and Shiloh.
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Chilla looking SO much like Dasher in the face and head.
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Chilla!
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Chilla and owner to the left and Santi and owner to the right.
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The parade! I had trouble keeping up at times, Dasher's to the right - he wanted to stop and greet dogs along the route.

A friend's Lure coursing star Afghan hound called Floora from the parade.
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Shiloh. Doesn't she look like Dasher? She is the only grey from the litter and also the smallest.
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Wild play with Chilla!
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Dasher's in the brown collar - made for a Whippet which I have cut down to his size! He's much bigger and fatter than his sisters, but at only 4 months, puppies should be plump and have room for good bone and muscle development. Too many IGs break their bones too easily. I want Dasher to grow strong because he plays daily with big Whippets!
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Dasher and Sally. Below Dasher, Sally and Shiloh.




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A whippet turns up and Dasher immediately recognised the breed!
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Santi greets a lady with a fluffy dog!
Great fun was had by all! More photos (above) - our oldest son broke off from work (computer installment of a giant project requiring non-stop work for several days!) and popped in to Tivoli especially to take some photos of us with his professional camera - we await the results! The puppies never stopped squirming around so I haven't high hopes!


12th of September, Dasher gets to play with the "big boys"!
He's also on YouTube again: www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=fir1rvPlQu4
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PS Timmi has a bandage on his foot as he dislocated his toe some 5 weeks ago and still complains of pain if he "brakes hard", so an elestic bandage during the day gives him complete freedom to run as he likes. He's headed for a tricky operation, if he doesn't get better....


10th of September, Dasher goes to the vet's "Puppy playground" again!
There were many cute pups around his own age this time. First we are grouped into three separate enclosures, then as the dogs start to play together, the woman in charge mixes them up, opens gates and includes more and more pups, so that in the end, most dogs have all met and played with each other.
The vets have their own dogs out there as well, so large, mature dogs (well used to silly puppies!) also add to the fun! Here are some photos. Unfortunately none of him racing around showing off the typical IG skills of agility and turn of speed! He was much admired!
See him at 3 1/2 months moving on: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE1afg_cOXg
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Today, the 9th of September, we have had Dasher 2 months!
It has been great fun and very rewarding but very hard! The worst has been my lack of sleep.
The first chaotic nights where he slept in a "soft crate" lined in soft blankets beside the bed, he missed his sisters just SO badly, but after a couple of days, he settled down nicely to our routine. He is a VERY quick learner - we noticed this straight away. He only needs to see a thing once and he remembers next time. But he could not hold himself all night! He asked to go outside between 4 and 5 am every morning! At this time, he was lively and ready to start the new day, so he had to have a "pacifier" (a good chew bone) when put back in his crate. However, I rarely could go back to sleep with the vigorous gnawing sounds - which could at times sound remarkably like it was the "crate" and not the bone he was chewing! So I would give in and get up. So late nights and early mornings for the first month or so, have been very hard indeed. Now he sleeps fine through to 6.15 when I get up - and I hope to gradually extend this, but I dare not push him too hard too soon!
The other major thing was how often we have trodden on a paw! He was so tiny - and black cannot so easily be seen, either.
He was throwing himself under our feet at times and his squeals of pain broke our hearts, we were SO terribly sorry and we nearly died every time, it really got us down!
Once I excelled myself: I trod heavily on a paw whilst all three dogs were greeting me excitedly and I had my outdoor shoes on. We got over this pain and shortly after, I opened the fridge door and as I slammed it shut, for some reason he leapt up to reach inside and the same paw got crushed in the heavy door! It was tough too when we had some friends round for a barbeque and Svend, after turning the meat, trod backwards onto a paw with wooden clogs on and Dasher's shriek of pain could be heard for miles, so all our friends and neighbours sprang in the air at this terrible animal cruelty.
We did wonder if he'd ever survive to adulthood living with us! Finally though, he has become more sensible - and bigger.

He's growing well, now about 35 cms at the shoulder (difficult to measure!) and about 5.2 kilos
- but a touch overweight.
After reading this, you'll be saying "what about accidents in the home and house-training him to "go" outside?"
Well more of this later - will be put in above when I have time...
but I have been following my own advice as seen on another of my pages.

The 7th September
Nearly every weekday I meet a group of Day-care mothers with up to 5 children each who are out for a walk at the same time as I walk Dasher. We have become more and more friendly and most of the children now give Dasher a tiny tit-bit or two. It is good for him to learn about small children and their "wierd noises"! At first he was a little nervous and hid between my legs but he's very curious so he did come forward after a moment, but now that they all give him tiny tit-bits and he's not scared of them at all. He's really getting to know them and quite prances about - and it's good for the children to experience a puppy and it adds little extra entertainment for us all on the daily walk. I have to walk twice. First with the two whippets, who walk really nicely beside me - that is, if they don't spot a cat, hare, pheasant or a strange dog! Afterwards with Dasher, who is still a new beginner and needs individual attention. He has improved tremendously and stopped jumping vertically up and down all the time. He now combines the "Crufts walk" (see below) with pulling me along, at which I stop dead. I think he is realising at last, that we never get anywhere if he pulls, but being a lively Italian, he has difficulty controlling his impulses and won't give in!  Their minds flit about like butterflies! It's a battle of wills, but if he does as I want he is petted and given a treat. I do let him stop and sniff or just stand looking around just as often as he wants.
I must try to take my camera with me and photograph the children, they are all very cute
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The most amazing thing is, that he knows "the drill" so he watches me get ready and at the last minute I shut him in his cage in the kitchen with a special chew bone which he only has at this time - and he doesn't mind at all. Never fusses. He knows his turn will come and focusses on the chew bone! With our Dee Jay, who tragically died of meningitis in June, we had to go to elaborate measures to conceal from him what we were going to do.


The 4th September
Dasher is 4 months old today and celebrated it by eating his first cat-poop for breakfast! Our garden is so well fenced in that it would keep out everything from a mouse (well nearly!) to an elephant - yet somehow a cat occasionally gets in and uses some sand as a toilet. This despite they nearly caught it once! Luckily I was first and cleaned up but Dasher unfortunately found a small bit. He ran off with it - but he knew what to do by instinct and ate it whilst the two Whippets stood looking on very enviously! Cat-poop is very high on their menu of "desirable treats"!!!


Curious photo of a little IG together with a big Whippet shadow!


The 2nd September
Finally succeeded in loading a video onto You Tube, so you can see Dasher in action teasing Timmi-whippet, who is just so kind and overbearing with the "irritating brat". He knows that no matter what he does, (even growling and showing teeth) Dasher will succeed in getting the chew bone ANYWAY. See how he lifts his paw to reveal it and lets Dasher (who notes the action wih great satisfaction) take it from him. Dasher runs behind a flowerbed before Timmi can change his mind, so he goes off camera, unfortunately. Click on: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE1afg_cOXg
As a friend commented, this illustrates one of the big differences between Whippets and IGs. IGs never give up - they WILL have their way!


The 1st September
You should have seen Dasher this morning!!! I was laughing - inwardly.
All by himself, he decided to walk the most of the morning walk like you see in Obedience walking to heel at Crufts!
You can see here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEA3RzqItJk
(The dog close by or even brushing one's left leg and looking up, whilst keeping perfectly in position beside one and giving its full attention to the owner!) He did of course take breaks for sniffs, to see where we had got to and so on and I did give treats often and I praised non-stop while he did it right! So it's a sudden break-through with all my "Jan Fennell" training!
But I have never at any time asked him to walk like a winner at Crufts obedience, so I don't know what came over him!!!
I'm not too pleased either, as I risk treading on a paw and have to really look down when he walks SO close!

As soon as we turned into our road, however he was back to hauling me along as he's by this time lost interest in the walk, got a bit tired and just wants to get home FAST. So it takes double as long time to do the last bit, as I stop dead at every tug and he's really frustrated. Italians want their own way at all times and will go to great lengths to get it! I don't mind a bit of tension on the lead, but hauling me along head down and legs straining is OUT! However even this seemed to be 10 % better than usual. Also he's cut out attempting to dash over the other side of the road and understands that we stay on the side I have chosen. I teach him the meaning of: "Cross over!" too, as we should hurry across, these are quiet roads, some are dead-end roads too but still some cars will occasionally whizz past.
We nearly caused an accident too!
He was going along doing the "Crufts walk" so beautifully, alternating with a cute sit as he was to have a treat, (he will often give his paw too!) this was just opposite a side road with a car about to come out of it when another car came along intending to continue past the side road and I was aware  that both drivers were looking at this cute scene and "Crufts walk" and the two cars faltered, nearly stopped and then drove on a little erratically afterwards!
Afterwards at home in the garden:
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(See, Arne, he's starting to get the "Anni boot-polish shine", which I've always admired!!!) Above Dasher plays withTimmi!

No, that's not what you are thinking! It is a clump of earth and grass roots that he's chewing to bits!!!

What shal I do now? Photo from the 29th with a Grandson foot in the shot!


The 29th August
Our Grandson stays the weekend - Dasher feels quite at home with him.

The 27th August
Dasher goes to the vet's "Puppy Play Centre" where he meets all sorts. Hasn't been for weeks due to holiday and illness. To start with only a shy Coton de Tulear and they did play for a while, then gradually other dogs were moved in from the two other adjoining play areas - and in the end he was in with them all! Unfort. I did not take many pictures. Dasher gained so much confidence by going into "play mode" and getting many of the other dogs to play, that he tried his hardest to get the Whippets to play when he got home again! They leave him strictly alone, even when he's using the garden like a speedway track, zooming to and fro! I have encouraged them not to play as he has been far to little and fragile up to now. Timmi will race around a little bit with Dasher in hot pursuit, but he knows from experience that the game soon ends with Dasher squeaking in fear and running behind a bush for safety - and that's not fun. They think he's such a whimp!
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Of course, he couldn't PLAY with the big ones, just greet them normally and calmly, but he did play with all the smaller dogs!

The 25th August
The neighbour children come in again and Dasher is getting much more relaxed - and probably looks forward to his daily treats! I'm so grateful for the chance to get him used to children.

Saturday the 23rd of August...

Photo: Christina Dahl Alfast.
we were invited by an "old" Whippet friend with 3 Whippets to meet up together with another Whippet friend with two Whippets at a wonderful old country farmhouse owning fields as far as the eye could see (well almost!) where horses normally grazed, but in honour of our meeting, they were all kept in the stables. To start with, all the dogs were let off to run around as they wanted - although I did not dare let Dasher run free as he would have become their "prey"! He's so fast that he attracts the Whippet's keen eye! He would have panicked and run miles, got lost or been trampled underfoot with 7 Whippets galloping after him! He still has a lot to learn. But a Danish/Swedish Farm dog called Krumme, (means crumb!) owned by our farm hosts, hit it off with him in a big way. Shame they never got to play privately together! Each could see that here was someone their own size - and Krumme was just SO gentle! Most of my pictures were these two playing under the table as we ate a wonderful variety of delicious cakes and had coffee, tea and Mulberry flower juice!
Here is one of the cakes, on a hazelnut macaroon base, covered in whipped cream and topped with a tangy berry fruit mix! We tucked in! Photo to the right: Dasher had to learn to go up these scary steps - and he did!
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Dasher and Krumme play as I eat at the table. They really enjoyed the mad game and took it in turns to "kill" each other!
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After eating cake enough for a whole week, we went back to the main field, where each dog in turn had a trail laid out by it's owner. We had an official instructor with us to show us what to do, she has the red t-shirt. In the photo, she is trying to help a dog to follow the trial, but the dog only has eyes for her mistress, who is standing nearby! The start of the trail is shown by the white stake, then a small flag marks the end. The trail was made of liver water! A piece of liver had been boiled for an hour and the water tapped off on water bottles, one per dog. The bottles had a small hole pierced in the top just before using. The liver was chopped up into small squares and dotted at intervals along the length of the trail - to encourage beginners to keep on going. A handful was placed at the end, near the flag, as a final reward. All dogs did well in more or less their own way. Only one really didn't go for it, but then an awful lot of interesting traffic chose to drive past on a nearby country road, so she spent most of her time watching that! She just needed more time to understand what was wanted. Mine did well as knew the meaning of the word "seek" and so they did so, as soon as I said! Dasher went last and really took his time so everyone else got very bored. He was under the impression that such a great meaty-trail should be lapped up and cleared away and not wasted! So he licked his way to the end! So this new way of following a trail took time - and on top of this, for his small mouth each liver chunk was a whole meal having to be carefully chewed 50 times and a thorough search made afterwards for possible crumbs dropped. But he made it to the end just before the others all started talking about going home!!! After we moved away into some enclosed gardens near the house, all the horses could be let out again. They had been whinnying their disapproval at intervals! I am hoping that the others will send me their photos so I can show you more from the day.
Click here to see extra photos!

PS The children have been in again - AND Dasher has been in the bath in special oil shampoo for dogs, which he didn't mind at all! He dried in a twink with the fine coat that he has. (This was AFTER the doggy get-together day so he didn't smell "funny" to the others!) Now he has lost most of his puppy "velvet" fur and is starting to get the very shiny adult coat. I wouldn't have done it, but he's been smelling of "pee" lately (!!) AND moulting. He probably passes underneath the bushes that my other dogs pee up!

The 22nd of August
Two lovely neighbour children dropped in to see the dogs. The children are getting very brave and relaxed with them now and the dogs are learning to be less nervous too. I turned down their offer of walking a dog or two in the street, I decided to compromise and they went around the garden instead. They also fancied washing the dogs, (inspired by seeing the dog shampoo in the bathroom!!!) - but I didn't think that was a good idea! Here are 4 photos of the event. Timmi behaved perfectly, but Magnus was too nervous, so he didn't get "walked". Magnus has had an "unhappy" childhood as he was sold to "the wrong type of person" and came to us at 1 1/2 years of age. Since then, he is so totally devoted that he is shy of other people. He has improved at lot over the years, but still clings to us and is very nervous of loosing us.
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All three dogs got thoroughly groomed and I had to demonstrate how I brush their teeth too!


The 20th of August
Dasher's an expert in crazy sleeping positions! After he has played hard, eaten a big dinner at 5 pm and played again - he crashes out and totally relaxes in the land of nod.
He is fast asleep in all pictures, although you may doubt it in the first one - he IS fast asleep!

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Tuesday 18th of August
Three neighbour children come in today. (Second visit now - I'm so grateful as it is so good for the dogs to meet children.) They wanted to pet all dogs and are fascinated by Dasher and compare who's got the softest fur - Magnus wins every time! They would like to take them for a walk and are amazed to hear that I don't let anyone walk my dogs! Find it hard to believe when I say that they would refuse to go with anyone else but me! Neither do I leave them tied up outside shops - which also surprised them! They gave many tit-bits and got more confident about being around big dogs, as Whippets are big when you are only 7 years old. Dasher is quite scared of them but is loosening up!
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Timmi being really calm! Later on, Dasher sat on their laps in turn!


Dasher finds he loves to eat pears! He laid in a sunny spot in the kitchen doorway and noshed!

He also caught his first bird today! A dim baby blackbird who tried to hide behind a stone after he chased it and the Whippets left it, but not Dasher! He hauled it out by one wing and carried it across the lawn to play with. It was so big and heavy that he soon put it down - whereupon it managed to fly to the fence and get away through the wire. Dasher then spent over half an hour dashing to and fro from where he had caught it - ate a few feathers he found - then tried to dig and bite his way out through the fence, heaving and tugging petulently at the wire in frustration! Hours later, he still checks out the fence to see if it's there! Help! We've got a killer dog! Now I know he will love Lure coursing!

Monday 17th of August
Dasher's dream comes true: To sleep with the "big boys" on the guest bed, just behind where I sit at the computer!
All tired after a good morning walk. I walk them separately - Dasher still has a lot to learn.


Sunday 16th of August

Dasher goes to watch Lure coursing in Dianalund at Lone and Ib's wonderful place in the country, (thanks for the coffee, Lone!) - and who did he meet there - it was a lovely surprise to see sister Shiloh! They are 15 weeks tomorrow.
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At first they didn't recognise each other, but after a while, I think they realised and played until they went quite mad, especially Shiloh who did speedway racing in top gear running in big circles around us.
Yes, Dasher is much bigger, he's grown a lot the last couple of weeks. Shiloh has a fantastic and beautiful "Italian" head and neck!

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Pia desperatly tries to untangle them! Then along comes best pal Santi - he's brilliant at Lure coursing and we hope to run against him next year, if all goes well!!
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Right: Watching the "big ones"!
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They met a 9 week old Whippet puppy! Dasher goes straight to the most important part! Shiloh takes the nose!

Later in the evening - yes, they are both fast asleep like this! We laughed our heads off!

Saturday 15th of August
Grrrr! Today Dasher learnt to jump up on the guest bed in my office! He had been trying before, but I piled on several "top matresses" to make it much higher and delay this evil moment! This because it's the only place for my two Whippets to get a private moment to themselves free from a very naughty and active puppy. So now I've had to take all the top matresses off again so as to make it as low as possible - and he has learnt to jump down OK. So it's the end of the last bastion my peace-loving Whippets had left. Dasher has taken over the WHOLE house
- and heaven help us now!!!!

Timmi looking miserable.
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Timmi's resigned himself to share - but how to get down?

Will you help, Mum?

Tuesday 11th of August
We go to the theater with friends and Dasher gets looked after for the evening by our friend with Kris and Nardo. Here he is dashing about again! I took some pine cones with me as they make fine toys! Of course what the OTHER dog has, is always better than one's own!
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Back home again!


Saturday 8th of August
Dasher goes to Lure coursing (he is now 13 weeks old) - but only to watch and get the feeling of the action! He met various other dogs and was very brave, and quite hit it off with some Afghan hound puppies, who were not much older than himself! Unfort. only took pictures of him and his best pal "Santi" of 2 years. They would have loved to have raced around together but had to play whilst on the leash. It's not easy to photograph whilst holding a dog on the leash!
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There's no doubt that Dasher knows his own breed!

Monday 3rd of August
Some photos of Dasher dashing around the garden - he is growing well and getting more "Italian" every day!

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Dasher wonders what to do next.
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He has a sweet expression on his face as he races towards me.
dasher tired.dasher tired
"Where's the door gone? It was right here just before!"....... Right: Dasher is tired.

Sunday 2nd of August
I looked at Dasher sitting in his bed and he was looking intensely up at me this morning - and lo and behold, I could see that BOTH his ears have gone to the pretty (and corrrect) fold away "rose-shaped" ear that whippets and greyhounds are renowned for! So the left ear has finally caught up with the right one! See photo taken later in the evening. Compare with left ear in photo from the 24th of July.


The 1st. of August
No need to ask what the whippets think of the IG! You can clearly see it here, sunning themselves on the patio in the afternoon. Magnus is presently teaching Dasher the art of killing bumble bees! Magnus is an expert - and eats them with relish. Today he allowed Dasher to have a half dead one to play with. It didn't suffer for very long!!!
On the other hand, Dasher is an expert in finding and eating earthworms. I am not sure it they carry parasites like snails can - anyone out there who knows? PS Have now asked the vet and no known parasites transferable from earthworms! Good, because he's eaten quite a few now!!!!


- and an hour later, they've done it again! Dasher doing his "lie like a frog" act! All the bones that the other two have lost all interest in, are perfect for Dasher - he'll gnaw on anything right now!
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The 29th. of July
A sweet photo of Dasher and Magnus fast asleep - note Dasher has buried his nose in Magnus's "armpit", the nearest he can come to a cuddle!


The 28th. of July
Dasher is 12 weeks now and has learnt to eat Chinese cabbage from my whippets! All my whippets love the juicy white stem and enjoy a leaf each after dinner. They find it hard to forgive if I haven't got any - or forget.


Magnus is dying to steal Dasher's cabbage but dare not so long as I am looking!

After dinner it's time to relax.


The 24th. of July
Dasher is growing fast! Here he is lying like a little prince - we were visiting our eldest son for the evening. See his left ear, it is still in puppy-flop mode! The right ear has now gone to the adult dog's elegant fold away "rose-shaped" ear. Hope the left one catches up soon, but it is early days yet, he is only 11 weeks now.


The 23rd. of July
One of the best toys ever: I dropped a pea on the kitchen floor and Dasher grabbed it up and played for a very long time, tossing it up in the air, patting it around, carrying it to a dog bed and then loosing it in the blanket, finding it again and chasing it all over the floor - he had a great time! Think that such a little thing can give so much fun!


Look carefully and you can see the pea!

The 22nd. of July
We visit our friend who is a very experienced IG owner, who has two males: Kris and Nardo and we had a lovely lunch. But first the dogs play. Dasher was a little shy to start with but soon gained courage and started playing with them especially Nardo the "bitter chocolate" coloured one! Nardo found a little piece of wood and raced about with his trophy and Dasher wore himself out chasing after him at top speed. Dasher can run extremely fast and is clearly training himself so that he can go to lure coursing with the Danish sighthound club next year!
Here are some photos from a lovely day out. Although we took his own bed with us, he insisted on resting in one of the other dog's beds while we ate lunch!

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The 20th. of July
Dasher and Timmi-whippet relax in the sun. Dasher would like to lie on top, but this is still not allowed and he knows it!


The 19th. of July
Many of our family have visited us to see the wonder dog and Dasher's fan club is growing fast!
There's our Grandson here also!

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The 18th. of July
Dasher has managed to sneak into bed with Magnus whippet! He works constantly to try to win their hearts but so far they see only a silly puppy and no advantages in it for them! He has grown very long. Weighed 3.15 kg at the vet's on Tuesday where he got his first vaccination.


The 16th. of July
Dasher went to the "Puppy playground" which is held at our vet's - an animal hospital. It is such a good idea and with 3 enclosures, the rough and tumble bigger pups can be together while the younger more "fragile" ones are put together. Although he's only 10 weeks old and just had his first vaccination 2 days ago, some doggy friends were found for him and after a lot of sniffing, they all began to prance around a little cautiously. We will be going every week - apart from a 3 week holiday they are holding from next time on.

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The 12th. of July
Dasher's fitting in very well and he's extremely intelligent. He only has to see a thing one time and he remembers to next time! Here's a photo from today where he relaxes with his new friends Magnus and Timmi while I do some gardening. He is very loyal and won't leave my side - night and day.


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The 9th. of July
We drive over to Jylland to collect our puppy from Arne, taking our two whippets with us. Our whippets accept IG's with no problem, although basically they don't like he breed!!! Although mother Rita made it quite clear from the start that she rules the roost!


Dasher is still at breeder Arne's house with mum "Rita", big sister Anni and his sister Sandra (behind Rita).
We are just about to have coffee and cake plus melon slices!!

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Left: Funny photo of Anni as she jumps up to greet me! Right: We visit old friends for coffee on the way home. They breed pugs. Dasher was a little scared as the pugs were simply crazy to get to know him and very intensely interested!!! But he liked their two whippets! My two whippets could run in their field before heading for home.
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Right: How we travelled in the car. All dogs in safety harnesses which click into the passengers safety belt's "click in" place, (Dasher's harness is not put on yet) and I use a safety belt too on the back seat so Dasher's was clipped onto mine. The best way to get three dogs to accept each other is for them to share the back seat for nearly 3 hours!
OBC took this very special photo while we were there:

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A lovely photo by OBC!


It is dark when we get home and put all dogs out in the garden. Little Dasher watches and learns!

A little silliness is OK! Uncle Magnus is very sweet and tolerant and he has to put up with Dasher often trying to "feed from his mouth", the way puppies greet adult dogs when very young. But he understands.


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