It’s official – Dash is now a ‘Supadog’

Dash has taken to standing under the table at mealtimes. She insinuates herself between the human and furniture legs, hoping for the odd dropped morsel. With my one-year-old son Freddy in attendance, dropped morsels are a distinct possibility. She’s choosy however – if it happens to be fruit or veg, forget it. Anything dairy, meaty or fishy disappears immediately. I’ve seen other greyhounds (particularly males) that will eat a little and then wander off, leaving the rest for later. Not Dash. She troughs at top speed until the metal bowl is so clean you could use it as a shaving mirror. When she was first adopted, it was a real struggle to find a brand of food that didn’t trouble her delicate digestion. It took us three months before we discovered something which filled up her front end and didn’t bother her back end, if you know what I mean! This was Supadog Sensitive from Burgess. We then graduated to Supadog Greyhound & Lurcher – specially formulated for ex-racers (high in fish oils for overworked joints; low in protein to reduce anxiety and hyperactivity). The nice thing is that Burgess also donates 20p for every pack sold to greyhound and lurcher rescue charities. If this sounds like an ad, well … it’s definitely an endorsement from a happy customer. And I’m delighted to say that Burgess has now agreed to sponsor the launch of Dash’s book! They’ll be providing wine and nibbles on the night. Hopefully the latter will prove as digestible as Dash’s daily intake … but somewhat tastier!

One month to go till publication!

Fact: dogs don’t like being dressed up. The funny thing about greyhounds, however, is that always wear such a stoical expression if you try it. Here’s a snap of Dash in her tinsel stole and bauble ear-rings. We were taking down the Christmas decorations and I couldn’t resist seeing what she’d look like with a festive makeover. Amused? Hardly. Classy? Maybe. In fact, there’s something of Bet Lynch about her (for those of you who still remember Corrie’s bedecked barmaid). But enough frippery, since we’re now just one month away from publication of ‘Dash: Bitch of the Year’. 2011 at last. According to the publisher, the orders are already coming in … and we’ve even got our first post-launch event scheduled. DAWG (a Bristol-based greyhound and lurcher rescue organization) has asked us to take part in a sponsored walk and then sign copies of the book. Luckily, I’ve already got Dash to do a pawprint for just such an occasion. I can’t say it was an easy thing to do – it involved experiments with poster paint, an ink pad and – eventually – shoe polish. The kitchen was covered in black smudges, but the resulting print was so good it might make it into the back of the book and a mini version could appear on the spine. Talk about making your mark!

Why the long face?

How does the song go? “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” Well, the long face in the photo above is because Dash has lost hers … and ten others besides! That now makes a total of more than twenty teeth that have gone missing since she retired. I know what you’re thinking – I’ve been spoiling her with treats and sweets. Not true. She gets two square meals a day and a twice-weekly tooth brushing. Sometimes a tripe stick in between that acts as the equivalent of a good old-fashioned flossing. I even sprinkle the latest seaweed remedy (the charmingly named ‘Plaque off’) onto her food in the hope it might halt the decay. At least she still has all four canine teeth – she’d hardly qualify as a hound without them. Anyway, dentistry aside, here we are at the year’s end. Next February finally sees the publication of the book and let’s hope it’s a runaway success. Who knows – 2011 may prove to the ‘Bitch of the Year’ after all! In the meantime, season’s greetings to one and all. If you’re a greyhound owner, make sure you wrap up the dog as well as the presents. Looks like it’s going to be chilly out there …

Dash back on the blog

Don’t worry – Dash is back and now ‘unmuzzled’! Apologies for the lack of postings over the last month, but a pause/paws was put on the blog due to negotiations with a UK national newspaper who want to run a piece about the story and book. So in this case, no news is most definitely good news! With less than two months to go till publication, momentum is starting to build. Dash herself is limbering up, too, and last Saturday, she led a greyhound walk in east Oxford. About fifteen hounds and their families braved the damp to show off their wet weather gear. There were even a few festive tinsel trimmings on coats and collars. Dash, as you’d expect, was comfortable out in front, and delighted to be among friends. If you’re looking for her in the photo, you can see her rear end actually disappearing off the right-hand side. Typical Dash – always moving at speed when the shutter goes! Also in preparation for publication, Dash is off to get her teeth checked and cleaned at the vet’s tomorrow. This is always a nerve-wracking occasion for owners of ex-racers since, due to the greyhound’s lack of insulating body fat, there’s a real risk in putting one under general anaesthetic. This risk being that it won’t wake up. Yikes! The thing is that, as a breed, greyhounds have notoriously bad teeth. Dash’s top front row are so loose they practically rattle, so watch this space in case the next posting brings news that she needs doggy dentures! 

Dash meets the publishing team

The big news this week was our trip to the publisher’s, Summersdale. We drove from Oxford to Chichester through freezing fog and rain (not nice) and had a full day of meeting and greeting, lunch, treats and generally being made a fuss of (very nice indeed). It’s hard to get four lovely ladies in one photo, but they are: Jennifer (glasses; Editorial and Rights Director), Nicky (beads; Sales Director) and Elly (polka dots; PR Manager). All of them are dog-owners or dog-lovers ... and now confirmed Dash-admirers. Dash herself took it all in her stride. She even managed to scale four sets of stairs to meet Abbie, the Editor of the book. As we made the last few corrections to the manuscript, Dash lay under the table and napped supportively. The final encounter of the day was with Alastair. More important than being the Managing Director, he’s the owner of one of Summersdale’s most prolific and best-selling authors: Milly Brown (a chocolate Labrador, no less). All in all, you’d be hard pressed to find a more dog-friendly and charming team!

Dash's auntie approves of publication

Another pair of endorsements for ‘Dash’ to report this week! First of all, from novelist Barbara Erskine: “A heart warming thoroughly enjoyable romp – a must for all dog lovers, everyone contemplating dog ownership and everyone contemplating marriage.” And this lovely one from Hilary Johnson of the Authors’ Advisory Service: “A true romance – the entrancing story of a man’s love for a woman and of how a retired racing greyhound captured both their hearts.” It also turns out that Hilary’s greyhound, Marie, is closely related to Dash. In fact, she’s her auntie! Since the offspring of stud dogs or ‘sires’ can go into the thousands, perhaps it’s no surprise … but it’s a nice discovery nevertheless. Let’s hope the world of book-reading greyhound owners is as closely connected and extensive as that of their hounds!

Three months to go till publication!

Phew! We’re finally here in the new house in the Oxfordshire village of Eynsham. During the couple of days it took to move and unload, Dash stayed with a fellow greyhound owner. When she arrived on Tuesday, everything was unboxed, installed and ready in an attempt to minimize any anxiety. Her mat was in its usual place at the foot of the sofa; the DAP (dog-appeasing pheromone) was on full blast. Pity it’s also the fireworks season! Last night – after a barrage of bangers went off in a neighbours’ garden – she shot upstairs and hid under one of the beds. Not even a Toulouse sausage could tempt her out … and her trembling was enough to shake the bedframe. Poor thing. Quite a noisy and stressful salute to signal three months to go till publication!