tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275373929878378192012-01-28T20:27:33.290Z<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>The escapades of a once committed feline fanatic - now canine convert - who lives with 3 dogs, one cat and a (fairly) understanding husband.Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-60081432090688527212012-01-08T17:45:00.000Z2012-01-08T22:05:23.042Z

I was listening to a radio interview from my friend, Muriel Brasseur from the Oxfordshire Animal Behaviour Centre, the other day which was about the subject of how dogs communicate with humans.  The interview was about a newspaper article which focused on some research into how dogs pick up on our ‘intent to communicate’ with them, not just through our voices but also the visual cues we

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-17927372257199729692012-01-03T21:30:00.001Z2012-01-10T19:32:02.525Z

Over the last few weeks there seems to have been a demand for my liver cake recipe; so much so, I thought it was time it had a page of it's own rather than being hidden away in a separate post! It's really easy to make and if ask your butcher for liver off-cuts it can be quite an inexpensive way to make treats that have no hidden ingredients and are nutritious for your dog. However, if you're

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-29296594247025186622011-12-27T20:57:00.000Z2012-01-10T19:30:47.282Z

I've been meaning to finish blogging about my work experience for a while now - ever since August in fact -  but since I've started back at university and now run Puppy School classes, my time just seems to have evaporated. However, I do want to share what the final part of my work experience provided me  -  the opportunity to see behind the scenes at Nottingham Greyhound Stadium. I'm well

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-31061870952658339252011-10-15T22:05:00.000+01:002012-01-10T19:32:41.820Z

I love baking - for humans or hounds - there's nothing quite like home baked treats.  The great thing about cooking for canines is that I know and can control exactly what goes into my home baked training treats. Liver cake is always a favourite with Mina, Stevie & Jasper, but it's not for the squeamish and isn't suitable for use when training puppies ( need to be careful with the vitamin A

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-65847273576093325842011-09-22T09:53:00.000+01:002011-09-22T09:53:30.953+01:00

The salad dressing that thinks it's a volcano ....that someone's trying to tell you something? If my last two mornings are anything to go by, someone, somewhere seems to want to tell me something! I've just not figured out what it is yet. Yesterday, I thought I'd try to be organised and prepare myself  a healthy packed lunch and salad.  I had a lovely new M&S salad dressing (Sicilian lemon -

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-16501988753125547982011-09-17T21:33:00.000+01:002011-09-27T07:40:54.647+01:00

Today was G day for greyhound lovers in the UK as it was the day of the 5th Great Greyhound Gathering (or GGG as it's affectionately known). The GGG is organised by the Retired Greyhound Trust and brings together retired racing greyhounds from across the country. I missed the first ever GGG but have been for the last four years and it's always a greyt day. This year had the added excitement of

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-53077465121588325682011-08-24T22:07:00.000+01:002012-01-07T14:35:50.262Z

Before my work experience I’d always wondered how a greyhound was trained to chase the lure.  I know some people say you can’t train a greyhound to do anything – I beg to differ – but that’s a topic for another blog post! Horror stories tend to abound about how greyhounds are prepared for racing at the track or how they are trained to chase the lure.  I'd like to share my experiences here...

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-12788957669128688162011-08-15T21:49:00.003+01:002012-01-07T14:38:30.963Z

As anyone who reads this blog will know, I love my greyhounds and generally anything that is greyhound related too.  However, there is one greyhound area that really polarises opinion – greyhound racing.  I’ve heard all the horror stories and read some of them too in the national press but as with anything in life, I wanted to make my own mind up and see for myself.  It’s not often a ‘civvy’

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-61195696991387563682011-07-12T22:15:00.000+01:002012-01-10T19:33:52.926Z

Most of the time I love village life.  Quiet(ish) roads. Fabulous scenery.  Lots of open space.  Pleasant dog walks and plenty of poo bins! Chatty neighbours and a sense of calm and chance to unwind at the end of a hectic day. Our village playing field On other days it can really irritate me.  People who don’t cut their hedges back – making it impossible for me and the hounds to walk

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-89211815151545070592011-01-05T09:21:00.002Z2011-01-05T09:22:39.298Z

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-66447909873947738182010-12-31T15:57:00.001Z2012-01-10T19:44:27.098Z

I've never been a big believer in New Year's Resolutions and I've never really understood what difference the last day in December makes in committing to change, or do things differently. Image courtesy of Luigi Diamanti I'm afraid I'm just not a big fan of New Year's Eve. It's all a bit too much for me...the pressure to be seen to be having a good, no, A GREAT time; paying over the odds

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-47851039827178221702010-12-30T18:25:00.001Z2011-12-21T20:03:46.176Z

Since I lost Tazzie in November, the house has felt empty without a cat. It even appeared that the hounds missed Tazzie and couldn't understand where the black and white ball of fluff had gone. So, in late November we went along to The Lincolnshire Trust for Cats to find a cat that would be confident living in a house full of sight hounds. There were so many lovely kittens and cats to choose

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-21450078092814852482010-12-26T14:32:00.001Z2010-12-30T17:10:31.042Z

Time for hubby & Mina to work off those mince pies and turkey I think fishing is the least of the worries for this pond's residents

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-29592529087230681232010-12-24T12:04:00.001Z2010-12-30T17:09:53.252Z

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year! Just in case you thought I'd forgotten Jasper in our picture, here's some festive fun.... Spot which mischievous hound started the snowball fight (You'll even get to see my hubby)! Christmas greetings courtesy of eCards at JibJab!

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-67469089656905926002010-12-17T19:04:00.000Z2012-01-10T19:44:46.307Z

The winter chill is continuing apace and the sub-zero temperatures have meant that the hounds aren't being walked as often as any of us would like. The pavements in the village are still covered with inches of compacted snow and ice, which makes any kind of walk rather hazardous. So, you can imagine my joy when my parents agreed for Mina to come with me on my travels 'down sarf.' There was zero

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-38563213947349089542010-11-28T18:11:00.001Z2010-11-28T18:22:19.713Z

It's true - us Brits like nothing more than to talk about the weather.  As we live on an island where extremes of weather are fairly rare, any type of weather that is either too cold or too hot tends to make headlines.  This year, we've had very early snowfall in November meaning the roads grind to a halt, schools close, children dust off wellies and under-used sledges and us adults don our best

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-65253799101269072662010-11-16T17:23:00.000Z2010-11-16T17:23:23.553Z

Today I found myself making a decision I dreaded, and one which I had hoped not to make until the New Year.  My well loved and aged Taz cat (affectionately known as Tazzie) had to be put to sleep. It hardly seems just over a year ago that I was in the same situation with my first cat, Chivers. I had always thought that Chivers would outlive Tazzie, but it wasn't to be. I adopted Tazzie in 1992

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-54439487847205737002010-10-24T17:33:00.000+01:002010-10-24T17:33:06.701+01:00

I'm beginning to wonder if Mina is just exceedingly unlucky, or one of the most accident-prone dogs I know. Today, the hounds and I were all set for a lovely autumnal walk in the local woods.  Just as we were pulling into the car park, I heard a yelp from the back of the car.  I couldn't determine which hound had made the sound and thought no more about it. All three jumped out of the car and

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-70876331950971424832010-10-08T14:41:00.003+01:002010-10-08T14:46:46.924+01:00

aka: The Alternative Toy Story, Part 2 For a greyhound (shhh... we don't tell her that technically she's a lurcher) Mina is pretty good at destroying toys. As earlier blog posts have shown Mina is a Squeaker Seeker and Soft Toy Slayer Extraordinaire. Over the years we've been on a mission to find toys that are 'Mina-proof' and, believe it or not, there are some toys that can withstand Mina's

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-81122296930580481022010-09-12T16:09:00.005+01:002012-01-10T19:46:00.688Z

A scary Saturday for Stevie Fireworks are stressful for many dogs Before I had dogs I always loved fireworks. The whooshes, fizzes, pops and bangs and glorious technicolour displays plus the smell of gunpowder always evoked childhood memories of bonfire night, eating jacket potatoes around the bonfire, making silly shapes with sparklers and generally having a great time. But not anymore.

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-4880582285987432552010-08-27T17:51:00.000+01:002012-01-10T19:47:10.654Z

I've blogged about Mina's "squeaker seeker and destroyer" tendencies before (see December 2009 Archive). I'm sure it's a situation many dog owners find themselves in... a brand new plush toy, dog excitedly starts to play with it and then about 50 seconds later, said plush toy has been well and truly disemboweled, squeaker removed and the stuffing knocked out of it - quite literally. I've lost

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-80696644655326855792010-08-15T17:43:00.002+01:002010-08-16T13:16:44.707+01:00

On April Fool's day this year, I received a letter notifying me that I was likely to be made redundant.  Unfortunately, this wasn't an ill-conceived April Fool's joke and 13 days later I was officially out of work. Now, you may think that's enough of a reason to describe my life as "going to the dogs" but you'd be wrong. On the day I received my letter (great timing - not - as it was before the

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-19336513248264156572010-07-04T19:58:00.001+01:002012-01-10T19:49:18.052Z

Yesterday I was extremely fortunate to attend a seminar on 'bomb-proof off leash control' led by Dr Ian Dunbar. I was really excited to be attending and Ian certainly didn't disappoint. His lecture and insights really do show the power of positive training (and by the way... he did mention that he has also helped a certain Mr César Millan with the training of his new dog - Junior).  I especially

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-67389825927730485452010-05-11T20:48:00.002+01:002010-05-11T20:52:26.438+01:00

This Sunday, my last dog walk with the hounds before leaving to travel back down South, turned out to be quite eventful and got me thinking about how little us humans sometimes 'think dog' and expect so much from our canine companions. Me, hubby and hounds had decided to stretch all 16 legs and take the hounds for a bit of off lead time, recall practice and a run in the local playing field. When

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-41920535612167493382010-05-03T12:40:00.005+01:002012-01-10T19:52:04.842Z

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I recently started working in London, which means that in the week I'm living away from my husband, hounds and Taz, the cat. Most weekends I plan to come home to Lincolnshire as I really miss the hounds in the week and by the time the weekend arrives, I can't wait to see them again (and hubby of course)! It also means that I can't help the

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-3649637722855904762010-03-02T14:30:00.002Z2012-01-10T19:54:34.034Z

Everyone who knows me, knows I love greyhounds... I'm a committee member and volunteer for a local charity which rehomes retired racing greyhounds and given half a chance I can bore for England on the joys of living with these most noble of hounds. When I'm out and about with the hounds, I'm often asked whether I race them, to which my retort is usually: "No. I can't keep up with them!" 

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-69854660927738810822010-01-03T20:17:00.003Z2012-01-10T19:55:57.350Z

All dogs love to play right? It has been said that if a dog does not play it could be unhealthy or unhappy (source: PetPlace.com) But what if play doesn't seem to come naturally to your dog. Does it really mean that they're miserable or unhealthy? Stevie, our beautiful blue & white greyhound, has never been one to engage in traditional play but he's certainly not miserable or unhealthy. He

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-25373389771162938522009-12-30T19:46:00.001Z2012-01-10T19:56:44.383Z

Before 2010 is ushered in, me, Mina, Stevie & Jasper wish you all a happy festive season....

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-10915457542200279312009-12-30T19:41:00.001Z2012-01-10T19:50:36.348Z

Firstly, I can't believe that it's over a month since I last posted to the blog... I think I need to make a New Year's resolution to blog on a more regular basis. Anyway, Christmas has been and gone for another year and whilst we were opening our presents, the hounds also got presents to open. To begin with they each had an edible rawhide Christmas decoration, which went down a real treat.

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-51792473730630170712009-11-02T17:34:00.001Z2012-01-10T19:57:49.711Z

... isn't a fun time for many of our canine friends, cats and pets. On top of the change in the season and no more evening walks in daylight, our furry friends have to contend with loud bangs, whizzes, cracks and a funny smell of gunpowder. There's lots that you can do to help your dog and a great website that has a FREE e-book that you can download, packed full of practical advice and

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-49194827948958213022009-10-22T15:51:00.001+01:002012-01-10T19:58:27.024Z

One thing that seems to divide dog owners, especially sighthound owners, is whether to let their dog off lead or not. I'm lucky as the village we live in has a great and fully enclosed playing field that is ideal for letting my 3 dogs off lead to have a good run. The playing field is completely flat and it's easy to see if other dog-owners are coming, giving me enough time to get all my 3 back

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-61699583877675826712009-10-14T22:18:00.003+01:002012-01-10T20:02:01.550Z

I can't believe that I started this blog over two weeks ago and haven't posted since.  The last two weeks have been very difficult as I had to face the agonising decision that all pet-owners dread.. Chivers, my beloved cat and faithful companion for the last 17 years, had  to be put to sleep on 29 September. Chivers has been with me through all life's ups and downs. Divorce, house moves, illness

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-627537392987837819.post-51638102294017338852009-09-27T21:00:00.000+01:002012-01-10T19:59:34.595Z

If you'd asked me back in early 2005 whether I would ever own a dog, the answer would have been "A dog?" "Are you quite mad?" I've always been a cat person.  Mum liked cats, sister liked cats, Dad tolerated cats and it just followed that I would own cats. In fact, Chivers and Tazzie are my two, now aged, moggies who've been with me through thick and thin and life's ups and downs since 1992.

Susan McKeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06192360099249538520noreply@blogger.com0