STACK NEWS ISSUE FIFTEEN December 2011
Welcome to the FIFTEENTH edition of Stack News!
Life is generally quiet here in west Cornwall – one of the reasons we like the area – and as December began we were wondering whether we could find sufficient of interest to fill this year’s edition. Not wishing to disappoint our regular readers, we have engaged the help of a new reporter for this edition.
Hello humans – Casey here, Stack News! Canine correspondent. I am pleased to have this opportunity to share some of my experiences with you.
The most important things in my life are food and my beds – so I will start by telling you about them. My ‘official’ meals are breakfast at 11am and dinner at 5pm. I’m sometimes a bit tired in the mornings and am reluctant to eat, but by dinner time I’m starving and often have to remind my humans of the time – even if they seem to think it’s only four o’clock. Dinner is usually very tasty, but I have to give my mouth a good wipe afterwards to remove any stray fishy sardine bits. My only other ‘meal’ is chews and Bonios at bedtime – I’m only 40Kg (6st 4lb) – I don’t think they are feeding me enough. I’m not allowed to help myself from their table and they don’t drop much so, even when I may appear to be asleep, I’m alert to any potential eating opportunity.
Unlike my humans, I have good choice of beds that each has their individual merits. At night I have a bed by my food (empty) and water bowls. It’s nice and quiet except for that radio they leave on (for me?) and I can keep watch for night visitors (cats/rabbits) to the front garden. I keep most of my toys in easy reach of my beanbag in their lounge, but if the TV gets too loud I’ll use my bed in Jayne’s office. Sometimes, when Jayne is arguing with her computer, office life can be a bit stressful for a greyhound with food on his mind. At such times, I might do a bit of rabbit spotting from my viewing room (they call this ‘the porch’, but I haven’t let their furniture get in the way of my bed number four).
Between eating and sleeping it’s a busy day even without ‘walkies’ as you call them. It’s nice to get out and about and I do enjoy meeting my friends, but it’s the sniffing and (potential) snacking that’s best.
Jayne usually takes me out as soon as its light enough. Sometimes we’re out for ages on a bit of a ‘route march’ and there’s not much sniffing time. Other times I get to use my bed number five that is in Jayne’s car, Erika. We might go to Trevaylor Woods and see the Newmill pack, or maybe to Penlee Park in Penzance where there are lots of good sniffs. There are also some very interesting small furry things running there. They look very tasty, but never come quite close enough (I’m on my lead), and scamper off up the trees. Trips to a beach can be really good too. This year I caught a big fish at Gwithian. I’d spotted it several days earlier and left it to mature before returning to catch it and run back to show Erika before eating it spines and all. I then had a little lie down and then we were in Penzance at the vets where I had an injection and a walk around their garden where I gave my fish to the seagulls – what a waste!
Roger usually takes me out after lunch (theirs!). This is usually just a local walk but I do get plenty of time for sniffing. I have also trained Roger so that if I pick up a bit of stick he will swap it for a tasty treat – helps supplement my meagre diet. Two afternoons a week since January, Erika has been taking Jayne across to Praa Sands where she takes my friend Annie (a greyhound bitch) for a walk. Sometimes I go too, and occasionally I use my bed number six in Dave (Roger’s car) and take my whole pack. Dave also takes us to the Retired Greyhounds Trust events including the ‘Meet & Greet’ walks every month, also the greyhound rehoming centre open day where I won three rosettes including ‘Most handsome Dog’. At the RGT Christmas Party I won three more including ‘Best Kisser’ – more importantly, there were plenty of doggy treats! Dave also took us all to my friends Xena & Charlie in Rickmansworth where their people Les & Carol always make us all very welcome. I can recommend the local country park – the rabbit I caught (whilst on my lead) was delicious. Then we went to Jayne’s mum - a bit early for her April birthday, and we will be there again at Christmas. It’s a special treat for me as I get to sleep in my people’s room.
Another of my regular visits is to Trevaylor Manor where Roger’s mum celebrated her 90th birthday this year with a tour in a vintage chauffeur driven car hired by Roger. I am keeping a special watch at Trevaylor for a certain ginger cat that attacked my friend Ted the greyhound whose people, Dennis and Kim work at Trevaylor. I’m told cat tastes a bit like rabbit – he better watch out.
My final daily activity is my night walk when Roger takes me up the hill to see what’s about. This can be quite an exciting time for me as the cats and foxes are out hunting, and there are usually lots of rabbits. But I’m not allowed to hunt so I just ‘do my duty’ and head back to Bonios and bed.
Our special thanks to Casey, without whom there may have been no fifteenth edition.
Watch your letterbox in twelve months time for the next edition of Stack News!
Best wishes for the festive season from:
