Miley's First Romp in the Snow

Miley continues to impress.  She got to play in her first significant snow this past weekend.  I wish I had had a video camera to record her first look at the white stuff.  After a few sniffs and sneezes, she was off to the races.  In this picture, Camden is about to make a snowman and Miley has to be in the middle of it all.   

Here is the completed snowman and in typical Miley fashion, she just ignores it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Miley and her best friend reveling in the beauty of a winter afternoon.

Miley Enjoying Spring in the Fall

Just a couple of pictures with Miley in the mountains this weekend. Our grandson, Camden, had to get into the picture, too.

Miley has settled in to life at the McKinley's and is a very easy companion to live with.  She met our 2-year old twin grandchildren last Thursday and there were absolutely no issues with Miley's behavior around either of them.  A few curious sniffs, and then Miley just accepted (and ignored) them.

Miley in the Mountains

This is our first post since adopting Miley (Go The ExtraMile) one week ago.  We took her on her first "road trip" to our place in the mountains outside of Murphy, NC.  She was a perfect travel partner and slept most of the way going and coming.  Check out the attached picture of how stressed she was in front of the fireplace.  Life is tough.

We also had our first snow of the season and Miley had to check it out.  The coat she is wearing was given to us by Laura, one of the many awesome people at SEGA.

Missing Miley

We had to go out of town briefly so Miley is temporarily staying with another foster family. Am told she is doing well with the children and other dogs in the household, all Greyhounds. After an evening of interest in the resident cat, Miley has learned that this is indeed the same sort of animal she lived with here & learning to ignore this cat also.

After years of introducing fosters of many breeds to my cats I can tell you that some dogs though considered cat tolerant need careful introduction to every new cat they meet. Caution is always advised but usually if a dog can live peacefully with a couple cats then things should go OK with new cats after an initial introduction period. (Your mileage may vary based on behavior of the individual cats involved.) Now I cannot tell you how to get a cat who has never met or is very scared of dogs to accept a new dog. Our cats all came with some dog sense.

We miss you, Miley. Have fun on your vacation.

True Confessions, part 2

Miley is a hoarder.

Like some other Greyhounds, Miley likes to collect things. So far it has only been toys meant for the dogs. Her forever home will need to keep an eye out to make sure she doesn't start collecting things she shouldn't.

True Confessions, part 1

Miley has a drinking problem.

Hey, nobody's perfect. Her forever family may

need an attractive bucket to prevent puddles.

Visiting the old homeplace

After SEGA's first 5K race Saturday we went home to get cleaned up. Once again, Miley had been a good girl when given freedom in the house. I should point out that with just one week of home life under her collar we do muzzle her when we leave. This is for her own protection & an added precaution for the safety of our cats. Remember that racing Greyhounds have not experienced all the things most dogs consider normal in a home. Plus Greyhounds, especially Miley, are intensely curious about new things. They are used to being muzzled when turned out or racing. Muzzles have been a normal part of their lives for years. Whenever we are around she is unmuzzled. Also, will add the we checked the webcam several times and Miley seemed to alternate between looking out of windows & resting peacefully in the xpen. Miley loves the xpen & uses it as her own personal bedroom. Sometimes she chooses the crate instead but more often it is the xpen.

My parents' house is hardly an "old" homeplace but it is where we gather when out of town family members come to visit. With family in town for the 5K we decided to head down there for the evening. So we loaded the dogs, all 4 of them, into the back of the Focus 5 door. That's a lot of canine in a hatchback but everyone did quite well. Miley barked at the puppy several times when she was invading too much of Miley's personal space. This was appropriate & the puppy took the hint & started minding her manners better.

Miley was a big hit with my family. Everyone thought she was wonderful. Miley spent a lot of time exploring. She just has to check everything out.

"Scooch over a bit. I need to get to the laptop to update my blog."

Guess they're not football fans.

Miley, it's rude to point out someone's bald spot.

Mom's kitchen is off limits to dogs. We use their ability to grasp this concept as a measure of the dogs character. Miley caught on extremely quick.

"OK, no kitchen. Just bring the treats over here."

"Maybe I'll just check out the dining room instead."

She really is a smart cookie. She got to meet my parents' medium sized, long haired mutt, Blossom. True to form, Miley acted like Blossom was one of the gang. Intros were unremarkable and everyone was hanging out comfortably in no time at all.

It was yet another successful new experience. Some Greyhounds have strange names that make no real sense to me. This little girl lucked into a name that suits her beautifully. Go The Extramile is a perfect fit.