A Peaceful Sunday

Totally enjoying his day off from work ^_^

I finally figured out how to get pictures off from both my ipod and phone, which I tend to have on me more to catch the "awwwww" moments of Ferguson.  So, we'll celebrate with lots of pictures!

Not sure why Ferguson is so sleepy on our days off...it's not like he works too hard when we do go to work:

Ferguson next to his greyhound buddy, Maverick!

However, I won't pretend for a minute that I don't love how much Ferg sleeps.  It is such a relief to know that all he needs is one or two long walks a day to keep him more than satisfied.  I don't miss the three hour long walks that were absolutely necessary to keep most of the Labradors sane.  Needless to say, Ferguson totally matches my energy level ^_^. 

The longer he's here, the more settled he gets.  He did great when I went to go babysit last night, and behaved himself perfectly while my parents were with him (yay progress).  I did actually order a citronella collar, but more so for piece of mind during travel than anything else, or for future dogs I have to crate train (which may be many over the course of my lifetime) so I figured it was a reasonable purchase.  For the most part, I think Ferguson will be just fine and doesn't really need it. 

Since it's Sunday, and the third week I've had Ferguson, I shall make a list of things I love/have noticed/appreciate about my greyt greyhound:

1. Ferguson is not a chow hound.  Lately, he doesn't even finish breakfast/dinner (he does about 3/4 of it, and then walks away).  This means, however, that he is not a food thief, even when things are right by his nose.  He likes to sniff, but won't even do that if asked to back off. 

2. Ferguson doesn't typically destroy toys, and has no desire to "chew until it's dead" like most of my other dogs have done.  This is so appreciated, as they last much longer.  If they are even moderately tough, they have no trouble surviving his 3 minute sessions of silliness.  Speaking of silliness....

3. Ferguson is mostly a serious kind of guy, but has his moments of silliness, which reflects my own personality in a lot of ways.  At work, he almost has a gentle old man mentality, keeping to himself, but not acting timid by any means.  However, while he doesn't mind other dogs being silly with each other (some dogs do, BELIEVE ME..."police dogs" we call them), he doesn't tolerate anyone being silly with him against his will.  And that is totally okay with me :). 

4. Ferguson really likes his crate.  He goes in there all the time on his own.  This is great, as you can't forcibly make a dog naturally like their crate, even if you can get them to tolerate it.  I'm glad you like it, buddy...it will be your special place to have for your whole life :). 

5. His attitude is totally "go with the flow."  When walking, rude dogs will bark and pull at us, and never more do I need to worry about controlling my dog or moving to the other side of the street (GEB has very special rules about people/canine greetings that I'd often just rather not deal with, as Labs are just ridiculously excitable).  Ferguson merely gives them a glance, and keeps right on with me, ignoring their rude behavior.  It is now always the other dogs that must move, as I have total trust in Ferguson's behavior as calm, cool, and collected.  In other instances, even when he is startled or frightened, Ferg can be coaxed to face his fears or do something he obviously does not want to do.  This says a lot about his character, as I was anticipating a greyhound to be unwilling to move and shutdown in such situations.  I was pleasantly surprised ^_^

6. Anything I want to do to him is pretty much okay, be it nails, coat, or teeth.  He even willingly sports the sweater I knitted starting back in May when I first decided on a greyhound:

7. He's affectionate, and totally on my wave-length.  I can make a face at him, and he knows what I mean.  When I'm at work, he follows me with his eyes, and always gives me a happy tail wag when I go into his pen, even if it's just to mop up pee.  This makes work much more fun. 

8. He has cute white spots on him.  His back toes look as if they're dipped in white, and he has a white "t" on his chest.

9. Ferguson has an odd sort of intelligence about him.  I don't think I've had an instance where I've thought he was thick, and while he gets a little overly excited with training, offering me every behavior he knows to get a reward he really wants, he is willing to try to figure out new things.  Right now, we're working on "sit" which he'll do for stuffy squeaky toys.  He definitely has "down" down, and also knows "stay."  Even if he never got "sit" completely, this would be good enough for me.  However, I'd like him to become a good canine citizen, so "sit" will have to happen eventually. 

10. Ultimately, Ferguson is just about everything I'd hoped for in my own personal dog.  He is easy, not making me plan my entire day around his needs, and easy to enjoy.  His needs are minimal, and he seems glad to just be my pal.  No matter where I go, I feel confident that he'll be able to go along with me, his home being with me for the rest of his days. 

Happy three weeks, buddy...and here's to many more <3