Meet Ty - short for "Tyger" - a retired racing champion (under a different name) from Australia. Famous? He had his own Facebook page! He earned a lot of money for his owners. When his racing career ended he was in demand for stud services, after which his owners shipped him off to Canada. There are not enough adoption homes in Australia for racing dogs that have outlived their usefulness. Ty was no pet - he was a commodity.
He arrived with a broken tail, and after being shunted from handler to handler he was no doubt confused and frightened. Luckily my friend Judith was looking for a greyhound, found him after a long search, and adopted him.
He had not been socialized in the normal sense of the word. He didn't know his name; he didn't know he had a name. He didn't even understand that humans use their voices to communicate. He insisted on sleeping and having his naps in Judith's pickup truck - the place where he felt safest.
Dogs, of course, communicate differently from humans. It can't be said that they "know" their names the way we know ours; rather, they learn to respond to their name being called because they associate it with something that interests or concerns them. It might be something great like supper or a walk, or it could be a scolding for stealing food or chewing up those toilet rolls. Dogs are action-oriented; they live in a world of verbs, not nouns. They understand "doing words", not labels. Ty had a formidable learning curve ahead, one that for most dogs begins in puppyhood.
How is he doing today, more than 15 months after his adoption? Tune in tomorrow to find out!
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: greyhound dog pet ex-racing champion fast runner racer exploited adopted brindle sleek beautiful couch potato Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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Ty the greyhound, Part II. This photo should answer the question, "How is Ty doing?" (See yesterday's post for the back story.)
The first hopeful sign, according to Judith, was when he seemed to realize that she is his human.
He now responds to voices and faces. He is sweet, gentle, and loves attention. Oh, and he can still run like the wind.
Unfortunately he can't be allowed to run free on the prairie, as he could easily chase down any rabbit or hare, and after years of racing in futile pursuit of those mechanical rabbits on greyhound tracks in Australia, he would be thrilled to finally catch one.
His running, therefore, is limited to a fenced enclosure. It's pretty cool to see.
The best part, though - as if it weren't obvious from the photo - is that he gets to be unconditionally loved every day for the rest of his life.
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: dog greyhound human bond love caring safety bliss sweet beautiful rescued animal mammal canine pet Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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Remembrance Day in Val Marie was windy and cold this year. My friend Judith and her dog Tove found a wall to use as a wind break, and while photographing the ceremony I found time to grab a few quick shots.
I considered cleaning up her jacket - removing the dog and cat hair - but decided to go with realism. Likewise I thought of cropping out that bright button near the top, but for some reason left it in.
I've been posting a lot of wildlife lately, so I thought it was time to change things up a little. Admittedly domestic animals aren't a huge reach, but stay tuned for some interesting stuff after I offer up two more pet shots from that same day.
Tove is a "rescue dog" who reportedly spent several years chained to a piece of machinery before being saved, and subsequently adopted by Judith. He has been her steadfast companion for the past seven years or more. His life is so much better now. He is one of the sweetest dogs I've known.
There is more wildlife in the queue; in fact, I've just gotten home from a long outing in the park, my second in as many days. The mule deer rut is just starting, and will go on through the first week in December. That can be exciting, and then there are "spinoff" random encounters, which can also be good. I think I have enough processing to keep me out of trouble for the next week or so...
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: dog greyhound cross animal pet domestic rescued gentle sweet woman wall coat dog hair cat hair life with pets companionship prairie village Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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This is Tove, the rescue Greyhound cross featured yesterday. Take a look at the bone - this didn't come from a butcher shop! It's a deer leg, probably from a coyote kill or road kill. There are thousands of deer in our area, so it isn't unusual to find their carcasses or scattered bones on the prairie. This was a lucky find for Tove; it still has some meat on it :-)
To be clear, Tove doesn't run the deer. He's an old dog now, with a tremble in his hindquarters for which he is on medication. Five years ago he could run like the wind, but those days are gone.
Instead, he gets to lie in the sun and gnaw on a deer leg... the equivalent of dog heaven... not a bad way to spend his retirement. Photo made the same day as the previous shot.
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: dog Greyhound cross vertical bone chewing gnawing deer leg contentment happy dog heaven pet canine domestic rescue rescued prairie village Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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My beautiful, goofy friend Judith and her rocket dog, Tove. I was standing in my driveway trying to photograph a woodpecker - no luck - when I spotted them coming down my street. In most circumstances 700 mm is too long a lens for portraiture (!), but I just treated them like any wildlife subject, and I love the outcome.
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2017 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: woman dog walking walk leash greyhound beautiful vertical candid smile happy prairie village Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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