The Saluki Thread

[Gazinghound]

Great, it must be in their "Sulkluki" genes. LOL. Whenever I wash Ulla she tries to kind of lean and move away from me, moving her legs as little as possible. Then when I release her, she too darts about like a crazed maniac, shaking and rubbing and rolling her moist self around on everything. "Zoomy mode" seems to be the standard canine post-bath reaction, though; I think all of mine have done that. ;D

[grizabella]

Bella received a great new house collar for Christmas.

image upload


upload photos


images

[Gazinghound]

I LOVE her expression in the first photo! X-3 And that is a marvelous collar...I really like the lavender band and the multicolored fleecy, stripey padding. Makes it thicker and oh-so-comfy-looking, like a sweater for the neck. It's a great idea. Where'd that come from, if I might ask?

It snowed today, and Ulla and Jack just came in from a spontaneous potty break that turned into a high-speed chase all over the white yard. They forgot one of their gifts (an orange plush puppy with a dozen squeakers in separate pockets) on the porch. -.- They also received a bunch of roasted chicken-slice and Bixbi-brand treats, plus a rolling plastic food storage bin to keep their food fresher and more easily scoopable.

Ulla is still being a jingle-dog, 'cause she digs the collar.

However, the little bracelets are another story...

"These are annoying and overdone and I look ridiculous! Too much jingly! Forget this...."


"SMILE, IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

"Hey what about jingly bells for us?"


Silly boys, you didn't like the cuffs, either...'specially Jack. Those leg bands made him run like a spastic, stiff-legged chicken. Alas, there is but one collar in the set.

[grizabella]

Bella's collar is from 'Padded Collars and Leads' in the UK (http://www.paddedcollars.com/), I found them to be very reasonably priced with inexpensive international postage. Loads of cool options for funky collars! It fits perfectly as well- just right.

Hurrah- snow!!! Snow zoomies must be the very best type of exercise. Sounds like they were all rather pleasantly spoiled this Christmas. Bella received (as well as her collar) lots of her favourite treats and a new packet of worming tablets.

What a beautiful smile! The bells do look lovely, maybe it's the jingling on her legs that bothers her so?

[Gazinghound]

Hmmm, you don't say...that all sounds very intriguing. I'm thinking Ulla might just get one. It would certainly improve the start of her new year. Looking at the site, I really like the fabric choices and possible combinations. ;D This should be fun...and then their photos can even go up on the site... ^.^ Not sure whether to go with the medium or wide thickness, though. And I'll need to order a separate tag, since her other collar has my phone number embroidered on it...

Snow zoomies are definitely splendid exercise, especially for a reindog still rocking her jingle bells (can't figure out whether she should be called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, or Comet. xD Blitzen sounds a little too masculine...)

Huzzah for tastiness and the absence of worms! Jack knows how icky they are!

I had expected the jingle bands to be tight on their legs, but they were actually loose on everypuppy...so I'm guessing they didn't appreciate the feel of them moving around and making noise as they moved. Plus, those are kinda easy for them to pull off themselves; a collar, not so much. ;D

[grizabella]

That would be a lovely new year present, there's so many variations to choose from. I think I ordered Bella a medium. Bella has a useful little tag clip so her tags can be moved easily between collars, which is handy as there's a fine if she's spotted without her council tag, which would be impossible to move between collars otherwise.

[Gazinghound]

Indeed...I think I picked out my choices fairly quickly, but it's fun to consider all of the possible combinations of fabrics, and the different styles. At first I was thinking medium because that would fit almost any dog, but the wide ones do look nice on sighthounds. I'd get the quick-clip style, which says it's adjustable up to 2", well within my margin of error, so I'm not worried about the size...just that it might seem a little too thick or bulky. I doubt that, though.

Ah, that's handy! Gosh, better not lose that tag! I scoured teh Intarnetz today for the perfect tag to hold all my information and put on a new collar. What I found beyond the basic shapes (was maybe going to order a gold-plated doghouse one originally) were thousands of awesomely creative and artistic ones I had no idea existed...and I came away with over a hundred that I really, really liked. x3 Still, I think my necessary choice is very clear... ;D I must now add the awesome tag sites to the "online pet supplies" list here.

[Gazinghound]

Welp, I wound up going with a medium collar as well, because I reasoned that it can't be too small, and looks perfectly sized on Bella...while the wide one could possibly be a little too thick, since Ullie is a smallish Saluki. Now I really can't wait to receive my orders, put on her awesome new collar and tag combo, and snap a picture! ^w^

[grizabella]

Hurray! I can't wait to see photos, I'm sure Ulla's new gear will look smashing on her!

Bella's enjoying chewing on a piece of deer antler at the moment, she hasn't had one before and is enjoying it very much. Hopefully will be good for the old gnashers! We're having another 'not very active day' due to the heat, but thankfully it's nowhere near as bad as other parts of the country where there are so many bushfires. I can't wait for winter!

[Gazinghound]

^__^ As am I; I'm really excited, 'cause I think the collar is going to be awesome and super-cozy, and I found the COOLEST ID tag I've ever seen to attach to it...8~D

BOL! I bought one of those antlers in the Rocky Mountain National Park gift shop in Colorado the year before last, and Rusty & Ulla shared the task of chewing it up in the hotel room. It was a great treat, and I'd definitely get more, but I hardly ever see them for sale.
How sad about the bushfires. =[ I still love all four seasons, but yep, fall and winter have become my favorites, while my childhood favorite (summer) comes in last overall. xD After all, you can always put another layer on...but you can only take so many off!

[grizabella]

A few photos from Bella's walk today.
The weather's cooled down a lot over the past couple of days which is a pleasant change, why, last night it even rained!

It's Bella's birthday tomorrow. Unfortunately, none of her friends can come over to celebrate, and she won't be getting much in the way of presents because she doesn't really need anything at the moment as I'm always buying her toys when it isn't her birthday! I'm going to try and make her a dog-friendly birthday cake though.


Bella by panGH, on Flickr


Bella by panGH, on Flickr


Bella by panGH, on Flickr


Bella by panGH, on Flickr


Bella by panGH, on Flickr

[Gazinghound]

Awwww, what a happy, beautiful woof-woof... A very, very happy birthday to you, girl!! Maybe you'll be able to have a party next year. Hope you get a real nummy cake. ;D

Lol, I know what you mean. They might as well have multiple birthdays every year with all the little gifts they get...and then when the real one rolls around, you don't know what to buy.

As long as the ground doesn't stay soggy and muddy for long, we love rain, too! ^_~

[grizabella]

Grizabella has very kindly contributed her own personal bloggings to my blog.
salukibel.blogspot.com.au/

Interestingly, after several months of refusing to use her bed, Bella's decided that she actually quite likes it in there after all. Her nightly routine now consists of: sleeping on the couch until about five, sleeping on my bed until about six or seven, sleeping in her own bed for another hour, and finally going back to my bed to make sure I don't too comfortable.

[Gazinghound]

PHEH! A lot THAT instructor knew…how many dogs does he know who’re LITERATE?! Well, clearly he’s never spent much time in the company of a Saluki. The intelligence and cleverness is almost human (all right, Ulla, I meant SUPERhuman! Sorry!) Seriously, I can practically see her wheels turning…;p And she often appears to understand what I say, even if I haven’t consciously taught her a particular word or phrase. Gladly, she’s also bright enough to pull her ears back when going in to lick a bowl, plate, or floor clean, and to do it relatively neatly so that I don’t have to wipe her. (In contrast to the guys, who just plunge their faces in and don’t care where the mess gets.)

But Bella looks so attentive in that first pic!! My, what a good girl. I love the high-fives and play-bows (or stretchy-yawns, as is often the case here!) If I could catch it in time, I should actually take advantage of seeing my guys do that naturally by attaching a word and a reward to it. Wonderful bow, Bella (the Great!) Encore, encore, Your Majesty!! *high-fives* Ullie and the boys will high-five or just give me one or both paws, too—when they do the latter I often take them for a little dance. X3
Oh boy, shirts and cards! What an excellent idea! =]

LOL, glad “Goldilocks” there has a routine worked out that allows her to take advantage of several sleeping spots AND make sure you don’t get away with having your own bed to yourself. My mom and younger brother are weird and sleep downstairs virtually every single night, so the dogs all usually feel compelled to stay down there on the living room furniture as well in case anything interesting happens…but the boys will often come up to snooze with my dad, and Ullie sometimes sleeps on my bed. She’ll often do that in the morning and try to prevent me from getting up by making it impossible to move. She’s got to lie up against or on you, and if you shift, she will too. Naturally, forcing her to leave before she wishes to is out of the question. =/ During the day, the giant lobster or some other plushie will do as a substitute ‘sleep-against pal.’

We’re finally getting a nice, pretty snowfall dropped on us by a mondo snowstorm (apparently dubbed “Nemo”) that’s sweeping the area—and unfortunately belting the same regions already wholloped by Hurricane Sandy. Once it builds up sufficiently to cover and freeze the mud, it should result in more joyous snow-zoomies again!

[grizabella]

Gosh, you're certainly catching all the wild weather! Hope it doesn't get too bad and is just pleasantly snowy. I do wonder how Bella would react to snow?
Bella likes to sleep right on top of me as well, not terribly comfortable! And then she stretches out her legs and I gradually lose more and more of the bed.

It was Bels' first day back at at obedience training, she was a bit distracted at times but was mostly very good. She even got a little clap when she performed her recall, she came straight away and sat at my feet. I think it won't be long until she moves up to the next grade! She's certainly capable of doing everything, it's just keeping her from getting too distracted by all the other dogs around her.