Why I Can Run So Fast

It's Post Time

The snow has been melting and I have been able to run in the back yard more than I have been able to when it was cold and there was a lot of snow outside.  Papa and Daddy make paths so Nicky and I can go potty, but it's hard to run around because you have to follow the paths and that's not always easy.  Sometimes they end and you just have to turn around.  Besides, it is very cold outside and I don't want to stay out for so long.  I usually just go potty and come right back inside when it's very cold outside.  I can't stay outside for very long because I am so thin.  I get very cold very very fast and could get sick.  So I have to just potty and come right back.  But now it has been getting warmer and I can stay outside for a longer time without getting very cold.  So now that it is getting warmer, I can run again.  That makes me very happy because I really love to run. 

Papa told me that the stories I tell that you like the most are the stories I tell about greyhounds and puppies and why we are special.  He says that the stories about how I can see and how I used to race get lots of visits.  So that means that you all like when I tell you about the special qualities of puppies like me.  So tonight, I am going to tell you about running, because I really like to run.

And I can run fast.

The two ways all 4 feet are in the air.

Why is it that some dogs can run fast and others can't run so fast. It's all about what humans call gait.  Papa says that my gait is the quality of my running.  I just like running, so I do it.  But I guess greyhounds were bread to run fast a long long time ago.  And we have a special kind of running.  There are two kinds of running.  One is called single suspension, and the other is called double suspension.  Greyhounds run fast because we have double suspension running style.  That means that when I run, there are two different times when all four of my paws are off the ground.  When I start running, I just walk fast and pick up my feet two at a time and just do that fast.  But as I run faster and faster, I start to gallop.  When I push myself off by my back feet, I stretch out my whole body.  My front feet are stretched out in front of me and by rear legs are stretched out behind me.

The second time is when I am stretched out like that, my front paws hit the ground and I push off with them.  As I push myself in front of my front paws, I go into the air again and my front paws go behind me and my back paws catch up and go ahead of my front feet.  As that happens all four feet are off the ground again and my back feet are in front of my front feet.  It sounds confusing, I know.

Here is a picture of the double suspension gait.

http://www.oricomtech.com/projects/leg-run.htm

Here is a video of an Italian Greyhound running in slow motion. If my description was a little too difficult to follow, watch the greyhound run in slow motion and you'll get a better idea of how I can run.



Here is another good video of a greyhound running in slow motion and playing with another puppy friend.



And remember, just because we can run fast, that doesn't mean that we should be forced to race against our will.  We love to run, but we don't like to be forced to run around a track so people can bet on us.  And what's worse is that only a small portion of the dogs that are bred for racing actually are good enough to make it to the track.  The rest are just killed.  They die alone and unwanted.  So if you appreciate our running and love to watch us run, then adopt a greyhound and bring him or her to the beach or to a dog park and let him or her run around freely.  Don't make us run for sport.

It's not cool.  You bet.  We die.  That's not cool at all.




Here are some links so you can read more about my running gait, if you want to.

Running Gaits of Galloping Dogs
http://www.oricomtech.com/projects/leg-run.htm

Gait from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gait_%28dog%29

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

Operation Heroes and Hounds

It's Post Time

This is a very cool program that I think you all should be aware of.  There are a lot of doggies like me who are homeless and feel unloved.  Some puppies have been in shelters for 7 years without being adopted.  It makes me sad to think that there are other puppies like me who aren't as lucky as I have been and who are waiting for a permanent home and for someone to love them.

This is a great story about a program that is working to help dogs and to help veterans feel better about themselves and their lives when they return from war.  My Papa tells me that war is a very bad thing and that people often get confused and disoriented after being in such horrible conditions.  He says it might be like when I was younger and being made to race against other puppies that I just wanted to play with.  We don't really know because neither of us have ever been in a war, but he understands that it is often very rough on the people who are.

This program matches puppies who people think cannot be adopted because they have things about them that humans may not like or understand.  Papa says that those puppies a little like my brother Nicholas, who sometimes gets very upset and nasty to people and then can't really figure out why.  Papa says he;s just scared and doesn't know how to deal with his fears.  That's very sad, I think.  Anyway, these puppies are being given to veterans to help train so they can be better companion animals and humans will adopt them.  The program is working and is very successful both for these veterans and the puppies they are training.

This is a very cool thing.  Here is a short video for you to watch about it.

The full story can be found on the Huffington Post
Operation Heroes and Hounds Matches War Veterans with Death Row Dogs
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/24/operation-heroes-hounds-veterans_n_840257.html

The program was started by dog trainer Tamar Geller of The Loved Dog.
Operation Heroes and Hounds
http://www.tamargeller.com/outreach-heroes.php

"We are all just one hug away from a better world."  How cool is that?

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...with You

It's Post Time

There was an article released that my Papa read to me and I didn't like it.

Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie in Your Bed can Kill You
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/20/letting-sleeping-dogs-lie-in-your-bed-can-kill-you/

The article says that we can give you parasites and germs and stuff like that.  That's just silly.  Dogs have been sleeping around, nearby, and with humans for thousands of years.  It's a great way to share warmth and keep everyone cozy and snuggly in the cold winter months.  I think it's just a lot of trash talking from people who don't know any better. Sure there is a very small chance that you could catch something, but the fact is, you can catch those same bugs from other humans.  The fact is, it doesn't matter who you sleep with, what matters more is that you are clean and the companion animal is also clean.

Hygiene is much more important that species.  End of story.

Here's another story about owners who love and respect their companion animals.

Do You Sleep with Your Dog?  Do You Admit it?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martha-rosenberg/do-you-sleep-with-your-do_b_831258.html

I like this article a lot better and it makes me happy to know that I am not the only lucky puppy.

I found some Greyhound friends on another blog, A Bit of Loki, who posted a video that I just loved.  I had to post it, too.  I haven't blogged in awhile. I guess I havebeen busy relaxingand just didn't feel the need.  My Papa was busy on March 5th, so I could not do the 5 on the Fifth photos this month.    All this activity watching the video makes me sleepy.  So I thought I would write a post about sleep and sleeping with your animals.   Here's the video from my new friends.



So I got to thinking about sleeping and found a few more really funny videos that will show you how important sleeping is to us.  This is a good way to sleep. I love sleeping with my Papa and Daddy.  But I don't stay all night.



This is a cute video, but I only do this sometimes.  I'm too tired to do it so often and for so long.   My brother Nicholoas does this a lot. And I do mean a lot. He's crazy!



I love to sleep, too. This puppy really takes it to the extreme, though.  Maybe it's because he only has that one bed.  That's too bad.  I have lots of beds.  Since I have more than one place to sleep, maybe I just move around to make sure I use them all.  Boy, am I very lucky!  I love sleeping.

Well, that's all I have to say right now.  All this blogging and watching videos has really made me tired.  I have a futon that is calloing my name.  I think I will take my giraffee all with me.

I'll talk to you all soon.

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie