Snow Puppies & Stuff

LR St Nick (Nick) Behind a Snow Drift

On this page, you will find some of the hounds that have graced and are still gracing our home.  Most of the snow photos were taken back in 2005, when we had a very large snowfall...  something like 28".

We like having very fit greyhounds.  It's also good for their health & longevity as strong, taut muscles & ligaments keep everything together.  Some greyhounds have problems in their later years with losing their rears (weakness in the hind end), etc.  If you have good & strong muscles, it helps to lessen that problem until the dogs are quite elderly, at least in my experience.  Besides, there's nothing more cool than a greyhound with "6-pack abs"!

Our dogs keep themselves fit by running and playing on our fenced acreage on the side of a moutain in New Mexico.  We live in an area that is called the "East Mountains", which are east of Sandia Mountain and Albuquerque.  However, since our neighbor has started keeping donkeys, including mammoths, the dogs do not have free access to the entire property anymore.  For those who do not know, donkeys (burros) really do not like dogs. I worry that the donkeys will hurt the greyhounds, which are curious about the long legged & long eared critters living just on the other side of the fence.

FC El-Aur Dragon Whymsey FCh aka Spoof

Living in the East Mountains sometimes poses interesting weather situations. We sometimes have some weather extremes: lots of wind, impressive thunderstorms, lots of sun, and snow....  lots of snow.

To keep the dogs out of the weather, when we are not home, the dogs have a spacious kennel in which to hide from the elements should the weather turn nasty. They also have a very large doghouse, which is filled several times a year with fresh & fragrant straw. It easily holds one bale   A rather popular saying here in New Mexico is, "if you don't like the weather, wait 20 minutes. It will change."

That's what happened back in 2005, we went from sunny & brisk to snow!  That particular day, we got 28" of snow in one storm. Gives new meaning to the old classic song, "Let It Snow...  Let It Snow....  Let It Snow!"  The really neat thing about snow out here is that in three days, it is usually gone.  For the most part, it evaporates!  Rain, however, leaves everything a muddy mess.  When the mud hardens, it turns into another life form and it never leaves where ever it was deposited.  I now know why they make bricks out of it.

Littermates & Sisters: Javelin & Jib

Some people think that greyhounds cannot tolerate the snow and cold weather.  This is a myth!

In the winter, Greyhounds grow a really thick, plush coat, when they live in cold weather areas. The coat feels like ermine.  The key to generating that nice, thick & warm coat is to not put the dogs into coats when the temps fall below 70 degrees.  Honest, they are not going to be uncomfortable!

We do use coats on the dogs when they are going to be outside for extended periods of time and the weather is cold - below 30 deg F.  Even so, half the time when we come home after an hour or so, a couple of the dogs are out of their coats, which are lying on the ground. It's quite obvious when the coat has been used as a bed. They've usually been fluffed into a ball in the middle of the yard.
Below are a couple of pictures of our hounds playing in the snow.  Now then, I'm not telling people to not use coats...  I'm only suggesting that, perhaps, you should use them a bit less often and in circumstances that truly call for them.  Y'all do know, I hope, that the greyhounds' muscle mass generates heat and wearing those coats in 70 degree weather may be increasing the chances of your dog getting a condition called heat exhaustion!

DCh DM Summer Squall at Scatpak FCh (Javelin)

Here's a true story...

I was at a lure course the other year in Arizona. Temps that day were in the low 70's, not too hot & not too cold.  A novice greyhound owner noticed that their black dog was "shivering".  Uhm...  no...  your dog isn't "shivering", it's excited because it sees the lure!

She didn't believe me as a local greyhound adoption person had told her that the dog was cold and needed to be put in a coat. WTH????

I strongly suggested she get that black dog out of that fleece coat and cool it down in the shade with some water. That was a potentially deadly situation as the dog was seriously hot & panting.  It was starting to show signs of dehydration and it had yet to run!  Anyway...

The weatherman has just said that some areas of New Mexico may get some snow today...  He's only calling for about an inch of snow, but it is snow & it is coming early this season!

By the way, as you can see from the photos above, greyhounds really like the snow!