Cassie – Home Stay Report – Updated

Cassie is available for homing – please contact the kennels for further details.

During April she stayed with Lucy on a foster and this is her report

Cassie came to stay with me and my older greyhound boy for a week in Bristol. She was instantly very at ease with him and jumped excitedly into the car. For the first couple of days she followed me around the house whenever I got up but after a while she settled. I made a point of walking in and out of the door whilst ignoring her so it became less exciting whenever I came back in. This was in preparation of having to go to work and leaving her for a few hours 3 days into the foster. When I did go out, she settled very well on her bed a few minutes after me leaving. She never barked or panicked alone in the house, which is a wonderfully relieving thing to know when you have a new dog in the house. 

She’s beautifully behaved with food, never possessive with me or my dog. She slept brilliantly overnight with no accidents and there was a big waggy tail from her in the morning. I had family over for dinner one evening and a little boy I look after came over one afternoon and she was very calm with everyone. She comes up to greet people and then takes herself off to her bed or the sofa. I think the distance and a cosy corner somewhere out of reach is important for her at the moment to feel safe. She’ll need time to warm to you and want to come and sit with you but I’m sure that it will come and I saw her start to listen and react to my commands more and more as the days progressed. 

She’s smart. By the end of the week she understood ‘Wait’ (with varying success!) ‘Over!’ for crossing roads, she came running to her name when I wanted her in from the garden and ‘This Way!’ for changing direction when out on a walk. 

Outside of the house her prey drive is high. She is fully alert when there are any other dogs in the area around her and wants to go straight to them strongly on the lead. This is an area that Cassie needs attention and training in as anything fluffy and moving is incredibly stimulating for her. We approached and sniffed a couple of whippets and she was calm with them but any other breed is going to need time and distraction techniques to become less exciting. 

I think she’d do well in a loving home with experienced owners and with possibly another greyhound to teach her the ropes. She’s a sweetie. 

During March she started with Fiona on a foster and this is Fiona’s report.

“Cassie is a beautiful 6 year old girl with a shiny black coat, a constant smile, and a loyal and loving nature.

She came to stay with me and my older greyhound Abbie for a couple of weeks recently. She fitted in perfectly, adapting happily to home life almost straight away! She enjoyed her food, did all her business in the garden, and slept peacefully downstairs at night.

She was so enthusiastic about going out and about and being in my company that she would have gladly followed me to work and was often to be found clearing a space between the pot plants on the front windowsill to watch me come and go, and every morning I would come down to a joyful dance at the stair gate from the 4 legged welcoming committee!

She loved playing with the soft squeaky toys and chewing on the various buffalo horns and deer antlers that she found in the toy box, and of course adored being stroked and cuddled. On her walks, she was very excited by all the new things she saw, especially squirrels and other dogs of the small fluffy variety, but even after a week or so, she was able to walk more calmly past other dogs unless they came rushing up to try and to play with her or bark at her. I am sure she would continue to settle further given more time, and be a very sociable hound.

She was quick to learn the house rules, and after a few days, with practice, and some tasty educational rewards, she knew her name, ‘Lie down’ and ‘come’.

Abbie and I had fallen head over heels in love with Cassie, but unfortunately at 13, it was a difficult for Abbie to keep up with a younger more active hound.

But Cassie will make someone a very happy hound owner. I’m sure she will find her forever home soon!”