Jagger gets a break from the FoG kennels

Nothing like a shortage of fencing after a hurricane to get a re-homed greyhound out of the kennel for a couple of days.

Dusty and Jagger on a walk together
Dusty and Jagger enjoying a morning walk
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As most of you know, the good folks at Friends of Greyhounds lost a good chunk of their wooden fence a couple of weeks ago to Hurricane Irma. The fence enclosed a good-sized backyard at the residence and provided a perfect area for the FoG dogs to run loose a few times a day. But once Irma had her way, FoG was left with large gaps in the fence and a statewide shortage of supplies to get a new one built promptly.

Michelle and Jerry improvised with some plastic netting and some spare fence rails and scraps of lumber to close up the holes as much as possible. Most of the house and kennel dogs were fine with the temporary solution. But one of the dogs, brindle beauty Jagger, found a breach. He found a way through the temporary fencing, and twice in a day, Michelle and Jerry had to chase him through the neighborhood to get him back.

The FoG folks spent a couple of days trying to figure out how to accommodate Jagger during the group's four-a-day bathroom breaks. Jagger was not happy hanging out on a leash with other greyhounds running the yard freely. When I was there, I could take Jagger on a walk by himself around the neighborhood. And he was happy as a clam with that idea.

Jagger's tired
Jagger after his long late-night walk Tuesday
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But neither I nor Michelle nor Jerry could manage that four times a day at FoG. So Dusty and I came to the rescue and offered to take Jagger in for a couple of days so he could with us on our usual five or six walks each day.

So here Jagger is, hanging out with Dusty and me in the Lauderhill townhouse. And he's having a blast. He loves not having to stay in his FoG kennel all day. And he jumps for joy every time I walk toward the front door and reach for his leash.

Jagger's not new to home life. He spent several years in a high-rise condo, having landed back at FoG recently when his dad had to move into an assisted-living facility. He's a jovial fella, and he loves being able to follow me wherever I go. And he's not shy about letting me know when he wants me to go somewhere so he can follow -- in other words, when he wants me to get up off the couch and do something with him.

Michelle brought him to the townhouse about 7 p.m. Tuesday, and he was obviously a little confused and nervous for much of the evening. Dusty and I took him outside on a short walk about 8 p.m., but that didn't satisfy him. He spent much of the evening pacing and panting and barking and trying to figure out what the heck was going on.

He's not a furniture hound. He's showing no interest in climbing up on the sofa. And he spent a few hours trying to insist that I not climb up on the sofa, either. I was able to calm him by sitting on the floor next to one of Dusty's beds and getting him to lie down and snuggle up to me.

But for the most part, he was restless -- and nervous. He would get loud a couple of times. Here's Jagger showing a little agitation:


I was a little nervous about whether this was going to work out. But then I took him and Dusty out around 11 p.m. for our customary nightcap walk. It was a nice, breezy night, so we stayed out a lot longer than Dusty and I usually do at that time of night. We went for a long walk, stayed out for probably 30 or 40 minutes. The two hounds were happy to hang out together -- they were no trouble to keep under control.

That long walk did the trick for Jagger. That made him feel like part of the family, and his social instincts kicked in. He's been the perfect house guest since.

When we got back inside, Dusty and Jagger enjoyed a nice post-walk cookie -- and both sprawled out on a bed and were gone for the rest of the night. We all slept without interruption through the night, went out for a quick morning walk around 7:30 a.m. and another longer post-breakfast walk later in the morning.


I left the house for a couple of hours early this afternoon without incident from the hounds. And when I returned, everything was just as I left it. Jagger has been a champ today working with the normal routine here at the townhouse. He ate a good breakfast, and he and Dusty have been napping the day away like good greyhounds should.

Jagger has been a joy. He definitely knows what life with a family is all about. He will be going back to his kennel at FoG on Friday to make room here for another hound with a pre-arranged weekend reservation. So if you have some spare time this weekend, head over to FoG and meet this beauty. He's ready to go. Take him home, and he'll be no fuss. He knows the drill.


(All of Dusty's Videos can be viewed on my YouTube channel.)

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