Jacey--day 3

Jacey's still half-savvy about the stairs. Again, she managed to go up, but got stuck there. I'm off work Tuesday and Wednesday, so we'll work on this. I'd hate for her to try going down and fall or panic, so she needs to be comfortable on the stairs as long as she's silly enough to go up there. (I wouldn't put it past Sam to be luring her up there and abandoning her so he can occupy his sofa in peace.) Jacey's got her first visit tomorrow with Sam's regular vet (who sent a wonderful note in his sympathy card about Oreo). She'll get microchipped and weighed and generally checked-up.

A greyhound rescue group in Florida is having a sale on collars and matching leashes. (Greyhounds need martingale collars rather than any sort of buckle collar because a grey's neck has a bigger diameter than the dog's head. A regular collar that you can "fit two fingers under"--as the usual instructions read--will slide off a greyhound's head if the dog is frightened and backs up.) Anyhow, if anyone is interested in some lovely collars, try here. I ordered the New Wave pattern for Sam and Jacey and managed to get the last two in stock. Oreo's red and blue collar has been permanently retired, and Sam's leopard collar is getting pretty worn (he's been wearing it for nearly three years). The fancy matching leashes will be for special occasions. For knocking around the neighborhood, we'll stick to PetSmart's double-loop leashes, which give me the ability of cinching-up tight and holding the dogs nearby without having to wrap leashes around my arm half a dozen times. Sam can have the black leash, while Jacey gets the blue one. Then I'll know which leash is which when I'm trying to untangle them. Jacey's leash-walking skills still need some work.

Sam and Oreo always were "inhalers" at dinner time. Give each dog 1.5 cups of food, and the bowls would be empty in less than two minutes. Jacey, on the other hand, politely picks up each piece of kibble and chews it. This is making Sam nuts, because he'll finish his dinner while she's just getting started. He thinks any food he sees should at least be shared 50-50, so he keeps coming over to try to help Jacey. She, meanwhile, gets nervous at the sight of Sam drooling and licking his lips, and she backs up and stops eating. So I'm holding Sam's head, talking to him, distracting him, and trying to give Miss Nice Table-Manners time to finish her dinner. I never thought I'd be longing for a "chow-hound." I also need to find some training treats they'll both go for. Sam certainly isn't fussy, but she may be. In the past, those awful turkey-franks have been a hit with Sam and Oreo (for training treats, the smellier, the better). The sooner Jacey starts learning that "no," "come," "stay," etc., are commands rather than meaningless sounds, the better.