Fun n Games with the Gopro Hero3

I got a new GoPro this year, and I have been playing a little bit with the 'burst' photo mode and the dogs. It is quite fun to take a burst photo and then recreate it into an animated GIF like this one, which illustrates Mouse's weird bouncy running style.

The advantage over N's DSLR is that it's small, waterproof and fits easily in my pocket. I got the black version which also can run a WIFI connection to your phone or tablet. 

Of course the image quality isn't always quite there, as you can see in this shot of Mouse's 'whiplash tuck' stage of her run. As always though the camera is quicker than the eye and gets some weird positions that you don't actually see in real time.

Sometimes Mouse and I like to go to a local tennis court for some off leash time. It is a good place for training because there are not many distractions, but it also makes for some nice colourful photos. The fisheye wide angle effect of the Gopro is particularly evident in this shot (look at the fence line).

Of course the most scenic place for photos is the beach, where we don't have to worry about flying sand and salt water.

I am not sure if Mouse and Barbie are discussing the latest in toenail fashion, or which collar they might like to be purchased for them next. One thing is for sure, they are enjoying the beach in winter when there are a lot less people and dogs around.

Not much beats this shot though! I do love the GoPro and use it to make all the videos on the blog, but I do have a couple of very pricey items on the wish list. The cheapest is the new GoPro Fetch harness which provides a rigid, and stable as possible platform for the camera either on the dog's back or on his/her chest. I've always wanted to know what it would be like to ride a greyhound. Unfortunately I lack the technology to shrink myself to an appropriate size, so I think the GoPro is as close as I can get. I'm planning on picking up a harness very soon, so stay tuned for the resulting videos. 

The other thing I would LOVE to have in my GoPro armoury is a Phantom II drone. Really your imagination is the limit in terms of applications for this little camera. 

Bender is a secret Greyhound (and goodbye to Olive, again)

I can hear you all rejoicing because the Furkid Palace Official Photographer has returned to provide much better imagery for the blog!

Having a DSLR camera gives you a different perspective of your pets. There is so much that you miss when you are just throwing a ball and watching them run. For instance with Bender, we miss his almost double suspension gallop.... here he is in the 'tuck' stage....

here he is at full stretch.

Bender's not a young pup anymore, he's 7 and a half and he has slowed down significantly in the last couple of years. People who don't know him think he is still doing well but we can see the difference. The problem is that her will never stop going hard at the ball.

After a slide like this you can guarantee he will be missing skin from his paw pads. We had to go home after a mere half an hour at the dog park today because he was bleeding, as usual. We don't think he will ever learn to slow down.

At the park you can see why Olive didn't make it as a racer. She isn't a super competitive doggie and she doesn't run around at top speed just for the sheer joy of it. In all the photos she is level with Bender or just behind him. Barbie likes to run as fast as she can for no apparent reason. She doesn't have to be chasing anything. She doesn't need anything chasing her. She just likes to go! Olive just keeps pace with the dogs she is running with and doesn't run random 'hot laps'.

After our little trip to the park, Olive's new owner came to pick her up. I was very sad to see her go, but for her sake I tried not to show it. Olive's new family has recently lost two toy poodles - I met one of them a few weeks ago but unfortunately he had to go to the bridge, he was blind, deaf and very arthritic but he was still so sweet and brave. I expect Olive will be providing them with plenty of distraction and cuddles to help them through a difficult time. It was very strange waking up this morning without a dancing white greyhound standing over me, poking me in the face with her nose and repeatedly bashing her tail against the bedroom door. Hopefully she will 'stick' in this home because if she gets bounced again it would be very hard to let her go for a third time.

We are going to miss her and her silly tongue.

We are taking an enforced break from fostering now with the exception of Olive if she is bounced as I couldn't bear the thought of her going somewhere else. There will soon be construction going on at the block next door. They need to build a retaining wall so they will be taking down our fence temporarily. The good thing about that is the fence will be more secure and far less ugly once it is replaced. I will be less concerned about it blowing over in a squally storm so that is a plus. Barbie's recovering leg has already gotten me into the routine of doing potty breaks on leash and I should be able to add Bender to that pretty easily. It will be all the better when Barbie can walk a proper distance. They will be totally spoiled with 3 walks a day!

There are also a few things that we need to do around our house and those things will be easier without an extra dog. Of course some of these things will have to wait until Barbie's foot is healed as well. The control-freak part of me wants to draw up a chart.

Mouse & Olive Reunited at Whiteman Park

Ever since I picked Olive up last Sunday, I have been looking forward to the reunion of the two sisters. On Monday, Daniel, who is another Greyhound Angels foster carer, suggested we all meet at Whiteman Park on Saturday morning. The first thing I did was text Mouse's mumma to make sure she could come! 

Mouse seemed really happy to see Olive, though I am not sure if Olive was as impressed. I had to take Olive's muzzle off to take some photos and I got this cute one of them catching up over a drink.

After they had all had a good run, the sisters settled down in the dirt together for a rest. Maybe they were glad to see each other after all. They did seem to spend a lot of time together.

Barbie and Mouse also spent some quiet time together lying in the dirt, as you can see Mouse was having a hard time staying awake. 

What were they doing that made them all so tired? Well Olive certainly found some new friends at the park - greyhounds often like the lil Aussie working dogs, kelpies, border collies and others. 

You can see that Olive and Mouse have similar 'playful' running styles, where they extend their front legs out further than their back legs in the extension part of their run. 

There was another greyhound there called Wanda, she is a Whiteman Park regular and she loves nothing more than to go for a good burn around the park. Some silly dogs think they can catch her. Not a chance buddy!

Mouse gave us a good look at her silly face. Some doggies probably find this face quite scary. I am sure if I was a bunny I would be terrified!

Bender had so many people throwing his ball for him that he ended up quite sore by the end of the day. He seems to run harder when he has other dogs chasing him too. 

All up we were there for a couple of hours. Barbie spent a lot of time lying around in the dirt, but Olive and Bender were on the go almost the whole time. 

That was Saturday's doggie-time. I will write about Sunday shortly, when we took Olive and Barbie out to a cafe and too Olive to the Avon Descent finish line at Riverside Gardens in Bayswater. 

Whiteman Park visit with Zelda, Bender, Barbie and my new favorite playmate, Teddy!

I transport all three dogs in my X-trail, and the rule always has been 'foster dogs in the back'. I have a cargo barrier separating the spaces so that no-one gets cranky with anyone else on the drive. The only problem is that Zelda can't jump up there by herself and she is HEAVY. I can lift her more easily now than I could a week and a half ago, but perhaps that is because she has lost a kilogram or two and perhaps I am a little stronger...

Miss Zelda says 'I would never cause any trouble!'

It is a bit of a juggle to get all the dogs out of the car and into the park - but that is mainly because of Bender. He is a sweet boy, but he just can not control himself when there is fetching involved. He runs around and around, and jumps up to try to steal the ball from it's throwing stick. The greyhounds don't appreciate his antics.

We got into the park without too much trouble, and Zelda seems to have some recall programmed into her brain - she came back when I decided to test her response to her name! She needs to be formally conditioned and proofed for recall, sure, but I don't think it will be that difficult with her. 

I bought the Gopro along to see if I could get the hounds running together, but the one time when Zelda and Barbie really went for a burn I didn't have the camera ready. I got some zoomies from Barbie alone though.

You will notice in the video two of the black hounds don't have muzzles. Barbie's was broken when I got it out of the car, so I decided to let her go naked. Teddy doesn't wear one because well, he is a beautiful soul and well...Teddy fetches tennis balls, he is the first greyhound I have met in WA who does. He is very sweet because he lets Bender get to the ball first, even though he is clearly much faster. He doesn't have as much as an 'eye' for the ball as Bender does - you can see that in the video where all the other dogs go in the wrong direction, but Bender's the one who gets the ball.

Anyway, enjoy our trip to Whiteman Park!!!

A doggie date with Mouse at Whiteman Park

Whiteman Park is one of our favorite hang outs and Mouse came along on two trips to Whiteman while she was with us. The area is completely fenced so it is ideal for dogs who haven't quite got the hang of recall yet. Mouse doesn't stray far from her humans so I think her recall will get better rather quickly.

Her family had finally gotten her pretty pink collar, so she gave Barbie's gold spangly one back. I am sure it is the first of many collars this pretty little girl will call her own. You can't have a dog as pretty as that without having accessories for her! 

There was another foster Greyhound there called Steel. I recognised him from his photos on Facebook and he is a very handsome blue brindle boy.

The girls agreed that Steel is a very handsome big boy, though he was definitely a bit aloof, just like Barbie. I tried to get cuddles but he ignored me!

Barbie had a pretty quiet day, I don't think she wanted to run with Steel as she doesn't like to lose her self-made races around the park.

We all laughed at Mouse's cute running style as she ran around and had the time of her life. She didn't seem to mind if anyone else was faster.

I have been playing around with an 'automatic' editing video application on my new tablet, and this was the result of the day's romping.

This is my manually edited video. Which one do YOU like better?

Mouse was a bit overwhelmed when she came in the gate but after she had regained her bearings she recognised me and came bounding over for a cuddle. By the end of the day she was giving everyone else cuddles as well. She is such a sweet girl!

It is so good to see her getting along well in her new home. 

Barbie's Moves

With Mouse around, Barbie has a ready made playmate. Mouse was a bit scared at the park at first, but she is very good with other dogs and soon came out of her shell. On their first trip to the park they had a high speed collision, and Barbie acted like she had a broken leg for a while. Mouse carried on as if nothing had happened. She is a little toughie. They were a bit more careful running together after that, but there was no bad blood between them.

Before Mouse came along, Barbie had to hope for other dogs to play with in the dog park. This video is from a few weeks ago when Barbie found this lovely friend to play with. I can't remember her name but she was very sweet and kept coming to me for cuddles.



Barbie and Mouse have their moments, they are not always best mates, especially when my affections are concerned. I think Mouse does look to Barbie for direction in the house and Barbie has been extra-tolerant of Mouse and her exuberant nature.

Just another weekend romp

The dog park at Whiteman Park always has a great variety of canines romping around enjoying their freedom.

This adorable Sibe tried to check my pockets for treats. I love Sibes, they are so pretty and usually quite sweet as well. There are usually a few Sibes at Whiteman Park because the park is fully fenced so it keeps their wandering and adventurous tendencies in check.

A pair of Borzoi always get a lot of attention. I am sure their mum gets bored of explaining to people that they are Russian Aristocrats. They don't tear around the park quite as quickly as Barbie but they do get a bit of speed up, and the way their hair flows as they move is just amazing to look at. 

Bender is always the popular kid. He had these two chasing him pretty much 100% of the time we were at the park. The small brindle doggie barked the whole time trying to get Bender's attention but was never successful! 

Bender's new friends watched him very closely wherever he went, including when he had his rest in the trough.

Barbie stood sentry duty and made sure that everyone who came in the gate checked in with her first. 

After a good run, they were exhausted. Bender thinks that the car arm rests are the perfect height and shape for resting his nose in. 

The aftermath of a great day...

The weather was pretty bad today. A lot of people had their fences blow over, or roof tiles blow off their houses. We went shopping, and as we headed home, we saw that one of our local sporting fields was now covered with pieces of tree which had snapped off in the ferocious gale.

The dogs were a bit indignant that we went out without them, so we decided to take them out to Whiteman Park for a run.

They paid very little mind to the weather, and while Barbie spent a little bit of time under the only shelter in the park with us, she still went on a few big high-speed laps around the park. When we got home she went straight to bed before I could even get her collar and lead off!

Bender, as usual, has some missing skin after an hour long session of fetching his ball. We think that when he skids along the grass he loses skin and paw pad in the process. He thinks it is worth it. 

Whiteman Park - Dance of the Borzoi

We took the dogs for their weekly offleash burn at Whiteman Park this morning, and as we pulled around the corner I spotted two huge, beautiful furry sighthounds hanging out together. I didn't know what they were - I thought maybe Salukis, or Afghans, but since I have never come across these dogs in the flesh I didn't know for sure.

I took Barbie over to say hello, and then she got a small white and grey greyhound tail who followed her around the park - she seemed to barely acknowledge the other Greyhound and she certainly wasn't going to run with her right behind her. I chatted to the owner of the elegant furry sighthounds, and she told me they were Borzoi. She just told everyone they were hairy Greyhounds as it was easier. The Borzoi boy gave me a cuddle, leaning into me while I patted that luxurious coat, he was very tall, probably taller than the big Greyhounds I've met like Daddy and others. Barbie sniffed them but she didn't want to run with them, she knew they could easily keep up with her.

The Borzoi chased Bender a bit, and then spent a lot of time just gracefully gliding around the park. They are a sight to behold when they run, with all that beautiful silky hair flowing. Barbie did go for a burn, but only when she didn't think the Borzoi would come after her! Then she got chased by a small orange dog who was deceptively quick. She enjoyed the race with the little orange dog, and we ended up over near her owners. Her name was Ellen and she was an Italian Greyhound cross.

Ellen's owners asked me a bit about Barbie's recall. Ellen isn't keen on coming back when she is called. I told them we started at Whiteman and other safe places to practice recall. I told them that sighthounds often need some extra work and need to be well bonded to their owners. Ellen is three and they haven't had her all her life, so I think they will be OK if they keep working on it. She did seem to be a very dog-motivated dog, she wanted to chase other dogs but wasn't interested in me at all!

Bender, as usual, pretty much ignored all the other dogs and chased his ball. When we went to leave he didn't want to go home though - he decided he wanted to play with some labradors once we were outside of the park and on the wrong side of the fence. Cheeky dog!

Wordless Wednesday - Greyhounds can sit, and they will!

Barbie fans...

Went to Whiteman Park this afternoon for a little while. There were a lot of people there and their dogs were all friendly! Barbie flittered about the place saying hello to all of the dogs. Bender obsessively fetched his ball. Other people threw his ball for him, and he was jumping and twisting in the air. I decided that we needed to have a short park session because of how hard he was pushing himself.

After Barbie had greeted all the dogs she just cruised around near me and waited for the people to come. There was a small group standing near me and the guy was very interested in her. He asked if he could pat her, and I said, sure her name is Barbie, just say her name to get her attention. People are so cautious about touching her because of the muzzle!

Anyway he gave her a good pat, and so did the women who were standing around with her. Then some little kids came up and asked if they could pat her. They had small dogs and they were very nice and gentle with her. They asked me why she was so skinny, and I said it was so she could run fast.

I didn't think she would go for a real burn because of all the other dogs around and the potential for a collision. I tried to goad her into running a few times but she ignored me. Then a little teeny Jack Russel x Chihuahua came in. Barbie went galloping up to it but didn't try to dance on it's head. It's owners made some remark about it looking like a rabbit, so I recalled Barbie and she came trotting back to me. Everyone was impressed. Then she went for a run. She did a lot of laps and I kept cheering her on. Not long after I took them both home and Bender hasn't hurt himself! It's a miracle given how he was jumping around.

As we were leaving, the kids were saying to each other "that dog is really fast!" I'm sure they will remember her if we cross paths again!

Barbie slept for about 4 hours when we got home. Bender sunbaked while I did some work in the garden.

Barbie the Submarine

A lot of dogs don't like water, but Barbie loves it. She knows it cools her down, I think that Greyhounds learn that at a very early stage. When she goes for a run, she generates a lot of heat, so if there is an available body of water, she will lie in it and dunk her head under. We went to Whiteman Park yesterday, and it was pretty humid. Barbie had done some hot laps, and then jumped into the old horse trough. She was on her belly, skinny elbows against the slimy concrete bottom of the trough, and was dunking her head under and blowing bubbles! It looked so funny. I think it's her way of stopping the water going up her nose. She is a real little smartie.

I haven't seen her swim yet and I'm not sure if she will try. She has seen Bender swim but she doesn't really seem bothered to follow him. She'd rather lie there like a crocodile with her nose poking out, and dunking her head under to blow bubbles!

There was a small grey dog there. I held on to Barbie when they came into the gate, and once they were in and the little dog was off the leash I let Barbie go. Barbie looked like she was going to stalk up to the dog, then decided to play chicken with it's mum. She bolted towards her and gave her a fright! Barbie and the little grey dog (called Pepper) had a good play, though Barbie was prancing, and landed on him once or twice. He let her know in no uncertain terms he did not like to be stepped on.

Barbie's CGC exam is on Saturday. I have been working on her down/stays on hard surfaces, as I realised that I had been letting her practice on the carpet or grass and so she didn't want to lie on the hard surface at Billy's for very long. She is only allowed to break 3 times but I'm confident that I can get a good stay out of her.

Running at Whiteman

Not sure how much longer Barbie's wire muzzle is going to last, I pulled it out of my bag yesterday and one of the bits of wire (the bit that goes over her snout) had bent and come off the cage. I have fixed it with the help of some needle nosed pliers, but I think I may have to get a plastic one as it may be more durable and better for the beach and river where there is lots of salt water.

The cage is less obtrusive though, and now that it is dirty you can hardly see it from a distance!

Anyway I let them go for a run in the dog park, and they got filthy. It's very dry around Whiteman at the moment and the dust they stir up when they run is epic. They also have an old concrete horse trough in the middle of the park, and both dogs like to lie in the water to cool down. They come out wet and then the dust sticks to them.

I got scratched on the legs - not sure who did it, it was either the Husky puppy who could smell the treats in my pocket, or the pug x jack russell which was pretty hyper and cute.

I then grabbed them and took them to a 'vintage' bike show which was on one of the grassy areas of the park, near the pool and the motor museum. It was mainly just BMX-type bikes and so I just passed through. There were a lot of kids around, and a little girl said, 'look, it's like Santa's Little Helper!'

I said 'do you want to pat her?'

And the little girl said 'oooo can I?'

Barbie stood nicely for pats and closed her eyes when she got scritched on the neck. Bender was impatient and kept dancing around. They asked if they could pat him and I said yes, but he was much wetter and dirtier than Barbie and would not stay still. Barbie was definately the crowd favorite.

When I got home they both slept for hours. I thought about going for a ride, but hung up the 5-hook coat rack that I bought for them. I'm not that great with the drill yet, and made a bit of a mess of the wall, but you can't see it behind the rack. Now all of their gear is hanging up neatly and is easy to find!

Barbie at the Dog Park

I have two very exhausted puppies lying in my living room. Here is probably Barbie's third of fourth sprint for the day. She did a few more after that too. Notice the dog she was trying to get to chase her gave up, sat in the water trough, and then rejoined the chase on the second lap.



I have to get better editing software and then I can upload some more high resolution videos.

Greyhound Converts

(Bender and Barbie enjoying the fenced dog park at Whiteman Park)

Every time we take Barbie for a run up at the fenced dog park in Ellenbrook, she wins at least one admirer. Yesterday was no different.

The park was half-submerged with recent rains and this seemed to impress Barbie, as she started running laps straight away. Around, and around, up and back. Really turning on the afterburners when she was running in a straight line.

There was a woman there with a very shy Ridgeback, who stood behind her with his tail between his legs. I heard her saying to the people around her 'wow, look at that greyhound go!'

When I was on the other side of the park, babysitting Barbie because there was a weirdly aggressive chihuahua in the park which kept drawing her attention, apparently the lady ran through the standard questions about greys. Maybe, one day, she will get one of her own. I like taking Barbie out. It plants the seeds of thought in stranger's heads and hopefully one more greyhound will be rescued from the track ;)