Gary Foster Update

Gary has been at our home in foster care for a week (today) and he has adapted very quickly to the routine and is a very easy going and sweet boy!  

He gets along very well with our female who we adopted in Dec (Gretchen).  And is also very good with our kids.  

He has the perfect amount of confidence too.  He is smart and mastered stairs within the first 24 hours of living with us (he even does the outdoor deck stairs which is a real accomplishment!). He learns very quickly from Gretchen.

He also figured out how to push open our screen door and go outside to potty so be aware that he takes a lot of initiative.  :)

7/21/13

Gary is such a good boy and does so many cute things, you can't help but fall in love with him. When he walks back in the dorm, everyone gets excited and you hear a chorus of "Addy" (his nickname) from all the girls. He loves it! You see his tail start to wag and he runs up to all his friends to say hello and give kisses. Everyone will miss him. He is a beautiful hound, smart, sweet, affectionate and friendly. He walks great and does well in all his commands. He tends to rush going downstairs, so needs a little more help and practice to perfect going down. He's very kind and has put a lot of smiles on many faces. His handlers are excited for all the smiles he will put on his new family's faces. He will be a great, obedient pet and friend.

7/14/13

Gary Martin's handlers will miss him greatly. He's really touched their hearts during his stay and they love him dearly. He will now take treats from staff whereas he started off quite skittish with them. His handlers say he still needs some guidance going downstairs until he's ready not to rush them. He goes up perfectly. He loves having his ears rubbed and his eyes. In fact, he loves getting his whole face rubbed! He's so sweet and friendly. He's doing great with other dogs. Just this week he tried to play with one of the labradors and let another one lick him on the face. This boy has overcome many fears and is ready for his final journey. He will make a best friend for someone. He's great and his handlers love him.

7/7/13

Gary Martin spent the weekend in a different dorm and his temporary handler says it was a pleasure to have this very sweet dog who just loved to lie on a bed and sleep! He did all his commands on point for her and overall they had a kickback, very enjoyable weekend together. His handler continues to practice his commands with him. He's mastered going upstairs well and they are still working on his going downstairs, which is slow, but he does it. Gary is still a little shy with some people but is a very lovable, laid-back hound. He isn't a very needy dog; he's content with very little. He seems just to want to relax and be loved. Whenever he comes back into the dorm, he always has a welcoming committee as everybody loves him. He then happily goes up to them all, giving kisses and visits.

6/30/13

Gary Martin is doing really great with his commands. His handler is working with him on down. This boy appears to be picky about lying on a cold floor! He'll go right down on a blanket or mat however. He is also reluctant with stairs, but knows all other commands, including the extra command "visit," well. He is so sweet and loving, just a really gentle dog who wants to cuddle and relax. He'll make a great movie buddy! He was reluctant to walk towards the running shower this week and "Scoobydooed" with his handler. Other than that he's been laid back as always. As he's not much of an outdoors hound, he hasn't been affected much by having to stay indoors due to the heavy rains for several days. His handlers look forward to their next few weeks with this wonderful boy.

6/23/13

Gary Martin is very happy and is doing well. It's been very hot and he's been letting his handlers know he doesn't like walks in the heat by pulling to get into the cool again! He's a very smart hound and does all his commands, as well as some cute tricks. Some he's a little slower on, but he follows through. This boy is very calm and sweet, and once he's bonded with you, he will love you completely and unconditionally. He learns to trust people easily and adapts to different environments easily as well. He's a proud and confident hound who has not exhibited any kind of aggression at all. He loves his handlers and has bonded well. He'll also run up to the ladies in the dorm for affection and does his commands for them. With strangers, he will back away from a hug, but this affectionate boy loves being hugged once he knows you. Gary does fine with grooming and especially loves his ears being cleaned, leaning in because it feels good. He's less interested in having his teeth cleaned: he'll let you do it, but his head moves from side to side! This sweet boy enjoys playing with the other greyhounds and socializes great with them. He's a pleasure to train and is responsive to commands and quick corrections when needed.

6/16/13

Gary Martin is a wonderful and sweet dog. He goes up to everyone to make sure they say hi. With some people he's a little shy and his handler is having some of the staff offer him good treats to work on this occasional bashfulness. He does like running up to the other greyhounds. This boy has mastered sit, down, stay, here, bed, wait and kennel. He's working on heel, which he knows, but responds to more slowly. Stairs and shake still need work. Gary Martin is such a friendly dog. He loves the retired life and wants to just relax and get affection all day.

6/9/13

Gary Martin is doing very well with his commands. He does a very nice stay, along with doing a good job on the other basics as well. He's a super sweet and lovable boy. He enjoys playing with other dogs and has started to be more playful with toys, though he never gets overly excited. This boy prefers the inside to the current Florida heat and does tend to pull back towards the door when he's ready to go in. He's great to cuddle with and loves to be hugged. He's started to be really happy early in the morning after sleep and goes up to everyone who's awake to get some loving.

6/2/13

Gary Martin is very sweet. He's a calm little boy, who doesn't get too excited. Though he's not much of a player, he does get small bursts of playfulness that are just so cute. When they let two dogs off-leash together outside, he likes to chase the dog more than toys. Just a short amount is enough for him and he's ready to lie down. He's such a laid-back hound, he'd happily lie around all day! He gets good exercise and training and lots of love. His handlers enjoy every moment with him. A lot of the girls there love when he is around and just his presence brings them peace. He is really a blessing, says his handler.

5/26/13

Gary Martin has had a great week. He's very smart and is learning quickly. He's a strong boy and started off pulling quite a bit on the leash, but now he walks pretty great. If something gets his attention and he starts to pull, just a slight tug on his leash and he slows down. Gary is really sweet and loves to cuddle on the bed with his friend Alert. This boy steals his handler's heart more a little every day. He's very calm and affectionate and loves getting petted by people. No matter what he's doing, if someone starts to pet him he will stop and stay there till they're done! He's going to bring lots of joy to his handlers and to his new forever family.

First Impressions - 5/19/13

Gary Martin is a very handsome and sweet boy. He's smart and picks up on things quickly. He was pulling a lot when he arrived three days ago and now walks much better on leash. He's curious and loves to explore. Gary is very laid back with the other dogs and happily approaches people. He likes being hugged.