Tini The Talented Greyhound

This week was swap week in the dorm.  Tini's alternate trainer said he was given the great honor of caring for Tini during swap week.  He said "caring for" wasn't the right term, more like being entertained by Tini.  This lovable, silly 5 year old "puppy" made his week very enjoyable.  She picked up on the way he did things on the very first day and showed no signs of separation anxiety during the entire week.

Tini did all of her commands, including all the extras with his entire team.  He really enjoyed playing with her, having conversations with her and just spending some time with her.  It is impossible to have a "down" day with her around.  This energetic bundle of joy will certainly make her forever family very happy for years to come!  Enjoy Tini the talented Greyhound!!!

Bright Star

This week Tini has had a blast on that comfortable stretch of highway where you're on cruise control, roll down the windows, hang your tongue out, and let the wind blow through your fur. It's hard to believe that graduation is so close. Tini has made her trainer proud of her progress in what has been such a short amount of time. She is a well-behaved, entertaining girl who is destined to bring great joy to all who have the privilege of meeting her.

There is no amount of words that could even begin to describe the kind of amazing bond this Greyhound forms with the people who spend time with her. Her heart and soul have the unique gravitational pull that is sure to yank everyone close into its orbit. She is the forever, shining bright star of the universe, the jewel of the earth, and us mere mortals are the planets spending eternity basking in the light she shines onto our world and everything in it. Boy, these Greyhounds sure do make me sentimental! Let's be real though - how can you not be with creatures this majestic? They'll melt your heart in under an hour, guaranteed. Especially Tini. 

Oh, and she passed her final tests, extra commands included. Summer break and forever family, here she comes!

Born Entertainer

There is something joyful about storms. Tini's trainer thinks it has something to do with their ability to interrupt their routine. Well, Tini represents that storm in his life.   Just like a spring shower, it was quick, unexpected and rejuvenating. Her capacity to give love seems endless. Her trainer really hopes she gets the opportunity to share her love with as many people as possible. To help Tini achieve her goal, they have been getting her used to wheelchairs. At first sight she was a little unsure, but once it was turned into a game to earn marshmallows, she was off to the races. 

Tini will "circle" around the wheelchair with someone sitting in it. When she gets really excited she not only "circles" it, but throws in a "spin" and "speak" at the same time.  Tini is a born entertainer and captures your attention from start to finish. She is going to be the talk of the hospital, nursing home, school or any place she visits. Tini is going to be famous!!!

Tini the Terrific

Well, the word in the underground Greyhound syndicate is that Tini may be spending some time giving back to the community by visiting kids in the hospital. So in light of this new intel, she's learning a few new tricks. Since some of the kids might be in wheelchairs, Tini has been learning to accept commands from someone who is sitting down. After one to two sessions, she had the hang of it!

The next quest was finding a trick that someone in a wheelchair can do with her that will make them laugh. Since she's already got "speak" and "spin," we developed "circle." Tini is more than happy now to take a few laps around someone sitting down! She has so much personality you can't help but smile at everything she does - especially when she roos while doing it. She has such an infectious personality and will crawl right into your heart and stay there. Her endless love for other creatures is nothing short of amazing. 

Little Dancin' Gal

Every morning when her inmate trainer wakes up, Tini is smiling right at him. Could a more charming little rascal ever have journeyed off of the track and into the big ole world? We think not! 

Tini is actually so charming that it's hard to want to keep her from counter surfing (too cute, but dangerous!). She's obviously had some practice and could hang ten with any Malibu Pro Circuit surfer. Well, I guess it would be hanging 8 unless you count her dew claws. 

It didn't take but a couple of sessions for her to realize that her days of exploring the counter for a tasty morsel are over. But school hasn't been all just about learning boundaries. She's working on learning "spin" - what good is a superstar singer if she has to rely on backup dancers to bust all the moves? Once she gets the hang of it, she'll make Mick Jagger jealous. Tini is an unstoppable force of cuteness whose sole purpose in life is to bring a smile to everyone's faces. She is a splash of color in this world, and can't wait to show you herself!

Tini's Got Talent

This week, Tini’s inmate trainer found himself afflicted with a strange phenomenon involving his shadow. All his life, when looking at his shadow, he has noticed only two legs. This week, however, he noticed his leg count had doubled to 4, plus a fiercely wagging tail. Needless to say, he has made a friend for life. Tini fancies herself to be the Britney Spears of Greyhound Pop. She is quick to belt out a tune for her adoring fans, who are always demanding impromptu concerts, for which the price of admission is a couple of tasty marshmallows. We decided to channel her love for singing into an extra command named “sing.” After a couple of days of non-stop concerts, it became very clear that they needed to add whisper as an extra command as well. Now, if she is belting out a tune that is not to your liking, you can say “shhh... whisper,” and Tini will bring her voice down so low it comes out as just air. Which, after a few sessions of teaching her to sing, can be music to your ears.

The last discovery they made this week came when they went on a potty break during high winds. When her inmate trainer asked her to hurry, he might as well have asked her the best means to determine the longitude at sea, because she only looked at him. Not a fan of a fan of wind!

To sum this week up, be on the lookout for Tini to someday be a singing Superstar with her own show on the Vegas Strip. She is destined to do great things in life - just don't expect them to have anything to do with the wind!

Charisma + Confidence = Tini

Flirtini's trainer said it's easy to have a universal admiration for a dog like "Tini".  She has that magnetic combination of charisma and confidence that is typical of a champion.  So much so that he would not be surprised to see her picture on a box of Wheaties one day inspiring people everywhere to always give each challenge they face 110% as they fill their bellies before beginning their day.  What more can he say about this sweet girl, but that she's Greeeaaat!

Tini knows all of her basic commands well, except needs improvement on "jump".  There's plenty of time to get that one perfected too.  She also knows a few extras:  "leave it", "give", "bullseye" and "show me love".

Tini had a breakthrough this week when it comes to toys.  Apparently green lobsters are not fun, but green alligators are.  Silly people.  Everyone knows that.  Now that she is playing with toys, she is learning to "give" them up when asked.  At this point, her trainer has to swap it out with something tasty in order for her to "give" it up, but she is getting the hang of it quickly.  She never makes a sound when he goes to grab it, just an evil eye of annoyance for placing boundaries on her fun.  Her trainer feels like she secretly refers to him as the "fun police".  But never fear, one day the student will become the teacher he's sure.  In fact, he thinks we could all learn a lesson from Miss Tini.  That lesson is:  No matter what life throws your way, as long as you have someone rub your belly and feed you a couple of tasty marshmallows, it will all be "ok".  Once you boil all that down, isn't that what we all really want?

This is not a drill - where are the marshmallows?

Hi, y'all! This is Tini, AKA the Marshmallow Queen. I don't know why they make such a big deal out of me loving marshmallows! They are only the most diabolical, delicious, tastiest treat ever invented. *tummy growls* I swear that wasn't me craving more marshmallows! Moving on...

Well, I am loving my life after racing! There is this awesome guy here who is totally cool. He calls himself my trainer, but he is more like my best friend. Besides, I don't even know what a trainer is. What I DO know is I have him wrapped around my paw. All I have to do is sit, down, stay or jump, and this two-legged specimen (called, I believe, a "human bean") gives me a marshmallow! He even gives me one for laying on a bed. But that's not even the best part. When I show him a smile and roll on my back, he gives me a belly rub that is to DIE for.

He is teaching me a lot though, like how to go up and down stairs. I was a bit hesitant at first but caught on quickly. After all, what kind of Queen would I make if I didn't know how to make a grand entrance doing a slow, dazzling stroll down a staircase, graciously acknowledging my loyal subjects, catching their marshmallows in my jaws? Hey, before you judge me for being high maintenance you should know I learned how to put my collar on. Even a queen has to do some things for herself. Now, if I could just figure out where he keeps those marshmallows...

Until next time, hash tag it up with #KeepThoseMarshmallowsComing

Love, 

Tini

Did Someone Say Marshmallow??

Chaos is the condition between order and disorder.  The transition between one system and another.  Tini's trainer suspected this was going to be the case with her, since she has spent the past few years getting to do whatever she pleases.  He was totally wrong.  Tini was brought to order by a simple yet super tasty treat known as the "Marshmallow".  Once she discovered her inmate trainer is the keeper of the marshmallow and she gets them only by paying attention and following directions, did training became a breeze.  Tini already has the concept of all of her commands and will have them perfected very soon. 

Tini's trainer also discovered this week that she has more important things to do than play with toys.  In fact, when her trainer broke out the toys, Tini ran the other way!  In her defense, it was a green lobster.  In the spirit of honesty, if her trainer were in her shoes, he would run the other way from a green lobster too. Everyone knows lobsters are red!!!  Duh!  Now if she has a giant marshmallow for a toy, Tini would take it with her everywhere!

The sky is the limit for this marshmallow obsessed Greyhound.  When she discovers the clouds in the sky look like marshmallows, she will devote her time finding out how to reach them. :)

Love at First Sight!

Just when we thought love at first sight was a myth, Tini walked into the world. This sweet girl moves like poetry. A rhythm of truth, righteousness, and cunning that her inmate trainer has rarely seen. He got the feeling that the feeling of adoration was not mutual at first, since her first experience with him was a bath followed by a nail clipping and ear cleaning. But she took it all in stride and handled it like a champion.

At first her trainer thought she was not really his biggest fan, but fast forward to Sunday and you would think they are like one of those old couples you see on 60 Minutes that's been married for 70 years. As a trainer he tries not to give his whole heart up to a dog that is only going to be here for 10 weeks. But this is an impossible task with Tini, who is so fantastically happy to see him in the morning that she smiles at him and sings to him. Training wise they are taking it slow because she is still a little unsure about the shiny floors, but there is improvement everyday. As of right now her favorite pastime seems to be laying on a bed so that you can rub her tummy. Her trainer says that he's not sure who enjoys it more, him or her! It's amazing dogs like Tini who remind the world that there is no better, no more loyal friend than a good dog!