Happy 8th Birthday Barney! It's obvious how much your family loves you. :)) Xxx

Happy Birthday to our beloved Barney! Can you believe that this charming boy was once overlooked by everyone? After 6 months of fostering, we couldn't resist his quirky charm any longer and provided him with his forever home. We're still baffled that no one scooped him up sooner because Barney is truly one-of-a-kind!

He's got such a big heart, especially when it comes to looking out for Caesar, even if he occasionally gives him a scolding. And let's not forget his adorable habit of collecting our shoes and snuggling them in his bed!

During my work hours, Barney is the best sidekick ever, always by my side as the ultimate stooge dog. And although he's turning 8 today and can't donate blood anymore, he always gets super excited every time he sees the blood bank bus – mostly for the treats, of course! That is what he will miss most!!

Here's to you, Barney! Wishing you a paws-itively fabulous birthday and many more years of fun, love, and shoe-stealing antics!

Happy Birthday Barney! Hope you have had a fabulous day! Lots of love Xxx

Happy birthday Barney xx

Happy birthday Barney, hope you have a fabulous day, you are a very oucky boy xxxx

Yesterday Caesar today it is Barney's birthday. What a year you had behind you. Very unhappy, very vocal and unsettled in the kennels. You came to us as a foster, but after 6 months of hard marketing, no one was interested. We have been lucky to take you in our home. You also been helping Caesar during his treatment had many adventures out and about. Helped us cope with the loss of Charlotte. You are such a character

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARNEY!!!

Are we not lucky! I (we) don’t, as rule, provide a forever home to a foster dog. This is because we want to keep availability for other dogs who may need my help with behaviour. After 5 months of no luck, we slowly fell in love with this very entertaining boy. Together with Ruth’s brilliant idea of Barney becoming a sponsor dog we could not say no.

Barney and Caesar are good mates, if one gets up the other one follows, they play together and have brotherly fights. When Caesar does become poorly he will have Barney as support and a soul mate. Barney, is therefore also going to be important to Caesar.

My wife tells Barney regularly “you are my favourite”. Barney can be a challenge in terms of behaviour but with the continued training I am providing to both Barney and Caesar they are getting better and better. We need to think about how we can let Barney enjoy a canal boat as he regularly tries to climb on to one when we walk along the canal.

If you are interested in sponsoring a dog contact the kennels on 0121 782 7702

Amazing news. Well done to Barney and his new family. Thank for all the care you’ve given him. Xxx

What a lovely photo of the whole family! So happy for Barney! :)))) Xxx

Oh barney what absolute fabulous, fabulous news! I'm so pleased for you and look at your gorgeous rehoming photo! Xxx

This is just the best news, a little tear in my eye, wishing everybody lots of happy times, well done sweet boy xxxxxxx

Such lovely news, well done Barney for worming your way into Erik & family's heart!! xx

Today has been a great day - not only did we have Tiggy's greyt get together (which I am sure Angie who organised it will tell you all about) but Mr Barney who has been out on foster since 17th April found himself with a 'homed' sign!
I am over the moon. Barney went out to foster originally as he was quite unhappy in the kennels and also was recovering from a broken hock which had been plated. He can be very strong on the lead and was being overlooked.
Erik and his family fostered Barney and with having this gorgeous boy in their home for many months, they fell in love with him! Erik is still working on his training and he also has the company of Charlotte his greyhound sister and Caesar who is on foster.

As we are going to continue to support Barney, he has become Daybreaks first sponsor dog. If you would like more information about the sponsor scheme, please give the kennels a call.
Massive thank you to Angie for arranging a brilliant fundraiser and to everyone who came along and supported us and to all our fantastic volunteers x

Also met Barney today. He was wagging his short tall for all he was worth. Such a happy friendly boy who from I have heard has become much calmer and well behaved. He even took an interest in Finn who by this time just wanted to get home for his dinner. His wonderful foster family so want a loving forever home for him, and he really deserves it. xxx

Sounds like Barney had a great time while waiting for Caesar to have his treatment recently. :)) So sweet to hear how much he cares about Caesar. They make quite a team! Xxx

Oh bless Barney, how lovely that he was so concerned about Caesar, what a lovely boy xxxxx

Well Barney had many adventures. The main one was giving support to Caesar who had to go to Surrey for his second cancer treatment. An update on his tail. This is healing nicely; I did re-bandage it a couple of times just to prevent Barney from licking the wound. As a precaution he is given some anti-inflammatory meds. The medical collar I have is not as effective with him as he knows how to move the collar back so he can reach his tail and is licking it. He is such a clever boy and knows how to solve problems.

Barney is such a caring and sensitive boy it is beautiful to watch. If one of us is upset he will come to you and just sit with you. When Caesar went in for his second chemotherapy treatment and was led away, he was really watching where Caesar was being taken to. Head and ears up and looking full of concern. When we picked Caesar up he was equally watching the doors waiting in anticipation. When Caesar arrived he went quickly up and greeted him and had a good sniff to make sure he was ok.

Whilst Caesar had his treatment we went to Whitstable. Did Barney enjoy the sea air? His nose did not stop exploring the very different smells, he really loved it. We went on the beach and he also found that very interesting, he was happily exploring the water and the wind. It certainly was an adventure he enjoyed. This is what Barney is like he loves going out and about exploring the his surrounding, forest, parks, now beaches.

As we had to travel allot it also gave me a good indication what he is like traveling. To put it simply he is perfect, as he does on shorter trips, he will initially stand but soon he will lie down and you will not hear or see him. He is a bit particular about his water, I offered him many times but would not drink whilst we were away. When we returned home, first thing he did was to have a drink.

My wife keeps reminding me that I should mention that Barney is a bit of a guard dog. We have had many Greyhounds stay with us, but, Barney is the first Greyhound who will bark at noises outside that he does not know. So if people are running passed our house he will let them know what he thinks. Once we had a funny episode where the upper front window was sightly open and people started to talk by that window. They did not expect a dog to join the conversation with such a loud and deep bark. The people who had their conversation interrupted also had a good laugh.

It has been a while since my last comment. Since Thursday it has been very hectic with taking Caesar to Surrey. Unfortunately, on Thursday, as I was picking up the van I had a freak accident with Barney. As he was excited looking at the cats in the car park and me closing the car door, I unfortunately caught his tail in the door. Took him to the vet and he had one third of his tail amputated on Friday. He is doing well as if nothing has happened, I am still kicking myself for what has happened. Kate called me tail basher yesterday which my wife found very funny, hurts my pride. But what is more important then my pride is that Barney is doing well and happily relaxing.

Yes Barney, finds the cats very interesting. He is great with other Greyhounds, but he still does not understand that there is such a thing as other dog breeds.

If we could, we would keep Barney. In fact my four year old daughter would want to keep Barney and Caesar. Barney is such a character. He makes you laugh, cry, be amazed and all the other emotions. We were astonished that he has worked out how to open the self closing gate when it is on a latch, we seen him either use his nose, or takes hold of the bars opens it and then uses his nose to get through. Our little Einstein, such a clever boy. I we leave something on the table he is very quick to take it. In short make a mistake and Barney is there as an opportunist! :-). He loves playing specially with squeaky toys, enjoys being outside and going for walks.

He is probably not your first time Greyhound owner material. If you have a sense of humour, have time to play and are able to walk him short but regularly during the day, you could have a brilliantly clever, calm and caring dog here.

Oh bless you poor barney. These greyhound tails do get in the way, jet frequently had 'happy tail' I really don't know why it's called that, it should be called 'stressed out owner tail' especially when it happens in a hotel and paints the corridor! Xxx

Hi Jetlucy - in the Daybreaks Daily Diary for Thursday we reported Barney sadly getting his tail trapped in a car door which broke it badly and he therefore had to have a section amputated the following day. He is at Daybreaks today as we are desperate to find him a new home. He is a great boy but sadly not small dog or cat friendly x

Oh no what's barney done? Xxx

Sending lots of love to Barney tonight. Xxx

Aww. Bless Barney. I'm sure you'll still be able to wag when your tail is mended. Kisses and cuddles special boy xxx

Oh Barney sweetheart, so sorry to hear about your accident, I do hope you will feel better soon, big hugs to you xxxxxx

Barney spend the day at the kennels on Thursday. I understand he missed Caesar during the day. He also showed Kate that you need to keep your wits about you with him as he is clever and uses any opportunity he is given. He ate a bag somewhere I am still interrogating him but not telling me much. He was ill at the kennels and brought up the bag, at home he was also sick but all is well again. So they experienced, as like to call him, the good naughty boy :-)

It was lovely to see Barney yesterday. He came over to me for a fuss and with a tail wag so I think he did remember me from when we fostered him even though it was a couple of months since I’d seen him. He is such a lovely boy :) xx

Barney was at the kennel yesterday, unfortunately there were no interests for him. He at least had a nice day at the kennel and very well behaved. He looked genuinely pleased to see Rosie and he then had a nice walk in Birmingham city centre.

Lovely to hear how Barney has progressed and I totally agree with Erik that he needs his forever home. Barney was with us for 3 weeks before going to Erik and he was the same with us, being so excited to see us. But he went off happily with Erik when he took over Barney’s fostering (which I found more difficult than he did!) and I think he may be the sort of dog who is happy wherever there is someone to love him. Please please someone take this lovely boy home xx

Breaks my heart to think this gorgeous is still looking for a home, you sound delightful Barney, I do hope there is someone special out there just waiting to welcome you into their lives, good luck sweetheart, I am keeping my fingers crossed for you xxxxx

It has been a little while, it is unfortunate that this lovely boy did not have any viewings during his 2 day stay at the kennel last weekend. This boy has made such strides, from being a very nervous dog in the kennels to now a very relaxed and quite dog. I understand he has not made a sound during his stay. He is house trained, knows what he can and cannot do. Of course he is a dog and will take opportunities when they are presented to him, any good scavenger would do that.

He loves being outside and relaxing in the grass, he enjoys his walks and with the heat he is getting less then he wants, so he moves my walking boots. He is an easy walker always has a smiling lead. He is great with our 4 year old daughter who has and is being taught how to be around dogs. He is first to go to bed in the evening generally sleeps through the night. He travels well in the car, simply lies down until you reach your destination. So he is doing really well. He loves to play with fluffy squeaky toys and generally makes us smile

No dog is perfect of course, he is a bit more stubborn then most of the greyhounds we have had, in essence he is a true Greyhound. It is taking longer with him to get him relaxed and accepting other dog breeds. It is not aggression he is simply unsure, but he can lunge at dogs so I am working with the thunder shirt now hoping we can turn it around. There are lots of techniques that can be utilised so we keep going with him on this.

When I picked him up on Saturday, it made me have mixed emotions. When Barney saw me he got excited and rather vocal. One the one hand it is nice to have him react to me like that. On the other hand it also shows he is getting more and more attached to us as a family. This is a little bit sad as it may take him longer to settle once he does get his forever home. Please give this boy a chance arrange a visit by calling 0121 782 7702

Barney is learning a lot at his foster family, having fun and enjoying live. I would say that as I am writing it :-)) We enjoy having him around, but he really needs his forever home where he can spend his time being part of his own family. Barney is going to stay at the Kennels from Friday 4/6 to Saturday 5/6, if you can give him a suitable home come and see him. Please call 0121 782 7702 to arrange visit.

Barney has shown a side which has been a surprise. Partly his behaviour is the pack mentality. Caesar attacked a dog, no serious harm done, cut to the lip, however, Barney also joined in and went for the throat, he did the same with Caesar once, when Caesar tried to muscle in on Barneys food. This is Barney’s technique of control by using this strangle hold. I find it fascinating but that is of course as I am studying canine behaviour. I have noticed with Barney that narrow spaces and a bouncy dog may make him respond. He is also back to the muzzle and I have paired him up with Charlotte (our Greyhound) who walks slower and needs less but is also very calm around other dogs. I hope this will rub of on Barney based on monkey see monkey do principle.

Otherwise, Barney has been a good and naughty boy. He is responding well to his name, he has calmed down and is better at being alone. He does have a dislike for muzzles, he takes them and then chews the leather straps of so they became unusable. He has done that now with his own and Charlottes muzzle, that’s why we had to go to the kennel and pick some up. He still takes my boots and places them somewhere random. Barney is a persistent table top surfer, but also getting better at responding to our backs. Kitchen, given the chance, is his favourite place to rummage again he is learning that this is not wanted behaviour and the child gate helps.

My daughter (4-year old) and Barney like to play with a artificial snowball she throws it and he runs after it or catches it. They can have great fun that way, but always supervised. He also loves playing with a squeaky fluffy pig or a squeaky ball. He will toss the pig around and just likes chasing the ball in the garden.

Overall he is doing very well and is ready for an active forever home. The longer he stays with us, not only is it cost to the Kennel, but he also gets more attached to us as a foster family. He will be such a great addition to an active family and if he has bothers and/or sisters I believe he would enjoy that even more

Barney is still looking for his forever home. Erik and his family are very fond of him but they would really be happy if Barney found his own forever home. If you think your home might be right for Barney pleases give us a call on 0121 782 7702 and arrange to meet him. :)) Xxx

I really do hope that Barney gets his forever home soon, he has worked so hard in his foster home, please somebody, give this boy the chance he deserves xxxxxx

I did not realise that it has been a little while since the last update. Barney is so relaxed now and his behaviour is also much improved. He is showing excitement when seeing other breeds or completely ignores them. This is so much better to when I first had Barney. For now I walk him whilst keeping in mind the possibility that he may lunge at an other dog. The more he gets used to other breeds the better he becomes together with the positive reinforcement approach.

He is also getting much better at being on his own. He can find it more challenging when I have been away, return and soon after coming home going away again. Again from what I can hear on the recordings he may whine or do a howl, more importantly I do not hear him pacing up and down the corridor or sounding stressed (his breathing), pawing at the door etc. Well done Barney.

He was eating like there is no tomorrow, my usual low budget approach is to place an old cup over some of his food. This generally slows them down and avoid them almost gulping og food approach. This is working well with him. He has really slowed down with his eating. This is much better for him and his health. Well done Barney :-)

I have said it before but he really enjoys his walks during the day time. We had an outing to some woods and ohh my did he enjoy that together with the others. If he does not get a walk after lunch he may take my boot and place it somewhere in the house or take one of the bowls. He is a really funny character and together with Caesar he does form a bit a crime due, hahaha. If your paying attention to one the other may decide to table surf.

Barney has been with us for a month now. I really find it difficult to understand why there is no interest in this boy. I am not sure why but he is not getting the attention he deserves. It does sadden me that this lovely boy still does not have a forever home, it is time for him to move on and settle in his forever home. If you can give him the live he needs please contact the Kennels to arrange a visit.

Barney was the quietest dog in the kennels when we opened up this morning. :)) He was such a good boy....he was very pleaded to see Erik and Caesar when they came along to take him home. Erik would be happy to bring Barney hto the kennels if anyone would like to meet him. Xxx

Barney, has done well as I understand it. When I left him he was a little unsettled, something I would expect. I picked him up this morning and no complaints or comments of him doing lots of barking or howling as he used to do. That means that he is making progress. I you like this great boy get in touch with the trust.

Barney has given us lots of entertainment the last couple of days, he is such a funny character that he makes us smile. Specially together with Ceasar they do have fun together. Barney has a habit of taking shoes, slipper, his bowl, washing up glove or even taking his leash and then placing them in different places in the house or garden. I also discovered a pattern in this behaviour, he does this when he wants a walk. if I do not give him a walk after lunch he is much more likely to do this then when he has had a lunch walk.

Barney is a dog who does like his exercise. Currently he gets a 20 minutes walk in the morning and 20-30 minute walk after lunch. A 10-20 minute walk to pick-up our daughter and my wife will take them for a 20-30 minute walk in the evening. On top of this he may want to play with toys or with Caesar. Barney is not one who will be satisfied with a 30 minute walk a day.

I am really please with Barneys progress, both his response to other dogs and getting used to being alone. In terms of other dog breeds, he is now at a stage where he is almost not responding to other dog breeds and this is consistent. So the positive reinforcement is working with him. In terms of being alone we done quite a bit of exercises with him this week and different timings sometimes short, sometimes long. Overall his reaction is less nervous and sometimes not making much, even soft whining noises. He does whine habitually but even this has reduced significantly. So that is really well done Barney.

This Sunday will be a little bit of a test for him and I hope he will do really well. The family needs to go away for the day and unfortunately I cannot take all 3 dogs with me. Specially as there are 2 Italian Greyhounds residing where we need to go. I felt it better to take Caesar as we do not know how long he has got, so it be a nice adventure for Caesar. It does mean that Barney will stay at the Kennels on Sunday and stay the night. I am having my fingers and legs crossed that it will be a positive experience for Barney and he will take it in his stride. It would be such a shame if it becomes a set back for him. This is why it is so important for him to get his forever home. So he can settle in a home he can truly call his own.

If you like Barney why not arrange a visit this Sunday :-)

Great to hear how Barney is doing. Think he might be the boy for you? If you are interested in meeting him please give us a call at the kennels on 0121 782 7702 and we can arrange a meeting. :)) Xxx

Barney, is really enjoying his younger greyhound they form a great crime partnership :-)). Barney was in the run for a little bit, he was enjoying the toys in there and having a run with Ceasar and battling over a toy. This was great to see such a playing partnership.

I have been pleased with Barney, he is becoming more used to different breeds. He is still responding but it is always excitement not aggression. We got quite close to some small breeds and it takes a bit of time before he starts to whine and bark. Over time he will get used to other breeds and not respond at all. It simply needs desentisisation, the more he sees them the better he will get at it.

He is still finding being on his own a challenge. Because I needed to focus a bit on Ceasar last week we did not have much chance to do more work on him being alone but we will pick this up this week. Barney is very good with our daughter (4 years old) this is always supervised. It is not easy for dogs to understand the strange sounds and movements young children make. This is especially for sighthounds as they are hard wired to respond to all the things very young children do.

I do feel that Barney is ready for his own forever home. I will continue my work with him but he is ready to settle in a home he can call his own and the longer he stays with us the stronger his attachement becomes to us. You can really see the difference in him. He is much calmer now then when we first had him. Please, for Barneys sake, consider this loving, playful, active, outdoor loving and gentle boy. The right family will get such a great dog.

Such lovely photos, what a little star xxxxx

They are great photos...Barney is certainly going on some great adventures! Xxx

Beautiful photos xxx

I've just added some wonderful photos that Erik sent me of Barney on all his adventures recently! He received an absolutely glowing report and is patiently waiting for a chance at his forever home! Fingers crossed he finds it soon! xxxx

Barney has had a couple of eventful days. Most importantly, Ceasar come to us to stay so that meant some adjusting for all. Luckily Barney had met Ceasar on Saturday so he already knew him. This made it all nice and easy.

To be honest, I think Ceasar may also have a positive impact on Barneys behaviour. The two together are also playing and running around, really nice to see. They also share the bed upstairs and downstairs. They get on so well together.

Barney loves being outside, specially when the sun is out. He simply goes out in the garden and lies down in the grass to sunbath or watch our daughter play. He also likes to run around in the garden or for us two do the play bow. He actually has a strong deep bark. When I need to go out he is usually quickly at the door as he wants to come along, and Ceasar also does this so now I have two dogs who are keen to go for a walk.

We had a number of walks on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday it was probably the most as we had our normal morning walk and additional walk along the canal and play in the garden together with Ceasar and then a walk to the Garage to pick up my car. He was fine with all these walks and still seemed to want more. With Barney it is a little surprising as he had a broken hock but he is able to do the walks. When he runs a bit to vigerously he may briefly limp but that is soon over.

I was really impressed on Tuesday, during our walks we met a miniature poodle and whilst he was very interested he did not lunge at him. He did have a whine and a couple of brief barks. During the evening walk we come across a boston terrier and again he was interested but did not even bark or whine eventhough it was displaying excitable behaviour and not long after that a Charles Cavalier and Barney did not respond to that dog at all. In Fact it was Ceasar who got very excited with both. So this is all really good progress.

His being on his own is also progressing well, again Ceasar may be helping here. But we do not have as much whining, howling or barking. This boy is ready for his forever home. He is a gentle soul, loves a cuddle, playfull and naughty. He enjoys the toys we took on Saturday, he does seem to have a preference for balls and fluffy toys. He will enjoy a family who will do activities with him or take him places. I can imagine him loving a nice sized garden (ours is not to big) where he can run around, have a dig or sunbath.

On Saturday Barney visited Daybreaks kennel and he seemed to enjoy the experience. We needed an extra duvet as he likes to make a nest but the bedding we have did not do the trick from him. We also got some toys for him as he does like to play. Then we had an adventure with him and went to the big city, Birmingham. He was of course interested and curious. We went to New Street. As all animals will do, you think ohh he me need to have a wee so lets take him outside. So said so done, no wee or poo outside the station and what does he do when we just entered New Street again, sits down and has a wee in the station. He had a great day out and he was clearly tired when we arrived back home as we did not realy see or hear him.

There are some thoughts I like to share about Barney. As I have learned studying to become a dog beaviourist, we need to pay attention to the signals ad behaviours dogs display. As mentioned before Barney can just whine now and then. He has a dominant side to him, he is very clever and loves people attention. With Barney it is very important that you take the lead. My advise would be the same for any dog but is especially important for Barney;

• As a family be clear about what he can and cannot do.
• Set very clear boundaries for him and the whole family must keeps to it.
• When you leave the house don’t make a show of it, because that will get him excited and you are leaving home alone an excited dog. Better to get dressed and simply leave the house with as little fuss as possible, which will also keep Barney in calm state of mind.
• When you come home, don’t make a fuss. You first do what you need to do (hang up your coat, wash hands, put away your shopping, whatever your routine is) Once you have done what you need to do, only then invite him for a fuss and say hello.
• Make sure he has his safe place.
• Ignore the whining (it has become less since he has been with us because we do ignore it)
• Be persistent and clear in what you need him to do, but be patient

It is really important that the above is followed, he needs structure and leadership as he could be susceptible to learning separation anxiety, which is simply a learned behaviour.

In terms of his behaviour, he is improving with seeing other dog breeds. I was really impressed with him on. Friday, we came across a cross breed puppy. (14 weeks old). She was playful, of course, Barney was curious and it took some time for him to get excited. As the owner and I were chatting in a 15 minute period he barked 3 times. So that is really great. He responds much better to his name. He is getting better on being alone. Although on Friday it was a bit more difficult for him. I was away for 2 hours, then I was briefly home to be away for an other 45 minutes. My wife told me that he had a good howl. On Sunday when I went to the kennel again my wife told me he was very good and no howling.

Barney needs a his forever home, he is ready to get a home to call his own. He is a really nice lad, he is playful, he is a bit naughty, he is clever, loves the outdoors, he loves people and have a cuddle he equally loves being with other Greyhounds and play. What more can you want from a dog.

Barney was a very happy boy when he came to the kennels for a visit today. He is enjoying his stay with Erik and his family. :) He is certainly getting out and about, Erik sent photos of him having a tour of Birmingham city centre. :)) Hoping a forever home will soon be his. Xxx

Lovely to hear how Barney is doing. I second everything that Erik says. Barney is a really lovely boy, very playful, clever and funny. Please don’t overlook this lovely lad. He is adorable xxx

Thanks so much to Erik and his family for fostering Barney. It's really interesting to hear how he is getting on and now his training is going. He obviously needs help with building bookcases! Hoping it won't be long before his forever home comes along. Xxx

We had some fun times with Barney. Monday evening he showed more of his playfulness. Barney and I were doing play bows and he would run away and comeback. He was playfully barking and then he would dash off again or have a dig and then run off again. He also enjoys the toys charlotte has, he particularly likes a fluffy bear and a fluffy pig. Barney is a really playful dog.

He is also a naughty character. In our house he likes to take shoes, slippers or boots, depending on what takes his fancy. So you sometimes think you left your slipper in the normal place to then find one is not there and usually you will find it where Barney is lying down. He sometimes takes objects in his mouth, like a bucket or a washing-up bowl. On Wednesday I had to put together a bookcase, he also wanted to help but it was more of a hindrance and had to ban him from the study :-). He knows how to get things from a cabinet drawer. If part of a treat bag is portuding from the drawer he will try and pull it out. You need to have a sence of humour with Barney and not be to precious about your garden or items in the house, but he does make me laugh.

I have started to do some home alone training with him. I deliberately take baby steps with him as he does whine now and then. He may just have a nervous temperament so, in order to build up his confidence and for him to understand that I may leave the house but I will come back. I do very small steps by going out for 10 seconds and then come back in again and slowly build this up with increasing timeframes.

He is starting to respond more and better to his name. This is going quite quick and he is really responding well to me. He is reacting less to the vocal westy we have next door. Even when he is outside he is not automatically responding to the barks. Today we met a young Visla dog and whilst he whined and did a bark or two it was not that bad. We are making good progress with Barney.

We have noticed that he is quite a clever boy. It has taken Charlotte (our Greyhound) 5 years to figure out that she can use her nose to open doors. Barney has already shown that learning. He has even figured out when he can push the child gate open. Normally we can shut the child gate and the is enough but with Barney we have to shut it and lock it, because he has understood that you can open the child gate if it is not locked.

It is really nice having Barney around, he does keep you on your toes. He is always happy to go for a walk and loves his walks. Today he fancied himself as a narrow boat captain, whilst walking along the canal he just stepped on a narrow boat. He seems a very gentle soul with a playful and naughty streak to his nature. I think he would enjoy an active family. I noticed he is not getting much attention on his profile, which is a shame because as we are getting to know him he is a really great dog and will make the right family very happy :-)

Let me give an update on this boy. Barney has been with us since Saturday afternoon. The time he had with Rosie and family has helped him with some of the house training. Thank you for that Rosie :-). Barney has had a busy day and a half all ready.

We gave him a bath and a good shampoo and he looks great, he has a lovely fluffy coat. His thighs and bottom are quite bare. We need to train him with his name, so I have better control over him.

For a 5 year old he is very playfull. He enjoys playing chase the ball, he likes to play with a fluffy pig that Charlotte has. We did the play bow. He likes to have a mad run in the garden and enjoyed some digging in the garden. My wife also mentioned that she played with him a number of times.

Whilst it is still early days, behaviour wise he is very good. He is clean around the house, he had one accident but that was the first night with us. As far as I am concerned that is to be expected. He needs to learn some human table manners, he can reach the table top and, he also needs to learn what we consider out of bound areas for him.

He is very easy to walk and he walks with a very positive, engaging and curious demeanour. In fact during our first walk, we came across a couple who are looking to adopt a greyhound beginning next year and Barney put his best paw forward :-). When he sees dogs in the distance he is curious. When they are close he is equally curious, he got a it scared with a couple of Pugs who started to bark at him. During yestardays park walk he was curious about a Labrador and he had a little lunge at him. For me this was quite easy to control. He saw many other dog breeds in the park but other then being curious we have not experienced any major responses. I think he found an aeroplane a family was playing with more interesting.

I have seen Barney a number of times at the kennel before he was previously fostered and he was always very vocal. In our home he has not shown that behaviour. He whines a little now and then, but this is quite soft and not a problem. We just ignore it or take him out to the garden just to make sure he does not need a wee. I just had to walk one of my clients dogs. My wife recorded his behaviour and we need to train him to be alone.

So very happy that Barney is enjoying his stay with Rosie, Paul and the furry kids. Keep them on their toes Barney! X

Great update on Barney, love the bit about the bowl, very funny bless him xxxx

Barney’s character is really coming out. He makes me laugh every day, usually when he picks his bowl out of its stand and carefully carries it through to the lounge and leaves it on the floor there. Tonight he had a change and lay down next to it and licked it thoroughly. Not that there was a scrap left after his tea!
He’s a cheeky boy in the kitchen and has to be told regularly to get his front paws off the work surface, although this is improving. He sniffs out any sort of food - as evidenced by him stealing the pilchard cake out of Kate’s bag yesterday!!
He’s slowly getting better when he meets dogs on his walks. Much better if they stand and look at him, and he and a German Shepherd sniffed each other yesterday without Barney getting jumpy. But today there was a spaniel puppy who jumped around in front of him which makes him lunge and bark although not as much barking as 2 weeks ago.
He stays much better when told and often “leaves” but all needs more work to improve. He is a clever boy and does learn and will be a good boy once he’s learnt it all. He is adorable xx

So lovely to see the very handsome Barney at the kennels today. He is such a gorgeous patient boy who has greatly benefited from his foster family's care. We shared a banana today. Massive cuddles for him tonight xx

Great to hear how Barney is doing! Hope Paul manages to hold onto his toast tomorrow! :))) Xxx

Barney had lots of sausages for his birthday, although he had to share them with Hope, Snip and Rigsby, which he found hard to do - he kept trying to take theirs out of their mouths! Always just too late as they love sausages too :))
He’s doing really well being fostered - he’s a real character, very funny and really starting to play now. He’s getting better at “leave” and “stay” although needs a careful eye watching him if you turn your back and leave food on the work surface in the kitchen - Paul lost his toast this morning but Barney enjoyed it very much thank you! He’s improving each day when seeing or meeting dogs in the park but will still pull and get quite excited, but with firm handling and encouragement, he’s gradually getting there. He’s a lovely boy and we’d keep him if we could but having 3 of our own already, having a 4th would mean we couldn’t then do any more fostering which we like to do when we can. I highly recommend this lovely boy xx

Happy Birthday to Barney! Xxx

Happy birthday barney! Hope you've had a lovely day xxx

Happy Birthday lovely boy - great to see you today. Enjoy your special birthday dinner tonight. xx

Have a lovely birthday Barney. Xxx

Happy birthday Barney, I hope you have a super day xxxxxc

Ah, bad luck matey - but it's got to be right for everybody. On the plus side though, at least you've been out in a foster home and started to learn the ways of the world. Let's hope it wont be too long before we see another red sign for you.x

Very sadly Barney is no longer reserved. He has been out on foster for the last few days so he could be assessed to see if he would be suitable for the lady who had reserved him. He has been great in his foster home but can be very strong on the lead when he meets other dogs and we feel he isn't the right lad for her. Xxx :((

Will be keeping everything crossed that things work out for you and you are able to go off to your new home. Xx

Everything crossed for a happy outcome Barney. Xx

Yay, fingers crossed for you Barney, be good xxxxxx

Barney has been Reserved but there are a few things to be taken into consideration before he can go home. Please keep your fingers crossed for him. :)) Xxx

Barney breaks my heart. He is not happy in the kennels lovely though they are. He loves attention and was very relaxed on a bed in the outside kennel whilst I stroked him. Had a short walk with him, couldn't go far be cause he is post op., and he is brilliant on the lead. He has got beautiful eyes. Gorgeous boy lots of cuddles xxxxx

Love to Barney after his op, hope he is feeling ok, I'm sure when he is in a loving stable home he won't be so barky, it must be quite stressful being in kennels, they all show their feelings in different ways, I think you are gorgeous anyway Barney, good luck fella xxxxxx

A big cuddle for Barney tonight. He had his neutering operation today. He has been very vocal at the kennels since he arrived and after his operation was very vocal at the vets....so much so they called us and asked us to come and collect him as he was upsetting a Rabbit and a cat who were also at the vets! Thanks so much to James for taking him and collecting him for us today. Poor Barney he needs someone special to take him home. Xxx

Definitely a Honcho face! ????

Oooohhh what a lovely boy I might even consider him if he doesnt go today.

Very scrummy xxxx

What a handsome boy! :)) Xxx

Oh my what a stunner - and definitely leave your suitcase by the gate!! Good luck for tomorrow. x

No surprise! This handsome boy who has arrived this afternoon already has a viewing booked for tomorrow!