Joshy spent the day in the office today. The heater was on and he was very warm and cosy. Xxx We had a lot of visitors and he was a perfect gentleman with everyone he met. :) He ate his breakfast and his dinner and enjoyed his lunchtime treats. Xx
On the top of his Christmas list for Santa is a very, very special home. He is a very, very special boy. Xxx xxx

Sending big cuddles and loads of love to you Joshy xx

So happy to see that the lovely Josh has been fostered.

It was great to see you both today and your tiny little Rowan! Xxx
Josh was so very happy to see you and go for a walk. Xxx

We took the lovely Josh for a nice walk again today. He continues to walk so well on the lead, really interactive, doesn't pull.

And we all got to see Kate and Erik too!

Josh, you greeted us with the waggiest of tails and smiles. We hear you are doing well. Keep up the good work, think about you every day xx

It was so lovely to see you and take you for a walk today Joshy, your happy face and waggy tail.
You walked so beautifully alongside us.

Thank you to all of Daybreaks team for the love and care you are giving this beautiful boy xx

What a lovely lad Josh is....he really loves a cuddle and gets very excited to go out for his walks. He likes company and has enjoyed sitting in the doggy kitchen watching all that's going on. Xxx
He isn't really happy in a kennel environment as sometimes it's too noisy for him. He likes a nice quiet life! Xxx xxx

You have always been a lovely calm boy when I have seen you & you have let me sit in your kennel quietly with you. I am going to talk to Auntie Ruth & Auntie Kate about a break at Christmas. You have said hello to Fergal and he is such a calm & placid elderly boy that maybe you would feel safe with us. We have a very quiet and calm home with rarely any visitors and some nice quiet country village walks so maybe????? Hopefully it might be a possibility, just to give you a well deserved break. I am busy until after Santa Paws so its no good before Christmas but as I have my own version of lockdown in Jan & Feb I could then give you lots of attention & walkies etc. Obviously we would need you to have a few meets with Fergal prior to Christmas. Have a think Josh.....we wont be offended if you don't want to. Lots of love & cuddles Seana & Fergal. Xx

Moo&Mozzy

I popped to the kennels the other day and considering the problems he has faced and overcome, the lad was such an exceptional loving boy.

Kind is an understatment...

Hey beautiful xx cuddles for you xx

Cuddle for you Joshy xx sending you loads of love gorgeous boy xx

Thanks LadyVictoria!
Just so folk know; Josh hasn't been returned from foster for any problem, we have a few things happening personally which would have been unfair to Josh so had to make this decision. Daybreaks have been so supportive of this throughout.

This little boy has been the most beautiful house guest. The house is too big without you Joshy but we had a chat didnt we and you know you are loved and will continue to be. You have made such wonderful progress, and you really started to relax and trust us. We're so proud of you. Long may it continue.

Seeing Kate settle you back in was lovely and reassuring.

Cuddles xx enjoy being back with all your buddies.

I'd be more than happy to help with any questions too :)

Joshy is back at the kennels after being fostered by Hannah and her family. We are so grateful for everything they have done for him. He really is a lovely lad who would be much happier if he could find another foster home....or even better his forever home. He doesn't do well in a kennel environment. If you think you can help please call us on 0121 782 7702 Thank you.
Xxx

If anyone would like to meet the lovely Josh(y!) Please do give daybreaks a call we can arrange a time for me to bring him over xx

He loves zooming around and playing with his kong ball so he'd be made up to come along and we can book him some time in the sand run xx

Joshy continues to do really well, socialised really well the other weekend when we had people over for lunch.

Josh is very nervous about and around children so, I echo Ruth's post. Not for homing with children.

Continues to be very well mannered and very house clean, loves his food and walks so well.

Josh's tongue falls out his mouth when he shakes his head, he doesnt realise for a while and it is very funny!! Quite often when we are walking along!!

xx

EXPERIENCED FOREVER HOME NEEDED
(Long post warning)

http://daybreakstrust.co.uk/dog/2302

On Friday morning last week, Erik and I went out to visit Josh in his foster home. Josh has been fostered by Hannah since May this year and we now feel he is ready for his forever home.


HISTORY

Josh was unfortunately returned from 3 homes due to aggressive behaviour.

Josh came to Daybreaks in April 2021 and quickly found a home. In his first home, there had been no concerns. Just over a year after his homing in May 2022, Josh was returned as he had started growling and baring his teeth. On return to the kennels he was visibly limping but the owners told us he had been running around the garden and slipped.

Back at the kennels he showed no aggresive behaviour, his limp disappeared and seemed well in himself. He therefore went out to foster with one of our volunteers who already had a greyhound.

Unfortunately he was returned within a couple of weeks, as he snapped at the other greyhound and had been growling.

We felt he may be best as an only dog so in June 2022 he went out to a couple who had just lost their greyhound.

Within a short space of time, his behaviour became negative with growling and baring his teeth and he was once again returned.


The next 12 months for Josh have involved intensive work with Erik from ‘Talk of the Dog’.
Josh was taken by Erik to numerous veterinary assessments, x-rays and tests and chiropractic assessment and treatments to discuss whether this was indeed behavioural or medical.

From these veterinary assessments and appointments, it was deemed his behaviour was mainly due to the fact that he was in pain which would explain his negative outbursts and in turn created behavioural problems. Erik kindly agreed to assess him behaviourally.

He was started on various medications. This became a juggling act with the amount he had been prescribed but again with Eriks support, this was finally adjusted and stabilised.

With Eriks behavioural assessment and training skills he responded well and along with the involvement of Erik’s wife and young daughter, Josh’s behaviour became positively controlled

As part of his behavioural training, Erik worked with sound desensitisation as certain noises could trigger Josh into negative behaviour.

Supporting Josh has financially had a big impact on Daybreaks. As we pledge to never give up on a dog, especially as we deemed his negative behaviour was due to being in pain, we sought every avenue of help.

As Erik was already fostering Caesar, there had been a couple of instances where Josh and Caesar had not seen eye to eye so after almost a year of being with Erik, Josh was transferred to Hannah who has continued to foster him since May 2023.

With the continuous intervention of Erik and Hannah, we now feel we are in a position to find his forever home.

Josh is now 8 ½ years old. He is a very loving, affectionate blue boy.

What does he need?

A forever home to call his own which would be a quiet home
He needs and loves a good routine and clear boundaries
An experienced owner would be required
A predictable environment with no other pets or children to stop any triggers.

His positives are:

He is very settled at night and sleeps through til 7am
Totally toilet trained
He doesn’t bark but let’s you know when he needs to go out to toilet
Eats well and takes his meds easily
Loves walks and is good on the lead
Can be left for a full day.
Not reactive to strangers
Loves his toys and plays gently
Very affectionate
Doesn’t react to small dogs

So what are his negatives?
His age is now against him and his past history of behaviour
He can sometimes be startled where he will jump to his feet but once he is reassured, he is ok.
He is on permanent medication but Daybreaks Trust would continue to support Josh regarding this.
Do you think you could offer Josh what he needs? Please contact Daybreaks on 0121 782 7702

Josh is a very special lad....Xxx

Just an update for Josh's page to help him xx

Josh has his breakfast (2 mugs of burns & some tinned loaf meat) with his medication in the morning. Gobbles the lot!

Walk then he can be left for the day.
He settles himself, clean and house tidy.

Joshy has started waiting in the porch to have his lead & harness taken off, he's very well mannered!! No problem at all with this routine.

Straight out for a wee and a run around the garden when I get home.
Josh LOVES to play with his large kong squeaky ball, he's hilarious and he is very interactive, dropping it, bowing, zooming!!

Next meal is about 5:30/6 & a tablet. 1 mug of burns and some tinned loaf meat. No fuss!
Another walk, longer walk with lots of sniffing!
Josh doesnt pull, he trots so nicely and waits, he's really good.
He looks at cats & squirrels but doesn't react unsafely.

Joshy then has another little snack with his night time medication around 21:30.

Josh loves his treats and biscuits, chews!
He loves being with us, and will always come and sit with us or lean!!

His bed is his space, he self settles there and sleeps all night. We put a lamp on for him.

He sat by us last night whilst we were watching a loudish film, he kept waking, looking around, but settled with us reassuring him (verbally). It was really pleasing to see.

He's super smiley, happy and waggy tailed. No barking other than a 'bwop' when he wants to play! He whines a little, but this is his talking he's not distressed with it and quickly reassured.

We still have our safe boundaries with Josh, no waking or touching him on his bed.
Not allowing him on the sofa.
He doesn't come upstairs.

We haven't mixed with children; because we've had no need to!
Josh doesn't bark at other dogs, they tend to bark at him!
So both of these I cant comment on.

He is just a really sweet little boy.
I can't change his past. But I just want to give him the credit he deserves, we have not experienced any upsetting or distressed behaviour and he makes me smile every day!!
Fostering him has been such a good experience for us both to date.

Please don't hesitate in asking questions, I am only too happy to help.

xx

Super proud of this little lad, I hear he had a settled stay at Daybreaks; thank you for supporting us all xx

So great you got to see each other Erik!! That made me so happy!!

Josh has settled back in really well, slept all night, eaten all his food (I only use burns with a token taste of loaf dog food!!! Haha!!) and, well... Business as usual!

Any questions about Josh, please do ask at Daybreaks and I can help answer them to the best of my knowledge and experience with this little lovely lad xx

Josh has been staying at the kennels for a few days whilst his Foster family have been away. He has been an absolute pleasure to look after. He was relaxed and enjoyed joining in the walks with the other dogs. :))
He was great with all the volunteers and loved a cuddle. He was very happy to see Erik when he popped into the kennels, he had a very waggy tail! :))
He wasn't too keen on our meals! Think he prefers his Foster Mom's cooking. :))
He went back to his Foster home this afternoon, he was so very happy to see Hannah and she was very happy to see Josh. :)) Xxxx

Thanks cloggyerik and Moo&Mozzy! - he indeed is a totally different dog to the one that was returned due to aggression. Thanks to both of you with your hard work and perseverance whilst he was being assessed and treated he is so much better and having that secure and safe environment is perfect for him.

He was originally thought to have neurological problems and following many appointments that Erik took him to with the vets and chiropractor, he was helped greatly. He remains on pain relief.

Hannah has been fostering him and I took some video footage of her talking about him - and has given him a glowing report. This is going to be posted on facebook later!

If you think you could offer him a furever home, please get in touch. He needs experienced owners with a quiet home..... I am sure this is out there somewhere.....

What a great update. I was at the kennels today and busy with getting my free consultation on the way. As a result, I did not realise Josh was there, but Josh did recognise me and he was pleased to see me. We had a cuddle, unfortunately, I needed to start the consultation.

I did go an look him up after the consult, and we had such a nice cuddle. He usually, wants to come up to me very close. I call it, Josh wanting to crawl into me. I spend some time with him. Josh will always have a special place in my heart.

Having read the last couple of updates, what Josh is showing is that he needs a calm, confident, quiet and supportive environment. When he first come to me he was very noise sensitive and would respond to overstimulation whether that be noise or activity.

As has been indicated, and I support that. Josh needs to be an only dog, ideally with an experienced owner in a calm and supportive environment, where there are no children. I know Daybreaks would support my involvement in guiding new owners and helping Josh to settle in a forever home

Nearly 4 weeks since our last check in. Josh is continuing to make such wonderful progress.

We've stopped Josh doing the stairs and this has had a positive effect on his self confidence that he is OK to be alone. He is sleeping through the night now too.

We have a good routine and I think this is really helping him.

Josh continues to love his walks. He trots along all happy and looks up at us like he's just so chuffed!! He doesn't pull and stops when we do etc...

We're working on walking past other dogs (both of us!) And he's doing good. No barking or snarling, nothing! He's naturally curious and will follow my lead to trot on by; I ask other dog owners to control their dog too.

We believe Josh has something called sleep startle (you can read lots about it). So we are working on this, we don't let him sleep on the sofa, and make sure we wake him by calling his name before we walk past. It seems to be settling so we are really pleased with this gentle exposure, trust he's building. (It's similar to a trauma response, it's not his 'choice', like a hypervigilance).

**At the moment we wouldn't advise Josh went to a home with another dog, for both their sake. If he was to be woken suddenly then who knows what could happen so it's not worth it. Same for children.

Someone who can offer him a calm home, patience and routine, with lots of love would be just wonderful.

Josh loves cuddles, my goodness me, he is the biggest fusspot!! So it's been hard to NOT let him fall asleep sitting by us. He's getting plenty of love so don't worry!!

He met a new human friend the other day and was just so delightfully happy and gorgeous with them, I explained a bit about him to make them aware of how to approach and fuss him (Erik taught me that).
We have not witnessed any aggressive behaviour.

So yes, gorgeous boy. Breaking my heart!! Still some work to be done but having had greyhounds before, they all need human living skills taught them with patience, love and time.

Thank you for all your hard work to get him to where he is Erik, Daybreaks and Wendy x

What a wonderful update on Josh. Sounds like he’s doing so well x

What a fabulous update on Joshy :)) xx
Thank you so very, very much for everything you are doing for him. He sounds very happy. Xxx

And I realise I write Joshy!!! Sorry... !!
Formally known as Josh xx

Foster update for little Joshy!

We've really noticed Joshy has been really working on his confidence and trust with us these last few weeks.
We havent changed our approach with him.

He has started to;

- go to his bed off his own accord.

- allowing himself to snooze and dream. (Joshy has been waking suddenly at point of dropping off to sleep; like a hypervigilance). **We always call his name to ensure we wake him before we need to walk past him- and never touch him sleeping (as with any dog).

- zooooomies!!! This little cutie greets me at the door when i/we get home, tail wagging and trots to our back door.... Then has a proper zoom around!! He loves his tennis ball too. We can spend time with him in the garden doing this instead of a walk if needed.

- stairs!! Hmm... So my last update he really wasnt interested, then this last week... We hear a 'tap tap tap tap tap tap' (uncordinated as you can imagine!!) And there he is!! All chuffed with himself! He can go down too (thankfully).

-night time whines have significantly decreased, he has a little whiney check in, then with our 'night joshy!' he settles!! He sleeps alone downstairs. We have worked out that *he needs a light on*.

OTHER DOGS; Not sure. He has done really well with other considerate owners who approach slowly with their dog already calm and on a lead.
I have my own worries / experience about dogs off lead running at me, so I have not put him in that situation, we walk another way.

Joshy is interested in cats, squirrels and flitty things however doesnt pull. He does need distracting however and a 'no'.

PEOPLE; The people we have met so far have all commented on what a 'friendly' 'sweet' dog he is. He sometimes employs his greyhound lean magnet too!

CARE NEEDS;
Josh now has 2 meals with his medication. (breakfast and evening) You do have to show and give him a piece of cheese or ham to entice him/get him started. It's like he needs that kick start to eat. It's no problem, it's just how he needs his permission.
He has a pre bed night time treat (we give him peanut butter and cheese!) with his bed time medication. Then he has a bonio which he politely comes to ask for and takes it, all chuffed, to his bed!! (He's got a proper routine!! It's very sweet!)

OTHER;
He lets us put his harness and muzzle on; no problem.
He allows us to towel dry him after a wet walk.
Joshy is surprisingly fluffy!! Every other day he has a brush! He loves it so there is no problem!

We are still getting to know each other. We have not seen any behavioural issues over the last 6 weeks. We allow joshy the space he needs and he has been very respectful of our house and the routine we can give him.
(It is only Josh in our house; no other pets or children. Our garden is fully fenced)

And thank you to Daybreaks for your continued support.

x

Aw thank you Erik, I have passed your kind words and cuddles on to little Joshy xx

He's doing so well :)

Thank you Hannah for the update. Myself, my wife and daughter are so pleased to hear Josh has found his calm and is doing so well. If I am honest I am pleasantly surprised how well he is doing. Maybe I have achieved more with Josh than I thought was possible.

I agree, he is a very loving boy and I am truly happy that I have had the opportunity to have worked with him. Although, certainly at the beginning this did not always feel that way. But looking back I also feel that the teaching and training went both ways. Josh taught me to think about my non-verbal communication with him, also to listen to his barks, impact of medication to name but a few.

Ruth is correct, fear, anxiety, and aggression often have a medical background. The scientific evidence is pointing more to this area. Hannah, well done that you and your partner are able to provide the sweet spot for Josh (I hope that is the correct phrase?) I hope he may and can stay with you for some time so we can better understand his needs.

Josh have lots of cuddles from Irina, Sofia and Erik as you always enjoyed those.

Great to hear how well Josh is doing! He sounds very happy and settled. Xxx

What a fabulous update on josh! Well done to you josh and well done to everyone who has helped/is helping you. Just shows, everyone deserves a chance xxx

Thank you Hannah for your update which I have posted from your email. I am truly over the moon that Josh is doing so well. I believe that his progress has been helped massively by Erik who worked so hard with him with training and also many trips to the vets in addition to taking him to Wendy the chiropractor.

Many cases of aggression are triggered because of pain and I believe that Josh has overcome these because of the support he has had - many rehoming centres would have had him PTS because of his history of aggression - but not at Daybreaks - we pledge to support all of the dogs lucky enough to come to us, but we can only do this because of the support of everyone. Thank you!

Update from Josh;

Hello everyone, Josh here.
It's been so lovely to hear that some of you have found forever and foster homes, congratulations and enjoy your humans, treats and cuddles x

I've been staying at my foster home for 2 weeks now and I think I have started to work it out and feel more safe and confident.

I have 3 meals a day alongside my medication, I eat the lots of it. We then go out after each meal for a short walk. I get tired easily in the heat so this is good for me. I am super good at walking they tell me. I dont even bark at other dogs which they say is good!
Going outside for a walk is the best thing in the world, I get soooo excited. It's brilliant.

I haven't been upstairs, not sure I want to, I also havent jumped on any furniture. Humans have asked if I want to, but it's not for me. There is nothing I like better than a cool spot on the carpet to just lie down near them. Humans say I make a funny noise when I do this, they laugh with me! It feels sooooo good to rest. (Joshy breathes out with such delight!!)

I've recently started playing with my teddy and a squeeky ball. It makes me spin and runs so quick I am so happy!! Then I sleep agains. Humans keep an eye on me as they dont want me to injure myself or have pain.

I know things havent been easy for me or my previous care love givers, but I just want to let them know that I am doing OK at the moment. Nothing has scared me and I love to ask for cuddles and be loved, brushed and having a chat x I hope I can keep this up.

thank you for believing in me, I really am doing my best.

(Hannah; Josh really is doing so well, he's settled in and is just such a well behaved, joyous, happy soul.
I do wonder, knowing how unwell he has been that this knowledge has given us our safe boundaries with him. Which have helped him settle, I imagine being overwhelmed with fuss and attention would not be josh's thing.
I just hope that this continues for him as he is in a really good place right now, well done Josh and thank you to everyone who has worked so hard with him.)

What a lovely update on Josh! He was so distressed at the kennels great to hear what a happy boy he is, thank you so much. Xxx

This is an update from Josh's foster family:

Joshy has settled in so well.
He's eating 3 meals a day; Burns and treats. Drinking well with encouragement.

He is such a happy little lad. Tail wagging and my goodness me, when he hears the chink of his lead he shoots up, leaps and bounds like a proper puppy!!
Tolerates his muzzle and allows me to put it on and off no bother.

He has a little cry when he's left alone, but soon settles himself. We know he's fed, watered and has comforts so it's just 'someone' that he misses at night.

He has been good as gold, we have had no problems at all.
House clean.

Meets other people with a wag and a sniff and walks really well on his lead.

We give him lots of space and only fuss when he comes to us. He comes straight over and lies next to us if we sit on the floor.

He's such a sweetheart

Josh has been a foster dog after being returned to our care in July 2022 with a history of unexplained and quite severe aggression.

I asked Erik, one of our expert volunteers, who has recently become a provisional clinical animal behaviourist, to foster Josh to assess and work with his behaviour which he has successfully done until the 21st of May. However following an incident between Caesar (another of our foster dogs who’s mouth tumour is increasing possibly affecting his temperament) and Josh, I felt it best he came back to Daybreaks for not just Josh and Caesars sakes but for Erik and his family members.

A dog will generally only react aggressively through pain or fear so we have had him investigated extensively. He showed signs of neurological deficit along with pain so following numerous trips and tests at Fivelands, Willows and other vets he was started on pain relief, and treated by a chiropractor.

He has come a long way with veterinary support and the unwavering daily behavioural treatment and guidance put in by Erik and his family over the last 10 months.

Initially Josh was incredibly unhappy on his return to Daybreaks but responded well to certain volunteers and then Hannah stepped in to offer him some respite. Hannah will update seperately but I want to thank everyone who donates to Daybreaks as this means financially we can proceed with extensive tests and treatments to be able to help not only Josh, but all greyhounds within our care. Heartfelt thanks to everyone X

What a gorgeous fella. Loving your pics. Paws crossed for your forever sofa. Spanner xx

Great to hear Josh is making such good progress. He is always very quiet and well behaved when he visits the kennels with Erik.

So pleased he is still having zoomies in the garden. I can imagine the three of them running around is quite a sight! :)))

Do hope Josh continues in the right direction. Thanks so much for the update Erik. Xxx

It has been a while but in short, I am happy with Josh's progress. Whilst he is still muzzled 24/7. I am doing supervised muzzle of time. Sometime my 2 other Greyhounds are present other times it is just me and Josh.

His aggressive episodes are very rare now and his barks are less intense. It is quite easy to hear the change in tone and hence intensity of his bark with Josh. This also allows me to only respond when needed and try to avoid my response becoming a self-rewarding behaviour for Josh.

As mentioned before Josh has the zoomies in the garden, this is getting more frequent. When it is all three boys having fun, it can become boisterous. He will sometimes want to play with me, which is also becoming more frequent.

During the Easter holidays, we all went to Kniver edge rock house and the surrounding park. They really enjoyed it but I think it was also a very tiring adventure for Josh. He slept all the way until we were back home.

My daughter has become more confident with Josh. She is interacting with him, stroking him and in her gameplay training him. Josh is tolerating and not reacting to her. This is brilliant progress, of course, my daughter is supervised when interacting with Josh.

The behaviours I am currently seeing as triggers for barking (sometimes aggressively);

• When the other hound(s) are facing him (not directly looking at him)
• Overexcited behaviour from my daughter or Caesar.
• Wrapping paper or crisp packages
• Sometimes he just barks when no one is around.

If you think back of his behaviour when he first arrived in our home and where he is now it is amazing progress. The various techniques used are making a difference to Josh. Fingers crossed we can move even more forward.

I have not done an update on Josh for some time. It is because I was not sure how to write his update following his assessment by a certified clinical animal behaviourist (CCAB). If I am honest I am still struggling to get this on paper.

Ruth and I had an hour and a half with this sighthound expert, to break it down;

• 30-40 minutes was about Josh’s history despite I have given updates via email, photos, and videos and completed an extensive questionnaire.
• Ruth and I explained what we had done already, in terms of crates, the use of pens, and a snuffle walk and enrichment.
• I was asked if I am aware of thresholds and body language, to me this is basic dog training knowledge.
• After the consultation, Ruth and I felt we got nothing new out of this.
• Ruth and I tried to get more specific support and that also generated little new detailed guidance.

It is like any profession, some are really good and then there are those who are going through the process and fail to listen to their clients. They seemed poorly prepared for the consultation and the report was not much better. One serious omission is that the report did not include a risk management section, with a child of 6 around, this is a must.

I had a chat with my mentor about this. She explained that she had a similar scenario with an experienced agility trainer. She indicated that she will first have a video call prior to a consultation. Something I do and I also have free consultations at the kennel. During the consultation, indicated to the trainer she was doing everything she would have suggested and cannot provide further help. If the consultant had done that I would have given them the thumbs up. Unfortunately, what this consultant has done is fish for more sessions for Josh. For me it was also a case of, I probably would have done a better job myself.

Let’s talk about Josh, we had quite a number of medication trials. We had about 6 of them with different medication combinations and different daily dosages. Some worked well some were terrible. At one point I was very concerned about Josh as his behaviour seemed odd. I was concerned whether he has Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, the dog version of dementia. Since he has come off Fluoxetine, those behaviours disappeared and he is more or less the normal Josh again.

Josh is now on a stable set of medications, which from the start of the medication trials seemed to work well with him. We still have the occasional aggression but this is significantly reduced. I keep working with him, on sounds, and I do a lot of enrichment work with him, including training sessions. The result is that I am now trying to teach him that he is safe when we are around and nice things happen. As a family, we are also learning to trust him a very important part of treatment. I am now working with him when he is not wearing a muzzle. What is so great to see is that he is even starting to play with Caesar or Barney. That is a very important step forward because being able to play means Josh is becoming comfortable and relaxed.

I am very pleased with Josh’s progress. He has come a long way over the last 7 months. Certainly, during the last 5 to 6 weeks I have seen a dramatic improvement and using this to even work more closely with him. Touch wood, maybe he will still become a candidate for rehoming. He is such a gentle and affectionate boy

Wish we could wave a magic wand and make Josh better! Xxx

Josh has spent Christmas and New year with us, he remains a behavioural puzzle. During Christmas we tried to reduce his Gabapentin medication however, we had to change this back to the normal levels as he regressed quite quickly.

Yesterday Myself and Ruth went to Fivelands for a review. For the vet it also appears a challenge to try and understand what is happening with Josh. We are trying a behavioural med for the next couple of weeks to see if he again regresses or if he does well on these meds. If he does well, then we could rule out medical cause.

Otherwise he is a loving and sensitive boy who enjoys cuddles, will tack time out if he feels he needs it. He enjoys his food and treats. We have a date with the certified clinical animal behaviourist, we shall see what they think the issue might be.

Thanks so much to Erik for the update on Josh. Great to hear there is some progress. We all hope that he will be able to find his forever home in the near future. Xxx

An update on Josh as you may remember he is very loving but his behaviour when he lies down can be aggressive. To date, he has had a medical consultation, which resulted in an x-ray (all clear). He has received treatment from a chiropractor. Wendy Lymer (the chiropractor) has found many little issues that may or may not impact his behaviour. I have seen small improvements in his behaviour. For the last three weeks, he has been on Metacam and Gabapentin. I have seen a dramatic change in him. Last week was not his best, but it is easy to manage and maybe the full moon played its part. We now need to understand why. Is it the sedation effect of the medication or is it neurological? The behaviourist will be getting involved. We are still some way from being able to rehome him. With the support from Daybreaks, I will keep working with him to where we need him to be for rehoming. The good news is, we are making positive progress.

Erik brought Josh to the kennels after his visit to the Chiropractor yesterday. He looks really well and was happy and relaxed. Thanks again to Erik and his family for their continued love and support for Josh. Hoping the sessions with the Chiropractor will bring positive results for him. Xxx

Josh and I went to the chiropractor yesterday. This was to further narrow down the cause of his behavioural issues. I explained the challenges Josh has been facing and what I have observed so far, as described in an earlier post. Showed videos of behaviours. A recent new observation is that his heckles all the way down his back can randomly stand up. I also mentioned that he sometimes appears to slightly be in a squat position and not full erect. Whilst walking he can have his head in a stalking position

The chiropractor asked to observe his movements on lead and wandering off lead in a closed barn. What she has observed and felt is that

His head has a tilt.
His jaw is not fully aligned.
His spine has a slight curve.
His hip bones are slightly rotated to the left and downwards.

Of course, it is unclear at this stage whether this is the cause of his behaviour. My hope is that once his skeletal and muscle structure is re-aligned that the neural messages will have a better flow and that it will relieve his discomfort. The chiropractor, as I did, also noted that his pupils are continuously dilated, which may suggest pain/discomfort.

Josh and I will return next week and he may need a further 2-3 treatments or more. We may still need to look at behavioural work as we do not know how long he has behaved in this way. Let’s be positive and think it will have a healing impact and that it will improve his behaviour, so he can find his forever home.

Josh had his x-ray yesterday at Fivelands vets. The results came out clear. There is nothing they could see. They agreed that the proprioception is slow/delayed. Next stop is Wendy Lymer the Chiropractor who I will contact today to make an appointment.

Hope all goes well for Josh tomorrow. Xxx

A quick update on Josh, myself and Ruth visited the vets today. We explained what has been going on with Josh. I also showed him videos of his behaviour.

The vet did his examination, it was funny as Josh seemed to enjoy the manipulations. Then a proprioception test was carried out (curling of his paw and see how quick he places his paw back on the floor). There seems to be a deficit in his re-action. Josh is now booked in for an X-Ray this Monday.

Bless you Erik for taking the time out of your very busy days to write such a detailed update for us. I really hope that josh problems can soon be diagnosed and then successfully treated so he can live a healthy happy life than he deserves

Thanks so much to Erik for everything he is doing to help Josh and for the comprehensive update on his health. Hoping all this information will help to pinpoint what is causing Josh's problems and he can hopefully go on to find his forever home. Xxx

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has been following Josh with me. I have been very busy acting as a full time nurse for him with frequent trips to the vets. The good news is after all these weeks of intense care Josh has been discharge as his wound is now almost closed. A couple of more days of manuka honey treatment and fingers crossed it will have nicely closed up.

As he has been healing it has also been a good opportunity to observe his behaviour. Specifically the main trigger points for his aggressive reactions are:

· When he is lying down and an approach is made from the rear.

· Noise can be a trigger.

Some noise sensitivity examples are;

· Josh will almost jump up and walk away as quickly as he can when he hears the hourly tick of our clock in the living room.

· I have a terrible cough at the moment, and when a have a cough attack, Josh will bark aggressively at me.

· My wife had a WhatsApp call and he barked aggressively at her.

He seems to protect his back.

· Josh does like to lay down in such a way that the sofa is protecting his back.

· Approaches to his back by my hounds and that will cause him to react aggressively.

· Josh can flinch when he is touched.

Josh is going to have a full medical assessment which may include a scan. Hopefully this will give us some answers to his unpredictable behaviour which means currently he cannot be re-homed. This is such a shame, as Josh and I have built some trust. There have been such tender moments with Josh. He has come for a cuddle and almost buries his head in my lap. He is pleased to see us when we come home. There is a really nice Josh hiding in him, it will take time to see if the real Josh can reveal himself.

Any updates on how josh is doing and if any physical health problems have been found to have caused some of his little issues?

Poor Josh. It's sad to see he is still struggling with some sort of currently unknown issue & I v much hope you can soon get to know what's what. And then I hope even more treatment/ & behaviour therapy will be able to help so that he can have a long and happy life. When I read your post Erik about his eyes been dilated all the time it made me wonder if he's had a brain injury that's caused long term damage

Josh was sadly returned as he had been displaying uncharacteristic aggressive behaviour towards his owners. In the kennels he was extremely stressed so Ruth asked me to foster him. Since taking him home, I have delayed putting on a post (which I usually do quickly) as it has been a stressful few days trying to get Josh to eat, take his meds and assess his unpredictable behaviour. Staying at the kennels would have escalated his stress and this would have made it more difficult to assess him by Ruth and her team.

As you know from Ruth's previous post, we had an emergency vet trip on Sunday as Josh sustained an injury to his shoulder after an altercation with Caesar. From recent photos and the stitches, the vets say it does not look like a bite. It seems that Josh simply collided with the crate which caused his injury.

Following this incident, it feels very much like 'why oh why does this happen?' However, It needs to be understood that the greyhounds I work with have issues and, sometimes serious issues, and it does create a risk that they suddenly do something unexpected.

What I have discovered so far is that Josh is fine whilst standing. He has not displayed any snapping or lunging whilst standing. It is different when he is lying down, he becomes very defensive, is easily startled but the risk of lunging and snapping is dramatically increased. He sometimes provides warning signs but on other occasions it is from lying down to attack in a split second. This happened at the weekend and yesterday both towards Caesar. I have also noticed that his pupils are constantly dilated which is a concern - for his protection he is muzzled for the majority of the time.

Our plan of action is firstly an appointment with a Chiropractor. If this does not show anything obvious we will have him fully assessed and if that does not give us any answers we will go to a certified clinical animal behaviourist who is a sighthound specialist. Although I am a dog trainer and enroute to becoming a qualified animal behaviourist, sometimes you need to accept your own limitations. Hence I have asked someone with more experience to potentially take Josh's case on.

He is a lovely boy when on all fours and comes for a cuddle. He is a very gentle and sensitive soul and our main priority is to find a solution as to why he exhibits this behaviour and how we can help him overcome it.

Sending lots of love to Josh tonight. Xxx

Sending lots of love to Josh tonight. Xxx

Poor Josh. I hope you feel better soon and your leg heals quickly. x

Just sent a donation to the poor chap, vet bills are so expensive!

Poor Josh, we have just sent a little something to help pay for your treatment. Xx

Thank you shanishoo - I am so grateful. I have been blown away by the generosity of so many already today and have already raised £315 towards his treatment. xxxx

Hope you feel better soon, just made a donation, just wanted to let Ruth know it's for you. Big hugs xxxxxx

Oh Josh, my sister human works there. She saw you last night and helped. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Lubs Monty and Family x

Last night Josh, who is in foster with Erik, had to be admitted as an emergency to the vets - he unfortunately cut open all of the top of his leg. He was kept in overnight at 608 and I went with Erik first thing this morning to collect him. Poor boy is very sad and we are now faced with a vet bill of £1,062.22! If you are able to help us with this, we would be so grateful by clicking on the donate button on Josh's page under his photos. x

So sad to see Josh is back at the kennels. Xxx

Poor lad, good luck in finding your forever home xxx

Unfortunately Josh has been returned today as he has snapped at his owners for no apparent reason. We are going to get him assessed by a chiropractor to rule out any underlying medical issues.

Im so happy that josh has got a home I hope you have lots of fun with your new family you josh are so lovely and I hope you get lots of cuddles

Ah this is what we needed to see, a lovely red sign. Well done handsome fella, so happy for you. x

So happy for Josh! :)) Xxx

Well done Josh, a lovely new home xxxxxx

I love seeing Josh lying on the trampoline bed in the outside kennel taking the sights and sounds around him.
He's a beautiful lad. Xxx

Very sadly Josh has come back from foster this afternoon. After a promising start, he is just not too happy around the other dogs in the household and was unfortunately making them unsettled.

His foster Mum was very upset to return him, but it has to be right for all concerned. We feel he may be better as an only dog.

Josh is so friendly and loving, all he wants is lots of love and he is getting used to having long walks in the morning with his Foster sisters. He has been for a ride in the car today to the park, he travelled well and he walks lovely on the lead he is just so good.

Hi 70netty, Great to hear Josh is settling well with you all. :)) He is a lovely boy. Xxx

Josh has settled in well at the moment he has been for a walk with my other two dogs and he has also been in the garden with them and yes he can do stairs but a little bit unsure to come back down on his own but if he has got someone with him he is fine

Met the adorable Josh when we came up to the kennels today even my grumpy Maddie liked him he has a lovely temprament surely his sofa can,t be far away

Great news for Josh, hope all goes well xxxx

Iv been today to see if josh gets on with my dog's on staff called sky and my greyhound blossom they all got on well so I'm so glad that I'm going to Foster josh and I'm picking him up on Sunday

Hi Tally, I am unsure if he does steps and stairs but we will test him today and comment later! Even if he doesn't, he can be trained.

I meet this handsome lad today he is so sweet and friendly he just wants cuddles and love I didn't want to leave him there I just want to bring him home with me

Does Josh do steps and stairs?

Sadly Josh was returned to Daybreaks last week and does seem to be missing the "home comforts" that he has become used to over the last few months.
He is not finding it easy to settle back into kennel life so it seemed a good idea to give him a visit to Elmdon Park today.
He behaved perfectly, travelled well in the car and had no problems meeting other breeds of dogs.
He's an extremely handsome blue boy with a beautiful silky coat. Hopefully it won't be too long before someone meets this lad and finds it impossible not to offer him the new home he really deserves

Josh has been quite unsettled since coming back to the kennels. He spent the day sitting with my Skip and Lyra. He is a very loving, affectionate lad just looking for the right home. Xxx

Very sadly things have not worked out this time for Josh. His owner was very upset to have to return him. Xxx

Sad to see handsome boy Josh back at the kennels
Massive cuddles for him tonight. Xxxx

Well done Josh, great to see you get a new home so quickly. Hope you have a lovely retirement with your new family x

It was great to see Josh go home today. :)) Do hope all goes well, wishing him and his new family lots of happy times together. Xxx

Aw Josh, lovely rehoming photo, be happy sweetheart xxxxx

Well done sweetheart xxxxx

Brilliant to see Josh reserved today! His new Mum spent lots of time with him...he loved all the extra attention and fuss and was very sad when she had to go home! Xxx

Ooh Lucy, lovely new photos of Josh! :) Xxx

Josh is a very gentle lad, with a very handsome face! Xxx

Handsome Josh is not happy with the way we make the beds at Daybreaks!! When I opened up this morning, his duvet and blankets had been scooped up into a big pile in the corner of the bed - and his pillows had been thrown on the floor!!!

Such a gorgeous boy with the most beautiful eyes - sending him a cuddle tonight. xx

Josh is a sweet boy - he walks lovely on the lead and passed a fluffy collie on the lane with no issues! x

Such a gorgeous boy, good luck in finding your forever home Josh xxxxxx

A welcome cuddle for Josh tonight. Looking forward to meeting him tomorrow. :)) Xxx

I very rarely get to go on a walk, but this afternoon I managed to! I took Josh on an afternoon walk, he is very gentle on the lead, not bothered by loud noises from the construction site and only showed a little interest in the squirrel in the rugby club! All in all a lovely blue boy. Don't think he will be with us too long. Xx