Have a great Birthday Minnie from The New Icemaid Clan xxxxxx

Tom says Happy Birthday to his sister Minnie, hope that you are ok. x

Tom says hi, hope you have had a fab birthday Minnie.xx

Happy Birthday Minnie! Xxx

Happy Birthday to my lovely Minnie - 6 today!

I cannot believe that Minnie and her brother Tom are so alike, watching the youtube clip just shows how alike they are. Tom speaks too like that and he often does it to get attention or play. We showed Tom the clip this morning on our computer and he just put his nose to the screen, bless them both.

Well, it has been a year since I adopted the troublesome Minnie - time has just flown by.

She is still just as cheeky as she was when we first got her, only now she has the confidence wreak even more havoc upon our home! Her newest trick is unzipping my mum's treat bag and eating all of the treats out of it.

I also taught her to "speak", possibly the biggest mistake I have ever made as she loves doing it. My mum, however, does not think it is as adorable as I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0t04Rc7MdU

Problem is, she now speaks every time I put my knife and fork together or look like I have finished my dinner. She has also started lying down at my feet and then resting her head in a vertical position on my leg so she can look at me with her big sad eyes, because by not giving her my dinner I am obviously neglecting her. (In her view at least!) She also manages to talk whilst resting her head too. What a multi-talented girl.

The other day we were playing a game and halfway through Minnie decided that I needed to be dragged to her bed. So she grabbed my hand in her mouth (gently of course) and then took me over to her bed where she let go of my hand, promptly lay down and then wiggled her paw at me because she wanted her tummy scratching.

This past year with Minnie has just been the best of my life and she has taught me so much. I love her to bits and am so happy that Ruth asked me to foster her because otherwise I never would have chosen a dog like her. :)

Hi there. As soon as I did my Tom comment, I thought it's Minnie's birthday too.

Happy Birthday to Minnie, so sweet just like Tom.

Happy Birthday to my lovely Minnie!

Minnie, what a very elegant young lady! Great photo. xxx

Oh, what a lovely photo of Minnie.

Her brother Drumscraw Tom says "Hello".

Gorgeous new photo of Minnie on her hols in Yorkshire :-)

Had our daisy 6 months love her two bits xx she's decided she like shaving a nose on the work surfaces to see what she can find . Last night a whole carrot cake was eat and today whole apple pie daisy really enjoyed these shebeens a tinker xx

My mum and Minnie came up to visit me in York over the weekend and we all went to stay in a lovely cottage in Old Byland.

Minnie had a great time up in North Yorkshire, despite the cold wind and snow. There were loads of places to explore and she loved every minute of it. I think her favourite moment though was when a hare ran straight down the road in front of us - very exciting for her and me both!

I sent Ruth a photo of Minnie and asked if she could please put it on the website. It is a picture I took today in a wooded area just off the Cleveland Way. :)

Glad to hear how Minnie is doing.

She sounds just like her brother Drumscraw Tom,
he is a food monster too.

Whilst I have been away at uni it appears that Minnie has been up to her usual antics. Two of the most entertaining so far are:

Licking the peanut butter off my mum's toast but leaving the actual toast alone. Which, I will admit, is unusual as she is not one to turn down 'free' food. Perhaps she thought my mum wouldn't notice the missing topping if her toast was still there.

Stealing a pineapple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen top, taking it to her bed in the lounge and lying down on top of it. Surely there must be more comfortable things to steal from the fruit bowl than a pineapple?!

Needless to say I have missed her very much whilst I have been at uni and cannot wait to see her again on Saturday.

Minnie really enjoyed her time at the kennels today - spoilt is the word I am looking for I think! She is no less spoilt when she comes home though, I just picked up some lovely (from the dog's point of view, not mine) cow ribs for them all from the farmer and I don't think that Minnie has ever been so enthralled in her entire life. She has had a good day. :)

Also I think she is grasping the concept of 'sit'! I can't tell you how happy I was that she did it yesterday, I have been trying to get her to do it for a while but I never catch her at the right time. She didn't quite remember today but the way she moved you could see the little cogs in her head working.

Bless, she is so sweet and I adore her to pieces. I couldn't have asked for a more loving, cheeky and entertaining dog, she really is so fantastic that words do her no justice.

Minnie is doing so well and remains as cheeky as ever! I have now hidden the angry bird toy in my cupboard as de-slobbering it once was enough for me. She did look very cute with her head resting on top of it though, she must have been practicing the 'innocent' look though as she has it pretty much perfect. She also loves the giant floppy toy dalmatian that I own and delights in trying to pull it around by its ears - something which she struggles with as it is almost as long as she is. She often just settles for a vigorous chewing of the dalmatians paws. She's so hard done by.

I want to say that she had a fabulous time at the Warwickshire Countryside Day today but I think the truth of it is that she had a boring time and wanted to go home a good few hours before we did. I also want to mention that clearly the judge was awfully biased against greyhounds as she didn't even place in the prettiest bitch class. She wins prettiest bitch every day in my books, if that counts for anything. (I don't think that she helped her cause though by looking the other way when the judge came round.) The judge also commented on her muscly bum, so as she didn't place I think that perhaps the beauty of muscular greyhound bottoms was lost on said judge!

To top her day off we just had a lovely race around the park. Needless to say she didn't let me win - she wasn't even running properly and I lost. :( Perhaps eventually she'll take pity on me and let me reach the exit gate first...

Minnie - you are certainly a cheeky little character and sound like you are really enjoying yourself and completely making yourself at home. So pleased everything's going so well. x

I might spoil Minnie some more and get her a little angry bird. I wonder if the ones that make the bird 'laughing' noises are dog safe...

Minnie has also discovered a love of socks. My mum had her walking socks in her hand yesterday and Minnie decided that she wanted one of them. She pulled the sock until it stretched right out, let go, and then her teeth went "SNAP" in midair as she didn't quite understand that the sock stretched and was most bemused when it sprang back so fast. My mum then went to start putting said socks on and Minnie kept trying to steal them off her feet! I think I found it funnier than my mum did.

Also Winniethepooh, would you like to meet up for a walk at some point? I'd very much like to meet Tom and yourselves. :)

Love the angry birds story - Cookie is equally obsessed and we have resorted to hiding the angry bird toy as she throws it round the house like she was a puppy!

I was going to ask how Minnie was doing but you beat me to it.

So glad to hear how she is getting on, sounds like she is thoroughly enjoying retirement.

Minnie has settled in with us fantastically. She is so happy and jolly, it really is a pleasure to see. She adores her walks and loves going to new places. We went out (we being me, Minnie, my mum and Freya) to the field today to check on the horses and Minnie was adamant about looking for the badger we saw there the previous night. (We went down at about 8pm and on the way back up the hill the dogs were clearly onto something, I stopped to look around and saw a baby badger about 15ft away from me and Minnie. Needless to say, all of the dogs were beside themselves with excitement and were desperate to go and 'meet' the poor thing.) She wasn't worried about the horses at all today which is a positive change from the day before as she was quite scared of them the first time. On the way back towards the gate my mum let Freya off and Minnie was desperate to run around and play with her as well, I didn't dare let her off though. However, she did have a couple of lovely rolls in the wet grass.

Walking from the field we did a roughly 3 mile loop around the area near Hatton Country World and she had a great time - we even had a muntjac deer leap out onto the track in front of us too at one point. Badger and deer, clearly the field (and surrounding areas) are just way too exciting if you are a dog. She is learning to 'heel' very well and is a very smart and receptive to commands. I am amazed on how fast she picks up on stuff and will do anything for some cocktail sausage. Next thing to work on, getting her to sit! Still working on the 'leave it' command though. All credit to her though, she is improving in leaps and bounds.

There was a very funny moment earlier with her toys. They were getting a bit crusty with slobber so I decided to put them all in the wash. Anyway, I come in with them later in the evening from the back garden where they had been drying on the line and Minnie is utterly over the moon to see them all again. (She must've missed them earlier when she was excited about dinner and wanted to play with something, but there was nothing to play with except her ball.) Anyway, she pried the pheasant from my hands and walked off with it. Thinking nothing of it, I continued on through the house and then I met Minnie in the hallway, this time she took the horse with the wiggly legs off me. Now all that was left of her toys was the floppy duck with a demolished squeaker. Thinking something was up this time I decided to wait to see if she'd come back again. Sure enough she did and this time she claimed the duck from me. Anyway, I continued on into the lounge, where her bed is, to see all the toys put 'neatly' (I am sure it was neat for a greyhound) on the floor surrounding it. It made me laugh at any rate - she really is such a character.

Later on in the day Martin came over with a giant angry bird that he had bought for me. When I say giant, this thing must be about 18 to 20 inches tall. (It may be more or less, I just looked at it and guessed.) Minnie's eyes virtually popped out of her head at the sight of this thing. Clearly Martin had bought /her/ a giant toy and she was going to hoard it like she had never hoarded anything ever before. I think she was quite upset when we told her she couldn't have it, because she kept staring at it longingly with her little beady eyes for a while afterwards.

The shoes are still a big hit, only it has now gone from hoarding to playing. I think I may have to start hiding all the shoes so she can't get her grubby little paws on them in the future. Although it isn't just shoes now, she likes to hoard my brother's wallet (huge hit with him), my camera (even bigger hit with me), the dog brushes (the Kong one now has many puncture marks down the side of it) and the dog food bowls. Although the bowls are less popular as hoarding material now as I promptly pick them up and wash them out, so she doesn't get the chance to run off with them much anymore!

Lovely to read this great update - Minnie sounds like an absolute darling. You have to laugh at their antics don't you, even of sometimes you should be cross with them!! Lovely that she's finding her feet and settling into family life. x

Minnie really is settling in so well and enjoying her time here a great deal.

I bought her a memory foam mattress bed from Pets at Home today and a blanket to go on top of it too. She was obviously disappointed that I hadn't brought any toys back with me because she started to play with her bed instead. Here was me thinking it was Freya I'd need to worry about (she has destroyed many bed interiors) but it looks like Minnie may have a good go as well! (Although she'd never mean to destroy it, I can totally see her doing it by accident.) She hasn't done it since I put the blanket on top, so hopefully she'll just play with that in the future. Anybody would think she is deprived of toys - it isn't like she has a huge pile of them next to the TV stand or anything!

Her cheeky nature really is starting to come through, she is such an opportunist. Earlier my mum was loading up the dishwasher and had a baking tray in her hand that had salmon on it the night before. Sneakily (I say this as I didn't even notice her getting into position) Minnie gets her teeth round the tray and starts trying to tug it out of my mum's possession! She really does make us laugh with all her antics.

Underneath all her cheekiness though she is such a loving dog and a real cuddle monster. She adores all the fuss and attention, along with trying to stop you from moving if you attempt to leave after stroking her for a while.

She really is a joy to have around and I am so grateful and happy that she is able to stay with us. :) A more loving and entertaining dog I could not wish for.

The Stig used to collect shoes and so does The Hamster now. With the exception of one flip-flop (Hammy) they didn't/don't chew them either, just rest their chins on them. It's really quite sweet, I think ;)

Haha - what is it with greys & shoes???!!! Minnie, be a good girl and have a lovely life. x

that is one happy hound xx

Really pleased for Minnie, we felt guilty taking Larry away from his kennel mate. xx

Well done Minnie! Wishing you all lots of fun and happiness together! xxx

So pleased to read this, it sounds like she is very similar to her brother Tom (Drumscraw Tom), he likes to collect shoes as well, he doesn't chew them though just sits with them in his bed.

I hope all goes well for you and Minnie.

As you may have guessed from the reserved sign, we are definitely keeping Minnie! I'm going to go in today to get her papers all sorted and then she is officially mine - I'm so excited. :D

Haha, that sounds amazing. At least she loses interest in them though. It wasn't until last night that Minnie decided that shoes were also a collectible, just after I read your comment about Freda and your shoes actually. Only difference is that Minnie thinks that they are super fun to play with - we humans hold the opposite view here.

The bowl hoarding still continues, you'll be pleased to hear. Although we have managed to avoid any more catastrophes with the water bowl and its companion bucket. (She probably thinks we are the most boring humans in the world at this rate!)

Oh, that's so lovely to hear - I hope you do keep her as she will be so happy somewhere that she's getting to know already. I'm sure training classes will be of huge benefit to her, it must be hard when their instinct is to chase, that's all they've done all their life and then suddenly we expect them not to!! She sounds gorgeous, I can just see her walking round carrying bowls & buckets - Freda has developed the habit of picking up any shoes that are on the floor by the back door & carrying them either to her bed or the settee - she loses interest in them then!! They are such funny things but so adorable. I hope all continues to go well and she does become part of your family. It will be very hard to take Freda back next week - if only circumstances were different........Good luck & best wishes to you all.

Minnie be a very good girl because you may have found your new home!

Minnie has settled in so well that it looks like we will be keeping her! My mum says she thinks we will, so as long as Minnie doesn't set the house on fire or anything I think it will all be good.

I told her earlier to be on her best behaviour for tonight. So a little while after her walk she wanders off into the hallway and I hear this crash. Wondering what on earth is going on I get up only to see Minnie walking into the lounge with her water bowl in her mouth. Needless to say the water was no longer in the bowls and instead spread all over the hallway. After cleaning up the wet floors, I start to vacuum the lounge and see Minnie walk in quietly behind me. She then leaves, I just thought she didn't like the noise the vacuum made. I then stop, start to reel up the wire and I see her walk in with the green bucket Ruth lent me. Her water bowl sits in the green bucket. I had the joys of cleaning up all her water again! Ah, apparently by best behaviour I actually meant "hoard the strangest things you can". She is such a character. Albeit a very adorable one.

Minnie appears to be fine with the chickens, she isn't bothered when she sees them through the windows. The cat however is a bit of a different story. She is getting better at coming back to her name when the cat appears but I think (if my mum still stays on the 'keeping Minnie' road) I'll take her to training classes to try and work on her desire to get acquainted with the cat.

I'm so glad Freda is doing well, I remember her from when she was in kennels. A really cute little girl. I've really enjoyed reading all your comments on how she has been getting on. :)

Hope Minnie is settling in. She sounds a real character, I think this only starts to show once they are away from the kennel environment. We've loved having Freda - your description of lunch sounds exactly like Freda was - they're both "foodies", and she must have thought her name was "No" the number of times we said it! But she got the message eventually and is so much better now - hopefully Minnie will be the same too. Hope she doesn't get too interested in the chickens, it must be so hard for them to adjust to all the new rules we set for them. Enjoy Minnie and lets hope that both her & Freda (the long stay girls) will find a forever home very soon.

I forgot to mention, she absolutely adores her toys. Especially the soft ones. She has great fun waving them around and carrying them about the house.

I got back with the lovely Minnie about an hour ago. She's quite stressed but is settling down now.

She certainly is very food obsessed. Within 5 seconds of being in the kitchen she has mostly cleaned a plate of grated cheese. Looks like we'll have to implement a 'no food whatsoever on the tops' policy again!

The most exciting bit for her though was when I got my lunch - I think she wanted it far more than I did. I sat down on the sofa and, after many "no"s, Minnie had also (mostly) got the message that the food was mine. She then plonked down on her bum and sat watching me. It was just the cutest thing.

I took her out into the garden with the chickens and she was interested, but not interested in chasing them. That may change as she gets more settled in so I'll see how she goes. After putting the chickens away I let her wander around the garden under my supervision, she had great fun dashing up and down for a couple of lengths of the lawn.

Minnie also gets on well with our two Retrievers.

Oh, that is good news.

Thank you so much Maddy - you are fab!

We are desperate for a foster home for Minnie - she has been used to a home before but unfortunately came back due to a marriage break up. She has been here for so long, she really deserves to sample home life again. She is good with other breeds and other than being energetic on the lead, she is a very good girl and clean in her kennel.

No one for Minnie yet, keeping my fingers crossed someone chooses you very soon.

For some reason this morning I thought of Minnie as myself and my hubby were talking about our Tom's racing family. I had been looking at their info on Greyhound Data some time ago, I realised looking today that Minnie is our Tom's sister.

Reading up on Minnie here she sounds just like Tom very loving and likes a bit of fun too.

She may suit a family if she is like Tom as he is very friendly and ok with other dogs.

I hope that Minnie finds a home very soon.

minnie is great she loves to run around and play but most of all she loves a cuddle!

Why is she still not been snapped up? She's gorgeous?

she looks so relaxed in the sun!

What a lovely new photo of Minnie, I am sure these new photos will win someone's heart to adopt a greyhound.

lovely ears :)

you caaan :o) xx

Ah Minnie, can't believe u r still here! Would love to take u home if I could... But I can't! B good... U get my hug today... Neil, Ade & James (the grey) x

I cuddled this girl a bit yesterday but she just wanted out in the run, so we locked her in with my 6yr old daughter, and lets just say this pocket rocket is a darling. As soon as I asked Heather to stop chasing Minnie, she turned round and gave Heather the look of - "Come on then" so they chased around again. She is adorable and would def suit a family for a bit of fun.

When I come at the weekend am hoping to see you. From what the others have said, you are an angel! :O

Hi little one, we saw you the other day and can't understand why you haven't been snapped up? Your such a lovely little thing. Can anyone who knows you tell us what your like with other dogs, non greys and children please? Hope you have a nice day poppet. Xx

cuddle for you Minnie today, you look so sweet xxx

awwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sweet doggie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I saw Mini on Sunday. I passed her several times and thought I just had to go in and sit with her. As soon as I did, well, I got soaked in kisses and cuddles - very loving and such a cutie. xx

i walked Minnie yesterday and wow is she good on the lead doesn't pull much at all and she loved to be out on a walk. she should get a home quickly with her personality, for sure!

Can't wait till I meet this little girl on Saturday

Love the bath Picture and her eyes , she looks like she thinks shes the queen of the world , The Eyes did it for me when I found Carrie and with these Eyes , its wont be long before that Rehomed tag is on her photo

What a soulful little face this girl has. She looks so sweet and gentle. Hopefuly she can rest and chill out now at Daybreaks. xxxx

Ooooh Minnie!!! Smashing name & gorgeous face :-) xx

wat an angel

bless her xxxx

What a face, that looks like 'butter wouldn't melt on my mouth' sort of face!!Hope you enjoyed your bath Minnie you look as if you were loving the cuddles that went with it!!
Good luck xx

What a lovely face. She doesn't look too impressed with having a bath! xxx