When I told my dad that I was going to blog about getting and owning a dog for the first twelve months, he suggested that I might run out of material.

I’m not sure Faye would agree.

She has recently discovered rolling on her back in the grass. It’s very funny to watch; she rubs her neck and spine from side to side and wriggles around carefree, before lifting her head, batting her eyelashes and pretending that it wasn’t her. A polite, graceful lady dog would never behave like that!

When greyhounds roll on to their backs it is called ‘roaching’ as they are a little like cockroaches. Faye hadn’t roached at all for us in the first few months; she has only quite recently added roaching to her body language vocabulary. I believe it indicates she feels settled and safe. In any case, most of the time she sleeps in all kinds of random ‘bed fail’ positions, but it doesn’t seem to be any problem. She loves the soft fabrics on her beds and blankets, but sometimes forgets how to position them (even after ‘digging’ them up a little and rotating herself a few times).

This month has also been the month that I decided trimming claws was just too stressful for all concerned with the regular clippers, and turned to the dremel instead. I wish I’d done it sooner. When we had guinea pigs I could wrap them in a towel and trim their claws. Occasionally they would bleed a tiny bit if I got the quick, with a sharp squeak in case I hadn’t noticed. Faye is substantially larger, and also needs her claws trimming as she doesn’t wear her claws down enough on walks. She prefers trotting along on grassy verges as much as possible and often we walk in the woods or by fields.

So I looked out my husband’s grandfather’s old dremel. Trimming Faye’s nails with an electric tool meant getting her used to the sound for a few days first (it is rather buzzy) and then preparing lots of high-value treats (cheese), before enticing her into the kitchen, holding her down with a towel (husband assistance needed here) and speaking gently, while taking each paw and rounding off and trimming down the claws.

A dremel is a rotating hand-held tool which has many end pieces – we use one like a little drum with sandpaper on and that seemed to work really well. I did forget to get photos, but once Faye got the idea she complied really well and didn’t fuss at all, which was a big relief.

It’s not just claws that I’ve been keen to care for though. We’ve been adding oats to Faye’s food to help with her bare bum – we think the fur is actually returning but need to keep the oats going longer to be certain.

We also try and remember to clean her teeth to keep them healthy, but to make this work and so that I don’t forget I’ve moved her toothbrush and toothpaste to my office, so that I can catch her while she’s lying down near me. Faye enjoys having her teeth cleaned.

She’s getting a little more assertive with us too at times.

This term the children’s school will be completing an extension. At the moment the kitchen is out of action, so all school dinners are served in pre-packed paper bags. We now have a lot of these. One time I tipped Faye’s breakfast left-overs into a bag and gave it to her to take into a safe space (the living room!), tear it open and snuffle around for all the kibble. It only took one occasion and she’s learned to leave half her food most breakfasts to get a paper bag experience most days. I will have to find a new solution when the school dinners are back to normal.

In any case, last week she must have shaken the bag around or carried it upside down, as the contents were all over the living room, and she came up to me and wanted me to see.

It was not art.

I told her firmly that she had to come over and eat it all up. After a few repeats, she got the message. Her tail dropped and she went around the room systematically crunching each little bit until it was all gone. Tearing up paper bags is stimulating for her, but making a mess is not encouraged, so we clear it up afterwards. She has not made a mess again, thankfully!

With the longer summer evenings Faye and I have enjoyed trying some longer walks. I discovered a new walking route to a nearby village with some paths alongside fields which have gates both ends. Perfect for a little off-lead time, but she doesn’t run away. It’s nice that she doesn’t like to be too far away anyway. This has been useful as we have encountered lots of blackberry pickers this year near the fields.

We also discovered a larger field in the next village designed for running dogs off-lead. Apparently today she made friends there with a whippet. She’s super with other sight-hounds, but I am keen not to let her run with other dogs without a muzzle, in case she suddenly bites. Racing dogs always wear muzzles as they do get highly charged, and she can be silly when she’s running about. Half the time she seems to be on squirrel watch. I have to admit I would never have realised quite how many squirrels live near us if I hadn’t had Faye stopping to watch them so often.

The shadows are longer now as the year progresses, and the air is often cooler when we are out walking, so frequently now we are back to putting Faye’s coat on and remembering not to let her overheat.

Coat or no coat, Faye is still something of a local celebrity; walking into the village invariably involves stopping to chat with people who want to ask questions about her, and if I started charging children at the school gates to stroke her, I’d be making a fortune. Many of the children smile when they see her and love how friendly and approachable she is. Faye probably thinks her real name is “Look-at-that-dog!” now. She takes it all in her stride though.

After all, she can look at me, bat her eyelashes and remind me with her huge doggy eyes that she is a polite graceful lady dog really.

And most of the time, I’d have to agree.