Coach Ursala - 9/15 - Skills

Excellent roaching, am I right?

Hi all:
I'm Coach Ursala and I am still in search of my furever family. Yesterday I shared some of what I am looking for, so I thought today I would share a few of my skills:

Mr. G takes up a lot of space,
but I still ride nicely.

1. Roaching. I am excellent at roaching. Mr. G has been retired since April and hasn't quite the hang of it, but I am already an expert. I can roach anywhere; even sometimes in my crate when I am really just hoping to get another walk.
2. Riding in the car. I know I have said this before, but Mr. G is a space hog. Anyway, space hog or no, I ride in the car just fine. Sometimes I sit (on my own, not on command) and other times I lie down, but I never cause any trouble or commotion.
3. Shopping. I am an excellent shopping companion. Is there somewhere you need to go? I will go with you! I like to help you pick out the best things for greyhounds and also meet all the people.

I am greyt at shopping!

I have a lot more skills than this, but I hope I have convinced you that I am definitely worth getting to know. Talk to you soon!

Bye for now!
Ursala

Coach Ursala - 9/14 - ISO

Me with my current cat friend, Miss Thing

Hi all:

I'm Coach Ursala and I am in search of my furever family. To make that search better, I wanted to share with all of you what I am looking for:

You heard me say I like beds, right?

Exploring the new development nearby with Mr. G

1. Friends: I love friends. I love cat friends. I love dog friends--everything from chihuahuas to Great Danes. Most of all, I love people friends. I've learned that not everyone I pass on a walk wants to meet me, but if someone shows any interest, I am ready to jump on that opportunity!
2. Beds: I love dog beds. Please provide lots of dog beds, and that will be good for me. In fact, if you don't have a dog bed in every room; you can just plan on dragging one around with you, which is what L does for me.
3. Adventures: I'm not fussy. L and J don't have a fenced yard, but I'm sure that I would like that. I do like car rides to the pet store, the vet, restaurants, special walks, adoption events. You want to go? I'm ready!

Ok, can't think of anything else that really matters right now. Hope you all have a greyt week and we'll talk soon.

Bye for now!
Ursala

Coach Ursala - 9/11/17 - Adventures!

Walking and meeting people--two of my favorite things!

Hi everyone:

Wow, another greyt week has just flown by! I really enjoyed the beautiful weather that we had. We got to have a lot of nice walks, including another long walk at the lake. Because the weather is so nice, there have been a lot of opportunities to meet people and dogs. I love meeting people! There have also been a bunch of deer hanging around outside the house, which is really interesting, but L says I can't chase them, so I don't.

Having an adventure at the vet!

Today I got to have a new adventure. L needed to pick up some things at the vet for Mr. G and Miss Thing, so I got to tag along. There were a lot of opportunities to meet people, which is my favorite thing. (Am I repeating myself? Maybe, but it's true!) Someone even took photos of me because I'm so beautiful.

Talk to you soon!
Ursala

Coach Ursala - 9/6 - Fun Times and Rainy Days

I also walked under this pool.

Hi all:

Ursala here! Sorry I haven't written for a bit. L and J went out of town this weekend, and we have all been getting back into our groove. Mr. G and I stayed with another foster family while they were gone. I learned about a new kind of dog while I was there—have you heard of chihuahuas?—and I also enjoyed having a fenced yard to hang out in.

Tired after my long walk.

After L and J got back on Sunday, things went back into their normal swing. Since we had missed our long Sunday walk, we did a long walk on Monday evening after the weather had started to cool off. On our walk, we saw deer, beavers, squirrels, and birds. It was fun! I am getting pretty good at ignoring all the wildlife when I walk, even the small furry creatures. I love meeting people though and do it every chance I get.

No baths, please?

On Tuesday, I got a little messy and had to have a bath. Don't I look pathetic in my picture? You won't make me take a bath if I come home with you, will you? If I have to, I will be really good for you like I was for L, but I would prefer if we could skip the whole bath thing. K? Thanks!

Today is shaping up to be a better day, even though it's raining. I don't mind walking in the rain, but Mr. G doesn't like it, so he keeps asking to go home. I just go forward thought.

Walking, tongue out style.

Hope your week is good! Talk soon!

Bye for now!

Ursala

Coach Ursala - 8/28 - Sunday Funday (One Day Later)

Hi everyone:

I got excited about the beautiful weather and
forgot to look at the camera. Oops!

Hope you had a great weekend. This week continued my streak of Sunday Fundays. Yesterday, we started out the morning with another trip to the National Arboretum. L and J stopped to get bagels on the way there. I liked getting to meet everyone in line, but for some reason, they forgot to get us bagels. Anyway, we went for a walk and we got to meet lots of kids and dogs, plus we posed for our portrait with L.

So comfy!

After that we went to meet some of L and J's friends at a brewery. There were lots of dogs and people there. I made friends with the people at the table next to us and tried to convince them to take me home. I think I might have been able to convince the husband, but L told me I have to wait for adoption day. Oh well. After that, I decided it would be good to lie down and relax, and there was a convenient flower bed right there, which was perfect because Mr. G was hogging our blanket.

Checking out the digs.

We ended our day by going out to dinner. There was a nice dog-friendly patio. It was pretty quiet, but that was all right because it meant that everyone who walked by had time and room to pet us. We had lots of admirers. Several people sat down at the nearby tables to talk to us and pet us. Once again, L and J forgot to share any of their dinner with us, but once we realized that they weren't going to, we settled down. (Please note: Mr. G is still a blanket hog, but I'm a good sport.)

At the end of a long day, we headed home for our own dinner and a quiet evening. I can't wait for another adventure soon. Want to go with me next time? Don't forget to fill out your adoption application!

Bye for now!
Ursala

Coach Ursala - 8/22 - Post-Eclipse Day

Hi everyone:

Practicing on my bed

Hope you all had a greyt weekend! I know i did. In fact, I was so busy I forgot to write. Saturday marked three weeks of official retirement. I have been practicing with my bed every day, and I am getting really good at it. I have even started trying out fancy moves. I have a pretty good emotive down now. In the morning, Mr. G and I have first out followed by breakfast. Then we get a walk before work. Mr. G and I work by being quiet in our crates while L and J have to go somewhere to work. I don't know what they do, but Mr. G and I are excellent at our jobs.

Admiring the lakeside view

After work, the real fun begins. That is when we get most of our walks and also cuddle time. Since it is getting dark earlier, sometimes it's hard to do a long walk in the evening, but on the weekends, we can go further. Recently, we walked around Lake Artemesia. We saw a lot of other dogs and also ducks, geese, beavers, and deer. It was pretty awesome.

Happy Tongue-out Tuesday!

It's been pretty hot the last couple days, which means we can't walk outside as much. I'm happy not to be outside in the heat, but I am really looking forward to the cool front headed our way so I can go back to enjoying my long walks.

 Bye for now!
Ursala

Coach Ursala - 8/11/17 - Spa Night!

Are we done yet?

After a couple weeks of retirement, my coat is starting to get really shiny and everyone says I look greyt. However, L told me it was time for spa night to get rid of any flaky skin and look even better.

I thought it sounded all right, but once I had to get into the bath tub, I was less convinced. It didn't take too long though, and I am clean now.

That feels good!

After my bath and drying, I got to have brushing time, which was much nicer.

Do I get a treat?

L also thought you would want to know that I also know how to sit. I do it sometimes to look out the car window and today I did it in the house.

Bye for now!
Ursala

Coach Ursala - 8/9 - Midweek Update!

Don't I look greyt in my GEGR bandana?

Thought I would give everyone a midweek update. I have had a greyt week so far!

On Sunday, after I wrote my last post, we went to the National Arboretum for a walk. I tested out some new surfaces like gravel and rocks. They were fine because I really like walking, and I don't let anything hold me back.

See? Mr. G is the perfect height to walk under.

After that we went to a restaurant so I could make new friends. I also got to make new friends on Tuesday when I kept L and Mr. G company on a trip to the vet. When we're out together, Mr. G and I make people laugh when we do our underpass move. I don't know why everyone thinks it's so funny. He's just the perfect height to walk under.

Room enough for two!

I also wanted to let you know that Miss Thing and I have come to an agreement about the bed: there is room for both of us. We don't always share a bed, but when we do we are super cute!

Hope everyone has enjoyed this update, and I look forward to connecting again soon.

Bye for now!
Ursala

Coach Ursala: 8/6 - Couch to 5K with Coach Ursala

Up and over that tree—easy!

Well, I've been retired a week now, and I think it's safe to say I'm a natural. I have made it my mission to make sure my foster family goes on long walks every day. That's how I have learned about a bunch of new surfaces. Since last Saturday, I've had the opportunity to learn about walking on blacktop, concrete, bricks, wooden bridges, metal bridges, mulch, and even how to climb over a tree truck! When we're walking, I make sure we keep up the pace, so L and J call me "Coach" sometimes. (It's ok, you can call me Ursala—I'm not formal.)

Miss Thing likes to sit next to my bed.

Miss Thing and I have come to an agreement that I can usually have a dog bed, although she likes to come and sit next to me sometimes. I don't mind, as long as I have my bed. The beds themselves are another challenge, because sometimes I fall off the side, but I am getting a little better at not doing that. Except today when I fell asleep with my tail in the water bowl (L was going to take a picture of me, but I asked her not to share it—so embarrassing!)

This is me in my crate.

It turns out that during the week, both L and J have to go to work sometimes, which means that Mr. G and I stay home alone in our crates. I have a bed in my crate now and blankets, so I like that, although as soon as anyone gets home, I am ready to go, go go! I also sleep in my crate at night, and I will let L know if I am ready to go out in the morning. Inside the house, I can walk on hardwood floors without problems and I also learned to do the stairs this week.

See my white socks?

This week, I also discovered that I really like meeting people. There are a lot of people to meet out in the world, and I just want to get to know all of them. When we pass people on walks, I try to say "Hi!" to all of them. I also like to do cuddle time at home with J. He likes to do "hug time" with me and Mr. G.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying my time here, but I can't wait to find my furever home. I know it's going to be greyt. Everyone who meets me says that I am such a sweetheart and also so cute. I have white socks and a white tip on my tail—very distinguished!

Bye for now!
Ursala

Coach Ursala: 7/30 - Hello World!

Hi, I'm Ursala.

Hi everyone, it's me, Ursala? Don't know me yet? You will soon, because I want to know everyone and everything.

Yesterday was the first real day of my retirement. After I got my bath and my mani-pedi, I got in a car with my foster mom, L. L says I'm a greyt passenger, because I just curled up on the dog bed and slept the whole way. On our way home, we stopped so I could meet my foster dad, J, and take a little walk by his work. L thought I might be scared because there is lot's of traffic near his work, but I wasn't; I just wanted to explore everything.

Look, it moves! I wonder what it is.

When L and I got home, we took another walk with my new foster brother, Mr. G. Apparently, when Mr. G first came here, he was scared to walk, but I'm not. There was so much to see! We got to see the metro train, strollers, and bikes, and also other dogs. I wanted to meet all of the other dogs—I never knew there were so many other dogs besides greyhounds! Now, I know there are corgis and pugs and labs and so many more.

Miss Thing has my bed ☹.

After this walk, I also learned about another new thing: C-A-T-S. The cat here is known as Miss Thing, because L says she is the big boss of everyone. I was really curious about Miss Thing, but L told me not to bother her, so I didn't. No need to focus on one thing when there are so many other things in the world to explore!

I also got to practice my alone time, which I wasn't sure about. I've never been alone before! But then I got dinner, so really, I guess it's not bad. Plus, L used my alone time to get pillows for my new bed! That was great, except Miss Thing stole the bed and wouldn't give it back. I guess that's what you get to do when you're the boss.

Mr. G hogs the seat.

This morning L, Mr. G, and I took another long walk. Then we went to the Towson PetSmart for a meet and greet. L said she hadn't been planning to take me, but I then I told her I want to learn about everything! Mr. G and I had to ride in the back together. He is a space hog. When we got there, there were lots of other greyhounds, but I impressed everyone because I was so outgoing event though I just came from the track yesterday. Honestly, I don't know what the big deal is—doesn't everyone just want to explore the world?

Bye for now!

Now I'm tired and napping on my new bed—which I finally got back from Miss Thing—while I dictate this blogpost to L. Do you think it's almost dinner time yet?

Bye for now!
Ursula

P.S. I let L pick the title of this blogpost, because she helped me write it. She works with computers and thinks it's funny, but I don't get it.