Here are litter-mate sisters Isis (ready for adoption) and my girl Iris. Not a lot of family resemblance. They are both smaller girls but have their own looks. They seem to be more aware of each other than other siblings I have had here. Iris is always really excited to see her sis. Iris greets her with lots of sniffing and fussing. You can almost see Sis roll her eyes, "big deal I am your sister get over it!!".

Last week we thought we were having a good adoption week. First Dori went to a home as a test drive. Her would be greyhound brother was great with her but Dori's nervous personality brought her back home to the Tripps. Then Sis went out on what looked to be the perfect adoption...on paper. Less than 48 hours later it also flopped. Isis just couldn't figure out home life without another dog to follow. DANG!!! There was almost a whole day that we were holding our breath and ready to pat each other on the back....then the tide turned. I know there will be great homes for both of these girls one day. I just wish it was soon. I hope people's hearts soon turn toward giving loving homes to greyhounds in need...we are ready!!

At long last her is the picture of Chester when he headed home. Chester is charming his owner, Susan, and making her laugh on a daily basis. He really is a big goof!! Many folks have asked about my reference to his flat feet. So before he left we got a quick picture of them. Also in the picture is Sis' foot for comparison. For those of you still not able to see if. Notice how Sis' foot has "corners"...on Chester the knuckle angles are flat most notably in the lowest knuckle joint

Chester went home on Friday. When Susan his new owner arrived she met all 4 of the dogs who are available in this area but she only had eyes for Chester!! It was clear Chester only had eyes for her too. I miss the big lug but I am so happy he is home.

Monday was a bittersweet day. As a rescue person you sometimes see things that are happy and heart breaking at the same time. Months ago I was contacted about an Australian Shepherd boy who needed a home. I had declined to take him as some of the statements the owner made about the dog were red flags. Some people try to give an accurate description of the dog and use words that make the dog sound scary. She described him as "an aggressive player". The very word "aggressive" can send some rescue folks running, we all know aggressive dogs are not placeable dogs. As a result rescue people were turning him away. I turned him down back in Oct. This same dog kept popping up on my radar. I turned him down in Nov., twice in Dec., again Jan., and Feb....every couple of weeks there he would be again....still needing help. Although most of his family loved him the youngest son had a intense love-hate relationship with him. At times they would rough house like best buddies, hence the "aggressive player" label. Other times the boy would direct his anger and frustration at the dog and would hit and kick him. The months slid by and while everyone seemed to feel a sense of urgency about getting the dog out of the home no one was willing to take a chance on him. Last week I finally could take no more and contacted the owner and set up a time to meet them. What I found was a high drive, intelligent, typical Aussie who was very well cared for. It was clear both the mother and 14 year old daughter loved the dog. The 14 year old girl chattered about her dog, telling me story after story about when he came home as a puppy and when they would go to the beach together. Everything was upbeat and happy until I was ready to close the door of the van. The girl leaned down and the aussie kissed her through the crate door, then the mother did the same. I felt a knot rising in my throat watching this touching goodbye. Then the girl bolted to her truck and hopped in. Moments later I was pulling out...but not before I saw this girl leaned over and being held by her mother while she sobbed. My heart broke for her. I wasn't sure what to do so I got out of sight as quickly as I could then pulled over and took a moment to collect myself. I am happy the dog will get a shot at a decent life, the heartbreak of his young owner was palpable. The Aussie seems like a nice enough fellow, although he is emotionally distant and has displayed some lack of trust and headstrong traits. He and I will have a little work to do to figure out our relationship and he will get a crash course on the house rules. I am confidant in time that there is a wonderful home out there for him. For now he is cooling his heels here and being evaluated.

Upon arriving home there was a desperate email from a gal in TX. There are more and more greyhounds in need. A blood bank is retiring several seniors and there are two track closures which have saturated the adoption groups in the south. In addition a farm closed and dumped it's 25 dogs to a shelter in Oklahoma. Further overwhelming the already overwhelmed. Please if you are considering adding a greyhound to your family or if you can share your home temporarily with a dog contact your nearest rep

http://www.gparockymountain.org/Contact.html

Both Carol and I have agreed to take as many as we can...but with so many greyhounds, things are pretty dire for any dogs left behind. Chose from the dogs available on our web site to foster....or we can find a match for you. DON'T WAIT!! Here is a sampling of the hundreds of dogs waiting....we can't save them all but everyone saved makes a difference!!

Here is a over due word of warning. Just before Christmas my old Aussie girl, Izzy got really sick. I thought I was going to lose her. She could not stand on her own, in fact she could not even roll onto her chest. She was the sickest dog I have ever seen...at least the sickest one that lived. Her temp was 104+, her blood values looked crazy, x-rays showed something either inflamed or a growth near her heart, ultra sounds showed a liver with a weird consistency and unhappy kidneys. My vet didn't give me much hope. We started her on a very aggressive antibiotic regime and I was her round the clock nurse. It took her a week before she could stand weakly on her own and more weeks until she could get up herself and move around steadily. The vet was stumped by the cause. I started to suspect a treat she had eaten. Waggin' Train Chicken Jerky I bought at Costco to be exact. The bag had fallen and Izzy had grabbed and gulped down 4-6 pieces. A few hours later the symptoms started and by the next day I was at the vet in the biggest nightmare with a mostly dead dog. After I got home from the vet I was playing with some of the dogs and gave both Brink and Tava a piece of the chicken jerky...after all it is healthy stuff right? It is just nice dried chicken breast. The next morning both Tava and Brink had shooting diarrhea. It was then that the warning bells started going. I immediately threw the bag of treats away. It was never officially recalled...however other stores (Walmart) pulled it from their shelves. Costco on the other hand did nothing but perfect their story. If you have some of that Chicken Jerky around GET RID OF IT NOW!!! Take it back and demand your money back or throw it out! Throwing away several bags is still cheaper than the vet visit. The jerky is sold under many brand names and is made in China. There are a couple brands made in the USA...but I am never feeding any kind of chicken jerky. If drying chicken was a good idea don't you think they would make it for human consumption?
So what set me off on this tangent at this late date is a note I got from a friend about this very thing. It isn't just me. It is still going on. Do a google search on it....or better yet check out this thread that was going last summer. I sure wish I had seen this!! It could have saved me a bunch of $$$$ and hours of torment. I found a statement from the makers of Waggin Train Jerky where they claim their treats are 100% safe. However they also said that in the few cases where there were problems it was due to the owner feeding too much of the product. Are they serious? I guess you have to feed small increments not to poison your dog. I gave my pup a treat because I love her, it makes me sick to think it almost killed her. I am happy to report Izzy recovered and is back where she belongs...sleeping next to my bed as she has been doing for the past 14 years.
http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php?s=5631af1fa003b6d7b9d3f23a8c6ad4a3&showtopic=176818&pid=2926641&st=0&#entry2926641

I spent the day dragging crates out into the sun and scrubbing them. I still have a few more to do tomorrow. I scrubbed all the of the crates in the guest (boarding) dog room and did about half of mine. The boarding dogs have been keeping me pretty busy and I have obedience classes going 3 nights a week right now...its a dogs life. This week I took Sis in to have her rabies booster and to have blood drawn to check her thyroid. She is on thyroid meds and we are just checking to make sure she is on the right dose for her. I have been able to let the greyhounds out for nice long runs during the day. I put my whippet Katy Did out in the next paddock the other day. Katy loves to get them all running the fence like crazy. In 5 minutes the greyhounds were all puffing like crazy with their tongues lolling out of their mouths and Katy was prancing around barely winded. I had to bring Katy in....I was afraid she was going to give the winter fat greyhounds heart attacks. Someone is coming to meet Chester on Friday. It is someone who has had a pair of greyhounds for years and recently lost the last one. She says she would eventually like a pair again. I think we can help her fulfil that dream!!!

Have you checked out the dogs who will be arriving soon in MT? They are on the available page of the web site. Today is nippy but sunny. The dogs are outside and I am about to go out and do a paddock rotation. Greyhounds get to go out next. I am spending the day working on my stained glass project. You know what stained glass is stained with? BLOOD...that is right!! You can't work stained glass without blood. The cuts often don't hurt so you will be working along and you see blood...DANG IT!!! Right now my problem is keeping my keyboard clean...I have a leaky finger tip. Every spring Judy, Carol and I undertake some craft project to combat the winter blahs. This year is stained glass. Carol finished her huge project first, Judy is nearly done and distractable Joni is lagging behind. I want to hang it next week so am getting busy. Here is Carol showing off her beautiful piece. Last year we all did smaller greyhounds....This year Judy did grapes and I am doing hot peppers.

The new boy is settling in. He is a big hug muffin. Likes to lean and hug. Sweet good natured boy and he is cat safe. Kate B. decided on a name for him. His name is Chester. He is vetted and ready for a new home!!

We had birthdays galore yesterday. March first is Kate B.'s birthday!! She shares her birthday with 3 of my dogs. Greyhound girl Tigger turned 15 Years!! Aussie Girl Izzy turned 14 years!! And since I really didn't know when Aussie boy, Brink's real birthday is I decided to make it March first...Brink turned 1 year!!

LANCE IS HOME SAFE!!!!!!

UPDATE - Dog-napping stories are now coming from the Spokane area. Some dogs were even taken from the yard while the owners were home. These are not dogs who are out roaming around. These are dogs who are behind secure fences that should be safe.

There are a couple of bits of unhappy news to convey.
First - Lance the survivor greyhound boy has been missing since 2-27 in the Chester/Shelby, MT area. Please see http://montana.craigslist.org/pet/591417880.html I know most of us are too far away to help in the search but please send one up for our boy. Today Lance's owners, friends and family will be covering the whole area on ATV, truck and foot searching every nook and cranny on that section of the Montana prairie. I pray they are protected and guided in their search and that Lance will be home soon.
Second - There has been a rash of stolen dogs in Billings, MT and Powell, WY areas. Dogs are being lured out of their yards. Anyone who uses a dog door for your dogs needs to be on alert. The Billings Gazette wrote this snip in the newspaper http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/29/news/local/40-dogstolen.txt
Dog owners and lovers alike should form a neighborhood watch and report anything that just doesn't seem right. I have seen some of the pleas for help from the dog's owners...heartbreaking! Don't let it be you or your loved ones.