One of the biggest mysteries is reoccurring. Why is it we have a wonderful and beautiful greyhound and months slide by and no interest. It happened a few years ago with Bam Bam and Lighting. Again it is happening to Tildy. It seems to happen with dogs we think will place very quickly and yet they wait and wait. Where is everyone? Where is her home? She has tons going for her. Sure she has 7 years under her belt but if you meet her she is lively and fun. She does jump up a bit and last time I was at Tripps I caught her as she was jumping up and was able to discourage her. She walked around thinking and watching then approached me again. She again went to jump up but placed her feet carefully on the fence next to me then leaned way over to offer me a kiss. We all laughed out loud at her cracker jack way of solving a problem. The only regret her future home will have is not adopting her sooner.

Then there is Rain. Last month her home hit a life crisis and with many tears decided to return her dogs to the program. Rain struggled with the transition. Her nearly constant diarrhea and lack of energy made us start to question if Rain was going to be able to be placed. Rather than giving up on her Dan and Carol embraced the challenge. Working with the vet to answer the question of why it was happening to her they started her on some medication. They then looked into foods and found one on which she did well on. Rain is recovering and is showing us what a fun and sweet girl she can be. Carol snapped this picture when Rain started to play with toys. Rain is standing kind of funny in this picture...nothing is wrong with her leg. Now that Rain is feeling better she needs a loving spot and a family to tend to her needs. She will likely need to stay on her meds possibly forever. The thing I find heartbreaking about Rain is her whole youth was spent...well for lack of a better word...prostituted. She ran many races then produced pups and when her body was nearly worn out she was given to rescue. Rain isn't demanding but needs a soft place of her own and a person who will cherish her and help her recapture her value.

Vixen has moved to Great Falls and will now be known as Lilly. Upon meeting her new family her first order of business was to run right over to her new mom and give her a big slurpy kiss on the lips. When her new mom laughed with joy instead of saying "blech!!" I knew Vixen had found her home. Because Vixen is a mix she was not placed directly through GPA but was handled as a private rescue. GPA listed her on the web site as a act of good will. It did help her find a home but it also brought us other poetential adopters and built good relations with area shelters and you just never know when you might need their help.

Bailey is now in Billings with Trish. No one even dared to call Trish this week end because she made it clear the weekend...the WHOLE weekend was going to be spent getting to know Bailey. I have a vison of Trish like a mother hen clucking to her chicks and fussing over them. They did venture out to greyhound play where Bailey was reunited with her daughter Hannah. Bailey is also the mother of Waldo and will reuniting with him on some later date. So if you have to call Trish this week my advice is to keep it short. Mama Trish has silken ears that need fondling and big doe eyes that need gazing into.

At long last we have sun and the dogs are getting to have some playtime outside. It seems like forever since they could get out there and really STRETCH. It is still icy but the temps are at 50 degrees. I turned the sighthound girls out, which includes Run, Tava, Iris and Kati (a sweet greyhound deerhound mix). I had to drag Iris out of her bed and outside. I laughed thinking about how much more like a hothouse orchid she is then a hardy iris....maybe a name change is in order. While the hounds were outside soaking up vitamin D, I heard a knock at the backdoor. It was the gal from German Shepherd rescue, who BTW I didn't know, and she had a surprise for me. Animal Control in Anaconda had been picking up a "greyhound" lately. They said this was her third time in the clink. This time she was not reclaimed AND her time was up. So while GSD rescue was in Anaconda doing who knows what they picked up this little girl and brought her to my door unannounced. Lucky me to be on the rescue radar. Out to her truck we went meanwhile I was planning my refusal. What hopped out of the truck was a very pretty fawn greyhound mix girl. She looks greyhound but she has wire hair. I would guess she is likely 1/4 Deerhound and 3/4 greyhound. She could be called a coyote dog or a lurcher but I think I will dub her Montana's first Galgo. She is young, about 9 months. She is average size for a greyhound girl at roughly 55 pounds. As I am gearing up to tell the GSD gal "absolutely not, I don't do mixes"....that little galgo vixen leaves me speechless with a flick of her soft greyhound eyes. She seems to say "You will help me, won't you?" Next thing I know I am nodding and planning her spay while inside I am hushing the voice that screams "WAKE UP STUPID, SAY NO!!" But honestly tell me who of you greyhound lovers would turn her away to take her chances in the big big world. So now what? She needs a name....her rescuer called her Tawny...I like Vixen...anyone have other ideas? There is a spay set up for her next week and we will go from there. Welcome to the greyhound family galgo vixen.

It is the first decent day in a long time. The temps are in the double digits (barely) and the sun is out making us feel like we are free at last. But before you take your greyhound out lets talk about running in the winter.

Greyhounds in the winter bring two major concerns. The first and most obvious is temperatures. If you bundle up to go out be sure to bundle up your greyhound. This may include boots if you are walking on a lot of ice or in areas strewn with deicer. If your greyhound stops moving for long they will get cold, when you go out keep moving until you head in. So no sitting in the car while you run errands. If it is too cold to leave your 80 year old grandma in the car it is too cold to leave your hound. Greyhound's soft velvet ears are often the first place to get cold and are vulnerable to frost bite. You can use your greyhounds ears to gauge if they are warm enough. If the ears are cold the pup is cold. Lets not forget about your those big old lungs greyhound have. Running and breathing in lots of ice cold air can cause problems that you may not even be aware of. Damaged lungs are more susceptible to diseases like pneumonia, kennel cough and other respiratory problems. This damage can last a lifetime.

The second consideration is ground cover. Ice is slippery, not only can your dog slip but if your dog pulls on the lead you can quickly end up on your can. Ice clumps and lumps can cut paws. Deep snow is a bit like deep sand. It is hard to run in. Greyhounds who are used to getting out and really running can pull muscles or even cause tendon damage. If you are going to run your dog you should warm them up a little with a brisk walk and maybe manually stretch them out for a few minutes. Try to only let one hound run at a time until they run down a little. Turning loose a couple of eager hounds may have you nursing sore muscles for weeks. Today we have crusty snow which in my opinion is the worst. The icy crust holds then collapses making it hard to find your feet. It is a lot more work to pull your feet out of the holes your feet create as you move. Walking turns to lurching. Again there is risk to muscles and tendons but for added fun it can also cut paws. Your best indicator of if it is safe for your dog is if it is safe for you. Remember your greyhound is more like a formula race car then a four wheel drive. They need flat safe surfaces to run on. Snow hides all sorts of dangers from uneven ground to things lurking beneath the snow like sticks, rocks or even a forgotten rake. Finding those things at high speed is dangerous.

The last point I want to bring up is AGE. If your greyhound is older you should be even more aware. A young healthy middle aged dog is going to be able to withstand more exposure and bounce back faster than a senior or otherwise frail dog. Just like us dog lose flexibility with age so falling hurts more. OK now go enjoy the winter wonderland...Be smart and safe.

We are saddened to hear of the loss of Wally, who was loved by his family Julie, Pat and Fred (greyhound brother). Wally was diagnosed with bone cancer and was quickly lost. This handsome boy came up from Colorado in the spring of 2006. Wally was noted for his deep soulful eyes, velvet coat and funny chocolate smudge on the side of his muzzle. His beauty on the outside almost paled in comparison to his inner beauty. Wally had a heart of gold. He never met a stranger and made friends where ever he went. Wally will be deeply missed by all who knew this fine greyhound boy. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.