Greyhounds and Hot Cha Kennels

2011-07-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

This Spring I started thinking about adding a younger pony to my herd. I found a nearly perfect little appaloosa yearling I really wanted. But distance, weather and his current owners desire to free up the lambing barn caused it not to come together. So I was shopping for the right pony, despite Darrin's head shaking. One cold morning Carol called and said "I found a pony for you. He is free to the right home and close enough I can help you get him home. You should call and we can go see him." Being the fools we are of course we rushed right in or in this case right out the door to see the pony. You can see in the picture of the pony how pleased with herself my dear friend Carol is. Before long the new pony was standing in my corral eating my hay and I was looking for an Apple name for him. All of my ponies have apple names....cute huh? Anyway he became "Spy" or more correctly Northern Spy...its an apple, look it up.

Spy's story wasn't very long. He was bought by this woman at auction as a stallion to breed her mini mare. When she sold the mare, Spy was gelded. She said her grand-daughter rode him and spent time with him but it should have tipped me off that she also said he is NOT a kids horse. Also the woman said she was going to be gone a lot this summer and the pony could not be on pasture due to near founder. This was the reason for the "free to good home" status. All that was fine with me. I can monitor the pasture and no kids on the scene here. So I adjusted my dreams of a appaloosa spotted pony and went pinto again. To his credit however he does have some nice round appy style spots on his hip....just three, but I am counting them. Which brings me to the topic of this post...trust.

It didn't take me long to figure out Spy had been cowboyed a bit in his life. I am suspecting that the grand-daughter, if she did ride him, didn't have much fun. The first time I put my niece, Aubree, up on him he got a little hoppy. His back humped up and he really wanted to put his head down and do a try out for the Miles City Bucking Horse Auction. Aubree is not a classic trained rider but that ranch kid is darn sticky when it comes to staying on a horse. Between my efforts to keep his head up and him moving forward and Aubree's ability to stay in the middle of him it only took a few of days before we could longe him in a nice easy circle with Aubree aboard. We didn't hurt or scare him in this process we just let him figure out it was easier to stay relaxed and make Spy think it was all his idea. When a horse, or any animal for that matter, is "shown who is boss", spanked or one of the other neanderthal techniques it violates trust. This violation starts to erode the whole relationship. Do you trust people who hurt you? Do you really like them? In my opinion it really is unfair to punish someone for not knowing what you want. I am not saying I never correct my animals, I do. If they know the rules or the task and they chose not to do it a correction makes sense. This does not violate trust because it is simply a consequence of a bad choice. Further corrections or consequences should not be confused with punishment or worse torture. To be effective the animal can't be afraid to make a mistake. This is what Spy is in the process of figuring out. In time he will learn that a tap on the butt isn't going to turn into a huge fight for survival. His trust is being built brick by brick into something solid. Those little experiences like asking him to walk across concrete or across a wooden bridge will help him learn that I will not ask him to do something hurtful even if it is a little scary at first.
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By the way. After I wrote this I had the chance to go to the movie, BUCK. I highly recommend it to all animal lovers. I found so many links to what I was just writing about. I can't wait to see it again.

2011-07-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

When I got my very first greyhound almost a million years ago. I knew exactly what I wanted...a small brindle female. What I ended up with was a PERFECT big fawn boy. Sometimes what you think you want isn't at all the dog who needs you or the dog who fits your needs. I don't mean to sound glib when I say when an adopter tells me they want a certain color or gender I rarely listen. My quest is to find the dog that really matches them. If they then veto the perfect match....well then that's their problem. I mean honestly if you have a super busy noisy home and the dog you pick the dog who is the color and gender you want BUT that dog is shy and is easily spooked well sorry its not a match made in heaven. When things fall apart in a home it never is because the greyhound is fawn and not brindle. It is because the personalities didn't mesh. You can learn to love a dog of the wrong color if it is perfect in other ways. Its hard to fall in love if you are trying to sleep and your high energy greyhound is bouncing off the walls or destroying the couch...again. What brought this to mind was Bek is working with a first time greyhound home. Their requirement list was pretty short....but it included the phrase "no brindle". Well long story short the dog who caught their eye and is headed to their home right now is Irish Song a sweet and lovely brindle girl. Congrats to them and to Song the most recent wrong colored adoption.

2011-07-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

Spent a few minutes giving Sandy a much needed bath. She loves to get into the wading pools and lay down. But what ends up happening it seems to put them in to overdrive with hair growth which means they shed more. But it is worth the extra baths. She so loves to lay out there.

At the dog show we bought a couple bottles of mink oil shampoo to try on the greyhounds with bad coats. I can't wait to use it on Helen. But for Sandy this morning I used our old stand by greyhound soap. For those of you who don't know we make our own shampoo for the rescue dogs. We mix up equal parts of Murphy's Wood Oil Soap and Lemon Joy Dish Soap. If left on for about 10 minutes it has proven to be a great flea killer too. It doesn't protect them long term, we use Frontline for that, but it does kill the live little biting hitchhikers. If you plan right you can reuse your Lemon Joy bottle as a mixing and shampoo bottle.

Also a heads up. The Greyhound Picnic is coming. We planned it the same day as part of the Irish Scottish Festival in Hamilton. Our hope is that people can do both. It looks like the greyhounds have been invited to walk in the festival parade. Stay tuned for details. Also be sure to pre order your plaid greyhound collars from Collar Crazy!! If you pre order and Prepay we can get them here before the parade. I will get back to you with prices and where to send the money on that one.

2011-06-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Many moons have passed since my last blog entry. But I am missing blogging as a writing outlet so I take up my keyboard after a long break. Inspired in part by a off handed comment made by Doug, the recent adopter of Serious Fire Power. I guess I get thinking that I am just rambling along keeping a blog and no one is reading it. But when he told me he enjoyed it and then today another friend commented on it I realized maybe....just maybe I am not just talking to myself.

The past few months have been some what routine with foster dogs coming and going, students with dogs, seminars and dog shows. What wasn't routine was the passing of my Aussie boy Dusk on May 19th. Some of you may remember that some time ago he was diagnosed with a tumor of unknown quantity in his chest. Almost a year and a half ago my vet warned me the Dusk was a short-timer. He beat the odds for a long time but even so the loss was overwhelming....is overwhelming. I still flounder at moments to find my balance without him. More on that later...gulp...

At the moment I have a single foster dog. Helen is black, beautiful and smart as a whip. She is lots of fun and likes to be right in the middle of the action. When I let her loose in the paddock, in my mind I hear that charge bugle they play in old war movies. She does everything with zeal and with all her heart. Frankly she can stay as long as she wants. She makes me laugh out loud almost every day. Her perfect home would be active and longing for a soul mate. She would happily race you to the "M" or hang out watching reruns. She likes everyone and all dogs. I need to cat test her again because she failed to react to the cat both times I tested her...which I find hard to believe. I will test her on Sigh my black cat who may get a different response than the blondie Malarkey. I took Malarkey to cat test all the new foster greyhounds at Tripps about a month ago. We put Malarkey in one of the big wire greyhound crates and brought the greyhounds in one at a time. Malarkey, the big dummy, lolled on the bed, rolling this way and that. He stretched his feet out, purring loudly and was having the best time ever. It was if the scent of greyhounds was his catnip. Not a single dog reacted to him. I think my cat is a failure as a test cat. But Sigh the black cat is different, he is cagey and suspicious. So I will test Helen again with him and see if she reacts to him. In the meantime Helen's coat which was ratty and thin when she arrived has turned glossy. She was chosen for Montana in part because she has flea allergies. Our flea free mountain home is already changing her quality of life.

Seems like there is so many things to catch up on but I will save those for fodder for another blog day. Time for me to head out and tuck in some dogs. Its getting dark and this year someone in my usually quiet neighborhood has been testing out fireworks.

2011-01-23T00:58:00.000-08:00

Hurray it won't be long before a haul is headed our way. We only ordered one extra this time. I ordered a foster dog. A-Come-Helen she is a black 5 year old girl. Something about her face reminded me of my girl Run. The clincher for me was that she has flea allergies and I love the idea of bringing her north where fleas are few and far in between. I can't wait to see her and hope I actually get to foster her a little while before she is snatched up.

The winter here has already seemed very long. We have had lots of everything...rain, cold, ice and snow. I have been busy the last week or so with craft projects. Its been years since I just set down and enjoyed doing something with my hands with no time line hanging over me. Of course there are things I need to be doing which I am neglecting but for now it is enough to putter. One of my goals this upcoming year is to show Run in at least rally obedience. She is so smart and likes to puzzle solve which makes training her a lot of fun. But for tonight I will have to be content with listening to the wind blowing around the corners of the house and dreaming of meeting Helen and training Run.

2011-01-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Seems like a million miles have been covered since I last made an entry in my blog. But alas the new year is upon us and time to get caught up. Updates from the dog family....
Yahtzee the last pup from the summer rescue litter was adopted by my dog-nanny. She admitted that from the moment she first saw Yahtzee in a online video she was smitten with her. Its been a perfect match for both. The rest of my dog family has been fairly well. Dusk is over all doing well with bouts of feeling rough that last about a week followed by several weeks of feeling well. It was nearly a year ago that we first discovered the mass in his chest. At that time we really though he was a short-timer but he has proved us wrong. My puppy Tilly is now a year old, she is every bit of a princess. Darrin seems to adore her and I am SHOCKED that he snuggles with her and even lets her sleep on the bed...between us. But Tilly is a very sweet princess not the spoiled kind. Brink earned an obedience title in Sept. Showing Brink was in a word...challenging. He got to worrying in the ring and couldn't even think, but we managed to hold it together and earned his Companion Dog title. Pixie earned a Rally Advanced title. After much consideration I decided to go ahead and have her spayed. I am not really that interested in conformation and decided I would just rather be able to show her in the upper levels of obedience without the added complication of heat cycles. I would have enjoyed letting her raise a litter of pups but that alone is not reason to do it. Ivy my old lady Aussie is still as prim and quirky as ever....maybe a little more so but at 14 she can pretty much do whatever she likes. This fall through a horse trading deal made by a friend I ended up with another Aussie pup. A red tri boy which I named Jose. He fit right into the pack like he had always been here so what was meant to be temporary became permanent.

On the sight hound scene my 6 hounds are all well. Jonah just turned 10 years. I started Katy in Open obedience to hopefully show her this upcoming year. But Katy has other plans and they do not include dumbbell work. She thinks retrieving is completely beneath her. So we will work on higher levels of rally instead. The greyhound girls are all as lovely and easy to live with as ever. One thing about greyhounds they are such companionable dogs they are easy to take for granted then one day you catch a glimpse of them curled up sleeping or trotting in that elastic trot down the hall and it takes your breath away. They are not only easy to live with they are living art. So beautiful!!

Into 2011 with all the promise of the best year ever!!

2010-09-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Summer has swept by us and left us many warm early fall days. Reports from people who should know assure me winter is on the way and will be a doozey. With leaves on the trees and green grass still under foot the idea of a snow day is appealing. Before we get to snow days there are pickles to make, dogs to show and hay to finish getting in.

On the rescue pup scene I had kennel cough hit my kennel. It has delayed the departure of momma dog to her new home and one of the pups. Currently there are 3 pups and momma still here. I am beginning to wonder if they wille ver leave. The two boy pups are spoken for and in an unexpected turn of events, the only female Yahtzee still waiting for the perfect match. She is a doll and thinks she will grow up to be queen. Despite the temptation to keep her for myself the part of "queen" is already being played by Tilly.

Iris woke me up last night. She was blazing hot and miserable. I took her temp and it was over 105 (normal is 101.5) I gave her some rymadyl and waited half an hour. Her temp continued to creep up. Another half an hour and still creeping up, now at 105.8. As a last measure before I called the vet at 5:30 AM I gave her some antibiotics and began to ice her. Iris who is a hot house flower was sleeping on a ice bag with another ice pack tucked into her flank. Half an hour later it dropped to 105.2 and hour later it finally broke and started to drop. By 9 AM she was at 102.6. With 3 hours of sleep behind me I had her at the vet at noon. Iris presented normal in every respect. She is exhausted but seems fine. WEIRD! I will be watching her like a hawk.

Tonight Carol called so we could discuss ordering an extra dog. I forgot how much fun it was to be in the phone picking out dogs we like. As we hung up her next call was to the haul coordinator. My last words were "God Speed" calling that haul coordinator is dangerous. She has a way of taking us from 2 dogs to 6 and then to 10. Good luck Carol!!

2010-08-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

The dog days of summer are upon us. After several hot hot days we now have thunder storms and some much welcome rain. This is a picture of the pups I took one hot day after they ate. I just loved how they were sprinkled like confetti napping all over the lawn.

We just posted a new video of the pups check it out at

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXuOkLMvFUo

The first pup leaves in the morning. It will be a little hard to see the first one leave. They still seem like such babies...but now is the perfect time for them to leave. They have had their first shot and a round of wormer. They have been weaned for the past several days. Summer has flown by...I hope the dog days last a little longer.

2010-07-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

The pups are growing like summer weeds and have learned to use the dog door most of the time. They can start to leave home in a couple of weeks so I am starting to search for the right homes for them.

I have both foster boys at the moment...Yako and Juan. They are a irresistible pair of clowns. Deuce has moved to his forever home with Barb and Kerry in Billings. Deuce and Courtney, their greyhound pup (now 2 years) were fast friends and play a lot.

Included is a picture of Gable in his hero cape. Gable is a blood donor and has given life to several dogs now. One of the gals at the vet clinic made him this cape. He wears it well!! Henderson's have every right to be super proud of their boy!

2010-07-15T01:12:00.000-07:00

I have been busy getting pictures of the pups posted on my facebook page and even a video on YouTube thanks to Mr. Muir....be sure to check it out at

www.youtube.com/user/darrinmuir#p/u

The pups are starting to eat real food now. They don't have teeth yet so they just get a porridge of good holistic canned dog food and water. As you will see on the video they love it!! I have moved them into a inside kennel with a outside run for mom, but tomorrow we will work on getting all the mowers and other stuff out of the shed and turn that into a nursery. They already need more elbow room. The mower shed is covered and protected so should work nicely during the day. I can put down some shavings to soak up the "stuff" and the whole kennel will smell better with the pups outside part time.

The greyhound picnic was a success and I am happy to report that I kept the commitment I made to myself to enjoy it. I spent way to much at the auction scoring some great things and then I caved to temptation and bought a couple of new collars from Collar Crazy....all with minimum guilt. When everyone left my niece Aubree and I hopped in the huge stock tank to cool off. Pretty soon we were introducing the dogs to the joys of stock tank dipping. We had a great time playing...yes I was doing what I love and loving what I was doing...promise kept.

Anyone who knows me at all knows I am going to tip that raft over...except Aubree. Ah the hazard of innocence!

2010-07-09T23:48:00.001-07:00

I did take puppy pictures but have not taken the time to upload them yet. The pups are changing fast now. All of their eyes are open and they are learning to stand and walk. Last night in speaking to a friend she asked "Are you enjoying the puppies?" Because Judy is the kind of friend who sees through fibs, I told her the truth. "Actually" I began "I am not". Confused she said "What? Why?" Well the truth is I have been so busy there has not been time to enjoy anything. It is one of the stupidest things adults do. We get so task oriented we forget to do the things that add quality to our lives. I admit I have had some sadness and worries lately that have weighed me down. But life doesn't stop because we are down trodden or busy. If we miss it we have no one to blame but ourselves. The ironic thing is that this very circumstance is somewhat of a pet peeve of mine. Rushing about spending your time replacing important things with really unimportant things. I preach "You only travel this road once...enjoy it." But I fail in practicing what I preach. I promised myself I would slow down a little.

Today I was hurrying trying to get a bunch of stuff done in order to prepare for the greyhound picnic tomorrow. My niece Aubree and my friend "Saint" Lynn were here helping me muck through piles of stuff and clean clean clean. Aubree came up missing. I was annoyed because the mirrors were her job and they still had dog nose prints all over them. When I found her she and my foster project, Springer Spaniel Gabe, were walking in the creek. She looked up at me with eyes glowing to tell me "We found a tennis ball with no skin and are following it down the creek!" She exclaimed "Its fun!" Damn it!!! In less than 24 hours I forgot to smell the roses again.

Goal for tomorrow...HAVE FUN!

2010-07-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

The biggest of the puppy boys, a honey colored guy is the first to start to open his eyes. The pups in general have at least doubled in size. So far mom is keeping up with them. She has free choice of the best food we could find. I can't believe the pups are already almost two weeks old. Today's agenda includes getting some pictures of them.

2010-07-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

The pups are a week old now and all seem to be thriving. I am excited for them to start opening their eyes in the next week or so. I can hardly wait for them to start moving around more and getting to see who they are. Right now they are just puppy potatoes. This week end we will get some more pictures of them.

The dog show in Missoula was Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I had my girl Pixie entered in obedience. My duties were divided between showing Pixie and doing time as co-obedience chairperson. "Doing time" an accurate term. It is fun but it is a lot of running around and babysitting. I entered Pixie with some reservations as she is not as ready as I would like for her to be. But I kept telling myself you can't swim if you aren't in the water!! Sunday Darrin came to the show to wish us well. Pixie was distracted during warm up but then got progressively better as we worked in the ring. We ended up with a decent score of 193 (out of 200) and a second place. Monday she kept cutting in front of me and doing a lovely free stack unfortunately that wasn't what was required. We still managed to pull of a second place and a OK score. The last day she did better and we got that last leg to finish up our CD title. The days at the show were really long and I am behind in every way here at home. With company coming for the Fourth of July it will be a busy weekend. I think I will suggest we all go to a movie so I can sleep through it.

2010-06-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Wednesday just after we lost Sage I saw an URGENT plea for help from my friend Shauna in Idaho. She knew of an Aussie girl in a high kill shelter about to whelp. She posted her story and picture on Facebook. The sad look in the soon to be momma's eyes broke my already broken heart. Sage's importance in my was life laid open and raw...I met Sage's mom when she had been at the shelter heavy with pups...I could not turn my back on this girl in the same predicament. I responded I would take her if I could get help getting her here. I called Darrin at work and causally asked "Hey you don't mind if I bring home a pregnant Aussie bitch do you?" He responded "No no no no no no!!!" Without missing a beat I said "Oh you are breaking up but it sounds like you are OK with it." As he resigned to this new development he said "You are not bringing them into the house!" We will cross that bridge when we come to it, I have been blessed with a nice big kennel...finding a place for her really presented little problem. Christy (rescue volunteer) started figuring out how to move that momma dog to Montana! There were a couple of bobbles in getting her here or so it seemed at first. A ride was available but not for over two weeks and she could not be released until Saturday at closing. We decided that she couldn't wait for the ride and began to formulate a plan to meet half way on Sunday. When I came in Thursday morning (June 17) from chores there was a call from Christy to call her right away. The first words out of her mouth were "You were serious that you would take her immediately, right?" I assured her I was willing and she said "Oh good she left an hour ago!! She will be in Missoula this evening." Barb from Libby happened to be traveling home from Boise area that day. The animal control officer gave momma dog an "emergency pardon" since they wanted her out of there and she had a ride. I made it home with her about midnight that night. My friend Pam insisted I stop by even at that late hour so she could see her.
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The next day was busy getting her cleaned up and assessed by a vet. Pam and I named her Bliss on the way to the vet. An x-ray showed at least 9 pups. It was clear all of her energy was going into those pups her body weight was not ideal. We were worried that she may not have the energy for a long labor. Her new auntie Pam bought her the best food we could find. Pat bought her the calcium tablets the vet wanted her to have. She had a large worm load so I checked on what I could give her. I object to feeding worms. During that first day she was here I made a quick call to friend CJ who has been looking for the right dog for herself. She has been a dedicated Malamute person but has decided to try something a little smaller. I told her "I have someone I want you to meet". It was love at first sight I am happy to say she has a home with CJ, when she is done with motherhood...pending current Malamute's approval. Bliss responded immediately and positively to having found a secure place to have her family. Her eyes started to beam and she happily greeted all of her new friends.

Thursday (June-24) I got up early and checked her. Other than not wanting to go out she seemed fine. 3 hours later I checked her again and SURPRISE she had 9 wiggling pups. Those pups must have come fast and furious. Bliss was covered in gunk and the pups were wet and gunky too. I helped her clean her babies and then cleaned her up a little too. Once she was nestled in a fresh bed I called Pat. Pat raised several litters years ago she could offer me guidance as to what and when to feed Bliss to help her recover. Other than a little diarrhea Bliss is doing great. She is a young mother but seems to be tending all of her pups. With the help of some friends Bliss's journey has taken a turn for the better.

2010-06-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

I lost my Aussie Sage Monday June, 13. Since she was diagnosed with bone cancer two weeks prior I watched her like a hawk for any changes. Saturday I saw her dip but then she rallied. Sunday she was trotting and wagging her bob tail. Even though she was acting better my heart sunk with the knowledge that the sun was setting on my friend. As Monday wore on her face told me she was tired of the fight. She wouldn't eat even the best foods, her trot and tail wag were gone but she felt good enough to wade in her pool. Over all she enjoyed her time that day in the paddock sleeping on a big bed in the shade with frequent visits from me and some of her favorite pack-mates. Darrin came home early from work and we took her to the vet together. From the moment I carried her into the vet until the moment I carried her out was less than 5 minutes. She was gone from us so quickly. Often I think dogs leave this world in the way they lived in it. Sage always was quick to do everything.
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Sage came into my life before she was born. Her mother was at the shelter ready to whelp. I knew if those pups had any chance at all they needed to be born somewhere else. I brought her home and soon Lucy Blue had 5 little ones. I called them "The Greens" the girls were Sage, Olive and Kelly, the boys Hunter And Forrest. I used to hold Sage on my chest when she was just a little handful of a pup. I could feel her heart beating against mine and I knew she was my girl. From a very young age Sage had that look of intelligence. She is pictured here at a little over 3 weeks and already seemed to know who she was. The name Sage fit her perfectly as she had that old soul wisdom. Life with Sage was wonderful and easy. Sage liked everyone and she was smart, willing and easy to train. Sage always wanted to be the best girl. She liked to hug, her crate was on the second level and when I opened the door she would wait until I came up to the crate then she would softly put her paws on my shoulders and press herself into me. I would snuggle my nose into her soft ears and breathe in her essence. This may be what I miss the most. Although Sage learned everything easily she hated going to shows. She earned some titles but she never climbed the ladder to the upper levels. This was fine by me, Sage had other important duties here at home. I could always count on Sage to help me teach obedience classes. She not only was the perfect demo dog but she would work for other people. Being a lesson dog was invaluable. Many of my students over the years have spent time learning some finer points of handling with Sage. Although not typical Aussie, I was in love with Sage's angular face and hard body. I loved running my hands over her well muscled form. If you saw her run, her gait smooth, low, ground covering and easy, you knew you were seeing perfect form. Sage's lo0k was a balance of wild exotic and complete no frills utility. Sage's heart was a balance of intense loyalty and sweetness.

As many times as I have lost dogs each experience is as different as the dogs I have let go. When Sage died the vet started to tell me he was "sorry" I said "Don't be sorry...she had a great life. She knew every moment she was wanted and loved. She never was afraid or hungry." I am so thankful for the lessons I learned with Sage. In Sage's passing there was a strange peace...peace in knowing I had given Sage happiness and she had given the same...peace in knowing I let her go when she asked...peace in knowing she will be waiting for me and once again will offer me that soul fulfilling hug. Until that day, rest well sweet Sage you are deeply missed.

I love you little Sagey

2010-06-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

The sun peeks into my room and before long Tilly bounces on the bed and snuggles with all her might into my neck. Ahhh a perfect start to a perfect....what the hell is that smell? Tilly who is just in from a potty break has stepped in dog crap!! Thankfully it is only on her back feet so not on my neck and face but it is all over the bed (sheets and blankets) and the floor. After accusing me of having no limits with said puppy, my friends will be happy to know I just found my boundary. Tilly is ejected from the bed.

The sheets are washed for about the third time in a week. Muddy paws the cause before but this tops that. Tonight I was racing the rain to get the sheets off the line. Since I washed blankets too it was easier to leave some of the bedding out there while I made the bed. So the process of making the bed with the puppy under foot began. Walking out to the line Tilly is between my feet. I yank the corner of the blowing sheet out of her mouth. Back in the house first I get the puppy off the bed. Then I move the pillows and move the puppy off the bed again. I get my first two corners of the fitted sheet on and move the puppy again. I get the first two corners back on the bed and cast a evil look at poor Tilly and manage to get corners three and four snugged on before I have to get the puppy off the bed. Out to get the top sheet and first blanket. Tilly sits so sweetly while I make the top sheet sail out across the bed. When I look at her to praise her for sitting so politely she is missing. I get the puppy out from under the top sheet. I shake out the top sheet again and get it perfect, it is followed by the blanket. Tilly lands in the middle of the bed while I tuck them in. Her big blue eyes blink at me. Giggling I land in the middle of the bed next to her. Mid-snuggle I notice it has started to rain. Dang it the pillow cases and top blanket are now wet. They can dry on the towel rack in the bathroom before bed time. It may have taken twice as long to make the bed but it only took a few seconds to make a memory.

My aussie girl, Sage, is in a battle with bone cancer a reminder that it is over too soon. I pray for wisdom to help her with this journey. Yesterday she needed a small dose of pain meds for the first time. Cancer is burning up her calories and her smell has changed. I know we are nearing the end. With a broken heart I watch for a sign from her....Above all I will do what is right for Sage. I can not bare for her to be in pain. Let go when you need to but snuggle them while you can...you don't get this time back.

2010-06-05T02:40:00.001-07:00

Most Greyhound people know what cat testing is generally but often they don't know what really happens. I recently cat tested Velocity and thought you might find it interesting to describe to you what I do when I cat test.

Step one is to secure the cats in their chain link kennel. They have a crate to hide in if a dog makes them particularly nervous.

Step two is bring in the leashed and muzzled greyhound. The greyhound sees the cats through a fence.

We then watch to see how the hound reacts, in Velocity's case he was curious. Ears up and eyes bright. His interest was moderate. When he showed increasing interest I corrected him with a collar pop and a firm "NO!" He lost interest and began to avoid looking at the cat. I then brought the cat out from the kennel and again corrected him for increased interest. Again he lost interest. Part one of his test was done.

A couple of days later I retest a dog who I corrected. After thinking about it for a couple of days some dogs decided they really ARE interested in the cats. They respond by being turned on as we come into the cat zone. If this is the reaction they are failed and labeled not cat safe. In Velocity's case he glanced at the cats but showed no reaction to them. When the cat was brought out of the kennel he again looked at it but lost interest. After about 5 minutes of not responding in a negative way to the cat he was then labeled "cat correctable" which means he may be able to live with a cat with proper introductions and supervision.

When I cat tested Run she went into hunt mode almost immediately and the cat knew it. He immediately hid in his crate and would not come out. Cats seem to have a sense for if a dog is dangerous to them or not. Run earned the title of not cat safe in a matter of seconds, the whole test was less than 15 seconds. For the next two weeks she ran to the door we went through to visit the cats and checked to see if she could get to them. Run is gamey, meaning she goes into hunt mode easily. Some dogs don't seem to have any reaction to the cat at all. In fact I have seen my cat go from hiding to actually coming out to rub against the fence by the dog who isn't reacting.

When cat testing greyhounds the safety of the cat and hound are paramount. The greyhound is never off lead and is always muzzled. Even IF the cat comes out of the kennel the dog is carefully restrained and the cat has a place to hide. I personally never use the term "cat safe" I believe greyhounds have been bred to hunt for so many generations we are just not going to override that completely. In addition our testing is not limited. It does not test the greyhound loose with the cat or outdoors. A cat streaking across the yard is very different than the same cat curled up on the couch. There are lots of cats living happily with greyhounds...but that may have something to do with the cats having nine lives thing.

2010-05-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

It is hard to tell if Spring is springing or mostly wallowing around with her friend "Winter". We seem to go from almost summer temps to snow in the course of a day. Although spring may be fickle spring things are happening. I can dry towels and sheets out on the line every few days. I never have been convinced that sheets dried outside in the wind are worth the effort. This spring I read some one's blog about how to her that was a true sign of spring...fresh spring wind blown sheets. Inspired by her words I decided to buy some pins and give it a whirl. It has been so wonderful I am getting my PJs out on the line too. The sheets are crisp and smell fantastic. The only draw back is I can not hang sheets on the line that I don't think of that scene in Deloris Clayborne where her employer is yelling from the window "Six pins Delores! Six pins, not five!" Poor Deloris is out there in the cold wind wrestling the sheets onto the line with her cracked and sore hands. Kathy Bates plays Delores and is completely believable. Just once I would like to put sheets on the line and not think of that....forever changed by Stephen King Movie.
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I also have been driving and have been taking Tilly with me in the cart. Which we both have enjoyed...except that one day when the neighbor dog was charging us and she decided to jump out between the pony and the cart. She quickly learned that was not in her best interest. The stupid neighbor's Lab was running the fence and barking like a maniac. Which caused the neighbor to come barreling out of his house screaming at his dog and trying to catch her so he could beat her. With one hand I controlled the pony who was bouncing around trying to keep an eye on craziness of barking dogs and people. With the other hand I was dragging Tilly back into the cart and knocking my whip out of the cart. Once I got the puppy back in the cart and the pony away from the chaos I dropped a rein which required some yoga like contortions to regain. Just as I was saying "whew crisis averted" the wind came screaming down the down the canyon smacking both me and my pony in the face. Then it started to rain. Having had my fill of "fun" for the day we wheeled around and headed back to the safety of home!

2010-05-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

I read in dog books that dogs were supposed to wait politely for us to go through doors first. Before I met Izzy I thought that was some kind of law. But Izzy didn't read that book and didn't give a damn what it said she always rushed ahead of me. At first I corrected her but after a couple of years I gave up, honestly breaking that rule never hurt us. Looking back at my time with Izzy I realize that there was precious time lost trying to do everything right. She was a wild puppy but I spent too much time trying to control her. Don't get me wrong it isn't like I have a lot of regret. Sharing my life with Izzy was amazing. She could make me laugh and bring light even on my darkest days. I loved her quick and funny little way of thinking. But with Tilly I see myself not worrying about what the books other people wrote say. I spend more time loving her puppy antics and almost no time worrying about what rules other people live by. Having traveled both roads I highly recommend throwing the rule book away. Embrace the fullness of the quirks, the laughter and even the tears.
As I began to realize Izzy's time with me was coming to a close my heart begged her to stay. "Please, please don't leave me" was a mantra I rarely uttered but that rang inside of me with every breath. After she died I looked and looked for signs of her spirit lingering but found nothing. Still my heart kept up the plea that she stay with me. Tonight after dark I headed out to pull the the dog towels off the line. Dusk was with me he was clowning around and even got into the ditch and laid down. I kept a close eye on him in case he got chilled and had trouble. As he stood in the ditch he kept locking eyes with me and I would ask him "What's up Big Guy?" When he was done with the ditch and safely back on land I went for the towels. As I stepped into the shadows heading to the clothes line I saw movement dash by my right side nearly cutting me off. I lurched to avoid stepping on the dog. I looked one way and then the other and there was no dog under foot or anywhere near. Dusk was standing in the light 30 feet away ears up, eyes bright and grinning at me. We locked eyes again and he seemed to be saying "did you see her?" I knew it was Izzy who once again rushed in front of me. Call it a ghost, a memory or a fluke...no dog training book covers this. I realized Izzy had been with me all along and now she has entrusted my care to Tilly. She rushed in front of me her whole life and now finally she rushed on to the rainbow bridge. Another step of letting go...and yes I am embracing it.

2010-05-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

I love watching the relationship between a dog and their owner. Tonight I taught a tracking class. In the class is a 12 year old Great Pyrenees. I met this dog almost two years ago when her owner started her in a basic obedience class. I suppose most people wouldn't bother training a dog during the tenth year. But the spouse of this gal had been training a Tervuren puppy and the Pyr and her owner felt left out. Suz, shyly asked me about starting Kenzie (the great Pyr) and I encouraged her. We would let Kenzie tell us how much she wanted to do. As it turned out Kenzie loved it and within a few months Suz and Kenz were hitting the ring in Rally obedience. They earned a rally title with a few nice class placements and have been dabbling in the regular obedience ring. Tonight she tried tracking for the first time. I have a mental snap shot of the two of them jogging up my green hill grinning at each other after a nice second track. I was standing with a couple other students and I marveled at how much Kenzie had changed and how proud I was that Suz keeps working her even at 12 years. "WHAT?! She is 12?" said one of the students. "I thought she was 5 or 6" I looked again and you know she really does look 5 or 6 years. Learning and being useful has helped melt the years. Better to blossom late than not at all!

I am working with another student whose dog is blossoming right before my eyes. She just adopted a 6 year old Rottweiler girl from Missoula Animal Control. She said the moment she saw that rott she knew she they belonged together. Despite the Rott carrying 150 pounds on her frame built for about 90 and despite the immediate need for dual eye surgery to correct a double dose of cherry eye AND hypo thyroidism...it was love at first sight. The way I see it with all that baggage that big black dog didn't have a snowball's chance to make it out of that shelter...but she did! This week I can see big changes in her. She has lost weight and her face looks completely different, there is light in those eyes. I laughed as the owner told me when she takes her girl out for a drive people look at her corvette with their eyes and NOT their hands. But the biggest laugh was when the big rott girl flopped on the floor and the owner started rubbing her and telling me how much she loved this dog. The rott was blissed out legs akimbo, lips flopped back almost to the floor and ears open like a pups. It was then I spotted the real charm of the scene. Her toenails are as big as my little finger and every one of them is painted a dark shade of red.

I love dog people!!

2010-05-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

The new dogs are here and are wonderful. This week has been hopping for the Tripps who not only spend almost every waking moment tending those hounds but have been running back and forth from one vet appointment to the other to get the whole gang ready for homes. Some have already been spoken for!! It is hard to pick a favorite out of the group. Master is nothing short of eye candy. He is brindle on one side and the other side is nearly free of stripes...cool markings!! Of course I love Ducky's son Velocity and I am now fostering him, I would love him even if he was not "family" He is happy, sweet and a rich red brindle. Deuce is a cream puff. He looks a little rough right now but once he is in a home he will really blossom. Deuce wants to be someones best buddy he is happiest when he can touch you. Then there is Aerosmith...such a love he nearly melts into you and he has those dark soulful eyes...sigh. He is really a knock out and I love his easy going way. And we haven't even started talking about the girls!! Silly Gilly is bouncy, fun and covered in crazy little spots. It is hard for me not to fall head over heels in love with that bright personality. Baby is exactly that, a baby so quiet and wants to snuggle into your pocket and she is tiny enough to do it. July is somewhere between Gilly and Baby. She could be babys' twin so tiny and brindle but fun loving and upbeat like Gilly. Pebbles is pretty soft and innocent. She will need a steady home that can help her grow up past her insecurities. Be sure to check out the picture on the web site
www.gparockymountain.org/available.html
Another great bunch of greyhounds for Montana!!

2010-04-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Computers make me CRAZY!!! I have spent the last hour and a half trying to pay my stupid credit card bill on line. It has always been an easy thing but today my card company decided to spice it up a little and make it nearly impossible. UGH!!! On the other hand computers off set the pure frustration with the joy of being in touch with far away friends and family. I joined Face book finally and in the past month I have found several people I longed to find. It was such a thrill to find my collage pal whom I have looked for many times over the past years. So I guess I deep down love my computer despite the moments of wanting to kick it to the curb.

Most of you have probably heard that the dogs that were going to come in this week end had to wait an extra week while the hauler was repaired. Unfortunately for me the delay means I can't be there to greet them. I have a dog show that weekend which I have committed to go to. Hmmm maybe I only need to go to one day of the dog show. I hate to miss the greyhound fun.

Tilly the pup is growing and really leggy right now. She is a smarty pants and I love it. I honestly can not believe what Darrin and I let her get away with. Who knew a old hardened dog person like me could let all the rules slide. When she comes tearing back into the bedroom after her morning potty break and leaps on me....do I bounce her fuzzy little butt off the bed? No I grab her and snuggle in with her in my arms. When she sits between Darrin and I on the couch it is like neither of us even remember that dogs are not allowed on the furniture. In some weird way it pleases me when Darrin greets me with a "hi" and looks at the little princess and thrills "TILLY!!!" Yep we have gone soft.

Dusk had another chest x-ray yesterday. There is slight improvement...although the mass is still there all the secondary inflammation is gone. So we will keep him on meds another month or so and check him again. My 9 year old aussie girl Sage had to go in too. She has started peeing her bed and I noticed her straining to pee. I worried she might have bladder stones but on her x-ray nothing showed up and her urine is free of crystals. For now we are treating her for a UTI....hopefully that is all it is. It is a good thing my vet gives me a bit of a frequent flier discount!!

We have been enjoying some of the warmest days in April history. I have been able to make good use of my clothes line. I answered my own question of if sheets dried on the line are really that much better. The answer is YES!!! They are indeed worth the extra work.

2010-04-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

The Spring Fling at the mall was fun. I was there about 3 hours and handed out at least a million brand new brochures. I figure anyone who pets the dogs for more than 30 seconds needs one. Huge thanks to the Grabbers for printing these up and having them ready for the spring events. Also thanks to Laura for putting the Spring Fling together and to all who took time out of their day to show off their hounds. I shared my time at the booth with first Laura and greyhound Abby and Mark, Melissa and greyhounds Rotini and Zeke. Then later with Vicki and greyhound Mamma Ducky and Hank, Katherine and greyhound Lemon. I took 3 of my 4 girls in. Iris was good but was ready for a nap after an hour. Tava was pretty nervous, I tired to let Darrin take her back out to the van but she was NOT leaving the other hounds, so she stayed. Run wore one of the donation coats and was great at getting top dollar. The girl knows how to work a crowd! I saw more than one person put a twenty in her coat. After about an hour we actually had to empty her pockets. A very good problem!! When ever Run saw serious petting going on she was on her way to horn in on it. At the end of my shift I decided my life would not be complete without a picture of the gang with the Easter bunny. Tilly was in the van so Darrin brought her in we trooped over to give the poor guy in the bunny suit a thrill. Actually it was pretty clear he wasn't a dog person, all he really wanted was not to be touched. ICKY dog germs. Once I got the pictures I laughed out loud at how his friendly bunny face translated to a look of horror. His little mouth looks like he could be letting out a little scream. So now the hounds and I are ready to crash and Tilly...well she is still running full tilt. I have got to go take that stupid squeak toy away from her!! "SQUEAKAH SQUEAKAH SQUEAK!!" I need Advil.

2010-03-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Another of Ducky's pups is heading our way. Nitro Velocity who is a litter mate to Nitro Tiny Tim (now Rudy of SD). Carol managed to wrangle a spot for him on the next haul in April!! Cleo is visiting Billings and a potential home. Cross your fingers that cupid is flying low.

Everything here is pretty peaceful. Dusk is doing well, but looks like he will be on antibiotics for a very long time....perhaps the rest of his life. Tilly is growing and still a DELIGHT. The new cat, Malarkey is settling in. He goes outside some and thankfully he sticks around...especially since I just spent money to have him neutered.

The Spring Fling at Southgate Mall is this SATURDAY in Missoula.
PLEASE consider sharing your hounds with others. Sign up by going to http://www.gparockymountain.org/ The schedule is looking awfully blank. While on our web site be sure to check out the great photo of Elaine and Doris looking like fashion models...what a great shot!
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2010-03-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Poor Iris. She lays in one dog bed and is quickly followed by puppy Tilly who has a super squeaky rubber toy in her mouth. Tilly happily squeaks her toy time after time...at least 10 squeaks per second. Iris gets up and goes to the other bed. Tilly happily follows "squeak squeak squeak" Iris sighs and lays down and Tilly give the toy a little toss, it lands just under Iris' nose. Tilly takes the toy and rolls around in the bed next to Iris. Iris gets up and goes back to the other bed. It takes just a moment for Tilly to realize she is being left. Iris stands in the bed looking hopeless as Tilly lolls around on her back kicking her legs in the air and twisting. Iris is determine now to get this bed to her self. She waits until the pup is distracted then wedges her whole body into a bed that was meant for a 20 pound dog. No room for puppy to share that bed....of course Iris getting out of that bed may require someone to pull the bed off her rump. Before you feel too sorry for Iris I should tell you she has her own version of playing with the puppy. She plays that greyhound favorite "You run so I can catch you and make you stop". Tilly thinks it is a stupid game but if Iris will play with her she will play whatever Iris wants to play.

Dusk had another scare last week. More than a week ago on Saturday he went from feeling pretty good to feeling crummy. I could see him wilting almost before my eyes. Once again his temperature spiked. I called the vet and we started him on big doses of antibiotics again. I was in contact with the vet all week end and Monday I took Dusk in first thing to be checked. Another x-ray showed that the mass in his chest is still growing. I spent the next several days staying with him as much as possible. I canceled some classes and made every effort to be there when he needed me. I nearly made the appointment to let him go more than once. Thursday evening he was breathing labored and seemed to be fading. I was certain we would be taking him into the vet first thing in the morning. I got up during the night to check him and he seemed like he was sleeping comfortably. I got up early to evaluate him so Darrin knew if he was going in to work or calling in late. But Dusk seemed like he was actually feeling better and Darrin headed off to work. From then on Dusk seems like he has been actually doing well again. He packs his toys around, barks at the neighbors dog and has a good appetite. I don't know exactly what is happening in that chest of his but I am thankful he is again feeling like himself. Today he even did his favorite move....a somersault in my lap.

Other than annoying the other dogs, Tilly is doing super. She is so smart and learns so quick. She already has a list of things she knows. Darrin and I both are really enjoying her. The weather has been nice and I have been able to get my pony out for a drive or two. Apple seems to like the drives as much as I do. It is fun to watch him moving right along with his ears up and a prance in his step. The doves have been able to go out to the flight cage during the day which is so nice after the long cold months. And the cat....well Sigh has a brother now....although he doesn't know it yet. We were up in Ronan yesterday looking at an armoire I decided not to buy. The woman's porch was covered in cats. She said they were feral strays. She told us many of them showed up after a house in the neighborhood burned down. She had been trying to tame them in hopes of finding them homes but said she hadn't had much luck. I had noticed this cream colored cat when we pulled up. He actually walked towards us when we approached the house. When he came right up to me and I scooped him up...so much for feral. The lady raised her eye brows in surprise and said "Please take him". I looked at Darrin and asked "Well?" Darrin said "He seems to like us". The lady ran for a box before we changed our minds. The cat was far from relaxed but he let me hold him and then stuff him in a box. Next thing we knew we were heading home with a stinky, dirty feral cat in a box behind the drivers seat. Thankfully the box stayed closed. The cat has been dubbed Malarkey and will head to the vet on Wednesday for his rites of passage into pethood (neutering and shots). He isn't super friendly but hopefully with the help of a smallish cage for a few days and good stinky food I can win him over. For now I am happy he used his litter box and hasn't tired to scratch my eyes out. Hopefully he will blossom now that he has a name and belongs somewhere.

2010-03-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was out in short sleeve scrubbing out crates with all the doors wide open and the sun streaming in...today we got snow. I kind of love the fickle ways of spring.

I have gotten to meet some of the new greyhounds. I helped take them to the vet this past Saturday and get the girls spayed and ready for adoption. Ringer is a sweet and silly dark brindle girl who caught my eye right away. Thankfully she is spoken for. April is a very pretty black as she can be, dainty but fun loving girl. She has those fun fly away ears that never seem to be in sync. Little Ann is so pretty she takes your breath away with her shiny eyes and black mask on her fawn coat. Since they all had healthy teeth we were able to take them to the low cost spay clinic. We can get all 3 done for about the same cost as for one girl at other vets. The catch is of course that you have to be your dogs nurse. You monitor them during and after the surgery. We take advantage of them being knocked out and clip toenails and clean up teeth a little before they really come around. After the girls were done we loaded them up in Tripps truck and headed home with them. Peeking into the back of the truck it looked like some sort of slumber party gone wrong. The greyhound girls raise their bobbing heads and peer with half open eyes. They recovered nicely and are now waiting to be spoken for. I also got to meet Buster...I could have fallen in love with him. He is very pretty and has a sweet way about him. He is a smaller boy and seems like he will grow up to be laid back and have that easy to love greyhound temperament. He is another great dog from Nitro kennels.

Perhaps the prize of all the available dogs is Pokey. He is a nine year old black boy who was handed over to us when his owner had a life style change and moved east. He had great care during the 6 years she had him. I am sure it was heartbreaking to let him go. Carol brought him over and we took some pictures of him. While playing with him he showed us that he knows some obedience. He walks on a loose lead. You ask "sit?" and her parks it. You say "down" and he plops down eyes bright. You say "treat" and he almost bursts with excitement. This boy is a GEM!! Here is a picture of him "working" for a treat.
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My pup Tilly is becoming the darling of Hot Cha. It amazes me that such a young soul can work such wonders with my old broken heart. She has brought back a lot of joy that has been on hold since Izzy died. What is better is everyone seems to adore her almost as much as I do. Dusk doesn't always like other dogs, but he has been quick to become the pup nanny. He plays with her and lets her climb all over him and chew on him. She uses the dog door and if she goes out Dusk follows her to keep an eye on her. Even Darrin seems smitten by her. I took Tilly for her first herding lesson. We put her on ducks. You start pups with ducks because they move easily away from the dog and because they won't try to intimidate a youngster. At this point we are just checking to see if she has any natural desire to herd. Tilly did really well for her 9 weeks of age. When one duck went the wrong way she surprised us by going back for it and putting it with the others. It is so cool to watch a dog do what it was bred for.

2010-03-01T15:50:00.001-08:00

It is funny how things seem to happen in some sort of cycle. Just when I finally had been able to start to write about Izzy and my years with her there was a mass discovered in Dusk's chest. That was 4 weeks ago and things looked bleak for him. Of course I was frantic to make him comfortable and let him know how treasured he is. During this I got word through a round about source of a pup available up north of me. I was not looking for a pup but I was curious. Her picture revealed an usual similarity between her and Dusk. But the breeder told me that she was probably spoken for. I tried to put her out of my mind. Then things started to shift. A 2 week x-ray showed unexpected improvement in Dusk's mass. He actually seemed to be feeling better. On the heels of that I got word the pup was available and she could be mine. I was surprised by the wave of emotion that hit me with this news. I had decided logically I could live without her BUT somehow she had wiggled into my heart. I knew she was my family. I was pretty sure Darrin would have me committed somewhere when I broke the news I was looking at a pup. Not just any pup either this one was not a rescue...my first non-rescue ever. She has a performance pedigree. Bred to be versatile and willing to work with her owner. Much to my amazement Darrin gave me the nod and a few days later we were on our way north to meet her. It took a couple of days to decide on her name but of course it was the first one I thought of, Tilly. She is smart as a whip and bold as she can be. Today I took her up to herd ducks for the first time. I am in a stage of exposing her to all the things we may want her to know during her life. It is not training it is simply exposure. I have not gotten many of my dogs as pups so this is has been really fun to watch her learn and see her enthusiasm for life...that enthusiasm is contagious. I feel like someone turned the light back on in my world. Today would have been Izzy's 16th birthday...and although there will never be a dog like Izzy for me. I can find love in new ways and it is satisfying in a new way.

2010-02-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

I know it is a little nutty but I do hope we get at least one more snow storm. Most of the Montana snow has been east of the divide. I usually get in one good walk with the pups on a snowy day and so far this winter I have mostly missed out. There were a couple of short ones with small flakes but I want lots of snow and flakes so fat you almost have to call them snowballs. When the air is thick and sound buffering as a quilt and no one else is out.

Monday I took Dusk to the vet. We did a x-ray and Dusk has a mass in his chest which looks pretty bad. If you didn't know Dusk he wouldn't have even looked sick. I was telling Judy, about discovering Dusk had a temp on Saturday and I started him on baytril right away. She wanted to know why I took his temperature at all. If my dogs seem a bit off I put them on the grooming table and give them the once over. I run my hands all over them, look them in the face, smell their breath, and look for anything that feels wrong. To my hands he felt hot...in particular I put my fingers in his ears and a hand on his inner thigh. If your hands are sensitive you will be able to get a sense for if they seem hot. Of course if you don't know what your dog feels like when they are normal it will be hard to tell when they feel hot. If they feel questionable, I break out the thermometer. I often check temp just to be sure anyway. If the dog has been outside his ears can be cool and there still be a problem. Dry nose is no more a indication of fever than chapped lips for us...it means nothing. Every dog owner should have a thermometer for the dogs. Nothing special just a good digital thermometer from Wal-mart. I like digital because it is easier to read, won't break if I drop it and tells me when it is done. Yes, you have to take a dog's temperature rectally. I really wanted one of those nice ear thermometers BUT unfortunately because of the shape of a dogs ear canal they are inaccurate...so why bother. Once you have a thermometer write on it in big letters "DOG" on one side and normal dog temp on the other (101.5 give or take a degree either way). Taking a temp is not hard. You get your thermometer, a paper towel and a dab of Vaseline and act like you know what you are doing. It is normal for there to be some resistance but don't shove. Often you have to kind of hold it in there. When it beeps take it out, with paper towel ready, wipe and read. I follow up with a wipe down of peroxide. If your dog is a little high, write down the temp with the time and check it again in a hour or so. If it keeps moving away from normal call your vet. Anything under 100 degrees, over 103 degrees or that is changing is worth a call right away. But again if you don't know what is normal for your dog it is going to be hard to tell exactly how elevated it is. Take your dog's temp a few times for two reasons, so you learn how and so you know what is normal. If you are nervous about how to do it have your vet or a vet tech show you.

Dusk seems to be holding his own. He is eating well and responding to the medicine. So maybe some of the mass was inflammation. My vet wasn't too hopeful but my Aussies have beaten the odds before...and Dusk is a master at beating the odds.

2010-01-28T00:45:00.001-08:00

Tonight was spent doing a non dog thing...weird. I went to a junk auction. I went last week too and because it was a full house I ended up sitting on a pallet of Versace carpets. I shutter to think what my seat was worth in dollars but I can tell you they were really warm and comfy. We left before the rugs sold last week but one rug from the huge stack was back tonight and it sold for $1500. Last week was the bankruptcy sale of the Moss Mansion on Flathead lake. It always strikes me as sad when old mansions lose their contents. I bid on a Springer Spaniel bronze but chickened out as the price soared. Had the bronze been a greyhound I would stayed strong. I fell in love with a huge armoire. I mean huge!! It was probably 12 feet long and 5 feet tall. It was absolutely beautiful. It sold last week but was resold tonight. Darrin was sure it was because no one could move the beast. I rolled my eyes and told him I was certain it was exactly what I needed. The bidding started and I started raising my card. Each time I bid Darrin let out a pitiful groan. In a weak moment I stopped bidding and it was gone. SIGH!! I had to walk by it as we left and was kicking myself, meanwhile Darrin was smug at the hard work he saved himself. I did come home with some spode china. My idea was to resell it on ebay BUT I really like blue and white dishes so I think they will stay. On the up side the plates are small, don't eat or poop and never need a doctor.
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One of my good friends visited this past weekend. I love visits from my dog friends!! She showed up with her pack of pups and we spent a couple evenings in the training room. With the wood stove bleching out heat we really got down to running our dogs through their paces. It was fun to get the dust knocked off my old brain and get back in to training mode. Time to set some goals for the upcoming year. Ingrid also took a some of great shots of a couple of my pups. Here is my baby boy Brink...who really isn't much of a baby as he heads towards his 3rd birthday. She really captured his sweet silly hippy way...oh and his fantastic ears!!

Brink - 1-2010

Photo by Ingrid Rosenquist - Psycht Photography

2010-01-18T00:09:00.001-08:00

A little mouse colony has decided that my kennel is Mecca for Mice. On the rare occasion a mouse does come into the kennel it usually does not stay long. It leaves either of its own accord or heads home to Jesus via sighthound or cat. But this group of mice were smarter than average and they decided that warm rooms, snuggly dog beds, dove food and stray kibble made for a nice place to spend the cold winter nights. The cold actually made their odds better since Sigh, my faithful mouse eradicating cat was in his kennel basking under the heat lamp during the below zero weather. I don't know exactly how many were in the nasty rodent pack but at least 3. I know this because I know the details of their demise...or almost demise.

The first to go was the fool who let Tava run up on it and scoop it up and take it into her crate with her. At first I was in hot pursuit of Tava but as I neared her crate I started to lose heart. What if she didn't kill the beast? What if it was only wounded? What if she had already swallowed it? A million "what if'"s run through your head at those moments. Even now I am shuttering at the mere thought of the experience. Thankfully when I finally got up the nerve to look, the mouse was indeed dead bit neatly through but not mauled or smeared around. Removing Tava from the crate I could take out the bed, mouse and all and dump said mouse into the garbage and the bed into a washer of bleach.

The second mouse was the stuff of nightmares. I was cleaning the kennel, when I was done the shop vac was full. I was toting the bottom out to dump and then...I saw an awful little flash of movement. Stifling a scream I ran to the garbage and dumped, lint, dog hair, dirt and possible mouse into the garbage and slammed the lid shut. I didn't even want to look. I figured if I didn't see it for sure then I could convince myself it didn't exist. That night was garbage night. Before I knew it, Darrin had the garbage sitting down at its pick up spot and the next morning it was a done deal. The vacuum mouse was gone. I dragged the garbage can rattling and bouncing up the driveway, then went about my business. A couple of days later I found another bit through dead mouse in the kennel. A quick sweep of my broom and it was in the dust pan and I headed to the garbage. When I yanked the lid open I saw that awful scurry. Could it be vacuum mouse managed to survive the garbage being emptied?!! Cringing, I was too curious and had to look. Yep there it was hunkered down next to a piece of newspaper that had stuck to the bottom. UGH!!! Now what? I can't let the stupid thing starve in there for a whole week and I certainly was not brave enough to kill it. I vetoed the notion of putting Sigh in there to kill the mouse. I can't imagine he would forgive me for "throwing him in the garbage" no matter the reason. So I did the only thing a lion heart like myself can do, I knocked the garbage can over and ran like hell. When I went back to pick it up the can several hours later the vacuum mouse was gone.

The mouse problem seems to be back in balance again. I don't see them or smell them and the cat is out and putting on weight.

2010-01-07T02:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! I hope you all made resolutions you don't intend to keep and maybe a couple worth hanging on to. For the past month I have been battling a stupid cold. This is the worst one I have ever had...and yes I did visit with my Dr. about it. Why is it when you have a cold it is like you have a sign on you "please boss me around". I can't tell you how many time I have been told to; "Drink lots of water, take vitamin C, don't take vitamin C, use Zicam, use Musinex, go to bed, and eat chicken soup". "What did your doctor say?" "What does your husband think?" "Are you eating enough chocolate?" OK, OK I made that last one up....wishful thinking. It is getting better but it is taking a long time. I should be better in time for my period to start....Now I have regressed to feeling sorry for myself. And why not? A month is a long time to have a cold.

Tonight I was giving my girl Sage a bath. The water was warm and I was happily sudsing her washing away all that itchy loose hair and dog smell. I glanced at her face and she had a vacant look in her eyes. Sage clearly was not having the fun I was, she had checked out. If your "Happy Place" is the place you take your mind to when you deal with things you would rather not deal with. Sage was there. It made me wonder if I was part of her Happy Place. Tonight I probably wasn't but what about other times. What about when she is in her crate in the van or at the vet, she is fond of neither. Am I part of her Happy Place then? Does she think about the times we snuggled on the couch or laid in the grass together? Does she think about my hands cupping the sleek shape of her head? Does she remember the millions of treats I have shared with her? Does she see the light in my eyes when I watch her? Sage has been part of my life since, well, before she was born, nine years ago. Her mother was a cute little Aussie girl who was at the shelter ready to whelp, I knew that if those pups were going to have any chance they needed to be born somewhere else. Mamma Lucy Blue came home with me and had 5 pups, of which Sage was one. Sage laid on my chest when she was just a puppy potato. We shared breath and heartbeats. She was solid muscle even before she could hear or see. I thrilled when she offered to retrieve almost as soon as she could walk. This was going to be my obedience dog extraordinaire. As much as Sage loved training she hated showing. She retired early and prefers to be a home body. Which suits me fine, I love having her here. Now days Sage has very little stress in her life. But maybe she goes to her Happy Place just to relax, like I do. I hope I am in her Happy Place, she certainly is in mine.

Photo by Ingrid Rosenquist - Pyscht Photography

2009-12-29T01:28:00.000-08:00

Hurray Christmas is over!! Now don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I had a great time making memories with my family and friends. It is just I am ready to get back into a routine, stop cleaning my house and start eating normally again. The constant activity of the holidays make me long for boring days of taking the dogs out for play time without worrying about my to do list. The days when I can lose myself for hours brushing coats, teeth and tending to nails. OK I don't really get to do those things that often but its my green grass on the other side of the fence. A couple of days before Christmas I was called by a shelter and asked if I would take a Aussie pup in as a rescue. Of course when I saw his cute little black tri face on line I said "Of course it will be fun!". Well when the cute little pup hopped out of the truck at Petsmart he turned out to be a Border Collie pup. I asked the shelter person why she thought he was an Aussie, thinking maybe she knew some history on him. She said "Because Border Collies don't come in black tri. Jokes on her, BCs come in all the Aussies colors and more. I like Border Collies and I should be relieved since it lessens the chance I will fall head over logical heels in love with him. The down side is, as some pups do the little rascal expresses his glee any time you look at him by peeing. The kennel right now seems like it always stinks. It smells good for about 10 minutes after I clean it. I am confidant he will out grow this stage but in the meantime I try not to look him unless we are outside. He has been a wonderful playmate for the year old Icelandic pup that is currently here. The two of them are about the same size and activity level so a nice pairing for both. There seems to be much interest from people asking about adopting him. Hopefully he will find a forever home soon, immature bladder and all.

2009-12-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

Life here at the kennels is busy. In the last two days 12 of my boarding dogs have gone home and in the next couple of days almost that many will come back in. A number of clients did Christmas away with family early this year and some clients are going to be away at Christmas. I ended up with two shifts of dogs. Which is working out well for me. More greyhounds are on the road today heading to new homes before the holidays. Unique is heading towards Billings. Her new family are so excited they sent out new arrival announcements. Pursuit is going to meet a new home in Butte they are eagerly waiting with open arms for their first greyhound. Little Flip Flop and Robin are going to meet an experinced greyhound home in Deer Lodge. One will stay and one will be just going along for the ride. Reports from SD about Rudy (was Tiny Tim) are all good...who knows maybe Rudy can help open SD to adoptions.

There is a certain amount of privacy you give up when you share your life with dogs. Little things like sharing your bed and couch are givens but even the sanctity of going to the bathroom alone is sacrificed. Sometimes I will be in my bathroom...umm...well "reading a book"....when the door will swing open and there will stand one of my dogs who comes over to say hello and then saunter out. They always seem so proud of themselves, like you had been playing Hide and Seek and they found you, winning the game. No matter how much you yell they are only interested in opening the door not closing the door behind them. The open door can lead to embarrassing moments if anyone else walks down the hall. When I actually latch the door I often hear "thud" as Dusk hits the door with his big bull head or "Tick" as Ivy pushes in her lady like way. Iris is distinguished by a loud sniffing noise to let me know she found me but she isn't going to push too hard on the door. She saves her efforts for the bedroom door which at times lays between her and her favorite bed. That door she can usually open. If it is latched she comes and finds her maid servant (me) to open it for her. As I get ready for Christmas and house guest that come with the holidays I have to keep reminding myself, "LATCH THE DOOR!"

2009-12-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

We survived the sub zero weather and are thrilled to be reaching double digits again. The dogs are being able to come out of their owner induced hibernation and are happy to be able to run and play outside a little. Poor pups have been too confined but -20 is too cold to go out and play. On top of that I have a been a bit out of action due to a crummy cold. My interaction with the dogs were things like "please don't touch me, I hurt" and "hurry up I need to get back to bed". I'll make it up to them.

We have You Tube links so you can watch videos of the available dogs. Check them out at http://www.gparockymountain.org/Available.html

Nitro Tiny Tim is settling into his new home. He starts his new life with a new name, Rudy. His new owners at so attentive and want to do everything right. It is fun to once again get caught up in the excitement of a first time greyhound. When we got our very first greyhound years ago I remember sitting on the couch with my husband watching Noah a beautiful fawn greyhound boy. Noah was walking room to room investigating and I remember thinking he was a giant. He really wasn't that big, he moved with the grace of a greyhound and could curl up in the tiniest ball. It didn't take long to learn the biggest thing about Noah was his wonderful heart and the love he gave us. He has been gone many years now and still he colors my world. Dogs are that way...They show up, they take over and then they leave too soon.

2009-11-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

A bit of follow up on past story lines

We hoped the Lab that Gable gave blood to would live months or even years but as it was he only lived a couple of weeks. In those weeks his family had a chance to prepare for their loss and to say their good byes. It was made possible by an unselfish gift the Henderson's and Gable gave them. Hanging on the wall at the Henderson's is a certificate proclaiming Gable as a hero.

The lost sheltie that Dusk and I tried to track had been gone three weeks and I got word he was found alive and well today. His owner got a call yesterday someone had spotted a smaller black dog in the field about 5 miles from her home. She went there to look and re posted fliers. This morning a man called and had just seen him. His owner went to the field and began walking around and calling. Then she saw his little head pop up and he ran to her awaiting arms. He is thin but unharmed.

Our trip to Seattle to compete with Aim the Golden and possibly to sneak my friend's bichon to see her at Harbor View Hospital was successful on both accounts. The drive over Friday was wet and slushy in parts. We made it to Seattle about 8 PM and thankfully had a hotel room waiting for us. The next morning we headed to the show grounds too early. I was really nervous about this show. Aim is not the most reliable dog in the ring. She can be really good in practice but tends to fall apart at a show. There is an adoptive home waiting for Aim when she wraps up her title so I wanted to get it done so she could go to her new home. The other thing that made this stressful was that I have been working on a goal for the last 17 or so years to earn an obedience title on a dog from each of the 7 AKC groups. If Aim could get this last leg she would complete her title giving me a dog from the sporting group and would in fact be the last group I needed to accomplish this life time goal. As I got out of the car at the show grounds I felt almost sick to my stomach. I scouted out the obedience building and watched the judging for a few minutes. I had more than 90 minutes before my class even started and I was far from the front of the huge class. I figured I had close to 3 hours to work up to my oncoming nervous breakdown. Poor Darrin was with me and of course I was miserable company. I paced and whined until Darrin hauled me out of there and we went to the huge swap meet that was sharing the fairgrounds. We managed to find a cheap lawn chair since I didn't pack any and then we found a nice folding wire crate that we could set up in the hotel room for the bichon. I had planned to haul her crate back and forth but having one set up for her certainly would make life easier. Well that burned up about a hour and by the time we set up Aim's crate and the chair my class was starting. We waited and waited and I paced and paced. After a small delay it was our turn FINALLY. Into the ring we went. The on lead portion felt great. Our figure 8's were smooth. The stand for Exam went perfectly. I went to line up for the off lead work and that little booger Aim took a wrong turn and headed out of the ring. This is typically an automatic disqualification. I was cursing her under my breath as I called her to me. I was reaching for my leash and telling the judge "Thank You" when he said "Wait you aren't done." I turned to him with a big question mark. He said "That was between exercises so I don't judge that and she didn't go far and came right to you." I felt like the heavens opened and the angels sang! This was a miracle!! Seriously if this happened 100 times 99 of them you would have been out of luck. But I was up for taking advantage of such a gift. I lined up and we started heeling off lead. Because my nostrils had been flaring and my eyes flashing when I sweetly called Aim back from her errant ways, Aim was trying really hard to please me. Her heeling was undoubtedly her best effort. She stuck to me like glue. Then we got ready for coming when called. She came in at a trot, sat straight and was only a little crooked on her finish. With our ring work done we were still unbelievably in the running. All that was left were the stays. Aim has always been good with her stays...but of course she had never been tested at a show. When we lined up I was smack between two HUGE dogs. On one side was a 180 pound mastiff boy the other side was an equally huge New Foundland. Aim barely came up to those dogs elbows. The 1 minute sit stay went well despite a bouncy lab who was excused before the 3 minute down stays. About a minute into the down the Newf looked at Aim and his tail started to thump thump on the floor. Then his ears went up and he sat up his tail making a happy racket on the floor. Then this huge black Newf stood up and took a step to Aim. About this time his owner broke ranks and headed over to him. Instead of quietly taking her dog out of the line up and leaving she turned her dog around and picked up her leash and number then stood there with her dog wagging his mile long tail and hip swaying a merry dance all over the place while she put the leash on him and finally led him away. By now I felt light headed because I had been holding my breath for much of the last couple of minutes. After what seemed like an eternity the judge said "back to your dogs." When all was said and done Aim earned a leg and a respectable score of 189.5. We took a major point hit when she left the ring BUT I was thrilled with my green ribbon, last leg, new title and sporting group done.

The next day although we were entered I chose not to show Aim and ended up not even attending the show. I had planned to go with a friend and watch the aussies but unfortunately she woke up sick so I went to Seattle with Darrin. While he worked I hung out and read which was actually pretty great. Monday I headed to the hospital to see my neighbor and friend who has been there the last month or so. I took her the mail and we worked on catching up on her bills and doing some necessary chores together. I knew I was wearing her out but it had to be taken care of. I had managed to keep my lips sealed about her dog being with us. We decided after Darrin was done at the office he would pick me up and then we would park and bring the dog up to her room together. I had one of those great kennel bags for the dog. I had taken the bag into the hotel the night before and put her in it for a while and marched up and down the room with her in the bag and Darrin watching to see if he could see her. I learned where to put my arm so she was less visible. Just after noon Darrin called and I went and met him. We parked and I started to get the bichon out when I discovered the dang bag was miles away in our hotel room. DANG IT!!! Without much thought I dumped the mail out of the bag it had been in and shoved the dog into the bag and zipped it mostly shut. We walked into the hospital like we belonged there. The only nervous moment was when the little pup's nose came poking up out of the zipper. She was wiggling it trying to get her head out but I crammed her back in and zipped it all the way shut while the man standing next to me was bug eyed wondering what he had just seen. I just stood there ever so calmly not getting eye contact and bolted out when the door opened to our floor. Charlyn was in bed looking sad and gray because she knew we were leaving soon and we had been her first and only visitors. I sat the bag down in the chair. While she greeted Darrin, I zipped open the bag and set her little dog on the bed beside her. Charlyn absolutely lit up. She got to hold and hug her dog for about an hour before we had to leave. It was funny to me how many people overlooked the dog entirely. The food service girl came and got the lunch tray didn't even notice the dog sitting less than six inches from the tray. Nurses came and went and unless they came to do something to Charlyn they didn't even notice. Charlyn's nurses loved seeing the dog and I think they loved seeing how happy Charlyn was. By the time we left Charlyn looked several shades rosier even if she was really tired. She told me she slept better that night than she had all the other nights. She also told me the dog was big news in the hospital. Although no one ratted us out while we were there they did discuss it after we left. Everyone seemed to agree that was some of the best medicine she had gotten since she was there. It was one of those things that they can't give you permission to do because it is a hospital but they seemed to realize the value of seeing family even if it is the four legged variety.

2009-11-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Most all of my days are spent with dogs...and I count myself lucky for that. Dusk and I did go out and help look for the sheltie. Dusk seemed to indicate which general direction the dog had went but of course with a trail so old and walked on he never really had a chance to find any recent scent he could follow. Still he did help eliminate some areas....like a big wood pile and a couple of culverts which the owner was fretting about. Aim the golden girl is getting ready for an obedience trial in Seattle in a little over a week. She is doing really well and I am filled with hope that she will be able to get that last leg for her title. Over the weekend the weight pull went well and me and my pack earned a couple of titles. One of my Aussie rescues who was adopted by my close friend, Sally, earned his weight pull championship. It was fun to see them accomplish this goal. I also have been working with a handful of private students and currently have a couple of dogs I am working with who are having big behavior problems. One of them is a young Vizsla whose fear has gotten away from him and he is acting aggressive on lead. I worked with him about an hour in the paddock with the greyhound girls in the adjoining paddock. At first he was hysterical at the very sight of them. Once he started to catch on to what I expected, it wasn't long until I was able to bring Tava into the paddock with him. I chose her because I knew she would stick to me like glue and I also knew she would not react to this idiot pup. The Vizsla's owner was amazed her dog was settling. Again we see another dog who was going nuts without a leader. Before he left we had worked about 90 minutes and he was loose in the paddock with all 3 of my greyhound girls. I was so proud of my girls that they helped the pup's break through moment happen. In addition to the private classes I have 5 group classes going on at my place. Honestly it has been a little crazy...but winter is coming and it will wind down.

2009-11-03T01:25:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of high and lows. The high being getting to travel to Bozeman with a friend where she met and adopted a senior sheltie boy. It was fun to see her open her heart up to this senior dog who although he was loved no longer fit into his family. The sheltie adored the new baby BUT he became very protective and would alarm bark at every car passing the house and every noise. After 6 months of diligent work his family could not solve the problem and regretfully decided to try to find him another home. They had a long list of criteria to be met and had given up. What they didn't know was that I had spotted their ad on Craigslist and had forwarded to my friend who had been mulling it over for days. Presto...the next day Pam emailed them and after a week of emails today we headed to Bozeman to meet him. It was a bittersweet meeting. Pam was torn between feeling so sorry for his old owner and being elated to have a sheltie boy back in her life. We got home kind of late so Sam is here tonight and will start his life with his new family in the light of day.

When I got home there was two bits of sad news waiting for me. One call from a local gal in the kennel club. One of her cherished show shelties is mysteriously missing from his yard. A 2 year old black and white boy. The fences are 100% and the gates were secure. No neighborhood sightings. No body along the road. He has just vanished into thin air. With her remote location is seems unlikely that he was stolen. She had called and left a message to see if I could maybe track him. My best tracker, Dusk, just turned 12 years and with the days that have passed and lack of any sign of the lost boy it seems pretty doubtful. I will call her in the morning. The other bit of really sad news is my friend up north who is very involved with Search and Rescue lost her 15 month old up and coming search dog. This dog is the son of her current search dog. She has traveled around the world to help in searches. Western Montana is certainly safer with her and her dogs in the area. I am not clear on the details but somehow during one of her training sessions he got loose and ran into traffic. I tried all night to call her and finally had to settle on sending her a email. Hopefully she is in bed sleeping off the worst of the pain. Hug those pups and never miss a moment to fill your eyes with their beauty and your heart with their love.

2009-10-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

We love our dogs. They become so much a part of our lives it is impossible to think of life without them. When they are sick our hearts break and when they are failing and we feel so helpless. We pray for a miracle that will bring comfort and more days with our beloved friend. The one who can bring such a gift is nothing short of a hero. This is the story of such a hero. Our very own Gable Henderson of Billings as told by his owner, Judy.

About 4:00 p.m. last Thursday we got a call from our vet that they had a lab that was in need of blood. Gable is an emergency blood donor. Within 15 minutes I had Gable down there,I was told that the lab has a mass in it's stomach. About 7:00 p.m. the vet called and said she would keep Gable the night that he was very sleepy, they have to sedate the donor dog to keep them quiet and calm so that no problems develop with the donor dogs. Friday morning the vet called for us to pick up Gable. He did not like their cuisine so when we got him home we fed him. With extra yummy steak in his kibble, he licked his bowl clean. No problems at all with him otherwise after the donation. Vets office called me yesterday and told me that the lab went home with his family which is extremely good news. Now the lab needs one more miracle and that is that the mass is not cancer, he has a one in three chance. Lets all pray and keep positive thoughts for him, The lab is 11 years old and it would be nice for him to have more days of old age.

love
All the Henderson's

2009-10-24T18:34:00.001-07:00

Waiting for the dogs to arrive "grandma" Vicki and "auntie" Joni both could hardly wait to see Tiny Tim. Finally the truck arrived and Judy said, "So which one of you will get to walk Tim?" I assured her with a wink that I didn't have to be super fast just faster than Vicki. Finally when the driver was opening the door to the first crate I stood back to make sure it was the boys. I immediately stepped forward and took Tim by the collar, very pleased with myself. The driver was trying to hold the other two dogs in and he said to me "Hand that one off and take this one." I nearly passed out "WHAT?? Hand off Tim?? What??" But I did it and I helped get Xavier unloaded. I turned around expecting to see "grandma" Vicki with the new baby. But it was Dan Tripp who held the long awaited Tim's lead. With a nod from Vicki I swap Dan dogs and headed out to the back of the parking lot to give Tim a much needed nature break. It is hard to pick a favorite among the 3. Rag Doll immediately walked off with Vicki's heart. Rag Doll has these big doe like eyes that look right through you. Her personality seems to be gentle and sweet. I am not a big fan of blue dogs but Xavier is really handsome. He is a nice size and has nice milk chocolate eyes. Tiny Tim is a medium size boy in rich dark brindle. His personality seems to be curious and outgoing. I think he would be a fantastic family dog. When I got Tim home he had a touch of diarrhea no doubt from travel stress. After giving him a little medicine, I put him out with the girls for much of the afternoon. I will cat test him tomorrow. I will get pictures after the week end.

2009-10-23T00:43:00.001-07:00

I am getting really excited about the new dogs heading our way. In particular I can't wait to meet Nitro Tiny Tim. Saturday they are due to arrive. I can barely wait!! Gabe the Springer rescue continues to thrive. It is interesting to me how different they look when they relax and find some happiness. He has covered so much ground this week. Day one he was a dog who was peeing on himself, growling and so tense...now he is a pup with some bounce in his step and an adoring smile in his eyes. I really am proud of him. Aim has had a bit of a break from obedience but we need to start getting busy if we are going to be ready for the show next month. There is a weight pull the end of the month and some of my students and I have been getting some dogs ready. So far we have entries from 3 states and several local dogs are entering. It should be a fun week end together enjoying our dogs. I am pulling with my boy Brink. I thought about entering him last year but he just wasn't ready. He is a intresting dog, his body was mature long before his mind caught up. Now at 3 years I think he is ready to step out of the wings and into the lime light.

2009-10-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

It has been a interesting week on many levels. Of course when the Springer showed up I ended up taking him in. After I agreed to keep him, his owners confessed he had planned to take him to the vet in the morning to be put down. The Springer has some confusion about the order of things in life but something in his face told me there was a good boy still in there. It is interesting that the number one thing that screws up dogs is the very thing people think is a great kindness. Dogs can not understand complete freedom. I am not talking about no fences or leashes (because in most American societies that means death), what I am taking about is no rules and babying bad behavior. A life without structure and with no leader is a heavy burden for dogs. The Springer boy stayed here to find himself and hopefully a better life. When I work with a dog with problem behaviors I mostly let them just decompress the first week or so. The only rules I enforce are things that are dangerous to themselves or others.

First order of business was finding him a new name. His name was Sage. I already have a Sage in my pack and since he may be here a while he needed an adjustment. With the help of Trish I settled on Gabe...Gabriel...naming him after an angel can't hurt...he needs all the help he can get. About day 3 I let him out for some paddock time with Aim, the golden. After about half an hour I decided to shake things up a little and add a dog Gabe didn't know. I chose a dog who I knew wouldn't react to him, I expected Gabe would try his bad dog hysterical act. I had no idea what a show we were all in for. I entered with the new dog and let him off lead. I stayed near with lead in hand just in case. Sure enough Gabe charged at the new dog barking like a crazed dog from hell. I stepped between them and swung the lead at him in a threatening way. Gabe stopped short and for just an instant I saw him think about taking me on...my no nonsense stance and hard look made him veto the notion. As soon as I saw him back down I called him to me and loved on him. The new dog came in for some love. I watched Gabe start to brace for another bout of hysteria and I very quietly slid the slip lead on him. When he charged at the other dog he hit the end of the lead flipping himself way up into the air and landing with a thud on his back. I never could have planned such a correction. Gabe's hysteria was now displaced, he began to thrash on the ground and scream bloody murder. I kept my eyes on the other two dogs who were completely awestruck. If they stepped forward I got eye contact with them and told them to "GET OUT!" It took about 2 full minutes before Gabe started to slow down. I just held the lead and waited. As far as tantrums go it really was award winning. He kicked, thrashed and screamed and we waited. Slowly the brain started to turn back on. He stopped moving and he laid there a moment taking inventory. "Hmmm I am not hurt. Hmmm no one seems to care I am hysterical. Hmmm everyone else is calm." Then he rolled onto his chest and stood up rather sheepishly. We moved around the paddock and he kept glancing at me with this befuddled look on his face. We stayed out in the paddock another 5 minutes or so and then headed in. He had a lot to sort through while he napped in his crate. Since that time I could see him shifting gears. The crazy behavior is still close to the surface but he is trying to fit in. Today is day 6, he is wagging his tail and his eyes are softening. I let him out this evening with another group of new dogs. He raised a lip but when I verbally corrected him and got eye contact with him, he seemed relieved to know I was in charge. He also is letting me touch him all over finally. Last week he was rock hard tense, would not let me to touch his rump and peed all over himself. Gabe will be a project for sure but I am learning from him. One thing I learned is the value of the growl. Because his owners punished him for all growling he learned not to give verbal warnings when he was uncomfortable. The end result was the owners felt he was randomly going off. In fact he was doing what they taught him to do, skip all the warning and jump right into the hysterical behavior. His hysterical behavior caused them to try to soothe him with calming words which he read as reinforcement. Like all behaviors that are reinforced the hysteria grew. And so started the cycle of behaviors that had him dancing on the end of a needle full of blue juice.

2009-10-10T11:52:00.001-07:00

Two weeks before the next dogs arrive from OK. With them will be Nitro Tiny Tim. I can't wait to meet him. We don't know yet what time they will arrive but expect it will be during the day on Saturday Oct. 24. Let Carol or I know if you want to be advised so you can come meet the bus and the new dogs.

I had a woman call me yesterday who was referred to me by the Animal Control. The woman was frantic about the behavior of her dog. The woman was speaking so fast and furious I barely could get a word in edgewise. She was obviously in distress. The dog is a 2 year old male springer and is having problems with both fear followed by bouts of hysteria exhibited by barking and lunging at dogs or strangers. She said she could not figure out the triggers. They have tried a gambit of things from putting him on meds, neutering him and taking him out to public places all to no avail. Finally this last week the dog lunged at a visiting family member leaving a scratch on her mother's face. They could not decide if the scratch was toenail or teeth caused but either way it spurred them into action. I told her I charge $50 for a one time consultation and offer discounts for a series of classes. She said she would discuss it with her husband and call me back. Soon she called back and said they decided not to spend any more money on the dog. I asked so what now? her response was "One way or another we are getting rid of this dog." Her options were to put the dog down or take it to the shelter but she was open to other options. From the description of the dog and behavior it sounded like a dog who simply has lost his way and I really felt like I could help him. I was a little surprised to learn they were on the verge of making a date with a syringe full of blue juice for this dog. This dog had sparked a bit of interest in me. What his owners see as a nightmare I see as a interesting puzzle...a chance to learn and maybe help this pup. So I did the only thing I could do I offered to waive my fees and agreed to evaluate the dog. I told her I would be very frank and if I thought the dog needed to keep his date with the vet I would tell her. I am not a bleeding heart there are dogs that for whatever reason are too dangerous to be in society. If the body is sick and is not going to recover people see immediately the dog needs to be released. I believe if the mind is sick beyond repair the same rules apply. It isn't enough to give them life if there is no quality to it. Sunday morning she is bringing him out. I know she is hoping she can bail out and dump the dog on me and RUN. Who knows I might even allow it.

2009-10-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

The show was in a nutshell a disaster...but the hotel was GREAT and Darrin was with me.

The show ring was outside and being outdoors worked against us. Saturday was cold and rainy. Little Aim warmed up well but I could tell I was losing her before I even stepped into the ring. Her on lead work was OK but she was looking all around and lacked focus. When we went off lead she started to run and buck around the ring like a rodeo pony. She was in high spirits saying "hi" to everyone nearby until she realized, "oops we were heeling". Her antics earned us a big zilch. Fortunately the judge excused us from the rest of the work so Aim didn't get to make matters worse. After the show was wrapped up, I got Aim out and we worked near the ring we showed in. She made a few mistakes but I showed her what I expected and she was trying really hard. By the end of our work session she was doing great and giving me solid attention. So Sunday I had higher hopes we could do it. It was a dry day but really windy. It was the kind of wind that makes every thing feel a little crazy. Any nervous dogs were skittish and the guard types were on high alert. One man had his sheltie pull free and it took off down the road towards traffic. Fortunately the dog was rounded up safely but it was completely undone and freaked. His owner scratched him from showing and now faces months of work to get his dog back into form. While one team was working in the ring a tent canopy took flight and was headed towards the ring. Everyone ran to grab it and held it down while to dog finished working and cleared the ring. A brief intermission was given while the remaining canopies were torn down and stashed. Soon it was nearing our time to show. Aim gave a big stretch and we warmed up. Warm up felt good and we were connecting. We stepped into the ring and our on lead work was great, our stand for exam was perfect and then it started to go down hill. The wind started to gust and soon Aim started to wander off from her heel free. She made a brief recovery and came back into to position. I no sooner thought "Whew that was close!" when she bounded off in a big gust of wind killing our performance. This judge did not excuse us from our ring work and we dutifully lined up for our recall (coming when called). By now Aim could sense my disappointment and was back in work gear but the damage was done. Her recall was good and her stays in both the sit and down were both solid. It was only that momentary lapse that cost us. With the local shows drying up we either wait for next year to try again or look at traveling to shows out of state. There is one in Seattle area in mid-November which may be able to be combined with a business trip for Darrin.

Many things played a part in us not being more successful. The weather was a big factor. I don't train much outdoor since I have gotten spoiled with an indoor training space. Also Aim's lack of maturity plays a large part. She is a year old but is on the immature side. If you are going to hit the ring with a pup you have to know that they are going to behave like puppies sometimes. I am concerned that she is developing a bad pattern of loose and inattentive off lead heeling in the show ring. Of course I proofed her before the show by working her outside and even in the rain. I proofed her attention by working her with people and other dogs. I even had people actually try to tempt her away, she was solid and stuck to me like glue. I have never had a dog with this problem before so I am having to move outside of my usual tricks to solve this one. One of my favorite parts of training a dog is to figure out how to work with them. They all are so different and need different things. Honestly I do enjoy the puzzle part of it even if it makes me want to pull my hair out at times.

2009-10-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

It is the perfect fall day. The fires were dulled by the recent rain and everyone feels better with some nice clean crisp fall air in their lungs. Things are starting to gear down for winter and fall into more of a routine. Seems like there is more time in the day to work with the dogs and horses. I am preparing for the last out of town dog show I have for this fall. Today I will be bathing dogs, washing out the crates, packing the car, dog bag and my suitcase, and checking my list twice. This show is in Spokane, I am hoping this weather holds just another 24-48 hours there is rain in the forecast. I am only taking and showing the golden, Aim. We are chasing that last qualifying score to tie up both her title and my lifetime goal. Cross your fingers!!

2009-09-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

I called Vicki last night to let her know Nitro Tiny Tim will be making his way to Montana. All we know about him is that he is about 70 pounds dark brindle and was born Aug. 1, 2007. Well I guess we also have a pretty good idea of his temperament since we know his mother and half sister. When I told Vicki he was coming she let out a little squeal of joy. She assured me she would definitely be standing with me in the parking lot waiting for the truck to arrive!

We almost made it through the summer without a wildfire in our back yard. The main part of the fire lies north of us about 5 miles, up Kootenai Creek. It has been burning up there quietly since early July. Last Saturday the wind picked up and it spread significantly north into the Bass Creek drainage. Above is a picture we snapped from our backdoor as the fire took off...look close and you can see the orange flames. I have a friend, Pam, who owns a farm on the north end of the fire...which is the direction I believe the fire is likely to go (she believes I am in the fires likely route). They did a prescribed burn between me and the fire this May so I am thinking I have a bit of a fire break. Oh yeah they lost control of that one too which is why the fire break is there. And there was that weird little drive in the mountains Pam and I took. She wanted to go look around so we headed up the mountain. She started to worry that we might get near the fire. I kept saying "Oh for Pete's sake the fire is on the other ridge and they would put up a blockade if it wasn't safe up here!" One switchback later we realize the trees and logs are strangely smoking. Needless to say we tucked our tails and got the heck out of there. Pam was shooting accusing looks my direction and although she never said it I could tell she thought I was an idiot. Who knew they wouldn't at least post a sign? Any way back to now, so far neither of us are in any danger. This week there has been lots of smoke which is miserable. It gives me a screaming headache and zaps my energy...I can only imagine what it does to the animals. I make the dogs stay in as much as I dare. Pam and I have been calling each other a couple times a day to check in and scare each other to death with worry. The upshot of these frightening calls is we do have an evacuation plan figured out. It hinges a great deal on Tripps being willing to move Pam's big animals, which thankfully they are. In our talks yesterday we decided it might be prudent for her to move two of her five horses to Tripps for safe keeping. These two horses are the most likely to be difficult in a crisis. When it was almost dark Carol called and asked me to ride along and help. I was a little surprised we waited until dark but it turns out it took almost 3 hours to halter one of the boogery horses. With night falling thankfully both horses loaded well. On the road we saw several fire fighter rigs pulling into both the Kootenai and Bass Creek drainage's. It serves as a unsettling reminder of what could happen. This morning every few minutes a plane flies over to check the fire. They clearly are ready for battle. I am tempted to go run errands but I think I will opt for staying close to home in case wind picks up or Pam calls. Pam told me she is sleeping much better now that she has a plan mapped out. She fusses and thanks me and I assure her it isn't a big deal because she would do the same. I have been blessed with the best friends in the world. I don't think it is a coincidence that they also love dogs.

2009-09-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Before I get into the show news I will first tell you a bit of good news. As many of you know my greyhound girl, Tava's mother came to us and was placed with Vicki in Missoula. More of you have probably met Ducky than Tava. Their breeder contacted me and a boy pup from Ducky's last litter just graded off the track and is available. I have agreed to take him into the Run For Adoption program and he will be available for adoption this fall. Cool huh?

The Helena show got off to a bumpy start when my sister had surgery on her elbow scheduled the day before the show. I wanted to be with her and I considered not going to the show. So the day before the show we agreed that I would plan to go but if she had a hard time in surgery I would stay home. I was able to wait for her during her surgery and drive her home where my dad then took over her care. So crack of dawn...well before the crack of dawn...I was on my way to the show. My class started at 9 AM and I wanted to give my golden, Aim, time to adjust to the new show site. I hit the show grounds at about 7:30. I parked in the usual place and after a quick trip to see the new show venue I started to lug my crate and chair to ringside. After I had my gear set up I learned that I could drive my car almost to the building...which I then did. Helena just built a nice building for events and the show was being held here for the first time. It really is a nice location with lots of natural light and with central air and heat...always a good thing when you are showing dogs. The venue was large enough that the entire dog show was in one huge room. In the past obedience was in a different building entirely. I wasn't sure how Aim would deal with the commotion, but she seemed unfazed by it. We had about an hour to wait so I worked her for a few minutes and put her in her crate to rest. Finally it was close to our turn. I got Aim out and we warmed up and hit the ring. Her work on lead was pretty good and her off lead was fair. All of her stays were solid in the end we ended up with a score of 181 (out of 200). I was encouraged as it seemed we had finally discovered how to be a team together. We spent the night with a friend in Helena. The next day brought another decent run in the ring. Again Aim's on lead work was great and her off lead a little loose but we did score 188.5 points which is respectable. As soon as I was out of the ring I was on the road for home. So next week end we go to Spokane and with two of the three needed legs under our belt I am hopefully we can wrap up this title this fall. Spokane will be a little different as our ring will be outdoors. Not only am I not a fan of showing outdoors I have not worked Aim much outside. This week we have focused on working outside. So far Aim is doing well with the new twist. She is a interesting dog to train as she puts things together so much differently than my dogs. I am not tempted in the least to change breeds but I can see why they are popular with obedience people.

2009-09-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

I snuck out under the velvety dark of last night and headed to the kennel to grab some extra dog time. It really is fun to be out there by myself playing with the pups. I worked Aim and she did better heeling than she ever has. At last her lessons are gelling in her little head. I heeled this way and that way with her off lead. She stuck to my side. Then I got creative and started to test her by trying to lose her. She mirrored my every move. Fingers crosses for the show on Thursday and Friday.

2009-09-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

The show was fun and reasonably successful. The only disappointment was the performance of the golden, Aim. I showed her the first two days and pulled her the last day. Both days she got distracted during the off lead heeling. The first day she went to visit those less fortunate who don't have a golden in their life. I am all for her visiting but leaving me to do it cause us to get a big zero. The second day she stopped to stare at the activity in the ring next to ours again causing us to get a zero. Aim is a year old and knows the exercises but still immature. Usually I don't even really start to work dogs until they are two, we do puppy training but nothing serious. I really am a big believer in letting their minds mature. Also before I step in to a ring with a dog I have hours and hours poured into them. Taking them places and working them in all sorts of different conditions with some of the things that have gone on this summer she has not had many field trips and it shows. ..but we will get there. Her story is interesting.

Like all of my dogs she is a rescue. Her past owners gave her up when it became clear she was way too much dog for them. Through no fault of her own she was a bit of a monster. Her breeder failed her miserably when she placed Aim into a home with elderly folks at a mere 5 weeks. Pups weaned that young are set up for several problems. They have not yet learned bite inhibition, mamma dogs and litter mates normally teach this lesson. The number of band aids on her owners clearly proved her human family were not really able to teach her this. Next is they miss the lessons on how to read other dogs and often have dog aggression. I first met Aim at 4 months and she was already well down this road. She would growl or bark hysterically at other dogs. If given the chance run at them and grab at other dogs. Although her actions were those of a bully usually these reactions to other dogs are fear based. All the same the result is bad and left unchecked often leads to a lifetime of isolation from other dogs. Not only did the breeder place her too young she placed her with any warm body with a checkbook. Aim's folks were very nice but not able to keep up with a busy bossy puppy. When Aim wasn't chewing on them she was merrily tearing through the house like a wave of destruction. In one room I was shown some of her artistic changes to their home. Damage to the couch cushions, rug, furniture legs, remote, ruined bowls, books, blankets and too many things to count. So that was her bumpy start. I was fortunate to be fostering a pair of lab pups about the same time she arrived. They had been found by a friend at a trail head and she brought them here (might need to look for new friends). The labs were only slightly older and larger than Aim. Nearing her 5th month Aim got a crash course in how to speak dog. The three of them played for hours and in the process Aim lost much of her fear of other dogs and learned to control herself and her sharp little teeth. No one claimed the lab pups and homes were found for them but Aim had had the benefit of joining their litter for a month or so. Now she could mix with my adult dogs and not annoy them or be afraid of them. Now that she had learned to deal with dogs, she had to learn how people expect to be greeted and dealt with. We taught her a better gentler approach to people. No more charging at people, leaping wildly, clawing or chewing on them. It wasn't that she was trying to be bad she just thought that was OK....and it wasn't.

Many months were spent reshaping her ideas and then and as the fall show approached I worked her more seriously in formal obedience. I have often referred to goldens as the Forrest Gump of the dog world and Aim certainly fits into that. I enjoy training very bright and high drive dogs so Aim was a challenge for me. Still it has been a great experience to work with her and to get a new prospective. She is entered in Helena this week. I only entered her 2 of the 4 days and then 2 days in Spokane next month. I have a lifetime goal of training and earning a Companion Dog title with a dog from each of the 7 breed groups. If we can earn Aim's CD I will complete the Sporting Dog group and in doing so will complete my goal. Aim will soon be done with her schooling here and be ready to find a forever home. I have had several people express interest in her so finding the perfect place for her should be easy.

2009-09-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

I really should be in bed. I leave for the show tomorrow and it is always the hardest night of the year to get my buns to bed. Things are mostly ready for me to leave...dogs are clean and everything that is proper to do to them is done...nails clipped, ear and feet hair trimmed, teeth brushed etc. The crates are packed and ready to receive the Hot Cha gang. Now that I have done this a while I have all the crap that is supposed to make my life easier. It used to be me, my dog, a collar and lead, a few treats for him and me and blanket we could share. Now I take many dogs and a whole van full of STUFF. This time for example 12 crates...yes you read right... 12 . I have the nice fabric crates which I can leave set up at the show site, I have the folding wire crates for the motel and then I have the hard sided traveling crates multiply that by four dogs and TA-DA 12 crates!! Each dog of course has their favorite treats so I travel with a cooler full of treats for them...string cheese, jerky, home made liver treats, roasted hot dogs, yogurt drops, salmon, roast beef, turkey, fig newtons, bacon if I take the time to make it in the morning and more store bought treats than I care to confess. Dry kibble, yogurt, canned dog food and supplements to keep their energy up. Each dog needs a leash and collar for relaxing and a show lead and collar, food dish, a bed for each crate and at least 1 bucket each plus 4 extra buckets (so I can leave two at the show site and two at the motel). There is shade cloth to cover the van, fans for the van crates, first aid kit, grooming kit, a couple gallons of water, towels, a fan to use at the motel, handi wipes, shot and show info for each, poop bags and more poop bags...All of this before I even pack anything for myself. Each show is a little different and each dog has different needs. This is the only show I pack 3 crates for each pup...and only because I am spending 3 nights in a motel and can leave things set up at the show grounds. This is a lot of stuff to take even by my standards...but when I am tired it is pretty darn nice to have everything set up. However it is a bit of a circus to orchestrate it all...Barnum and Bailey watch out the Hot Cha gang is about to roll.

I might be able to take a computer with me and if I do I will update as the show goes on...if not I will update when I get home.

2009-09-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

As the summer clips along it seems to be going faster and faster. I can hardly believe that most of the kids are back in school and that the fall dog shows are right around the corner. I have been working my dogs but not nearly enough...still I entered my favorite Labor Day show and am preparing for that. I will attend with 4 of my dogs. 3 Aussies and 1 golden. It will be a lot of running around and showing but it is always nice to go into winter with some of those titles wrapped up and feeling ready to work through the winter to perhaps hit some of the spring shows. I have to decide tomorrow if I am also going to try to enter the Helena shows. I am kind of on the fence about it. It is fun to go but also might be good to sit it out and save some $$. I will work my dogs in the morning and decide then.

I just returned from a few days in Vegas. My hubby and I had a blast and never gambled so much as a dime. We did however catch a bunch of shows, go to a concert and visit the shark reef. Also I should brag that I survived 76 hours without a dog...not a pet, kiss, or even a sighting. Thankfully we were so busy I didn't have much time to pine away for them. The temperature in Vegas was HOT even for Vegas. The official report was 109 degrees two of the days but unofficial reports were as high as 116 degrees. Because of the heat we did make a little more use of taxis but believe me we walked our fair share. My theory is the reason slots are so popular is because it is too HOT and too FAR to go anywhere else.

Seems weird not to have a greyhound foster dog or two around. There is a load coming in Oct. however we are not sure if we will be taking any. If anyone is toying with the idea of adopting this fall the time is now to let us know so we can shop for the right dog for you.

2009-08-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hurray Bach is finally home. When Bach came in Carol confided that she was ga-ga for him. But she kept her feelings in check and watched Bach head out to a home then later return. He then went out to a foster home and then returned. She and I talked about her concerns of Bach bouncing around and I said...."You know the answer" Today I got an email from her blaming me for her signing the adoption contract on him. Congrats to Bach!!

The joy of a new pup was proceeded by the sad loss of Sparky, Tripps old man dog. Spark spent the last couple of years with the Tripps. He had been a stud dog on a farm and when their old guy Sam died I sent in a donation to sponsor Sparky. Next thing I knew Carol had spoken for him and he was headed our way...BTW I got blamed for that adoption too. He arrived when Tripps were out of town and despite 4-5 baths he still was tea stained when they picked him up. A few weeks went by before I saw Sparky again and the next time I saw him he was glistening white, had gained weight and was loving home life. Over the months Sparky became very attached to Dan and would remain outside where he cold see Dan no matter the weather. In the winter they would have to lock him up before Dan went out to do chores or the old fool would stand in the freezing cold waiting and watching for Dan. A month or so ago Carol told me Sparky was limping a little and she had that sick feeling that bad news was coming. Sparky looked good until his last few days when it was clear his body was giving out. Dogs are impossible how they come into our lives and take over and then leave too soon. The same week Sparky died our greyhound family suffered another loss. Kathy B.'s Pecos.

Some of you may have met Pecos at his numerous PetsMart visits or at any number of greyhound PR events. Pecos was a gorgeous honey colored boy who had a heart of gold. He liked everyone and really was a great first greyhound for people to meet.

We will miss both of these wonderful boys.

2009-07-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

My mother in-law has a nasty Pomeranian. I only say she is nasty because she barks a lot and bites. In fact she bit my father in-law and the ensueing infection sent him to the hospital. Sassy has more notches in her collar than I can count. She is 10 pounds and 8 of that is teeth! I am one of the few she hasn't nipped. So I think she has earned her nasty title. About a month ago I was asked if I would take the little monster home to groom. Feeling like I needed to do something good for someone in the family I loaded up little Ms Sassy Snapping Turtle and headed home. She was pretty matted and unmentionables were clumped in her bloomers....yuck. I put her up on the grooming table and tried to get a handle on the mats. I have some wonderful spray that helps de-mat but for many of these mats the only answer was scissors. It was slow going since some of the mats were right to the skin. Once I had her mostly brushed out I bathed her. After her bath more hair had come loose and again I had matting. In the back of my mind I remember my mother in-law saying I could clean up this pup any way I pleased and what pleased me right now was to take that stinky coat off her. After a good 4 hours of grooming I stepped back and beamed at my little project. Not only had I gotten rid of the mats I had done it without getting bitten or nicking Sassy and she looked adorable. About then the door of the kennel swung open and Darrin spouted "HOLY COW!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? SHE LOOKS RIDICULOUS!!" In fact he almost refused to deliver the dog back to his mother. He tried to get me to call his mother and "warn her" but I would not "spoil the surprise"...besides if she never asked me to groom her little dog again I was OK with that. The next morning Darrin dropped off the dog and immediately called me to report that his mom love the little dog's new do. Best of all Sassy liked it and was prancing all around the house like she had just been crowned queen. Come on you think she is cute don't ya?

2009-07-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

When you get behind on the blog it is hard to know where to start to catch up. The biggest event that has happened in the last month or so has been the loss of my dear friend my aussie, Izzy. I want to write a sort of obit for her but not today. It is enough to say that this adjustment has been one of my hardest. I have journaled a lot as a way of therapy, random thoughts that no one will ever read...or will ever want to read. But some day when I am cried out and feel brave I will tell you all about my girl.
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The picnic preparations got off to a start about a week before the actual picnic. My nephew and niece came over from Choteau to help me get things ready. There are always 101 things that need doing from weed whacking to dragging out tables and wiping them down. Wednesday night after my shower, my nephew was showering. I kept hearing him splashing, I figured he had dropped the wash cloth and it was over the drain. When I walked into my bathroom I heard running water. As the lights came on I saw the dreaded sight of a toilet over flowing, thankfully it was just water. It was almost midnight but I did the only thing I knew to do when faced with a over flowing toilet....I woke up Darrin. Not that he could do much more than I could, but it made me feel better. As I tried to go to sleep my mind was whirring. I hadn't ordered a port-a-potty because it was looking like the turn out for the picnic was going to be small and I thought I could cut that expense by opening up the house. Now with so little time I worried there wouldn't be one available. After evaluating the situation the next morning it was clear it was time to call the professionals. I called our trusty sewer people, Eickerts. When I told her of my distress she calmed my nerves by saying "You have just taken the express route to the top of the list with an over flowing toilet". She went on to tell me they would be out this afternoon. They did have a port-a-potty available for the week end and she could have it delivered by NOON. I am not a terribly demonstrative person (unless you happen to be a dog) but I could have kissed this woman. True to her word about a hour later a truck pulled up and dropped off a nice blue outhouse....which was a really good thing because the kids didn't seem to understand that I was serious when I said not to flush the toilets or run any water. A few hours later the big truck pulled up in my yard. All I had to do was write the check. These capable men knew exactly what to do and before long we were back in business. Again I had the urge to kiss a total stranger but after smelling these two it was easy to hold back.

Trish showed up Friday evening with a whole car load of treats and auction items. She does a excellent job of soliciting donations from Billings businesses and in making arrangements to transport auction items for anyone not attending. I like to think Trish stops by to see me but when she nearly pushed me to the side and ran for the greyhounds I knew the truth. She was out there cooing in their ears and making a fuss over them. Saturday morning we were ready. People started rolling in with arms full of auction items and food for the picnic. It was really fun to see old friends again and to meet new friends. Sadly Brent was feeling a bit under the weather so he declined when we begged him to be our auctioneer. Sherri G. stepped up to the plate and did an excellent job of milking the generous. Greyhound friend Terri and her cute red headed son came and did pictures of everyone this year. Even Darrin and I submitted for the first time and had pictures done with our four brindle girls. Irene came and set up a really nice display for Collar Crazy....BTW when you see our foster dogs wearing some great collar it was probably donated to us by Collar Crazy so our fosters can look their best. I got to meet Sharon whose name I learned only after calling her Jack (Redsmoke Jack) and Nikki's (Wild Nikki) mom. I had to learn her name when she kept out bidding me...dang her!! I am sure being the auctioneer was really exciting for Sherri but her real excitement happened when she confessed her adoration of foster greyhound Mel and ended up adopting him. Mel wasn't the only one heading home that day. Adriane decided little Nitro Kristen was a perfect addition to her pack and her duo of greyhound girls became a trio. Camaro headed north and although she ended up not being a match for her intended family Elaine G. is fostering her and reports that Cami is the perfect dog and claims that she doesn't care if Cami ever is placed. Bach went out to be fostered but came back because he just couldn't overcome his fear of the slick wood floors. He is back at Tripps. Bach has settled right back into the routine. There is a temporary hold on him. He has moved a lot in the last month and now needs to just relax. Bouncing around can really throw a dog for a loop. Foster dogs Corbin and my little Tosha were picked up early Sunday morning and headed to Billings where they would wait for their families to come for them. Both are home now and look like they are perfect matches. The food at the picnic was great. If you didn't come you missed out. Carol makes the best potato salad known to man and Sharon made the cutest sugar cookies. She even made some greyhound shaped and frosted them in brindle!! I loved it!! She also showed up with bags of homemade dog treats which I am regretting not stealing. Glen and Wendy came with some grilled mushrooms that I saw Brent trying to get thirds of...unfortunately for him the mushrooms had already been discovered and went pretty fast. Big thanks to all who donated items and who took the time to come and participate. After the picnic we counted up just under 30 people and as many greyhounds were loping in the paddocks. The picnic wasn't as well attended as it has been in past years but it was every bit as FUN!! I hope next year will be bigger and even better. We are always looking for people who want to help out. If you have ideas to make it better or want to help organize the picnic for next year speak up!!

2009-07-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

NEED PICNIC INFO?
http://www.gparockymountain.org/Picnic%20announcement.html

NEED DIRECTIONS?
www.hotchakennels.com
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2009-07-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

THE PICNIC IS THIS SATURDAY!!! We always have a great time and there is always something fun to buy from Collar Crazy and some kind of must have to bid on at the auction. There have been several people who emailed and said they are not going to make it this year so I hope there are a few people who ARE going to make it. Either way we will have fun and will enjoy spending the day together and talking about the hounds. A couple of hounds will be hitching a ride back to Billings on their way to new homes. Tosha will be heading to Lindy in eastern Montana and Corbin is heading out of state. Both dogs are joining greyhound savvy homes. One of the highlights is meeting the available dogs. Tripps are going to try to bring most if not all of their fosters and I of course will have my foster Mix, here to meet people. The auction always is full of fun and and little friendly competition for the good stuff. Some of my favorite greyhound things have come from this auction. Hope to see many of you Saturday. There is lots of free camping at my place....it isn't fancy but the price is right. Give me a yell if you need a place to stay and we will get you set up.

2009-07-01T00:25:00.001-07:00

Judy and I took some new pictures of my foster dogs. I have Tosha and Mix. As often happens there was a beauty and a dork. Tosha struck a pose and everything she did was calendar worthy. She is really a cute girl. The best part of Tosh is her fun personality. Here is a picture of Judy doing what Tosha does best...be a hug-muffin. When I am walking in the kennel I will feel nibbles on my left hand....I turn to look only to get little nibbles on my right hand. When you get eye contact with her she just beams. She is going to be so great in a home!! Talk about a dog born to be some one's princess. She is easy to spoil and she loves it! Mix on the other hand is a bit of a dork...lovable but a dork. While taking pictures his ears were never pointing the same direction. Despite his long race career he doesn't have that look of eagles. His has more the look of....well....maybe Big Bird. He has never been special yet...I think once he is in a home he will really change. I see him changing already. The days have been long and hot, when I go out to bring him in from the paddocks he is leaping about in greeting and snapping his jaws with joy. Hard to pick a favorite between them. It is like choosing between pretty Sandra Bullock and adorable Gomer Pyle.

2009-06-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

I am waiting for the day when I can write about Izzy's life...hell I am waiting for the day I can think of Izzy and not end up in a puddle of tears. I was so fortunate to have her in my life. We learned so much together and had so many first as a team. Izzy was so much more than just a pet she was my family, my friend and joy. Since she has been away I feel like the shine is off the apple. I sleep a lot and have a hard time dragging myself through the day. My Dr. asked if I wanted something to help me through...but since morphine was not on the menu I declined. Once again I search for answers and ideas to hang onto to help me. I know the facts...in most cases we outlive our dogs and 15+ years is a nice long life for a dog. BUT I had it in my head she would be with me longer....the truth is, there is never a good age to lose a dog. Still those facts do not lessen the agony of loss. I have one notion I came up with that has been helping me. I am thinking of this experience like broken glass. At first it is shiny, sharp and can cut you deep every time you touch it. Over time and with a ocean of tears the sharp edges smooth and you end up with sea glass that is beautiful to the eye and hand. Avoidance of course only drags out the process. Like sea glass this transformation does not happen over night. It is a process...a slow process filled with rough water, sand, rocks, confusion and pain. The other thing I try to remember is that there is no wrong way to mourn. You just try do what feels right. So now that the show is over and the company is gone I am alone to wade through this. With the hope someday to hold sea glass instead a broken heart.

2009-06-24T23:18:00.000-07:00

It is hard to know where to start to update everyone on the recent events around here. Do I start slow or just jump in? Most recently I was involved with the dog show in Missoula. I had two dogs entered. Charm I showed in Rally where she earned 2 legs towards her rally novice title. Pixie my red merle girl was entered in conformation which is the beauty pageant of the dog world. I relied heavily on my friends to get her ready and show her. One of my friends was traveling through and came by to help me groom and prepare Pixie. A few snips of her $200 scissors and a few stokes with her incredibly expensive fancy brush and Pixie looked amazing. I recruited another friend to actually show Pixie in the ring. Rainy did a excellent job and I had the fun of just sitting ring side watching them. Pixie won her class each day but was passed over for the higher honors.

I am heartbroken to announce the loss of my dear friend and long time companion, Izzy. We struggled with renal failure over the past couple of weeks and June 19th she was given rest. This has been one of the toughest transitions I have ever made...the full impact has not hit me yet as I had lots of distractions which forced me to hold it together. I will write more about her in a few days...for now I will still enjoy denial.

2009-06-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the gang all out in the paddocks. Muzzles were on since it was one of the first days Sandy had joined the greyhound girls at playtime. When I brought them in Iris was without her muzzle. So I walked the paddock to pick it up before some dog chewed it up. I found no muzzle. I looked over the fence and saw no muzzle I even walked the paddock next door and no muzzle. It was a puzzle until I realized that her muzzle probably fell into the ditch running outside the paddock and was likely on it's way to the great Pacific Ocean. Oh well of my dogs Iris is least likely to ever have an opinion so no big loss. Last night, after 2-3 weeks the muzzle appeared hanging on the fence between me and my neighbors place. I loved the weird contrast of this lone purple muzzle hanging on this crummy barbwire fence.

A couple other things to report on. One is that Bach was returned to the adoption kennel. It was one of those cases of a really great home and a really great dog who ended up not being a really great match. That happens sometimes...something will look for ideal on paper but not in real life. Not a problem Bach will cool his heels be evaluated and start shopping for the right fit. His family will also be on the look out for the right match for them.

Our little foster boy Parker made headlines today in our little local paper. Read about our unsung hero dog at http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2009/06/16/news/news50.txt

2009-06-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

Little Ginny packed her little bags and headed east to the Bozeman area. When she got here, based on her timid ways I thought she would be one of the last of the group to be placed but she was the very first one spoken for. Meanwhile Nutmeg, who I thought would be snapped up as soon as we got her home, is still waiting. You just never can tell. I am also so surprised Mesa who is an absolute show stopper is still waiting and Mel who is so darling and handsome....the Colin Firth of the dog world. But all we really aim for is getting the right dogs in the right home, how ever long that takes.

I am fostering Nitro Post Time (Tosha) and Ready Mix (Mix). Both are such nice dogs. Mix is so handsome and is already starting to blossom. He still hangs back a little but he is coming around. He was sad to see Ginny leave today as she was his little buddy this past week. But he was turned out for paddock time with my girls today so he has probably forgotten all about Ginny by now. Tosha is a love-bug. I bet she wishes she was little so she could fit right in some one's pocket. She loves to be right with you and will be some one's new best friend. She is always the one next to me and licking my fingers or bumping my hand for love. Her breeder called to make sure she made it alright and told me she almost couldn't let go of Tosha when it came time to load her up for the trip west. It is interesting what a difference love makes to a dog. The security and self worth that comes from being cherished really shows. Loved dogs are so much more relaxed, happy and adjust to changes so much better. Maybe love does make the world go around. It most certainly makes a greyhound's world go around....have you hugged your hound? Go give them a cookie....you know they want one or two.

2009-06-07T02:03:00.000-07:00

All the new dogs arrived in pretty good shape. They rolled into Missoula about midnight. Despite the late hour there was 9 of us to help welcome them and give them the once over. They were surprisingly clean when they arrived but we still bathed everyone and treated them with front line. This is how we make sure we welcome only dogs to the state and not ticks or fleas!! Delivering clean dogs who won't cause a flea infestation in their foster homes makes midnight bathing parties a small price to pay. Well I am off to bed....it is late even for me.

2009-06-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

New dogs coming this week end! They start their journey tonight and will arrive tomorrow night. To follow the time line check out http://k8nkc.com/June5-2009/
Anyone willing to come help welcome them meet us at the Concoco north of I90 at exit 101. This is the place we have been meeting the last couple of years.

Some of you may have seen on the web site that Sydney a dog who our group had spoken for crossed the rainbow bridge instead of crossing the country to her retirement. Cancer took this red headed retired mom before we could get our hands on her. But in preparation of her coming to Montana she was moved to OK and spent her last days under Teddy Palmer's care. I know it was hard on Teddy to lose her but I know that Sydney was watched carefully, touched and loved on every day. SIGH...dang dogs.

2009-05-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks. Reagan and Bach made the trip to their new homes near Bozeman and are settling in. My little Sandy is settling in like she has always been here. She is a sweet heart. Last year when Tigger died Judy gave me a bleeding heart plant. The morning after Sandy came home it had its first blooms on it. Another one of those connections that seem to happen. It wasn't until just now that I realized how close Sandy's homecoming was to the 1 year mark of Tigger's death. Only a couple of days short of a year. To me it is interesting all the ties to Tigger that have turned up in adopting Sandy. It is strangely comforting and beautiful. I am more and more convinced that there are cobwebs connecting us...even to those who have left this life. Small invisible threads that are surprisingly strong and binding.

Sherri G from Kalispell emailed of the passing of her greyhound boy Pico. A handsome long legged brindle bread thief. He is missed greatly already. His greyhound brother "Q" is especially lonely.

There was another greyhound who recently died. It needs mentioning just to make sure we all can learn from the lesson. Popsicle (Pappy) was placed with a family near Bozeman. Last week he slipped his collar while on a walk and took off. A couple of days later he was killed when he was hit by a car. We are all heart sick by his death...no one more devastated than his owners. The placement person was not notified until after his death. PLEASE keep in mind that should your greyhound take off for any reason CALL YOUR PLACEMENT REP FOR HELP!!! I am not saying it would have changed anything in this case but the more people that can go on a search the better. Greyhounds placed through GPA have a hot line number on their tag...more recent adoptions with Run for Adoption have phone numbers for Tripp's and myself, Joni. Of course if they slip the collar the tags won't help the finder BUT while you are standing there with that empty collar call those numbers and get help in your search. We would drop everything to help a greyhound we have placed. When Kiki escaped many Missoula greyhound owners hit the streets looking for her. Posting fliers, talking to people and walking their greyhounds in the area looking for leads. While we are talking about tags be sure yours are legible and current.

2009-05-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I traveled to intercept Adrienne who was bringing my Sandy to Montana. We met up in Bozeman. When I was almost there I called Dana and she met me in Belgrade so she could go with me. Within 5 minutes of us arriving at the meeting spot Adrienne was there. Dana was amazed that I could travel from Victor and Adrienne from Idaho Falls and with no real set time we both arrived there almost at the same time. Sandy was tired but ate a decent dinner. Today is enjoying laying around in the sun with her new greyhound sisters. She also likes to wade in the creek that runs through the paddock. I will try to get some pictures of her int eh next day or so. Her yip of a bark reminds me so much of me now passed Tigger...the similarities don't stop there. I am looking forward to getting to know Sandy and hope she will have Tigger's 15+ years.
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Carol and Dan will be transporting Reagan and Bach tomorrow. They got this sweet picture from Bach's new family. We just had to share it with all of you.

2009-05-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today I loaded up Chevy and headed over to Tripps. Candy from Helena had come over and excepted to be taking Nutmeg home. But she also wanted to meet Chevron and of course it was good to see Candy again. After spending time with the dogs it was Stranger that quietly stole Candy's heart. Nutmeg would no doubt be easier. Nutty is really adorable and super friendly. She will meld into most any home. Stranger on the other hand is aloof and can be timid. Candy took both on a walk by them selves. After the walk I noticed Stranger had a different look about her. She was shadowing Candy and softly bumping her hand. I said to Candy...."Stranger seems to know she is with you now." Candy shyly said "Well I asked her if she would like to come home with me and she told me she thought that would be good." I smiled because I know that type of communication isn't just Disney...it happens and it can be very powerful. Chevron also went to Helena for fostering. Candy has a notion that he will be a fit for one of our homes who lost a dog in the recent months. If he isn't a match he will come back this way the first part of next week.

I got a note from Trish yesterday. She said she had put her to do list away and spent time with her dogs instead. I embraced the idea and did the same on Friday. Since the pressure was off and I didn't need to rush about getting off to the show, I relaxed. I watched a whole movie snuggled under a blanket with Katy the whippet. I read, I brushed a dog or two and I napped. It was great!! I encourage all of you to do a day without a to-do list....a list-less day can be a gift to yourself.

2009-05-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the weirdest weeks. It started off Tuesday when I went with a friend to watch her horse with the trainer. I love to watch other animal trainers and listen to them. I always pick up some new idea that I can mull over. Pam and I had a great time watching her mare get her first ride. In fact I would describe it as thrilling. When I got home Darrin came right out to greet me. I could tell by the look on his face he wasn't happy what I didn't know at that point was I was the reason. Somehow he missed the message that I was going to be off horsing around. When he came home and couldn't find me he panicked. He looked everywhere just sure that any moment he would find me laying broken or dead somewhere. He saw everything in the house as a sign that I was probably abducted. I assured him that the mess in the guest room was not the signs of a struggle and that it ALWAYS looks like that...OK my secret is out. I also pointed out that had anyone abducted me chances are he would have found me sitting by the mailbox. It only would have taken the bad guys a few hundred feet to realize their grave error and dump me. By the time I got home a mere 30 minutes later...let me repeat 30 minutes, he had called no less than a half a dozen people and raised the alarm. He called everyone except Pam of course. He had to call them all back and tell the anti climatic news that I was alive and fine. He caught Judy and Carol as they were getting in their cars to launch a full scale search. A few minutes later Lynn was pounding at my back door wearing her worried mama face. The guilt thinly disguised as relief was thick in the air. Pam and I were slinking pretty low by then. Darrin still wild eyed and mad. Pam, the deserter, was looking to bolt for the door. I was rolling my eyes and shaking my head. My mom was the queen of worry...ironically I married the prince of worry. All his bug eyed looks and the wobbly with worry voice have little effect on me...I gained immunity early...it just annoys me.

Today in what can only be described as some kind of cosmic payback for my unrepentant ways. The whole day was tweaked...I had a window installed between my dog rooms. Despite my clear instructions it was installed too high....I mean really I drew the freaking thing on the wall how did he screw it up. When I checked my mail I still had received no show info for the dog show this weekend I have been gearing up for. After a bunch of calls and several emails I discover much to my dismay that my entry was lost and I am NOT entered...its closed no late entries of any kind. On top of that my travel companion is in bed sick. Looks like I will be staying home....dang it. The dogs are bathed, the van is packed and all for nothing...sigh. I could go and watch my students show...but may as well save my $$ for another time. Later in the same fun day I called to make sure everything is arranged for Sandy to make the trip back from Knabb, UT with Adrienne. Sandy is in Utah now which made me happy BUT Heather did not get the collar I sent for Sandy...dang it...good thing I already bought her a back up collar and tag. So now I am ready to put this day to bed. Hopefully all justice is served and things will be back to normal in the morning. Brings to mind Puck's final words in Mid Summers Night Dream "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended, that you have but slumber'd here, while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream."

Good night

2009-05-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Things have been hopping at the foster kennels. Beverly is home and is getting raves from her new mom who thinks she got the best dog we ever placed. Greta is home and apparently they think they got the best dog we ever placed. Lou came down to the weenie roast on the week end and fell in love with Nike but she was spoken for...or so we thought. Monday her adoption fell through and Lou is welcoming her home this week end. Mr. Waldo will accompany Nike north as he has a greyhound savvy home waiting and a handsome staffordshire terrier brother. Also falling in love at the picnic was the Jennings family who will welcome home November Rain this week end. Our little Sasha has been spoken for and every time we talk to her new owner he moved the day he wants to pick her up. Last I heard he is on his way over to Missoula right now and will meet Sasha in the morning. Plans are firming up for Sandy to head to Montana the week end of the 17th...and last but not least Reagan is spoken for. Whew!!! Lots of movement going on!! Now we need to find some really nice boy homes!!

2009-04-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Looks like Beverly is headed home soon. HURRAY!! Carol got a application from a woman who lives in Darby. She remembered meeting Mary, last fall. Carol didn't waste a single moment. She found the number and called Mary almost immediately. Today Mary and a friend came to meet greyhounds. Beverly turned out to be her match!! Carol and Dan went out this afternoon to do the home visit and called to let me know she checked out just fine. I really liked Mary but made her promise to bring Beverly for visits now and then. Judy just reported in that Reagan is being put on hold for another family. Looks like Mesa is the last of the Colorado dogs. He is such a knock out I have no doubt he will be snatched up soon. So at the kennel that leaves Stranger who has been waiting a long time nothing wrong with her other than she is a little timid and needs another dog to follow around and no cats. Nutmeg is the other girl still waiting. Nutty is a delight and such a easy girl. The waiting boys Waldo, Bach, Mesa and Chevron. Carol can't say enough nice about Bach. In fact I think she is having to really rein herself in not to claim him for her own. He is BIG handsome and gentle. Both Carol and Dan thought he would be the first one to head for a home. I am in love with Chevron, he is absolutely charming. Although he is 8 years old his mother lived to be 16...so he very well could be middle aged. We have 2 more girls coming this week end Sydney a retired brood girl and another brindle 2 year old.

2009-04-27T15:49:00.001-07:00

We adjusted the Open House to Sunday instead of Saturday to accommodate the arrival of Sydney (red retired brood girl). Sydney will arrive sometime on Saturday and hopefully will be rested up enough for everyone to meet on Sunday. Chevron is recovering from his vetting nicely. This past Saturday I had the pleasure of watching a family meet greyhounds and ultimately chose one from the pack as their own. Greta has been spoken for and will make the move to Bozeman within the week. Congrats to her and her new family!!

Little things in life can really bring such pleasure and humor into our daily lives. I was at the grocery the other day eavesdropping like I usually do in public places. I know its rude but honestly I don't see why...it isn't like I am reading some one's journal or anything...however I have to admit at times it is close. What tuned me into the conversation at the next counter was the word dog. The box-girl was telling the checker all about her goal of one day having a place that she could spend her days working with animals. She would fill her home and life with unwanted animals. Horses, cats and of course dogs. She could offer them a second chance and maybe find some of them homes and if not they could just stay with her. If they were sick she would help them get well. If they needed some training she would work with them. If they were unloved she would love them. If they had given up she would give them hope. She was on a roll and made it sound so wonderful and rose colored that it was a bit of a shock when I realized she was describing MY LIFE! I reflect back on how wonderful it all sounds when I am picking up poop, worming the goats or doing my 10th load of dog laundry. It really isn't the fairy tale she described but I don't mind the work as long as the LOVE flows in epic proportions....and when yo are talking about dogs it does.

2009-04-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCEMENT

Next weekend we are going to have a open house so everyone can meet the available hounds in Victor. We are working on the details but are planning Sunday so watch for more info.

Chevron goes into the vet for his altering in the morning. Dr. Patti Prato is giving him her day off she she can focus on him completely and not have to worry about a schedule. Chevron came with a filthy mouth. I have been working on getting it cleaned up and it is looking better but I am sure he will lose some teeth...which is why Patti wants extra time for him. I will be able to be with him the whole time, which I like. He is such a wonderful guy. I pulled out his pedigree the other day and was checking it out. Turns out his family tree is checkered with familiar names. His mothers line goes back to both of my first two greyhounds...and his father's line goes back to my 3 girls I have now. It is no wonder why he appealed to me and felt familiar.

I am in a little deeper and happy about it. When we were in Colorado I met a 10 year old brindle girl. I asked about her but Heather felt sure she would be spoken for quickly. I said to Heather, "Well if that doesn't work out or she turns out not to be cat safe let me know...I will take her." Last week I got a email from Heather asking me to take her. Sandy is cat safe but Heather is getting in several retired broods and needs the space. I can't wait to see her again. It is all I can do not to hop in the car and GO to CO. Here is the best of the two pictures I took of her. If any one is traveling to Denver area let me know...she needs a ride.

BTW the cute little black girl behind her is a special needs girl. Super adorable but broke BOTH rear legs. It is healed now but she walks funny. Anyone interested in a sweet little cripple? Maybe we could do a two-fer

2009-04-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Our hearts are saddened by the loss of one of our greyhound family, Judy and Brent's Frosty girl succumbed cancer. Frosty claimed Judy in 2005 while Judy was visiting Almost Home for Hounds in Nunn, CO. Judy tells of how she was in the turn out pen and every time she moved this same old girl was sticking her head between Judy's knees making it hard to move and impossible to ignore her. Frosty had decided Judy was hers and that was all there was to it. She was over the first hurdle when she was chosen to become a Montana dog. Now Judy has a stiff upper lip and she declined to claim Frosty for her own...at first. But Frosty was undetered and knew what she wanted. In fact Frosty did a over nighter at a potential home but came back. Judy hemmed and hawed but we all knew how the story would go. All you had to do was see them together to know that they were family. Once Judy and Brent agreed to foster Frosty, she was over the second hurdle and well on her way home. I think Brent realized Frosty was their dog even before Judy would admit it....I say "admit it" because I am sure Judy knew. Then it was official and Frosty was HOME and ready to be crowned house princess.

We never knew Frosty as a youngster. By the time she unpacked her bags at Brent and Judy's she had nine years under her collar. Born in Ireland she had moved to the US to be a racer and a mom. She wasn't just a runner she was a race dog, winning her share of grade A races. With a excellent pedigree and performance record behind her Frosty was bred to some of the best in the nation and has 19 pups on record. Some of which Judy has been able to find and is in contact with their adoptive families. You don't expect to miss your friends dogs when they pass as much as I am going to miss Frosty. I don't want to say good bye to her because in so many ways she is still so near. She was undemanding and yet always seemed to get her way. That was one of the many things I loved about her. I still laugh when I think of how Judy refered to Frosty as "The Old Broad" especailly if Frosty had been doing something independant or sweetly demanding. The picture I always see in my mind of Frosty is the one Judy took not long after Frosty got home. Frosty is lounging on the deck and looking like she owns the world....in fact she did.

2009-04-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

Trish's Birdie

After a early morning visit with Trish she had to head to work. Not before she told me a funny story of a conversation between her and Vicki. They were talking about the incoming dogs and trying to decide if Nutmeg was really named Nutmeg or if her name was Cinnamon. They then decide her name could be Spice. Trish makes a really yummy breakfast loaf with ham and eggs and we feasted on that and went to gather our pups and hit the road. The ride home was uneventful and we were in Get-Home gear. We didn't want to stop for lunch or anything. I programed our GPS which we dubbed Chatty Cathy one last time. Carol said "We don't need her help." But I wanted to watch the miles. It was almost agony as the miles tick away sooo slowly. Judy was first home and Brent was out the door to greet her. We unloaded all the dogs and took a picture of all of us and all of the dogs. Then we sorted the dogs so my two foster dogs were in the back seat with my suitcase. Next stop was at my house. My husband sent me a "Where R U?" text. I answered with a picture of me kissing my aussie girl Izzy. Then Carol headed home where Dan and her son Drew waited to help her unload the hounds. After a few hours we all met up and went to Mexican food.

This morning it was a pleasure to wake in my own little bed and not have to hop in the truck to go anywhere. It was a pleasure to do my own chores and spend time with my own dogs. The sun was warm and I drug out the wading pools for the paddocks. Carol came by for a little bit of stuff swapping..."Here are your dirty clothes" and "Here are your left over snacks" I saw Judy too. I guess we need to wean off our companionship. What a truly great trip. I will get photos posted soon.

2009-04-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

WE ARE HOME...a day late but safe and exhausted. But not too tired to reconvene for a dinner out together with our husbands. It was fitting end to a fantastic trip. You would think after spending the last 12 days together we would be glad for a break but that was not the case. We could hardly wait to get together and tell our stories one more time. Yesterday when we got up we were sad to learn we were still stranded on the wrong end of a closed highway. I started checking the road reports at about 7 AM and then every few minutes. Finally about 9 we started to see some of the roads further north opening but a 50 mile stretch near us was still closed. Then a blessed event I saw a snow plow at work on one of the live road cams. We decided we would go get a early lunch and hopefully it would be open by the time we got back. Finally at noon it was open and we were loaded and heading out the drive way by 12:20. We weren't a stone's throw down the road when Judy started to feel so bad for Socks who was back there with all those dogs. "Little bitty Socks is so scared." Carol and I already figured out that Socks was fine but Judy wanted to cuddle with her. Rolling our eyes we stopped the truck. While Judy waited with Reagan in her lap Carol and I tackled the job of getting one dog out of a truck of 7 dogs without losing any. Mission accomplished. With in the next 5 miles our two boys Mel and Mesa started having a personal space problem. It was crowded but Mesa was demanding the lion's share of the space. So again we stopped. While Judy waited with Reagan AND Socks, Carol and I shifted dogs. We had crated Chevron, being a senior we wanted to give him some extra protection and room. But now we pulled him out of his bed and plunked Mesa into the crate. This worked pretty well for a few miles until Mesa decided he owned the crate and all surrounding area. Mesa was having a fit because Mel had lain near the prince's crate and it was just NOT allowed. So again we stop and Carol shinnied over the tailgate and into the truck bed while I played hall monitor and kept the dogs back. We took up a blanket intended to pad the floor and covered his highness's crate. Again we hoped this was the magic answer for peace in the truck. Other than Reagan stretching her long legs and impaling Judy now and then with a bony foot or knifing her sharp elbow into Judy's leg, all was fairly peaceful.
We felt awful about missing the get together in Billings for everyone to meet the new hounds. Doubly disappointed that the news crew decided not to carry the story since the new dogs weren't able to make it. Carol suggested we invite who ever wanted to come to meet the new hounds meet at Brickyard Kennel where the hounds would overnight. Much to our surprise when we pulled in people started piling out of cars. First one to poke her head in was Becky Conner who I have waited years to meet and her daughter Zoe. They adopted my little Lulu, a dog I really thought I would keep but my Iris vetoed it. Whatever the reason Zoe and Lulu are peas in a pod and meant for each other. People were pitching in and unloading dogs and giving them some lovin' after their long journey. Off to the side quietly waiting was a white greyhound with black speckles and big eyes. It was Jill Walker!! One of the dogs I fostered who came to Billings to join the family of the Hendersons. Judy Henderson softly said, "Joni, we wanted to bring Jill so you could see her....I know you were worried about her." When Jill came in she was a very timid girl. She had been with her sister every day of her life until the day she stepped on the bus for Montana. It was hard on this little follower to suddenly lose her big sister...her leader. After a few days she settled down and did alright here but she needed to get into a home that would not pressure her and let her come around on her own. The Henderson's opened their home to her as a foster dog. Judy H. is the first to tell you she can be very lucky playing slot machines. In this case Jill was the lucky one as she was soon adopted and became Dick's little girl. I was very touched they took the time to bring Jill to see me. After that reunion I joined the others who were now swarming a turn out pen with the new greyhounds. Before long kennel owner Kaylyn was getting dogs into their kennels for the night. Watching the crowd move from one kennel door to the next, leaning over each other to peer into the kennels, I was reminded of relatives at the baby windows of a hospital. Everyone craning for a look and trying to see if any of these dogs make them think of their own. Finally we said good night and Kaylyn took over feeding them and making them comfortable. It was a crazy sort of family reunion there at the kennel. Meeting people we have talked to for years and seeing old friends. We followed Trish home and crashed for the night.

2009-04-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

It is nearly noon...roads are finally open and we are loading up and heading out. We will probably overnight in Billings. All of us are anxious to GET HOME!!

2009-04-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

It is nearly 3 PM and the roads are still closed. Judy and Carol have been busy bathing dogs, doing nails, tending to the dogs in recovery, doing laundry and are now cleaning out a messy crate. Heather taught me to clean teeth with power tools and while she does the surgery I have been busy cleaning teeth and checking the roads between dogs. HMMMM their list is sure a lot longer than mine. Carol says we are definitely here for the night. Even if it clears we are staying put. Billings is several hours away...and we want to drive most of it in the daylight

2009-04-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

We made it to Heather's in Nunn, CO last night. It was fun to see the dogs we have claimed for Montana again. As dark fell the weather started to turn. By bedtime we were starting to hear reports that the weather was going to get bad. By morning the wind picked up and we had some snow. We stripped beds and got our bags packed. I came over to surgery to check road conditions on the computer. Heather was shaking her head and saying "I don't know I bet you are snowed in." Sure enough roads were closed or under emergency travel only. I looked out the window and Carol and Judy were starting t load the truck. I went out and broke the news we are staying. We are NOT going to hit the road with a bunch for dogs on bad roads. So we will take advantage of being here by helping with surgery and maybe what ever chores Heather finds for us. I have to admit I am starting to itch to get home but I am grateful that if we had to be stranded we are stranded with a great place to stay and with some of our own kind...greyhounds. I will update as the day wears on.

2009-04-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

The morning started with the worst weather we have had so far on this trip but as the day wore on it got better and by evening our shoes had dried out and we finally thawed. First stop of the day was to the NGA kennel where Teddy had made arrangements for us to drop the dogs off in an empty kennel while we went to a couple of farms and watched some schooling. All three of them were glad to get into the turn out pen. Chevron knew he was back at a track and was acting like a puppy bouncing around with a big smile on his face. Socks was also smiling but for a different reason. She won't potty on lead and was happy to see a turn out pen. Next stop was Sholtz Farm where we met Paula and Brad. We visited broods and held pups. They are involved with most aspects of greyhound training and we learned a lot from them. They showed us their whirly gig. I have heard about whirly gigs in training but could never picture it. Now that we have learned a more about the industry we actually can ask better questions so the learning curve is higher. The Sholtz Farm is home to the ICU dogs but also many "Fuzzy" and "Grey's" dogs. Paula said, "One of our money winners retired to Montana". As she was trying to come up with which dog went where I said "Greys Freebird?" She responded "YES!! Birdie!!" We had the fun of telling her about Birdie's home with Trish. She laughed with joy as we told her we begged Trish to join us on this trip but Trish refused saying she couldn't bear to leave her dog family for that long. As we were leaving and pulled out on the main road there appeared a black truck who was trying to pass us on this little dirt road. Carol and I shared a look that said "Crazy locals!". Judy said, "He wants to talk to us". So we slowed and rolled down the window. Now I learned long ago not to talk to strangers but there were three of us and we figured we could take him if we needed to. He called to us "Are you looking for dogs? I got some for adoption!!" All of us were a little tempted but we told him, "No thanks" and went on our way. Us Montana girls driving around in a big truck with "Adopt a Greyhound" plastered on the back must look like fresh meat to these greyhound farmers. Next stop was the John Ryan Farm, this is a Cadillac farm. There weren't many dogs in the kennel we toured but all the runs were HUGE. At every farm I am always looking for good ideas and this farm was loaded with them. No doubt in part due to James, who was showing us around. I took several pictures of ideas I may steal. We had to hurry to get to the training track to watch Piper's run dogs. Unfortunately the crummy weather had caused the Pipers to cancel, but there were other people running dogs. We were able to hole up away from the wind in the club house and watch the dogs running in heated luxury. First man who welcomed us was the owner of the schooling track and lure operator. A couple of trainers joined us and we quizzed them about everything from worming programs to training procedure. We made a quick trip to the NGA office to use their bathroom and to buy a couple of books. Last stop was the Midwest Greyhound Supply. There we found everything a greyhound trainer could ever want from vetwrap to supplements. We were having so much fun that we were shocked when we looked at the time and it was already 4 PM. We gathered up our dogs and grabbed tacos at a fast food place and hit the highway. Who knew Abilene would be so hard to leave. It really is Greyhound Graceland. We drove until we were tired and got a room in the middle of no where. Almost Home for Hounds in Nunn, CO is less than 3 hours away...which is good because we are all getting road weary. The desk clerk last night wanted to meet the hounds. After we walked them we took them into the office. She started saying how much she hated greyhound racing and those awful people who made those poor dogs run. After meeting so many greyhound people and being treated well by everyone of them we were as offended as if she was insulting our own families. The greyhound people we know could probably walk up to a pen of 25 black greyhounds and call them all by name. In most cases they are devoted to their dogs from the moment they are born until they pass on. They love hearing about our greyhound pets and are eager to build bridges to help their dogs. There will always be rotten apples but that is not exclusive to the dog industry.

2009-04-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

I shared Nutmeg's bed last night. I got to say she is the perfect bed dog. Some greyhounds are like sleeping with a bag of sticks....but not Nutmeg. She snuggled right up and spooned with me. This morning it is sleeting. Not just sleet but stinging sleet. I hate it!! Cold AND wet. We are going to farms anyway and I hope they don't cancel schooling.

2009-04-01T20:57:00.001-07:00

What day is it? What town are we in and how did we end up with all these wonderful dogs? It has been a long day of running from tornado's...I don't know how Kansas folks live like this. Nah, just kidding April fools...my husband nor Trish thought I was funny either. Sunday night we stayed in Wichita. In the morning we headed out to the Nitro Kennel. This was a big deal for me personally as this is where my Tava came from. Last year Tava won a lure course and I brought her first ribbon with me to give to them. Tammy said she couldn't wait to show her son so he could take it to show and tell. We got to meet dogs including a girl who is near whelping. I got to put my hands on her and could feel the pups moving. Of course we met a few dogs who were available for adoption. One little girl was named Post Time aka Tosha. She will make the trip to Montana with the next load in May. She is a pretty red girl, she retired early after a break in one of the small bones in her hock. Then we helped load up the dogs who were headed to schooling. As Alan headed north with them we had lunch with Tammy and headed south to Tulsa. Carol's son lives in Tulsa and is going to school. It worked out that we arrived on his birthday and were able to share the evening with him. Erin (greyhound rescue person) invited us to her home and turtle sanctuary. She made Ethan a wonderful rich chocolate cake. That night we rolled into Teddy's just as a rather impressive thunderstorm rolled in behind us. Teddy has headed up a team of greyhound devotees who have been responsible for moving dogs all over the country. She is a networking master. Her team includes farms, owners, adopters, rescue groups, trainers, haulers and her number one support her husband of 40+ years, Russ. We got acquainted as it was pouring rain and everyone was visiting - all I could think of was meeting the dogs. Finally I could take it no longer. I blurted out "Can we finally go see the dogs?" Judy and Carol rolled their eyes as this has been a reoccurring thing with me. Teddy grinned and, rain or no we headed out. Nutmeg was the only one of our dogs that was there, the others are a few hours away at another farm. There were only about a dozen dogs in the kennel, most spoken for.
The next day we fell right into step in the kennel, feeding, cleaning and loving on the dogs. A handsome brindle with a black mask and velvet ears started to stand out to us, Chevron. During the course of the day we visited with Teddy about him. She said "Well, he isn't cat tested". We said "We don't care". She agreed that he could head our way on the May haul. Later we were surprised to flip open his ear and see that he is 8 years old....but still we didn't care....we had already made the decision that he was ours. We had many long visits with Teddy and soaked in as much information as possible about dog's, their people, rescue miracles and heartbreaks. The afternoon was spent trimming nails, taking pictures and more loving on the dogs. Carol and Judy had a lively time poop scooping. I was inside doing some chores and could hear them out there giggling like lunatics. Soon Carol came in and insisted I come help them...dubiously I followed her outside where the silliness continued and dare I confess got worse.

As our visit went on Chevron seemed to sense a change, he became more excited every time we came into the kennel. It was if he knew he was with us now and we were falling more in love with him. Wednesday came and the morning agenda was a quick trip to Tulsa to see a woman who made collars. Well, no souvenir seemed more appropriate that a beautiful sighthound collar or two. We all had to indulge...just a little. Before we knew it the time had come to pack up and say good bye. The truck was repacked, crates set up to receive the 2 girls who would be traveling with us and we headed to the kennel to say "see ya soon" to Chevron and to take Nutmeg with us. Well that didn't go exactly as we planned. As soon as we came through the door Mr. Chevron started doing the monkey..."oooo oooo roooo" begging us to notice him. We of course being experts in dog speak knew he was ready to make the trip. Soon we were using our hands to count the dogs traveling with us and trying to find a reason he could not make the trip NOW. Teddy came into the kennel about that time and we caught her off guard when we asked to take him now. She gasped and broke into tears. When she regained her composure she said, "This isn't just any old boy you know. He was much loved by his trainer and I have seen Chevron every time I visited this farm for over four years." She paused and started to tear up again "I would stroke his ears and promise him that I would help him find something wonderful in his old age....I can't believe that the promise is happening today." Chevron jumped up and he shared one last hug with Teddy. He thanked her and she let go of him and entrusted her dear old friend to us. Socks arrived with Erin fresh from her foster home to join the group. She is a cute little bitty black girl with white bobby socks. Tonight we are in Abilene again. We have appointments at farm in the morning and the Nitro Kennel invited us to join them for schooling in the early afternoon. Then we push on to Colorado...hoping to get near to Nunn so we can get there a good time on Friday and maybe help with some chores and be reunited with the rest of our traveling party. Nutmeg has claimed my bed...I do hope she will share.

2009-03-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

What a day!!! I am so dang tired I can't even swear...those of you who know me know very well never thought you would see the day. The morning started with a crummy breakfast at the motel. You know rejected day old rolls and weird OJ that never came from fruit. The day got drastically better and better from there. We started at the San Tan Farm with kennel manager Jim. We got what Jim called the "nickle tour". This is where the farm pups are born and raised until they are 6-7 months when they then move to the training farm in OK. After we met the resident labadors we met a pup under a week old. A singleton still in the potato stage of being a pup, eyes shut tight and ears fat little flaps. We beamed while first time mom, who looked a bit like my Tava basked in the warmth of the heat lamp. Next we met pups who were just weaned at about 8 weeks of age. Judy scooped up one little brindle girl who just melted into her. Carol had two or three clamoring for her attention and I had the undivided attention of a rascal Jim called Scarface. Mom had disciplined him before he was even weaned causing a small owie on the side of his face. Judging for the way he was yanking at my shoelaces I am sure he needed a little direction. Mom (San Tan Deciple) was a few doors down enjoying her newly recovered single life . We met several batches of pups in the 5-7 month ranges including a funny little guy who seemed not to be the brightest bulb which was affectionately named Forrest Gump...littermates Bubba and Jenny. I fell for one they had named Floyd. A dark brindle long legged beauty. In one pen I was turning to leave when a little black brat boy made a leap for my pony tail and I got a hard yank backwards. Judy of course thought this was hysterical. One of the farm stud dogs was home, San Tan Fang. I am anxious to check out his pedigree soon. We swung by the training track but all training had been canceled due to the recent snow. We were assured that training would resume tomorrow at 4:30 AM. Next we went to the Riggin's farm, home of all the Iruska dogs. At this farm the brood girls come to relax without pups and between adoption or further motherhood duties. The girls enjoy large indoor runs all with connected outdoor runs. This farm was well designed and well thought out. Owners Marena and Bob were so welcoming and answered our many questions. We met Sydney who is a pretty tall red girl who is available for adoption NOW. She is adorable with her extra lean face and soft doe eyes. I think we did well keeping our hearts in check here...well except Carol who fell hard for a smiling little red brindle named Fancy. She isn't ready for adoption right now but Carol made it clear when she was a available she would have a warm soft bed in Montana.
The afternoon was spent at the Greyhound Hall of Fame. Some of you may have read in the recent Celebrating Greyhounds about the greeter dogs, Talentedmrripley and Jade. In the article we learn of an addiction Ripley has for Twinkies. Before we went to the Hall of Fame I ran into the nearest 7-11 and bought the 3 packages of twinkies that had. When we walked in with them the host laughed out loud. I got permission to share a twinkie with Ripley which earned me his adoration. Much to the astonishment of the host he jumped up on me and placed his feet on my shoulders. She scolded him and Ripley hopped down but Ripley knew I loved it and soon he jumped back up to look me in the eye. Later after we toured the whole museum and were spending every spare penny in the gift shop she said she had never seen Ripley jump up on anyone but his owners. She was a little horrified by his actions and I was honored. Jade raced under the name of San Tan Go For It. She is a little white and black imp with a well developed sense of humor. She was always trying to steal toys from prince Ripley's throne. The rest of the daylight hours we spent driving around and rubber necking. There are greyhound farms everywhere and we got good at spotting turn out pens from a distance. We drove by several famous farms including Flying Eagles and Ryan Farms home of Molotov. As evening was setting in we turned on our GPS and headed to Wichita. We are hoping to visit the Nitro Kennel in the morning but the snow knocked down their power lines and have flooded part of their kennel and some of the roads to them. I am hoping the power will be back on and we can visit I brought Tava's first lure course ribbon (Best of Breed) to give to them. Well Judy and Carol have sacked out and I need to do the same. This trip has been incredible so far....and it is going so fast. I have been taking pictures but didn't bring my cord to upload them. Darrin told me what I need to buy to do it so I will try to find one tomorrow.

2009-03-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

We made it to Abilene,KS!!!!! The roads have been great. Still traveling under blue skies. The first day we made it to Casper and stayed in the deep freeze they called Motel 6. Seriously when you walk in the door of a motel and the water in the toilet is frozen it is time to check out. It wasn't that bad but with the 3 of us and two beds EVERYONE wanted to share a bed. We cranked the heat and still by morning we could see our breath. Just as well because I could barely sleep. Last time I was this excited was when I was 6 years old on Christmas Eve. We did lights out at 10...I thought I was tired but then I was wide awake thinking of the dogs we would meet the next day. I couldn't stand it!! It was such a relief when I heard Judy stirring in the morning. We had to stop for breakfast and stumbled on a great place in Douglas, WY it was called the Plains Trading Post. Weird old building made from over 30 different buildings and over a thousand old doors. We arrived at Heather's about 2-ish. First order of business was to get our grubby little hands on GREYHOUNDS. I knew I would chose a foster dog for myself. I was surprised it took me less than a minute to find my girl. A dark brindle named Beverly. Every time I turned around she was within arms reach and looking right in my eyes. Heather had 64 dogs in house and we fell in love at least 100 times. After meeting hounds in every corner of the place we settled into doing some work. Heather is too polite to ask but we insisted and soon found ourselves armed with brooms and mops. We mopped every room we could. At dusk we settled ourselves into our trailer and found something to eat. Conversations were all about dogs...."did you see that one dog?" "Didn't you love Greta?" "Wasn't that brindle boy handsome?" We were so excited we couldn't stay away from the kennel long. In about a hour we headed back to help with feeding and then later turn outs. Being in that kennel with 30-40 loose dogs is a little like swimming with dolphins and for me it was more therapeutic. Sleep came about mid-night. Before 6 AM my alarm rang I was pulling on my shoes by the time Judy wandered sleepy eyed into the hall and started harassing Carol to get up. Carol staggered out with her witch hair and pillow wrinkled face BUT she was vertical. By now I was packing my bag and singing...Judy grumbled and said "HEY I thought you weren't a morning person" I stated in a haughty way "I am NOT a morning person I AM a dog person!" This was met with a eye roll. We helped with turn outs and fell in love over and over again. When we left Heather's we had 3 dogs confirmed for us. Beverly of course. Reagan a youngish red brindle girl. She stood out when she pressed herself against the crate door like a cat to try to get you to touch her. And a dog Heather calls Messi (Messy). A drop dead gorgeous white with red brindle patches boy. We already renamed him Mesa. We were still within 100 miles of Heather's when we called to request 2 more. We have 4 farms to visit tomorrow and the Greyhound Hall of Fame. So all of you out there taking wagers on how many dogs we would return with...it isn't over yet....

2009-03-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

We are packing our bags and getting ready for an adventure. "Who?" "What?" you ask. Judy, Carol and I are heading out on a greyhound inspired trip. We will be gone 10 days and hit 6 states. First stop will be in Billings for late lunch with Trish then off to Nunn, CO to see Heather Weir and the greyhounds at Almost Home for Hounds http://www.almosthomeforhounds.org/ Saturday morning we head to Kansas where we hope to visit the Greyhound Hall of Fame and some greyhound farms. One highlight for me is a visit to the Nitro farm where my own Tava came from. Many of you may remember Tava's mother Ducky came from them last year and my cousin's handsome boy Nitro Scratchy. We have gotten several nice dogs from the Nitro Kennel. From there we plan to go to Tulsa, OK and stop in at Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption http://halfwayhomegreyhounds.com/ we get a couple of loads of dogs from them a year. We then plan to loop back over to see Greyhound Support in Kansas City and then through Nebraska and home. With the last stop being Greyhound Play in Billings on April 5th. Whew!!! My husband is sacrificing his laptop so I can take it and update the blog as we go. I am almost fearful of how many dogs we will fall in love with on the journey. We may end up wishing we had taken a smaller car than the big Bear Creek Express.

2009-03-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today's agenda included figuring out how to transfer all of my old blog entries from the old blog to this one. I was able to do it without too much frustration. Actually it was so easy even I figured it out...OK Darrin had to help me a little.

The dogs all had some play time outside. They say we are expecting wet weather so I am glad they all got out today. The big lurcher girl Kati who I have been babysitting will be moving back to her home group in Seattle next week end. I will miss her but I hope there is a wonderful spot waiting just for her. My gang are all doing well. On March 1st My aussie girl Izzy celebrated her 15th birthday. She is in good health, is active and silly as ever but her naps are more frequent and deeper. I always joked that Izzy promised me she would live to be at least 18 years...because she wants to vote. Now seeing it just 3 years away it seems too close. Dogs are funny that way....they promise us years but we long for decades...I'd be happiest with eons.

2009-03-05T15:25:00.001-08:00

"Come on Iris" I say to her highness as she lays snuggled in her bed this morning. Everyone has been up for two hours and the chores are all done. Time to make Iris go outside and yet she plays dead. "Come on Iris, I saw your ears move I know you hear me." She continues to ignore me. I approach her bed which causes her to roll over and wiggle deeper into her bed. I understand where she is coming from. This morning is threatening snow and the temp has dropped. I pull the blanket off her head and despite her sweet smile I take her by the collar and pull her up. S-l-o-w-l-y she gets up and stretches. She is hoping I will forget what I am doing and let her lay...fat chance. Finally she stands and starts to move towards the door. I let go of her collar and trust her to make the rest of the trip. Nearly to the door she takes a hard turn and leaps onto my unmade bed where she immediately melts into a puddle of warm and sleepy hound. She smiles at me and snuggles into my pillows. OK I give up. Accepting her invitation I leap into bed after her and melt into an adjoining puddle of laziness. It only lasts 5 minutes or so. Snuggled face to face then spooning with her head draped across my neck. I absorb her warmth, her smell, her adoration. Those 5 minutes have made my day. I will be warmer all day knowing a hound awaits me.

2009-02-27T01:13:00.001-08:00

Greyhounds greyhounds get your greyhounds!!! It won't be long before we are able to get some new greyhounds in the area. So if any of you have friends who have talked about adding a greyhound to the family have them get that application in. We can start looking for the right match for them or YOU. The more time we have to look the easier it is to hand pick the dog...and there may be some real handpicking going on soon...but more on that later. By way of announcement there will be a greyhound meet and greet in Hamilton on Friday March 6th at the feed store. If you would like to join us please contact Judy or Carol for details. Billings is planning a Saint Pat's hoopla...contact Trish for details. Don't be left out of these opportunities to show off your hounds.

Dogs are so wonderful!!! This week bought me another interesting case. A handsome but nervous Airedale. This woman had been told by the local hotshot trainer that her dog was hopeless and that he needed medication. The owner turned to her vet who sent her directly to me. There really is nothing wrong with the dog other than he somehow got stuck in a cycle of nervous behavior. We worked to help him relax, in 15 minutes we made some progress but nothing impressive. I decided to use my secret weapon...TAVA. I let Tava loose with him. It was interesting to watch them interact. At first he was so nervous he couldn't even focus on her. Tava would bump him with her nose if he ignored her. It was clear she wanted to reach out to him. She has such a kind and nursing way about her. In 5 minutes the dog stopped drooling and shaking....in another 10 minutes his brain had relaxed and turned on enough he could think. We started with hula hoop work and trust building. At the end of class I brought Iris to the training room to meet the owner. Iris' life with me started with her stuck in a simular nervous cycle. Seeing happy well adjusted Iris gave the owner a lot of hope. It will be a few weeks before we make big progress but he is started on the right path. Tava reached him in a way no person could and Iris helped soothe the owners fears. Those girls earned extra cookies. Dogs amaze me with their ability to sense and help with problems. Greyhounds have an usual gift for this.

2009-02-22T12:23:00.001-08:00

We have been enjoying wonderful spring weather the past few days. The dogs all have been able to get out often. I have loved the chance to spend even more time with them. Trish sent me a copy of an article out of a recent Family Dog magazine. It was the story of a retired racer who was very fearful but over came her fears through learning tracking and agility. It inspired me to work harder with my own crew and brought into focus the value of being active with your dogs. I love doing things with my dogs. I love to watch them grow and change with each new thing they conquer. I love competing with dogs BUT it is by no means is the reason I have dogs. I have my dogs because I feel an overwhelming connection to them. Seriously I know my dogs better than I know my own family. I can tell which one is nosing me from behind or whose ear my hand finds to fondle without glancing down. I know their birthdays, their favorite cookies and although I have never tried I bet I would know them by scent alone. Last fall I received some heavy criticism from some folks when I did weight pull with one of my greyhounds. Of course my dog was absolutely safe in doing this. Since then I have chatted with greyhound specialist about this and the general consensus was that although greyhounds probably would not excel at pulling, a healthy normal greyhound should be able to pull lower weights without any harm...and might even have fun doing it. I am proud of doing things with my dogs. I personally believe activity and training is beneficial on many levels....mind, body and relationship. It humbles me to have my dogs trust me when I ask them to overcome a fear or a challenge. This trust is something I cherish and I work hard to keep that trust.
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This spring I have had the opportunity to work with some very interesting clients and their dogs. One team is a young girl and her Tibetan mastiff. The relationship between them was dying. The dog would balk and refuse to do even the simplest tasks. If the girl demanded something of the dog she received a nip. On the way here the dog pushed the girl to one corner and took up most of the back seat. If a serious re-balancing did not happen this dog would be homeless and this girl would likely never have another dog. So we began...not with strict commands but rather with massages and touches. Once we had the dog's mind relaxed we moved to simple tasks like the dog moving out of the girl's way and the girl guiding the dog over hula hoops on the ground. As they were preparing to leave I told the girl to load the dog in the far back of the car. The mother grimaced and started to express her belief that it couldn't be done. I shot her a look that kept her quiet. The girl took the dog out to the car opened the back and asked the dog to hop in. The dog refused, the girl asked again and the dog refused. From where we were watching I called to the girl to hop in the car first and show the dog what she wanted. The girl hopped in and said "Come on" and the dog hopped in. Soon the girl could get the dog to hop in without her. The mother was astonished!! Another example of when love and communication co-exist everyone wins. So I will continue to do things with my dogs....obedience, weight pull, lure coursing, tracking or whatever we can learn together. I will continue to be proud of my dog's accomplishments and I trust my dogs will continue to just be amazing. Either on the couch snuggled up or smiling at me from perfect heel position...either way...the relationship you share with your dog is where you find all that glitters

2009-02-11T15:38:00.001-08:00

In my mail yesterday was the Belle Toll donation letter. This is one of the most important pieces of mail you may receive this year. That letter is your chance to share with homeless greyhounds. Please respond to it. I have been so impressed and pleased that Belle's memory lives on. She was such a sweet greyhound girl. Judy and I were talking about Belle and the Belle Toll fund the other day. Belle was the first dog I fostered for this group. Until Belle, Judy and I had run in parallel worlds. We kind of knew who each other were but not really. Belle brought us together in a way nothing else could and we have been closely bonded since that time. Shortly after that I was blessed with the friendship of Tripps, Trish and the rest of our greyhound family. Although Belle came to us for such a short time I always felt that she was on God's errand. Somehow in her brief stay she unified us. Belle's legacy has become the Belle Toll fund and helping other greyhounds in need and it seems helping people too.
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Speaking for myself, I would not be complete without my dogs. They are as natural and important to me as my limbs. I can not imagine my life with out them playing a major role. They have not only connected me to friends but they have been my friends. They ground me, excite me, calm me and thrill me all at the very same time. I am in awe of their ability to live in the moment and not cry about the past or worry about the future. I love to watch them learn. I am amazed by their natural abilities and their willingness to help man. They find us when we are lost (both physically and spiritually). They can help feed us thorough hunting or helping with flocks. They protects us and even guide us. Dogs are truly God's kindest gift to us.
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So take the time right now to celebrate YOUR greyhound's life, time to reflect on what they add to your life. Then do the impossible and put a price tag on it. Failing that donate what you can to help provide a safe haven for greyhounds in need.

2009-01-27T15:14:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-01-19T13:47:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-01-09T14:07:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-01-03T09:50:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-01-01T10:31:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-12-29T13:08:00.001-08:00

Dima (Dee Dee to her friends) loped over the rainbow bridge Christmas morning. She was one of a trio of dogs we re-rescued in Oct, 2005. That seems like so long ago...but it really was only 3 short years. Dima was lucky enough to land in the home of Jan and Tony and their merry pack. She thrived there and was much loved by her greyhound sister Foxy. This past year brought problems with her kidneys. Her attentive family had gotten it under control and Dima was pain free and doing well until the last few hours. She is greatly missed already. And yes Jan, I am sure Dee Dee can still hear you singing "her songs" to her.

This month we also bid a sad farewell to Gracie who succumbed to seizures just a few days before Christmas. Gracie leaves a greyhound size hole in the hearts of her family, Mark and Amanda. She was settling into her home about the same time Dima was in the fall of 2005, after being brought up from CO to retire. She charmed the socks off all who knew her and was the easiest dog to love.

I speak for the entire greyhound community when I say our hearts are with yours while you make this adjustment in your lives. May you find love and peace again soon.

2008-12-20T12:29:00.001-08:00

I have been making an effort to clean my home with basic cleaners. You know things like soda, white vinegar and elbow grease. Today I had the chance to try out homemade carpet cleaner. One of my friends raised a litter of pups in her spare room. This seemed like the perfect place to put the carpet cleaning solution to the TEST. As you can guess raising pups is pretty hard on carpets and between the pups learning housebreaking and the wet muddy paws the carpets were past stinky and into the realm of lets just rip it out entirely. A hour of Darrin's hard work and a steam cleaner borrowed from Tripps the carpets are clean...they smell fresh, dried quickly and there was no sticky residue. I will never buying carpet cleaning solution again. For under $2 I had a whole gallon of good cleaner! Here is the recipe....

Joni's Magic Carpet Cleaner
1 pint 91% isopropyl alcohol (this is strong rubbing alcohol)
1 TBSP Ammonia
2 TBSP White Distilled Vinegar
1 tsp Dawn dish soap

Mix ingredients and add enough water to make a gallon.
For very soiled areas use a spray bottle to dampen the carpet and let sit for 15-30 minutes before cleaning with steamer. Keep a spray bottle of this handy for spot cleaning.

2008-12-18T21:56:00.001-08:00

Gretta, Sunny and Popsicle

The new gang arrived last week and are now recovering from vetting and preparing to settle into new homes. Except, Popsicle, who already headed to his waiting home. That leaves us with 3 wonderful mature girls to find homes for.
Most newsworthy lately has been the intense cold. It is pretty tough to let dogs out to play when temps are below zero and windchill sends it into -26 degrees. Heck it is pretty hard to even convince some of them to go out long enough to potty. Today was almost warm with the lack of wind and the incoming storm stalled in Kalispell dumping boat loads of snow on them. The weather men are saying a storm is rolling in tonight bringing snow then chased by bitter temps and winds. But today was a nice break and the pups loved being outside for more than 15 minutes. The boarding dogs are starting to come in for the holidays and it is promising to be busy...that is if people can actually travel this week. The holidays have been booked solid for over two weeks. I have a back kennel room I only use during the summer months because it is not well heated. It really is the domain of Sigh, our greyhound test kitty. He is set up with a nice heating pad and a heat lamp. When the temps dropped last week and the wind seemed to be blowing from every direction I moved the goats into the back kennels. Sigh seems to be enjoying the company of the goat girls. The goats are happy with four walls around them and I sleep better knowing everyone is comfortable.

2008-12-07T17:16:00.001-08:00

Woo Hoo....the Bozeman crew, headed by Barb and Dana visited the Christmas Stroll in Bozeman. The dogs donned on donation vests and brought in a healthy donations from passersby. Dana reported that the relaxed atmosphere and perfect weather helped make it the perfect day for being out and showing off the hounds. Billings also had their Christmas Stroll and a hound-party at McVittie's (the greyhound) house...we will get a update from one of them. Coming up next week end is photos with Santa in Billings.

We have two greyhounds who are headed our way this week. Kind of short notice but the opportunity arose and we grabbed it!! We have spoken for JT Sun Vallie, a 7 year young dark brindle beauty (see picture below). We are also getting another senior female but I don't have the exact details yet. If you are itching to add to your family please let us know NOW...we might be able to squeeze one more in.

2008-12-02T00:15:00.001-08:00

The greyhound foster scene has been pretty slow. Tildy is still in the kennel at Tripps and Jack is still being fostered by Bek...but there is a home that is firming up for him. There is a possibility of a greyhound being given up by someone who recently moved to our state. First order of business is to make sure it really is a greyhound.
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Over the years I have learned never to commit to a dog sight unseen. There was the time I was transporting a dog for another rescue. It was supposed to be an Aussie. I was picking it up in Missoula and taking it to Portland where it would meet up with someone who had agreed to foster him and find him a new home. When I first laid eyes on the dog I thought "No way!!" This dog was huge! Average Aussie boys weighs 50-60 pounds and this boy was easily 90+. In a time before cell phones I really didn't have a way to call the person in Portland and my husband was chomping at the bit to begin our 15 hour drive to the southern Oregon coast where we lived at the time. So we crammed BIG DOG Baxter in the back seat and took off. He was a really good boy. Traveled well, walked perfectly, sweet and really no problem other than he was obviously NOT a purebred Aussie...likely not an Aussie at all. In ten or so hours we pulled up to the home of the Aussie foster mom. One look at this BIG DOG and she pretty much refused to take him. She was furious at the sender for sending a dog so clearly not an Aussie...I felt awful for the dog. You could see the confusion on this big lunk of a dog's face. It never occurred to any of us he would be met with anger and rejection. Predictably, I loaded him up and he came home with us. In time I found a fantastic home for him. He spent time training as a Search And Rescue dog. They proved to be a gifted team. He sailed through his basic training and was on to very advanced skills within the year. In fact one of the last times I heard from his owner they were getting ready for a big test and would be required to jump out of a plane and repel from a helicopter. My immediate thought was they would probably both be killed trying this. My memory was of this BIG BIG DOG in our tiny back seat. Once in shape he tipped the scales at only 70+ pounds. Seventy pounds still seems huge to strap to you and jump out of a plane. You know I don't remember hearing from them after that....you don't suppose?....NAH I would have heard if a dog had died sky diving.

2008-11-22T19:47:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Vicki K. in Missoula one of the lab pups went home today. Sad to say all those great homes we thought we had turned out not to be so solid. The new home was pleased to pick the active girl since they may want to try to hunt a little with her. I, as a foster home, was happy to be left with the bit lazier boy.

We have been having a yard sale of sorts here. One of my friends had a cute little dress shop in Stevensville which she recently closed so we are selling much of her inventory and a few other odds and ends. The danger of having a yard sale with your friend is that there is a certain amount of trading junk that goes on.
Friend 1 - "OOOOO you are selling that? I gotta have it! How much do you want for it?"
Friend 2 - "That? You want that? You can have that!"
Friend 1 - "No no no....I want to pay for it what do you want for it?"
Friend 2 - "One penny."
Friend 1 - "Well then I am not going to buy it"
A FEW MINUTES LATER
Friend 2 - "Oh my gosh why are you selling that? You should keep it"
Friend 1 - "No I am sick of it...I am definitely selling it."
Friend 2 - "Oh I will trade you this for that."
And so it goes until we each have a little corner filled with stuff that is no longer for sale.

2008-11-14T23:09:00.001-08:00

Monday night my friend Pam called me in a panic. She had been hiking and found two lab pups at the trail head. In talking to everyone she could at the site she learned that these pups had been there all day and had tagged along on some hikes but no one claimed them. It was nearly dark and a storm was rolling in so what else could she do? She loaded them up and called me for help. Fortunately I had room for them in the kennel. They were pretty tired when they crawled into a warm dry crate together. They shared a bowl of kibble and sacked out. I actually had to wake them up for a potty break. The days have rolled by and the ads we ran and the fliers we plastered all over have gone unanswered. It is looking like these two were dumped. Fortunately the vet where they were taken for scanning had some leads on homes for us. We have 3-4 really good spots for them. It looks certain that good lab-lovin' homes will be ready for them soon...WHEW!! Pam brought me lunch on Tuesday. I couldn't tell if it was the guilt of dumping the pups on me or just the desire to play with the pups that brought her out bearing food. We picnicked on my porch. It was cold but the dogs didn't mind. I had bought these fancy dog cookies and this seemed like the perfect day to break them out. They come in a package like Oreos and are sandwich cookies like Oreos but they are peanut butter and cream. They are stamped with this really cute doggie paw print and they smell great. Total junk food for dogs but they loooove them. Later that evening I was wandering through the kitchen and I noticed Darrin was snacking. I saw his eyes widen and he stopped chewing. Through his crumb filled mouth he said "Are these DOG cookies?" He had spotted the paw print on his cookie. I nodded and he ran to the garbage can spitting and gagging. You would have thought he was poisoned. I had a good laugh but the best was yet to come. After he rinsed out his mouth, drank some water and regained his composure he said "You know the first two were pretty good!" He said when he knew they were dog cookies he just couldn't swallow. That innocent paw print saved the dog's cookies. The dogs are happy to know they won't have to share with him....at least not very often.

2008-10-21T15:38:00.001-07:00

When Donna and Vic were here they mentioned that once when they were in Wyoming at their son's house their little angel, Hannah found a open gate and wandered out. Within moments a search was launched. Before to long they found her. A kindly man who had seen Hannah and taken her in. He knew a greyhound loose was a greyhound in danger. Before they left with Hannah this man did a little finger wagging and said, "You may have a tag on your dog but with no area code it was worthless to me!" Morale of the story is make sure your tag has your complete phone number AND your cell phone number. I always put my cell phone on my dogs because if they are ever lost I WILL be out searching for them and not at home waiting for a call.

Lika (was Sparky) has a new trick to amuse her new adoptive family. She steals dirty dishes out of the sink so she can go polish them at her leisure. These are such great dogs!!!