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.

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!!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.