The Move

Hey all! If you can't tell from the title, we have some exciting news: We moved!

Our new place is about 9 blocks north of where we were living. We downsized from a 3 bedroom place to a 1 bedroom, and it is so nice! Less cleaning, we were able to get rid of stuff we didn't need, but this new place has great storage space, so we were also able to keep the stuff we do need! The kitchen is huge, and there's an IN UNIT washer and dryer! (Best part is the w/d combo, IMO). Overall, our favorite perks, besides the kitchen and washer/dryer, are the flat floors, and the large bedroom. Our last apartment had a lot of fire and water damage, since the building was so old, which made the floors slope. I had to weight my bookshelves so carefully so they wouldn't tip over, and I had a hard time keeping balance doing yoga. Drop a pencil? It'll roll straight to the middle of the room. Lets talk about the bedroom, though. Roxie's kennel used to be in our dining area, positioned so she could see into the bedroom, but the room itself was too small for anything but the bed, a nightstand, and a dresser. Literally, that was all we could fit. Now, Roxie gets to sleep next to us! She doesn't fight going in her kennel at night time anymore. It's so sweet.

Roxie handled this move like a champ. She was super nervous while we were packing up our stuff, and moving day was a bit crazy. We kept her in her kennel in the new apartment, to stress her out less. She has an escape problem when she's too familiar with the place and is left alone in her kennel--We've found it easier to just leave her out of it when we go somewhere.

It took a few days, but she started to act much more comfortable here. She really liked the fact that food randomly drops on the kitchen floor here sometimes, too! She loves sleeping next to us. The floors here are more slippery than our old ones, but she found her balance. She can fit into the bathroom with us, and likes to lay on the bathmat while we are in there. There's only one door into the apartment now, so she knows which door to wait by when Mom or Dad come home. Downside: It's hard to open the door because she tries to stick her head out of it as it's opening. It's also a lot easier for her to sneak on the bed when she thinks we're not paying attention.

This new place has an elevator. We went from a 3 floor walk-up, to a 5 floor complex (living on the 4th floor). The most HILARIOUS thing about bringing Roxie here is watching her freak out on the elevator. While we're in there, she doesn't mind, but when the door opens to a new scene/floor, she gets the most befuddled look on her face. She would have trouble stepping out of the elevator. Like, was it doggy Narnia or something? She's definitely more comfortable with it now, but you can tell it's still a mystery to her of how it works, or where we might end up when the door opens.

We've now been here for almost a full 2 months, and she has only had one "accident" in that time. About a month into living here. We don't know exactly what caused it, as her routine had not changed, she had been out earlier, and she acted healthy. What we discovered around 4 the next morning was that a storm was coming in. She has never shown pre-storm anxiety, but who knows?

Our robot vacuum, which runs 2x/week usually, ran well for the first few weeks, then oddly died on us. Since he's been out of commission, Roxie has brought him her squirrel. Not sure if it was on purpose, or she just happened to drop it in front of him, but it was cute nonetheless.

Tips for moving with a dog: Maintain their potty and feeding schedule! Let them explore the place just a bit before actually moving in. Have their kennel handy for moving day. And give them lots of love (and some extra treats) because moving is very stressful for them, too.

That's all for now!

Mary

 

She loves walking on the beach every morning now that we live super close to it.

Toys are always a good source of comfort.

She wasn't so sure about this couch at first. She really liked our old one.

Sometimes the cushions would fall off when she tried to climb on and snuggle on it. So she'd get stuck under them.

Or just her butt would get stuck between the cushions. Hahaha silly Roxie.

TGIE Back In Black Foster Experience

On Thursday, July 7th, Rhett and I took a small road trip to Valparaiso, IN to pick up a greyhound. This Greyhound's name is Shadow. He came in with the "TGIE: Back in Black" Greyhound group from Coldwater, MI. TGIE stands for The Greyhound Inmate Experience. Yes, Shadow spent 10 weeks in a prison with 2 handlers named David and Tom. They kept a detailed log of Shadow's experience at the prison and when the time came, they gave him to American Greyhound to be fostered and adopted. "Back in Black" refers to the fact that every dog in this haul was black. Black dogs are least likely to be adopted from shelters or anywhere else, so the group decided to raise awareness for this issue by taking all black dogs this time. Shadow is, as his name suggests, quite the shadow dog. He's adorable! His racing name (from a track in West Virginia) was DKC Burrito, but all dogs at the prison get renamed to something more "pet-like."

I'd like to give you a rundown of the prison programs for dogs, because it is one of the most positive, amazing programs out there. All involved are benefited, from the inmates, to the grey's, to the future adopters, and even for the rescue groups. The dogs get picked up from a track and dropped off at a prison, where they undergo veterinary care such as worming treatments and vaccinations. Then get a bath! They are assigned two handlers and spend the next 24 hours/day, 7 days/week with these men for 10 weeks. During this time they are trained, socialized, fed, played with, and loved. The inmates sew dog beds and coats, knit blankets, compose poems, and for Shadow's group, they all hand painted bags to send the Greyhound "home" with. Inside the bag was Shadows stuffed bunny, fleece blanket, toothbrush and toothpaste, and the log of his stay at the prison. David and Tom wrote about how he did each week. How is appetite was, if he was scared of anything, how well he followed commands, how well he socialized with other dogs and inmates, how he played, etc. One of the things that touched me most when I read Shadow's log was that he sought out the disabled inmates and would let them pet him as long as they liked to. The whole log of Shadow's prison experience was seeped through with love. Tom and David really fell for him, not that anyone could really help themselves around him.

The prisons which are elected to have this program, must have all the inmates on good behavior. Good behavior means some of the inmates get dogs! The inmates who get to be handlers are serving life sentences, and must show exceptional behavior. Though all the inmates get to interact with the hounds during outside time, etc. It's a great reward system to keep prisons safer for all. Morale gets boosted for the cops and the inmates at the prison. The whole prison environment becomes enriched. The inmates families have comfort when they talk to their loved ones and hear the joy in their voice about working with the hounds. The greyhounds come out well trained, and very adoptable, which is great for the rescue as it makes room quickly for more hounds to be rescued. The future forever families get a wonderful dog. For me, the best part is hearing how these men, who have committed terrible crimes against humanity, now get to experience unconditional love. It gives the inmates more sense of purpose, to provide love and hope to a dog just rescued, and to even provide coats and beds and blankets that they make themselves! They learn hope and joy from these hounds; they learn what it is to be accepted for who they are. The hounds don't care what crime was committed, they have the best deal of all: and they are given the means for a successful adoption into a loving forever home. On top of which, they are provided with lots of affection until the time they leave the program. And did I mention, it's FREE?? That's right, it doesn't cost the prisons a dime (no taxpayer money), as all food and supplies are donated to/by the TGIE group. They're non-profit organization that manages the hounds going in and out of the program.

I know it is hard for the inmates to say goodbye to these beloved dogs, but they know that the dogs will be going to good homes. And after the dogs leave, a new haul arrives! A new hound to bond with, train and love.

Next post I'll actually talk some about Shadow. He got adopted almost a month ago now! I emailed the TGIE program head about Shadow's stay with Rhett and I, as well as his adoption, and she then sent the update along to his handlers. I'm just so impressed with the whole program.

A few pics to show Shadow's experience with us:

The black dogs. Pick up point in Indiana.

Shadow's Inmate Journal.

His ride home with us. He was tired, and just wanted to be close to us.

He liked going for car rides.

He thought he was sooooo sneaky, just putting his bum on the couch, but not his paws. 

The ride to Petco in Indiana where he was officially adopted.

Love you, Shadow!

A Greyhound In Canada, Eh?

Rhett and I recently took a road-trip to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was lovely. It was also our first road-trip as a whole family. Yes, we took little miss Roxie Hart along with us. Typically for vacation, we drop her off at a friends house while we go have fun. We really wanted to bring her on a vacation with us, though, and this was a perfect opportunity. We weren't flying, and we don't have kids, so we loaded up the car, put her little bed in the back seat, and off we went.

We did do our research before leaving. What would we need to take our dog across the border into Canada? What about her food? We looked up Canadian law, and found as long as you weren't going to sell the dog food, any amount under so many kilograms was allowed. All we really needed was her latest paperwork stating she was up-to-date on all her shots. Easy enough! There were plenty of Airbnb lodging options that were pet friendly, so that was taken care of. We brought her an extra water bowl to keep in the car with her, and I kept some treats in my purse. The whole trip went very smoothly.

I'll start from the beginning. We collapsed her kennel and loaded it into the trunk. The bed that usually goes in her kennel went into the back seat along with our cooler full of snacks. We brought her one blanket, one toy, one cow hoof, her food and water bowls with her small bowl riser, enough food for the few days of travel, and all of her paperwork. We made sure her collar had all her tags on it, and that there were enough poop bags on her leash. Other than the bed, it all fit into one big reusable shopping bag we got at Mariano's. Oh! We also brought her bottle of melatonin. The stuff has worked wonders when she gets anxious.

After packing for her, we threw our own stuff into the trunk and drove off. Whenever we stopped for gas or a snack, we'd walk her around a bit to stretch her legs. She's pretty good at following the "potty" command and going, even if she doesn't really need to go that bad. Then we would drive on. At the border, we could've smuggled her in! She was so quiet, and didn't even perk up at the passport check. The guy was real inquisitive about Rhett and I. When we mentioned we had our dog with us he almost looked surprised. He asked for the paperwork, glanced it over, handed it back and said it looked good. No questions about Roxie. She was cool. Lots of questions about Rhett and myself. That was easy, and it was the part I was most worried about!

Once at our destination we set up her kennel, put her bed and blanket in it, and settled in for the evening. The kennel fit right next to my side of the bed. She slept soundly in it every night. She wasn't so sure about this new place we were staying in, but her kennel made her feel more secure I think.

In the morning we took her on a long walk along the beach of lake Ontario. She started to love Canada around then. There weren't many people around, but there were a lot of dogs and a lot of squirrels. Just like everywhere else, anyone who saw Roxie just thought she was beautiful! We had a lot of people stop us and ask questions about her. I think she was a bit relieved to get back to the Airbnb for a bit. We gave her some melatonin, put her in her kennel with the extra bowl of water, and went out to explore downtown Toronto for a few hours. We waited outside to make sure she wouldn't whine or try to break out of her kennel (she's quite the hound-ini when she wants to be).The city itself is very pet friendly, with water bowls outside every 3rd shop or so, and lots of patio seating. Probably every 3rd person we ran into had a dog. When we got back, Roxie was happy to see us and calm as ever. I was impressed with her. It was nice just to relax and chill that evening in our Airbnb apartment. The wind outside came through the windows, it was quiet, and the 3 of us just lay in the bedroom playing games and snoozing. We put Roxie back in her kennel to sleep that night. She didn't make one peep. What a good girl.

Day 2 was our big day, because it was the day we'd be going to see Niagara falls! The weather that week was supposed to be pretty moderate, but of course a heat wave came through that day. I'm pretty sure some people thought we were bad owners because Miss Drama Queen was panting super hard and walking slow, but refusing to take a drink. We parked about a 3 minute walk away from the Falls, and tried to keep on the grass because the pavement was a little too hot for dog paws. Once we finally got down to see the Falls, we stopped under a shady tree to let Roxie cool off. The walkway along the falls from the Rainbow bridge (back to the States) to the Visitors Center at the horseshoe part of the falls was just over a mile. We stopped probably 10 times along our way to sit in the shade and cool off. Roxies extra bowl was packed in Rhett's backpack, and we had a big water bottle just for her that we'd use to fill it a little at each stop. It reminded me of going on vacation with my grandma before she passed away, with the constant stopping to rest and slow walking. It actually made for a very relaxing and enjoyable day.

During our stops, we met a lot of people who either stared at her, or would ask us if she's a greyhound, or ask if they could pet her. We met a grandmother and grandson from Australia who also rescue greyhounds (Australia has a huge greyhound rescue. They take in dogs not only from Aussie tracks, but the bring in grey's from tracks in Taiwan, China, and Thailand, too). We met an older couple from Florida who live near a few active tracks. A man from Montreal was highly impressed with her, as he had only ever seen Italian Greyhounds in real life. And we met a woman from northern India who asked if Roxie was a Saluki. Then she talked about how seeing Roxie made her heart so happy, because it reminded her of home, when the men would march through her village on their way to war. They had Saluki's who were known as caravan dogs, because they traveled with the caravan of soldiers and provided food for them by hunting. Each person who approached us had a different story about a greyhound (or greyhound cousin) in their lives. Everyone who stopped us told us how beautiful she is. And they're all right. She is the most beautiful dog! And spoiled...

We finally stopped to eat lunch at a statue of Nikola Tesla. We sat in the shade on some grass for about 45 minutes with a great view of the falls, and far enough away from people that Roxie started to feel more comfortable. She also thought the big grassy plants tasted super good. We spent some time taking pictures at the horseshoe falls by the visitors center on the south end of the park, where Rhett and I took turns using the restrooms and picking out postcards for the family. While Rhett and Roxie were waiting for me to be done, a sweet old Asian man came up to them and dropped some coins in Roxie's water bowl. Rhett tried to protest, but the man didn't seem to speak any English. I guess they looked homeless? Bonus for us on having a water bowl that makes it look like we're beggars. Hahahaha!

By the time we had done all of our activites, the heat wave had passed, the weather once again became mild, and we started to make our way back. The walk back only had one "cool off" stop where we had enough cell service to call our parents and say hello. We didn't need to make the stop for Roxie that time, but she got a drink anyways. Then she did something I've never seen her do: she wallowed in the grass. I'm talking full on belly up, feet up, rubbing her head and shoulders in the clover. I wish I had gotten a picture it was so funny! She finished real quick, but she just lay in the grass and smiled for awhile. Then we went "home." Roxie crashed in the back seat the whole way back. I don't think she moved once. We wore her out good.

When we got "home" we put her in her kennel so we could go get us some dinner. I'm pretty sure she slept the entire time we were eating, because when we got back, she was still sleeping. We took her out to potty, and all of us went to bed. We always gave Roxie a few opportunities to eat each morning and evening, but she didn't each much during the trip unless it was a treat. I didn't expect her to, but we brought enough food just in case she did find her appetite. She resumed eating as normal after our vacation was over.

The next morning we drove home, and Roxie did great, again. We didn't even have to mention her at the border, and she didn't perk up again. She did so well all day. When we did get home, she immediately went and laid on her dog bed as if she had missed it more than anything in the world. It took her another day of sleep to recover, but I think she had a grey-t time! Rhett and I sure did!

Lunch at Niagra Falls

Mmmm, this grass sure is tasty!

What's that smell? Is it Canada??

Still eating lunch.

She was enjoying herself.

We did a little modeling, too.

Looking at the Falls.

Helping dad take pictures.

The ride back from Niagra Falls, she slept like this the entire hour and a half of driving back to our apartment.

On the way home we stopped by the Toronto LDS/Mormon Temple and took a few family photos.

Going home.

The beach by our Airbnb apartment on Lake Ontario. 

A Waggily Tale

As you may know, Roxie runs in her sleep. Her paws will move, her whiskers will twitch, and her breathing gets just a little bit faster. After having her for a few months, she started to bark in her sleep. They certainly aren't full barks. More like high-pitched grunts. They're sleep barks! They are pretty adorable. She's pretty adorable.

Roxie also has this stretching routine she does when she wakes up. First she goes downward dog, stretching her front paws, then she does her back paws (upward dog?), then she shakes off. She'll do this 4 or 5 times in a row first thing in the morning when it's time to get up and go out for a potty break. Once she didn't shake off after stretching front and back. I sat in my seat cringing until she finally did. Haha. Oh how we get so used to routines.

Well, Roxie has started a new thing in her sleep. It's happened 2 times in the past week. She wags her tail. That's right! She is sleep wagging her tail! I've always wondered what she dreams about, and I've always hoped they were good dreams. With her past, you never really know if it comes back up in her subconscious. I hope not. However, now I know she's having at least partially good dreams! Just the other morning I was laying in bed next to her, and I hear this thump. Then a quick thump thump thump thump right in a row. Then she was done. I didn't even get to roll over to see it, I just heard it. The sound alone made my heart melt.

Rhett was the first to notice her sleep-wagging. He said it went on for a few minutes, and as soon as he had his camera up to grab a video, she stopped, of course.

Let me tell you something about Roxie's tail. It's docked slightly. Sometime before we got her, she broke a tooth and last 1/4 of her tail got docked. We don't know how or when, but it doesn't seem to cause her pain or distress. You may notice that a Greyhound's tail curls up at the end. Her's doesn't. No biggie. We love her just the same. Now let me tell you something else about her tail. She rarely wagged it when we first got her. It took a few weeks to see it wag, and a few months to see it wag for more than a few seconds. Now she wags it every time we come home. I walk in from work, waggy tail. We walk in from church, waggy tail. We walk in from date night, waggy tail. Rhett walks in from grocery shopping, waggy tail. You get the picture :)

Most greyhounds will wag their tails in big circles, I don't know if it's muscle memory or now permanent muscle contractions on her behind, or if she just doesn't know how to properly wag her tail, but Roxie's tail stays down when it wags. For the first few months we had her, the tail was almost constantly tucked. She still tucks it a lot, but not when we're inside, safe from all the scary things that happen outside (let me tell you, EVERYTHING outside is scary). So her tail wags side-to-side, just staying off her back legs. She sure can get some speed on it, though. The only time I've seen it go in circles like a "normal" greyhound, is when she gets to sprint on the beach. I think that's a balance thing for her, though; the tail kind of has to go out back, and it circles just because she bounces when she runs. Then at any sign of distress, it goes right back between those legs. That is just how her tail does.

This was the tale of Roxie's waggily tail. It's the most adorable tail I've ever seen. My Chicago Dog <3

Mary

Here's photos for comparison of tails: Roxie's is quite a bit shorter than Tory's, as you can see, and it doesn't curl up at the end (it looks like it's starting to), she also keeps her tail more pointed down in general. In the second picture she's slightly tucking her tail, a fairly normal position for it.

I'm Not A Foster Flunkie!

Hey all! It's been just a bit, I know, but I have to share with you all about my first foster dog, Tory Lane.

She's a big girl, about 75 lbs. She's got the most beautiful brindle coat, sometimes we call her Tory Tiger Stripes. She actually does not respond to her name very well. She is full of energy, gives lots of little kisses, loves walks, loves to smell everything, and loves stuffie toys. She is very vocal! She would "talk" to us almost every morning and every evening, and sometimes midday. For such a big girl, her voice was really high-pitched. Roxie has a lower pitch than her, surprisingly. Tory got adopted 5 days ago. We only had her for about 3-4 weeks.

My whole family (in-laws included) thought that when we started to foster, I'd end up falling in love with the dog and just adopting it. That scenario would very much fit my personality. However, it didn't happen. I did love her, but she wasn't the right fit for our family. I purposely kept myself just a little bit unattached because we weren't planning on keeping her, and yet it was still hard to say goodbye when she went off with her new forever family. It was a bittersweet time, seeing how good her new family was going to be, but missing her vibrant personality as soon as we got in the car with just Roxie. And she was that - vibrant.

Fun things about Tory:

Her run is one of the most graceful things I've ever seen. Before having Tory, I thought Roxie was fast and agile and graceful. She is not. She is explosive and quite the tease. Tory was obviously trained to run, and it was beautiful. I really don't know who is faster; I think Tory might win a long distance run, but Roxie's explosive muscles would give her a great head start.

Tory also really loved to have her collar on. We take their collars off when they are inside, and every time we would go to put them back on, Tory tried to stick her head through both of them. Hahaha! She's such a cutie! Tory learned from Roxie that she had to stick her nose in every single bag we brought home from the grocery store, and Roxie learned from Tory how to be a little bit more playful. Tory didn't get the chance to pick up on many tricks, but we tried. Roxie knows her tricks real well, if we have a treat in hand.

Unfortunately, "free feeding" the girls didn't work. Tory's food gave Roxie the runs, and Roxie suddenly got competitive and tried to eat both bowls of food every time. It took about a week for them to learn to share the dog bed. Roxie would get on it when Tory was laying there, but would not let Tory on if she was on first. Tory also really messed with Roxie's sleep schedule. Roxie loves her sleep. A lot. Tory was up at the crack of dawn every morning, "talking" to us and letting us know she'd like to play and go on a walk. We had to shut all the curtains so light wouldn't seep in and Rhett could sleep til 8 when he gets up. Roxie will sleep until we get up and then make her get up to go out. Tory couldn't wait to go out every morning! So every morning we had to take them on a long walk just to let Tory release some energy, and yet those walks rarely did the trick. She also needed a midday and an evening walk. Roxie will walk with us when we go, but one short walk a day is good enough for her (outside is suuuuuuper scary, there are people out there). I think all the outside time was stressing her out. Tory would get walks sometimes while Roxie stayed in, Roxie never seemed to mind those walks haha. Roxie always walks by our sides, Tory likes to pull on the leash to go as fast as we possibly can, I often danced through my walks with them because of all the twirling and arm swinging and pulling and and untangling I did. If I didn't shorten Roxie's leash, it would drag on the ground. Tory never had that problem.

Both girls LOVE chasing after squirrels. Roxie has learned that she gets a lot closer to catching one if she sneaks up on it by stalking it til she's close enough to pounce. Tory would just run at it, which would scare it away before she could get too close (plus, she was on a leash), and Roxie would get a bit exasperated, I think. I wish we had an enclosed yard where we could have just let Tory out to romp around a few times a day and do zoomies. However, we don't, so we made do. I won't lie that life is a lot less demanding now that Tory is adopted, but she was a joy to have around.

Her new forever family were thinking of renaming her to "Leona." Which I think fits her perfectly. It's been 5 days and I'm still thinking about her and worrying about her. Is she adjusting well?Is she playing nice with her new siblings? Is she getting lots of outside time? Her new family seems wonderful, I don't worry one bit about how she is being treated, I know they're probably spoiling her. I'm just being a dog mom.

Fostering was a little harder than we expected, but it was mostly because Tory had SO MUCH energy. Rhett and I are already pretty low key people, and Roxie fits right in with us being the lazy bum she is. Living on the 3rd floor of a little walk up unit is hard when you have to go up and down so many times a day just to walk and relieve the dogs. We'd take them out together, but Tory demanded much more outside time than Roxie does. We were happy to give the girls plenty of outside time, though. It was only temporary, after all.

I don't know if we'll foster again right away, but I hope we can sometime down the road. I felt good, being a transition home, and I want to do it again. It's fulfilling to help dogs; I feel like I was meant for this just as much as I was meant to be a nurse. Thank you, American Greyhound for letting me be a part of the group!

And that's the story of Tory. Ta ta!

Mary the Dog-Mom

Lazy days :)

Mooches...

Car rides aren't the easiest things with two stubborn Grey's...

Tory started to roach! Right before she got adopted.

More car rides with these two goofs.

Tory (or Leona) and most of her new family. (One cat and one dog sibling missing from the photo).

First Time Foster

Today was an eventful day; and it all started last month.

I'll explain. I have felt like our family is incomplete. I am by no means "baby hungry," but I am pretty "puppy hungry." While I don't know if we could actually take on a second dog to call our own at this point in our lives, I still knew I wanted another one. We were at first concerned about space, food, financial burden, and mostly space.  We still talked about it and dreamed about it. One of the biggest things we talked about is how much better Roxie does when she's around other hounds. It was a daydream I liked to entertain often. We'd talk and talk and talk and laugh about it. Every so often after adopting Roxie I'd get an email asking for anyone to open their home to foster, because too many dogs were coming in and there was not enough room for them all. How can you turn down a rescued dog? Many people associated with American Greyhound have more dogs than should probably fit in their houses, but they foster them and love them until the lucky dog finds its forever home.

Finally I was getting overly excited about my daydream, that Rhett said, "Maybe we should try fostering first." I just stared at him with a grin on my face. He made the deal with me that if I would be the one to ask permission from our landlady, and be the contact for American Greyhound, he'd be happy to foster. Then it was Rhett who started bugging me about it. He'd ask almost every day if I had contacted our landlady yet. At the time we decided to offer our home as a foster place, there were a few problems with the pipes in the building and I think some other things were going on. I wanted to catch my landlady in the best mood possible, so I waited. I waited almost 2 weeks to make sure everything was good and no complaints were made or repairs needed to be done around the place. Funny how the tides turn and Rhett was the impatient one to get another Grey into our home.

Our landlady took a few days to think it over, and when she got back to us she commended us for our efforts in rescuing dogs. She has rescued many herself. She told us that as long as it was only one other dog at a time, we were welcome to foster. Overjoyed, I shared the news with Roxie's foster mom first, who then put me in contact with the foster coordinator. That was around February 17th. Due to some unforeseen personal circumstances, we didn't contact the coordinator until late February.

Then we waited a little more. March 1st rolled around and I got a call back. There was a girl who was being returned to AG and would need a foster home. Because she had already spent a year as an adopted pet, she was used to retirement, and would likely make a great first foster. We said yes. The time and date for the return of the dog was set, all I was told is that her name was Tory. Of course I looked up her old bio on AG's website. Her racing name was Tory Lane, how cute is that? There wasn't much said about her, but I could see she was a beautiful brindle, and good racer.

That brings us around to March 10th. While I am typing this, it has still been less than 12 hours since we received Tory. During the 10 day wait, I had a myriad of emotions run through me. I thought to myself, "these circumstances had better be pretty extreme to be returning a dog. The only way American Greyhound could get Roxie back from me is over my dead body." I was upset at the person who would so casually cast aside a dog after having them for a year. How can you do that? I also felt bad, because if that person is anything like me, the circumstances must be extreme to return a dog. How am I to know what this pup's situation is? I wasn't sure I wanted to meet this person who was returning their sweet dog for fear of either crying, or wanting to punch them in the face.

Before I continue my story, I would like to say that I do understand when people have to return a dog. Perhaps the dog just doesn't blend well with the family, perhaps there's safety issues, or perhaps the adopter just wasn't as prepared for a dog as they thought they were. Most of these cases can be determined within the first few weeks with the dog, which doesn't really allow the dog to adjust to a "forever home." Many Greyhounds who come into AG's care require special care and treatment. Some are dependent on Prozac just to function. It's not easy to take in a dog like that. If you are unable to take care of a dog, I am all for it being returned to a place where it will be taken care of and loved. I'm grateful to the man who kept his contract with AG and returned the dogs to the rescue (Rhett and I had to sign the same contract with Roxie. We cannot ever give her to anyone else, or sell her [the thought horrifies me], if we have to give her up, the contract states she must return to American Greyhound.)

Rhett and I arrived at the determined meeting point (in Indiana) around 2:30. It was cold and windy outside. Tory immediately came up to greet us. She gave me kisses and jumped up to sniff Rhett. She had a brother with her who would be going with another foster family. The man who was returning them came around the car with an armful of things for the dogs. He looked very nice, he greeted us with a warm smile. He started dropping off the food bins, the dishes, we got a kennel for Tory, then this man brought out a stuffed alligator, and said, "this is Tory's toy that she just can't live without." I realized in that moment this would be a heartbreaking scenario for me. I wanted to give this man a big hug and tell him I'd take the best care of her ever. The American Greyhound president, Jeff, was there. He talked to the man quietly, and before leaving wished him the best of luck (with his wife, I think he said?) I knew this was an extreme circumstance. This family really could not take care of these two beautiful dogs (who looked very well taken care of). I don't know what is going on in these peoples lives, and this man whose name I don't even remember held himself together very well. I am sure he had already said his goodbyes to the dogs, but I saw sadness in his face. I did almost cry for him there, but I held myself together. I don't know if I could ever have the strength to do what he did with such a calm demeanor.

Now here I sit watching her sleep in her kennel, which we set up right next to Roxie's kennel. Praying that she will be happy, and learn to love us, and know this is in her best interest. She's been so unsure about everything. She's much bigger than Roxie, but her voice is a lot higher. She talks to us a lot. Whines and grunts and even little barks. I can't tell exactly what she wants, but she had a lot of nervous energy today. We took her on a walk to a small dog park where, after a few minutes on the leash, we let her off the leash. She didn't really enjoy the freedom the way Roxie does when she's off the leash, but at least she got some energy out. She and Roxie seem to be getting along. I'm hopeful this will be a good friendship for the both of them.

Whoever this man is, keep him in your prayers awhile. Keep Tory in your prayers, too. I'm praying she will open up to us, trust us, and find a good forever home soon. Mostly I pray she will be comfortable and at ease here with us. I can't imagine what she and her brother must be feeling, nor do I know how deeply their feelings extend. She's a good girl with a lot of love to give.

I'm finally a foster mom! It's new and exciting and a little nerve-wracking. I feel like I want to do so much for Tory, but I don't know what or how. I guess we'll learn together. I am so grateful to be part of the foster team at AG, though. I've been wanting to be more involved in the rescue, and I finally feel like I am. I needed this. As much as I know I was meant to be a nurse, I know I need to help rescue dogs my whole life long. Rhett and I have a lot of compromising to do. He says 2 dogs is the maximum we can ever have, 3 if we're fostering. I say 10 to 12 would be acceptable :) Of course we'd need a yard first, and I don't want to leave the city just yet... So we'll keep our one and continue to foster one more at a time, until we can do more. Though I am also helping by donating some art work of mine to the annual "Winning Hearts, Not Races" American Greyhound auction! April 9th, I'm so excited! It's a whole big to-do with some pretty awesome auction items. My paintings will be part of the silent auction. I just hope they do well and bring in a little extra money for the Grey's.

I truly believe in rescuing dogs. If you need anymore proof, just look at my life 18 months ago. I was a depressed and anxious wreck. Now I'm a happy dog mom and also a foster mom. #adoptdontshop

Woof woof!

Mary, Rhett, Roxie, and Tory

Dog Dreams: A Play

Scene: Mary is sitting on the couch, feet propped up, the clock reads 3:30 in the morning. She working on her computer, namely class work for school. Roxie is laying next to her, down near her feet, front paws curled under, nose tucked down, and back paws stretched out to dangle off the couch.

Mary: type type type

Roxie: twitch

Mary: stops typing to look at Roxie.

Roxie: twitch

Roxie: high pitched "woof"

Roxie: "Woof. Woofwoofwoofwoofwoof." More twitching.

Mary: "Roxie are you dreaming?"

Roxie: -----

Mary: "I'll take that as a yes." Continues on with school work.

End Scene.

This is quite typical. Roxie sleep barks at least once or twice a week. They're little, I wish I could hear her real bark again, but boy are they cute little sleep-woofs. I wonder if she dreams about Rhett and me? I wonder if she has nightmares? I hope not. Or maybe she has dreams of chasing rabbits and squirrels and cats? I hope one day we get to know what our dogs dream about. She just woke up and looked at me. I think she knows I'm typing about her now and not doing my schoolwork. She's a good chaperone for that. I guess I'll get back to work.

Have a good day, all!

Roxie and Roxie's mom

Some Visuals for reference: First picture, feet propped on the couch, Roxie laying by them. Second picture, Roxie in her artists' cap. Third picture: A paw dangling over the couch.