I haven't posted in awhile! What have we missed?
Since I last updated the blog, I have started an Instagram page just for Roxie. You can follow her @roxiehart_thechicagogrey. I typically post a couple of times per week. I can't help it! She's so cute! I am by no means a professional photographer, so I can never quite capture the full beauty of the moment, but you can at least get the gist of it.
Roxie LOVES the new apartment still. It's so open she can always see where we are. It makes being a velcro dog so much easier. Plus, the bed is still with us. That is important. She loves bed.
We took Roxie on another road-trip! This time we took her to Utah to visit my family. I was in heaven the whole time. Both of my dogs by my side all day for a week. Could life get any better than that? I think the Utah trip deserves it's own post, so I'll start working on that.
We hope you all had wonderful holidays. Tune in again soon for the adventures of doggie road tripping :)
Mary & Roxie
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Saturday, November 12, 2016
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
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.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
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:
Love you, Shadow!
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.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
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!
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.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, April 8, 2016
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
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).
Friday, March 11, 2016
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
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
Saturday, January 9, 2016
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.
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.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
A Cause Worth Sharing
Oh my goodness, it's been almost 3 months since I've updated this blog! And Roxie has done so many cute things!!! I just don't even know where to begin. Do I make a post about her kisses? Her stinky butt? Her kenneling abilities? Her trick learning? Her confidence levels? Her happy face? Oh how I love her happy face.
In fact, Roxie seems a lot happier now than I've ever seen her before. Not that she's been unhappy, per se. There were definitely times that I thought she might be battling doggie depression, though. Whether it was getting used to being an only dog, or just having had a hard past, I don't know, but she would only get "happy" at certain times. Now she seems happy most of the time! I really love it. She just looks at us with a smile on her face, her tail wags for much longer when we come home and greet her. She seems more interested in us and what we're doing beyond just curiosity. Maybe out of love and desire to be part of the "pack?" Either way, her happy face makes my whole life!
I think I will use this particular post to share with you the American Greyhound fundraiser! I have a page, you can sponsor me. It's: https://www.firstgiving.com/
This is the annual Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser, where all the hoomans who work with American Greyhound get together on New Years day and dive into Lake Michigan! I am participating as a "woolly walrus," which means I get to dive into warm blankets instead of the lake. While I am totally sharing this in hopes that I might get some donations (which are tax deductible), I really just want to raise awareness of how awesome American Greyhound is. They use only volunteers, and 100% of donations go directly to helping the dogs, whether it's travel costs to go bring more into foster care, or veterinarian costs of the dogs currently in foster care. American Greyhound rescues dogs from tracks, legal and illegal, from all over the country. They also work with local prisons to rehab inmates. Prisoners are given a hound to train and look after as part of their therapy and rehab, and it's a double bonus, because the hound then gets a new chance at life and can be seen as more desirable for being trained. After a few months with the prisoners, the hound is placed up for adoption where they can go to a loving home full of treats and beds. No more being confined to only crates and tracks. These dogs finally get a chance to be loved and show just how much love they can give in return.
Read all about it at americangreyhound.org .
Thanks for letting me share about an issue I care about. Roxie cares about it, too. No dog ever deserves to live a life without love. So we help, one dog at a time.
Woof!
In fact, Roxie seems a lot happier now than I've ever seen her before. Not that she's been unhappy, per se. There were definitely times that I thought she might be battling doggie depression, though. Whether it was getting used to being an only dog, or just having had a hard past, I don't know, but she would only get "happy" at certain times. Now she seems happy most of the time! I really love it. She just looks at us with a smile on her face, her tail wags for much longer when we come home and greet her. She seems more interested in us and what we're doing beyond just curiosity. Maybe out of love and desire to be part of the "pack?" Either way, her happy face makes my whole life!
I think I will use this particular post to share with you the American Greyhound fundraiser! I have a page, you can sponsor me. It's: https://www.firstgiving.com/
This is the annual Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser, where all the hoomans who work with American Greyhound get together on New Years day and dive into Lake Michigan! I am participating as a "woolly walrus," which means I get to dive into warm blankets instead of the lake. While I am totally sharing this in hopes that I might get some donations (which are tax deductible), I really just want to raise awareness of how awesome American Greyhound is. They use only volunteers, and 100% of donations go directly to helping the dogs, whether it's travel costs to go bring more into foster care, or veterinarian costs of the dogs currently in foster care. American Greyhound rescues dogs from tracks, legal and illegal, from all over the country. They also work with local prisons to rehab inmates. Prisoners are given a hound to train and look after as part of their therapy and rehab, and it's a double bonus, because the hound then gets a new chance at life and can be seen as more desirable for being trained. After a few months with the prisoners, the hound is placed up for adoption where they can go to a loving home full of treats and beds. No more being confined to only crates and tracks. These dogs finally get a chance to be loved and show just how much love they can give in return.
Read all about it at americangreyhound.org .
Thanks for letting me share about an issue I care about. Roxie cares about it, too. No dog ever deserves to live a life without love. So we help, one dog at a time.
Woof!
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The American Greyhound Picnic
It's been awhile! Roxie has been keeping us busy, you know all that sleep wears a dog out ;)
On September 12 Rhett, Roxie, and I got to experience our very first American Greyhound picnic, down in somewhere, Indiana. About an hour and a half away. They do it annually. There's costume contests, a dog run, vendors, groomers, photographers, etc. It is quite the ordeal! We had a blast. Everyone knew or knew of Roxie. She's just famous. I finally got to meet Sharon, who did our whole adoption. She interviewed us over the phone, called our references, and approved us to adopt. It was great to actually meet her face to face after so much phone time. Barbara, who was Roxie's foster mom was also there, and it was good to see her, too. We keep in contact via text. Especially those first few months we had Roxie and had lots of questions/updates for her. Roxie spent 3 months or so with Barb after all. It wouldn't have been a greyhound event without seeing Julie, Roxie's dog-sitter and honrary aunt. I made some new friends there, too. Roxie of course snubbed all of them, including Julie and Barbara. They are scary...
Roxie's emotions of the day went as follows:
You're packing up chairs and food? OMG why?! Fear.
You got my leash! Hooray! I love going with you! Joy.
We get to go in the car?! Hooray! Joy.
Oh no, there's a scary person in the crosswalk we're stopped at. Fear.
Oh good, we're on the highway. Content.
Snooze.
Arrive at the picnic. What? Where are we? Curious.
Get out of the car. There are people 20 feet away. Fear.
The whole first half of the picnic terror. Why are all of these people fawning over me?? Tell them to stop petting me cuz I'm too scared to... Oh when will the horror end?! (She's a bit of a drama queen).
To the dog run. No leash?? Joy!!! Run and play! Be the center of attention. All these male dogs are really liking me. I'm so cute. I'm so tricksy. (She waits till they're all distracted then bolts off in the opposite direction so she has a head start, they of course follow.) This is weird that I'm not the fastest dog here. When we go to the beach I'm always the fastest dog. Play! Fun! Tired now...
After that our pretty girl was much more relaxed around the people at the picnic. There was a silent auction, but we didn't win anything. We did, however, get to dress Roxie up in adorable snoods and collars to see what we liked. We also bought her the most beautiful winter coat. We've been wanting one since last year. All we had before was a fleece lined windbreaker. No bueno. She just looks adorable! And it's thick and warm. Best part is, all the proceeds from buying the coat went straight back to American Greyhound.
Even better, Julie gave me the name of a woman who makes collars for Grey's. (If you didn't know, they require a special collar cuz their heads are the same size as their necks. A regular collar just comes right off.) We just ordered a purple collar for Roxie. She's gonna look so beautiful :D Rhett laughs at me for always wanting different color snoods, scarves, booties, collars, coats, and costumes for her. She's just so pretty, how can I help myself?!
Overall, the picnic was a success. My mini cupcakes went pretty fast. The hamburgers and sides were delicious. I give it an A+. The only problem was that we got rained on. Roxie wasn't a fan. She got laughed at by a guy who's dog she took shelter under. Yes, under. Just like she would do with Bob, her brother. She's so small compared to all the other Grey's! What the guy was really laughing at though, was that she sat under his dog. She just backed up and sat so his dog was standing over most of her. Silly girl... That's what we get for teaching her to sit. (Side note: Greyhounds don't natually sit. They stand or lay because of their build.)
Now for the part of the picnic that wasn't so great. Rhett and I were getting ready to go, I had my Tupperware and was standing near a pavilion, Rhett had Roxie and was walking towards me from another pavilion. It was raining and kind of cold. Suddenly we both heard this yelping and whining. From my standpoint I looked over and saw a man wrestling his greyhound, it looked like he was trying to get a collar on her. Several Grey's on leashes stared at her and started to make growling and barking noises. Then she got away and bolted towards a group of trees that lined the highway. Something spooked her. A small group of people ran towards the fence that lined through the trees when one of them ran back and said to us all, "she doesn't have a collar on!" At this point everyone ran down there, myself included, only to see that there was a large gap in the fence. Two women immediately started crying, several people started running along the highway to look for her. A few others were calling for someone to bring a hot dog. Luckily, I had a hamburger patty in my pocket (we were using it in pieces as treats for Roxie). As I pulled it out, Rhett caught up to me. I looked at him, and I could hardly speak. My eyes had watered up. I told him that she didn't have a collar on and she got out, and I had to go help look for her (at this point the only thing holding me back was my Tupperware in hand, and wanting to let Rhett know that I was going out there). He said, "I know, give me the patty." He handed me Roxie's leash, kissed my cheek, and without another word he left. I think he knew if I were to see something horrible, I'd lose it, and my own safety could be at risk so near the highway. (Funny, I'm a nurse, and I've seen horrible things on/in/done to people, and I can put on my nurse face and I help them. With dogs, there are no words. I can't see sad things happen to them without crying. My nurse face is only good around two legged people.)
After a few minutes looking around the gap in the fence, some people were coming back to get in their cars and drive along the highway to look for her. There was a small group of us left at the pavilion. Every single one of us had a silent prayer on our lips as we went about organizing other search parties and calling the state troopers. Roxie could feel the tension. She kept her butt right against my legs and her little body shook. I just waited. And prayed. I was losing hope fast, and hoping that I could hold my tears in. That's when a miracle happened.
Rhett texted me and said, "We got her." I jumped up and yelled the message to everyone. The sigh of relief was audible. Happy tears were being shed.
The state troopers were called again and told that we had found her, so they didn't need to worry. They asked if we were going to take care of the body or if they needed to come pick it up. When we told them she was alive they were shocked. The troopers told us that finding a dog loose on the highway alive almost never happens.
I got a picture message from Rhett right as he was getting back with the dog. Rhett was the second person to her, and the first to give us the update. I felt a little more validated for staying behind with Roxie during the search since I was the one able to share the news. I had been praying so hard... (Even typing this story is making my heart race). I could never even imagine something like that happening to Roxie. I would lose all function if it were her who had bolted off. I don't want to think about the wails that would come out of my body at even the thought that she might have gotten hit by a car. The whole time we waited, I kept her very close to me and gave her a few hugs.
I'm grateful to my Father in Heaven that the story had such a happy ending. The whole way home I kept saying little thank you prayers in my heart. Julie's nephew was the first to get to the dog (he was the one holding her in Rhett's picture message), Rhett was second, and everyone hailed them as hero's. I think it made them both a little uncomfortable, but I couldn't stop kissing Rhett. My hero husband, and Roxie's hero dad. I was so impressed with Rhett when he just came to me, got the hamburger, kissed me quick and left. No words were needed in that moment. My tears and his actions spoke enough for us.
The whole way home Roxie slept. It was kinda hilarious. She usually doesn't sleep well in the car, she just snoozes on and off. She was out cold, though. She was a bit wet, so I covered her with a blanket and she didn't even budge. She just snuggled in farther. She slept the rest of the day, that whole night, and most of the next day. It was a stressful event, so it took awhile to recover I guess. Haha.
As a note: this is the first time something like this has ever happened at an American greyhound event. At the same time, what better place for it to happen, when so many greyhound lovers are gathered in one spot? Every single one of us there jumped into some sort of action. It affected every single one of us. I don't know if there was a dry eye in the pavilion.
Hug your dog tight, and never let go! Miracles do happen. God hears our prayers. People are good. Greyhounds are the best.
Mary and Roxie, signing out. Time to go snuggle in bed for a good day of sleep! Zzzzzzzzzzz....
On September 12 Rhett, Roxie, and I got to experience our very first American Greyhound picnic, down in somewhere, Indiana. About an hour and a half away. They do it annually. There's costume contests, a dog run, vendors, groomers, photographers, etc. It is quite the ordeal! We had a blast. Everyone knew or knew of Roxie. She's just famous. I finally got to meet Sharon, who did our whole adoption. She interviewed us over the phone, called our references, and approved us to adopt. It was great to actually meet her face to face after so much phone time. Barbara, who was Roxie's foster mom was also there, and it was good to see her, too. We keep in contact via text. Especially those first few months we had Roxie and had lots of questions/updates for her. Roxie spent 3 months or so with Barb after all. It wouldn't have been a greyhound event without seeing Julie, Roxie's dog-sitter and honrary aunt. I made some new friends there, too. Roxie of course snubbed all of them, including Julie and Barbara. They are scary...
Roxie's emotions of the day went as follows:
You're packing up chairs and food? OMG why?! Fear.
You got my leash! Hooray! I love going with you! Joy.
We get to go in the car?! Hooray! Joy.
Oh no, there's a scary person in the crosswalk we're stopped at. Fear.
Oh good, we're on the highway. Content.
Snooze.
Arrive at the picnic. What? Where are we? Curious.
Get out of the car. There are people 20 feet away. Fear.
The whole first half of the picnic terror. Why are all of these people fawning over me?? Tell them to stop petting me cuz I'm too scared to... Oh when will the horror end?! (She's a bit of a drama queen).
To the dog run. No leash?? Joy!!! Run and play! Be the center of attention. All these male dogs are really liking me. I'm so cute. I'm so tricksy. (She waits till they're all distracted then bolts off in the opposite direction so she has a head start, they of course follow.) This is weird that I'm not the fastest dog here. When we go to the beach I'm always the fastest dog. Play! Fun! Tired now...
After that our pretty girl was much more relaxed around the people at the picnic. There was a silent auction, but we didn't win anything. We did, however, get to dress Roxie up in adorable snoods and collars to see what we liked. We also bought her the most beautiful winter coat. We've been wanting one since last year. All we had before was a fleece lined windbreaker. No bueno. She just looks adorable! And it's thick and warm. Best part is, all the proceeds from buying the coat went straight back to American Greyhound.
Even better, Julie gave me the name of a woman who makes collars for Grey's. (If you didn't know, they require a special collar cuz their heads are the same size as their necks. A regular collar just comes right off.) We just ordered a purple collar for Roxie. She's gonna look so beautiful :D Rhett laughs at me for always wanting different color snoods, scarves, booties, collars, coats, and costumes for her. She's just so pretty, how can I help myself?!
Overall, the picnic was a success. My mini cupcakes went pretty fast. The hamburgers and sides were delicious. I give it an A+. The only problem was that we got rained on. Roxie wasn't a fan. She got laughed at by a guy who's dog she took shelter under. Yes, under. Just like she would do with Bob, her brother. She's so small compared to all the other Grey's! What the guy was really laughing at though, was that she sat under his dog. She just backed up and sat so his dog was standing over most of her. Silly girl... That's what we get for teaching her to sit. (Side note: Greyhounds don't natually sit. They stand or lay because of their build.)
Now for the part of the picnic that wasn't so great. Rhett and I were getting ready to go, I had my Tupperware and was standing near a pavilion, Rhett had Roxie and was walking towards me from another pavilion. It was raining and kind of cold. Suddenly we both heard this yelping and whining. From my standpoint I looked over and saw a man wrestling his greyhound, it looked like he was trying to get a collar on her. Several Grey's on leashes stared at her and started to make growling and barking noises. Then she got away and bolted towards a group of trees that lined the highway. Something spooked her. A small group of people ran towards the fence that lined through the trees when one of them ran back and said to us all, "she doesn't have a collar on!" At this point everyone ran down there, myself included, only to see that there was a large gap in the fence. Two women immediately started crying, several people started running along the highway to look for her. A few others were calling for someone to bring a hot dog. Luckily, I had a hamburger patty in my pocket (we were using it in pieces as treats for Roxie). As I pulled it out, Rhett caught up to me. I looked at him, and I could hardly speak. My eyes had watered up. I told him that she didn't have a collar on and she got out, and I had to go help look for her (at this point the only thing holding me back was my Tupperware in hand, and wanting to let Rhett know that I was going out there). He said, "I know, give me the patty." He handed me Roxie's leash, kissed my cheek, and without another word he left. I think he knew if I were to see something horrible, I'd lose it, and my own safety could be at risk so near the highway. (Funny, I'm a nurse, and I've seen horrible things on/in/done to people, and I can put on my nurse face and I help them. With dogs, there are no words. I can't see sad things happen to them without crying. My nurse face is only good around two legged people.)
After a few minutes looking around the gap in the fence, some people were coming back to get in their cars and drive along the highway to look for her. There was a small group of us left at the pavilion. Every single one of us had a silent prayer on our lips as we went about organizing other search parties and calling the state troopers. Roxie could feel the tension. She kept her butt right against my legs and her little body shook. I just waited. And prayed. I was losing hope fast, and hoping that I could hold my tears in. That's when a miracle happened.
Rhett texted me and said, "We got her." I jumped up and yelled the message to everyone. The sigh of relief was audible. Happy tears were being shed.
The state troopers were called again and told that we had found her, so they didn't need to worry. They asked if we were going to take care of the body or if they needed to come pick it up. When we told them she was alive they were shocked. The troopers told us that finding a dog loose on the highway alive almost never happens.
I got a picture message from Rhett right as he was getting back with the dog. Rhett was the second person to her, and the first to give us the update. I felt a little more validated for staying behind with Roxie during the search since I was the one able to share the news. I had been praying so hard... (Even typing this story is making my heart race). I could never even imagine something like that happening to Roxie. I would lose all function if it were her who had bolted off. I don't want to think about the wails that would come out of my body at even the thought that she might have gotten hit by a car. The whole time we waited, I kept her very close to me and gave her a few hugs.
I'm grateful to my Father in Heaven that the story had such a happy ending. The whole way home I kept saying little thank you prayers in my heart. Julie's nephew was the first to get to the dog (he was the one holding her in Rhett's picture message), Rhett was second, and everyone hailed them as hero's. I think it made them both a little uncomfortable, but I couldn't stop kissing Rhett. My hero husband, and Roxie's hero dad. I was so impressed with Rhett when he just came to me, got the hamburger, kissed me quick and left. No words were needed in that moment. My tears and his actions spoke enough for us.
The whole way home Roxie slept. It was kinda hilarious. She usually doesn't sleep well in the car, she just snoozes on and off. She was out cold, though. She was a bit wet, so I covered her with a blanket and she didn't even budge. She just snuggled in farther. She slept the rest of the day, that whole night, and most of the next day. It was a stressful event, so it took awhile to recover I guess. Haha.
As a note: this is the first time something like this has ever happened at an American greyhound event. At the same time, what better place for it to happen, when so many greyhound lovers are gathered in one spot? Every single one of us there jumped into some sort of action. It affected every single one of us. I don't know if there was a dry eye in the pavilion.
Hug your dog tight, and never let go! Miracles do happen. God hears our prayers. People are good. Greyhounds are the best.
Mary and Roxie, signing out. Time to go snuggle in bed for a good day of sleep! Zzzzzzzzzzz....
A family picture :)
Some of the silent auction items. I was in love with all the greyhound art.
Rhett and Roxie (who is wearing pearls, cuz she's so pretty) with a few of the greyhounds attending the picnic in the background. <3
Monday, August 31, 2015
Why We Call Her "Snuggle-Butt"
This is Roxie:
We were waiting for my niece and her boyfriend to get off the plane in this picture. There were people at the airport, so she was nervous.
When Roxie gets nervous she always backs her butt into one of us. Even in the above picture, she sat with her butt towards Rhett.
I find that it just melts my heart that she backs against us when she's scared, because she knows we will have her back. She can't watch both ends at the same time, so she backs up until her butt is pushed against us, (to the point of occasionally making me lose my balance) where she can look out at one end, and know her other end is protected. She used to hide underneath her brother, Bob, when she was scared, which was all the time when she first entered American Greyhound foster care. While she's come out of her shell, and has "protected" us, she's still a scaredy-dog at heart.
We will always protect you, Roxie.
She doesn't always do this when she's nervous. She likes to be close to us, and I think her favorite body part to snuggle up against is her butt. It's got some bald spots, so maybe it gets extra cold. or maybe it's cuz she's nervous all the time (which wouldn't surprise me). Or maybe she just really likes having her butt touched. Either way, she's a snuggle-butt.
She also loves to lay her head on pillows, or use your lap as a pillow. Her most favorite is when she has a pillow and someone to snuggle her butt against. Then I think she's in doggie heaven. Our little girl really trusts us to watch her back. At home or at the airport.
Two more bonus pictures because she's so freaking adorable!!!
Mar
Monday, August 10, 2015
Treats for Me?
Roxie has been learning tricks. She's getting confident enough to ask for food, and is somewhat treat motivated. She has to be completely comfortable with her surroundings to be treat motivated, but it's a start.
It's really cute to watch her, actually. It took us forever just to get "sit" down. As it turns out, greyhounds don't naturally sit like other dogs because of they way they are built. So "sit" isn't necessarily the best command to teach them. She learned it anyway, our smart girl.
After "sit" we moved on to some commands that have been said to help shy dogs gain a little more confidence. The first is "say hello" and the other is "watch me." When we tell her to "say hello" we hold out a closed fist, and she has to bump her nose against it. When she does that, we give her a treat out of the other hand. This is so they aren't just bumping their nose against a hand that smells like a treat, but rather they are following a command. When we say, "watch me," we hold a finger to our nose, between our eyes, and she has to make eye contact with us for more than a millisecond. Haha really we try to keep her eyes on ours for about 2-3 full seconds. Then she gets a treat. Eye contact is an Alpha-dog thing, so learning she can make eye contact with us lets her know there is mutual respect. It's also a great way to bond.
Moving on we started to teach her to "shake." That one took her awhile as well, though so far has come much faster than the previous tricks. Our Roxie is a lefty, and always puts her left paw up to shake.
What I think is the cutest thing though, is how she'll ask for treats now. She never really used to. She would sniff at something, but if you didn't give it to her she'd just stand there and look sad. Now if we have food in hand she'll come over and sit in front of us. Sometimes she'll bring that left paw up just to see if that will work. My most favorite thing she does though, is when she bumps Rhett's hand if he's eating something. He often leans against the counter and will eat an apple with one hand, and leave the other hanging. We often get caught up just chatting in the kitchen, until Roxie decides she wants a bite, and will come over and start nudging Rhett's hanging hand with her nose. Once he looks down, she sits. It's so adorable we just can't refuse!
Our newest trick is "down." She's picking up on this one fast, too, but like the others it's also a hit-and-miss trick she doesn't quite have the hang of yet. We'll get there.
If you ever come over for a visit and she nudges your hand while you're eating a snack, you probably won't be able to say no to her little face. And that's okay with us. I really have seen a confidence boost in this pretty girl.
Until next time! "Sit" tight.
Mary + Roxie
It's really cute to watch her, actually. It took us forever just to get "sit" down. As it turns out, greyhounds don't naturally sit like other dogs because of they way they are built. So "sit" isn't necessarily the best command to teach them. She learned it anyway, our smart girl.
After "sit" we moved on to some commands that have been said to help shy dogs gain a little more confidence. The first is "say hello" and the other is "watch me." When we tell her to "say hello" we hold out a closed fist, and she has to bump her nose against it. When she does that, we give her a treat out of the other hand. This is so they aren't just bumping their nose against a hand that smells like a treat, but rather they are following a command. When we say, "watch me," we hold a finger to our nose, between our eyes, and she has to make eye contact with us for more than a millisecond. Haha really we try to keep her eyes on ours for about 2-3 full seconds. Then she gets a treat. Eye contact is an Alpha-dog thing, so learning she can make eye contact with us lets her know there is mutual respect. It's also a great way to bond.
Moving on we started to teach her to "shake." That one took her awhile as well, though so far has come much faster than the previous tricks. Our Roxie is a lefty, and always puts her left paw up to shake.
What I think is the cutest thing though, is how she'll ask for treats now. She never really used to. She would sniff at something, but if you didn't give it to her she'd just stand there and look sad. Now if we have food in hand she'll come over and sit in front of us. Sometimes she'll bring that left paw up just to see if that will work. My most favorite thing she does though, is when she bumps Rhett's hand if he's eating something. He often leans against the counter and will eat an apple with one hand, and leave the other hanging. We often get caught up just chatting in the kitchen, until Roxie decides she wants a bite, and will come over and start nudging Rhett's hanging hand with her nose. Once he looks down, she sits. It's so adorable we just can't refuse!
Our newest trick is "down." She's picking up on this one fast, too, but like the others it's also a hit-and-miss trick she doesn't quite have the hang of yet. We'll get there.
If you ever come over for a visit and she nudges your hand while you're eating a snack, you probably won't be able to say no to her little face. And that's okay with us. I really have seen a confidence boost in this pretty girl.
Until next time! "Sit" tight.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
A Single Bark
Hello, dog lovers!
I have some amazing news to share... After 8 months of having our sweet Roxie, I finally got to hear her bark.
Just once.
It was amazing.
Here's the story:
Rhett and I went to Wisconsin for the weekend so Rhett could go on a fishing trip with some of his buddies. I stayed with one of the friend's wives (Courtney) and their dog, Korra. Korra is a year old, and extremely high energy. We hoped Roxie might take a lesson in "playing" from her. Courtney was hoping Korra would take a lesson in relaxing from Roxie. Neither happened.
Saturday morning we took Korra and Roxie to the dog park in the Madison area. It's quite lovely. So we get the pups in the back seat of the car and start driving over. It's not a long drive. On the way, Korra was apparently doing something to annoy Roxie, and from the back seat I hear a sudden, big, deep, loud bark. I looked back in shock, my first thought being, "Wow, I didn't know Korra had such a deep voice!" Then I saw Roxie, eyes wide, staring at Korra, mouth puckered in a bark position. Then it hit me, Roxie gave one warning bark. That was all it took. For the next few minutes, Korra stayed on her side of the car. I was stunned. In 8 months we've never heard her bark once. She's so passive, that we didn't know if we'd ever actually get to hear her bark.
Sadly, there was no replicating it. She's just too chill. Rhett didn't get to hear the beautiful, big-dog sound come out of our sweet girl. To be quite honest, I'm not sure I want to ever replicate it. She scared even me for just a moment. I think she may have scared herself a bit with it, too, hahaha.
Hopefully this means she's gaining more confidence and won't put up with as much crap. Nothing else has seemed to change, though, so I'm just not sure. I was, however, really excited to share the news of her bark with Rhett, and now with you!
Til next time!
Woof!
I have some amazing news to share... After 8 months of having our sweet Roxie, I finally got to hear her bark.
Just once.
It was amazing.
Here's the story:
Rhett and I went to Wisconsin for the weekend so Rhett could go on a fishing trip with some of his buddies. I stayed with one of the friend's wives (Courtney) and their dog, Korra. Korra is a year old, and extremely high energy. We hoped Roxie might take a lesson in "playing" from her. Courtney was hoping Korra would take a lesson in relaxing from Roxie. Neither happened.
Saturday morning we took Korra and Roxie to the dog park in the Madison area. It's quite lovely. So we get the pups in the back seat of the car and start driving over. It's not a long drive. On the way, Korra was apparently doing something to annoy Roxie, and from the back seat I hear a sudden, big, deep, loud bark. I looked back in shock, my first thought being, "Wow, I didn't know Korra had such a deep voice!" Then I saw Roxie, eyes wide, staring at Korra, mouth puckered in a bark position. Then it hit me, Roxie gave one warning bark. That was all it took. For the next few minutes, Korra stayed on her side of the car. I was stunned. In 8 months we've never heard her bark once. She's so passive, that we didn't know if we'd ever actually get to hear her bark.
Sadly, there was no replicating it. She's just too chill. Rhett didn't get to hear the beautiful, big-dog sound come out of our sweet girl. To be quite honest, I'm not sure I want to ever replicate it. She scared even me for just a moment. I think she may have scared herself a bit with it, too, hahaha.
Hopefully this means she's gaining more confidence and won't put up with as much crap. Nothing else has seemed to change, though, so I'm just not sure. I was, however, really excited to share the news of her bark with Rhett, and now with you!
Til next time!
Woof!
Miss Roxie at the dog park in Madison, WI.
Roxie (the tall one) with Korra (the fluffy one) and Courtney (the human) in Madison, WI. Wish I had a better picture of Korra, just to show the relationship between the two of them. Haha.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Midnight Snacks
It's a common occurrence that we sit down somewhere together, or get busy doing something, and about 10 minutes later say, "Where's Roxie?"
Most often she's sneaked into our bedroom and hopped on the bed. She loves to lay on our pillows. Second most common is the guest bed. She likes to treat that one as her day bed. Third most common is the couch, followed by her kennel. She's just so quiet, and so dark, we lose track of her so easily. Occasionally, though, she's found lurking somewhere else.
We used to feed Rox on a schedule, but found that she did better free feeding. So we fill up her bowl twice a day, and she eats when she wants. She stops herself when she's full, so we never really have to worry. The past couple of evenings, she's left food in her bowl at "dinner" time only to come back to it around 12:30 and finish it off. I guess she likes midnight snacks before going to bed.
So the other night, Rhett was trying to get into bed, Roxie wanted to be on the bed at the same time, and we were all just trying to say goodnight. Rhett can't exactly get under the covers with Roxie on top of them, so we have to tell her, "Off the bed," and she hops down so we can lay down. This night, though, she was kind of putting up a fight. She'd hop off the bed, just to hop right back on before Rhett could even cover up. Finally after the 3rd or 4th time kicking her off (Rhett had to do it cuz I was laughing too hard at her stubbornness), she left the bedroom. Rhett snuggled in and we said our nightly prayer together. I kissed him good night and we both then wondered where Roxie had gotten off to.
We figured she had just jumped on the guest bed out of spite, and was sulking there. So I checked. No Roxie. I look over to the couch, fully expecting her to be there, but still no Roxie. Our apartment is not that big, she couldn't have gone far. So I start walking up and down the apartment and peek around the corner in the pantry. What I find is Roxie, with her head in her food bag, eating her midnight snack. I guess it's just something she can't miss now. She just looked at me as she chomped her food loudly (she's a very loud eater), leaving crumbs all over the pantry floor. Then she stuck her head back in the bag for another mouthful.
At least she knows where her food is.
Stay hungry, my friends.
Most often she's sneaked into our bedroom and hopped on the bed. She loves to lay on our pillows. Second most common is the guest bed. She likes to treat that one as her day bed. Third most common is the couch, followed by her kennel. She's just so quiet, and so dark, we lose track of her so easily. Occasionally, though, she's found lurking somewhere else.
We used to feed Rox on a schedule, but found that she did better free feeding. So we fill up her bowl twice a day, and she eats when she wants. She stops herself when she's full, so we never really have to worry. The past couple of evenings, she's left food in her bowl at "dinner" time only to come back to it around 12:30 and finish it off. I guess she likes midnight snacks before going to bed.
So the other night, Rhett was trying to get into bed, Roxie wanted to be on the bed at the same time, and we were all just trying to say goodnight. Rhett can't exactly get under the covers with Roxie on top of them, so we have to tell her, "Off the bed," and she hops down so we can lay down. This night, though, she was kind of putting up a fight. She'd hop off the bed, just to hop right back on before Rhett could even cover up. Finally after the 3rd or 4th time kicking her off (Rhett had to do it cuz I was laughing too hard at her stubbornness), she left the bedroom. Rhett snuggled in and we said our nightly prayer together. I kissed him good night and we both then wondered where Roxie had gotten off to.
We figured she had just jumped on the guest bed out of spite, and was sulking there. So I checked. No Roxie. I look over to the couch, fully expecting her to be there, but still no Roxie. Our apartment is not that big, she couldn't have gone far. So I start walking up and down the apartment and peek around the corner in the pantry. What I find is Roxie, with her head in her food bag, eating her midnight snack. I guess it's just something she can't miss now. She just looked at me as she chomped her food loudly (she's a very loud eater), leaving crumbs all over the pantry floor. Then she stuck her head back in the bag for another mouthful.
At least she knows where her food is.
Stay hungry, my friends.
The bed, with pillows.
The guest bed/day bed.
The couch (hog).
Bonus bed pic cuz she looks hilarious here.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
A Guardian Angel
There are benefits to having a vlecro dog. Sure, I may not be able to go to the bathroom alone, or walk into another room alone, or do yoga or shower alone. I have to say that I like not having to eat, sleep, or watch TV alone though. However this post goes beyond just having a velcro dog. This post talks about a dog's sense of what goes on around them. They know when something is wrong.
A time when my dad fell ill, and his blood sugar dropped, Danni laid on the bed with him the whole day. Really, she laid on his belly. She kept looking at the rest of us with worried eyes. He was alright a day or two later. The whole time he was sick, Danni stayed by his side. Dogs are the best companions when you're sick.
I've always known Danni could sense something wrong. She even went so far as to avoid me a few times when I started crying. On purpose. If I was physically ill, though, she'd stay with me all day. She does love to snuggle, and who better to snuggle than a sickly captive audience?
Fast forward a few years, and I'm in Chicago, having just adopted Roxie the Greyhound 5 months ago. She is my little velcro dog. We haven't had any major illness or incident up to this point, so I never really thought about a dog's sixth sense. Until I came into contact with a cross-contaminated cupcake. Grab your tissues, now, you're going to need them...
This particular story I shared with Roxie's foster mom, and ended up putting Roxie Hart in the American Greyhound monthly newsletter. Here's what the little write up about her said:
A time when my dad fell ill, and his blood sugar dropped, Danni laid on the bed with him the whole day. Really, she laid on his belly. She kept looking at the rest of us with worried eyes. He was alright a day or two later. The whole time he was sick, Danni stayed by his side. Dogs are the best companions when you're sick.
I've always known Danni could sense something wrong. She even went so far as to avoid me a few times when I started crying. On purpose. If I was physically ill, though, she'd stay with me all day. She does love to snuggle, and who better to snuggle than a sickly captive audience?
Fast forward a few years, and I'm in Chicago, having just adopted Roxie the Greyhound 5 months ago. She is my little velcro dog. We haven't had any major illness or incident up to this point, so I never really thought about a dog's sixth sense. Until I came into contact with a cross-contaminated cupcake. Grab your tissues, now, you're going to need them...
This particular story I shared with Roxie's foster mom, and ended up putting Roxie Hart in the American Greyhound monthly newsletter. Here's what the little write up about her said:
It's always good to hear from our adopters after our dogs go into their forever homes. Knowing that we have made a difference, not only for an unwanted greyhound, but also for the family who adopts them gives you a warm feeling and validates what we do.
Recently, we received this message from Mary Hildebrandt, who adopted a little Lurcher named Roxie, earlier this year:
Recently, we received this message from Mary Hildebrandt, who adopted a little Lurcher named Roxie, earlier this year:
I have the sweetest story to share with you that happened just last night. This pretty girl helped me out last night. I had eaten a cupcake that had been cross contaminated with peanut-something (I have a very severe allergy). After my first dose of medication wore off, I headed to the bathroom in extreme pain and by the time I got there I could hardly function. Roxie followed me, then left and woke up Rhett, and came back to the bathroom. Rhett followed her, found me, and was able to give me the next dose of medication then take me to bed. I was so grateful she was there and could sense that something was wrong. I'm just fine today, and she's been by my side everywhere I go. She's been a blessing in our lives in more ways than just this. I wanted to share so you remember what a sweet dog you saved for us :)
Now if that doesn't cause a lump in your throat, I'm not sure what will. But, let me add a little more to the story. You may remember hearing about Roxie before. We featured her and another lurcher named Bob she arrived with in our year end mailing. When she arrived she was extremely shy and reserved. About the only thing that gave her any comfort was Bob. And she clung to him like a magnet. He was her guardian angel. Gradually, she came out of her shell and now lives with Mary and her husband Rhett in Chicago. Now when Mary needed some help, Roxie has come full circle and is Mary's guardian angel!
Mary, thank you so much for sharing that wonderful story. And, Roxie, GOOD GIRL!
Now if that doesn't cause a lump in your throat, I'm not sure what will. But, let me add a little more to the story. You may remember hearing about Roxie before. We featured her and another lurcher named Bob she arrived with in our year end mailing. When she arrived she was extremely shy and reserved. About the only thing that gave her any comfort was Bob. And she clung to him like a magnet. He was her guardian angel. Gradually, she came out of her shell and now lives with Mary and her husband Rhett in Chicago. Now when Mary needed some help, Roxie has come full circle and is Mary's guardian angel!
Mary, thank you so much for sharing that wonderful story. And, Roxie, GOOD GIRL!
So there you have it. Our pretty girl, Roxie Hart found me help in my time of need. She didn't whine or bark at Rhett, but she went in the bedroom, shook herself off (flap-flap-flap of the ears, and makes her collar jingle), then left. Rhett figured while he was awake he may as well use the bathroom, then started to think about how odd it was that Roxie didn't just jump on the bed, since bed is her favorite place in the whole world. When he found me he got some benadryl in me right quick, and let me lean on him as he walked me back to bed. We let Roxie sleep in our room at the foot of our bed that night so we could all be near each other.
To read the monthly newsletter where Miss Hart is featured please click here. Roxie, the guardian angel greyhound animal. A good girl.
Affectionately,
Roxie's mom
P.S. (De-worming treatments continue, and seem to be going well. Not many relapse symptoms of worms for awhile now. Just a few more weeks of medication, and we can retest. Poor wormy-butt Roxie.)
P.S. (De-worming treatments continue, and seem to be going well. Not many relapse symptoms of worms for awhile now. Just a few more weeks of medication, and we can retest. Poor wormy-butt Roxie.)
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