A Greyhound In Canada, Eh?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lunch at Niagra Falls

Mmmm, this grass sure is tasty!

What's that smell? Is it Canada??

Still eating lunch.

She was enjoying herself.

We did a little modeling, too.

Looking at the Falls.

Helping dad take pictures.

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

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

Going home.

The beach by our Airbnb apartment on Lake Ontario. 

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....

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

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