Happy Howlidays!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, whatever you may celebrate!

From all the hounds here at Lazy Days Greys!

 Tom.  The senior of the bunch.

 Felicia.  Our holiday boarder. 

 Sadie.  She was just yawning, really.

Foster dog, Dave.  Still hoping for his forever home soon.

Stay Tuned Folks

My computer bit the dust.  I am trying to figure this new one out.  Windows 8.  'Nuff said?

Meet Dave

Sysco Dave that is.  Dave was recently returned to our group through no fault of his own.  His owner became ill and had to return her two boys.  I fostered Dave the first go round, and until Buddy, he held the record for my longest foster.  Nine months.  To say it broke my heart that he was returned would be an understatement.  I cried and cried.  Although, I'm sure I didn't cry as much as his momma.  She loved those boys dearly.  I still don't know what her illness is.  But I know it must be bad for her to give up her dogs.  She worshipped them.  Dave came to us on September 16th and has adjusted pretty well.  He has had his dental and is all set to find his forever home.  I hope he doesn't break any records this time around!

Greyhounds Reach The Beach

Finally!  It's time to share my trip to Dewey.  This was my first trip to Greyhounds Reach the Beach in Dewey, Delaware.  This has been on my bucket list for a while now.  Nothing better than a vacation planned around greyhounds and their people.

I decided since it was my first year to attend, that I would fly.  What with the price of gas and going alone, it would be just as reasonable to fly.  Not to mention, my fear of falling asleep while driving by myself.  So I left out of Evansville on Wednesday October 3rd early in the morning (6:30 a.m.) and arrived in Philly around noon.  Picked up my rental car and I was on my way.  It was only about a 2 hour drive from Philly to Delaware. 

A very generous greyhound friend, Nancy Hanrahan, offered me a place to crash.  You know, I'm a low maintenance kind of gal and really only need a dog bed to sleep on!  Many people told me I was crazy to go that far away and stay with people I didn't even know.  What were they thinking?  Obviously these people don't know greyhound people!!!  Nancy, her daughter Amber and their friend Sue, were awesome!  Nancy and Sue have these adorable cottages that they stay in every year and they are just right across the lane from each other.  Originally I was supposed to bunk with Nancy and company.  Then there was this little whippet named Ace who needed a foster mom for a couple of days.  Since I didn't have one of my own dogs with me, I offered to help out.  Sue and her girls were alone in their cottage, so Ace and I bunked with her.

You see Ace rode from Indiana to meet up with his new family as he had recently been returned, through no fault of his own.  That's okay, because his new family loves him like no other and he will have a wonderful life.  Let me tell you, this little guy was adorable and I could have taken him back home with me.  What a snuggle bug.  From what I hear, he is a bit on the bigger side for a whippet, and very strong on the leash.  Anyway, I enjoyed taking care of him for a little while. 

This post will probably be a little jumpy, kind of like I was on this trip.  Everything was awesome and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.  Everywhere you looked, restaurants and hotels had their signs welcoming us greyhound peeps!

 

Another highlight of my trip was going to be meeting Junebug (a little greyhound/plotthound mix) that Nancy and her daughter adopted last year.  You see, I am Junebug's number one fan!  I followed her story when she was first rescued by At Risk Intervention.  If my memory serves me correctly, she had been shot in the face and also had a broken neck.  She is partially blind and deaf on her left side.  With lots of love and patience, this little girl has made amazing strides over the past year.  She will only know love for the rest of her life!  We celebrated her first gotcha day while we were there too.  I love this little Bug!

The next real treat...I got to meet Giles' Express.  For those of you who don't know his story, go HERE.  To think he suffered this abuse at the hands of his owners just makes me sick.  Giles is a real Superman! 

 He won "Most Hunkiest" at the costume contest.  

 It was a little chilly on Sunday morning before I left and Giles had on his nice warm fleece.  Here he is helping his skin-sister Amber while she is vending.  Just laying on his bed and just loving life! 

This picture was from the Pet Blessing that Gil Caldwell did at the park in Rehoboth.  If you look closely, you can see a lipstick print.  He got kissed a lot!

I won't bore you with ALL the pictures I took of Giles, but let me tell you, this is one amazing dog.  I was honored to be in his presence.  He enjoyed everything!  He truly loves life!

 

 We put this adorable hat on him since it was cold.  There was a big auction to help At Risk Intervention with expenses and a very nice lady made this for him.  He's such a good sport.

Isis and Amber (the greyhound) at the beach.  These were Sue's girls and I had a blast spending time with them in their cottage.  Such good girls.

I can't forget Adam, another member of the Hanrahan pack.  What a sweetheart.  He reminds me of my Brett.

 

Oh yeah!  I almost forgot the Beach!!!  It was very pretty on the beach at Rehoboth and Dewey.  It was an awesome time and I can't wait to go back next year!

 

Dreamin' of Dewey

All I find myself doing these days is counting down until I leave for Dewey.  I have been wanting to go for so long.  My sister took this picture of Sadie and Boris this spring in Florida at Hound Dog Howlidays.  I will be travelling without my hounds, but I'm sure there will be plenty of dogs needing some extra love.

Hannah Goes Home

On the past Saturday, September 8th, Hannah started her trip north to her forever home.  My friend Kim and I made our way to the GPA Indianapolis picnic where we were meeting up with the folks from the Greyhound Alliance to make the handoff. 

I didn't have too many good pictures of Hannah, so when they wanted to take a picture of us, I jumped at the opportunity.  I immediately felt better when they had a gorgeous orange collar, complete with identification tags, ready to put on my girl.  Time to say good bye came way too soon.  I haven't cried over too many of my fosters, but I bawled like a baby over Hannah.  In public too.  She is a very special girl.

 

Hannah meeting her new momma.  This lady adopts seniors and special needs dogs.  Of course, Hannah thinks she is neither one of those.  She is a spunky ole gal, doesn't know she is 10 years old.

 

It was a bittersweet moment for me, that for sure.  Yesterday, I finally brought myself to wash her bed (folded up comforter) that she always laid on.  I still find myself looking for her when I do the head count.  I know she is in good hands, but dang, I miss that dog. 

I had the pleasure of going to Florida last weekend to pick up 5 dogs to bring back for our group.  Two of the five were already spoken for.  It seems like we are on a roll right now on adoption applications.  Sneakers is the brindle girl. Josh is the black boy with a beautiful shiny coat.  These two are being fostered together and still are very close.

   

 This little cutie is Ripley.  She came home with me to foster for a family.  Funny, funny girl.  She would just sit right between the seats of the van and look out just like a person would.

 These brindle beauties are Delay on the left and Sneakers on the right.  Love those brindles.

This is Ripley at my house.  She is an absolute doll.  After about the second day, I said it was a good thing she was promised to a family already.  She is super smart, beautiful markings and a bubbly personality.  She had a broken leg and is recovered now.  She went home to her forever family on Friday.  They absolutely adore her and plan on spoiling her rotten.

It's Hound Time

Tomorrow I am leaving with the President of our group to go pick up at least 5 dogs.  Driving to Pensacola, Florida on Friday.  Do a little visiting with friends that we've made there and pick up the hounds.  Leave to come back home on Sunday.  I will be bringing a new foster back to my house as we have 5 families approved at this time.  Of course, none of the dogs we have will work for any of these families.

Is this time of year usually busy for adoption groups?  Reason I ask is because for just about as long as I can remember, we are doing a hound haul around this time.  More than once I was away on Dixie's birthday.  I knew she would forgive me because we were getting more hounds to their couches! 

Tuesday was a bittersweet day for me.  Dixie would have been 12 years old.  She and one of her littermates have both been taken by the damn Osteo.  I sure hope to see a cure in my lifetime.  This picture was taken of Dixie on her first Christmas with us.   I miss her everyday.

Hannah, my sweet foster.  It is definite, she is getting a forever home.  Not with me.  She is going north.  I was so close to just saying leave her with us, but someone evidently needs her more.  Out of the 23 fosters that I have had, I can say this one will be the hardest to let go.  Every since I heard the news, I have cried at least once a day.  I know it's best for her.  Some are just harder to let go than others.  This family specifically wants a senior, which makes my heart happy.  I know she will be loved.  She will make her move on September 8th, unless a GUR is set up sooner. 

Just For Fun

Tom has a curly tail!

 Grandson Geoffrey and Tom taking a nap together.

 Napping again!

 Geoffrey being a copy cat.

 Foster dog Hannah got a new collar from a secret admirer.

 Sadie loves her baby!

 It's a shame that the kid doesn't have any toys of his own to play with!

 Obviously the momma rabbit wasn't very smart to build her nest in the yard where greyhounds live!

Sadie made it through her dental with flying colors!  No extractions!  Happy Day!!!

August, already?

I feel pretty bad that it took an e-mail from a reader to put me in back "blogging mode".  I have been so busy.  I think about the blog and still read others, but just haven't had the notion to post myself.  I can't believe the summer is almost over.  But, boy, it has been a scorcher here in Southern Indiana.

First, I should have posted about the results of Sadie's x-rays.  All clear.  I was so relieved that the radiologist said there was no abnormalities and everything was fine.  We celebrated by purchasing collars.  Not just one, but two.  This pretty pink collar in the picture and this year's Hope For Hounds collar.

Sadie and Tom went last week for their spa day.  Sadie also had bloodwork done for her upcoming dental. She will get this done next Friday.  I don't have to tell you how nervous I am about this one.  I worry every time one of my dogs goes under anesthesia, but with Sadie's heart condition, I am especiall nervous.

Hannah is still hanging around.  She is the sweetest girl and is no problem at all.  I just hope she gets a home soon.  Rumour has it that someone is interested in her, so I guess time will tell.  She also had one of her weight bearing toes amputated a couple of months ago.  You wouldn't know it though, she still runs like a young pup.

Well, that's it for now.  I have a few other things to share.  Hopefully , I can post again before the weekend is up. 

When you say your prayers, say an extra one for those who have lost a hound this year.  This summer in particular has been a bad one for our little group.  Four dogs in the past month have gone to the bridge.  It is always sad when that happens, even more so when you know them personally.



Sunday was a special day here.  My foster, Hannah, turned 10 years old.  She is a super sweet girl and even though she doesn't have her own family yet, I wanted to do something special for her.  When I put the community birthday hat on her, she freaked out.  I finally was able to lay it gently on her head and snap this picture.

My daughter and I were in Indianapolis for a family baby shower and we decided to find a dog bakery.  She got on her i-phone and found a place on the southside.  We get there and they are closed.  That city has grown by leaps and bounds since we moved away 25 years ago, so I thought maybe they would have a Three Dog Bakery by now. They do!  Off we went on an adventure.  So many choices, but I decided on the cupcakes.  I bought 4 because Miss Felicia was staying with us too.  But her momma had already picked her up before we got home.  I would love to open a store like this someday!

Hannah, the birthday girl looks like she is saying "give me my treat!"

Tom very gently took his cupcake from me.  Such a sweet boy.

Sadie couldn't be bothered by getting up from her bed to get her treat.  Sheesh, what a life!

Rollercoaster Ride

This past month or so has been a rollercoaster ride for sure.  I put a lot of energy preparing for Tom's dental and then helping him recover.  Then last Wednesday, Tom was having problems with his rear end parts.  He was laying there and kept flicking his right rear leg.  Then it progressed to him chewing on the leg.  Then when he tried to stand up, he was staggering, his legs were shaking and then started giving out on him.  Off to the vet I go.  By the time we got there, he was already improving.  The vet really couldn't get a response from him during her exam.  Of course, being so close to when he had his dental, we really didn't want to sedate him again.  So we opted for medication.  Tom started taking 100 mg. of gabapentin 3 times a day.  The next day he was still very shaky, but a bit improved.  We added half of a tablet of rimadyl 2 times a day for a few days. With his kidney issues, we decided to quit that since he improved.  He has held steady, so let's hope this works for him.

Next up Sadie.  Sadie is a crazy fool.  She runs everywhere.  After a run in the yard a couple of weeks ago, it appeared that she had an intermittent limp.  I was watching constantly.  Is she limping, isn't she limping.  We all know what the greyhound limp can mean.  I was sick.  Couldn't sleep.  Finally, I decided to go to the vet.  Of course, with a wing named after me, they love me there.  They examined Sadie.  Just one little spot that they could get a little reaction out of.  Of course, they know me, and knew I would want an x-ray.  Being the smart woman that I am, of course, I withheld food before we went.  I knew that getting an x-ray would be the only way I would ever sleep again.  I picked up Miss Sadie and went to Sonic.  I was a little concerned that she didn't want her burger.  She was a little stiff and sore from the vet visit.  When the vet called me she said x-ray looked clear, but we need to have it read by the radiologist to be sure.  Of course, we do.  They just called and said there were no changes or suspicious areas on the x-ray.  So I think we are in the clear. Perhaps it is a soft tissue injury or an old racing injury.  Sadie was a pretty good little racer.  So for now, all is good in my world.

P.S. 3:30 This afternoon, I noticed Tom licking his foot.  Look and his toes are all stuck together.  Get it cleaned up and it is red and raw and oozing.  Now, he just had his nails done yesterday morning.  How the hell does this happen?  Since I am leaving town in the morning, I decided I better take him in.  Good thing I did, because it was already showing signs of infection.  Back on anti-biotics, flush twice dailly and follow up with medicated ointment.  Is this week over yet?

Where did the month go?

I just noticed it's been almost a month since my last post.  Where does time go?  I had an additional foster for a couple of weeks.  Her name was Beach, but her family decided to call her Ivy.  They actually adopted two girls.  The other is now named Willow.  Ivy just turned 2 while she was here and Willow is 3.  I must say this was a challenge.  Beach/Ivy was fresh from the track.  A first for me.  She was becoming quite the cuddle bug.  But I forgot how much energy a 2 year old has. 

Don't let that innocent face fool you. She is an excellent stuffy destroyer.

Willow and Ivy in their new home.

Tom has recovered from his dental.  Now he is having some issues with his back end.  That's another post though.  Please send prayers or positive thoughts our way for my boy.

Tom Update

Tom made it through surgery just fine.  Well, minus 12 teeth.  I was actually expecting him to lose more, but am thankful he didn't.  My vet did the e-mail consult with OSU and received great info on anesthesia and pain meds.  Tom also received a couple of xanax before we left as well as entered the vet's office by a different door.  We tried so many things to cut down on his anxiety level and I think the combo worked.  His temp was the highest right after we arrived and never got any higher.  He was under anesthesia for 3 1/2 hours.  Poor guy.

They wanted me to come get him around 3:00 p.m.  This is earlier than they usually release dogs from dentals, but again, didn't want him staying there stressing again.  So they carry him out to the car.  I am on the way home in a panic thinking who is going to help me get him in the house.  They told me he could walk, but was still shaky and weak.  After trying everyone I knew, I had to ask my husband to come home from work.  So he is passed out in the back of the van and as soon as he hears the tires hit the gravel of the driveway, he is up and ready to get out!  I couldn't believe it.  He walked around the yard, did a big pee and came up the 3 steps to the house.  Once inside, he put on the brakes.  Not sure why.  I finally coaxed him to his dog bed and he crashed there for over 4 hours. 

My biggest problem was getting the first dose of pain meds on board.  I mean, how do you pill a dog who can't eat any foods yet and just lost 12 teeth?  Well the first attempt was a mess.  However, I put a plea out on facebook and got a bunch of good ideas.  Here is what I came up with.  Take a slice of Oscar Mayer thin sliced ham, smear a bit of peanut butter to hold the pill on.  Then wrap the ham around the pill.  He took it!  Although he figures things out pretty quicky, I hope he doesn't catch on to this because we have a bunch of pills to take. 

This morning I made him a canned dog food smoothie with his regular meds in it.  Yuck.  This picture is Tom's first roach since he's been home.  All in all, I think things are going well.  He is very swollen in his face, still a pink tinge to the water after he drinks and sometimes a little pink from his nose.  But I think we are making improvements.  The vet said the degree of disease in his mouth was pretty substantial.  I hate that.  I have beat myself up since she told me this.  I am so glad we were able to figure out a good anesthesia and drug protocol for him so we can get these teeth under control.  I hope he feels better soon.  Plus, I need some sleep!

Heck, I'm going to skip a title for this post.  I typed in about 10 things and can't come up with one.  I went back to try to find the post about Tom's surgery last May.  Of course, Blogger can't leave anything alone, and I can't find it.

Anyway, last May we attempted a dental for Tom.  He had some complications and his temp spiked to 106.  They got the bad teeth out, but really couldn't finish the dental or remove the growths that needed taking off.  His teeth have gotten horrible in the mean time.  He now has a root exposed where the gum has receeded so badly.

We had pre-op bloodwork and the kidneys are looking pretty good.  Some of you may not know that Tom also had kidney disease.  So I am asking for everyone I know to be praying or thinking of Tom on Tuesday morning. 

We are inclined to think his temp spike the last time was related to stress.  He doesn't do well on car rides or trips to the vet.  He is always excited to go, but just is a nervous wreck.  When they took him in the back to draw blood and do his nails, the vet decided to try something.  She took his temp before they started and it was 103.  By the time they had drawn the blood and done his nails, it was already 104.  So, we are giving him a sedative at home and they will be ready and waiting for him when we get there. 

I am a nervous wreck. So please, send us some positive thoughts, prayers, whatever you got!

A Touching Moment

My sister and I had the most fabulous time on our little adventure. GPA-EC put on a wonderful event this year. The theme was Mardi Greys. Everywhere you looked around the hotel there was something to do with Mardi Gras. I let my sister do all the picture taking, so I am kind of slow to get things posted.

I thought I would share with you what I thought was the most touching part of the weekend. On Sunday morning, there was a blessing of the hounds. After that, they had a memorial bell ceremony. Upon registration, you could purchase a coin and they list the dog's name that you wanted to honor. Very touching for sure. Then when all the names were read, the rang the bell 32 times. Once for each dog that perished in the kennel at Ebro. Let me tell you, there wasn't a dry eye on the beach.

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Florida or Bust!

If you miss me over the next few days, I heading south! Haven't been to this event in 3 years and absolutely cannot wait to get out of dodge!


Click HERE if you want to see what you are missing out on! I am most excited about hearing Dr. Couto speak. Well, and the beach of course! I'm sure I will have something to say when I get home.

Saturday Visit

Today was a good day. I got to go visit with my Buddy Boy, now known as Peyton. Buddy got adopted last October and now lives in Louisville. My friend, who happens to be friends with Buddy's new momma, was heading that way to meet with a pet communicator. So I hitched a ride!

I wasn't sure what to expect. I mean, I hadn't seen my Buddy Boy since October. I had my plan. Walk in, don't speak and see if he notices me. Well, he did!!! He missed me!!! Buddy just about knocked me over he was so excited. We got to bond. He laid beside me on the floor and I got to smother him with love and attention. He was so cute though. He kept going over to his new momma like he was saying "I didn't forget you, you are still my momma". Man I miss that dog.

It is a rare opportunity that you get to see a previous foster in their new home. I was very lucky. Lucky to be a part of his life. Lucky to see that he did remember me. Lucky to see how much he is loved in his new home. Today was probably one of the most rewarding days in my "foster mom" history.