Grandma Lucy's Pumpkin Treats

Grandma Lucy's Organic Oven Baked Dog Treats was our choice to review for the month of October.  I figured since it was the Halloween month, why not pick pumpkin.

  

Here's what Chewy.com says about Grandma Lucy's Pumpkin Treats:

Grandma Lucy's Organic Pumpkin Oven Baked Dog Treats, 14-oz bag

Grandma Lucy’s organic dog treats are not made in a factory but baked in a bakery by people who love their pets. Since 1999, Grandma Lucy’s has taken great pride in making wholesome, natural and delicious pet treats. Your dog will love the great taste of these Organic Oven Baked Dog Treats, but what you will love most is the fact that they are made with organic, human-quality ingredients for dogs. The treats are so tasty, your dog will beg for more. Grandma Lucy’s Organic Oven Baked Dog Treats ~ an organic treat you will feel good about giving your pet. 

Key Benefits

• Suitable for all life stages
• 100% USDA Organic, USA originated ingredients
• Oven baked
• Human-grade ingredients
• No by-products, artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors
• Certified kosher
• Made in the USA!

I was pretty excited about these treats.  Sadly, however, the pups were not.  Each night before bed, they know they get a treat and when they hear the sound of the glass lid hitting the jar, they come running.  Sadie liked the treats well enough, but Bowser got to the point he wouldn't even get off the couch when he heard the jar.  Oh well, it's just a treat, not the end of the world.  We will move on to something better next time!

Greyt Fest 2014

Our 10th annual Greyt Fest was held on October 4th.  Yes, I am running behind!  I always look forward to our event and the hopes of seeing previous fosters.  This year I got to see 10!  Even better than seeing them, is when they remember you.  I love seeing them with their families!

 

For the second year, we had a photographer on hand to take some photos.  My two weren't very cooperative, but I like to have someone else take their pictures any chance I can.  Photos are courtesy of Rae Photography. 

 My girl, Sadie.

 My goofball, Bowser.

 We were just about to quit, when I said to the photographer "I wish Bowser would do that cute thing where he lays his head on Sadie".  I guess he listened, for once!

I was pretty excited when Sadie's name was called as Queen!

Sadie with her King, JD.  JD is our group's permanent foster.  He was diagnosed with osteo in February and underwent amputation surgery.  He is participating in a study at Auburn University.  JD has completed 6 chemotherapy treatments and is doing well. 

 In the right corner of this picture is Miss Clareese.  She not only got adopted on that day, but she was the Princess!  It was so cold that day, everyone had on their warm fleece.  Another greyt day!

What We've Been Up To Lately

We are still here, we haven't left blogging.  I had a message recently asking if I had quit blogging.  I replied with a "NO", even though it's crossed my mind a few times to give it up.  My friend said she went to visit the blog and it said it had been removed.  I logged into blogger and received a message that there had been suspicious activity on my account and I needed to verify my identity.  So if you visited me and I wasn't there, I'm back now. 

We have had a busy month.  Greyt Fest was October 4th.  On Tuesday, October 7th Sadie and I left for Dewey Beach for Greyhounds Reach the Beach.  It only rained two days this year instead of seven.  I have a few pictures, but I find myself so wrapped up in visiting that I don't remember to take pictures.  This picture of Sadie I snapped one afternoon when we went to the beach.  She's not a fan.  As soon as I get my disc from the photographer, I will post my pictures from the Greyt Fest.  On a happy note, Miss Clareese got adopted the day of the Greyt Fest and is enjoying her new home.  I do miss her terribly though.

TNJ Bachelor

Foster #25 is TNJ Bachelor.  On September 6th, we drove to Nashville, Tennessee to pick up a couple of dogs off the hauler.  Batch had a family waiting, so he was coming to my house to learn stairs and kitties.  I only had him for a week, so I really didn't get too many pictures.

Bunny?  I have no idea what you are talking about! 

Doing what retired racers do best, napping.

Batch's new family renamed him Sachmo.  Here he is in his new home and they love him to pieces.

Treats, Not Tricks!

We had the privilege of doing a review this month for chewy.com.  We chose Newman's Own Organic Cheese Formula Treats.  Any pup can always use a treat or three!

Newman's Own Organics Cheese Formula Medium Size Dog Treat, 10-oz bag

Newman's Own Organics takes premium treats one step further by offering dog treats made with natural and organic ingredients that are high in protein, naturally preserved and contain no wheat or corn, no artificial colors or flavor enhancers, and are free of added hormones, antibiotics and chemical additives.  These treats are suitable for all life stages, have high palatability, made with natural and organic ingredients.  Re-sealable pouch to keep freshness, no wheat or corn and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

 Oh!  A box from chewy.com.  It must contain goodies for us, right?

 Sadie wants to sniff it before anyone else tastes them.  You know, quality control!

Bowser wants his turn at taste testing!

 They must be quite tasty, they are both looking for more!

As we all know, treat inspecting is hard work.  It's nap time now!

Foster Failure

No, I haven't failed fostering again.  At least this time.  On the eve of Clareese going to a new "potential" home, I have once again thought of these words.

I would be lying if I said I didn't want to keep Clareese.  The thought has crossed my mind so many times.  She's a quirky little girl, just like her brother in many ways.  However, I still am not sure our home is the right one for her. 

Some may remember that back in April, we thought Clareese was going to a new forever home.  However, after about a month, the family decided it wasn't the right time to adopt.  We were in the middle of wedding preparation at that time, but I told our President that as soon as we got back home, she could come back here.  Clareese arrived here as a foster for the first time on October 5, 2013.

I always describe being a foster family as helping bridge the gap from the track to home and retirement.  Teaching them about the world outside of racing and things they have never encountered before.  Most have never seen televisions, glass doors, stairs, ceiling fans, cats or a couch, just to name a few.  So for days, weeks and sometimes months (like almost 12) my family and I work to get hounds used to home life. 

Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I think we've done a pretty good job with Clareese.  She learned the stairs within 24 hours, tolerates the cats well, absolutely loves the couch and has learned that my husband isn't such a bad guy after all.  Which is a good thing because her new dad absolute adores her.   

So if I would have failed fostering with Clareese, who would I be failing?  Myself, Clareese, her potential family?  While I feel like I didn't fail this time, if she crosses through our door again, she's never leaving again. 

Abilene Pups

People always ask me what a greyhound puppy looks like and I reply, like any other puppy!

This little brindle baby was so adorable.  Folks couldn't believe I didn't stick him in my bag and bring him home.  I do love puppies, but I think I will stick to the older, more mature, dogs.

I was making squeaking noises at the pups so I could get their attention.

This little white guy was pretty cute.

I love this bunch of brindles!

This pup was so worn out from greeting all the people, he laid down right where he was for his nap. 

And last, but certainly not least, the mommas.  If it weren't for the broodies, we wouldn't have the puppies.  This momma was due to have her pups in 2 days.  She completely stole my heart.  I'm not so sure she wasn't in labor when we were there.  She would go back inside the kennel for a bit and then come back out for love.  At one point, she was circling like she was going to lay down and then she went back inside the kennel.  I am hoping to follow this girl to see how her and the pups do.

Abilene Part 2

Friday was Farm Tour day.  I knew I didn't want to miss out on this once in a lifetime experience.  First up, was the Jack-a-lure training.  These are young dogs, I believe around 13 months of age, chasing the lure.  If you are a sight hound owner, you know these dogs (well some) will chase anything that moves.  In this case, a plastic bag.

 They take the dogs off the trailer two at a time.  The lure stays hidden under the straw bales until the guy pushes the button to make it go around the wire.  As you can tell by the blurry picture of the dog, these dogs were hauling butt!  One thing that I was amazed at, it didn't take them long at all to figure out they could cut across the track and get to the lure quicker.

Here is a pair of pups with the lure out ahead of them.

 At the end of the track, there is a guy with a hide and a squawker attached to a rope.  He distracts the dogs from the lure so they can get them loaded back on the trailer.

I took this picture of the hide/squawker on top of the trailer when the dogs were all loaded.

The dogs are done and most of them were already laying down.  I took this picture for prospective on the size of the compartments.  They will head back to their runs for a nice relaxing dip in the pool.

These are my observations.  The information I am passing along to you is my interpretation, so there could be mix ups in the "technical" terms.  Next stop, the road to puppyville...

Abilene, Part 1

We are back home again in Indiana after a wonderful time at the Heart of America Greyhound Gathering!  We had so much fun and met so many wonderful hounds and their personal assistants.

For my first greyhound stalking, I mean sighting, I got to meet Joey and Scout and their assistants.  This story is so funny.  I had been corresponding with Joey and Scout's mom and we were both looking forward to meeting in person.  My husband and I decided to make a pit stop just before we got to our destination.  We see a rest area ahead and take the exit ramp.  Right in front of us was a big RV pulling a scooter and a Jeep.  I saw the greyhound decal on the scooter and was pretty sure it was Joey and Scout's tour bus.  We pulled in, but I waited until I saw the greyhounds come out of the RV before I made my move.  Nothing like being the crazy greyhound lady in a rest stop!  After following their adventures, I finally got to meet Scout, Joey and their humans.  We chatted for a bit and then headed for our final destination.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Joey, but here is Miss Scout chilling at the event.

My husband and I were workers for the event.  We helped set up, sell raffle tickets, work the bag raffles, auctions, etc.  It was exhausting, but fun.  It was nice to be able to meet the people behind their Facebook names too.  There were over 250 people in attendance with 175 hounds, so I know there were more people I didn't get a chance to meet.

On another note, I will now be watermarking my photos.  Before we left, some guy behind the blog "Ironicus Maximus", used a picture of my angel Tom without my permission.  Of course, there is no contact info on his page, so I was reduced to leaving him a few nasty comments.  Finally, he took it down.  If anyone knows who is behind this blog, please drop me a note at macmadday@aol.com.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Abilene Bound!

Early Wednesday, my husband and I are heading to Abilene, Kansas for the Heart of America Greyhound Gathering.  Looking forward to a fun-filled event.  This 3-day event is benefitting Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption.  There will be speakers, farm tours, contests and shopping!  I am also looking forward to meeting a few of my blogging friends as well as lots of Facebook friends.  If you are there, look for me!  Our personal hounds are staying at home since we have some volunteer responsibilities while there, so I will need some hounds to love on!

Horton

This brindle beauty is UCME Hear's a Who, also known as Horton.  He's here at Lazy Day's Greys to learn stairs and see how he does with cats.  He's recently retired and still learning about this big world.  It's been a while since we had such a newbie.  He keeps looking at his reflection in the fireplace doors.  He also caught a glimpse of the ceiling fan this morning.  Super cute boy.  I must admit I have missed having a brindle butt in the house. 

On another note, Miss Clareese came back the day after the wedding.  It seems she wasn't very fond of men in her potential home.  The mom was the only female, leaving 3 males in the house and it just wasn't the right fit for her.  We are hoping something comes along soon for the super sweet girl. 

Been A Bit Busy Lately...

Planning a wedding!  My youngest daughter, Megan, got married on May 17th.

I am still recuperating and hope to be back to the dog-blog soon!

Road Trip

Leaving in the morning for the gulf coast!  First stop Mobile, Alabama to visit a sighthound loving friend and tour the area.  Tuesday we will head for Gulf Breeze, Florida to attend GPA-Emerald Coast's event, Hound Dog Howliday.  See you on the flip side!

Greyhound First Aid Kit

We will be traveling to Alabama and Florida soon and the first aid kit will be riding shot gun!  At home, the first aid kit is kept in our pantry, so everyone knows right where to grab it if needed.  Here's a look inside our Greyhound First Aid Kit...

 Various sizes and colors of vet wrap.

 Gauze dressing pads and roll of gauze dressing.

 Instant cold compress/ice pack, bulb syringe and baby wash cloth.

 Famotodine (Pepcid), Bismuth tablets (Pepto Bismol) and Dramamine.

 Sterile saline solution, hydrogren peroxide and Neosporin.

 Emergency foil thermal blanket, baby socks and nylon forceps.

 Rubber gloves, cotton balls, q-tips and bandage scissors.

 Small leash, styptic powder and emergency contact information card.

This baggie contains Benadryl, wooden applicators, tongue depressors, sanitizing hand wipes, betadine swab sticks, super glue, butterfly closure strips, alcohol prep pads, hydrocortisone cream, burn gel, rubber gloves and 1 ml oral dose syringe.

 

This first aid kit was purchased from a fundraiser for Greyhound Adoptions of Florida.  While I am not sure if they are still selling these, here is a list of what the kit contains:

 

GENERAL ITEMS

Instant ice pack

Baby wash cloth

Emergency foil thermal blanket (waterproof & windproof) used to prevent/counter hypothermia

1 ml oral dose syringe to administer liquid medication

Benadryl 25 mg tablets, for allergies and insect bites

Famotodine 20 mg acid reducer

Bismuth tablets (aka Pepto Bismol) for diarrhea, upset stomach and vomiting

Dramamine

Wooden applicators, for applying ointment or as a temporary splint for “happy tail”

Tongue depressors, variable uses, including splinting

Nylon forceps to remove splinters, thorns, etc.

Bandage scissors to cut bandage material and trim hair around wound

Leash, use to restrain injured pet or as a temporary muzzle

2” bulb syringe aspirator to administer oral medication or to flush wound

Exam gloves, ensure cleanliness while administering treatment

Sanitizing hand wipes

Emergency contact information card

STERILE BANDAGES AND DRESSINGS

2” X 2” Gauze dressing pads to cover and keep injured areas clean

3” X 3” Gauze dressing pads

4” X 4” Gauze dressing pads

3” X 4” Telfa non-stick dressing

1” x 10 yards paper surgical tape to keep bandages and splints in place

Butterfly closure strips to keep small wounds closed

Bag of cotton balls and q-tips to apply ointment to wound

4” X 5 yards vet wrap to cover bandages

Pair of baby socks to keep foot/pad wounds clean

WOUND CLEANING SOLUTIONS

20 ml Sterile saline solution for washing eyes or cleaning wounds

4 oz Hydrogen peroxide, 1 tsp orally to induce vomiting if instructed by poison control or vet

Betadine swab stick to clean and disinfect minor cuts and scrapes

Alcohol prep pads to clean and disinfect minor cuts and abrasions

TOPICAL MEDICATIONS

Triple antibiotic ointment to prevent wound infection

Lubricating jelly to place on wounds before clipping hair and for lubricating thermometer

1% Hydro-cortisone cream for itching associated with skin irritation and insect bites

Burn gel for pain relief of minor burns

Super glue to close skin of cleaned minor cuts/wounds

Qwik-stop styptic powder to aid in stopping bleeding due to nail trimming

Clareese Update

Last Sunday, Clareese went to her potential forever home.  To say that I will miss this little girly, is an understatement.  She is definitely taking a big piece of my heart along with her.

Clareese is being foster with intent to adopt.  This family was actually wanting a black dog, which is very unusual, but I love that part.  However, hearing the last couple of updates, she is being very cautious with the men of the house.   She had been here 6 months and was still a little cautious with my husband, but she learned to like him because he was the early morning feeding person.  She adores the mom of the house though and I hope with time and patience, she will learn to like the boys too.  I do miss her bunches.  Bowser has now become my shadow.

Wordless Wednesday 4.16.14