Things To Be Thankful For

I found this plaque in the spare bedroom closet. It's been some time since I saw it. Here is what it says:

Things to be Thankful For

Faith in the ultimate goodness of life.
Faith in yourself.
Faith that what you seek, you will find.
The kindness of strangers.
Thewarmth and security of home.
Expressions of unconditional love and support.
Your health.
The health of those you love.
Your boundless imagination.
Restored hope.
Answered prayers.
Daydreams.
Following your intuition and being happy you did.
Trying something new and loving it.
The desire for knowledge.
Watching the sunset.
Meeting a kindred spirit.

Now, isn't that nice? Maybe it should go back on my desk to provide me with daily inspiration (I could use that these days) !

Spoiled Rotten?

It's been some time since I baked the girls some homemade cookies. I recently purchased a paw print "cookie stamp" which gave me the incentive to whip up a batch of cookies last night.

I chose the recipe, Peanut Butter Carob Cookies, from my most favorite doggie recipe book, Doggie Desserts. Here is the recipe:

6 T. all natural applesauce, no sugar added
1/4 C. honey
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/2 C. all natural peanut butter, no salt or sugar added
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. unbleached white flour
1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. carob powder
2 eggs
1 T. ground cinnamon
2 t. baking soda

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. With your hands, make 1-inch balls wth the dough. Place balls 1 inch apart on baking sheet. With a fork, flatten ball leaving indent marks from the fork. (I used my paw print cookie stamp instead.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. When done, cookies should be firm to the touch. Turn oven off and let cookies sit 1 to 2 hours to harden.

Spoiled Greyhounds? I dare to admit to that, but I do know I have four very happy Greyhounds who know they're loved!

A Man and His Dog

Kim LeVear and I drove over to Talladaga Friday evening to conduct a home visit for a potential adopter. On the way over, we encountered a most unusual sight. See for yourself . . .



We laughed and laughed. Thank God my Lucy wasn't with us or she'd be wanting a Harley herself so we could drive around like that. Can you imagine a Greyhound on the back of one of those?

Christmas in July

Or so it feels like it and no, the temps aren't in the 30's (actually they're in the 80's - pretty mild for July in Georgia).

What is it I speak of? It's a gift I purchased for myself, a pre-Christmas gift if you will - my first 3GS 16 GB iPhone! I think I spent about 3 hours last night bonding with my iPhone. I'm almost a professional user at this point. Just kidding as I have so much to learn on this new device. It's totally different than my Treo.

And there are so many little apps for it which is way cool. If anyone knows of any that just knock your socks off, please let me know.

New toys are always such fun, aren't they?

Quiet a Scare

Saturday evening, my foster Misty's new Dad came to pick her up. They had been vacationing in Puerto Rico for a week or so and had just flown into Atlanta that night. Their little girl had been anticipating the arrival of Misty for two weeks or more.

Well, not 15 minutes after leaving my house, Misty's Dad called me to say something was wrong. My first thought was that he had been in a car wreck and something had happened to Misty. Unfortunately something just as bad had happened - Misty escaped while he was getting her out of the SUV. My mouth went dry and my heart starting pounding. I told him I would be right there.

I immediately ran into the bathroom, stuck my contacts in my eyes, threw on my shorts and a t-shirt and stuck on my tennis shoes. I crated my girls and gave them a cookie and said "bye for now". And then I was off!

Luckily, Misty's new family lived within 5 miles of me so I was there in no time. On the way, I called Kim who subsequently called Scott. Everyone converged in the neighborhood of the new adopter within a half hour or so. It was amazing, to say the least, and always makes me proud to be a part of such a wonderful group. As I said on our email list, we would move "heaven and earth" to help find one of our lost hounds.

We had spent a good bit of time in a cul-de-sac that butted up against this neighborhood. We heard quite a few barking dogs and I told Robert (Misty's Dad) that they must be barking at something and maybe it was Misty. I used the squawker and sure enough, Misty came out of the woods. I called her name and she immediately turned and ran back into the woods. Robert and I proceeded into the brush, hoping she would stay put and we could catch her. She did have her leash and collar on as well as her Second Chance Greyhound tag. I was hoping the leash would get snagged on something which would immobilize her, giving us a chance to grab her. She is a skittish thing so I knew she wouldn't just walk up to us.

About the time that Kim arrived, Robert and I had headed to the neighborhood behind his, which was called Heritage. Funny enough, this neighborhood is located off Austin Bridge which is the same road my neighborhood is on! Anyhoo, we walked that neighborhood for what seemed like hours, trying to find the back of it, the portion that would have backed up against his neighborhood. We thought we had found it because we heard the barking dogs. Yes, they were still barking. Along the way, we passed out business cards to folks we found out and about. It was late, maybe 11:00 p.m. by then but we did run into a few folks. Everyone was very nice, wishing us luck in finding Misty.

In the meantime, Kim was patrolling the cul-de-sac in Robert's neighborhood in case Misty decided to run back out of the woods. One of Robert's neighbors was there as well. I believe they were walking about when one of the homeowners in the cul-de-sac approached them with a pistol, asking what they were doing, etc. Obviously, this scared Kim half to death. When they explained they were looking for a lost dog, the man backed off and actually wished them luck as well.

About this time, Scott and his girlfriend, Tricia, arrived on the scene. Robert and I were walking back to my vehicle when Kim called to say they were going to branch out and search some more, from their vehicles. Scott and Tricia actually ended up driving to Heritage where Robert and I were, however, by that time, we had headed back to Robert's neighborhood. We hadn't even made it back to his house when Kim called to say that Scott had spotted Misty. She was in Heritage and he had her cornered. She was running around and around one house. Robert and I turned around, heading that direction. About then, Kim called again to say that Scott had Misty. WOW, I think that's the first time I had breathed since Robert's initial call some 3 1/2 hours earlier. It seems that Misty's leash got caught on something with afforded Scott the opportunity to grab her. Funny, she was right where Robert and I were not 15 minutes before.

Luckily for us, she was in fine shape. A few briers but that was all. As you know, Greyhounds are sprinters with no true endurance so she was obviously exhausted from the ordeal but seemed in good spirits otherwise. When we all arrived back at Robert's house, we all hugged on Misty while Mariam (Robert's wife) got Misty a bowl of water and then some liquid nourishment for us as well. We stood around marveling at Misty's calm demeanor while we were all attempting to come down from the adrenaline high. She just looked at us as if to say, "what's the big deal - I just went on a midnight stroll"!

What a harrowing experience for sure. There is nothing worse than loosing a Greyhound, especially in a brand new neighborhood. Robert's neighbors were so nice and helpful and without Kim, Scott, and Tricia coming to the rescue, I'm sure we would still be looking for Misty. It does take a team, and that we were. As someone said, "we rock"! I have to agree.

Here is a map of the area. The "A" pointer is Misty's new home. The red circle indicates the last sighting where she came out of the woods and the yellow circle is in the vicinity of where Scott found her.

On a side note, whilst rummaging through the forest with Robert searching for Misty, I couldn't help thinking to myself, "you're going to get poison ivy". I am so allergic to it, it's not even funny. Sure enough, this morning I woke up with a few welts on my hand and my neck. I'm waiting on "the others" to appear as I'm sure there will be more! I think an Epsom Salt bath is in my future.

The First Run

Yesterday I took my new girl, Sami, up to Calhoun where GANG was in the middle of a three-day lure coursing trial. I had been anticipating this day for about a month - ever since I adopted Sami. My goal was to see how Sami liked lure coursing. I had intended just to let her watch a few runs and then, hopefully, let her do a practice run. Unfortunately, we arrived too late as the coursing of the day was complete. So, there was no one to watch!! We decided to go ahead and go for the gusto and let her run a practice run. After the hour drive, we had to make the best use of our time, you know?

So, we taped up pads and gathered slip leads and headed to the line. The lure operator started the lure and Sami just stood there. I ran a bit with her trying to get her to run - and NOTHING. As my friend Kim said, the look on my face said it all. I was so afraid this would happen and was so disappointed. I really enjoy lure coursing and wanted a coursing dog. I thought Sami would be perfect when I chose her.

At the suggestion of the lure operator, we decided to let Haylee take a practice run. Kim had her taped and she was ready to go. Once she started running (and Haylee loves to run and she's good at taking the turns, too), the light bulb went off in Sami's little head. She was overexcited and definitely wanted to take another turn at it. So, once Haylee came back, we once again, approached the line. The lure operator started the lure and Sami was off and running. She really did well, running really too fast, but I am certain she'll figure that out and will learn to take the corners a bit slower. She has a very fluid style with a long gait.


Needless to say, I am quite pleased and can't wait until fall when we can course for real. A few Single runs and she'll be ready for her certification run and then on to the Open category. In the meantime, we will train and train so we'll be ready.

I am just happy I won't have to return her. Now wouldn't that be something - the Chair of a Greyhound adoption group returning a dog because it won't lure course!! Ha - I wouldn't have done that as I love that girl - she is the funniest and sweetest dog! But, don't think I didn't think about it!!

Call Me Grace

Actually, I'm the less graceful person on the planet. This morning is proof of that. I actually fell off the bus this morning. Yes, it was quite embarrassing and actually was quite funny at the same time. I fell on that last step from the bottom of the step on the bus to the ground.

As luck would have it, there was a nice black gentleman standing right there to witness it all. He did reach out his hand for me and asked the proverbial question, "are you alright ma'am?" Well, of course, it "smarted" quite a bit and as I was gaining my wits about me, I looked down and to my defense, there was a pretty big hole in the concrete. I then exclaimed, "there's a thing there", pointing to the monster hole that caused my fall. That's all I could muster. I stood up and told the young man, thank you, and proceeded on my merry way.

Once I made it to the train I glanced down at my foot - the one that took the brunt of the fall. Thank God it wasn't "frankenfoot" but was my left foot. I was concerned it may have been bleeding because it hurt so darn much but it's okay. There is a little weird bruise on the very left side of the foot, right on the bone there. Really strange spot for a bruise but it's there nonetheless! I first thought it must be embedded asphalt or concrete but it's a bruise.

There are three things to note here - (1) unfortunately the ballet lessons as a kid didn't help much, (2) make sure you're fully awake from the bus ride before disembarking, and (3) watch your step!!

Birthday Wishes!

I'd like to wish my newest girl, Sami, Happy Birthday today. She turns 2! Yes, she is still a puppy and it shows!

One of my other girls, Lucy, also has a birthday today. She is now 5!! Hard to believe.

Tonight after the dog wash and after a nice dinner of turkey necks, they’ll enjoy some cinnamon/banana cake and ice cream!! They also received new alphabet charms for their collars from Brighton and hopefully, their new collars will arrive today. And then later tonight they will both get manicures and pedicures!

Happy birthday, my sweeties! Enjoy the day watching golf while I’m helping to bathe 60+ of your cousins, Aunts and Uncles!

Who knew?

My friend Kim Morris and I were chatting yesterday when out of the blue she mentioned a story on Fox News about minature cow farming. Minature cows? My first thought is that you can't really trust Fox News so it was probably a hoax. Honestly, I had never heard of such but yes, after one Google search, I found many minature cow farms ie http://www.minicattlecountry.com/ and http://www.littlemoos.com/ just to name a few.



Apparently mini cow farms are quite the rage, especially amongst women farmers because they are easier to handle. As well, with rising feed costs, it obviously is more economical to own and feed a herd of mini cattle as opposed to their larger cousins.

There are also other benefits. As this article in the LA Times states, "Their miniature Herefords consume about half that of a full-sized cow yet produce 50% to 75% of the rib-eyes and fillets, according to researchers and budget-conscious farmers." The dairy cows can produce 2-3 gallons of milk per day. It's a little hard to milk them since you basically stand on your knees, but the dairy farmers say its well worth the effort.

"Minicows are not genetically engineered to be tiny, and they're not dwarfs. They are drawn from original breeds brought to the U.S. from Europe in the 1800s that were smaller than today's bovine giants, said Ron Lemenager, professor of animal science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind."

There are now more than 300 mini-Hereford cow farms in the US. That number is dramatically higher than in 2000 when there were less than 24 farms. You can now purchase a heifer for about $800 and a bull for about $1200. Phenomenal is all I can say.

I wonder how many mini-cows would fit on my 1/2 acre? :)

PS - I stand corrected. Kim Morris commented to this post reminding me that the topic of mini cows came about when I complained to her that I was addicted to my virtual farm on Facebook. Duh? That's where it came from. And no, I don't have mini-cows on my virtual farm. Thus far, I only have one cow, four horses and one rooster.

PSS - If these had been mini-moos, perhaps this might not have happened. Poor woman!

A Sign of the Times

On the way to Five Points on the bus this morning, I observed something very disturbing. We always pass by a church on Central Avenue called Church of the Immaculate Conception.

I usually see 2-3 homeless folks sleeping on the steps of the Church most every morning but not today. Today, I counted about 12 men sleeping out there or it could have even been more.

I wish there were something I could do to help these folks. There are plenty of soup kitchens downtown and I know there are shelters so I wonder if there is no more room there for these folks? Or perhaps they are comforted more being near the Church?

I dunno but as the days progress and the economy seems to be in quicksand, I see more and more homeless folks (men and women) in the downtown area. It's very sad to say the least.

Cool Memories

As I sit here trying to cool down after 3+ hours of yard work, I can't help but reminisce about our recent trip to Gatlinburg where the mornings were cool and crisp. It was very refreshing.

A few of us traveled there the last weekend in May to attend an annual event known as Mountain Hounds. And yes, it involves Greyhounds! It's just a weekend or rather about four days, set aside for Greyhounds and Greyhound people to socialize, play games, shop, and generally just have fun.

We rented a cabin not far from downtown Gatlinburg where the festivities took place. It had three floors with a bedroom and private bath on each floor. A full game room on the lower level, decks surrounding the place, flat screen TVs, fireplace, gas grill, etc. It truly was a beautiful place and oddly enough, is owned by someone in the Atlanta metro area. Here is a view taken from the front deck. Isn't that just beautiful?

We drove up through the Smoky Mountain National Park. What a beautiful drive that was. The road paralleled the Nantahala River. Watching the rapids and rafters made me so badly want to make another weekend trip to do just that. It is so much fun!! And that water has to be the coldest on earth! Just beautiful!

The weekend was filled with many wonderful events, both for the Greyhounds and for their humans. One such event was the Luau held that Saturday evening. Most of the Greyhounds wore Leis and some even went so far as to wear grass skirts. There were hamburgers and hotdogs complete with all the fixings as well as ice cream treats for the dogs. Everyone had a wonderful time!

Another highlight of the weekend was a presentation by Dr. C. Guillermo Couto who is Professor/Chief, Oncology/Hematology/Transfusion Medicine, in the Greyhound Medicine Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Ohio State University. Wow, that was a mouthful, huh?

Dr. Couto is a highly respected Greyhound veterinarian who's speciality is oncology. He has also led numerous research studies, all of which will eventually lead to better veterinarian procedures and medicine for our Greyhounds. His staff and clinic are wonderful and as I told someone after the seminar, the Greyhound breed is very lucky to have someone as knowledgeable and dedicated as Dr. Couto in their corner.

The weekend was soon over and it was time to head back to Atlanta and to reality. It was a wonderful weekend and I definitely plan to go again next year!

As the days get hotter and hotter as we progress into summer, I will continue to reminisce about the cool, refreshing mornings of Gatlinburg.

We're In a Prison

Well, not quite yet, but we will officially be moving five Greyhounds from the Birmingham Race Course/Southern New England Kennels, to their home for the next three months, Gadsden Correctional Facility, on Thursday, June 25th. Gadsden Correctional Facility is located in Quincy, Florida and has a little over 1,500 beds. It is an all female, minimum/medium-security prison that has been managed since 1998 by Corrections Corporation of America.

This particular facility currently is home to a canine companion training program and in the past they had a canine bomb sniffing training program. With that being said, the facility, staff and inmates are accustomed to having dogs in the facility and training these dogs. They already have a large turnout/training yard and the in-house knowledge to bring in another program. It's an ideal fit for us and for them.

So, watch for blog updates on our Available Greyhounds page for those Greyhounds in prison. They will be represented with an orange icon - which you can't miss! Of course we are very excited and are looking forward to seeing and hearing how this program benefits the women as well as the Greyhounds.

Another One Bites The Dust . . .

Well, yesterday after I had come home from work I let the girls out to go potty. Everyone was muzzled, however, foster girl Sami doesn't have a poop guard in her muzzle like the other ones do.

Anyhoo, I looked outside to see if they were done and lo and behold Lucy and Sami were pouncing on something on the ground. I rushed out to see what it was, thinking it must be a squirrel, when Remi then got in on the action.

Once I was closer, I realized it was a bird - poor thing. It was upside down on the grass, wings spread wide and breathing hard. Feathers were everywhere. It was intact which amazed me as they were giving it a pretty good beating with their muzzles.

I ran inside to get the camera (sadistic person that I am) and when I came back, the bird was sitting like this. I thought it must be a miracle - he was going to live! I tried to shoo him away but he continue to sit just like a little bird statue.

I let the girls out again to eat their chicken backs and the bird continued to sit just like he was, under the hedge. They never saw him!! I thought he was going to make it but when I checked on him later, he had, indeed, died.

I am wondering if I have Greyhounds or if they are actually bird dogs? Perhaps I should change their evening meal up a bit and give them a bit more beef and rabbit and lay off the chicken? Perhaps they've acquired a taste for fowl due to all the chicken I've been feeding them? Perhaps the birds are sick which is how they are able to capture them? Who knows?

I also wonder if they should be unmuzzled. At least the kill would be quicker and the critter wouldn't suffer. Suggestions anyone?

A Good Deed

This past Sunday about ten of us headed to Birmingham Race Course to do a Spring cleaning of Southern New England kennels, where we get our Greyhounds for Second Chance Greyhounds.

There was about ten years worth of dust in the kennel itself and in the office area. Everything was power washed and wiped down from ceiling to floor. What a difference a little elbow grease made! That kennel was spotless!!

It is hoped that our efforts might pay off more immediately in that the dogs will race better. We will see if that is the case. They sure were happy when we left. Here are a few pictures of them in the turnout pen waiting patiently while we cleaned their home.


A good time was had by all and now Alan has a clean kennel and 64 happy pups who we hope will run better. In June we go back to wash them all!! Now, that is way fun! And, yes, the dogs enjoy it, too!

The Disciplinarian

Her name is Sugar and yes, she is the disciplinarian in my home. I currently have two foster Greyhounds who are prone to intermittently countersurfing on occasion. If Sugar is nearby, she will immediately bark at the culprit. She won't budge from where she sits or lays but she will emit a very loud bark. No growling, just a bark. It's quite funny because it does work and the culprit will immediately back down from the counter and I must say it's happening less and less frequently. Funny thing is, Sugar was never a countersurfer herself.

Fostering is such hard work, isn't it?

Alarms That Are Alarming!

Saturday morning was a rude awakening. You see, we were awakened by the sound of my house alarm going off at 5 a.m., nonetheless. At first it began as a "tweet" so I thought perhaps the fire alarm needed it's batteries replaced. Before I knew it, the alarm was blaring us out of the house. And, as fate would have it, it was the FIRE alarm going off.

I smelled and smelled and didn't smell anything burning. I called the alarm company (they didn't call me which is really QUITE alarming) to tell them I thought I was having problems with the fire alarm. She asked if I wanted to dispatch the fire truck and I said "no, there isn't a fire". Of course, I would have died had there really been a fire and I had just called off the forces!! But alas, that wasn't the case, thank God!

I hung up with the alarm company operator who then had a technician call me because by that time, it certainly appeared to be a malfunction of some sort. During this whole ordeal, I had to put all the dogs outside because the alarm sound was driving them crazy! It really is pretty loud, piercing to the ear loud!!

So the technician calls me and we then commence to diagnosing the problem. We look at the main control box which is in a closet and it was then that I felt water drip on my arm - coming from somewhere. I retrieved a flashlight and looked at the ceiling in the closet and couldn't see anything dripping in there anywhere. Then, it dripped again. I looked up and lo and behold, there was a case of canned juice up on a top shelf in the closet. I grabbed the case and, yes, the end was wet. Apparently one of the cans was leaking and it was leaking directly on the control box which then caused the system to go crazy.

This whole time the fire alarm was still going off. By then, I could hardly tell you my first name as the alarm is SO loud you can't even think straight.

The technician then walked me through the steps to disarm the system which I did. He suggested I wait a bit and attempt to redo the connections and see if the system resets itself. I am about to do that so wish me luck! I hope it works!!

What a weekend!!

Lucy's Latest Victim

I don't know how and I don't think I want to know how, but the poor black bird pictured above is Lucy's latest victim. God help any creature in our backyard that is slower than her!

Riding the Storms

Well, dear Lucy has been storm phobic since I adopted her several years ago and it has little by little become increasingly more intense. That would be Lucy's phobia and well, the storms as well. We've had some terrible storms come through the Atlanta area this Spring, complete with hail and tornados.

So, to try to help Lucy get through the storms, we went to the vet seeking help. Dr. Carpenter prescribed Amitriptyline, actually two tablets every 12 hours or as need. I could potentially give her up to four. Well, we tried that to no avail. They did make her drowsy but she was completely aware of her surroundings and the storms she heard overhead.

So, another trip to the vet seeking help. This time we saw Dr. Johnson as Dr. Carpenter was off that day. He prescribed Acepromazine which is most commonly just called Ace. Sighthounds, in specific Greyhounds, are pretty sensitive to Ace so it is usually prescribed with caution.

Our first opportunity to use it was Sunday night. I have to say it knocked Lucy on her keister! She slept like a rock Sunday night and was groggy until Monday evening. I might cut a pill in half next time and see how that works for her. It is a tranquilizer so I'm not surprised she slept so well and for so long. It is commonly used in conjunction with anesthesia to relax the canine patient before a procedure.

So, the good news is I think we have finally found something that works for her. I must wait for another horrific storm to realize the benefits of this drug on Lucy as the storms on Sunday were pretty mild. More later as we continue to find the perfect solution for her!

Oddities

1. Yesterday I was at an office building when I decided to utilize the ladies room. Lo and behold, on the wall was a tampon/condom machine. Now, the tampons I could see, of course, but do folks really need access to condoms at the workplace?
2. My dentist just called to confirm an appointment Tuesday morning. She said this is "so and so from Dr. So and So's office. I am calling to confirm your appointment Tuesday morning. Will you be attending?" That question tickled me a bit as I wanted to respond, "No, I'll be sending a substitue."

Ah, Friday's . . .

What else do you do during a hail storm and tornado warnings?