Nuttin But Hound Dogs

Ride-4-Racers

2009-08-21T22:23:00.005-04:00

SEGA is in the planning stages of putting a Poker Run together with one of our Meet & Greet Host locations - Gene Evans Harley Davidson South Atlanta. Our resident videographer, Carleton Holt, recently shot a music video for the country western band Fletcher. Fletcher has tentatively agreed to play a concert for the attendees when the run concludes at Gene Evans.

Gene Evans Harley has been a greyt M&G location for SEGA. We've had several adoptions this summer from that new location, AND the visitors are good tippers! Gene Evan's always has hot dog and hamburgers grillin' when SEGA arrives, and the riders and momo shoppers show up by the dozens to sample the fare, and meet our wonderful hounds! Here are a few pictures from our M&Gs earlier this summer.

Busy Busy Busy

2009-08-21T21:10:00.014-04:00

It's been a busy summer for our pups!

Let's see - Meet 'n Greets - Marietta Farmer's Market, Dallas Farmer's Market, PetSmart in Acworth, Dallas and Douglasville, READing Paws at the Peachtree City and Newnan Libraries, Wine Tasting at The Wine Market, and Dog Days of Summer at At The Collective in Inman Park. I think my pups have more miles on the 'Roo than I do going to work 5 days a week!

Our 5K race planning is coming along GREYT! The committee has done a fantastic job on recruiting sponsors for the event. Being the M&G Chair for SEGA, I am always looking for an angle for our hounds.... Chick-fil-A is one of our sponsors, so what's the worst that could happen? They could say NO to my request. So I asked, "Would it be possible for several of our members to hand out fliers about our 5K race with a few hounds in hand?" Well, I guess the owner is a dog lover - Ralph said YES! So, our plan is to have all Black and White Cow Doggies come for the M&G at CFA. The store will provide The Cow for a photo op with the store owner.... won't that make for a GREYT story in CG! I'd like to think that this partnership with CFA and our greyhound Cow Doggies will be a big hit for our race!

One other activity this summer... The Pope High School 'Greyhounds' will have their mascots on the field again for football season starting next Friday night! Last year's opening night featured 21 SEGA greyhounds for the cheerleaders to take onto the field to kick off the night's festivities.

Well, you might say we were called up from the minors about a month ago. Head Coach Kemper contacted me to see if we could provide A as in One Greyhound for pictures with the Senior FB Players for their annual poster. Well, I was able to round up 10 on short notice, but unfortunately, it was late in the day and the pictures didn't turn out too well. Fast forward two weeks, I received another call on Friday to see if we could provide Greyhounds again for pictures on Saturday (the next morning!). Well, SIX greyhounds showed up for that photo - and the posters should be out soon. See my version of the photo below...

How COOL To have the School Mascot in your photos for the class of 2010!

97 Days until the Athletes Helping Athletes 5K race in Kennesaw, GA

2009-07-04T11:07:00.006-04:00

The 40th Annual Peachtree Road Race is in the books, and now it's time to speed forward to the annual Greyhound fundraiser, the Athletes Helping Athletes 5k Race being held in Kennesaw, GA this year on October 10th, 2009.

This unique 5 k race not only features vendors and awards, but SEGA has incorporated a LARGE Meet & Greet into the event by pairing the competitors with 'Running Mates' for the race. In 2008, there were 61 Greyhounds in attendance who wore Large Red Paper Dog Tags with various information including their name, age, adoption date, favorites treats, games, toys, race record, and other various traits or qualities that they share with their families. In the runner's registration packet was the matching dog tag. At the conclusion of the race, the runner could Meet Up with their Greyhound Mate. It was quite exciting as a greyhound owner to get to meet the runners that were matched up with Drew and Handy last year.

The runners didn't have to meet the greyhound they were paired up with, but many did. It gave the competitors a good feeling knowing how the entry fee benefited the SEGA adoption process. One of my close friends, Vickie DeFoer, Corporate Payroll Manager at the Atlanta Journal Constitution was one of the runners. She is pictured below with me and Melanie Carter (another local payroll professional) with Drew and Handy.

Carleton Holt, owner of Granite Digital Imaging, captured the excitement of our event in a video that is posted HERE. Please consider becoming part of the excitement, even if you're a virtual runner (participate through donation only) we'd love to have your support of Greyhound Adoption! We even had several adoptions occur during the year from runners that participated and never considered a greyhound as a pet. That's our goal - to educate, share and have fun doing it!

Stick Out Your Tongue Challenge

2009-07-02T19:23:00.004-04:00

Drew, burp... Scallywag and scurvy hound that he is with drool lacing the carpet all around him....

rocky creek scottie adventures is hosting this contest in celebration of their 100th post! Visit their website for more details and see if your hounds has what it takes to blow a raspberry in your face!

SEGA's Latest Hound Haul + One

2009-06-22T22:31:00.005-04:00

Queen Trent - Plus One

Where's My Bird

Kiowa Stan Eddie

Movin Excitement

Craigie Maudeen

Alert the Feds
What a name for a little female!

Faithful Lindsey

Above are photos of our latest batch of hounds from Jefferson County Kennel Club - PLUS One! We took possession of a beautiful black female named Queen Trent or Queenie from a lady in Columbus. I know she won't last long! Craigie Maudeen is a real looker!

Drew is team 2175 in the READ Program - Finally!

2009-05-31T07:47:00.004-04:00

Our sweet, LAZY boy Drew is finally a Reading Education Assistance Dog. His tag came in the mail on Friday. We are still working at getting into the local library 2 miles from our house for their special reading program.

We have one more shadow visit left where Drew will be the listener and then he'll be able to go out on his own to find children challenged with reading aloud to classmates. I sat in on the first shadow visit where I just observed. It's very uplifting to see the children read while keeping a hand on the dog for reassurance. After the session, the trainer relayed to me that one of the readers (who is 10 and reads at a 1st grade level) had improved tremendously. He couldn't sit for even 2 minutes in the first session, but was now sitting and reading for 15 minutes, and hoping to get more time to read a little longer!

Drew is a knucklehead at times - forever foraging to eat something that might kill him. He is just like a little child, always pushing the boundaries and needing reminding of what the rules are. I think that trait will make him a great reading partner. He's not perfect; their reading skills won't be perfect, so there will be an instant bond between child and dog!

Marietta Farmer's Market M&G

2009-05-30T15:03:00.008-04:00

Each Saturday May - June and in September, SEGA has a M&G booth at the Marietta Farmer's Market. We are 'limited' to 3 hounds each visit, but that doesn't keep us from providing a little additional color variety for potential adopters to observe. Today we had 8 hounds in all today, and were very mindful not to block any other vendors from potential sales. Personally, I think the dogs draw people to the area we are in.

We've started using gorgeous Donation Jackets from Christel Ausman at Cottage Hound Designs. What a difference in fun'raising that has made for our SEGA organization this spring! Christel gets her silk fabrics from Alisha at 2Hounds Design, so you can get a matching coat and collar set if you really want to show you're hound as a fashion statement. In just the special M&G events this spring, we've collected over $750 in donations (that we normally only put a jar out that collects at best $20).

Seriously take a look at the quality workmanship and creativity that Christel has to offer. We always collect more than the cost of 1 jacket in one outing. Today we collected $163 in 4 hours! You could say that Nikki and Handy in their purple jackets are 'strippers' - they lure dollars from the small children and get them stuffed them in their jackets.

Handy is pictured above in her Donation Dog Jacket in purple with Teal Dragonflies. She is being admired by Jenna K of Mr. K's Cookies at the market. Jenna is a weekly regular, and was promoted to hound holder this weekend. Mr. K is being bit by the GH bug - he started asking questions today - maybe we'll have an application from him by the end of the summer!

Saturday's Sweet Face...

2009-05-30T14:53:00.003-04:00

Handy's not the most photogenic subject. She always manages to look away, yawn, turn sideways, have her tongue hanging out, and so on. She usually looks like a grumpy old lady! Well, her personality is exactly the opposite. She's wound up like a top when she gets her 'special' collar and necklace on - the lady of the house must dress for off-site adventures to meet her adoring public.

I finally captured her true spirit in this photo - she'll be 11 in September, but her spirit is that of a loving hound just off the track looking for that new forever home. Honey Handy - we're glad you picked us to provide a pillow to lay your head upon in your senior years. You are a beauty!

Thursday Terror!

2009-05-14T21:44:00.004-04:00

Is Handy going to eat the whole Duck? No, but there's not many honks left in it!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-13T17:48:00.003-04:00

Ms. Nikki is a Super Star!

2009-05-10T17:57:00.002-04:00

Ms. Nikki is adapting very well to our home. She is our first attempt at rehoming a racer straight from the track. Our 3 previous adoptions were all bounces. After two days, Nikki has mastered 3 different sets of stairs, managed to wade up to her neck in the lake, and she alerts us every time we come down the stairs. "Yes Nikki, we are coming down stairs again."

Yesterday was her first day off leash walking from her spay. She decided that chasing Drew was just her speed. She chased Drew around the yard on the 'inside track' until he was wore out. He usually plays keep away from us, but he can't seem to outrun Ms. Nikki and she wanted to play with him. He has always seemed to want Handy or Garth to play with him, but both were older and showed no interest. Now a tiny 5 year old comes along, and he can't keep up!

She slept well on a dogbed in our room last night, but did spend part of the night looking out the window. We're not sure what she was looking at, but she seemed relaxed. Drew seems a little paranoid that she will step on him and occasionally make a little whine to warn her away.

Handy seems to be taking to Nikki just fine too. Nikki is all wiggles, kisses and wags right now. She seems quite comfortable in our home, and we're sure glad to have this WONDER WOMAN living with us!

Create your own FACEinHOLE

New Addition

2009-05-07T23:38:00.007-04:00

We adopted G ambling Nikki tonight. She's the sweetest little lady. She's going to win any kissing contest we enter her in. We found out she was the trainer's favorite hound in his kennel at JCKC. Waggly tail, smiling face, and kissing, kissing, kissing all the time. She's one very happy hound!

This is our first experience with a hound from the track. Our 3 previous adoptions were all bounced hounds. Nikki's as fresh as new fallen snow. Did I mention she tried to do the 10 front steps on her front legs only. It was the funniest sight! She did manage to put one rear foot down for just an instance on the way down.

Her littermate, Husker Hercules, was adopted 2 weeks ago by another SEGA member. We'll have to see if they have any familial feelings for each other at the Meeting at the Farm next week!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-05T23:31:00.001-04:00

Gracie Lou - M&G Fashionista

2009-05-05T23:28:00.001-04:00

A New Take on Meet & Greet

2009-05-04T22:08:00.004-04:00

This weekend was a very busy Meet & Greet weekend for SEGA. We were at the Pets & More USA Expo in Norcross, the May-retta Daze Arts & Crafts Festival in Marietta, the Hiram PetsMart, and at least 7 different Belk department stores for their charity day event. The hounds were in and about town all weekend.

I had to share a whole new meaning of Meet & Greet. While at the May-retta Daze festival on Sunday afternoon, we were greeted by a costumed FOX. Hmm, fox and hounds - there couldn't be a better team. Well, Ms. Carbella had to meet Reynard, The Red Fox, up close and personal. She started with the head.... and ended with his tail end.

Everyone at our booth just cracked up guessing that she would move to sniff his tail. He got down on all 4's and lifted his tail for her to smell.

Scotty came along and started sniffing too. However, when Scotty started to sniff at his front leg, Reynard must have had just about enough humiliation, and he high-tailed it down the street to the Canine Assistance Companions for a visit.

Meet & Greet - Scratch & Sniff....

Our Sweet Garth - Godspeed

2009-05-03T05:40:00.006-04:00

Our Garth went to the bridge on Wednesday. He was diagnosed with Osteo the day before his 11th birthday on April 10th. We had been treating him for a soft tissue injury to his knee on the recommendation of our vet for 6 weeks. When his limp was to the point he was afraid to do the stairs to go outside (6 small step), and we had to carry him, I asked for a referral.

Dr. Matt Corse of Northlake Veterinarian Specialists did a quick exam with Garth laying on the floor and determined it was not his knee but an intermittent issue with his hip. Some pain but not consistent with each manipulation. He ordered x-rays, and the Osteo presented at the top of his femur, up in the hip socket.

There were 4 treatment protocols that were presented to us, but given Garth's age, the location of the Osteo, and Garth's terror of the vet office, keeping him comfortable at home was Garth's only real option. I asked for a chest x-ray to determine if the Osteo had metastasized, and it had not. "Thank goodness, we may have a few more months with our guy", I thought.

He was already on Rimadyl for inflammation; Tramadol was added for the pain management. We moved from Rimadyl to Meloxicam the following week without any issues. His limp improved for about a week, but started to get worse again. On Sunday, blood appeared in his urine. Not just a little blood, it appeared he was only peeing blood - dark & thick. Our vet ran a test and it was a bacterial infection, so we added Baytril to Garth's cocktail of meds.

Monday evening, Garth's previous foster mom, Maria came for a house visit to see her 'ol guy, Garfie one last time. She could see the same thing we did, he wasn't his usual happy, lively self. He did shower her with a few of his clumsy kisses, and hugged on her some, so there was a little glimmer, but it was fading fast.

On Tuesday evening, Garth stopped eating and taking any treats from us. He had figured out that they were probably laced with medicine. If any of you have a hound that makes food fly while they are eating, you know this is not a good sign. He sniffed everything and walked away, or he would take the treat and drop it on the ground.

Wednesday am, his pee was pale yellow again - Yeah, over a hurdle, but he still wasn't eating or taking meds. His limp became very pronounced. There was no where for the swelling to go inside of his hip socket, and we knew it was his time. His eyes told the story as he lay in his bed.

We tried to make his last day as full as we could for him. We both stayed home and loved on him. He took several small walks in the backyard with us. We took a few very nice pictures of him, like the very last one of him that is posted above. We let the FedEx man come onto the porch to leave a package, and 'Ring the Doorbell'. He jumped up, ran to the door, and barked like he usually did. Jon bought a rotisserie chicken for him at lunch, and he actually ate the chicken - didn't share even a nibble with Drew or Handy. But he looked very tired.

Our vet and her tech, Amanda, came to the house in the evening. We set Garth up in his dog bed under a tree in the shade for his last moments with us. Right on cue, in usual Garth fashion, he jumped up and barked and growled at our vet as she came into the backyard - our Guard Hound Garth! Amanda was in tears as we were. Garth was very special to her. Jon and I were relieved that he no longer had pain, and that he could now join many others at the Bridge to wait for us to join him.

I have to thank Mr. Author for posting on Facebook about Garth's trip to the bridge, and the many people who sent messages and wishes for our comfort and reassurances that he is now whole and pain free, and playing with the many who went before him. Although the messages brought many tears to our eyes, they also brought hope and smiles when we imagine him as he used to be.

Little Bud Bud, we miss you, but loved you enough to know it was your time to go. Handy misses you terribly. The one hound we thought would never get to attached to another hound. She searches the house for you each day, lays in your dog bed, has a hard time getting out of bed herself, and is very melancholy, refusing to eat on 'our' schedule. Please let her know that you are OK now. You were really loved by all here in our home for the 5 short months we were allowed to care for you!

Lisa and Jon
Drew and Handy - the pooches.

New Pups at SEGA

2009-04-27T22:21:00.004-04:00

Saturday, 8 new beautiful retired racers arrived in Acworth at our adoption kennel to begin their lives as family pets. What a stellar group of greyt looking pups! Visit our adoption page at www.greyhoundadoption.org/adopt to read their full profiles when they are posted!

Saturday Sugar - Autism Benefit Meet & Greet

2009-04-25T13:22:00.006-04:00

Brando and Miss Kit Kat with a Balloon Bunny

Handy & Ms Eda

Brando and an adoring Pony at the Day's Chevy Autism Benefit
"I'll Race Ya!"

Quiet Moments

2009-04-22T19:14:00.003-04:00

They are finally ours...

2009-04-20T20:35:00.004-04:00

Jon and I received 3 Gold certificates today from NGA indicating that Drew, Handy and Garth now were registered to us! It only took 7 business days to have them return the new registration certificates to us. And best of all, part of the transfer fee will be donated back to SEGA. The Pups are ours!

I Thought I Smelled a Bunny Wabbit...

2009-04-20T20:29:00.003-04:00

Alas, it was only a Barred Owl during the day. He called to the hounds from a tree in the back 2 acres. It was a beautiful afternoon - finally, with no wind for a few minutes!

Friday Fondness

2009-04-17T18:04:00.004-04:00

Incredible Athletes

2009-04-12T17:48:00.017-04:00

As greyhound owners, we are acutely aware of what incredible athletes our dogs are. They are the 2nd fastest animal on the planet. They have a grace and elegance when they run and play. Some seem to float across the ground. They smile big toothy smiles as they whiz past us in a blur.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to view another incredible athlete at work - Cross Country Jumping competitors. I helped judge several jumps where the cross country course was between 1 - 2.5 miles in length with 17 - 27 jumps depending on the competitors level (intermediate, training, or novice).

Carl Bouckaert owns 8400 acres in south Fulton County called Chattahoochee Hills. He is an accomplished show jumping champion, and offers his land for Lure Coursing events and eventing horse competitions. It is a phenomenal piece of property with grassy rolling hills and valleys, some pines and hardwood trees on the hilltops and many small lakes peppered through out. When you drive down the gravel road onto the property, it reminds me of taking a drive on a forest service road in a national park.

Carl, the owner of Chattahoochee Hills, is pictured above on Raphael in the Intermediate Division running as team #5 clearing jump 11. He is highly ranked by the USEA - United States Eventing Association with Raphael.

He is also pictured below on Cyrano clearing jump #7 in the Training Division. He was the 107th rider to run the course at this point. He rode 3 different horses during the event, Raphael, Cyrano and Big Skye.

Below are just a few of the photos that I snapped while judging the jumps as the horses paraded through. There were 181 horses on the Order of Go listing, but several did withdraw. Every 2 - 3 minutes another horse would come by and strut their stuff over the jumps. I was in a unique part of the venue - the water feature. The old saying, 'You can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink...' - they sure can splash though when their jumping in the water!

Jump 7 in the intermediate course above - coming down a 100 yard hill from previous jump. Featured is # 12 Tops ridden by Danielle Dichting.

Jump 8 below is 2 strides from jump 7 with a 4' drop into water.

Jumps 9 & 10 were rolltop jumps in about 12" of water. There was only 1 water refusal all day in the novice category where the horse ran around this small body of water.

Jump 11 - a wide stone table which as you can see is well over 6' wide on the top, but only about 3.5' tall.

Another incredible photo below - look at the tuck on those front legs. This was another Training Level rider, # 116 Kristen Gallo riding Sonny Side Up. The next jump took them back into the water, and he did terrific.

The following two photos of team #66, On The Rocks ridden by Kayla Diehl, are probably the best I took all day. The look of determination and focus on Kayla's face made for a clear ride through the entire 17 jumps on this Training Level event. On The Rocks didn't seem to exert any effort going over these jumps at all.

Jump # 6 in the Training Level

Jump #7 in the Training Level.

A few other notables, just because they just looked so darn GOOD at going over the jumps and splashing through the water feature are below:

Team #45, Fleet Makani ridden by Katherine Sulzbach

Team #26: Desperado ridden by Andrea Leatherman

Team #22: Tomada ridden by Amy Barrington

Team #27: Lorenzo III ridden by Leahona Rowland

Team #30: Prince Noah ridden by David Adamo

And the last one has me wondering - the horse's eyes are closed as it clears this jump. "Please let me clear this jump perfect, please don't let there be water on the other side, please...."
Team #40: Henry ridden by Scott Keach

There is another jumping event scheduled for Chattahoochee Hills on May 16-17. If you're interested in volunteering to be a jump judge, you won't be disappointed! It's also free if you just want to be a spectator, bring your dog on a leash and walk the grounds to observe the events. They also feature dressage and show jumping classes. Little girls and horses, a deadly combination!

Garth's 11 today! Happy Birthday G-Man!

2009-04-10T00:19:00.004-04:00

Garth is 11 today! This is quite a milestone for him given the background we know about him. He broke his right hock in 2002 on the track in his 71st race (he won the 70th as A grade). He broke it again at his last owner's house in 2007. There is a scar on his tummy - obviously ingested something that didn't agree with him.

I looked up his age in peep years on the Dogs Rule website. He's 82 in peep years! He's doing quite well for a gent of that age. We haven't decided what we have in store for him tomorrow, but it will be a small affair at home with some frozen yogurt and a peanut butter stuffed KONG. He's quite OUR distinguished gentleman. We love you Garfie!

A Change of Scenery... North to Alaska!

2009-04-08T19:53:00.005-04:00

I'm often asked if I'm from Alaska. No. My mom is though, and her mom, and my Great Grandfather Pete Kavanaugh ventured to Nome in 1897 in search of gold. That is where my mom's family landed and stayed. We make it point to get up and visit at least every other year.

Our last visit in 2007 took us to Cache Creek for a few days of panning for nuggets (I seem to think it looks more like dust, but whatever makes mom happy). Ken Lee, owner of the claim we stayed on, ventured off the 'hill' to retrieve us and our gear for a 4 day adventure. The adventure was the 2 hour ride to the gold camp in a 4x4 that covered only 11 miles. We didn't stop for breaks on the way in. It was quite a rough ride on a one-lane dirt road with many holes and 'mudlakes' that could swallow the truck if you didn't stay in just the right track.

In 2006, we ventured to the Kenai for some fishing at my cousin's fish camp. She has a nice set up and runs a guide service on the Russian River during King season. She is just minutes by water from where all the combat fishing occurs. Unfortunately, we were in between the Kings and Silvers so there wasn't much luck fishing. We were skunked on clam digging at Clam Gulch as well. The only bright spot on that trip was our gold digging expedition on Bertha and 6 Mile Creeks. The area is very remote. It's easy just to park your rig, set up camp, and feel like there isn't a soul around. It does get a little creepy when you're next to a creek, in 10' willow and you can't hear anyone sneak up on you - and it's fall when the bears are looking for the last few berries before hibernation again.

I think the camping part was most fun. Mom hadn't roasted marshmallows and wienies on a campfire since I was a little squirt - about 35 years ago. She torched the first wienie - flaming good I might add. It was BLACK. The marshmallows fared only marginally better - at least Mr. Stick was green, and didn't catch on fire. We all had a great time, dodging the smoke and the skeeters until late in the evening. You can't beat the crisp fall air in Alaska to recharge your batteries. Pictured above are my husband Jon holding Mr. Stick and mom with the wienie that didn't get charred black.

Garth aka 'Guard Dog' aka Garfie or Guardie

2009-04-04T18:40:00.004-04:00

Who'd thunk it - a Greyhound Guard Dog. We tell everyone if you want a guard dog, the greyhound probably isn't for you. Yes, they are big. Yes, they have lots of teeth and usually greet you with an open mouth (hoping for treats). Yes, they can run after someone fast (but they want to play).

I think we have one that is a Guard Greyhound folks! We've had Garth for 4 months now. His is 2 weeks shy of his 11th birthday, a super senior. He's had his share of hard luck - a broken hock on the track, a bounce early in his retired career in Florida, and a bounce last year after 6 years with his family and another break in the same hock under their care. During his last adoption situation, he developed severe separation anxiety from being locked in the basement while his peeps worked (children left for college, so no one to love on Garth anymore).

We knew his story and took on the challenge. He's doing much better, but he bonds very strongly to his peeps. That bonding has turned into protectiveness the last several weeks. Last week, Jon worked from home one day. Garth started a 'barking fit' while looking out the front door. The UPS man was delivering packages across the street to the neighbor. We knew he didn't like doorbells - maybe he could hear theirs. He continued to bark until the UPS man drove away.

The next night, the pizza man came bearing dinner. The problem was he arrived 20 minutes earlier than we were told, so he RANG the doorbell (we usually prepare 5 minutes before delivery time to avoid the doorbell issue). Garth ran down the stairs with his pack of 2 following and BARKED at the pizza man, even as I was paying him and taking the pizza. We try to make the pizza event a highlight to their day when it happens. Garth was not amused - his hackles were still up 10 minutes after the pizza man left, and he continued to prowl the window on the lookout for any other invaders.

This week, I was home sick several days. The FedEx man brought a boat object for Jon - you guessed it, left the package, a note on the door, and RANG the doorbell. The excitement played out again. Now Drew is starting to bark along. Thursday night, a girlfriend came by to pick something up. Since I knew she was coming, I turned on the outdoor lights, opened the door (not the storm door), and waited for her arrival. She is terrified of dogs...

As soon as she arrived, Garth was at the glass door waiting with me. He was fine, until she came in the house. He growled at her, his hackles came up, and then he started barking. Jon had to watch him while we took care of business in the office.

He does not do well with changes to his routine. I have nearly weaned him off the clomicalm that he needed when we got him. He doesn't have any destructive habits as long as he is not crated or confined to a space, but he is still very cautious around new situations, and worries when we leave. We can hear him pacing the house looking for us when we go to the basement. It's very sad to think in his mind, he's going to be left as he was at his previous adopters home.

I guess we need to set up situations to desensitize him and practice these things he obviously fears, and praise him when he corrects a bad behavior (like growling at people or barking at the doorbell). He's such a loving hound - always stopping by for reassurance that we are still here. He doesn't follow us around the house as he used to. He's now content to lay in the crate, door open, and rest away from us and Drew and Handy.

BeFunky.com - What a Greyt Website

2009-04-03T18:21:00.003-04:00

A fellow SEGA member listed about this 'artsy' website for us non-artistic types. What a result!
Visit BeFunky.com to start your piece of artwork. This one took literally 15 seconds!

Handy's Meme from A-Z

2009-04-02T22:22:00.002-04:00

Brother Drew - I'll best you on this throw down! Since everything is all about ME, this will be EZ!

A: Affectionate
B: Brilliant
C: Cuddly
D: Diva
E: Extravagant
F: Feisty
G: Gorgeous
H: Handy, of course
I: Incredible
J: Joyous
K: Kind, One of a
L: Love love love
M: ME
N: Needed
O: Over the Top because I'm not over the hill at 10 years old!
P: Princess - my mom's name was Beautiful Queen, so I'm a Princess by birthright
Q: Queen - I'll meet you at Rainbow Ridge mums, but I'm a Queen for the moment
R: Rambunctious
S: Special
T: Tinky Winky - the peeps call me this all the time - it must be endearing :-D
U: U know it's all about ME
V: Vivacious
W: Weeee, We get to ride in the ROO
X: Xtra Special
Y: Y - Because I said so!
Z: Zoomie - I was the '01 Derby Champ at JCKC

Garth, it's your turn next... Bet you can't top my list 'Guard Dog'

Meme from A-Z: Drew Style

2009-04-02T17:19:00.002-04:00

Most of you know, Food Rulez my World! So here's my attempt at my A-Z list:

A: Apples - Pink Lady is my favorite, but Honey Crisp will do too
B: Banana's - every good racers recovery fruit
C: Chocolate - peeps say it's poisonous according to the vet bills from my previous adopter
D: Ding Dongs - never had 'em, but they sure look good on commercials
E: Eclairs - more chocolate!
F: French Fries - waffle fries from Chick-fil-A to be specific
G: Green beans - mom's diet food for me :-(
H: Hot Dogs - like me!
I: Ink Pens - they have a good crunch to them
J: Jerky: Beef, Turkey, Goat, Elk, Moose, Caribou, bunny-jerky
K: Kong - all things that fill my Kong every day
L: Liver treats - freeze dried
M: Mooshies - Marshmallows, roo hoo
N: Noodles - whole wheat healthy ones
O: Old Mother Hubbard treats
P: Peanut Butter, Popcorn, Potato Chips, Pig's Ears - my favorite letter of the alpha-bet
Q: Quaker Oats - Quiche just isn't my style
R: Rice - brown and crunchy
S: Steak - medium rare to be exact
T: Tomatoes - picked right from mom and pops plants in the garden! Hee hee
U: U-name it, I'll try it
V: Venison all natural jerky treats
X: X-tra helping of everything, please
Y: Yogurt - the 'fresh aire' solution
Z: Zucchini - raw, not slimy sauteed

The peeps told me I'm supposed to play tag when I finish this. Problem is, Handy and Garth don't like to play tag with me. Are there any other greys out there that want to play tag with Me?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T08:17:00.003-04:00

Oops - Sometimers...

2009-03-28T21:13:00.003-04:00

What can you say, I'm 82 in people years. I forgot to post my winning Photo from the Photo Bone-anza contest. Please see your ever present Princess, er, Queen, pictured in my 4th of July Finery... 1st Place! Roo-hoo, Roo-hoo!

Back From the Beach - Sandy Paws 2009

2009-03-28T20:35:00.005-04:00

Whew, what a windy event, but we still enjoyed a little sand in our toes, the luxury of each sleeping ON our own bed at the condo - some sort of mix up mom said. We like mix ups! There were several notable events to report.

Drew: They said I did a 3-holer. I have no idea what a 3-holer is, but someone took a picture of it and said they were going to post it on their blog. I just thought I was doing an exceptional job of 'taste testing' the BurpDog Biscuits. They were offered to me... until I decided it was easier to help myself to the bowl. I ever so carefully put both paws on the table, without upsetting or knocking anything down, and took a 'couple' of biscuits in one bite. Everyone laughed, so that means I did good, eh?

Garth: I rode my first elevator - holy crap! I didn't like seeing the ground disappearing below me - let me out of this thing, NOW! However, I was especially fond of the ice cream social - my first ever! I didn't like the stairs in the condo - I coaxed Dad to sleep downstairs on the sofa by me so I didn't have to use them much. I came home with a dashing new 2Hounds Design everything Green collar! I know the ladies will like me now!

Handy: I'm the ever present PRINCESS. Did I tell you I was a Princess, er, Queen I mean! I was showered with collars, jackets, 'bling', and donations for SEGA. Oh yeah, and I was the Red, White and Roo Winner in the photo contest. Something about a big ribbon and an electronic photo frame. Who needs that stuff... I was content to prance about to show everyone that a senior is not diminished soul - Dad says I was the high stepper at Sandy Paws! The beach was a little windy for my likes.

Sandy Paws - 4 days and counting....

2009-03-08T22:49:00.005-04:00

Drew and Handy are looking forward to attending their 2nd Sandy Paws event in Jekyll Is, Ga this week! For Garth, it will be a new and challenging experience.

We had hoped to stay in our same room on the 2nd floor overlooking the beach at the south end of the resort, but Garth is very challenged by stairs lately, so we'll be on the 1st floor to make his stay more wonderful.

Garth will be modeling his new Pirate Costume, and Handy will be in her Easter Best. Drew gets a bye this year since he dressed as Santa's Little Helper last year. He was considering as going as Deputy Dog, but he couldn't find any custom chaps to fit his strappin' hind quarters.

We'll post some pictures when we get back - the weather schedule is still mixed. We just hope it doesn't flood like last year!

Drew and Handy are both looking forward to the Ice Cream Social after dinner on Friday! It was definitely a high point of their vacation (2nd to getting to sleep on the bed!).

Vote For Drew - Bissell MVP Photo Contest 2009

2009-03-03T19:10:00.003-05:00

Drew is a ham-bone. He'll do anything for a little attention. He's also a well know 'Poser'. His photo will be displayed March 3-10 at the Bissell website. The top 5 photos as voted by the viewer will advance to the finals in several weeks. The overall winner will be awarded a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice. Drew's favorite is Southeastern Greyhound Adoption - the group that got him his current gig at Poolie's Pooch Palace in Hiram, GA.

He is featured with a few of his latest 'reading accomplishments'. His favorite was Animal Speak. He says personally Handy holds the TALKING STICK in our family; he just listens. He's heard the success to a good READing Paws partner is listening 80% of the time, and begging for treats the other 20% of the time. Personally, I think he has his statistics backwards. He's begging most of the time when we're out in public - more like begging 95%, listening 5% of the time!

READing Paws

2009-02-21T18:11:00.007-05:00

I came across information about the Georgia READing Paws program at Beechwood Trails Pet Lodge when Drew and Handy stayed for a few days last year. In January, I signed up to take the people training part of the class.

The mission of READing Paws is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of nationally registered therapy animal-owner/handler teams as literacy mentors.

READing Paws utilizes nationally registered animal-owner/handler Therapy Teams who volunteer to go to schools, libraries and many other settings as reading companions for children. The utilization of registered therapy teams is the foundation of READing Paws, in order to ensure that the animals have been trained and tested for health and safety, appropriate skills and temperament, and have been insured for liability.

Joan Wakeling, a fellow SEGC member and fantastic quilting artist, has agreed to make a special quilt for Drew and the children to read on. The quilt will define the learning boundaries during the reading sessions where Drew, the child and I will sit together going through a book. I can't wait to see how it turns out! Drew agreed to 'pretend' he was interested in reading - about Greyhounds of course as you can see from his photo.

Drew has his AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate, but needs to get certified as a therapy dog for this mission, so he is in the process of being tested by Therapy Dogs, Inc. Once that is completed, then Intermountain Therapy Animals will certify him as well without additional testing. The next step is a shadowing visit with a team that is performing reading at a school, library or bookstore in the community. Once that is checked off, we can start a therapy session at a school or library near where we live. At my training session in January, there were only 24 teams in the state of Georgia performing this community service. READing Paws hopes to add 55 more teams this year. Our class had 10 participants, and a fellow SEGC member, Paula Snell and her whippet Scout are participating in the shadowing next weekend. Scout is not only a Delta Society certified therapy dog, he also a master at agility, obedience and rally.

There is a waiting list of schools and libraries in central Georgia that want this program for their young readers. Will you consider giving some of your time to make a difference in the life of a child?

"It's not what's in front of you that blocks your way, it's what's inside of you that holds you back" ~ Robin Williams as Mork cir. 1980.

Drew's Back in the Saddle!

2009-02-16T21:19:00.002-05:00

The tests are back. Drew has early stages of Arthritis in his right front shoulder, and that's it! His intermittent limp in the hind end did not present itself in the X-Rays, however... his little Tea Lite party from December did. He is still carrying around small, pea gravel sized wads of wax in his stomach. The vet thought they were rocks, but we watch him like a hawk in the backyard at playtime; he's never to be trusted alone. It seems that several of these 'Pea-lites' passed today during his stay at the vet's office.

He started on Adequan for his arthritis after we confirmed there wasn't anything else going on with his bones and joints. We'll be making two trips to the vet each week for the next 6-8 weeks and then a tune up once a month after that to keep his joints as healthy as can be. I've been told it works wonders in horses.

He bounded out of the back room like a pup again or a kid in a candy shop, "Where's the treats? I was really good today! I didn't even need a sedative for my hip X-rays. Doc said I was the perfect patient!" Drew, we wish you didn't have so much practice as the patient, darling! He's also taken another pound off - he's officially below 85 pounds - 84.3 to be exact! That's 5 pounds since last August. Way to go Drew!

Go Drew Go

2009-02-08T20:57:00.010-05:00

Jon and I have been a little worried about our Drew lately. He's developed 'the limp'. We visited the vet on Tuesday (Drew's 2nd Gotcha Day) for a check up and some X-rays. Dr. Lugar wasn't able to get a shot of his hips since initially he was only lame in his right front leg/shoulder. So from what she was able to shoot, he is developing arthritis in his right front shoulder. His rear knee and lower leg looked fine. She suggested Adequan for his arthritis since it is in the early stages.

She also indicated his thyroid was a little low, but wanted to retest to be sure since he isn't displaying any of the typical symptoms.

As you can see from this video, he doesn't appear to be lame. Problem is that he 'loses his head' when it comes to playtime, and even if he is hurt, he forgets! This was 2 weeks ago when we returned from the inaugural National Lure Coursing Club meet in Cartersville. We'd hoped to let him chase the lure once since he loves to run and chase, but it appears this isn't in Drew's future. We'll stick to the READing Paws therapy goal for now.

Dog Days of Summer

2009-02-02T20:28:00.023-05:00

Oh When Oh When is our summer coming again? Rumor has it that General Beauregard Lee, PhD, Georgia's very own special groundhog, is forecasting an early spring! Sounds like he's about the only February 2nd Weather Prognosticator that is! Drew says that suits him just fine. He and Handy are ready to do a little running in the back yard. Drew our Keep Away Monster and Handy our Prissy Princess spending a little quality time in the backyard last Labor Day weekend...

New Duds for the Buds!

2009-02-01T21:28:00.009-05:00

Garth has been in our care for 2 months now, and we finally have a beautiful new jacket for him. We fell behind the Christmas orders, but there wasn't a hurry. Brother Drew loaned his London Fog coat temporarily while Garth's was being made to order: 28" L x 31" G x 10" C (length, girth, chest). His measurements were quite different from Drew's. Garth has a cute hump in his back which makes his girth measurement a few inches larger than Drew's even though he's 15 lbs lighter on the scale.

With the winter season still with us, we thought it appropriate to order his a jacket with fall leaves on it. We're surrounded by stand of hard woods, and many are red oaks, known for dropping their leaves in the spring. Garth looks so dashing in his new design by Kerry McMullen of NoNudeHounds designs. Kerry posts the photos of her jackets being modeled by the subjects she makes them for. There is a cute picture of Handy and Drew on the bed at Sandy Paws wearing the jackets that Kerry made for them last year.

Garth also received a rain jacket, but since it hasn't rained yet, he hasn't modeled it. It is an olive green with a moose camping motif in flannel as a liner. Kerry extended the flannel lining around the neck to give a nice accent. If you want special home made jammies, unitards, jackets or raincoats, please visit Kerry's website at www.nonudehounds.com.

For those of you who have seen Drew in his Pope HS Football Jersey, Kerry made that up for him in 2-days so Drew could wear it to 4 of the 6 home games this year. Drew and the Pope HS Students really love his matching outfit. I've attached a video of Drew as the Mascot at the Homecoming Football game in October. It was the first home game the Greyhounds had won all year. Maybe Drew and his goofy run down the field had something to do with that! Go Drew, Go Greyhounds!

Knitted Angel Greyhound

2009-01-18T21:24:00.007-05:00

Meet Angel - I won her in a GPA auction fundraiser this fall. She has taken up residence in Anchorage, Alaska with my mom. My mom is a retired physical therapist who spends most of her time divided between gardening, gold mining and fiber arts such as spinning, knitting and felting wool. I figured if I sent Angel to her, Angel might have 'puppies' to share next holiday season. Mom spends quite a bit of time knitting custom decorative chemo caps for patients at Providence Hospital in Anchorage.

I know we have several knitters in our club, and I hope this might be inspiration for you come up with your own "Angel" greyt pet. Angel's just a petite version of Ms. Petmytail. I'm hoping mom will card and spin up some brindle colored yarn and do a Handy look alike for Handy's Gotcha Day next December. I've seen mom's attempt at making a felt casting of our white persian Rambeau - not a pretty sight. She 'felt' so bad at the finished product, she took it back. I guess getting the body shape and facial expression right is rather difficult when felting, even needle felting.

I hope this is a good enough picture. If you want to try to knit a twin of Angel and need more information, let me know. It might mean taking a trip up to Alaska for a few more detailed photos - darn!

Photo Tag

2009-01-13T19:55:00.004-05:00

Okay, just remember folks, you asked for this. I know the rule is to share the 6th picture from your 6th photo album and tell about it, but I'm organizationally challenged and only have one 'My Pictures' folder with a gazillion images in it. So to simulate some randomness, I opened the folder, scrolled down and just picked one. Well, my selection will probably assure that I never get tagged again, but here goes:

It's about two years ago towards the end of Spring on a wonderful Saturday afternoon when the call of nature knocked so I wandered off to the upstairs hall bathroom, grabbed a magazine to read, sat down and started to flipping pages. All of a sudden there's a splash... Uhhh, what the h#ll, that wasn't me. So quick as a flash I pop up, spin around to find a frog swimming in the toilet. Thank goodness it didn't wait a couple more minutes to announce itself or I might not have been so eager to retrieve it and put it the yard.

Apparently having frogs in your toilet is not that uncommon. Honest, put 'frog in toilet' in Google and see for yourself. Ever notice those pipes that stick up on top of your house? Those are vent pipes. We have a large tree that partially hangs over one corner of the house and the tree frogs fall off onto the roof, why I do not know, and for some even stranger reason feel compelled to jump down those vent pipes. After a short swim they pop up in your toilet. So far we've had it happen twice. One in the down stairs bath and one in the up stairs hall bath.

Now tell me that won't make you look twice before you sit down from now on.

Random Thoughts

2009-01-11T19:10:00.002-05:00

Finally, my first post of the year. Several months ago the hard drive on my computer had an untimely death and since I had to re-install everything anyway I figured I might as well update my machine to Windows Vista. And for those several months I have regretted that decision. So early last week I had had enough and backed up everything (so I thought) that I cared about and went back to Windows XP. This explains my absence from the blogs for the past week. Finding all of the programs I've downloaded and install over the past 5 years was quite a treasure hunt. At least I make backups occasionally. So I'm back and have much catching up to do.

I love our muppies. The last two weeks of the year I burned my unused vacation and pretty much just stayed around the house. So me and pups got to spend lots of time together doing a little bonding. It was great to be able to spend time with Garth. His new nickname is 'The Toy Man'. The three of them are so different. Kinda strange, but I've noticed that they each have a unique smell. I could pick them out blindfolded. Anyone else with multiple hounds notice that? I think I had a little SA those first couple days back at work.

I see that I've been tagged (a couple times) to show the 6th picture in the 6th folder of my photo gallery. I appreciate that you guys think I'm organized enough to have 6 folders... HA! I have like 1 folder with about 6 thousand pictures in it, but I will pull out something interesting and post it in short order :-)

Yo Santa Drew - Elf Garth at Your Service

2008-12-24T00:34:00.003-05:00

Hey Santa Drew,

I've got Mommy and Daddy's presents hidden behind the tree... actually I'm trying to hide one in this picture, but I'm not doing a very good job. I guess you could call me Hound Elf, 3rd Class (since this is my 3rd and final bounce). I'm still learning the ropes, but should be all ready to join you on your sleigh ride delivering packages tomorrow night.

If I heard Mommy and Daddy right, they said they were taking us on a W-A-L-K tomorrow night through the neighborhood to look at the lights and hand out treats to our friends. Wait a minute, those better not be our treats from our Howliday Pawty!

I saw Daddy hide some toys in my stocking today, shhh... he doesn't know I was looking, but I did. He said no peeking, so I turned my head away for a minute, but I think it another mailman toy. I should have the squeeker killed in under 20 seconds on that lame toy, er, I mean greyt toy!

Santa Drew, thank you for making my Christmas wish come true - a wonderful family who loves me for Christmas! That's the best present ever!

Ho Ho Ho from Santa Drew

2008-12-23T07:19:00.007-05:00

Santa Drew here. I've asked my main elf to post a couple of pictures of me begging... er, uh, putting on a couple extra pounds for my busy day tomorrow evening. We certainly don't want Santa Drew working on an empty stomach now do we? Which reminds me, don't forget to leave me out a tray of cookies. Rumor has it I'm not very picky. Just no wax fruit. Now on to the important stuff. The naughty or nice rule -- out the window. I wouldn't even be able to bring myself a bag of treats with that rule in place. I Santa Drew personally find it almost impossible to stay out of trouble for more than 6 hours. For some reason my elves call me 'Drew No' when I cause mischief. Not sure what's up with that. Elves... go figure.

Any who, I'm off to take a nap. Santa Drew needs his beauty sleep you know. I'll see all the wonderful greyhounds of the world tomorrow night.

PS: don't tell Handy and Garth, but they're really not getting a bag of coal under the tree. I just made that up because they took the couch the other night.

UPDATE: This is Santa Drew again. Hopefully I can get off probation before tomorrow evening. To underscore the reason that I removed the naught rule, when Daddy elf and Handy went to the mailbox I suddenly felt compelled to rip to shreds one of Mommy elf's favorite Cooking Light magazines. I was just looking for healthy cookie recipes... honest. It's not my fault they make um out of flimsy old paper.

Garth aces his first public outing

2008-12-22T08:52:00.002-05:00

I'm so proud of our little man Garfy. Yesterday he ventured out to his first greyhound social event (the howliday treat exchange) and he took it in like a champ. I was a little unsure how he would handle it. When we picked him up at the kennel he was initially a bit shy and his first trip to PetSmart was almost sensory overload for him, but over the last month his confidence level has really grown.

So with optimisim we took him into a room full of 30 some old unfamiliar hounds and about the same number of strange people. He quickly got in line to sniff every rear-end in sight and seemed to enjoy the attention he got.

Handy on the other hand, was just generally put out with us that we disrrupted her Sunday afternoon nap to take her to that noisy place. She stood the entire 3 hours. I did share my pizza crust with her, which is one of her favorites, so all was not lost.

Drew... well, was typical Drew. He made an apperance in his Santa's Helper costume (complete with fake beard this year) then promptly layed in the floor the rest of the afternoon. Sometimes I think he's more three-toed sloth than greyhound.

Garfy... 2 weeks and counting

2008-12-10T22:05:00.004-05:00

Wow, a little over two weeks have passed since the sweet little man Garth came to live with us. I just wanted to give a quick update on him.

Before we got him Marie had mentioned to the vet that she noticed a lump on his throat, so when we took him back for his dental and to have his stitches removed they looked at the nickle sized spot and decided to remove it. They sent it off for a biopsy and we're happy to report that it was benign. So now he has more stitches. That and during his dental they removed several of his front teeth... poor guy. Being the complete optimist that he is, none of this has gotten him down :-)

We have discovered that he REALLY likes squeaky toys despite what his previous owners said. He has a particular love of the ones that have the box inside them like the screaming money. All of those around the house are now broken. The last one he killed took all of 30 seconds to silence... and he loves tennis balls!

Basically Garth is just being the great sweet lovable hound we knew he would be and he's a great addition to our expanding pack.

Seniors rock!!!

Handy's Gotcha Day!

2008-12-08T22:36:00.008-05:00

We've officially had our Handy for one year today! She's really brought some spirit into our lives. She turned 10 in September, and you wouldn't know it from the wheelies she pulls in the foyer when her leash jingles, or by the skids she leaves on the linoleum as she slides sideways to the back door. She's always up for a car ride especially, or a little zoomie in the back yard.

I know you're thinking - did she get the cat? No, that's Scrappy that she's kissing. Scrappy thinks he's the alpha pet in our kingdom. He ceremoniously chases and scratches the hounds when they first come to the Poolie animal kingdom, just so they know who's boss. Handy went along with his prank to appease him. She already knows who's the boss, and that all righteous royalty live inside the house, not outside!

We found Scrappy in the retention pond behind our house 3 years ago. He only had fur on his head and tail; he was bare skin everywhere else. He weighed 4 lbs, and is missing parts of both ears with many scratches on his body. We can say he is the best 'guard animal' we have. He sits on the driveway at the street and warns all the other neighborhood animals to steer clear of his property line. I've seen him duking it out with an opposum on the back porch over a bowl of catfood. You guessed it - the opposum took flight off the deck, missed the stairs, went boom on the ground, and took off running for a tree. Scrappy was in hot pursuit to make sure he went where he camest from...

Tea for two?

2008-12-04T21:09:00.003-05:00

Rumor has it that our knuckle-head Drew will eat practically anything that will fit in his mouth. I believe this picture pretty much confirms that suspicion. Before you are the remains of 16 tea lights after Drew decided they might make a good mid afternoon snack. These aren't even scented candles, just your basic old white blobs of wax. Tell me tomorrow morning's poop won't be an interesting one. Sometimes I honestly think he has a death wish.

Where's Da Sunglasses When You Need 'Em?

2008-12-04T10:37:00.002-05:00

Ma, where's our Doggles? The setting sun is a little too bright for our eyes on this day! Can you say Squinting!

We had a wonderful walk on the Silver Comet Trail and are ready to go back as soon as the Roo heads that way again!

Drew, Handy and Garth

WOW, What O Woad...

2008-12-01T21:41:00.003-05:00

Handy, Drew - I've never seen such a wide open road before! Drew, thanks for lending me your oversized jacket; it's a little chilly out this evening. When mom and dad said, "Let's go for a walk," I never thought it would be so great. I know I tend to get 'just a wee bit' excited when it's time for a walk. There are so many 'smells' that need checked out. I know I'm just the hound for the job...

Hey Drew, that was so cool when you jumped up on the bank to catch the squirrel! I know you must have jumped up 3 dog lengths to get to him. Just a few more inches, and you woulda had him.... better luck next time.

Miss Handy, you're quite a walker. I can barely keep up with those little pistons you're walkin' on. I guess that's why mom and dad call you their little Pistol, huh?

Garth, signing off...

Our First Road Trip Together...

2008-12-01T21:31:00.004-05:00

went without a hitch! We rode in the Roo down to the Silver Comet Trail, about a 5 minute ride from the house. Momma said watch out for that Handy girl to growl at me, but I never heard her on the way there. Drew on the other hand, took up so much space, I didn't have any room to lay down too, so I stood over him with my nose out the window. Handy kept bumpin' me with her blue mask. It didn't feel too good; I guess she doesn't like it too well.

I liked riding with my new best friends. I hope we get to go again soon!

Handy figures out what Drew's good for

2008-11-28T21:06:00.004-05:00

Being a cushy seat of course. Handy was convinced that there was plenty of room on the couch to sit next to her mom even if that means sitting on top of Drew to do so. Where there's a will, there's a way. Sometimes it's hard being a princess.

Poor Drew, he just sat there like a stump on a log and took it.

It's official...

2008-11-28T18:45:00.003-05:00

Well, I think we officially hold the shortest time record between fostering and failed fostering. After just two short days I just filled out Mr Garth's adoption papers and let Suzanne know we wanted to seal the deal. He is just the sweetest little guy you could ask for.

and Garth makes three

2008-11-27T11:43:00.002-05:00

What's the old saying... a picture paints a thousand words? Well due to Thanksgiving this will have to do till later tonight when I can give a more details about Garth's first day with us. But looking at the picture below it's obvious things went pretty well :-) Drew (being the gentle soul that he is) didn't mind a bit having a bunk mate.

Tomorrow's the big day!

2008-11-25T19:34:00.002-05:00

What excitement, tomorrow afternoon we meet Maria Peter's at the kennel for the handover of our future fur child Garth. 'Technically' we're just fostering him for now, but we have every intention of failing our first foster attempt. A large box was delivered today containing Garth's very own Orvis monogrammed bed in it so how could we possibly not keep him???

The pups get their own blog

2008-11-24T20:38:00.002-05:00

Drew-Bee-Doo and Handy-Roo have been telling me they want their own blog so that others on the internet can read about all the fun and goofy things they get to do around the house. They're not very good at typing so I guess that's where I come in... not that I'm much better. At least I don't slobber so much on the keyboard.

They're both laying on the couch oblivious to the pending arrival of their new step brother Garth. Oh, what a handsome fella he is.... can't wait!