Learning about life with greys.

Vacation in Mobile

2009-11-05T15:26:00.008-06:00

We left to go visit our friends in Mobile.

We stayed on the 10th floor of the Holiday Inn in downtown.

This was our view.

Look at that construction. Just past that is the bay.
More construction. It was a lovely view, made me wanna wear a hard hat while we slept.There was also a very cool battle ship museum.

I could only get pics while we were driving down the road so this is a little off center :(

We went to the Original Oyster house where they had huge stuffed sharks everywhere.

There was a lovely view of the water from our table. Unfortunately, this was the closest we got to the water cause the weather was horrible the next day when we were supposed to go kayaking.

I love going to restaurants where they literally have fresh food.

The next morning we were up early and decided to go to the hotel's restaurant down stairs for breakfast.

No continental breakfast for us. Holiday Inn's gross excuse for a breakfast came along with bad service, burnt french toast, undercooked waffles, and a pricey bill. But the OJ was good.

So we skipped out on the bill and they put my Hunny Bunny in jail.

Ok, not really. They had a really cool police museum, and with Hunny Bunny doing what he does for a living, of course we had to go.

Of course....boys are going to be boys.

After we enjoyed our time around Mobile we went and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at an indoor shooting range.

These are some happy boys with their loud toys.

Very proud Hunny Bunny.
In addition to being a great shot, he also received a Officer's award at the department last night for catching a robber in an awesome chase.

Oh, yes, armed, dangerous, and all mine.

I don't think he stopped smiling the entire time we were at the shooting range. He really enjoys shooting.

I had and opportunity to shoot my first gun.

I think I did ok for my very first time.

Maybe next time we will have the opportunity to enjoy the water and bring the puppers with us.

Yes, I know, an entire post with nothing mentioned about my fur babies. They spent the weekend being cared for by their Aunt TT whom they love dearly. When we got home, they didn't even seem to notice we had been gone for two whole nights, if that tells you how much fun they had with her puppy sitting.

Gypsey

2009-10-03T11:20:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I started hearing yelping while the dogs were outside. I could not prove who it was because I never saw anyone do it and everyone would always come in happy as can be. Well a few days passed and I tried to spy on then through the window but could never find the dog that was hurting. It only took time before I found out it was Gypsey. She finally got to the point of screaming and limping she was hurting so badly. I started her on an anti-inflammatory for a few days and things seemed a bit better. A week passed and she started screaming and limping again. I was quite distraught at this point. My job often makes me think the worst. The fact that the pain meds weren't working anymore had me fearful of bone cancer. Having already lost one grey to cancer, I have dreaded even the thought of it in one of my pups now.

I took her to the clinic and did x-rays and didn't find much. That should be a good thing...right? I was even more upset, because how do you fix something that you don't know what it is. Well my fave Doctor, Dr. W, palpated her and found out we were having problems with our neck. Gypsey was started on steroids for a few weeks to see if that helped.

The first week was great. The steroids provided enough pain control she was comfortable again and we weren't having any side effects from the steroids. Unfortunately after the week passed we started having the same problems we were having with the anti-inflammatory, she was screaming and limping again.

I called Dr. W upset and she recommended Tramadol for added pain control. I did and we made it thought another week. Unfortunately, sometime during all this the side effects of the steriod caught up with us. Gypsey started peeing in the floor every 45 min and drinking the water bowl dry every time she found water in it. This point was a pain to get through, especially because we had house guest during this time and a giant pool of greyhound pee in the kitchen is not something you want your guest to have to clean up while you are away :( But this guest was the best and a trooper. Thanks Patrick.

Gypsey stopped eating during this time as well, just to add to the fun of it all. I would rejoice on the days she would eat at least a couple of cups of food, but some days she wouldn't even do that much for me. My little batty, crazy, old lady was starting to look like a bag of bones.

I've not posted anything about her because I've not been sure if there would ever be anything happy to post about her again. I was feeling like the end was near for this almost 13 year old grey. Until a few days ago. She ate a bite or two of her breakfast and all of her dinner. Then she started eating her food and checking to see if anyone else had anything left. Then she started to be annoying again, picking at you to pet her and rubbing that cold wet nose on you if you didn't. I've kept my excitement down because these are all little things that could change at the drop of a hat. But the reason I am finally posting about her progress you ask? I caught her digging my apple tree up. LOL I hate the apple tree anyway, but this entire time she's been sick she hasn't dug a single hole in the back yard. I don't know what she eats in the dirt, but she digs and eats something because I catch her doing it all the time.

So happiness, I think we will be ok for a while longer with Miss Gypsey.

Mardi Greys

2009-09-24T18:09:00.008-05:00

This past Saturday we had a lovely time at New Orleans Bar and Grill. They were kind enough to allow us to bring our greys out to meet the public on their patio and raise some much needed green for our adoption groups. The entire get together was a wonderful success thanks to Vicki. I believe that between the silent auction and the 10%+ the restaurant donated from their sales that evening we made about $500!

I did get pictures....but a certain greyhound (Dan) was a big distraction...oh and the wonderful food I was trying to eat while attached to said greyhound was an even bigger distraction. So not many pictures from me for the event and the few that I did get were not very good at all. What matters is that Vicki throws a greyt shin-dig and Dan and I got to have a lovely evening together.

Dan met a lot of new greyhounds...

This was the only pic I could find where he was meeting the dog from a humanly acceptable way.

This is Olive. She is one of our buddies from Bham Greys. She was sweet enough to wear a donation jacket.

(I made the jacket!!! I has some skillz, though they are limited.)

This is Vicki, she put this entire fun raiser together. We all spent our time trying to untie leashes from tangled dogs/humans.

We had a few "honorary" greys.
Donation collector #1.

Donation Collector #2

This is how we park our greys while we tried to enjoy dinner. Don't worry, their owners were all sitting just out of the shot.

Sweet old girls, Mandy and Ester.

Bo is so photogenic.

Bo's sister Aztec would disagree and tell you she is prettier.

Lol, this would be how I ate my dinner as well. Grey crumb catcher.

This is a shot of part of our little get together on the patio.

Mardi Greys

2009-09-17T09:44:00.003-05:00

Yep, I'm still neglecting my blog. I should have a fun update Saturday. The boys and I will be going to Mardi Greys at The New Orleans Bar and Grill. If anyone is in the Birmingham area and would like to attend our local greyhound adoption groups would really enjoy it. Thanks Vicki for putting this together. We are super excited to be going. This is the link to the invite.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=126578036229&index=1

New and shiny life

2009-09-03T13:12:00.003-05:00

I really have been neglecting my blog. Sorry Bloggy.

In the past few months I've made some big life changing leaps in my life. I'm hoping all for the best, but I guess only time will tell. I need to really get back into agility with Dan, but all in good time. For now I'm enjoying this lovely pre-fall weather by getting out and jogging again. 18 lbs lost and about 12 more to go. I've tried to include the puppers in my morning and afternoon jaunts. Set has no interest and I end up towing him on the leash which is no fun for either of us. Dan is, as always, happy to go and do, but after last weeks pulled muscle in his hammys he is taking some needed time off.

They were a motley duo last week. Set was limping on his shoulder and Dan on his hind end. You would have thought I'd beaten them, we were just walking!
I'll get back to fun pic of the pups soon enough. But until then, I'll be enjoying some great company of long, loved friends, living it up in my new and shiny life, and concentrating on loosing this last little bit of weight that has crept up on me over the last couple of years. I'm enjoying life away from the computer for a while. It is quite lovely, you should stop reading this right now and just go outside for a bit. You'll like it...really.

Sunday morning

2009-08-23T23:06:00.005-05:00

Sunday morning I hoped out of bed just in time to pack the boys up to head to the romp so they could play with their buddies and I could get some much needed happy time with friends after a really bad week. We drove all of ten minutes from the house when I got a call from the clinic saying they needed one of the boys for a blood transfusion. So we turned the little Yaris around and headed back to town. The boys were quite confused, they understand when it is Sunday and we are going to a romp. The fact that we were going the wrong way was very evident to them.

We got to the clinic and the boys checked the place out as usual.

Set was happy because he knew it wasn't his turn to get pocked with needles, he went last time.
What he had forgotten about was the canned food treat they always get at the end of donating. Set did get a little sad about missing out on that.

Dr. S had the pleasure of dealing with me and my over- protective ways. She did a wonderful job; one stick, no trouble, and finished in a hurry. She truly is a Rock Star in my book.

Dan is such a good boy. Here he is on his pallet while Dr. S is getting ready to stab him with a really big needle in the jugular.

30 min later and he got to enjoy his morning snack and all was forgiven for such a sucky start to what was supposed to be a great morning.

Since Dan couldn't go run after donating, I decided we should still get out and enjoy the weather. We went to a local park for a nice long walk through the bike trails.

I couldn't resist the stereotypical dog and fire hydrant pic. If you are wondering what the big orange thing around Dan's neck is, it is his 'band-aid' from where he gave blood.

The weather was cool and crisp and the trails are so nice and secluded.

The boys love going down these trails because there is almost always a squirrel or a rabbit near by that will jump out at any moment.

The trail opens up into a large field of kudzu. It is so pretty.

It is a little scary how much the kudzu takes over. There aren't many trees in this area that don't have it hanging from the branches.

The bike trails also have a bunch of old land marks that are fun to speculate what they were once used for.

When we came out on the other end it was still a beautiful day. I'm so glad I have my boys to make me happy. They are the best company a girl could ask for.

On Vay-cay

2009-08-12T08:41:00.004-05:00

I'm really having a 'tuff' week right now.

There is sand everywhere.

There are these little fishes that keep biting my toes and we can't catch them.
I can only skate in a circle.

All of my friends look better in pics then I do.

I din't get to meat Harry, so these just gave me a pic instead.

Did I mention the sand?

My towel doesn't match my top.

And it is just so hot here we've got to sit under the water fall to keep cool.

These planes keep flying by with promises of food (torture).

Did I mention how cute my friends are?

And the sea gulls look weird...oh wait that is a pigeon! I guess they gots to go to da beach too.

There Scuttle is.

Sorry, enjoying the lovely beaches of Panama City right now. I guess I'll come back and play with the blog in a week or so. But for now, please be envious of these lovely photos.

Fun Romp

2009-07-19T23:46:00.006-05:00

I decided to buy another "Trixie" bed since everyone seems to like the first one I got. My line of thinking was that Trixie would at least get to use one or the other bed...

Well, for now, at least the boys are happy even if poor Trix is stuck sleeping on the carpet.

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We finally made it back out to a romp this morning.

Set soaked up this girl time. Look at him, he is leaping for joy to be hanging with such lovely girls.

My boys don't actually hang together much at romps, they like to mingle. So this was a rare photo op.

While this morning was one of the cooler ones we have had in a while, it still got warm. Aztec was really enjoying her down time.

Set chillin' with one of his lady friends.

Rags is so cool. He got a little too hot running, so he was put in time out to cool down.

This is Ruth playing with the squawker. Someone always brings one to encourage the pups to run. Please note that those two dogs loitering around her feet are my two. Everyone else goes away and waits to hear the sound before they run, my guys simply acknowledge where it is and hover till the sound goes off. They aren't stupid enough to have to run ALL the way across that soccer field again.

I love Ginger's colors. She is kinda like a pastel color.

For some reason the next few pics make me hear the Bay Watch theme in my head...

I didn't realize till now how many pics I have of Set running. He is such a different dog then when I first got him, thank goodness. lol All the pics I have from before I brought him home were of him passed out on the field from exhaustion.

Pretty girl.

Look at those ears! I don't think they would have stood any taller if we would have glued them that way.

We had a good time this morning. Too bad it never lasts more then about 30 min in the hot summer time. It takes me about and hour to drive out to the field where the dogs run, I guess it is still worth the drive if the dogs have a good time. I will have to say they did because after we got home they slept the rest of the day.

Puppy sitting...or not.

2009-07-15T22:02:00.002-05:00

Dan is enjoying his new collar from Fido's Fashion Collars

I ordered one for Set too, but his isn't here yet. The same company owns another web site called Phat Straps. They sell camera straps, so I ordered a camera strap to match the boys' new leash and collars. We all match!

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Dayo has gotten so big!

It is hard to believe this 60+ lb monster came from this sweet little rambunctious puppy.
Dayo has been spunky from the start, unfortunately with age he hasn't slowed any. His mom is gone to the beach this weekend and he is supposed to stay with me....I'm not sure it is going to work out.
He is quite interested in my pups, in a "I haven't been neutered yet" kind of way. Because of his illness everyone is reluctant to put him under anesthesia to neuter him for fear of bringing on more seizures. By the way we have confirmed that Dayo has Lymes disease. It's not very common in dogs.
Trixie can demonstrate how it has been going between Dayo and all four of my dogs...
First there is interest
Then there is too much interest and a warning is given.

Because Dayo is still so young, he doesn't quite get the meaning of "I will eat you for dinner" so he tries over and over and over again.

After hour two, I finally decided it was time to call his mom and let her know he is going to have to go to the kennel with the rest of his house mates. I feel bad, but I would feel even worse if someone got hurt from all of this bickering. Dayo is going to spend the night here because it is so late, but in the morning he is going to have to spend the rest of the weekend at the kennel.

This is a good reminder that greyhounds are a completely different dog. Pit bull is persistent, greyhound is sleepy. I love my Dayo, but the rest the pups have had enough of him.

Randomness

2009-07-09T22:13:00.002-05:00

Today I went from this:

To spending 2 1/2 hours doing this:
To this:

Not sure how much I like it yet. I'll give it a few weeks then I'll prolly turn it back purple.

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The rest of this post is just plain random.

I had the opportunity to get a sweet adorable pic of Gypsey-Busy-Bee sitting still and looking adoringly sweet. So I took it and now I am sharing with the world what she looks like when she isn't being annoying.

(Very misleading)

Dan also decided to try out the new small dog bed and wedged himself in it completely. Trixie has resigned herself to lay on the laminent floor to make me feel sorry for her. She hasn't gotten to sleep in her new bed once since we've gotten it home.

I got the sewing machine out last night and produced a new dog jacked and a few collar covers.

I had this random crap of fabric left over...

So the boys got a chance to model.

Set is really workin the camera with that sly wink.

Then we turned the new head dress into a chew toy.

Next up was Dan. Gotta love that "you gotta be kidding" look.

Does this bed make my butt look big?

2009-07-07T20:52:00.002-05:00

I went to Sam's the other day. To my surprise they have a very large pet isle now. I found a very plush dog bed that was just right for Miss Trix and bought it. Trixie spent the night at work with me last night and thoroughly enjoyed her new bed. We came home this morning after the shift ended and put Trix's new bed in the living room for her to use.

As anyone with greyhounds and smaller dogs living together can tell you, the greyhounds MUST see if the new small dog bed will fit them too....

Gypsey is the biggest bed stealer I've ever met. I will give it to her, she did squeeze in there quite well. Just a little bit of spillage over the edge.

Set on the other hand...
I just didn't have the heart to tell him his butt is a little too big for this tiny little bed.

So no, poor Trixie hasn't gotten to lay in her new bed since we got home. But she did finally get to reclaim her old bed that the greyhounds stole and have now forgotten about because of the excitement of the new bed. Honestly I have stopped buying big dog beds. There is no point. The greys would prefer Trixie's beds. I bought them a mattress and none of them would lay on it, so after six months I finally gifted it to their Aunt Kim and her dogs are loving it. I bought all the greys large beds for their crates, but I won't buy then for the living room. Even if the dogs sleep on them they only sleep on the corner leaving their head and butt on the ground. So I figure why spend twice as much if they are only going to use a piece of the bed when I can buy a cheaper bed and they get the same usage out of it? Silly hounds.

Macro and the dogs

2009-06-30T13:31:00.003-05:00

I really don't use the full range of setting on my camera. Sometimes it is just easier to just point and click and see if it comes out ok.

Today I decided to play with the macro setting and the pups.

I love the pups tags. I got them from Lucky Pet.
She almost looks sweet when she is sleeping.

Note to self: before taking close ups of the carpet...vacuum! This is what I get with having four dogs.

It has only taken a year to get a shot of these two so close together willingly.

I love this nose, it is my favorite. Always warm and dry when he gooses me. Everyone else goes to the water dish and gets their nose nice and cold and wet then comes and sees me. Burrr

This is the only shot of Gypers I could get. You see, you have to get a still shot with the macro setting and well...Gypsey doesn't sit still for any reason.

Sweet face

Sweet sweet boy

GreyHaul

2009-06-25T10:33:00.003-05:00

I spent yesterday hauling greyhounds.

A local vet school was retiring their blood donors and needed to find a new place for them to go. The school said ordinarily the vet students adopt the hounds, but this time around they didn't have any takers. The school contacted the president of our GPA and she agreed to find homes for these pups.

Lucky me, my old bosses agreed to take in three of the six looking for a new place to live. Yes it sucks that they have to continue to live in a kennel, but it beats having to put them to sleep because no one wants them.

This is Dawg House.

We spent the better part of our two hour trip with him wacking me in the head with his muzzle because he didn't want to sit down with the other greys.I had a few choice words words with him, that he ignored, and he finally lay down on his own. He reminds me a lot of Set. Very stubborn, no respect for others, and he thinks he can throw his weight around to get what he wants.

This sweet heart is Lefty.

The sweet little girl on the far left is Angel.

This was the best I could do riding down the road for a group shot. But look, there was a little more room for one more grey! lol

There is sweet Angel.

I dropped Dawg House off at the clinic he was going to live at and left the other two in the car while we got him situated. I went out to get his paper work to find my car doors locked! Don't worry, the air was running so they weren't in any danger. My Hunny Bunny had to bring me the spare pare of keys to let me back in my car.

Look how innocent they look! Whatever, I know they carefully planned to lock me out of my own car. lol

Everyone settled into their new kennels just fine.

For some of the staff at the clinics the dogs are living at, this is the first time they have ever met a greyhound. We had a quick class on greyhounds and the heat, the bedding they need, and raising the food and water bowls. I hope these greys have as deep of an impact as my first greyhound blood donor. Heart is the sole reason I own greys. She was the first and only grey I had ever seen when she came to live at the clinic for killing the neighbor's cats. I fell deeply in love with her. After she died of bone cancer years later, I promised her I would adopt as least one grey and make sure that dog had a wonderful loving home.

Thank you Heart, for touching my life.

Normal Anatomy

2009-06-23T00:15:00.002-05:00

Vet students spend their first year learning what normal anatomy looks like. They do this in order to be able to tell you that this is not normal.

Can you guess what isn't normal? lol

FYI: if your dog swallows a fish hook (like this one) don't try and pull it out by the fishing line still attached to it. This simply 'sets' the hook in the tissue, much like it does when you yank the fishing pole after the fish bites the hook. We had to go in surgically and cut this one out because the owners had tried so hard to pull this hook out that it was lodged in the trachea really well. The good news is, the surgery went well and this little girl when home all sutured up.

Biking with Kim

2009-06-21T12:20:00.006-05:00

We got up extra early to go biking this morning with the dogs. Even at 6am the temp was hot, 76 degrees! Kim and I opted to go for a short ride with water close by so we could cool the dogs off.

As you can see, Kim is an extreme dog biker.

Kim has a chrome Springer. With the chrome Springer you can attach another arm on the other side of the bike. Kim just doesn't want to buy another arm right now so she just attaches all her dogs to one arm. Safe, you ask? I don't know, we haven't had any problems. Her three pups pull and yank on her Springer and she has yet to have any problems, even with off road biking.

Rags is a different story. He gets his own basket because he is too old (13yrs) and too small to run with the rambunctious group.

(Left to right: Otis, Star, Bingo, and Rags)

The park we rode at today is on the opposite side of the river from the one we usually ride at. This park has shorter trails and easier access to the river. Besides, we love a change of scenery.

Set taking the first water break of the morning.

Rags is so cute in his basket. He never gets left behind just because the big dogs are going to do 'big dog' things. He is the smallest big dog I've ever met in my life.

I LOVE MY RAGGIES!

Small pit stop along the way.

I don't know how Kim juggles so many pups at once.

This was the best I could do getting a shot of Set running with me on the bike. I'll have to get my video camera sometime.

Ha ha

Do you think Horse power is comparable to Dog power? If so, I think Kim has a fast bike.

Soon we were done riding and we put the bikes up so the pups could go play in the water.

Kim's crew never wastes a moment.

I think Otis hears the theme song for Jaws in his head when he is chasing Bingo through the water.

"Duna... duna...Duna, Duna, Duanaaa,..."

Bingo made it past Shark Otis.

Unfortunately for Otis, Star was waiting for him on dry land...
Then "Every body was Kong fu fighting..."

Look at that kick to the jaw!

Meanwhile, Set was cooling off in the river. This is how he started out...

then he started to get a little deeper...

then a little deeper...

Ok, one more cute pic of Rags. The original, bite sized, Rags.

Then there is Otis, the larger more annoying Rags look-a-like.

...and Set got just a bit deeper... Eventually he was submerged completely all the way to his nose.
My dog doesn't swim, he likes to float. lol Maybe I should get him a snorkel.

Set's Dental

2009-06-19T16:54:00.004-05:00

Set chillen' before getting sedated for his dental.

Set: "I'm so sexy, oh so sexy it hurts..."

Me: "You are so full of it, lol."

Set all hooked up and ready for getting his teeth cleaned.

He is almost too long to fit on the wet table.
Today was the same drill as the other day with Dan.
Set's plaque build up is worse the Dan's but his teeth are in better shape.
It is hard to see how thick the plaque is on his teeth from the pic, but after flicking if off with the scaler you could tell it was several millimeters thick.
Look at the difference already.

Next we polish what we have scaled.

Set's mouth has smelled like something died in it since his last dental last year.

Last year I found a large furry fissur in Set's tongue. I picked all the hair I could out before he woke up.

This year this is what is looks like.

The dark part of the hole is full of hair. Only this year instead of being able to pick out, it is buried under tissue and we had to dig a little deeper to get it all out. Thanks to Ginger, we got all the hair out this year. I hope it will heal completely this time around.

This is the right side of his mouth. Look at those gross molars!

Poor thing, he is fresh off the wet table and waking up on his blanket.

Unlike Dan, Set is stubborn and insisted laying there until the world stopped spinning he tried to stand as soon as his eyes opened. I struggled with him for a bit and finally sat in the floor and he went back to sleep in my lap for a bit.

After about 10 more minutes we were outside and in the car.

Set said the fresh air made him feel better.

He finally settled back down before we started on the road. (My my back hatch looks dirty)

The entire furry fam. Please note that Set is asleep in the back.

On an interesting side note: Set came to me from the kennel originally weighing in at 88 lbs (little chunky). I got him down to around 84 lbs and he looked good. I weighed him today before he was sedated and he is now 79.3 lbs! For a greyhound that is at an acceptable weight, loosing several pounds like that is normally evident. Not on Set. Since I've been running him he actually looks buffer to me, not skinnier. Weird.

Dan's Dental

2009-06-18T14:11:00.004-05:00

Dan: "What are we gonna do today?"

Me: "I don't think you wanna know."

Dan: "Um, Okay."

Yesterday I decided it was time to fix what I've been neglecting for the last year. Dan's teeth. I've been a bad pet owner when it comes to their teeth. Greyhounds have terrible teeth as a rule of thumb. I feed kibble, which is better then canned food, but still not optimal dental care. I don't give that many chewy things, which would help break up the plaque, because Dan doesn't chew right. He often looks like a crane trying to gobble down a fish when he is chewing on raw hides and such so I can only give him chews when I am staring at him to make sure he doesn't swallow it whole. This is also part of the reason I haven't started feeding a RAW diet. I can only imagine trying to fish a turkey neck from his throat after he tried to swallow it whole.

I asked my old boss if he minded me cleaning the boys teeth at his clinic and he very graciously said yes. We don't have dental equipment at the emergency clinic because, well teeth are not a life or death situation. I am very thankful I get to clean the boys teeth myself. Not that I don't trust the staff, I just prefer to do it myself, like the controlling owner I am. I choose my own anesthesia protocol and do all the little thing I want/ need to do while they are asleep.

The tools of torture.

Dan gets a I.V. catheter for his initial anesthesia (Propafol) and then for I.V. fluids while he is asleep. He also gets antibiotics and a dental vaccine to try and save his teeth later in life. Unfortunately they haven't made a vaccine to just keep his teeth clean. This vaccine does nothing for the plaque, it simply kills the bacteria that eats and the root of the teeth there for making them fall out eventually.

My poor boy waiting for me to get it over with.

It is always horrific to see your own family with tubes down there throat and needles in their legs. I always get nervous when I have to put any of my critters under. I've never lost one to anesthesia, it is just scary that the possibility is out there, even if it is very very small of a chance.

Look at those teeth!

Yes, they could be worse. Dan already has a heart murmur so keeping his teeth clean is very important to his heart health. All that bacteria in his mouth gets swallowed and goes down his throat and spreads to his internal organs. It can cause heart problems and more as time goes by. Besides, the poor guy already has gingivitis. You can almost see part of the root of that big molar where the gum has started to recede. It is more evident while I was scaling the plaque off.

This this me scaling the plaque off the teeth. It is always very satisfying watching chunks of plaque flicking off one by one.

This is what the teeth look like after the plaque is picked off. A little gum bleeding, but otherwise everything looks good.

Then we polish to fill in all the micro holes we've made in the teeth with the scaler.

This is why you should brush instead of relying on dentals every 6 months to a year. Scaling causes issues in itself. Besides, if you brush like you should then you don't have to sedate your precious precious baby anymore then necessary. BUT if you don't brush the you SHOULD do a dental on your animal at least once a year.

This is the right side of his mouth. Not as bad as the left...except for that molar in the very back. It is the worst looking tooth in his mouth!

We made it through the process and I put Dan on a blankie to finish waking up. Please note the tongue that doesn't fit in the mouth right for now. You can't see the puddle of slobber he is laying in. Poor thing.

Dan: "Whaaat juuusted happppended to meezzz?"

Me: "Well Hunny, we just cleaned you teeth. Now they are all pearly white."

Dan: "Okay, I'm gonnnnas backs to sleep now....zzzzzzz"

Not long after this I loaded Dan in the car and we made the short drive home.

I think most of my guys do so well waking up from anesthesia because they are so familiar with the facilities and I am there when they wake up. I think the familiarity helps a lot with the disorientation of anesthesia. Also my guys aren't nervous going in anyway because where they are being worked on is also the place they play and hang out with their friends. I am thankful for the ability to be so involved in their care. I know most owners do not have this privilege. Unfortunately I also have to watch other peoples pups wake up from anesthesia and be freaked out because they have no clue what is happening or who this strange person is messing with them. Granted, each pup is different. Some wake up badly no matter what you give them or who is there and no amount of comfort from their owner will ever help. Others wake up wonderfully and are thankful for whomever is there to love them.

Dan is a fun drunk. He was SO happy. I've never seen him wag his tail at so many random things in my life. He made it a point to kiss all his house mates when he got home, twice. Such a happy drunk.

Everything went well, Dan's teeth look good.
Today begins us brushing everyday for the rest of his life so maybe we won't have to have another dental any time soon.
Sometime later this week I will also clean Set's teeth. They are awful.

2009-06-18T00:14:00.001-05:00

This is video from this past Sunday's romp. Bill was sweet enough to shoot and then put it on YouTube for us to see. I thought it was cute how Dan was leaping while he was running.
I'm also really happy to say that Set kept up very well this time round. All that bike riding has paid off.

Springer adaptor

2009-06-12T20:42:00.003-05:00

The adaptor arrived yesterday evening for my Springer. It works great to get the Springer arm away from the pedal. I'll have to get more pictures of it later. We were going to go for a ride this afternoon with it, but we've been rained out.

Set's EzyDog harness arrived the day before so now I can take both dogs running...or so I thought. When I ordered Set's harness I asked if they had any suggestion for keeping the harness from rubbing Dan. I followed their suggestions on adjusting it and felt secure in using the harness without extra padding. I am worried that if I start adding to his harness it is just going to be too bulky to fit comfortably.

Off Kim and I went to our local park with wooded bike trails. We were trying to beat the heat with the shade from the trees. Kim took three dogs on her Springer and I had my two. I was a little concerned with the bulk of dogs and the narrow trails but it worked out well. We only ran into one other set of bikers and there were no issues with any bikers getting tangled.

I'm afraid this was Dan's last ride for a while. For one he doesn't enjoy bike riding as much as Set. Dan is happy to go just to get out of the house, but he doesn't have the umpf for it that Set does. Second, the harness left his chest with raw soars and pinch marks, it is going to take a while to heal. I feel so terrible. Dan has such sensitive, thin skin anyway. I've put clothing, soft clothing, on him in the past that even left rub marks. I guess Set is just better suited to this kind of exercise then Dan. I check Set after every ride and his feet and skin are nice and tuff and show no signs of wear. I guess it is just the difference in the two dogs.

I must brag and say how well Set is doing with our rides. When I went to put his harness on yesterday he was bouncing around and dancing in excitement of what was to come. He has been taking direction and praise well while we are riding. This might just be his thing. Finally, I have found something useful for the crazy dog to do with me that we both enjoy.

Rabies clinic

2009-06-11T15:28:00.005-05:00

This week has been our annual rabies vaccine clinic for our county. Each vet in town takes his or her turn going to random places throughout the county, sets up shop, and gives rabies vaccines to the locals that choose to come out.

The purpose of these clinics is a little lost on me. Most people that come to the clinics come because they live way out and don't want to bring their animal to town or they think it is cheaper to go to the clinic. Well as far as cost goes, you get more for your buck if you go to the vet's office. At these clinics the vet only pokes your animal with a needle and give the rabies vax then moves on to the next animal as quickly as possible. If you go the office you have a chance to talk to the vet, they do a physical, and you have the chance to fully vaccinate your animal if you choose. FYI, if you are going to these clinics because you think the rabies vax is cheaper call around town, I know several offices that cost the exact same as these clinics.

Most people that come to these clinics are Kountry folks. I always forget how citi-fied I have become until I go out to these clinics. There was no cell reception while we were out doing clinics, very few houses, a lot of cows, and lots and lots of woods with bugs in them. Another sign that I was well into the country? All the male dogs still had their testicles! I have never seen so many balls in one place in my life. Most people that bring their pets out to these clinics see their pets as 'just a dog' or 'just a cat'. Spending a bunch of extra money on getting them spayed and neutered (let alone bathing the yard dog) is far from their mind. I have gotten quite used to people treating their pets as children, so this seems so weird to me treating a dog like a dog.

These are a few of the stops we made today.

I wish I would have had my camera, my phone was my only option for pics.

This was such a cool old building.

It had obviously been a while since it was used.

At least we got to see these pretty babies while we were working.

That is us, just sitting on the side of this very vacant road.
Yep, this is all that we had for a land mark to find our next stop. A dirt lot in the middle of the woods on the side of the road.

All I can think is that fifty years ago, long before any of us began doing this, there must have been something significant at these places for the original vets to land mark them as stops. These days there are just a very few reminders that there was ever anything in this place.
This was our next stop.

I haven't seen this many pick- ups in my life. At least these dogs came in boxes. Many were simply escorted by a child riding in the back with them!

This box had five little noses poking out.

We did a lot of dog wrangling today. The one in the blue is my very prego boss lady. Long hot days out side are not her idea of fun right now, but she made it through like a trooper.

This was at our last stop of the day. I am not religious, so no this is not a talk on any one's God.

I just find it interesting that we are fighting a battle on educating people about their pets care, yet we still do these clinics to provide minimal preventative treatment for our pets. I was very sad today to see a few people in their early twenties. I understand the older people that come to these clinics. They have probably been doing this their entire lives. What it says to me about the younger people being out at these is that they aren't being educated about proper care and maintenance of their pets.

I am thankful that these pets are at least being vaccinated for rabies instead of going out in the woods , catching it then sharing with their owners. We did meet a lot of very sweet people and pets. There were a few ornery dogs, but not many. Most of the bad ones were dachounds, if that tells you something about the breed. All in all it was a fun time getting out and doing something different today.

Tagged: How I got my dogs

2009-06-07T13:23:00.005-05:00

Kim from House of Spots tagged me to tell the story of how I got my pups.

Trixie came first:

Trixie came to the very first vet clinic I ever worked at after being run over by a car three days previously. She still had the tire tracks across her hip! Her owner didn't know why in the world this four month old puppy was laying around not getting up. What a looser he was. Instead of treatment he wanted to put her to sleep. Dr. M, being the hero he is, talked her owner into signing her over to the clinic to be re homed.

Trixie's leg was amputated because it was broken in so many places. She healed well after surgery and we went to work trying to find her a new home. Trixie tagged me as her new home the moment she was put on the exam table the very first day. I was quite taken with this sweet little girl that liked me so much. She would try and walk on her shattered leg to come see me before it was taken off.

I was not in a good place to have a dog. I was fresh out of high school still living with my mom and four step-siblings in a cramped house. I decided to be a good sport and try and find her a good home, besides, who wouldn't want a cool three legged dog? I remember showing a little boy Trixie one day. His mom was looking for a dog for him and asked if we had any in the kennel that would go well with a 12 year old. I walked the little boy back to the kennel and he simply asked if we had any other dogs after meeting Trix. It broke my heart!

Fast forward two years, I was still living with my mom but the house was a bit more accommodating for a new dog. I finally gave in and took my dog home. Surprise, she had separation anxiety and ate all the mini blinds after I left her with my mom so I could go for a short trip to the store. My very sweet little girl also decided she was going to be dog aggressive after all this time. So for four years Trixie and I delt with her personality issues together. She won out and went to work with me everyday so not to destroy the house. Unfortunately, I work at a vet's office, so there are lots of dogs around. The aggression has never gotten any better with passing dogs. I think old age and the pain of her rear leg have caught up with her because she is much more manageable these days.

Dan was my second:

My Hunny Bunny and I had moved into an apartment that would only allow for one twenty- five pound dog. Living in a college town it makes it difficult to find any rental property that will accept even a cat, let alone a dog. Thanks stupid irresponsible college students. We had lived at this property for about two years when a friend moved in with us temporarily. She had to resign our lease to move in. Upon reading the pet policy I realized that they had change it! Now we could have two pets of any size. I knew right away what kind of dog I wanted to add to our lives, A GREYHOUND!!!!

I set about educating myself about the ins and outs of the breed. I looked at the adoption groups in AL, read everything I could get my hands on, asked every question I could think of of my vet friends (sorry guys), and bought a new car that could accommodate my new pup.

We went to the Birmingham Race track and looked at their adoption kennel. Our first trip we picked out about three dogs to choose from. I knew I wanted a friendly welcoming dog that gets along well with other dogs. My years with Trixie have felt like dog-jail to me at times.

While we were visiting with one of my picks from the kennel, the kennel staff had a nice looking black greyhound running around, just hanging out. He was friendly and cool, not as aloof as the ones we got out of the kennels. My Hunny Bun and I went home and talked about the dogs and which ones we liked. The black one had caught my Hunny's attention especially because when he drank from the water bowl he didn't splash as much water, lol. Greyhounds are messy drinkers because of their narrow muzzles, if you didn't already know. I took my best friend for my next trip up to the kennel. I looked at two dogs that day. The black one and another one that had seemed sweet. I took them to a large turn out pin one at a time to see which was interested in toys, treats, and me. Dan won out and we brought him home that day. Someone else had previously looked at him and said they wanted him so he had already been neutered and his teeth cleaned, he was ready to go.

Dan has been the easiest catch ever. I have never ever regretted picking the plain black dog over all the other flashy greys. He's just my wonderful wonderful boy.

Gypsey was next:

Gypsey lived at a branch of the vet clinic that I used to work at. She lived with another black greyhound named Nanny Goat. When Nanny Goat died unexpectedly two years ago Gypsey was very distraught. I kidnapped her and brought her to the clinic I worked at so she and Dan could bond. Bond she did, Gypsey to Dan. Dan liked her, but he could live without her.

At 10 this little greyhound really didn't need to be donating blood any more. I talked the vet into letting me find her a home if I found another blood donor. I asked the adoption kennel if they would trade me an old blood donor looking for a new home for a new blood donor. They kind of laughed at me and gave me a new blood donor and told me older greys have a really hard time finding homes. I looked and looked and could not find a taker on this nutty, old girl.

We moved into our first house last year and I gave in and took Gypsey home. She had to have an abscessed tooth removed and be spayed before I could bring her home. She didn't do so well after being spayed. She began getting very depressed and not eating. I started bringing her home to try and get her out of her rut. I made her promise to live at least a year before she kicked the bucket (she really did look ruff after getting spayed, we weren't sure if she would make it). Well, we have passed our year marker and it looks like she is going to be with us forever. At 12 Gypsey has more energy at times then her younger counter parts.

Set was the last:

Set was Gypsey's replacement as a blood donor.

I remember how guilty I felt leaving him in that concrete run the first time. A boarding kennel is much different then a racing kennel. At a boarding kennel you have a large variety of very stressed dogs, some that have never been away from home before. A greyhound racing kennel is home to the greyhounds, they don't know any different so it is a nice calm environment. Set looked so worried when I left him the first night.

I would go by and pick him up on Sundays so he could go to romps with Dan in Birmingham and get out and about for a while. I was working two jobs at the time and not able to go get him as often as he needed. Set was getting a lot of food and treats and not a lot of exercise. He became quite chubby and arthritic in his joints. After he started having on going problems with his eyes I decided he needed a home life where he would get specialized care for his eyes and more exercise. Set was our fourth and last dog.

He has been a challenge to say the least. I didn't know what I was getting myself into by taking him home. He has some sever personality deficits. After almost a year I can finally say he feels like MY dog. A dog that I can confidently take in public and enjoy his company. He still has set backs and tries to get away with what he thinks he can, but he is now more of a 'normal' dog.

Thanks Kim for tagging me and letting me tell the story of how I got my greyt pack. If you haven't gotten the hint yet, you can't have just one greyhound. They are a catchy breed and you will find yourself with more then you ever thought possible. Such good pups those greyhounds are.

I think I am supposed to tag someone else and pass this on. My pick is going to be Jenn of Never Say Never Greyhounds.

Another Sunday fun ride

2009-06-07T12:39:00.002-05:00

We spent another Sunday morning hanging out with the boys' Aunt Kim. This Sunday wasn't quite as eventful as last. We just went for a bike ride along the river and then a cool down at the lake.

I just took Set this morning since I only have the one EzyDog harness till next week. He once again had a tantrum at the beginning of the ride. To keep him from slamming on his brakes, I threaded the tether from the Springer through the seat belt attachment on the harness and then snapped it to his collar. We rode like that for a bit then I simply attached the tether to the harness like it should be. I wish I knew why he tries this every time.

The Springer did ok. Before our ride, I padded the seat post with more insulation and then reinstalled it on the bike and tightened the nuts and bolts REALLY tight. I raised my seat up and it helped with the pedal hitting the arm, didn't stop it, but it wasn't as noticeable. I can't wait till the extension piece gets here next week. I checked the bolts this time after our two hour ride and the were still tight! I apparently didn't have enough tension on it the first time, the extra padding helped.

Kim also has a Springer she has had for years and forgot about it because it is installed on an older bike she rarely uses. Her Springer is on the frame and not the seat post. She was having the same problem I am with my pedal and/or foot hitting the Springer arm. Despite the little issues with the Springer, it does make riding with the dogs so much more enjoyable. Kim hooked both of her pups up to it and never had to worry about them. Now if we could just do something about the heat...

The maiden voyage.

2009-06-05T22:31:00.005-05:00

I took my new Springer for a short ride, despite the pedal hitting it. Again, I have not patience, I just had to try it out before the extension gets here.

Dan was the first to be tortured. He looks a little unsure doesn't he?

Dan tends to drag on our bike rides. He's never had a harness on, so the harness pulling on his arm pits while he is dragging is a new feeling for him.

He finally figured it out after a bit of a tantrum.

Soon, we both look like we do this all the time.

Next up is Set.

He too looks a little worried. They are very accustomed to my new found doggy toys and being put thought the paces of how to use them.
We started out even more rocky then Dan did. Set has learned over the years that he is a big enough boy that sometimes he can throw his weight into it and get what he wants...until he met me that is. Much like a kid, he is always going to test the boundaries to see what he can get away with.

Soon, he too figured it out.

Look at him, looks like he's been doing this forever.

Then he tried one last time to put the breaks on.

In my little test ride I found a few things out:

My dogs don't pull (yet) but with the little bit of stopping on me unexpectedly it did rotate my seat around just a smidge. I think I can tighten the seat post down and stop that.

Even with the dogs stopping on me, it didn't yank the bike. The spring absorbs the sudden jerk but you do feel the weight tugging. It was like trying to tow a ton of bricks up hill. Effective.

Our maiden voyage was very short. When I went to put my bike up I checked the nuts and bolts on the Springer and they all had loosened to the point that I could unscrew them with my fingers. I found this a little disheartening because I worked so hard to get them on there. Note to self: take the time to check equipment before and after every ride!

All in all I think I'm going to have more issues out of the harness then the Springer. I love both the harness and the Springer, they do just what they are supposed to. I just have dogs with challenging hair and skin that normal dog owners don't. I really think we are on a path to having a lot of fun when the kinks are worked out.

EzyDog Harness

2009-06-05T21:33:00.004-05:00

The EzyDog Harness arrived today, too!

It has a cute little mascot.

Nice heavy clasps.
The nice foam rubber chest plate keeps the straps from slipping up and down. It comes a little high on Dan's chest.

This is where the straps sit on Dan. The chest plate keeps them in this position and keeps them from rubbing as much.

I am a little concerned about my poor boys thin skin and hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We went for our first ride.
Dan is a little tired but his harness didn't move much during the ride.

Even though it didn't move much, it still irritated his thin skin. This was just a short ride, a very short ride. I'll have to give in and go get him some soft fabric to pad the harness with.

Dan is going to keep taking it EZY.

I really like the reflective stitching around the entire harness. Having a black dog you do have to wonder if people in cars can see him running along beside the bike.

I have run into an interesting problem.

Over the years I have talked to clients that have problems with dogs pulling. What is their problem? They have the dog on a harness because they feel sorry for them whey they choke themselves with a regular collar. I then recommend the dog be put on a collar and taught the proper way to walk calmly on a leash (yes, I know easier said then done).

My personal problem? My dogs are FANTASTIC on a leash and collar. They don't have a clue what a harness is and why in the world I am trying to drag them along by their armpits. lol

I'll post more on this later. For now Dan and Set both are going to have to learn that harnesses are not scary and they can walk in them while we are on a bike ride.

Sometimes I get creative

2009-06-05T20:27:00.006-05:00

My Lowe's trip was productive.

I found this neato counter liner stuff. It is nice and grippy. Just what I wanted.

I cut it into strips so I can wrap it around my seat post and pad it.

By doing this it makes my weird shaped seat post nice and round. It also does away with those little hard plastic rings that come with the Springer. Not sure what they are all about. They are hard and slick so they don't provide any kind of traction against the attachment from turning or scratching your bike when pulled on. This stuff from Lowe's does the job and I can line my cabinets when I'm done.

I started to assemble the Springer attachment to my bike seat.

When you are putting the nuts and bolt together make sure you have one of these nifty little things to the right (ratchet?) of this picture. I tried and tried to tighten all six screws with just two cresent wrenches. Not so much fun. But get the ratchet involved and it just took a few moments.

This is what it looks like when it is on the seat post. I was even able to smush it up high enough that my seat isn't raised too high for me.
Ta Da!

Unfortunately my pedal still hits the bottom of the arm when it goes around, so I still need the extension.

The arm is held in place with a simple pin.

The pin holds it quite well actually.

I'm afraid I'm not very impressed with Springer's idea of how to hook my dog up to the bike. It kinda makes me feel like McGuiver.

I understand the intention of the safety plastic rings and the safety plastic clip. You use the string to tie the two together then attach to the dog and bike.

I have sighthounds that run REALLY fast.

I have a much better chance of catching them if the bike is still attached after they are startled and running then if that nice plastic stuff breaks and they are running free in traffic. Sorry Springer, I'll just have to pay attention before we walk in between posts and mail boxes so we don't get tangled. I made my own bike leash that isn't going to break.