tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31993875187148863152024-02-19T11:18:39.928-06:00As the Rabbit Runs: Our Lives with GreyhoundsThis is our blog about the experiences the members of It's a Grey Area Greyhound Adoption have living with our greyhounds, our fosters and all of our friends greyhounds. Our hope is that this could be helpful reading for people looking to adopt greyhounds, as they could see what day-to-day life with these guys is like.Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-68041767061635758262011-11-16T20:40:00.003-06:002011-11-16T20:51:51.193-06:00Rebels trip to NY by the Martins.A friend of a friend wanted another greyhound to to a companion with the resident boy. We had cats and kids in the mix so the match was crucial. Rebel is a young fellow and I knew he would be perfect for them. How do we get him there ? hmmmm Coincidentally I got an email from IAGA's very first adopters just checking in and he ended with if you need anything let me know. Little did he know what he was in for ..... I knew Steve and Heidi were a road trip kinda couple and may be interested. Well generous as they are they agreed to get him to Louisville Kentucky to meet up with the second leg of his trip, Paws N Pilots. All went smoothly, Rebel is in his new home with his kids and new fur brother doing well. Our heartfelt thanks to the Martins for the ultimate generosity to take him on his trip, to Fran and Paul for helping fund the trip and Pilot N Paws for caring for our precious cargo and getting him home safe and of course to the family who trusted us to provide them with the perfect addition to their family. Here is The Martin's story of the trip.............<div><h2 class="title icon" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; font: normal normal bold 14px/normal Tahoma, Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(200, 200, 200); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250); "><img src="http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.png" alt="Default" title="Default" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /> Precious Cargo Delivery on a Spyder</h2><div class="content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250); "><div id="post_message_388056" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><blockquote class="postcontent restore " style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; "><b><span >Heidi and I were very fortunate to be able to combine 2 of our favorite things last weekend, Spyder riding and retired racer greyhound adoption. We needed to deliver a very sweet 19 month old brindle boy to Louisville KY. Our deadline was 12 noon on Saturday the 29th. He was scheduled to catch a PilotNPaws flight to Columbus Oh., spend the night and do a second leg Sunday morning to his new forever home in Rochester NY.<br />We fixed up out time out trailer so that we could haul him safely and comfortably, and left Mobile at about noon Friday, headed north. We stopped several times in the first couple of hours to make sure that Rebel was good. We would take him out of the crate to potty and he would quickly beeline it back to the crate and jump in and lay down. It was obvious that he was comfortable and warm.<br />We stopped that night just south of Nashville Tn. temp was dropping and we were tired. Our grey baby snuggled into his blanket next to our bed, flipped over on his back and was good for the night.<br />We rolled out early the next morning, temp on the Spyder was reading 31, stopped again several times early in the ride to check on him. He was snug as a bug in a rug. We got to Bowman Field in Louisville at about 11:00AM and met up with our pilot. Did a little hand off paperwork on Rebel and he was ready to go. The pilot allowed us to take him to the plane and load him up. We only had him with us 4 days but were very attached to him. If you have never been around Greyhounds, they are among the sweetest, gentle and loving breeds there is and he is true to the breed.<br />I loaded him in his crate in the plane and stepped down. Heidi jumped up on the wing and told him goodbye. we shook hands with the pilot and walked back to the terminal and watched as the pilot went thru his checklist, started up and taxied out to the runway. A few minutes went by and we heard the planes engine rev, shortly after the plane lifted from the runway and as the pilot fly over head he gently rocked his wings, waving goodbye, and made a gentle climbing turn to the right and out of sight.<br />At this point, Heidi and I both had a lump in our throats and were trying to keep dry eyes. We had the honor to be part of something very special. Taking part in getting a wonderful deserving dog to a loving home.<br />A few hours later I recieved a text, he had made it safely to Columbus. The next morning his new mom sent me pics of Rebel at his new home in Rochester.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=4244a41f02c7d3cc743fad7872b1ba26&attachmentid=36120&d=1320459890" id="attachment36120" rel="Lightbox_388056" style="color: rgb(148, 0, 7); text-decoration: none; "><img src="http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=4244a41f02c7d3cc743fad7872b1ba26&attachmentid=36120&d=1320455994&thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version Name: IMG_6396.jpg Views: 99 Size: 84.3 KB ID: 36120" class="thumbnail" title="Click image for larger version Name: IMG_6396.jpg Views: 99 Size: 84.3 KB ID: 36120" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; max-width: 800px; " /></a><a href="http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=4244a41f02c7d3cc743fad7872b1ba26&attachmentid=36121&d=1320459896" id="attachment36121" rel="Lightbox_388056" style="color: rgb(148, 0, 7); text-decoration: none; "><img src="http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=4244a41f02c7d3cc743fad7872b1ba26&attachmentid=36121&d=1320456122&thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version Name: IMG_6428.jpg Views: 76 Size: 99.0 KB ID: 36121" class="thumbnail" title="Click image for larger version Name: IMG_6428.jpg Views: 76 Size: 99.0 KB ID: 36121" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; max-width: 800px; " /></a><a href="http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=4244a41f02c7d3cc743fad7872b1ba26&attachmentid=36122&d=1320459914" id="attachment36122" rel="Lightbox_388056" style="color: rgb(148, 0, 7); text-decoration: none; "><img src="http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?s=4244a41f02c7d3cc743fad7872b1ba26&attachmentid=36122&d=1320455827&thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version Name: IMG_6319.jpg Views: 124 Size: 51.0 KB ID: 36122" class="thumbnail" title="Click image for larger version Name: IMG_6319.jpg Views: 124 Size: 51.0 KB ID: 36122" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; max-width: 800px; " /></a><br />So here we are in Louisville, on a Spyder, got a day and a half to get back home. We ate a bite of lunch and headed for the Dragon. We made it to Marysville TN. at about 8, tired and ready for bed. We would have made it sooner but at the first rest area south of the KY/TN border on I75, after taking a stretch break we got mobbed at the Spyder for over an hour with folks walking up wanting to see it and ask questions. This is the first time this has ever happened to us and finnaly we just had to suit up and start backing out. The attention was neat, but we had to go.<br />The next morning, up at 8:00, we were on the Dragon by 9. Pretty much had it to ourselves, awesome ride....Picked up the Cherohala Skyway and rode it too. Saw a white RT and gave a big wave. By this time it's about noon and we are 560 miles from home and I gotta work in the morning so we put her in the wind. Atlanta was thrilling as usual but other than that it was a quite smooth, long ride home.<br />We rode 1497 miles from Friday noon till 11PM Sunday night. </span></b></blockquote></div></div></div>Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11047243674600642648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-78764900933554381002011-10-22T23:55:00.002-05:002011-10-23T10:18:12.887-05:00What will happen to your pets ?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Hardly a day goes by without a commercial about life insurance policies, wills or other methods of planning for a loved ones future without you. We understand the importance in doing this for children, but what about our pets? Most of us take for granted that we will outlive them. The best estimate is that at least half a million pets are put to sleep annually because they outlive their owners. These are not stray or wild animals, these are the beloved pets who share our beds, our homes and our lives. It is difficult for us to be rational at the loss of one of our cherished pets, but as humans, we have the ability to reason – they’re in a better place, they’re no longer in pain, etc. Pets cannot reason this way and are confused as to why their lives have changed and have suddenly been put in a shelter. Sometimes these are older pets that have little chance of being rehomed. One way to avoid this is to make arrangements for your pets in your will. We like to think that family members would tend to our dogs when the truth is, most have no space, resources or desire to have additional pets. This is especially true for those of us with multiple pets.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Most of us are relatively familiar with the traditional will, but don’t stop to think about how this affects our pets. Although they are a primary focus of our day to day lives, they are often little more than an afterthought in relation to legal documents and estate planning in general. Can you provide for pets in a will? This one is much more complicated and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Pets are considered property under the law so they can be included as part of a will. They can be left to someone specific. They cannot, however; be the beneficiary of a will. In simple terms, a pet cannot be left your estate (money, etc) since they cannot legally own property. In addition, there is another problem with only providing for your pets in your will. A will is not in effect until your death. Depending on your estate, it may be weeks, months or even years before the details of the estate are finalized. What happens to your pets during this period or if you are incapacitated? In the midst of difficult times, pets can be neglected or forgotten without written instructions in the hands of appropriate caregivers. Even if you choose to go this route, you should put something in place for emergency situations other than death before a will is finalized.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Another consideration is that a will allows for you to leave your pets to someone, but typically does not detail anything beyond. There are no stipulations as to their care or lifestyle. In fact, the person who inherited your cherished pet could abandon them the following day and still meet their requirements under the law. Given this scenario, deciding who will take your pets really needs some thought and planning.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Obviously, it can be difficult to adequately provide for pets in wills. Progress has been made and slowly, the legal system is realizing that many of us consider our pets more akin to children than inanimate objects. It is believed that the laws will continue to offer more assistance to pet parents to ensure our furry friends remain well cared for, no matter what.</span><b style="color: #000034; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11047243674600642648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-43864873727508152332011-10-17T23:13:00.003-05:002011-10-23T00:15:55.813-05:00<p class="p1">Let's talk about greyhounds and children. Statistics show that a fair number of the returned dogs had some unsavory interaction with a child. </p> <p class="p2"> </p> <p class="p3">Most retired racing greyhound have not been around children. Greyhounds have no reason to dislike children and in fact most greyhounds really seem to enjoy being around them. Until they are accustomed, the activity level of smaller kids may make the dog nervous. While living at the race track, greyhounds have their crate which is only theirs, they don't ever have to share that space with anyone. They come into a home and they are given a dog bed or in some cases allowed to get on furniture. Soon this area becomes their own and they can require a transition period to become used to sharing their space. A small child walking over or tripping over a dog or even just startling a sleeping dog to give affection can cause an instinctive defense reaction and result in a bitten/snapped at, frightened child. With some stellar monitoring and consistency, children and greyhound can be wonderful companions. It's important to remember that no matter how much we love our dogs and consider them family members, they are animals.</p> <p class="p3">The following are some general guidelines to help develop a happy relationship:</p> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li4"><b>LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE</b> - Do not or let a child, jump on or even pet a sleeping greyhound. Some greyhounds sleep with their eyes open. When a sleeping dog is startled it may growl or come up with teeth before it is fully awake and realizes that the culprit is its best friend. If you must wake your sleeping greyhound, call its name and have it walk to you. </li> <li class="li4"><b>DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN CRAWL UP TO, RUN UP TO, LAY ON, KISS, HUG, PET, JUMP ON A DOG THAT IS LAYING DOWN AND/OR SLEEPING. </b>Greyhounds do not understand the meaning of a child (children) rushing, crawling, running up to it or trying to kiss or hug it, when it is laying down (even if it is awake!). A dog may choose to get up and walk away, do nothing, growl or it may even snap or bite. Greyhounds sometimes sleep with their eyes open so it is very difficult to tell if one is asleep or awake. ALL of these behaviors are a warning to some degree that the dog does not like what is happening to it and they are trying to tell the child (children) to knock it off in the only way they know how. They may start off with simply leaving the area or turning away from the child, this will escalate to a growl, or defensive posturing and will then likely escalate to the point that if it isn't stopped they will bite. Dogs (ALL dogs) have teeth and will use them if they feel threatened. It is up to you as the parent to understand the body language of your dog and to enforce the rules of the house with the children so that this type of incident does not occur. Few if any dogs will "just bite" someone, they usually have been giving warning signs for weeks or months that have been missed or dismissed before they finally resort to a bite, greyhounds are VERY docile, for them to resort to biting a person it takes a LOT of stress, ignored warnings and eventually fear for their own safety to make them do it. In very rare occasions a dog can be just wired wrong and be a biter. This may be recognized prior to placement in a home however circumstances can perpetuate a biting dog.</li> <li class="li4"><b>PRIVACY & QUIET</b> - All dogs are entitled to privacy and quiet when they eat and sleep. Children must be instructed to not bother the dog during its "quiet" times. This has to be consistently enforced.<span class="s1"> </span>The greyhound's crate is his / her "room" and should be respected, they will quickly learn to go there when things get too busy as long as they can count on being left alone while they rest in their crate. If you choose NOT to use a crate, then a room or area of the home should be set aside for the dog as it's private area, this is where their bed should be and they can also be fed in this area.</li> <li class="li3"><b>CRATE</b> - Do not let your children crawl into the greyhound’s crate. Initially, we recommend that you utilize the crate when your children are actively playing. It is also a good idea to use the crate when children have friends over to play. This way your new greyhound has a chance to experience and get used to children while in the safety and security of his/her crate. The use of a crate or some other method of confinement when you are not DIRECTLY supervising the dog/child interactions is mandatory. A muzzle can also be used. Just as you would not leave a toddler or infant alone unsupervised, children of any age and dogs should never be left alone unsupervised.</li> </ul> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li4"><b>FEEDING TIME</b> - Do not let your child take away the dog’s food or interfere with its mealtime in any way. If you have very young children it's recommended that you feed your greyhound in its crate to avoid any chance of a children interfering with him/her while eating.<span class="s1"> Food is a high ticket item and can become an issue especially if the dog has not been taught to respect the kids as superiors not equals.</span></li> <li class="li3"><b>DOOR BOLTING</b> - Be extremely cautious about leaving doors and gates open (this goes for car doors also). Greyhounds move so quickly that they will be out the door and down the street in a blink of the eye. Teach your children and their friends about the importance of keeping doors and gates closed at all times.<span class="s1"> </span>Make sure you have a hold of your greyhound by the collar before any door is opened to let anyone in/out of your house. It is a good idea to actively teach your dog the command for "wait" and use it consistently, this will reduce their desire to bolt through open doors. It can be started with letting them out of their crate and going in their crate and then built upon every day with your potty walks. Make the dog stand and "wait" they are not allowed to pass through the opening without the release command (usually a word like OK is used). If you are going out, attach the leash then say ok, let's go out. If you are letting them out of the crate, they must wait even after you open the door until they get the release command "OK, come on out". The key is be consistent, reward the positive behaviors and your dog will learn quickly what is expected of him/her.</li> </ul> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li4"><b>KINDNESS</b> - A child old enough to have a dog share their home is old enough to treat it with kindness. If they are unable to understand this, they may not be ready to have a dog as a pet. Many times rough housing with a greyhound can go bad simply because the dog just doesn't understand the game. </li> <li class="li3"><b>FURNITURE</b> - We suggest that dogs should not be permitted on the furniture or to sleep with anyone on their bed for at least 6 months, they should NEVER be permitted to sleep with a child until they have been totally established in the household, this can take up to a year. This is true for any breed of dog, not just a greyhound, to allow them equal status (by letting them sleep with a child) you place them on equal footing which can cause many behavior problems that are avoided completely by removing this temptation.<br /></li> <li class="li3"><b>BACK TO SCHOOL</b> - We highly recommend dogs that live with children be taken to obedience school by an adult, to learn basic obedience and to aid in the establishment of whom is in charge (you and the other two legged people in your home!). Most basic obedience classes are held in the evening, one class a week for 6 to 8 weeks. Many veterinarians or boarding kennels may also be able to recommend an obedience class.</li> </ul> <p class="p3">These are general guidelines and all dog/family relationships are different.</p> <p class="p3"> </p>Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11047243674600642648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-54053591246749352482010-11-13T09:52:00.000-06:002010-11-13T09:52:05.324-06:00Meet Boston!Boston is a 3 year old, light fawn girl. She's a sweet heart with a little bit of an overbite (which I think is too cute!) She had a nice career back in 2009, after which she returned to farm-life, until she came to our group. While at the farm, her owner spent a lot of time working with her. He taught her great kennel and leash manners. She kennels on command and is one of the best leash-walkers I have seen in a while. Most of the time, if she gets ahead of you, she'll look over her shoulder and check where you are at and slow down. It's pretty cool. At home, she's very playful and has, over the past few days, taken all of the toys out of the toy box. She kennels while we are not home, and does just fine with that. She has had perfect house manners, not having a single accident. She sleeps on a dog bed in our room at night and has not tried to get on the couch or in the bed. She gets along great with our 3 greyhounds and did fairly well with the small dogs at the dog park. Placement with small dogs would be on an individual basis. She's quite interested in the cats, so a home without cats would be best. She does fine with children.<br />
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Overall, Boston is a fun, affectionate, silly girl who would make a perfect addition to someone's family!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs561.ash2/148382_10100162334966455_23410393_56437689_3407113_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs561.ash2/148382_10100162334966455_23410393_56437689_3407113_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-18095732807010083792010-11-10T08:28:00.002-06:002010-11-10T08:28:38.990-06:00Wordless Wednesday #8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs396.ash2/67458_1700656875665_1215214802_31949350_5858092_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs396.ash2/67458_1700656875665_1215214802_31949350_5858092_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-86049062536327768272010-11-02T20:54:00.000-05:002010-11-02T20:54:52.793-05:00Meet Cindy!This is Cindy, or as I often call her, Cindy Lou Who, like from Dr. Suess, LOL. She's a wonderful, almost 2 year old red girl. She's currently fostered in my "working home" with 3 other greyhounds and is doing very well. She kennels when we are away, and does just fine going in and chomping down on her peanut butter filled kong. She's very friendly and shows that she would likely do well with children. Not too much bothers her. Initial introductions suggest she will likely be small animal friendly, but her formal cat test will be this week sometime. She hasn't really shown any interest in toys yet. She has not gotten on the couches, but does like to snuggle in the bed. She's a good snuggler! She walks on the leash nicely. No pulling, just the occasional side move when she gets distracted. :) She gets along great with our greyhounds and has been a perfect houseguest. All in all, Cindy is an absolutely wonderful greyhound who would make a great addition to someone's family!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs025.snc4/33624_433067126886_264419641886_5647383_8102872_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs025.snc4/33624_433067126886_264419641886_5647383_8102872_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs561.ash2/148383_436758026886_264419641886_5712601_1814257_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs561.ash2/148383_436758026886_264419641886_5712601_1814257_n.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the way, this picture was taken after being in our home less than 24 hours. She's such a laid back girl!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-19813628540177788092010-10-27T08:19:00.003-05:002010-11-10T08:29:18.455-06:00Wordless Wednesday #7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs005.snc4/33590_1629259052601_1270324553_1727964_1682608_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs005.snc4/33590_1629259052601_1270324553_1727964_1682608_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-80702257612703531432010-10-11T10:38:00.001-05:002010-10-11T10:41:14.886-05:00I Rescued a Human TodayI rescued a human today.<br />Her eyes met mine as she walked down thecorridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail,not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident Ihad in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them. As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that allwould be well. Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one. I rescued a human today. ~Author unknown~Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11047243674600642648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-90346272243812292752010-08-15T22:27:00.002-05:002010-08-15T22:39:39.443-05:00Tagging your dog !Lets talk about tags, yes tags.<br />Does your dog have along with a personal ID tag an adoption group identification tag ? Each adoption group has their own ID tag that typically bears an individual number that links it to your dog in the group database. Should the dog escape and picked up by someone, they can call the number on the tag and the group can identify the dog. This system WORKS, I got a call on a Friday morning and within minutes I knew who the dog was and was tracking down the owner, within a half hour dog and human were reunited. Several times a year dogs escape and their tags bring them home. Having said that, If you DONT have a tag from the group you originally got your dog from or have moved to this area from elsewhere please contact us and I will send you a short information form to complete so we can issue you one. If it is lost we wont bark to loud LOL let us know and we will get another one to you. Your dog does not have to have been adopted from IAGA however if you got your dog from another active local group you are contractually obligated to keep that tag on your dog, so we will not replace active local groups tags. Should you have a non greyhound and would like us to issue a tag to that pup we would be happy to do so. <br />You can never be to rich to skinny or have to many id tags on your dog.<br /><br />Lesley Ezkovich<br />President<br />It's A Grey Area Greyhound Adoption<br /><a href="http://www.itsagreyarea.com/">www.itsagreyarea.com</a><br /><a href="mailto:lesley@itsagreyarea.com">lesley@itsagreyarea.com</a><br />504-908-8884Lesleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11047243674600642648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-61014843770848292792010-08-14T14:28:00.000-05:002010-08-14T14:28:37.806-05:00How we caught GandaFirst, the background information. Ganda is a 10 year old brindle, female greyhound who escaped through an open gate in her yard in Zachary, LA. She got out sometime in the evening on Monday, August 9th.<br />
<br />
On Tuesday morning, I got a call from a recent adopter, who lives near us, who said her husband saw a greyhound running down Rollins Road. He tried to catch the dog, but was unsuccessful. There was some question about whether it was really a greyhound. We knew of no others in our immediate area, so we kind of dismissed it.<br />
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We heard no more. On Thursday evening, I saw a sign on my way into our neighborhood for a missing greyhound. My heart sank. I got the number and called the owner and got the details and some more information on sightings. We had somewhere to go that evening in Baton Rouge, but search between 10 p.m. and about 10:45 p.m. in the areas she had been seen.<br />
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Friday is when everything went into full swing. Tim got off work at noon and was able to start canvasing the area about 2 p.m. until about 4:30 p.m. I picked up a squawker on my way home, got some dinner and we started searching about 6 p.m. We brought Pierce with us and walked the Fennwood Golf Course, as several of the sightings were in that area. No luck. So we rode around a little bit and then swapped Pierce for Anna, as he was tired. We rode around the area some more and decided to try the Golf Course again. We were walking with Anna near the Clubhouse and thought we saw a dog run through some trees between two houses on the edge of the course, but there was a dog in a fence over that way, so we dismissed it as we had just seen that dog moving around. It was just hard to tell from that distance. As we were walking back to the Clubhouse, we got a call from Ganda's owner, someone at the course saw her and they were following her in a car. Tim ran to the car as Anna and I ran over to where we had seen the blur that might have been her. Nothing. Tim picked us up and we drove off to see if we could catch up. After a few more phone calls trying to pin-point where they were and what was going on, we found her. She was standing in a ditch, drinking and trying to cool off. I got out of the car with Anna and moved towards her, squatted down and called her name. She looked at us and just took off. At this point, too many people over the last several days had tried to chase her, and grab her and she was done with coming to anyone. So, I tried to follow her at a distance on foot, while several others moved around in cars.<br />
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I lost sight of her in the bushes a few houses and one office from the 4-lane, divided Highway 64. This was not good. She had not been in this area at all and we so did not want her to cross the highway. Tim parked at my mom's office, which is on the corner of Newel St. and Hwy. 64. He got out and walked around the building as I caught up. A women and a little girl yelled to me and told me the dog were wer following was in the field across the highway. Great.<br />
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I put Anna in the jetta, with the car on and the air running and bolted across the highway. Ganda had a head start on me. I got to the field and looked around and finally saw her, heading toward a tree line at the rear of a subdivision. I could not let her get past that tree line. I ran through the field to catch up, as she wasn't paying me any mind. I got within about 50 feet of her, stopped and called her. She looked at me, looked away and picked up the pace.<br />
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The grass had now gone from knee high, to waist high, to shoulder high. There were a few tracks where a tractor had been and she was moving through them until they ended. She started to have trouble moving quickly through the high brush and was getting tired, so she started to slow, but I did not. I just kept following her, getting closer and closer. Mind you, from the time I crossed the highway until now had only been a few minutes.<br />
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Finally, I was within 10 feet of her. I had a leash ready. I decided there was no way I could lasso her and if i spoke she would take off. That was not happening. As she slowed, I took bigger steps and was finally on her heels. When I got within reach of her, I just reach down and grabbed both her thighs and pulled her towards me. I started trying to talk to her as I held her. She immediately freaked out and started snapping, but I was not letting go! She bit my right arm twice, caught my shirt and scratched my chest with a tooth, and bit my arm a few more times. It was all our of fear and she barely broke the skin. Finally, I just sort of pushed her on her side. I had never let her go. I kept my left hand on her and reached over with my right and patted her and told her it was all going to be okay now and she started to relax some. I reached down and put the looped leash over her head and told her, "Come on girl. Let's go." She was panting and breathing very heavily, but she got up and came with me.<br />
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In the meantime, Tim had come across the highway into the field as well and was catching up with me, coming from my right, as I caught her. I think he was probably about 50 feet away when I got her. We walked over to Tim and he carried her out of the field and across the highway, back to where we had parked at my mom's office. We immediately brought her over to a water nozzle, laid her down and drenched her with water. We needed to try and bring her temp down. We kept wetting her as we began making calls to figure out where to bring her.<br />
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After about 10 minutes of wetting her down she was calming and not breathing so hard, but still panting and labored. We put her in the back of her owner's SUV and Tim hopped in with them and they took off for LSU's e-vet. I ran home, dropped off Anna, cleaned my bites, changed clothes, let our dogs our, and then met them at LSU. They checked her out, and after a few hours, a trip to Louie's for a bite to eat, a little blood work and some fluids, Ganda got to go home. I left ahead of Tim and Ganda's dad to let our dogs out at home. Then I went and picked Tim up and said a much calmer hello to Ganda. Then we went home, cleaned up and went to bed, after many hugs for our pups.<br />
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That was so not how that was supposed to go. All the reading and such I had done on finesse capturing went out the window when she crossed that highway into the big field. It was now or never, and I was not going to let her get away. We had come too far. So I threw the books out the window and went for it, and it paid off. So, my arm is a little sore, and I have a few scratches, but Ganda is safe at home with her family. That is all that matters.<br />
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This was one of the most difficult, frustrating and rewarding things I have ever done involving my work with greyhounds. I would hope that I never have to do that again. That no other dog gets out, but that's unlikely. It is an experience I will never forget.<br />
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Please take a moment again to look at something on our website, <a href="http://itsagreyarea.com/buckley.html">Buckley's Wish</a>. It really relates here. It's about a similar situation that happened right after we formed our group. I didn't care that I had never met this family before, or that this dog had not come from us, or anything like that. There was a greyhound and a family in need, and we helped them and found their dog. Ganda is now home. I helped make that happen and that makes me feel wonderful about what we do.<br />
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Here's a map of where Ganda traveled, was seen, was chased and was caught. I forgot to show where she lives. It's on Jane Marie St. , so you can see how large of an area she covered.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ws_kEqt5NIv3-clUNe9RMkfwqrc5mLUj_bKOCiZyomRLlFIqDoIxImc32oWMs5iA5zrfsfd-77oSm8g62-RbYyCT3LStVQ7FvJpYwDvRz6kX0pYkRFLVzTey5bVw4kM1ikFGi0gj0gc/s1600/ganda+map+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ws_kEqt5NIv3-clUNe9RMkfwqrc5mLUj_bKOCiZyomRLlFIqDoIxImc32oWMs5iA5zrfsfd-77oSm8g62-RbYyCT3LStVQ7FvJpYwDvRz6kX0pYkRFLVzTey5bVw4kM1ikFGi0gj0gc/s640/ganda+map+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-69814681380016840452010-07-28T11:30:00.000-05:002010-07-28T11:30:01.503-05:00Wordless Wednesday #6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs090.ash2/37853_980913933685_23410393_54334230_7881988_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs090.ash2/37853_980913933685_23410393_54334230_7881988_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-77451050292282896652010-07-14T16:16:00.002-05:002010-07-14T16:16:47.143-05:00Wordless Wednesday #5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs279.snc3/28130_954708200185_23410393_53383018_4012501_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs279.snc3/28130_954708200185_23410393_53383018_4012501_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-55555825432005295682010-07-07T13:58:00.002-05:002010-07-07T13:58:52.329-05:00Wordless Wednesday #4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs001.ash2/33415_971101462955_23410393_54001284_1141518_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs001.ash2/33415_971101462955_23410393_54001284_1141518_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-29391878805198960972010-06-24T19:13:00.000-05:002010-06-24T19:13:52.074-05:00Greyhound Profile - Flynn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs117.snc4/36229_962434516585_23410393_53699793_3929172_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs117.snc4/36229_962434516585_23410393_53699793_3929172_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This is Flynn. He is a 2 year old, smaller black, male greyhound. He is such a sweet, friendly boy. He is really doing well is his foster home, with 3 other greyhounds and foster parents who work all day. He kennels pretty well for eating and when his foster parents leave. He really like toys! He grabs stuffies randomly and will just shake them all over the place. He is also learning to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/video/video.php?v=965154855005&ref=mf">play</a> fetch with a <a href="http://www.jollypets.com/html/HP/JollyBallandToys.html">jolly ball</a>. He has shown no interest in getting on the furniture or in the bed. He frequently comes up to people for lovin' and nips at our hands when he wants to be petted. He is a really fantastic, handsome, sweet, cute boy who is looking for the right home.Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-9455005790253429432010-06-23T20:21:00.000-05:002010-06-23T20:21:41.137-05:00Wordless Wednesday #3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGtseh5gCIs4j5pWrEl19tBRFlF9F1lirV07QBo20Q3mbyOk5A8VNfQk56RVPJrDFxz1ouI7g1FM5tPPtI_FHWmPvDqXkRXQgWzmDO3MAqL22zm4-_WexW-fdWKxCi_Wk5XwQPm4Fh30/s1600/DSC_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGtseh5gCIs4j5pWrEl19tBRFlF9F1lirV07QBo20Q3mbyOk5A8VNfQk56RVPJrDFxz1ouI7g1FM5tPPtI_FHWmPvDqXkRXQgWzmDO3MAqL22zm4-_WexW-fdWKxCi_Wk5XwQPm4Fh30/s400/DSC_0038.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-90922587206631446402010-06-16T11:58:00.002-05:002010-06-16T11:58:40.319-05:00Wordless Wednesday #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs505.ash1/29868_935953559635_23410393_52713266_998910_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs505.ash1/29868_935953559635_23410393_52713266_998910_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-37296981663135444372010-06-09T11:33:00.001-05:002010-06-09T11:33:38.239-05:00Wordless Wednesday #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs386.snc3/23601_369621526886_264419641886_4098692_1682642_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" qu="true" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs386.snc3/23601_369621526886_264419641886_4098692_1682642_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-63615796000948657192010-06-08T15:50:00.000-05:002010-06-08T15:50:18.970-05:00Greyhound Profile - Pepper<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pepper is a 7 year old, black, male greyhound who never raced. He is small dog and cat friendly. He is a very sweet boy who gets along good with the pack at Lesley's house. No kennel needed for this boy. He is also a smiler. Pepper was previously treated for heartworms, but is all clear now. This boy had a rough life till DJ found him and brought him back to health. Unfortunately, due to life changes Dj cant keep him anymore, so he is here. Anyone interested in a ready made pet, Pepper is it!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0t8Z7jNSJIDrUmtHTpLZ12VOG_BGdAvugjgwE1LCBWexGb8WBZuxcjY5FT3hjI7goHBNu35FIcBYWaumg2I3Ewdw3KX-5rJBq_FoEbXnBqnAOpiR3-0UFtdj1_7As0Jt3WmwrmEi4WjU/s1600/pepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0t8Z7jNSJIDrUmtHTpLZ12VOG_BGdAvugjgwE1LCBWexGb8WBZuxcjY5FT3hjI7goHBNu35FIcBYWaumg2I3Ewdw3KX-5rJBq_FoEbXnBqnAOpiR3-0UFtdj1_7As0Jt3WmwrmEi4WjU/s320/pepper.jpg" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-70640067978284923742010-05-24T16:58:00.000-05:002010-05-24T16:58:59.488-05:00Naked butt!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Does your hound have a naked butt, belly and/or neck? Our blue boy Dax has been the most naked hound I have ever seen since we brought him home. A combination of his hairless-ness and skittish behaviors, we believed he had a thyroid problem. He was tested by our vet and we consulted the best of the best in the greyhound community with the results. No problem. Dax was perfectly healthy, except we still had a super squirrely dog with lots of baldness. Things stayed the same for about 2 years. We just kind of accepted the fact that he was never going to have much hair in those places and that we would always have trouble taking him on walks or out in public, as he was "afraid" and startled by so many things.<br />
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Then, one day I stumbled upon a post on greytalk where someone had before and after photos of their dog's butt after just a few weeks of melatonin. The results were amazing. I started doing a little research and began to wonder if maybe this would work for Dax, not only for the hair growth, but to calm some of his behavior issues as well. I spoke to both Lesley and our Vet about it, and both agreed it was worth a shot.<br />
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Dax has now been taking 3mg of melatonin twice a day for a few months now and we are very pleased! Not only does he have fur all over the place where he did not before and is very "fluffy", but it has also made him better in social situations. He is a lot calmer in public. He still walks away from small bouncy children, but he will let MANY more people pet him than ever before. He also does not dart away from inanimate objects too close to the sidewalk on our walks. He also tends to be less snappy with our other greyhounds and the fosters.<br />
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This is not a magic bullet for everyone. We have seen results from different people who have tried it with their dogs. It does not work quickly and you have to be consistent. It took about 6 weeks before we started seeing any hair-growth. It started on his neck. He still has moments when the other dogs agitate him, but they are much fewer than before. Overall, it has been a good thing for Dax. So if your hound has a naked butt, you might give it a shot. It's just a few bucks in the vitamin section of your local big box store, and for us, it's money well-spent!<br />
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Here are some before an after pictures of Dax:<br />
Dax before: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CQezjPEAmTogusPPK4Xw7TnDZITFDxWStx-rOL2SM7QpRpaYMC9Uue_nv-FCrnBe3wjOnlOfA1Ip2KmVAoWSU6Bh5ltWCo1z73_zk5d8hFhVT2-ZwWaHLtfXAKeChQHXgUN_NBQwCA4/s1600/DSCN4242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CQezjPEAmTogusPPK4Xw7TnDZITFDxWStx-rOL2SM7QpRpaYMC9Uue_nv-FCrnBe3wjOnlOfA1Ip2KmVAoWSU6Bh5ltWCo1z73_zk5d8hFhVT2-ZwWaHLtfXAKeChQHXgUN_NBQwCA4/s320/DSCN4242.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJkWOAww_a1BSspAVr7ZVMe9tyzvekYa3aQ4hFBJWYbQ-eyrxzEOIFa7anR9xJ_6M8WphAdYWg-lVAO0htLjNTnBCNKKr3mNDdJLp5olObs2eKESa4Z-5zOsrBSXUmihX8hgpRabwCY8/s1600/IMG_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJkWOAww_a1BSspAVr7ZVMe9tyzvekYa3aQ4hFBJWYbQ-eyrxzEOIFa7anR9xJ_6M8WphAdYWg-lVAO0htLjNTnBCNKKr3mNDdJLp5olObs2eKESa4Z-5zOsrBSXUmihX8hgpRabwCY8/s320/IMG_0292.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Dax after a few months:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtc5roOklybJQ1xlgvXElsqPwgjLDl8MlvUTsnXxX6_27kGTAWo9uHd1EEjuQ1jnphptU0Tky4Vc_Qs9Eycm28wTGSBK66Jw2YgiQYnmnpB_lE-gdp1o5a6BQpNdkL3ecv4jHwJy-2JP0/s1600/DSC_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtc5roOklybJQ1xlgvXElsqPwgjLDl8MlvUTsnXxX6_27kGTAWo9uHd1EEjuQ1jnphptU0Tky4Vc_Qs9Eycm28wTGSBK66Jw2YgiQYnmnpB_lE-gdp1o5a6BQpNdkL3ecv4jHwJy-2JP0/s320/DSC_0057.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yfAZQaAFHVqhOTRP7LLHMubrHW7ps7_XgIC6GWkOdLSXrgy_ieccKX_h1dHRpFZ1hQvalHNYunXjdOh4Hgy1G_7lN-i4LWL3FDthiWLC82jpYuLbKz3OPQp8_kvNyZ1gaXb5Xh1pRH8/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yfAZQaAFHVqhOTRP7LLHMubrHW7ps7_XgIC6GWkOdLSXrgy_ieccKX_h1dHRpFZ1hQvalHNYunXjdOh4Hgy1G_7lN-i4LWL3FDthiWLC82jpYuLbKz3OPQp8_kvNyZ1gaXb5Xh1pRH8/s320/DSC_0062.JPG" /></a></div>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-91214010340959385832010-04-24T20:42:00.000-05:002010-04-24T20:42:40.849-05:00A change in the blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs426.ash1/23601_369195481886_264419641886_4088168_4665179_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs426.ash1/23601_369195481886_264419641886_4088168_4665179_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Well, I think it's time for a change. Get more active on here again. Well, when my partner in the creation of It's a Grey Area Greyhound Adoption mentioned she wanted to start a blog about the group, I figured why not just incorporate it into my blog that I already have? Seems easy enough. So, as soon as Lesley wants to start posting, she will and we will share the blog. It will allow us both to write about what is going on in the group, beyond what we can share on facebook, which we use one nearly a daily basis! Anyway, I look forward to this new collaboration and think it will yield a lot of new insights into our lives with greyhounds for our readers.<br />
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Here's a few links for where you can find our group:<br />
<a href="http://www.itsagreyarea.com/">It's a Grey Area Greyhound Adoption Website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/itsagreyarea">IAGA on Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/LA243.html">IAGA on Petfinder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/itsagreyarea*">IAGA on Zazzle (we sell t-shirts & much more here)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.greyhound-data.com/adoption.htm?id=720&z=xdT6l4&hid=1360564#dog_1360564">IAGA on Greyhound-Data</a><br />
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I think that's all for now :) Looking forward to the new direction of the blog.Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-11470565347544913162010-02-12T17:05:00.005-06:002010-02-12T17:24:30.050-06:00So very sorry it's been so very long...Wow, it was way too long between posts, but at least I have a reason for it this time..<br /><br />First, to follow up on the kamikaze cat issue. When my in-laws came for Christmas, our two cats moved back to Mississippi with them. So, now we are a 3 dog, no cat household and things have been much calmer. We don't get to cat test anymore, but we can take any foster.<br /><br />Now, for the reason behind my long delay. We started a new greyhound rescue group. You read that right. My very good friend Lesley and I left GPA-LA/MS and started a new group. This happened in January after their were some policy changes that we did not agree with. This was not just a whim, but had been heading in this direction for a while. There was a point right after Christmas where it looked like everything would be settled, but it all fell apart and we moved on.<br /><br />So, now I am the Vice President of It's a Grey Area Greyhound Adoption, Inc. We are incorporated in Louisiana and are filing for 501(3)c status. Pretty cool, huh? I am very excited. It has been a wild busy ride, but so worth it! We got 4 dogs and have placed 2 already. We took in an older dog from another program after the passing of his owner and we have a young girl coming. Everything has been moving so fast and we have accomplished so much in such a short time. I built the group a website (<a href="http://www.itsagreyarea.com/">http://www.itsagreyarea.com</a>). As a part of that I designed our logo and we have t-shirts of our logo and a fleur de lis version for sale online (<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/itsagreyarea*">http://www.zazzle.com/itsagreyarea*</a>). I just registered us for Petfinder. I don't have the link for that yet, but it's coming soon.<br /><br />Now you can see why it has been a while :) Our hounds are fine. Berry White seems to be showing some signs of arthritis, but we are dealing with it. Anna is just herself, but we have apparently solved her eating issues. Apparently, it's fine if we have the same dry kibble all the time as long as I wet it and give her a spoonful of wet food that we change every can. We just started Dax on melatonin, in an attempt to grow some hair on him and see if it makes a difference attitude wise.<br /><br />That is where we are now and life is good! Oh, I almost forgot, it snowed today! Berry White LOVES the snow! I'll put some pictures up here to go with this...(our house; Anna; Scarlet; Dax; Berry White; Berry White) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs365.snc3/23559_894653170945_23410393_51305514_2103375_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 385px; height: 255px;" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs365.snc3/23559_894653170945_23410393_51305514_2103375_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs385.snc3/23559_894653041205_23410393_51305500_2145296_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 254px;" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs385.snc3/23559_894653041205_23410393_51305500_2145296_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs385.snc3/23559_894653145995_23410393_51305511_5093100_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 255px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs385.snc3/23559_894653145995_23410393_51305511_5093100_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs425.ash1/23559_894653056175_23410393_51305502_7494181_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 253px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs425.ash1/23559_894653056175_23410393_51305502_7494181_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs425.ash1/23559_894653136015_23410393_51305510_785553_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 451px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs425.ash1/23559_894653136015_23410393_51305510_785553_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs365.snc3/23559_894653066155_23410393_51305504_621253_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 260px;" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs365.snc3/23559_894653066155_23410393_51305504_621253_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-34371746436557501212009-11-28T09:35:00.002-06:002009-11-28T09:44:52.959-06:00Kamikaze cat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v34/151/80/23410393/n23410393_32199096_35.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 220px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v34/151/80/23410393/n23410393_32199096_35.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The tale of the Kamikaze Cat. We live with a kamikaze cat. My black cat, Enzo, is an 8 year old male with an apparent death wish. For the past few months, we have had trouble with him and Anna, but just at night. We have never been able to figure out exactly what is going on, but we have had several instances where the cat was in our bedroom at night and Anna goes after him. I think that most issues, at least in the beginning, we started by the cat. Now, the dog has the mindset that if that cat comes in the bedroom at night, she must get it. She generally leaves the other cat alone. We got to the point where we were putting up two stacked baby-gates at night, instead of the normal one, just to keep both cats out of our room at night. This has also helped with some cat-iffy fosters we have recently had. Well, a few days ago, before we went to bed, the cat jumped both gates. We put him back out and shut the door slightly. You may ask why we don't just close the door. Well, ask yourself how hot your bedroom would get with a closed door, two people and three or four large dogs? The answer is much hotter than we can handle.<br /><br />So, we had become aware Enzo could, if he wanted to, clear both gates. I did not think about this when I went to bed last night. I'd like to not that Tim is out of town, so it's me, two cats and 4 greyhounds home alone. So, I go through my normal bed routine and put up both gates. I laid down in bed, with Berry White and Dax and watched TV as I dozed off. I talked to Tim once on the phone and then we half awake, waiting for him to call again, and that's when it happened. I see Anna stalking across the room. There were a few toys in the room, so I thought she might have just decided to play. I could not see the floor by the bedroom door. Apparently, Enzo had jumped the gate, without making a sound, and was sitting on the floor by the door, and Anna saw him. By the time I sat up and could see the cat, she lunged. By the time I could make my way over there, Anna and Jupiter (who happened to be muzzled because she kept trying to chew on our cable line coming from the wall) had the cat pinned with their feet and were barking madly. I pulled the girls back and the cat seemed okay, but he wouldn't leave. Then Berry White comes off the bed and wants to join in. So, here I am, Anna & Jupiter behind my left arm, barking, Berry White behind my right arm, trying to get at the cat, and the cat in front of my just sitting there. So, I push Berry White back and grab the cat with my right arm, while holding the girls back, and chuck him over the baby-gates. Once he is over, I can let the hounds go and turn on the light to the living room to take a look at the cat who appears to be fine. I close our door some, so he can't get another clear jump in and go back to bed. This cat is killing me, well trying to kill himself technically, but you get the point.<br /><br />Anyone want a slightly suicidal, 8 year old, neutered, male, inside cat? I'm open to all offers :)Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-76572273267829812242009-11-28T09:13:00.004-06:002009-11-28T09:37:09.148-06:00She's baaaaaccckkkk!So, our latest foster is a "repeat offender", but not in a bad way. We fostered Jupiter a few weeks ago. Now she is back. She was not fond of the small kids visiting in her other foster home, so we decided to give the cats a try again. After having Lily, who was crazy into the cats, I thought Jupiter might be workable. So far, I have been correct. I made a minor modification to the way that I introduce a new dog to the cats and it seems to have had better results. Most of our fosters have been just fine with the cats from the get-go, except for the last few girls we have had. I think that led me to lax from the way I had done it before. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs066.snc3/13339_849479404535_23410393_49731998_4389381_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 195px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs066.snc3/13339_849479404535_23410393_49731998_4389381_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>More leash time seems to be the key. That definitely led to a different reaction this time. She is not perfect with the cats yet, and may never be, but she is much improved. Right now, I would not leave her alone for any amount of time unsupervised and unmuzzled with a cat, but I can, with confidence, leaver her muzzled, not crated, with my pack with no worries. That's a big step. Last time she was here, she was crated when we left and muzzled a lot. Not so this time around. In the end, she will probably be deemed cat correctable and it will all depend on the owner and the cat, as she reacts differently to each of ours. I think she will get there where we can comfortably place her in a home with an attentive owner and some kitties, if that's the place for her. For now, she is here and doing very well.Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-48208551693004227432009-11-25T12:42:00.002-06:002009-11-25T12:53:57.851-06:00Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack is ClosingDairyland Greyhound Racetrack is closing. There are a lot of false e-mails circulating saying, 400, 500, 900! dogs will be put down if people don't jump and do whatever. Well, it's not true. My understanding is that Wisconsin is 100% committed to adoption and the dogs will be safe. Some will race other places, some will be bred, some will move into adoption programs. Other tracks are also closing soon, so more e-mails will be coming around. Know that its fair to say that those dogs will be taken care of as well.<br /><br />Below is the official response of GPA National to the closing of Dairyland.<br /><br />Wednesday, November 18, 2009<br /><a name="2165278497745914800"></a><br /><a href="http://greyhoundpets.blogspot.com/2009/11/dairyland-greyhound-racetrack-closing.html">Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack Closing</a><br />An e-mail has been circulating recently with some figures and statements that to the best of our knowledge contain outright bogus or misleading information about the closing of Dairyland.This is the information I can share with you all regarding this tracks closure from our volunteers heavily involved in assisting these greyhounds:<br />1) Currently the number of dogs at Dairyland (DGP) is unknown. A State official indicated they would have a list ready in 2 weeks. 900 was the number given in a recent newspaper article, but we anticipate that number is high and the realistic number is somewhere between 300-500 dogs.<br />2) There is confirmation from the track veterinarian, who is a State of Wisconsin employee, that no dogs will be left behind. The facility will stay open as long as it takes to find adoption groups for all the dogs that are left at DGP.<br />3) Hauls are being organized to move the pet dogs out of the track prior to the closing to relieve some of the burden. This is going smoothly. Racers can't be moved until January 1st, since racing will continue until Dec. 31st. A haul going east through Ohio is scheduled to leave Dec. 5th. Another haul is leaving for Canada around the same time. Both of these hauls are going to groups that are approved to accept dogs by the State of Wisconsin.<br />4) All of the regional adoption groups are all ready in communication with each other and are strategizing how to move the dogs and increase adoptions. Its a good team and confidence is high in their abilities to get the job done. The groups are from WI, IL, MI, MN, IN, OH and IA (the neighboring states), but we anticipate support from well behind that perimeter.<br /><br />Rory Goree<br />President<br />Greyhound Pets of America - NationalBrittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387518714886315.post-55403430374543000892009-11-15T16:14:00.003-06:002009-11-15T16:20:06.638-06:00What is your new adoptive greyhound thinking?I have seen this passed around the greyhound community in multiple places many times. I thought I'd share it here as well, in case anyone missed it. It's great advice for any new adopter, and some old ones who missed the memo :)<br /><br /><br />This is an excerpt from a 1998 seminar given by Kathleen Gilley. It bears remembering.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"What is your new adoptive greyhound thinking?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This breed has never been asked to do anything for itself, make any</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">decisions or answer any questions. It has been waited on, paw and </span><span style="font-style: italic;">tail. The only prohibition in a racing Greyhound's life is not to get </span><span style="font-style: italic;">into a fight----------------or eat certain stuff in the turn out pen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Let us review a little. From weaning until you go away for schooling,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">at probably a year and a half, you eat, grow and run around with your </span><span style="font-style: italic;">siblings. When you go away to begin your racing career, you get your </span><span style="font-style: italic;">own "apartment," in a large housing development. No one is allowed in </span><span style="font-style: italic;">your bed but you, and when you are in there, no one can touch you,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">without plenty of warning.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Someone hears a vehicle drive up, or the kennel door being unlocked.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The light switches are flipped on. The loud mouths in residence, and </span><span style="font-style: italic;">there always are some, begin to bark or howl. You are wide awake by </span><span style="font-style: italic;">the time the human opens your door to turn you out. A Greyhound has</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">never been touched while he was asleep.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You eat when you are fed, usually on a strict schedule. No one asks</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">if you are hungry or what you want to eat. You are never told not to </span><span style="font-style: italic;">eat any food within your reach. No one ever touches your bowl while</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">you are eating. You are not to be disturbed because it is important</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">you clean your plate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You are not asked if you have to "go outside." You are placed in a</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">turn out pen and it isn't long before you get the idea of what you </span><span style="font-style: italic;">are supposed to do while you are out there. Unless you really get out </span><span style="font-style: italic;">of hand, you may chase, rough house and put your feet on everyone and</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">every thing else. The only humans you know are the "waiters" who feed </span><span style="font-style: italic;">you, and the "restroom attendants" who turn you out to go to the </span><span style="font-style: italic;">bathroom. Respect people? Surely you jest.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No one comes into or goes out of your kennel without your knowledge.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">You are all seeing; all knowing. There are no surprises, day in and </span><span style="font-style: italic;">day out. The only thing it is ever hoped you will do is win, place or </span><span style="font-style: italic;">show, and that you don't have much control over. It is in your blood,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">it is in your heart, it is in your fate-- or it is not.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And when it is not, then suddenly you are expected to be a civilized</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">person in a fur coat. But people don't realize you may not even speak </span><span style="font-style: italic;">English. Some of you don't even know your names, because you didn't </span><span style="font-style: italic;">need to. You were not asked or told to do anything as an individual;</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">you were always part of the "condo association"; the sorority or</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">fraternity and everyone did everything together, as a group or pack. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">The only time you did anything as an individual is when you schooled </span><span style="font-style: italic;">or raced, and even then, You Were Not Alone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Suddenly, he is expected to behave himself in places he's never been</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">taught how to act. He is expected to take responsibility for saying </span><span style="font-style: italic;">when he needs to go outside, to come when he is called, not to get on </span><span style="font-style: italic;">some or all of the furniture, and to not eat food off counters and</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">tables. He is dropped in a world that is not his, and totally without </span><span style="font-style: italic;">warning, at that.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Almost everything he does is wrong. Suddenly he is a minority. Now he</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">is just a pet. He is unemployed, in a place where people expect him</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">to know the rules and the schedule, even when there aren't any. (How</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">many times have you heard someone say, "He won't tell me when he has</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">to go out." What kind of schedule is that?) Have you heard the joke</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">about the dog who says, "My name is No-No Bad Dog. What's yours?" To</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">me that is not even funny. All the protective barriers are gone.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">There is no more warning before something happens. There is no more</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">strength in numbers. He wakes up with a monster human face two inches</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">from his. (With some people's breath, this could scare Godzilla.) Why</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">should he not, believe that this "someone," who has crept up on him,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">isn't going to eat him for lunch? (I really do have to ask you ladies</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">to consider how you would react if someone you barely knew crawled up</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">on you while you were asleep?) No, I will not ask for any male input.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Now he is left alone, for the first time in his life, in a strange</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">place, with no idea of what will happen or how long it will be before</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">someone comes to him again. If he is not crated, he may go though</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">walls, windows or over fences, desperately seeking something</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">familiar, something with which to reconnect his life. If he does get</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">free, he will find the familiarity, within himself: the adrenaline</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">high, the wind in his ears, the blood pulsing and racing though his</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">heart once again--until he crashes into a car.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Often, the first contact with his new family is punishment, something</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">he's never had before, something he doesn't understand now,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">especially in the middle of the rest of the chaos. And worst of all,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">what are the most common human reactions to misbehavior? We live in a</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">violent society, where the answer to any irritation is a slap, punch,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">kick, whip, or rub your nose in it. Under these circumstances,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">sometimes I think any successful adoption is a miracle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He is, in effect, expected to have all the manners of at least a six-</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">year old child. But, how many of you would leave an unfamiliar six-</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">year old human alone and loose in your home for hours at a time and</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">not expect to find who knows what when you got back? Consider that if</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">you did, you could be brought up on charges of child abuse, neglect</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">and endangerment. Yet, people do this to Greyhounds and this is often</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">the reason for so many returns.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How many dogs have been returned because they did not know how to</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">tell the adopter when they had to go out? How many for jumping on</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">people, getting on furniture, counter surfing, separation anxiety, or</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">defensive actions due to being startled or hurt (aka growling or</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">biting)? So, let's understand: Sometimes it is the dog's "fault" he</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">cannot fit in. He is not equipped with the social skills of a six-</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">year old human. But you can help him."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">How EMPTY my life would be!</span>Brittaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17046972360991764879noreply@blogger.com1