Hidey-Hole

Tub Safety

It has been well documented that Roxy is a thunder-phobe. When we are at home, she hunkers down in our bathroom floor, face on the air conditioning vent, thinking good thoughts until the storm clears. I break out the soothing storm music and aroma therapy on exceptionally rowdy storms for added "protection." And for afternoons where the storms just keep coming without a break - as they sometimes do here in the south - we have drugs to help her get through it. On those afternoons, I wish I had drugs to get through it too, but that's another story.

We have that home routine down cold, but when we travel Roxy has to decide where she feels safest. Anywhere dark and cold is her usual go-to location. While staying in our mountain house during the week of July 4th, weather dog Roxy struggled to find just the right place to feel safe during the regular afternoon boomers.

Seka could care less about the storm.
Bonus, she gets all the Kongs!

Thunder in the mountains is exceptionally loud. Even small rumbles often feel like they are right on top of you. Add that to the redneck fireworks display each evening and Roxy looked like she needed a drink. Finally, she decided that the actual bathtub with the shower curtain pulled most of the way shut was the best place to be. Every afternoon around 3p, whether the weather was stormy or not, she would retreat to the bathtub hidey-hole and take cover until we went to bed, only coming out for a brief dinner and a potty.


I tried to make her come out, but the more I fussed with her, the more upset she got, so I just let her spend time in the tub if that's what she wanted to do. I was afraid that this psycho behavior would carry over when we got home, but so far she's been pretty normal - whatever that is for Roxy.

Breakdown

When I'm getting ready to go out of town I make lots of lists. Chores to do in the house. Things to gather for the dogs. Stuff to pack for the cats. Things to tell the house sitter. Clothes to pack for myself. Despite all of the lists I usually forget something. And while throwing out the milk that would go bad while I'm gone was on my list - throwing out everything in the fridge and freezer was not.

This is the second time since we purchased the fridge 11 years ago that it has crapped out on us. The first time I tried to salvage as much as I could in a giant cooler, but ended up throwing away everything anyway. This time, I didn't have a choice. With the exception of three packs of chicken backs still frozen enough for the dogs, most everything was toast. I guess when it's 117 degrees out, things don't last long in the ice box no matter how cool you keep your house.

We hadn't restocked the fridge since our Chicago trip eight days ago and we rarely keep anything in the freezer other than dog food and a few frozen dinners. So trashing everything wasn't as painful as it could have been. And at least it happened while I was still here and not tomorrow when everything would stink up the place after a week without cold. Now it will just stink up the trash can for the next week. I won't be here to smell it. I hope the raccoons leave it alone.

The girls did their part in helping clean out the fridge. I stuffed their Kongs with some roast beef, which kept them busy and their nose out of the trash as I cleaned. Roxy is so polite I can just hand her slices without fear of losing my finger. Seka on the other hand, may not have many teeth, but she still finds a way to chomp on my fingers.

Sucker

I didn't suck my thumb as a kid. I had a pacifier and one day when I was three my Cookie Monster stuffed animal came to life (with the help of my father) and ate it because he thought it was a cookie. That's how I lost my binky. My sister sucked her thumb and in exchange for her stopping at the age of six, she got a color TV for her bedroom. Yeah, it still doesn't sound fair to me either.

While I was working yesterday afternoon I could hear a weird sound coming from the area where Roxy was sleeping. Usually when there are weird noises in the house they are coming from Emma, who at 15 makes lots of strange sounds in general. But tiny E was nowhere in sight. Upon closer inspection I find that Roxy is sucking on one of her toes in her sleep.

She always sleeps like a contortionist, but I'd never caught her doing anything like this. If this is a new habit, I wonder if she will demand a new HDTV for her kennel in exchange for quitting.

Circle of Life

On Tuesday my girls caught their first bunny. Now, for some of you, this isn't a big deal. Your greyhounds chase and catch just about anything. For my girls, this was a notable achievement for two reasons:

1. My girls rarely chase ANYTHING in the yard - squirrels, bunnies, cats, opossums, armadillos. We have all of these critters in our back yard at some point during the year and the girls rarely take after any of them.
2. Seka has an old, broken down hip and missing toes and Roxy is rarely allowed to do anything unless Seka - aka the Fun Police - says it is okay. It's never okay.

So I'm sure the sweet little unsuspecting bunny who was eating grass in our back yard absolutely thought he could scoot through the fence before two broken down greyhounds could get to him. Well, bunny thought wrong.

Seka made the grab and shake. Roxy chose to run around with the trophy showing it off like she had won Wimbledon. Luckily, the carnage was pretty contained and quick. After the initial celebration they could have cared less about Russell (that's what I named him - yes I name every animal including the incredibly large rat that lives in my shed. His name is Artie.). I started to take a picture of their prize, but I thought it would be disrespectful and I'm sure PETA would throw paint on me or something.

But a funny thing happened, Roxy had bunny remorse. She went upstairs, curled up in the floor and wouldn't come down until I coaxed her down with the promise of dinner. While I'm sure other dogs would immediately go back to the site of the take down, Roxy wouldn't go near that part of the yard for days. I guess she was sad for little Russell too.

Seka on the other hand napped all afternoon and then when she got up I realized she had dislocated her toe pretty badly. A trip to Dr. Hottie the next day, a reset toe (the dislocation between P1 and P2 actually poked out through the skin), a cool bandage and we're as good as new.

Instinct is an incredible thing. And even if you know better, sometimes you just can't help yourself. Maybe Roxy felt guilty about her celebratory lap. Then again, maybe not. She's almost caught three squirrels in the last three days. On second thought, I like to think she let them escape and just enjoyed the thrill of the chase. She is a sensitive little thing.

I Scream, You Scream...

Growing up, my family celebrated just about anything with a trip to Baskin' Robbins. Big things like birthdays and holidays. Small things like all As on report cards and band concerts. Ice cream was an important part of my family's traditions. It's hard to find a Baskin' Robbins these days and when you do they don't usually have my favorite flavor - chocolate fudge. I'm sure it has some sort of super sugar in it that makes it so chocolaty good so it's been banned or something. Kev and I recently enjoyed frozen treats at Menchie's, which is a new-fangled frozen yogurt place in town. It's good, but it's no chocolate fudge.

Doggie ice cream is a staple at our house. It's not ice cream, so I call them freezies. I use the small GladWare containers - I have no idea what they are actually intended for because they are too small to store anything of value in them - and mix up plain, low-fat yogurt and their daily dose of glucosamine and MSM, then throw it in the freezer. It's a great 3 p.m snack for the girls and it is good for them. Sometimes I mix in a banana, peanut butter, apple, or whatever it might be tasty, but they like the standard offering best.

Roxy demonstrates her exceptional licking skills. She's the worst at chewing on the containers as she tries to pop the whole freezie out of the container so she can chew it instead of licking it. She's like one of those weird people who bite into their frozen treats. She's getting better at enjoying her freezie the old fashioned way without me correcting her. Leave it to Roxy to be the only dog in the universe that needs training on how to lick something.

Unwrapping Fun

I had a friend tell me that she would not be wrapping gifts for her one year old child this Christmas. In her words, "It is a waste of time, money and energy because they can't unwrap it anyway. Wrapping gifts for a one year old baby is like wrapping a gift for your dogs." Well, I guess she has never met Roxy.

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2012 bring you lots of gifts to tear into!

Random Days of Christmas: Day 14

Day 14: You Need a New Sofa When...

The greyhounds prefer to rearrange the cushions so they are actually being eaten by them.

Random Days of Christmas: Day 11

Day 11: Opening Presents Takes Practice

Roxy is becoming a pro...

Random Days of Christmas: Day 8

Day 8: My Greyhound Snores Louder than Your Honor Student

This has been happening for quite some time. We'll be watching tv and suddenly we hear the rumblings of a growling bear. The tv is instantly muted so we can decide where the attack will come from and I begin to mentally review all of the survival skills I've learned by watching When Animals Attack and then we realize it is just Roxy napping.

Can greyhounds have sleep apnea?

Lookout! Dogs on the Diamond.

I love minor league baseball. I love the silly promotions. I love watching guys playing the game just hoping they make an impression. I love Thirsty Thursdays (2-for-1 drink night at most minor league parks).

So when the Chattanooga Lookouts hosted Dogs on the Diamond night last week, we knew the girls had to make an appearance.

We made donations.

We made friends.

We made an impression.

Yes, she is standing on the table. 

We made a mess.

And we made the local news and I have no idea why the sound didn't record. We still look cute all the same, so just for fun, you can do your own voiceover script!

Water Bugs

I can swim, but I really don't love recreational activities that involve water. I'm not a stick in the mud. I will boat, swim and jet ski, but it's not my first choice of fun. My idea of enjoying the water is laying on a blow up raft, my drink secured in a koozie, a good book to read and suntan lotion on my skin.

On our recent vacation to Tampa we took the girls to Fort Desoto dog beach. This off-leash dog beach for well-mannered pups who like to swim is fantastic for dog lovers. The beach was clean. The sand was soft (not too shelly). And the people (and dogs) were really friendly. Of course we were the only greyhounds in sight, so we got a lot of attention, even when we were just watching all the other dogs swim as we lounged in the shade.

Despite the fact that we have a pool in our backyard, my girls have never had a swimming lesson. Seka fell in on the day we moved and has never been near the edge again. Roxy is way too cautious to even attempt to lean over into the wild blue yonder, either that or Seka told her horror stories of what happens when you do get too close. Both girls have been to the beach before and they really didn't like it. Seka has NOTHING to do with the water. In fact, she does everything she possibly can to get as far away from the foamy waves as she possibly can, which makes morning walks on the beach really not fun. Roxy would run in with me about ankle deep and spaz around, but that's about it.

I'm not sure if it was watching all the other dogs splashing around or if it was the 90+ degree temperatures at 10 a.m., but both girls wanted to get in the water. On our second outing, Roxy even went in deeper with Kev and actually got her doggie paddle on. She didn't like the waves getting water in her ears, but she kept going back out and trying it over and over again. I was very proud of her.  Next time I will bring her inflatable e-collar to help her keep her ears water-free, but then again, I don't want the other dogs to make fun of her.

Seka, on the other hand, takes after her mom. For the first time ever she braved the scary foam the waves made on the sand and submerged herself in the water! She had zero interest in moving her legs and attempting to swim, but she seemed to get over her fear of the ocean so that was a huge step for her.

The other great part about swimming with your greyhounds is that it totally wears them out. Sure they are all sandy and sticky from the salt, but they don't have the energy to track that stuff anywhere but to their beds! Now we can plan more beach vacations and I feel like they will enjoy it, but until then the plastic baby pool we purchased will have to serve as their personal doggie spa.

Silly Girl Turns Seven

Happy Seventh Birthday to my sweet, silly and snuggly Roxy girl. Thank you for making me smile every day.

Vacation Vet

Roxy doesn't feel well.

Some of you know that the location of my summer vacation often revolves around where the Boston Red Sox are playing. We've seen the Sox in Oakland, Seattle, Phoenix and of course Boston. Now you can add Tampa to the list. Most of the trips often require air travel, so the girls do not tag along. But this year's trip only took 5 hours in the car, so we officially enjoyed our first family vacation.

While there was beach time, baseball and of course a celebration centering around the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup, we had a bit of drama just prior to Wednesday night's game. It was wicked hot in Tampa on Wednesday and we spent a bit of time with the girls lunching at John's Pass and then spending a few hours in the ocean (a swimming lessons post will follow - stay tuned). It was HOT. There was NO BREEZE. But, the girls seemed comfortable soaking in the salt water and chillin' in the shade.

Upon leaving the beach Roxy took a tinkle. Of course all crazy good greyhound owners inspect what goes in and out of our dogs, so you can imagine my horror when her urine was black/red. Not cool, but my skills as a amateur veterinarian diagnosed it as a UTI. After a call to Dr. Hottie back home, he confirmed my diagnosis suggested we seek medical attention as UTIs/bladder infections get bad pretty quickly.

Now comes the tricky part. It's 4:15p on Wednesday afternoon. Google maps (thank you iPhone) found four vets within miles of where we were.

I thought this was vacation?

• Vet Number 1, didn't have time to see us. Thanks for nothing. 
• Vet Number 2 wasn't open after noon on Monday, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Who keeps these crappy hours? 
• Vet Number 3 didn't answer the phone. I guess I got the message. 
• That brings us to Vet Number 4 - The Animal Hospital of Seminole. Fabulous service. Friendly people. An Auburn University trained vet who is familiar with greyhounds. And they took us without hesitation. 

Roxy had a nasty bladder infection. She's never had any urinary tract issues in the past, so this was a bit unexpected. According to the vet, low squatters (Roxy fits that description) can pick up bacteria much easier than other dogs. She could have gotten it in the water, on the beach or in the tall grass at our condo. The only concerning result in her urinalysis was even though we could see the blood in her urine, there were no blood cells present in the sample. According to vacation vet, this is a sign of overheating in a greyhound, as the heat destroys the red blood cells in their bodies. Basically, I'm a bad mommy.

A shot, a week's worth of antibiotics, instructions to keep her inside the next day and a charge on the debit card later, we were out the door. I figured this was the last time we would hear from our friends at AHS.

Nope, their fabulous customer service didn't stop after I signed the debit card slip. They called to follow up the next day. How fantastic! And then I received this birthday card especially for my sweet little girl via e-mail yesterday. You must check out the link as it is breed specific! Ok, I know it's a whippet, but it's pretty close.

So any of you Florida folks are looking for a new vet or are in the St. Petersburg area and need a vet, I highly recommend The Animal Hospital of Seminole. For our next family vacation I will print out a list of vets prior to our arrival just in case. You can never be too prepared.

Super Mushy

An old greyhound trainer (by the way, is there such thing as a young greyhound trainer?) once told me that he gave his dogs a marshmallow and half of a banana when they came back to the kennel after a race. While the dogs associate this special treat as a post-race celebration, there is actual science behind this practice. Greyhounds' blood sugar drops dramatically during an all out sprint. Feeding some sort of simple sugar within 30 minutes after exertion will help stabilize their blood chemistry. The banana is to replace the potassium they lose during a run. Some also feed a small amount of protein, like raw hamburger, to help with recovery.

I like to believe that Roxy received treats like this in her successful racing days, but I highly doubt it since the first time I gave her a marshmallow she didn't know what to do with it. She eventually figured it out, with a little help from Seka, and giving the girls a mushy at bedtime has become a nightly ritual.

While replenishing our mushy supply today I found GIANT marshmallows intended for campfire use. I'm not sure why these crazy-sized balls of sugar are especially good for outdoor use, as I think it would take way too much time to properly scorch them in a fire, but I did think it would be fun to buy a bag and see what greyhounds would do with a marshmallow six times the size of their mouths.

The verdict, Seka can eat a super-sized mushy as fast as she does a jumbo and Roxy might choke without adult supervision and/or cutting it into bite sized pieces. 

Hunger Strike

I can only remember a couple of times where my parents wouldn't let me leave the dinner table until I cleaned my plate. I'm pretty sure both of those times, the meal included lima beans or peas of some sort. My dad didn't like his vegetables either, and I'm pretty sure my mom was forbidden to make them ever again. Especially after his daughter, who is was too smart for her own good, pointed out that dad didn't clean his plate so he should have to sit at the table until he was done as well. Yeah, that didn't happen, but a spanking did.

Over the last three weeks, Roxy's eating habits have become really poor. It started with refusing the nightly marshmallow that I give each of them at bed time. Okay, so she doesn't want sweets, not a big deal. Then she started leaving everything in her Kong totally untouched, except the cream cheese or peanut butter. I figured Seka bullied her into giving her Kong up, which happens even in their crates sometimes. The next reject on the menu was a raw chicken back. Then came the turkey neck's turn. Three days ago, she totally gave up chicken gizzards and hamburger all together. I think she ate grass and a couple of slices of American Cheese for the last two days because nothing else would do. Maybe she's making a vegetarian statement of some sort.

There's really only one culprit: her choppers. Poor Roxy just has the bad teeth gene and despite regular brushing and a raw diet, she continues to lose teeth a pair at a time. She most recently had two pulled in August. Now, it looks like she's going to lose at least two more on the other side. We were waiting to complete an antibiotic cycle before having them pulled, but with her eating habits becoming so poor, I guess we may have to do this sooner, rather than later.

My dilemma, what do we put on Roxy's menu after she has lost most of the back teeth in her mouth? Do we move to kibble for her? It can't be easy to eat dry pebbles without back teeth. Will she be able to chew raw bones again? Are we headed down a path of canned dog food for good (ugh, please no)?

I really want to keep her on a grain-free diet, especially when she's allergic to peas (I wish I had that excuse) and eggs. Both are used in a lot of commercial kibble. We live in the country, so we lack convenient access to uppity dog food and I'm a poor planner when it comes ordering ahead of time. I guess we'll just see if she can gum the raw dishes once we get her appetite back.

Seka, on the other hand, is psyched that her sister isn't eating her daily ration. Before I really got a handle on the severity of the situation I'm 99% sure Seka ate Roxy's food too. Something Fatty McPatty didn't need. But the joke was on her tonight as Roxy wolfed down a can of Newman's Own canned dog food as she stood by drooling on the sidelines.

The Itchy & Scratchy Show

I love Sam Simon. You may or may not know this genius behind the Simpsons, but besides being incredibly creative and an amazing writer, he has used his wealth to help dogs through the Sam Simon Foundation. In fact, he's been known to go to various animal shelters and adopt every dog there. Every dog no matter the age, color, breed, or temperament. I fantasize about being able to do that. Sam Simon does it.  

One of my favorite characters that can be credited to Simon (besides Santa's Little Helper) is the satirical parallel to Tom & Jerry - Itchy & Scratchy. Every episode staring this duo on the Simpson's television was violent, bloody, gory and really funny. I love the theme song for this silly little sub-set of characters and lately, I sing this song to Roxy as her new nickname has become Itchy Scratchy. 

I posted a few months back about her horrible skin condition that continued to get worse. The thyroid tests proved to be normal in every way (no excuses for her loony behavior now), but she was still covered in gross sores that were armed with green puss. She was consumed with itching and scratching 24/7. She couldn't sleep and I couldn't sleep and it made her noise phobia a lot worse because she was so miserable and on edge. 

Dr. Hottie suggested that we do an allergy panel. This is not cheap, but I was at my wits end and she had consumed more Benadryl and steroids than one canine should, so this was really our only option. I knew she had allergies, but I had no idea how much she was allergic to. In fact, Dr. Hottie said he was shocked and the number of red marks that came back on Roxy's report. Well, at least she excels at something. 

She is in fact allergic to every kind of grass known to man, peas, eggs, pork and me. Yep, she's allergic to human hair! Oh, and did you know that dogs can be allergic to themselves. Seriously - dog and cat dander is on the list and she was non-reactive, thank goodness. I don't know how you treat a dog who is allergic to her own fur.

The treatment is just like human allergy shots. They start with a milder exposure to the allergens via injection on a regular basis. There are 3 vials - green, blue and red. The blue shots are the ones that usually cause problems with some sort of reaction as they are the strongest in concentration. 

We're half-way through the treatment cycle. For the first 2 weeks she got a shot approximately every other day. Now we're on the higher concentrated stuff and she gets a shot approximately every 5 to 6 days. Warning: this treatment isn't for someone with the fear of needles, as they are rather large. 

So far, so good. Her fur has become much, much softer and her skin isn't peeling off in sheets. The scabs on her sores have healed for the most part and both of us are sleeping much better. While the test was pricey, the vials of shots are reasonable. I do think that by this point I would have spent the same amount on an endless cocktail of steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines. 

Roxy's lack of scratching may not require the singing of the Itchy & Scratchy theme song these days, but she likes the extra attention she is getting just the same, even if it comes in a syringe.

Green Eyed Monster

Right now I am seeing green. Everywhere I visit online I see greyhounds living it up in the snow. Whether I'm catching up on my usual greyhound blogs or wasting time on Facebook, all I seem to see are adorable pictures of greys frolicking in white powder, having the time of their lives.  I'm certain these photos are taunting me - sticking out a virtual tongue and saying "nanny nanny boo boo."

It's not be cause we didn't get any snow here in South Georgia. Oh, we got some. And plenty of ice to boot. But my snobby girls wouldn't even get off of the deck to go potty, much less run and play. I had to drag them out of the "safety zone" aka the covered deck, and make them go into the yard. So while everyone else was enjoying capturing their dogs loving the cold life, all I got to see was two cold wuss-hounds, wrapped up in blankets, sleeping on the sofa.

I guess they were just following the example that I set. I'm not getting out in that crazy-cold either.

Dog Friendly

Growing up a Girl Scout in Georgia means one thing - numerous trips to the birthplace of the organization's founder, Juliette Gordon Lowe, in Savannah. I cannot tell you how many times my GS troop decided to spend the money that we earned hocking cookies to take a trip to the Georgia coast. While our leaders did their best to make the old house, its architecture and the story of why Sherman didn't burn it down on his march through Georgia, exciting to a seven-year-old girl, all I really wanted was the special pin to wear on our uniform that said I had been to the birthplace. To me, that pin was just another accomplishment to wear on my badge-laden sash.

So when it was suggested we go to Savannah to ring in the new year with old friends, all I could think about was that big old house and even older women that guarded the antiques and gave the tours. But come to find out, Savannah is a very dog-friendly town - which now makes it one of my favorite places. Between the squares, parks, fountains, and outdoor cafes, there were tons of things for four-legged friends to do. Including, a 90-minute trolley tour of the city. 

As you can imagine, there aren't a lot of trolley riding opportunities in the middle of the country. Tractors, yes. Trolleys, no. So this was a first for my girls. Seka could care less. She loves to ride. I think she would ride a skateboard if I could teach her how. She is so happy to be moving and going somewhere, anywhere, that it really doesn't matter the final destination. In fact, I have to be careful when talking about "going on a trip," or getting something out of the "car." Seriously, I'm spelling so my dog doesn't go bananas. I'm sure she knows how to spell now too. It was no shock to us that she slept in the center aisle on a blanket on the trolley like it was the back seat of her car.

Roxy is another story all together. Anything new is scary to her. Walking on cobblestone streets is scary. Walking on the docks is scary. Seeing boats are scary. So you can imagine that getting on a trolley with lots of other strangers is scary too. Surprisingly enough, she did pretty well, if you ignore the shaking, shedding and a small amount of drooling that occurred for about 20 minutes. She even decided that for the last hour of the 90-minute tour that she would sit on the seat next to me and eventually fell asleep. 

So, add trolley rides to the lists of things to do with your dog if you go to Savannah. The trolley drivers were really nice and they loved our big girls. Oh, and we did go by the Birthplace of Girl Scouts on our tour.  I wish I had remembered to wear my sash. 

Someone's Been Sleeping in My Bed

Fashionista

My whole life I've loved clothes, shoes, accessories, jewelry - you get the picture. I'm a girly girl who likes to dress the part no matter where she's headed. Case and point: sporting events. Now, Kev simply throws on shorts and a t-shirt that has the logo of the team we are going to see on it. Me, I need to plan an ensemble that is team-supportive, weather appropriate and of course cute. 

So in August when I bought tickets to take Kev to Chicago to see the Patriots play the Bears for his 40th birthday, I knew it would be cold. No worries, I could come up with something cute and warm, like this little number:

As December 12 got closer and closer, and the weather man started laughing at all the idiots fans who would be attending the game last Sunday, I had to rethink my wardrobe. For those of you who do not follow the NFL, Sunday's game was one of the coldest on record: 9˚F,  -4˚F windchill and 55 mph wind gusts. These conditions caused me to dress like a ninja instead of like a cute football chick:

But it was worth it. I braved the cold for more than three hours without wussing out. The Patriots won and I received the title of coolest wife in America (no pun intended). I just wish it had a crown associated with it. Maybe some new Uggs instead?

Roxy likes to be cute too. She's been rockin' her PJ jammie jams despite the static electricity jumping all over the place. Beauty is pain.