Frankie: 8/31 - I got the big bed!

Check it out, guys! I got the big bed!! Everyone wants this bed, because it's behind the couch, right next to a refreshing A/C vent, and it has memory foam. 

Now, it's mine, all mine!

Artex Oyster: 8/24 - Days in the Sun

Hi everyone! Oyster here. 

Life is moving pretty slow now a days. I've really wanted to get out and stretch my legs, but since I'm not allowed to right now, foster family is at least trying to give me some time in the sunshine. Little foster sister wanted to make me a tent, so I had some shade. She's so sweet to me. I really do enjoy the tiny humans. They give me gentle pats and their mouths are always covered in something yummy to lick. (For some reason Foster mom doesn't really like me doing that...can't imagine why... It's a treat for me and they get a bath. Win/Win!) 

Anyway, I met some other neighborhood kids that are a bit older than my foster sisters the other day and I really liked them too. They crowded around me and I got to turn around and sniff each one of them while I got some pats. Some dogs may not like kids in their space, but I don't really mind, as long as they are gentle and giving me loving attention. I would rather they didn't hug me though. It's confusing and I wriggle a lot to get away from it. Ear and back scratches are my favorite form of attention. 

My heartworm treatment journey continues slowly, but surely. I'm really good at taking my meds and eating my food. I LOVE food in any form. It's so tempting when I'm table height to grab something, but foster mom has been rewarding me when I go lay on my bed during dinner, so I pretty much go lay down automatically now when the family is eating. I do like to watch you cook though, so if you don't mind me watching your every move, I'll be right there to be your sous chef and clean up any dropped crumbs. 

Here's some photos of me hanging out in my little outdoor bungalow with one of my human foster sisters. And me on my bed at dinner time.

Until next time! 

-Oyster

Stuck On Impulse aka Honey: 8/22 - "TOT"

Hi everyone, Honey here again!  It's been a few days since I've written so I thought I should check in and say I'm still hanging here in my foster home waiting to meet my forever family.  Foster mom tells me yesterday was Tuesday and some greyhounds like to celebrate what they call "tongue out Tuesday" so here's my "T.O.T." photos for your enjoyment...

Yes they are silly but that's me, just a silly happy girl. If you need a little silliness in your life just let those adoption folks at GEGR know you'd like to meet me-- Honey! I've got plenty of happy to share and I can't wait to meet you and show you just how much! Until then, I'll be here relaxed to the max! Honey

Stuck on Impulse aka Honey: 8/15 - TOYS!!!

Hey everyone, Honey here with the most exciting thing since one of the boys knocked a bag of treats out of foster mom's hand so they spilled all over the floor!  Oh my goodness......,

 here it is.....,

this might be bigger than peanut butter---

 are you ready???


TOYS!!!!!!

I can't get enough of these things!

This one squeaks when I bite it and makes the perfect pillow when I need a nap!



Do you think if I sit on them like eggs they will hatch more toys?

  Wow!! Really, where have these things been all my life? Do you know about these? They are so amazing! I never knew there were such things! There are soft ones and crinkly ones and squeaky ones and bouncy ones and just so many of them!  I had seen the resident hounds pick them up and bite on them sometimes but I never understood until I finally gave it a go for myself. Boy oh boy toys are GREYT!!



Okay I need to go make sure I have plenty of toys on each bed before time to sleep-- I wouldn't want to wake up without at least one in reach!  Tail wags and nose kisses, Honey

Stuck on Impulse aka Honey: 8/14 - Out and About

Hey there everyone, Honey here!  I took a daytrip up to Greyhound Central the other day and met some nice folks but I didn't find my perfect match just yet. Foster Mom says that just gives me more time to hang here with her and learn more new things and be even more ready to dive in to my forever home when I find it. She said she wanted to give me some lessons in socialization. (I learned that means I get to go on field trips!) My first adventure in socialization was to the family vet. All the people there were very nice but I found some other things there even more interesting than the people!



I could hear meowing through this door. Foster mom said despite my super
cute ear pose and begging face she would not let me visit the cat.



FM said that funny looking guy in the fence is called a "goat" and he lives here at the vet office. I called out to him but he wouldn't come over to play with me. How rude of him!

My foster sister and I went on another field trip to try and meet some other dogs who aren't greyhounds. We went to this great place called a pet store. There were nice people there who petted me and asked FM questions about me. There were so many new smells I could hardly take them all in. I met another dog called a "lab," she was not even a year old yet so really she was just a puppy. FM tried to take our picture together but we were too busy sniffing each other to take time to strike a pose.  Then I saw the strangest things. FM said they are called "guinea pigs" and I most definitely may not have one. They just looked like they would be so much fun to chase and play with but FM was too afraid I might hurt one. She can be such a party pooper sometimes! The good news was before we left the nice lady at the register gave me a cookie. I love cookies so much I almost forgot about those guinea pigs.....almost.




I could watch this show all day long!



That was a fun field trip, I hope we get to go again!

Well that's all the time I have for now. Until next time, love and nose kisses! Honey









Artex Oyster: 8/11 - Heartworm Treatment 101

Hi Everyone! Oyster here. I wanted to give you all an update on how I'm doing with my heartworm treatment. For those of you that don't know how it works, let me give you a little introduction. Normally, when a pup is on heartworm prevention he would get one tasty beef chew like the one below or possibly a hard chewable tablet once a month. Instead, I have to take a pile of pills EVERY DAY for a couple months. My foster mom makes it easier on me by wrapping them in something yummy. Still, it's a lot to deal with.  I'm staying positive because I know foster mom cares about me getting better. In a couple months when the pills are done, I have to get a series of injections to kill off any adult worms present. I'm not excited about this, but I am a tough boy ready to take on anything. I don't want any of my other canine friends to go through this too, so please make sure you are giving preventatives to your pups every month. My condition is 100% preventable. There are many different options available, so ask your Veterinarian about which type is best for your canine pal.

P.S. Did you know you can get practically a lifetime supply of preventatives for the cost of heartworm disease treatment? It's a no brainer!

Another thing that's kind of a bummer is I cannot exercise...AT ALL...for months during my treatment. Having a raised heart rate can create risks in my treatment process, so I can't go outside to walk more than just to go potty. I can't play and run, climb or jump. I guess the lucky thing is that I'm a greyhound and a couch potato by nature. Still, I don't like missing out. Since I can't have physical exercise, foster mom tries to do mental games with me to expel my energy. We are doing wait training, quiet time training, and hide and seek with treats/kibble. It's a great way for me to learn the ropes of living in a home too.  Anyway, I wish this wasn't how things have to be, but I'm told if I play by the rules now, I can go on to live a happy, healthy life and eventually be able to romp and have a blast like any other pup!

In the meantime, I'm working on perfecting my sad eyes to get sympathy and lots of treats. How am I doing? Foster mom says she can almost hear Sarah McLachlan playing in the background whenever I look at her. #nailedit!

Finally, I close with some interesting facts about heartworms:

1) Dogs contract heartworms from mosquitos. If you live in an area with lots of them, preventatives are essential!

2) Heartworms are NOT contagious to people or dog to dog. Part of the lifecycle must go through a mosquito for the worms to mature to adults

3) Heartworms can make their way into cats sometimes by mistake, but it is very rare. The dog is the preferred host.

4) There are different stages of heartworm disease progression. If left untreated, heartworm disease is fatal. 

5) Doxycycline (the blue pills in the photo) is an antibiotic used to kill a bacteria the worms need to survive and reproduce. We give it ahead of the injections to sterilize existing worms, so the load can't increase. 

Thanks for reading and until next time!

-Oyster

Myth See All: 8/10/18 - School's In Session

Myth here.

I have had such a busy week. Foster mom has been putting Einstein and I through the paces in this home training course.  I'm doing so well, I thought I'd share some of my achievements. First off I graduated from staying in the crate to learning to use a dog bed properly. I learned you shouldn't put your butt on the wall while on the bed. It's really not comfortable.

I also moved from sleeping at night in the crate to sleeping in foster mom's room with the other dogs. The lesson here - hurry to the room and grab the most comfortable bed!  Foster mom calls it a slumber ball. I'm going to need one of these in my forever home. Just saying.

Believe it or not there was a course on waiting. I don't quite know why we need this one but I've had to repeat this class a few times. Foster mom says we have to wait at every door. Geez does she not know I have to pee in the morning. Waiting isn't the first thing on my mind and yet she insists. My bladder and I are working it out.

I thought cooking class was going to be a breeze. Not!!! Despite our daily efforts, foster mom won't let us help in the kitchen at all. She always says she doesn't need our help. She said in order to pass this class we had to stay completely out of the kitchen. That's just absurd!  I'm going to speak to those nice folks at GEGR and see if I can go to a different school. Did I mention how much I love food?  I could whip up gourmet hound meals if she'd just give me a chance.

There's even a class on Overcoming Your Fears. It's really called Stairs 101 but I like my title better. Us pups found out that this is one of those self teaching classes. You just have to do it and practice makes perfect. These are not my most graceful moments but I make it happen. After all I have to get to the slumber ball first. It's called goals!

Here's another one of my least favorite classes. It involves that crazy wait word again.  After we eat or when foster mom comes home she says we have to calm down and wait to come out of the crate. I used to want my belly rubs so badly that I would rush to get out of the crate. Now I wait like a proper lady should.

So now you know that I've been working really hard for my furever home. I'm ready for graduation day!! Foster mom says that's the day I pick out my furever family and they take me home to live with them. I'll show off all of my home training skills. I've got my cap and gown. All I need is my diploma.

CG's Einstein: 8/9/18 - Bunny Patrol

Einstein here.

My toes got a good rest and I'm back to tell you some more about me.  Foster mom reports that I'm a good boy in the house.  I get along with all of the other pups.  I like to play tag with the only other boy pup.  He gets me, then I get him. You know how it goes.

Foster mom thought I could use some help with my leash manners.  She took me for a walk at night all by myself.  I was a little nervous at first but I was getting the hang of it.  There was a lot of turning around and it seemed like I was going in circles. And then it happened!

Just as the sun was going down, I thought I saw a bunny rabbit!  I wasn't sure but I gave it my full attention.  Is it? Could it be?

I did see a bunny rabbit!! It ran across the street right in front of my eyes.  I readied myself to give chase but foster  mom wouldn't let me. She said I don't have to chase the bunnies any more. I had to settle for just watching it run away. That was different.

I'm not sure that letting the rabbit go was a good idea but the treats I got for staying by foster mom were worth it.

I wonder if I'll see any more rabbits on our walks? I'm ready. Maybe my forever family will take me out for rabbit watching. That would be fun.

I feel a nap coming on. I need to dream about rabbits. See ya later.

Stuck On Impulse aka Honey 8-9-18 Getting Comfy!

Hi everyone, it's me Honey!  I told you I was learning a lot in my foster home so foster mom said I should tell you about what I'm learning. First of all people are my favorite, better than other hounds, maybe even better than treats, oh I just love the people, all the people!! I want to stay near them and keep my eye on them in case they hand out treats or feel like giving some ear rubs. Here I am hanging out in the kitchen watching foster dad make dinner.

I hope he lets me taste test!

My foster siblings told me there are way better places to lay down that are more comfy than the hard kitchen floor. They said there are even better poses to lay in. When you live in a house you aren't in a kennel all the time so you can really stretch out.  Here I am on the rug trying this stretch out idea.

Foster mom said something about yoga.... is that anything like yogurt?

Am I getting it right now? I asked. Well, halfway... they said. Halfway? What could be better than this? Then they told me about beds! When you lay on a bed it's all soft and cushy and you can really get that stretch and roll. My foster brother rolls all the way over on his back and calls that pose a roach. I haven't quite got the hang of it like he does yet, but I sure am enjoying the practice! What do you think?? 

Paws up who's loving retirement so far? THIS GIRL!!

I'm going to practice my roach pose some more now, maybe I'll get it perfected in time to show it off to my forever family when I meet them. Foster mom says I have more to learn too so I better wrap up my blog time. Hugs and nose kisses and see you soon!  Honey

CG's Einstein: 8/9/18 - Intros Are in Order

Hi Everyone, I'm Einstein.

It's been an exciting week with so much happening and I decided it was time to introduce myself. My foster mom said she would do it but it's taking forever. So I'll just tell you all about Einstein. With a name like Einstein, I'm certainly smart enough. Ok, we got that out of the way.

I'm a bright 4 year old pup from a race kennel in WV. I came last Saturday with 9 other pups to start my journey into retired life. I was assigned to a foster home first to learn the ropes. I'm not alone though. My friend Myth is learning with me. We have two resident hounds to help us out. Boy is it a lot to learn. Don't worry though, I can do it.

That first day was very long so when we arrived at foster mom's house she just pointed us to our crates. I was tired and a bit camera shy. 

Foster mom said I have to learn all kinds of house stuff but that I'm a fast learner. It's the name.  I've learned that all my business goes outside. No accidents in my crate or the house. I discovered all kinds of good things in the kitchen but foster mom says I can't help myself to what's on the counters. I'm not sure this rule makes sense. My food bowl is up there. Why can't I just get it myself. I think this one should still be open for debate.

Well there's a lot more to tell but learning how to use this keyboard thing is hard. I'm going to rest my paws for now. Come back soon and I'll share some of the cool stuff I'm learning.

Foster Mom, I need another one of those pawdicures. My toes hurt.

Stuck on Impulse aka Honey- 8-8-18 Traveling Girl

Well hello world, I'm Honey! I was a real good racer but I heard that living the retired life was the real way to win so I'm excited to give it shot. Saturday was a super long crazy day, none of that relaxing I heard came with retired life at all! A long drive to Maryland where I got scrubbed up nice and clean and groomed. I thought we must be going to a new racetrack! But when we went outside, surprise!! They just took my picture like I was some sort of model or something and the people all kept telling me how pretty I am. Can you imagine, nobody even asked if I was fast! A girl could get used to being flattered that way!

Does this picture make my tongue look big? Boy it was hot out that day!

Anyway, after all that I found out who my foster parents were going to be and I got in their car for another long ride.

Foster Mom says I have the cutest ears with all their different poses!

There weren't any other hounds in this car so I was able to get comfy and take a nap. The foster parents said I was a perfect passenger. I just thought it was nice to get a nap!

Wake me up when we get there!

When we got to their house it was really late and they said it was past bedtime already and I could get a better tour and meet my foster siblings in the morning. Oh was I excited to find out there would be other hounds in my foster home! I'm learning lots from them already and they tell me one day soon I'll find my very own forever family. I hope my family is reading this, hi family!!!! I've already learned my favorite thing about living in a house is the people, so when we meet you will be my most favorite-est thing ever! How cool is that? I can't wait to meet you, I'll write again soon, hugs and nose kisses until then!! Honey 

Frankie - 08/08/18 - Its me, Frankie!

Hi everyone, its me, Frankie! So many new things have happened to me lately. 

First, I rode in a car! It was weird at first, but once I found the back seat it was cool. Here I am sleeping in my new favorite spot.

I tried to discover this stuff that Foster Mom called coffee. Foster Mom said no.

There's another foster dog here who looks just like me! He tried to discover coffee, too. Foster Mom said no to him...

We really wanted to get some of this coffee stuff.  Foster Mom gave us cookies, instead. I like cookies!

I also like snuggling.💗I would love to snuggle you!

Mac's Essie - 08/08/2018: My Daily Constitutional

Hello again friends,

One thing I'm really enjoying in my foster home is my daily morning walk.  We head out early before the heat and humidity get too high.

My foster brother, Petey, has been helping me learn about how to walk on leash.  (Who knew there were so many things to learn when one retires?!)     My first day, I was SO excited that I was pulling and weaving a lot.  Apparently, this is bad form for leash walking, so I am learning to stay close to foster mom and to not pull ahead.  It's hard sometimes, because there are lots of things to see and sniff, but I'm getting the hang of it.


Here I am with Petey.

Who doesn't love a greyhound bum?

. 

Pete has taught me all about checking out the p-mail.  (He also feels compelled to answer every one he reads; I however, do not)

Yes, I know I'm kind of skinny, but foster mom has been giving me extra food
to help me put on a few more pounds.  I don't mind those extra snacks one bit! 

Hey Petey, is that another squirrel?!

SQUIRREL!!!!

Foster mom took me out for a walk just the two of us yesterday; I stayed right next to her side almost the whole time.  She was really proud of me!  I really enjoy my walks and can't wait for the cooler weather to arrive so we can walk longer. 

Until next time,

Essie 

Daredevil Decker - aka - "Decker" . 8/8/18

Decker has arrived in the house and is doing great in foster care.  A bit skinny, he could benefit from some extra calories but it's not surprising when we get new dogs in that they are on the super lean side.  We'll have him gain a few extra pounds in no time.  He's super food motivated and easily takes treats out of our hands so he'll be looking even more handsome in no time.

He is cat safe and really really sweet.  He's gotten along well with both resident hounds and felines.  At first he did not understand the concept of a dog bed but just today he finally settled on one and hasn't moved since.  I think he likes it!!  His new home should have several comfy beds for him to enjoy his retirement sleeping and lounging in!

Decker is a stunning dog, his light fawn color is almost khaki and really a show stopper.  When he raises those ears straight up he will stop folks in their tracks.  He is curious too so he enjoys meeting people.  He seems really mellow but we've only had him a couple of days but he hasn't shown a wild streak and he's settle in as one of the pack with my lazy pups.

He is really food motivated and would probably excel with some basic obedience skills.  He's a smart boy, catches on quickly and would probably love having to use his brain.

Here are a few photos of our first days with him.