Greyhounds in Gettysburg

Drive and I have safely returned from our very first greyhound convention!

We attended Greyhounds in Gettysburg with my friends Sharon and Karen and stayed at the absurdly dog-friendly 1863 Inn. I was thrilled to reconnect with some old friends and to meet some of my dog-loving friends for the first time. But I know you aren't here for my sappy adoration of the pet-loving and dog-blogging community. You want pictures!

Too bad. I want to say first that I owe a lot of these friendships to Life With Dogs. The crew over there works semi-tirelessly to keep us amused, and through that site and its fan page on Facebook, I've met some of the pet world's best, friendliest and funniest. I don't get out much, but when I do it's usually to get together with folks with whom I have a love of dogs and Life with Dogs in common.

Okay. Now here are a few pictures.

Drive, at the hotel. This is actually the first day there. He's pretty mellow.

I think most of the cars in the hotel lot were decorated.

Bunny, who has a more extensive and fashionable wardrobe than I do.

Zoe the whippet. My plans to smuggle her home in my bag were foiled.

Chester, who is NOT a fat greyhound but a chocolate lab.

I was honored to meet Lilac, a grand dame of 15 and a half years.

Drive and Charm became close, cuddly friends on the trip.

Charm's coy look. She's just breathtaking and so sweet.

How's this for mellow? He's a yard away from a table laden with barbecued chicken and ribs.

You can meet Bunny and Lilac (and their sisters) over at Tales and Tails. Chester shares his deep chocolate thoughts at For the Love of Chester. You can find stunning pictures of Zoe and her family at Dogs Rock.

I'll have more tomorrow. Or maybe Wednesday. Lanie is demanding a lot of my time to make up for leaving her at home, but she doesn't seem to have suffered much as her Dad was here overcompensating. ;)

Words on Wednesday

On Patrol

I've mentioned before that Drive is my unofficial therapy dog and he's been working overtime for a couple of weeks now. I hope you'll forgive our minor unplanned hiatus. I've been spending a lot of time with my head pressed close to his and my arms around his neck. His velvet ears have soaked up so much of my misery and pain and his sweet brown eyes have calmed my nerves more times than I can count now.

Sometimes this happens, and I am grateful for the love and understanding that beams at me like sunlight determined to burn through closed curtains.

I have a different blog for the self-absorbed prattling about my brain and its various misfires, so I don't like to go into detail here. This one here though, while giving every appearance of being just cute pictures of my dogs, is a secret tribute to my heroes.


See, I was down in that well again.

And again, knowing what dogs are meant to do and knowing that Dog and Man are meant to live together this way, Drive and Lanie helped pull me out.

I just helped. Your turn!

Do you have any idea how much a dog like this eats? I don't know myself, exactly, but I feel like it would be important to keep him fed.

For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19^th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog.

So I'm writing a post! If you haven't heard about this event, please check out the post on the Life With Dogs site here.

Twenty pounds is a lot of food. Maybe not for this guy...

Please help. You can make a difference.

Fundraising Auction

Five years post-retirement, this is what Drive's muscles look like. He does pretty well, for a spoiled boy who loves food and remains horizontal as much as possible. That's a greyhound "secret," that ability to sleep for 30 hours a day.

A friend once remarked to me, "I never knew dogs could have buttocks."

I need you to think about something else this morning, something aside from the glorious lump that is Drive. Drive is safe and loved, as are so many retirees and rescues all over the country. But there are some dogs that aren't safe, aren't loved. There are some greyhounds that were recently saved from unthinkable circumstances in Texas, and I need you to help them.

I am squeamish. I don't advertise that fact, being tough and whatnot, but I do not have the ability to look at graphic photographs of abused animals, so I will post none here. I will not link to any, either, in case you are the same. These dogs were starving, terribly ill, and infested with thousands of parasites, inside and out. One dog received an emergency transfusion while over 1,500 ticks were removed from his body.

“Fort Worth Animal Control Cruelty Investigation Officers took 28 dogs into custody Thursday night, July 8, 2010. GALT was contacted as greyhounds were included in the seize. At GALT’s request, Greyhounds Unlimited (GU) joined in this effort, as GALT and GU are the only adoption groups in the DFW/north Texas area to help stray and shelter greyhounds. Friday morning, representatives from GALT and GU met with Diane Whiteley, the Executive Director of the Texas Greyhound Association, to assess the dogs. Eight were taken by each group. Wednesday, July 14, GALT took one more female and with that now all 28 dogs are with adoption groups."

Additionally, a 29th dog was recovered later as a stray. He was two years old, and the best thing that I can tell you is that he was let go from a terrible, brief life while cradled in kind and loving arms. Kiowa Braden is at peace now and his suffering is ended.

So will you help the survivors? There's a link under the picture to a fund-raising auction for these dogs, and here are links for more information. I promise that as of this writing none of these links contain graphic images to upset us sensitive types, but the pictures I have seen of the "lesser" cases are heart-wrenching and nauseating.

Life With Dogs: Going Flat Out

GALT (Greyhound Adoption League of Texas)

Greyhounds Unlimited

And once again, the link to the fund-raising auction is here.

Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

In Service

This post is semi-serious, so please know I won't be offended if you look at the pretty picture and leave. I understand.

When I tell you that Drive is my best friend, it isn't hyperbole or cliche. Plainly stated, there are days I would not get through if I could not bury my fingers in his fur or wrap my arms around his neck. This blog is not about me, but I live with mental illness and that is relevant to Drive. Before him, I didn't truly understand the miracle that is Dog. (That's a secular, science-type miracle, for what it's worth.)

Drive does not, I must tell you, have the necessary temperament to be an "official" service dog. The training would stress him deeply. I did have a trainer tell me recently he might "settle down with age."

"He's ten."

"... Oh."

So maybe not.

Are you aware that while most people see service dogs as large breed animals who hear and see, there is a whole separate category into which Drive could fall? I mean, if he could learn the commands and since it took me almost a year to teach him to go up some steps, I have my doubts and I won't force it on our relationship. If you're interested, here's a little information on "Emotional Support Animals."

When I say that Drive is my very best friend, I mean that deeply and truly. Over the past five years, through some of the hardest and darkest hours in my life, Drive has helped me live. He's helped me want to.

An Award for Us!

Of course there are rules!

First, we thank the lovely ladies at Tales and Tails and Yoda at Barking Out Loud for this award. Thank you! I sincerely love the idea that my dogs and I might give someone a smile when they need it.

Secondly, we tell seven things about ourselves and then list seven others to receive the award. Since everything everywhere is all about Drive, he can be the topic of these little factoids.

1. Before retiring, Drive ran over a hundred races. He was Grade A when he suffered a career-ending injury. The report says "Rupture / Sprain, right front leg." Five months later he was on my couch.
   
2. It took Drive over a year to learn how to go up more than two stairs. To this day, he will actually close his eyes and run up at full speed to get it over with. Coming down is a little trickier...
3. If you see Drive looking directly at the camera in any picture, it is either because he is being bribed with food or there is something fascinating right behind me. He hates looking at the camera.
4. Before Drive, I had the sort of dogs where you could just leave kibble out and they'd eat if they were hungry. Drive is never not hungry. We have to watch his weight carefully.
5. Drive's human dad has a scar on his eyebrow where sweet, gentle Drive bit him. That was how we found out that Drive does not tolerate prednisone and, in fact, gets nasty 'roid rage. That was four years ago and we've never seen so much as a sneer from him since then.
6. Submissive? Even though he was the first dog in the house and he's obviously Mumma's favorite, Drive is actually the omega of our little pack. If it weren't for that "Mumma's Boy" status, he'd be the subject of a lot more snarking.
7. Drive actually knows several tricks. He can sit, lie down, shake, speak, and "show me your belly!" (Rolling all the way over proved a bit much.) He will only do these reliably in our living room.
   

Now lastly, we "tag" seven other bloggers. Because of the blog hops we've been participating in, we know lots of new friends. I'll just name seven of my new favorites and I hope you'll take a minute to check them out. In no particular order:

• Cult of the Greyhound I wish I could take pictures like that. Not just greys, either!
• For the Love of Chester My chocolate (lab) fix!
• Whippet Tales Breathtaking photography
• Cooking with Dogs Two of my favorite things. Pit bulls have a huge place in my heart.
• Two Little Cavaliers Ooooh I want to brush them
• Hope and Greyz Dogs and kids belong together
• One Pibble's Wish Every dog should be loved
  

Blog Hoppin'!

Hi. I'm Drive! Are you here for the blog hop? It's nice to meet you!

Hi! :)

July

Please take a moment to look, if you're unaware of July and her family's situation.

From the "Retire July" blog:

Herman Burnett is a police officer at Lambert – St. Louis International Airport. He is assigned to the Canine Unit and has a bomb dog partner, July. July lives with and is part of the Burnett family.

Herman is retiring in January 2010 after 36 years with the City of St. Louis, the last 31 with the Lambert Airport PD, the last 15 years assigned to the Canine Division as a bomb dog handler.

Canine July belongs to the Federal Government, specifically the TSA. Herman would like July to be retired with him. Instead of retiring July, personnel at Lackland AFB want to have July shipped back to the kennels there, to eventually be paired with another handler located in another city.

We are hoping to reach someone who can help Officer Burnett keep his canine partner. If you know something, anything, anyone (maybe a friend in Washington D.C. ;) we would be forever grateful for your assistance!