Friday, September 30, 2011

My New ID Tag

Yesterday, Mama told me that the Cardinals made it to the playoffs. I don't know who the Cardinals are and I don't know what the playoffs are, but I know that I have a new ID tag. Mama ordered it earlier in the week and it arrived yesterday.

I look good, don't you think?

My Crate Fever is getting better. I stayed in the office all day with Mama on Wednesday and slept. Yesterday, I slept in my crate outside the office, but Mama left my crate door open. I was a good boy and stayed in my crate, but it sure was nice knowing that I could get out if I wanted to.

In the evening, I lay in my bed waiting for Daddy to get home.

Sometimes he doesn't get home until late, but I still wait for him.

Daddy is worth waiting for even though sometimes the wait is a very long time.


Joey
The Greyhound Who May Be Getting Cardinal Fever Now

Thursday, September 29, 2011

It's My Gotcha Day....Again

Scout here reporting on a very important day. It's my 4th Gotcha Day! This past year has been crazy. Last year, we were busy will trying to sell our house and then in November we did sell it after we took it off the market. We packed and moved in two weeks. We lived in a hotel from December 23rd to April 7th. Living in a hotel was quite an adventure. It was small and we had to be walked in all sorts of weather. We learned about city life and some of it was not good. We had a lot of snow last year and I wanted to run and play in it, but I couldn't. We thought we would have a wonderful year in our new home, but then Jack, my big brother and best friend, died just three months after we moved in. I was so lonely, so we decided to find me a new brother and in July, along came Joey. Well, as you know, Joey has been an adventure. He was here a week when we learned that he would need to have surgery. We have never really been able to play together, but I do like him...sometimes. I will be happy when he is able to run and play and doesn't get so much attention.


The Story of How I Came To My Forever Family

Four years ago today, I packed my bags in Tulsa, OK and headed to St. Louis to meet my forever family. My foster Mama, Debbie, told me that my new family saw my picture on the Internet and decided they wanted me. I never knew I was being "advertised" on the Internet. It made me feel a little cheap, but foster Mama told me that my new family had been carefully screened and I would be very happy.

Here I am after I first got out of the car. I'm wearing the blue muzzle. Jack is behind me.


Here I am meeting Daddy for the first time. I'm nervous, so I'm not looking at him.


Okay, the Daddy man might be okay. I'm the one in the front. I know, Jack and I looked alike back then. Jack developed more grey over the years, but so did I.


Here I am ready to start my new life. I don't know why I was scared, but I was.


Jack wasn't happy that I was coming home with him. He was told he was getting a sister, but he thought a sister was a new toy, not another hound.

So, after four years of living with my forever family, I have to say it's working out quite well. Mama and I had a few bumps in the beginning. She wanted to call me Katie. Do I look like a Katie? I'm a huge girl, I'm not petite. I don't like pink. I'm a tomboy. Katie doesn't work for me. My name is Scout and that's just the why it is. Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird was a tomboy, so maybe that's why I was given the name. I don't know, but it's my name and it suits me. Mama does call me Scoutie from time to time and that's okay, but Katie is a big NO for me.

Scout
The Greyhound Who Is Celebrating Four Years With Her Forever Family

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Crate Fever

Hi Everyone,

It's me, Joey. It's been four weeks since my surgery and now Mama says I have Crate Fever. It's like Cabin Fever, but it's Crate Fever because I'm stuck living in a crate. I'M BORED PEOPLE!


Mama has been moving my crate around the house to give me a different view. I like sitting in front of the front door, but even that gets boring when Mama is in her office. I don't like being in the office with Mama anymore. I don't have to be in my crate in her office, but I have to stay quiet and I don't want to do that. Yesterday, after I got bored in front of the door, Mama put me in the hallway so that I could see her in the office. I liked that. I slept there for three hours!

Scout thinks it's fun to lay in my crate. She better be careful or she will get Crate Fever too.


Joey,
The Greyhound Who Wants To Run

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

We Love E-Mealz!!!

A little change of pace today. This is Mama aka Patty. My husband, Jeff, is really on a saving money kick. I know that is a good thing, but he really wanted me to trim our food budget. :-O I think I do pretty well because I only buy meat that is on sale and I clip coupons, etc. He recently came across E-Mealz and wanted us to try it. I looked at the sample menu and I was not sure at all, but I decided just to try it to shut him up.

Last week was our first week on E-mealz. You pay $1.25 a week for the service and what you receive is a menu for the week, along with the shopping list and the directions to prepare the food. You choose the plan you want and if you want low-fat, low-carb or portion control, there are plans for you, too. We chose the Walmart plan for two. There are other stores to choose from depending on your location or you can just use the any store plan. We receive a menu for five days along with the shopping lists that includes the prices. Their prices have been a little off, but I guess that's because prices change so often. I think you are supposed to spend $40 or less for the week. It only includes dinner though. There are also plans for larger families.

I really was not sure I would like doing this because there are foods that we normally do not eat. However, I have to say that I have loved everything that I have fixed including all the vegetables. I did not think I would like the cajun zucchini, broccoli salad or bacon spinach Caesar wraps, but it has all been so good! I loved the broccoli salad!

I was so excited after our first week and couldn't wait to see this week's menu. I was disappointed when I saw this week's menu because cooked cabbage was on it. Again, I thought for sure I would hate it, but to my surprise, I liked the cooked cabbage. Tonight's menu is beef tips and vegetables with white rice and Texas toast. It sounds good. I am fixing the beef in my crock pot instead of the way they recommend. I know it will be tender in the crock pot.

One of the best things about this plan is that they plan the meals so that you use some of the ingredients in two-three meals, so nothing goes to waste.

I do have to say that there is a chopping of vegetables and that's something I'm not use to doing. The recipes are easy to follow though, but it does take me a little longer than I'm used to due to the prep work. I may figure out short cuts to that after I get more experienced. The portion sizes have been good for us. We may actually loose weight without really trying. I know the foods we are eating on this plan our healthier than what we are used to eating. I am forced to try recipes that I would have never tried before, but I'm really enjoying it. I just thought I would pass this along since we are having a lot of fun with it and if you can't tell, I'm very excited about it. LOL

If you are interested in trying them, I have a link to their site on the right-hand side of the blog and they are also on Facebook under E-mealz. They do have sample menus so you can check those out before ordering. I used a coupon code of DAVE when I signed up. I'm not sure if that is still available, but you can try it.


Patty
Mama to Greyhounds Scout and Joey Who Think Our Kitchen Smells Really Good

Monday, September 26, 2011

Vet Visit, Company and Reunion - BUSY!!!

Hi Everyone,

It's me Joooey! We had such a busy weekend. We got up early for my vet visit on Saturday. We were disappointed to learn that the x-ray machine was broken, so no x-ray for me. The doctor did look at me and said I looked good. He said I could stay at the greyhound reunion all day on Sunday and I no longer have to use the sling all the time. Mama was very happy about not having to use the sling all the time and so was I. I hate using it when I do my "business" and sometimes I hold "my business" for 16 hours. I have a good bladder according to the vet. Well, now that I don't have to use it, I do my "business" quite often. Mama says walking me now is so easy and if I want to go under low branches that's fine. She used to have to crawl under the low branches with me and they would hit her in the face and leafs would get in her hair. LOL She did it because I like to do my "business" in that area and she said whatever it takes. Yes, Mama does talk about my "business" a lot. If Daddy takes me out and Mama asks if I did my "business", he won't tell her and just tells us it's my "business" and not hers. It drives her crazy not knowing what is going on with my "business".


Yesterday, was our Greyhound Companions of Missouri reunion. It has been our goal to have me better in time for the reunion. Mama was happy that I was doing well enough to attend. I met all the people who have been doing all they can to give me the best medical care and who sent us the soft-crate and the x-pen and just everything we need. I meant to thank them in person for the soft-crate because it's my favorite, but I forgot.

My cast was signed by lots of people. Mama will have to take a close up photo of my cast later to show you. Scout wore out long before I did. She didn't want to shop or walk around. She just wanted to lay on the blanket. Several people thought she was a boy because she's so big. She doesn't mind because she's not a girly girl as you know. There were lots of raffles to participate in, but we didn't win anything. We received a nice bag when we registered and it had lots of fun things, like treats. Mama bought a calendar and a few sweatshirts. The calendar has a lot of our friends in it that we have met online. Two dogs that we know from our group, Skye and Rocket are the August models. We were thrilled to find them in the calendar.

I met Jack's foster Mom. She didn't know that Jack had died. Mama told her that she thinks all dogs should go through her "boot camp" because Jack was so well trained when he came to them. She didn't think she really trained him, but Mama said he was definitely well behaved and he had to learn it from someone.

There were a lot of bees buzzing around at the reunion and I tried to catch them. Mama caught one in her soda. She took a drink and felt something in her mouth and it was a bee. Yikes! She said it was a strange feeling having a bee in her mouth.

We had a lot of fun and we stayed for the entire four hours. Mama at first thought we would just stay an hour, but the vet said it was fine for me to stay as long as I wanted even if I stood on my leg the whole time. I ended up laying down for a while, so Mama was fine with us staying. We mainly stayed in one area and people visited us when they passed by, so it worked out well for us.

I did move to the blanket after a while. Yikes, I look huge in his photo. I haven't gained any weight since my surgery. It's the camera angle...really it is. Plus, you know that white doesn't hide anything. Scout, at least has stripes.

Mama thought I would sleep on the way home, but there's no way I'm going to miss the scenery passing by the window. I slept good once we got home though.

Yes, of course, Scout slept good. It's her favorite thing to do after eating. She slept through the entire night, which is rare for her.

Joey
The Greyhound Who Had A Very Fun Weekend

Friday, September 23, 2011

It's A Small World

When Mama adopted Jack, she met his half-brother, Woody. Later, through e-mails and this blog, she was introduced to Jack's half-sister, Wanda. Mama met Scout's sister and brother through Greytalk and Scout even got to see her sister again at a greyhound event in Kansas. Her sister lives on the East Coast, but they made the trip to Kansas. Well, imagine my surprise when we discovered this week that my half-sister is none other than Miss Bunny. Bunny and her Mama are the authors of the blog Tales and Tails and they have commented on our blog many times and we have done their same on theirs. We had no idea that Bunny and I were siblings. We do not look alike. I look like our father.

Be My Bubba (Our Daddy)

Me -UCME Bubbasparks aka Joey

Bunny is a blue fawn and definitely takes after her mother's side of the family.

Mama was looking at Bunny's Dogster's account the other day and that's when she figured out we were siblings. We were both born in November, but Bunny was born the year before me. Our Daddy produced 640 offspring, but Mama thinks it's a small world because Bunny was our friend before we ever knew we were related.

Joey
The Greyhound Whose Half-Sister Is Just A State Away

Thursday, September 22, 2011

I'm Stylin' Now!

My cast protector arrived today. You should see how color coordinated I am with my black sling, my black ID collar and my leg protector. Mama says I look nice.


It definitely beats wearing an IV bag. When it rained, I had to wear a trash bag and the IV bag. It was so embarrassing. I feel much better about myself now.

Joey
The Greyhound Who Could Be Starting A New Fashion Trend

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

I Know What I Want

As you may remember, I never lived in a home before now. I lived on a farm and then about a month before I moved here, I lived in a kennel. I don't have a lot of life experience, obviously. I love watching people and things. Mama laughed at me Monday night on the way to the doctor's office because I fell in love with a motorcycle. What could be better than having the freedom of no doors and windows and feeling the wind blow your ears? Mama asked me how I would ride on it. I was so disappointed because I didn't know how I would ride on it. My disappointment didn't last long because we pulled up next to a FedEx truck. Now, that is something I could ride in and there are no doors! I definitely could get a good breeze in one of those. I spent the night dreaming about getting a FedEx truck. Yesterday, while I was outside, a Hostess truck passed by. Okay, now that has to be the ultimate vehicle. It has open doors and food! The smell of Twinkies lingered in the air after he passed. I want a Hostess truck!!!! I told Scout about the Twinkies and she said she would give me her treat fund money to help buy us a truck. Mama helped us search the Internet last night and the blue book value of one truck we found was $12,000. Yikes! That's a lot of treat fund money. It could take me a long time to reach my dream. I'm thinking I may need to go back to racing, but I will probably have to put that off until next year since I'm in a cast right now. I guess for now, Scout and I will just chew some bully sticks and dream about our Hostess truck.


Joey
The Greyhound Who Knows What He Wants!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Joey's Vet Visit


Hi Everyone!

I went to the vet last night to have my cast checked. The vet had said he was going to change it, but after he saw it, he said there was no need to change it this week. I have to go back in two weeks and then I will get a new one. Mama asked him if I could go to our group's greyhound reunion on Sunday and he said "YES!". He wants me to come in on Saturday and he's going to do a quick X-ray to make sure my leg looks okay since I will be standing on it more than normal on Sunday. Mama was hoping he would do that last night, but he wanted to wait until Saturday. Mama is anxious to see/hear that everything is healing correctly.

We were disappointed to hear that I have to wear the cast for 6-8 weeks. What?! What happened to the 4-6 weeks? We have a week long camping trip planned in a few weeks and we were hoping my cast would be off by then, but it won't be. The vet said to take the trip and not worry about the cast. Daddy said it's probably better that I will still be in a cast instead of freshly out of it. My foot will be more protected that way. Mama said I will have to take my soft-sided crate because I can't get on the bed. So, we will have to make adjustments and coming in and out of the RV will be harder with my cast, but the vet said I will be fine.

Mama ordered me a cast protector last night. She found them online last week, but didn't want to order one until she knew I would be in my cast for a while. She hopes it makes it easier taking me outside. Mama told the vet that I have an iron bladder and it drives her crazy at times because she thinks I should have to go and I don't. My record so far is 16 hours. The vet said he wished he had a bladder like mine.

Oh, Scout signed my cast. Do you see it? LOL

Joey
The Greyhound Who Is Feeling Better

Friday, September 16, 2011

15 Days Post-Surgery

Well, it's been 15 days since Joey had his surgery and our life has turned very boring. This is a typical day.





When I'm not resting with Joey, I'm helping Mama. I help her give Joey his medicine. If Daddy is home, then I go out with Joey for potty breaks. He goes faster if I'm with him. I can only go if Daddy is home because Mama can't handle me, Joey and the sling.

Joey has been doing good. He's been a little more active the last few days. We think it's due to the cooler weather. Active is not good, so he has to be crated when he won't just lay down. He doesn't always like that, but Mama says he has to be so he can get better. Mama just zips him in his crate and then we all relax for a while. Every night we mark the day off on the calendar. We are so anxious for him to be all better.

Scout
The Greyhound Whose Brother Goes Clump, Clump, Clump when he walks

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Starting To Be Friends?

It looks as if they are starting to be friends. I think it's been harder for them to establish a relationship because they have not been able to really play together. Scout has been staying in the office with us more and more. She is still somewhat jealous of all the special attention that Joey receives, but that's understandable.

Patty
Mama to Scout and Joey

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

My Cast

Here's a close up of my cast. The staff at the hospital wrote on it. Jenna and Katie put their names with hearts. Dr. Bone also signed it, but I don't know who that is. I'm not sure why they used my formal name, Joseph. I've only been called that once by Daddy. Mama said it looks cute. Greyhound Companions of Missouri has their reunion at the end of this month and I bet I get more people to sign my cast there. I haven't had any visitors since I've been home since I'm supposed to be quiet, but I bet Grandma & Grandpa will sign it when I see them. Mama said it would be neat if I get to keep my cast especially after I get if filled up with signatures.

Next Monday night, I go back to the vet and he will take the cast off and look at my leg and then it will get put back on. I'm not sure how long I have to wear it. I was told I wouldn't be able to play for 4-6 weeks. Tomorrow, it will be two weeks since my surgery.

The mail person should have our package from Best Bully Sticks today. Scout and I are excited about that. Tomorrow, Mama said she thinks some "educational toys" should be here. I'm not sure what they are, but they are supposed to keep me busy.

I'm being a really good boy!

Joey
The Greyhound Who Is Happy To Be Home

Monday, September 12, 2011

A Cast Is A Pain

Hi All,

Not much is really new here. I don't get to do much with this cast on my leg. It's a pain going outside. I have to put an IV bag on my cast so that I don't get it wet and when it rains like it did this weekend, Mama triple bags me with plastic bags. I also have to use a sling so that I don't fall. Mama doesn't like the sling because I like to walk under low branches and now she has to walk under them with me. I've seen several leaves in her hair this weekend. LOL

Mama said I learned to be a whiner at the vet's office. I used to not whine, but if Mama leaves the room, I whine. When she puts me in my wired crate, I whine. So, the last two nights I have slept in my soft-sided crate in the living room with Mama on the couch. Yep, I have her wrapped around my paw. I heard her say that she's not going to do that every night, but we will see.

Saturday, I got upset when Daddy went outside to work. Yesterday, Mama came up with a solution. She put my crate next to the door and I was able to watch Daddy paint the porch.

I watch Daddy outside and Mama inside. It was pretty cool!

Later in the afternoon, I was able to lay on my bed and watch Daddy. Mama sat next to me and I had my leash on, so I wasn't able to make a run from the room.

I watched my first Rams' game. It was not good. I think I should have put my Rams' collar on for luck. I will do that next week.

It's back to hanging out in the office today. Mama and I are counting the days to when I can do more than lay in bed.

Joey
The Greyhound Who Is On The Mend

Thursday, September 8, 2011

I'm Home!

Hi everyone!

I'm home!!!! I've had quite the adventure and I'm so glad I'm back home again. The people were nice there, but there is no place like home. I was really surprised yesterday when they told me I had a visitor. It was Mama! She said she really missed me, but I had to stay a few more days. The doctor came in and Mama asked him when I could go home and he said TODAY! Then Daddy came in and Mama told him I could go home today and he was shocked. The doctor said they would get my things and they brought in my blanket and my toy and my medication.

(Here I am so excited to hear that I'm going home!)

I have to put a bag over my cast when I go outside. If I get my cast wet, we are in big trouble. I also have to use a sling. The sling is just to help me if I start to fall.

I'm not thrilled about having to stay in a crate. However, the vet said that if I'm really quiet, I can lay outside the crate. I have to have supervision though. I normally don't like being in the office with Mama, but it means no crate, so I've been in here all day. I have two beds and a blanket to choose from. Scout has been in a few times to visit us.

(Look at what they did to me! They shaved me. They must like squares.)

Mama thought this photo was funny. I was sleeping and not trying to block a flash or anything.

The doctor put a plate in my foot with eight screws. He said I need to have it taken out in 6-8 months. He said if I don't, it will irritate my skin and the bone could eventually grow over the plate. Mama said we are not going to worry about all of that right now. He said it's not a big deal to have it taken out. I hope not. I don't want to go through all of this again.

I'm home in time to watch the Rams play on Sunday. I've never watched a football game before, but it sounds fun. I'm going to wear Jack's Ram's collar. Mama said she thinks Jack would be happy to see it passed on to me.

Joey
The Greyhound Whose Leg Is Pretty Heavy These Days

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Joey Is Home!

I was told yesterday that Joey was not coming home until next week. I was shocked today when I visited him and the vet said he could come home today. They put a hard cast on him yesterday and I think that is why the change in dates occurred. The vet had not planned on using a hard cast, but changed his mind. I think it's safer for Joey.

This is Joey's cast. The staff signed it "Joseph". Cute!

Joey trying out the X-pen.

Joey in his crate and Scout nearby.

So far so good. He's been home for three and a half hours.

Patty
Mama to Scout and the Casted Joey

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Another Package For Joey?

Yes, Joey received another package today. He received the X-pen, courtesy of Greyhound Companions of Missouri. (Yes, we do have a WONDERFUL group. They are making sure that Joey gets the best medical care, plus everything else that makes taking care of him as easy as possible.) He will use it and then it will be saved for the next greyhound that needs it. Mama thinks he will like it. It's bigger than it looks in the pictures and no, I did not want to test it out. Mama said she will probably put a big, thick quilt in there instead of a bed. She put the bed in to check out the size, since I didn't want to do it.


We can make it into various shapes as you can see. It has a gate that makes it easy to get in and out. Mama told me that if we need it to be bigger, we can use one of our walls as a wall for it and that will make it bigger. Confused? Me, too. I need to see that in action. It's not like we want Joey to have too much room though. He can't be having a party in there.

Mama received a Joey update and it's good. He's eating, drinking and being a good boy. They put a soft cast on his foot today and they may put a harder cast on Tuesday. We will just have to wait and see on that. We were told he would not have a cast, but we think it might be for the best. Mama has been nervous about him getting hurt without a cast. We still don't have a firm date as to when he's coming home. We think it will be Wednesday or Thursday, but it just depends on how well he is doing. He's going to be surprised by all the new things that have arrived for him.

Scout
The Greyhound Who Is Not Sleeping Well Without Her Little Brother

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Joey Received A Package Today

We heard this morning that Joey is doing well. He is eating. Mama was happy to hear that. Mama is so much happier since the surgery is over.

Joey received a big package today. Mama said it's a new soft-sided crate that our group, Greyhound Companions of Missouri, bought for him to use while he heals. Wasn't that nice of them? After he is finished with it, it will be available when another grey needs it.

I told Mama that there is no way he is going to fit in that bag.

Mama took it out of the bag and it turned into this:


It looks cool, but I'm not going near that thing. Mama might zip me up inside of it.

It has tent stakes, so Joey could even camp in it. Hey, I have an idea! Joey could camp in it when we are camping in the RV. That would be perfect! LOL

It looks pretty roomy from what I can see from across the room. It has a bed in it, but Mama is going to add more comfort to it. You should see how much stuff she has in his wire crate. This crate is nice because it can easily be moved from room to room. The metal crate is heavy and has to be taken down to be moved from the room. Also, this one will be softer if Joey bangs his leg. I think he will like it.

He is also getting an X-pen that is coming next week. We think that will take up most of our living room, but that is fine. It will be like we are having a big slumber party.

Mama ordered bully sticks today. I get to help him chew some of those. Yum!

Thanks again to everyone for thinking about Joey.

Scout
The Greyhound Who Hopes Joey Heals Quickly!

Home Again - Part 3

 Well, we just realized that we didn't finish telling you about the rest of our trip home.  I don't know if we even remember the res...