Friday, October 31, 2008

Scout says "Happy Halloween!"


It looks like Scout has gotten into the Halloween frame of mind. I took this photo this morning while Scout listened to a Halloween e-card that was sent to me. Notice the "fang" hanging out of her mouth and her "red" eye. Spooky!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Got Toys?

In two years, Jack has gone from these three toys that his foster Mama sent along with him....

To this:


This does not include about 5 toys that are awaiting repairs and the outside toys. I think there may be about 5 outdoor toys.

How did this happen? I hate to think how much money has been spent on dog toys. I have bought many of the toys on clearance or on sale, but still. We have only added maybe 5 toys in the past year and I cannot see the need for new ones unless they are really, really cheap.

Scout does have a birthday coming up, but she would prefer food over toys.

Does anyone else have this obsession with toys for their dog or cat?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Oh, no! It's laundry day!


My pups hate when I wash the sheets. I try to make the bed with blankets, but it is just not the same. As you can tell, Scout is not happy with her accomondations.







Jack asks "Are the sheet done yet, Mama?"










"They're done! I'll help you put them on the bed, Mama!"





Finally, life is back to normal for the brindle kids. Laundry day is exhausting!



Monday, October 27, 2008

We just returned from a weekend camping trip at Meramec State Park. It's a park that we normally camp at a few times each season, but the park had flooding problems this year. We were not able to get everyone together until this past weekend.

http://www.mostateparks.com/meramec.htm

Many of the campers had their campsites decorated for Halloween. We were really surprised by how many decorated and to the extent that they went to with their decorations. We also decorated our sites and even had a few kids who came by for candy.

The pups really had a nice time. They had their skin cousins to pet them and they, of course, walked around the campground getting lots of attention.

We had four sites and were basically in a square. We used the middle as our central area. Since it was on a cool side at night, we had a hot chocolate area that everyone enjoyed.

We used a roaster for the first time camping and made chili the first night. The next night, we used to make baked potatoes. It worked out really well.

Grandpa planned out scavenger hunts for the kids and that kept them busy for a few hours on Saturday. We rode our bikes searching for clues. It was a lot of fun and good for the kids to learn to read instructions and pay attention to details. I recommend this activity for kids.

This was probably our last "family" camping trip of the year, but Jeff and I and the pups will go out a few more times.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Scout's Bio


Scout is an Oklahoma girl. She was born on November 19, 2005.

Scout had a career ending injury, well that's what we tell people. She has a foot injury and we do not think she ever raced. She has the tattoos, but nothing shows up concerning racing for her. Plus, the only name that shows up is "Scout". She's kind of like Cher, she only has one name.

We decided that we wanted a companion for Jack. He loves other greys and always seemed sad after meet and greets. We contacted our group and they started searching for a grey for us.
We were told about three greys and Scout seemed to be the best match for us. We were sent her photo and I spoke with her foster mom in Oklahoma a few times.

She came to us on September 29, 2007. It seemed to take her a little longer to settle in than Jack. She was not completely house broken even though she had been in foster care for a while. It seemed like forever, but after two months she was house broken. Jack came to us knowing the rules of a house and while Scout did not. I guess I was spoiled by Jack.

Scout really didn't know about toys when she arrived, but now she enjoys them. She loves to run. The girl runs laps in the yard and at times she turns her head to look at me as she flies by as if to say "LOOK AT ME, MAMA!"

She is not destructive, but the girl loves shoes. She collects shoes and rugs. She's so funny with her little collection.

Scout's foster mom told me that all Scout wanted was for someone to love her and I believe that is true. She is very affectionate and loves hugs, kisses and belly rubs. It has taken her a while to figure out how to position her body to land where she wants it to so she can get her belly rubs, but she's much better than when she first arrived. LOL Her aim used to be way off which caused me to laugh and for her to get upset.

We've come a long way in a year. A few months ago, I had a long talk with Scout and said to her "You know, this is your forever, ever home and you will never leave, right?" She responded with an enthusiastic kiss. I guess she knows.
I keep in touch with both Scout and Jack's foster Moms. Jack sees his foster Mom at our greyhound group's functions. Scout's foster Mom lives in Oklahoma, so I email her photos of Scout and let her know how she is doing.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Jack's Bio


I've already written quite a bit about my dogs, but I thought I should properly introduce them.

Jack was born on January 3, 2004 in Kansas. He had a short career of only eight races. He came in second twice. His last race was on 10/27/2005. We do not know his whereabouts from that time until about March of 2006.

Jack was found in a barn along with 24 other abandoned greyhounds. The barn was about to be torn and before it was bulldozed, it was checked. They found the 25 greyhounds that were left for dead. I am not sure how long they had been left there. Five of the greys were brought to St. Louis on Easter weekend. Jack was put in a foster home along with his half brother, Woody.

My husband and I met Jack at a Petco meet and greet. I was not interested in a male or a brindle. I really wanted the little fawn girl that was there, but since she wouldn't potty on lead, she was not right for us as we did not have a fenced yard at that time. A few days later, the group called and asked us if we wanted to participate in a parade with the greys. We said yes and I walked Jack. We were amazed that Jack was not scared of the bands, fire engines or other loud noises from a parade. He loved the kids. We decided that he was the dog for us. We planned on waiting a few weeks, but circumstances changed and my husband had to travel for an unknown amount of time. I didn't want to be home alone, so Jack came to us immediately.

We changed Jack's name from his racing name because we wanted to give him a brand new start on life. Also, his foster mom called him Ricky and that is my brother-in-law's name. I don't think he would like a dog being called his name.

Jack is such a funny guy. He makes me laugh every day. He prances when he walks. He loves his stuffies and throws them up in the air and catches them. He loves to hear them squeak. Jack loves to move me along when I'm walking down the hall of our house. I guess I don't move fast enough for him. He head butts me in the behind. He gets so excited when my husband gets home from work that he can't control himself... I mean, he has to run. We do not encourage this and it usually ends up in him getting yelled at. Zoomies are not safe in the house. Jack broke through a wall once. Yikes! So, we discourage running in the house now. Jack is such a joy to us. I can't imagine a better dog.

I just found out yesterday that Jack's real Daddy... TalentedMrripley lives at the Greyhound Hall of Fame in Abilene, KS. We hope to take a trip to Abilene next year and meet him.

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...