Saturday, September 6, 2008

Who's A Good Boy ?



It's been six months since we adopted Loki, our beautiful retired racing greyhound. He has been slowly adjusting to life after the track, and seems to bond with us more and more each day. About a six weeks ago I started taking him to a fenced park every morning at 6 : 30 AM. While he is there he gets to meet lots of dogs and people too. Since we started going his personality has really blossomed. It is so rewarding to watch this shy and timid animal come out of his shell. Another perk of the dog park is Jen and I have made some wonderful new friends as well.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Welcome Young Henry !


It was a rainy May evening when we first heard him crying. That awful, lonely sound of hunger and fear came from underneath a parked car, directly in front of our house. As I watched Jeanette gently place a small plate of kibble just under his nose, he looked up at her, and for just a moment it was as if I heard him speak. This beautiful kitten, not much more than matted wet hair and bones, looked up at my wife and focused upon her his most primal need. He said, " Mommy ?"

And that is where the cheezy sentimentality ends. After a few days of Young Henry ( Jen claims he told her that was his name ) coming around and crying, we scooped him up and took him to the vet. He checked out fine , other than an eye infection, fleas and needing to gain weight.

As much as we love Young Henry , things have been just awful since we got him. As soon as we got him home both Loki and Sasha Vinny started to get sick. Loki has had raging diarrhea and has had to go out every hour or he ends up pooing on the floor, and Sasha has been vomiting and refusing to eat or drink. We have been back and forth to the vet with all the animals multiple times. The good news is that so far it does not seem to be anything major, the bad news is sleep deprivation. disgusting dog poo everywhere, sad sick animals,$800.00 in vet bills and counting, and poor Young Henry quarrantined in the guest bedroom.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Loki : Week One


It has been exactly one week since we adopted our beautiful Loki. He is such sweet, and gentle dog. He is very timid and shy, but very well behaved and clearly wants our love and approval.

It has been a hard week for our little Sasha Vinny. Every time she looks up at us with those big eyes, she seems to be asking, " why did you bring this monster into my house? " And it is her house. We thought she would be a shrinking violet, hiding under the bed , and never coming out. This is a pretty tough cat, to stand up to this giant horse dog.

Today he made much more eye contact with me than usual, and seemed more relaxed, and even a little playful. I have been spending all my spare time with him, walking him three times a day and handing out lots of love and tummy rubs. It makes me so sad to realize that he has probably never had anyone show him this kind of love before ( except maybe his foster parents from greyrescue.org). We feel so lucky to have found him, and so glad that we can offer him a life of love, warmth, and turkey treats.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Loki : Our New Baby


Well, we finally did it! Today we adopted a beautiful four year old, 79 pound, retired racing greyhound. Here is a little video of his first day. Look how skinny he is!!

We found the newest member of our little family through http://www.greyrescue.org, an organization dedicated to saving these sweet and gentle beasts. He has been off the track for about a month , and in a foster home for a week learning a little bit about the life of the common house dog.

The first night had its share of challenges, but everything has worked out so far. After a long stressful car trip (this poor scared dog), a relatively peaceful meeting with Sasha Vinny (hissing and running), and a nervous bladder explosion on the dining room floor, we are finally all lying down for a good nights sleep.

UPDATE :

We have been patiently trying to get these two animals to coexist, and it really seems to be working. The first day featured some hissing, barking, running, and lunging. But by this afternoon I had them sitting next to each other eating turkey out of my hands. At one point they were peacefully sniffing each others faces. I am predicting some interspecies love.