queenwinniesmom

We are finally settled in! So tired. Doug is hurting. But we're here! And our quirky little motel is still quirky. But bless his heart, Mark, the owner, is really trying. We had a few things we had to ask for, but he came through. I've read everything. Will have to reply later. Ready for tomorrow---looking forward to seeing everyone!

Fanks, Miss Ducky! Mom got yer messidge. I dont fink Kiva haz eber had those carrits, but we used them a long thyme ago. If you cood bring sum, that wood be grate! You fink we will meet on Fryday? That wood werk fer us---just let us know whot thyme. Mom is gonna go to bed fer a wile afore she lets us owt again. Dad is in bed awreddy. He wuz wachin the hooge storm that rolled in wiff funder boomers, an big winds, an sum liddle power owtsages off an on. But it haz passed now, fank goodniss.

Well, I gess we are kinda offishally on baycayshun! Mom did her dog walks, Dad went to the soopermarkit, an I fink they are mostly packed. They boff wish they felt bedder, but a rode trip is good fer eberybuddy, I fink. We will just take it easy. I will try an behabe fer them. I fink I will hab to ware my harniss alla thyme, sinse I sumthymes hab to go owt FAST. An gess whot? Kiva haz liqwi-poop! Just the rite thyme fer that, si? We will try an get her firmed up afore we leeb. It will prolly be abowt 10:30. Mom haz fone numbers fer Miss Kathy an Miss Cindy, if they are the same as last yeer. It looks like she duznt hab yers, Miss Ducky. Cood you PM her heer wiff yer number? We are sorry abowt yer knee an hip. Are we finkin Satiddy to meet? Moms MRI iznt till beginnin ob Joon. Aw, that is too bad Miss Carol cant come. She is one ob Moms faborit peeple. We got to hang owt wiff her an her frend last yeer at Hauser. An she an Laila got to see each odder again, wich wuz speshul. We are so sorry Starr's thyme to say goodbye mite be soon. Mom is awreddy feelin misty abowt Laila knot bein wiff us this yeer. But she is so glad she got to go to GIG, an see Miss Carol, an plusalso Miss Jackie, who loved her bery much. Wow, Miss Robin, I fink that lady's kids are knot doin rite by her. Or by Misser Kevin. Whot a lovely sertifikat an flower, Miss Nancy! How is Pap? Safe trabbels to Miss Elizabeth. Jupe, that is a kewt pic ob you an yer bare. You know the reel Bret Michaels is frum the Berg. Be a good boy fer yer Dad---you habnt trayned him as good as you hab traned yer Mom. Ivy an Cherry, dont wurry abowt the window munnies! Yer Mom will knot let you starb. An plusalso, its good to be nise an warm when it is frezzin kold owtside, si? Oh, Lupin, whot a terribel day you an Miss Kerry did hab! Ware are yer stitches? Are they doin okay? Is good Misser Nick can watch ober you, cawse you dont wanna choo on em, do you? We unnerstand how hard it must hab bin fer Miss Kerry to be back in a plase that holds so minny sad memories. An plusalso, is sad abowt the tree. Miss Jerilyn, how frosstratin! Too bad that plummer dint know whot he wuz tawkin abowt. Miss Lucy, you are good at gibbin cat meds? Mom is knot! Aw, those poor liddle gimme pigs. We hope they soon find owt that veggies are good! Angie, reportin frum GIG tomorra

I'm sorry I posted before Doug got back from the eye doctors. He saw the surgeon---well, the surgeon's son, who is taking over the practice---and he said Doug's eye looks fine. I guess his doctor (who is not a surgeon) just wanted to err on the side of caution, since Doug has had problems in the past. He'll see the father in August. And he sees Dr. Wecksler, his cancer doctor, next Tuesday to go over the results of his PET scan. Just to explain everything, I guess, since the radiation doctor said there wasn't bad news. I had to take one of the new migraine meds today. I'm starting to have the pain in the back of my head again. Not excruciating, but I'm going to try not to let it get that way. I take another pill tonight, then I can't take more for several days. I think, while it's not relieving the pain totally, it is helping. Nancy, that is awesome---25 years of volunteering! You and your dogs are heroes. Think of how many lives you have made better. I'm so sorry Pap still can't come home. Chris, yes, the groups in Spain are really trying to increase the number of dogs they are sending to the US. More Greyhound groups are stepping up. We forgot to say that we hope Tinker's bloodwork is okay. It seems a lot of elderly cats are prone to hyperthyroidism. Stay safe, our folks out there in "the middle." Oh, Robin, what a shame. As former landlords, we've always prioritized good dependable renters over any concerns about animals. Too bad they aren't more trusting of a responsible person, and that it is costing you more money.

Dad had an appoyntmint wiff his eye dockter this mornin, an he is conserned abowt his left eye. He had the katerack sergery yeers ago, an it dint go well. He has a buckle in that eye, an it is distorted, an the dr wants Dad to go to his eye sergeon today. So he called to say he is on his way there. So eberybuddy is wurried. We knew Dads site wuz knot good, but we hope its knot sumfin rilly bad. He duz need that katerack sergery on his rite eye, wich I gess wood help. But he finks it is allays sumfin, an if sumfin cood go rong, it wood. Me an Mom an Kiva feel bad fer him. Oh, Miss Ducky, fanks fer postin abowt FBM. Mom just dint know. That is so bery sad. Mom dint fink it wood get so bad fer them, but I gess it is bad all ober, si? FBM is in bedder shape then Scooby, wich is old an isnt abel to do repairs as offin as needed. They are habbin a hard thyme too---wiff dogs allays needin rescood, an adopshuns an donayshuns down. They prolly hab klose to 1,000 animals, cowntin the ducks an chickins an horses an pigs an donkeys. An Misser Fermin is gettin old, an is wurried abowt who wood be abel to take ober. But FBM is set up bedder, wiff bedder fasilities. Ob corse, it haz bin 10 yeers sinse she wuz there. She went on there web site yestiddy, an saw so minny dogs she wishes she cood adopt. Sum liddle old podencos. We dint know abowt this post offise situashun ether. Whot an infooriatin fing. Miss Lucy, fanks fer sum good noos fer a change. Si, pleese let us know if you heer abowt inny noo Grantchesters. Oooh, whot a lovely assortmint ob plants an flowers an veggies! You will hab a beeeeyoutiful gardin! Ja, ja, Miss Elizabeth, that bananer plant duz look kinda weerd. Mom finks it is pritty---she has nebber seen blooms like that on a bananer plant. We shure hope Pap can come home soon! How minny daze haz it bin now? Aw, that is sad that the rescoo in Qatar had to klose too. We are sorry you hab moore sqwirms, Roman. Poor Misser Jim. Jet lag is bad in inny case, but eben wurst when you are confoosed. Angie

It is a beeeeyoutiful day, an Mom will finely be home tonite! She haz to go back to Harper's a cupple thymes cawse they arnt gettin home till late, but at leest she can sleep in her own bed tonite. Mom an Dad are still tayard, but we are gettin reddy fer GIG. Dad put the car top carryer on all by hisownself! An we're washin blankits an sheets, an a bed fer me. Miss Kathy, we are glad you an Misser Jim an Ivy an Cherry will be there. Duz innybuddy know when we mite see each odder? I gess we are pritty flecksibel cawse Dad cant do a hole lot. We will go to Hauser Hill again on Satiddy nite, tho. It wuz ahhsum there. Miss Chris, you allays hab the best plant an flower pics. Mom is knot plan sabby ether, but I gess we will put the 4 Aldi plants inna yard at sum poynt Samba, you are a karacter! Sorry you are leebin Charlie an Zorro's, an if you ebber come back to Miss Cynthia's, you cood hang owt inna club inny thyme. Oh, Lupin, I know you unnerstand Miss Kerry's sadniss. I fink Miss Caroline is rite---mebbe you can make sum speshul rooteens just fer the 2 ob you, an it will help her. But you know that Pippin will allays be in her hart, si? An that is okay---there is room fer boff ob you. We thot that wuz unusool tha Pap had a lady roomate too! Hope they get sum ansers fer him, an he can come home soon. Mom sez she dint know abowt innyfing goin on wiff FBM. She finks they do a rilly good job, an is sad that things are hard fer them now. It haz bin 10 yeers sinse she haz bin there, but neckst to Scooby, she duz love them. Ware did you heer, Miss Chris, an Miss Ducky? Si, Nate, I dont fink you wood like bein at that Dizzy Whirled kennil. Best to be sat upon. Aw, Miss Jennie, that is so sad abowt all those gimme pigs. Whot a horribel sitchuashun it must hab bin. Mom an Dad finniched the Grantchesters. They are sad that there seems to be no moore. So now they are wachin Father Brown, wich is pritty good too. Hope that infooshun duznt make you feel bad, Miss Cindy. See you soon! Angie

Well, is knot raynin---yet! Dad sed it wuz sposed to rayne hebby today, but the sun is owt now. Mom hadda take Harper fer a walk cawse she wood knot pee inna yard. She did pee inna yard when she got Mom up at 3:45 this mornin! Ja, ja, same thyme I got Dad up. Miss Ducky, how did Mom knot know abowt those barges??? Mebbe cawse she haz knot looked at TV wile she is pet sittin. Dad prolly knew. Si, Miss Nancy, how do 26 barges just get loose??? Those bridges are wiffin 1 haff to 2 miles ob us, an we go across them alla thyme. An goin ober the Emsworth Dam is knot sumfin a barge shood do. That dam is wiffin a cupple miles ob us too. The neckst bridge affer the West End is the Fort Pitt, an that is an eben moore major bridge, an wood be a big deel if it wuz dammidged. I gess there must knot be dammidge to the bridges or we wooda herd abowt it. OMD, Lupin an Miss Kerry, whot bery bad an froostratin an tirin days you had. I hope you boff hab recubbered now. Is grate that you can go to such a beeeeeyoutiful plase to recubber. Sumfin abowt the oshun just makes eberyfing seem knot qwite as signiffycant, si? Yay! Ivy an Cherry are settled in back at home wiff Mom an Dad! I know eberybuddy had fun, but is good to be home. You boff look lovely. Wiki, annudder beeeeyoutiful picshure! An Charlie. An Samba. An Zorro. I looooove that picshure. You are smart an hansum. Speshully Zorro. Zavvi, I like to keep Dad on this toes, poop-wise, too. Mom an Dad are knot feelin too good. They are boff reel tayard, an hab sum bad allergies. An hed akes. An Mom is startin a payne in her hed again---mite knot be as bad as the one in Jan, but ob corse, she is allays wurried that it mite be. She haz sum noo meds she is gonna take, or mebbe the gabby pentin. But she wood hab to take 3 ob them, an she duznt know how that wood make her feel. Sigh...allays sumfin. We all just hope eberybuddy feels good by neckst Fursday. GIG! Angie

No rayne today! But lotsa wind. I can heer it makin big noise owtside, an I dont like it. I fink we got yer windy wind, Nate. Mom is home fer the affernoon. She took Harper fer a good walk so she cood see that she peed an pooped. Caws sumthymes she duznt want to. Ja, ja, I bet Roman haz at leest 1 brane cell! An that 1 tole him to be a good boy. I gess Ivy an Cherry are home wiff there Mom an Dad now. Yay! I bet that feels good to eberybuddy. An Miss Kathy an Misser Jim can get sum rest. Miss Carol, that is so kewl that you make the lino fings. But we are sorry abowt the liddle bat. Charlie, fanks fer makin shure we know that Samba is a boy! Si, I wood be a liddle jellus, eben tho I fink (hope) Zorro's hart belongs to me. He duz look bery hansom layin inna chare inna backgrownd. Wiki, that is an ahsum pic! You look bery clebber an cawshus. You are tryin to sneek inna baffroom? An Andi, we love yer pic plusalso. You look like you are kinda glad that gibbin blood is ober. I dont opin doors ether. Kiva can do it sumthymes. An you can tell by the skratch marks onna doors. Angie

Oooh, fanks fer the snaks, Miss Jen! Those olibs looked speshully good. An Miss Patsy's keesh. But Mom duz love sum cupcakes an pretzles too! An cheeze! Kiva the cheeze hound sez fanks! Miss Chris, olibs are one ob Moms faborit fings. She prolly tole eberybuddy, but there is the Strip Districk inna Berg, blocks an blocks ob ware all the prodooce used to come in. It haz changed ober the yeers---the old prodooce terminal is now a trendy line ob shops an restoorants---but it is still a fassinatin plase to shop an eat an just wander arownd. You can find innyfing there. Moms faborit plase is Stamoolis---they hab all kinds ob the best Greek stuff, an lotsa odder fings, an she allays gets her olibs there. They are in big bins, an there are all differnt kinds, an they are knot eggspensib. She likes the stuffed ones too. There are ones stuffed wiff garlick AND hallapeenyos! An plusalso, feta an bloo cheese. Then there is the olib salad. Mom libbed on olibs when she wuz in Spane, an dreems ob them sumthymes. An she got to see her furst olib trees. I remember them---they are bery pritty, wiff kinda gray/green leebs, an they are all ober the country. Tranes passin olib grobes by the hunnerds....Now Mom is gettin hungry. An homesick. An she just finniched her last olibs at lunch! Dad haz a handycap sticker. An boy, is he grateful fer it! Sumthymes he haz to use his cane, but sumthymes when he gets in a soopermarkit, he can leen onna cart. Mom likes to park far away an walk. Oh---the inshoorince denied one ob her medisins. An it costs $4,155 odderwise. An annudder one, they dont eben hab a record ob it, or whot it is. Sigh....Mom will tawk wiff the dr an see if they can apeel, or if there is sumfin they can substitoot. She wuz able to get this speshul Riboflavin frum the farmacy. Oh, Miss Nancy, glad the horsies are gettin all there updates. But I bet that is eggspensib! An you will loooove habbin the handycap sticker! Good thots fer Pap. Whot a grate eggsperience you had gibbin blood, Andi! Lotsa treets! An plusalso, Amicar. That will be good to hab fer Flizzie's dentil. An si, I know you will wurry. Well, I barked too soon abowt no rayne! Is pourin again, an bery windy. We are tayard ob it. Angie

We'll look for you! We'll be there Thursday too. Though we don't go to the events---Doug just isn't up to it. But we may go to Hauser. It's a really beautiful setting, and everyone there was so nice.

Mary Pat, Doug and I are going again this year! We went last year after many years of absence---we knew it would be Laila's last big event, and she so loved to meet people and smooze. We lost our precious girl in July. So this year, it will be us and Angie and Kiva. They are both older, and need to get out the door quickly, so we're staying at that funky little motel again. I know it's gotten horrible reviews, but we were there last year, and it was fine. We'll be meeting up with Ducky and Cindy at headquarters at some point, probably Saturday afternoon. We'd love to see you!

Fanks fer the noo Club, Andi. An fanks fer the pome, Miss Chris. Mom, who knows pomes bedder then I do, sez it is beeeeyoutiful. I am onna furst page too! Or mebbe by now, the second page. I am nebber the furst one, howebber. Nobuddy in this howse gets up erly. Well, unless I am runnin back an forf at 5 AM to let Dad know I hab to poop. Sumthymes it is owtside, sumthymes knot. The rayne haz FINELY stopped! Fank goodniss. It rayned hard ALL day yestiddy. Mom hadda walk 4 klients inna rayne, wich she thot wood slow down, but it dint. Luckily, liddle Harper duznt like the rayne, an she peed as soon as she got owtside. Today seems okay so far. We hope there will be good noos abowt Pap! Good he is stayin there so they can find owt sum fings. Safe trabbels to Miss Kathy an Misser Jim. Rome is a long way frum home, an it will be a tirin flite. Do you get that bad jet lag comin home? Glad you are doin bedder on the peein, Molly. Si, is prolly best to wate on meds to see if you ackshooly need them. Wow, Miss Elizabeth, is good you hab a growchy heron! Bedder then a growchy gator! We wont tell Roman ware he is goin. Hab fun wiff Molly, Bitzi. We are sorry you an Miss Caroline arnt comin to GIG. Miss Ducky, Miss Mary Pat is comin? Mom haznt seen her fer a bery long thyme. An plusalso, she will see a Galgo she loooooves frum Scooby. She pushed fer her to get on a SHUG transport, an she haz bin inna US fer a wile now, wiff Miss Emily. Mom is eggcited! Three daze ob rayne, Miss Lucy? Yikes, you must be eben moore soggy then we are. Ja, ja, Noah, way to wake yer Mom (an mebbe sum naybors) up at 4 AM! Miss Jen, Mom sez she wood like sum olibes, if you hab inny. Mebbe lotsa peeple dont like em, but Mom feels like she haz to hab em periodickally to feel rite. Angie

You are so compassionate, Ducky. Even knowing that Leela's time with you might be short, you opened your home and heart to this little lady who truly deserved it. I'm so sorry you didn't have more time together.

I think we are all in love with Willa!

Aerobic wagging. Angie does that too. Her tail is so long that it brushes the ground when she is at rest. Yes, we should channel this energy and physical construction to our benefit. I think Gelsey has already figured out how to channel it to HER benefit!

They are doing so much better! We haven't had any problem pilling them with cheese or roast beef, which is good, because they are wanting to eat. They even like the canned ID. You know, I think this was stress colitis too! Thanks for mentioning it. I'm coming to the end of my live in job, and will be able to return home Friday evening. I'll be glad to have a weekend at home where I don't have any jobs. I did buy some Kaopectate, which I think is good to have around---hounds or humans!

Glad she seems to be doing well with the chemo! And eating. I've heard that it doesn't affect dogs like it does humans, with extreme nausea. Is that right?

Thanks, everyone! Yes, I felt we had to see a vet today, and this morning, we got into the walk-in appointments at a vet we don't go to, but had seen many years ago. Kiva seemed a little better, but Angie was still liquid, and we were really worried. We got stool samples (such as they were), and they were sent out. They'd just been tested and negative in June, but I guess anything is possible. So they got Metronidisol, Panacur and Fortiflora. Some canned ID, but I doubt that they'll eat it. We actually had the vet help pill them before we left, since Angie has become a real pistol, and hard to do anything to! This is going to be a battle, and very frustrating to get the meds into both of them, since the panacur and fortiflora have to be sprinkled on food. Any suggestions? We've wracked our brains trying to find anything in the apartment that could have contributed to this, but haven't come up with anything. It could be partially stress, which makes me feel VERY guilty for not being there. I've been doing live in jobs for years, and it's never caused this reaction, but Angie has become more easily stressed as she aged. My poor girls. I hope this will help them!

Both Angie and Kiva have had diarrhea for a couple days, but today it is liquid, and orange colored. They were getting ground beef and rice, but today, we didn't give them anything. We did give them an immodium this afternoon.I didn't know if this warranted going to the ER, so I feel like I'll wait till tomorrow, and call several vets to see who can see them the fastest. Our vet is great, but it is a clinic, and you have to leave a message, so it probably won't be them the girls see. I see from a website that the orange color is sometimes caused by stress, and there has been some! As a pet sitter, I do lots of live in jobs, and Doug is home with the girls while I stay in clients homes. I went from a 4 day job last week to (2 days later) a 10 day job I'm in the middle of right now. Coming home full time is not an option. Plus, Angie fell on our 23 outside steps---we live on the second and third floors---and we are afraid that she will fall again and really hurt herself. She is 13, and is an anesthesia risk. So for her safety and our peace of mind, we moved her down to the first floor this week, where we used to have a tenant. He is gone, but the apartment has not been really livable for quite a while. Doug is gradually changing that, and is staying down there with both dogs most of the time. But I can understand why this would be stressful for all of them! At this point, we are all stressed and worried.

So glad to hear this positive report! I know you can't wait to get your girl home.

Oh, the sweet girl. Yep, she's got this, she's telling you so. You've got this too. We'll be sending good thoughts and white light and will be backanforfing for Willa and Richard.

I'm so very sorry you are going through this. It's an agonizing time, when all you can think about is what you're going to do. And her being so young....Please know that you are in the hearts of so many as you struggle through this most difficult time, now and whatever you decide. It's pretty raw with me right now, but I sure hate that @%^*# monster disease in whatever form it takes.

Osteo. I'm so sorry, Irene. Thank-you for remembering my sweet girl. She was, and is, indeed an angel.

After we let our precious Laila go, yesterday morning, I posted her remembrance on Facebook. I know some of you are not there, so I wanted to post here as well. We are trying to adjust to a new normal, without the bright light that Laila brought to us every day---I see her everywhere, miss her in ways I couldn't even imagine. It's so, so hard. But we were so lucky that we were able to say goodbye in a peaceful, compassionate way. She wasn't afraid as I held her in my arms. Our vet was remarkable in his kindness, patience, understanding. They did something that I had never seen, with any of the many dogs and cats I have said goodbye to. They brought in a basket of all kinds of treats---biscuits, peanut butter, canned meat, squirty cheese, sweets---and we could pick anything for her to enjoy. She loved cheese---we gave her the daily pills in Pub Cheese. We called it Pup Cheese. So she had lots of cheese, as well as her steak for breakfast. We had as much time with her as we wanted, and they gave us a buzzer to press when we were ready for them to come back to continue with letting her go. This meant the world to us, and I'm so grateful. Laila Mariposa. Could there have been a more perfect name for her? When we first met at Scooby 7 years ago, she was Linda, which means pretty in Spanish. But she was more than pretty, she was beautiful, in every way---her lovely little face, her kind eyes, her tail that never stopped wagging, the asymmetrical ears that usually made her look like she was making a left turn, and her gentle, loving, innocent spirit that charmed everyone she met. She became Laila even before we brought her home, after Laila Ali, because she was a tiny fighter. She tried so hard to be brave at first, but didn't always succeed. The other Galgos at Scooby must have perceived her as weaker and submissive, so when I met her, she was living with just a few other shy dogs for her own protection. She understandably didn't trust other dogs, but she absolutely adored people! She charmed me immediately, but when the vet said she was probably only 3 years old (we think now she may have been a bit older), I decided to try and find an older female (even 7 years ago, I wasn't exactly young). Well, I did find Kiva, who turned out to be only about 3 as well, but Kiva picked me. Irrevocably. And I really had no choice (of course, I'm forever grateful for that because everything turned out exactly like it was supposed to). But "Linda" was so sweet, so innocent, so very special, that I couldn't stop thinking about her. I kept a virtual eye on her from the US with the help of the wonderful Ana, who told me she was having a difficult time. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to this dear soul, so I contacted Debbie, who moved mountains to get her on the next transport as my Kiva. I was over-joyed! Even if I couldn't adopt her, she would find a great home in the US. Except she didn't. She waited in foster for about 3 months, and I thought about her every day, coaxing Doug to admit that we really could have 4 dogs, and telling him how perfect this little girl was. He finally said the fateful words---"Why don't we just adopt her?" And we did. And she spent the next 7 years precisely where she was meant to be. And she grew into exactly the dog she was meant to become---beautiful, sweet, smart, strong and brave. That's what I used to tell her in Spanish all the time (I figured she needed to hear some loving words in her native language ). I told her that almost every day, and especially the day we said good-bye. She effortlessly embodied everything good that a dog should be. She was our social butterfly, and her middle name became Mariposa, Spanish for butterfly. She took smoozing to another level---she made total strangers feel that she was somehow deeply in love with them, she stood patiently while young children gathered around her, petting her gently, she actually searched for people to meet and captivate. We didn't think she would be the first one to leave us---we couldn't bear the thought. But 2 years ago, she was diagnosed with bladder cancer, not uncommon in dogs, and a virulent cancer that has a prognosis without hope. The survival rate is about 6-12 months. We prayed for as much time as possible, and treated her with daily Piroxicam (a pain med with cancer fighting properties). She had regular ultrasounds, and we monitored the tumors growth. I can only say that we were lucky, or we were blessed, or she was fighting in her own quiet way, because the tumor grew slowly, and she maintained her active, seemingly healthy lifestyle. But just a few weeks ago, we started noticing worrisome changes---labored breathing, groaning when she got up or down, weakness in her hind legs, some spots of blood. We feared the cancer was finally fighting back, and we were right. The monster had moved into her lungs, and the time when she could be pain free was coming to an end. Today, her wonderful vet at the Animal Friends Wellness Clinic, so compassionately and patiently helped us let her go. I can't say enough good things about the quality of care she received, the understanding and love she felt (and we felt as well) from everyone there. We will be forever grateful that she was able to leave in such a safe, peaceful, and respectful way. We will miss her enormously. For such a tiny girl, she brought a huge and loving presence to our home and our hearts every single day---her innocence, her gentleness, her quirkiness, her pure love. In her quiet way, she was a force---she could turn ripples on a pond into a giant wave. And I believe she did that, brightening peoples days, spreading Galgo love---who knows how far her power could reach? And weren't we blessed to have her in our lives for the time she was here? I told her this always, I will tell her this forever, till we meet again. Te amo, mi pequeña mariposa. Tu eres una buena Galga. Tu eres muy hermosa, muy cariñosa, muy lista, muy fuerte y muy valiente. Tu eres siempre en mi corazon. I love you, my little butterfly. You are a good Galga. You are very beautiful, very sweet, very smart, very strong, and very brave. You are always in my heart.

Hi! I'm glad you're interested in another dog, and are considering your options. We've had 9 ex-racers (and 70 fosters) since 1999. We now have 3 Galgos, and I've volunteered at Scooby shelter in Spain, where I met my Galgo girls. While there are certain traits that are common to Greys (Irish and NGA) or Galgos, I really feel like it's best not to make generalizations. Ducky had some good advice. I think the groups know their individual dogs, and can help you decide which one is best for you and your requirements and lifestyle. There are questions they will ask you. For instance, do you have a fenced yard? How high is your fence? Most Galgos do require a 6 foot fence, but I know some groups will place a Galgo with owners who have no fence, if they plan to walk their dog several times a day (never off leash, of course). Most Greys and Galgos are cat tested---I know all of my ex-racer fosters were, and I cat tested my Galgos myself at the shelter. There are hundreds of Galgos at Scooby, and some of them are not cat safe. I fell in love with one older, seemingly mellow female, and in her cat test, she literally tried to attack the cat! Well, I had to look for another dog. My girls were all fine, and all our Greys were fine too. We knew that because they were fosters first, and we had cats back then. My Galgos are really similar to my angel Greys in most ways. But unlike ex-racers, Galgos have never been crated. And they are endurance runners---coursing for hare---while ex-racers are very fast for a much shorter period of time. Some Galgos have not had much positive human interaction---the Spanish galgueros are mostly interested in the honor the Galgos bring them by being good hunters. They are useless to them otherwise, and are disposed of in huge numbers on a regular basis. When you say you're not up for a lot of exercise, what do you mean? Some dogs have a much higher activity level, and of course, an older dog may tend to be more settled. But again, it's best not to generalize. My 13 year old Galgo has more energy than her younger sisters! But all of them are going to require a certain amount of exercise, and you would need to commit to that. There are LOTS of Galgos who need homes! Of course, there are some challenges---getting flight patrons to add the dog to their plane ticket, all the necessary requirements to bring a dog into the country---unfortunately, it's become more complicated---and the cost. There are several really good groups in the US who work with different shelters and rescues in Spain. They are doing a wonderful job of navigating all steps, and as long as they are committed to helping the Galgos find good homes in this country, there will always be Galgos available.