3greytjoys

Please be careful not to put yourselves in harms way. If Jake is repeating/escalating this behavior every night in the family/living room, it's really safer to take him out of the problem situation until you're able to diagnose/address the root cause, and improve Jake's perception of family dynamics. Probably safer to have him rest outside that room by baby-gating him on the other side of the doorway, which may reduce his triggered behavior. If you try that, be prepared with high value treats for the toss and "find it" game as a distraction (if you feel trapped in the room). You didn't mention how your husband reacts to Jake's growling, but hopefully, he's not reacting in a "canine challenging" way towards Jake. Direct eye contact is challenging to dogs. Safer for your husband to diffuse the situation by retreating slowly, sitting back down until Jake's tension calms. (Similar to humans, dominance begets dominance like anger begets anger.) Not sure if you thought of setting up a video camera in a corner to capture Jake's behavior, growl level, body language, and the family's positioning within the room (if he's not fearful of a camera). It could be helpful to a behaviorist. Response to iconsmum's thoughtful comment: I, too, was thinking resource, space (or human) guarding. There was no mention of food guarding in the original post; however, the food portioning exercise is used for similar resource guarding behavior. The humans would be giving Jake food, not taking food away. So it should be safe when food is offered cheerfully (like offering a treat). The reason for breaking his full meal into portions is to help teach Jake that those caring human hands control his food source, and to realize those hands are necessary and will provide for his survival. It would help Jake understand in a gentle way that he's not top leader of the family. It builds trust that those loving human hands offer all things good. The primary food source is a key to Jake learning his position in the family pack (and working for reward).That said, it's completely understandable if the OP prefers to wait to create an action plan with a local professional behaviorist. One clarification re: teaching "sit." Specifically for Jake, I meant to suggest "alternate option #2" first : Trying to lure Jake UP (with a high value treat) to a "sit" from a down position (before trying the reverse method). Care should be taken in teaching Jake new obedience, and should be viewed by the dog as a positive and fun game. Please try to select a "neutral" carpeted room where Jake will be most willing/receptive to having a human close to him (better to avoid his favorite bed "territory" in the family room). I'm guessing he will respond better to you (a female) teaching new obedience. Once Jake understands the action, both people can ask Jake to "sit" (or "down") before rewards (meals, treats, walks). Jake may have had a negative experience with a male in his previous life that will take time to overcome. Be careful of sudden movement startling Jake awake from a deep sleep. If he has any reactive sleep aggression, having sleeping area boundaries could be helpful during this adjustment period (again, baby-gate, ex-pen or crate) to give him undisturbed personal resting space. Good luck with whatever you decide. Please let us know how Jake progresses.

Lindsay, I am so very sorry about Chase. Her world changed massively when she arrived in your arms 10 months ago. Thank you for making her final stage of life so wonderful. You did such an amazing job of loving her, nursing her back to her best health, and to help her gain so much weight. (She looked like she was at the perfect weight later.) It's remarkable that she was able to regain enough strength, and her brightness of life to want to do zoomies. What a precious girl. I hope you can rest peacefully knowing that you did more that anyone could ask for Chase. How fortunate she was to have landed with you. You are in our thoughts during this difficult and sad time. (I think it's time to drop the "foster," you were Chase's true momma.) Thank you for taking the time to write this memorial with her informative medical history. That may help other senior hounds too. Tearful hugs to you, and your pups, with an extra special hug and a kiss on Sophie's kissy spot on her head. She is another very girl lucky to have been invited to walk through your door. I hope the other pups will offer you extra deserving comfort. You certainly deserve it... Bless you for all that you do for these pups. Godspeed lovely Chase...

Welcome to GreyTalk! I agree with Houndtime. NoraBloom: It was smart of you to stop allowing Jake on the sofa (or any furniture). Your 7 yr. old girl's reaction is expected. I wouldn't worry about her. She has her own lessons to teach her new brother, Jake. Is it possible that the sofa issue was true growling, but the nightly communication sound is any different? What you've described does sound like true growling. One slight possibility: Greyhounds do often talk by "rooing" for an extended period. Could your boy possibly be rooing (sort of like low howling) in happiness that his daddy is standing up and he's excited? (Videos of Greyhounds rooing are viewable here or YouTube.) Some Greys can be space protective or protective of people, but the latter is less common. I think "jjng" posted on a similar (growl) thread yesterday with a link to dog language signals, please take a look. It will help give more clues about Jake's communication. In general, we humans need to earn our retired hounds' trust and respect while establishing family pack. Here are some general tips that may help. A key throughout these tips is positive, gentle human guidance/leadership. When your husband feeds Jake for the next few days, ask him to divide Jake's meal into fourths. Feed Jake 1/4 of food at a time while husband is sitting and holding his bowl. When Jake finishes first portion, place the bowl on the counter for a minute or two. Husband ignores Jake. Then, feed Jake portion #2 while holding his bowl. Husband repeats until Jake's meal is finished. Next meal, offer 1/4 portions. The first portion by holding the bowl, then begin placing bowl in Jake's feeding stand instead of holding the bowl each time. Another day of meal times. Husband places 1 or 2 pieces of kibble in bowl and places bowl in Jake's feeding stand. Walk several feet away and pause. Jake will probably look at husband like "where's the rest of my breakfast???" Return, pick up bowl, add a 2-3 more kibbles in the bowl, and place bowl in his feeding stand. On third or fourth repeat give Jake his full meal. Repeat this exercise for the next meal. If your schedule permits for feeding meals, please do the same exercises with Jake for a couple of days. It's important for pack hierarchy that you feed (and walk) Jake periodically also. Great that your husband is walking Jake twice a day. If that's not enough to really tire him out, it often helps to extend walk duration or increase speed to faster "power walks" (not meandering/sniffing every passing bush). Tired dogs are happy dogs. (Side note for others: Newly retired hounds often have tender paw pads that take weeks (or more) to toughen/harden up. Sidewalks and pavement are new to hounds' pads. Good to build distance slowly and examine pads every couple of days to ensure they aren't wearing down, becoming sore.) Very important for Jake: Please try to teach a few basic obedience lessons (positive, gentle training methods) to help build Jake's positive confidence, give him a strength to combat negative behavior, and help him respect that you are both family leaders. (Come, sit, down, wait, stay are great.) If Jake doesn't have any painful rear leg racing injuries, he could learn to sit before each meal, treat, or when being leashed for a walk, etc. When your husband stands up to leave the room, before Jake begins growling, you can distract Jake by giving him a few obedience actions to follow (sit, down, stay) and have treats ready to reward him. (I'll add my favorite methods for teaching "sit" at end of post.) When relaxing at night, your husband could practice standing up and tossing a few treats far away from your seating cluster in a "find it" game. Encourage gentle, fun games like fetch the toy (if he has interest in fetching), or play "Find it" by letting him watch you toss treats outside in yard, or on leashed walks. Please do NOT play tug-of-war (encourages aggression and is terrible on teeth/gums - tooth breakage etc.). No rough games. Greyhounds are a very sensitive breed and usually respond well to verbal "no" corrections. (They should not be handled with any physical or forceful methods.) Greyhounds often feed off our moods, and can be sensitive to loud sounds, including loud voices TV/movies, etc. I'd suggest letting your adoption group know about Jake's behavior too. They may be able to recommend a local Greyhound savvy behavior specialist to work with you in person. --- Gently Teaching a Greyhound to Sit: (Two options.) (Please AVOID using physical force. Please do not press down on rump, or force fold legs when teaching a Greyhound to sit.) 1. Work with the Greyhound's natural behavior by watching for the hound to begin to lie down on his dog bed (or carpet). Have a yummy high-value treat in hand (Chicken, turkey, beef meat, lowfat string cheese, hot dog pieces, etc.) The instant he places his rear end on the bed/ground, immediately move your body directly in front him to block his body from lying all the way down. Immediately say "sit" and instantly give the treat reward. (He will quickly connect the word sit to the feeling.) Offer him tons of happy praise!! "Side sits" are fine. That position is more comfortable for some hounds than a "straight sit" with their long legs. They often do straight sits later on their own. (BTW, I don't expect Greyhounds to sit for long lengths of time.) 2. Alternative option: While hound is lying down, guide the high-value treat upwards in front of his face to encourage him UP to a sit. Then treat and highly praise!!

Is the mass skin color or another color? Please try not to worry too much during this waiting time, and until you get lab results back. (I know, easier said than done, but worrying probably won't help much.) We'll keep your girl in our positive thoughts.

Yes, I agree with you that the OP's example situation was more like surprise growl to the dog vs. guarding. Since OP was also asking about growling in general, I wanted to offer other common examples of growling to which the OP and other readers could relate as well. I view growling as a dog's warning of a potentially aggressive move. I know of many dogs who's growling became serious enough to refuse to let their owners return to bed after a night time human's bathroom break, or return to a sofa after a trip to the kitchen; thus, my alternative suggestion of a safe/positive method of calling a dog off of furniture while "trading up" with high value food. It might help someone remember a safer option vs. (example) not knowing how to remove a growling dog who stubbornly refuses to budge from the human's bed at night. Some folks reaction might be to reach for a collar and get nabbed. Interesting topic. The OP hound's growling due to the cat surprise is a little more cloudy call in terms of cat safety. Since a retired racer / sighthound / hunter typically may not give warning before a prey capture, I may have the same reaction as the OP since a cat could become more highly perceived as prey if the hound is not given verbal cat corrections. During the early months of one of our hounds' retirement, while on a leashed walk one night during poop stop, we were both completely surprised by a very bold outside cat who very suddenly appeared from behind us (I was picking up poop). In one second flat, that cat was hanging from the hound's teeth. (As if it were a gift of prey dropped from Greyhound heaven.) Just like a precise hunter, the hound was completely silent. (Of course, the cat screamed bloody murder!) Thankfully, the hound responded to my "no - drop it" commands, and the cat survived the bite. It was a one time event, and this hound has been fine with our own inside cats during the years since. Since cats are new creatures to most newly retired hounds, I believe it's a good idea to be particularly vigilant with hounds living with indoor family cats to muzzle longer than we think we need to during introductory weeks/months when hound and cat are free together in house. I agree that cats' activity levels (and surprise moves) can increase as they become more comfortable with a newcomer.

The "fist with arm" shape at Entirely Pets is chicken flavored. (I've been buying the bacon flavored (tan color) at local pet stores for years.) Sorry, the picture won't successfully post on this forum. In general, just be sure to get a hard, solid "DuraChew" (best without narrow extensions). (NOT a hollow style DuraChew, NOT flexible, and NOT the dinosaur shape.) They last a very long time, but do watch for wear and replace when dogs chews them down too far. Hopefully, this link will take you directly to the correct item page. http://www.entirelyp...hicksouper.html

Not sure about the gas, but a friend's Grey ate two chicken feet recently and the following day came home to massive diarrhea all over the house. Fine now, but that Grey will be off chicken feet for a long while.

Dura Chew "Souper" size is best for Greyhounds: http://entirelypets.ecomm-search.com/search?query=durachew+souper [/url] www.nylabone.com (Search Dura Chew Souper ) Gryffenne, For the 20 month old Husky (chewing machine?) the "Monster" size might work better for a Husky. (Other GT readers: I do not recommend monster size for Greyhounds, it's too big). Gryffenne, either way, I'd supervise that Husky pup's teeth and gums closely. Definitely avoid the flexible Nylabones, as those can have pieces break off larger than a grain of rice which could do internal damage. You might consider contacting the Dura Chew manufacturer directly about the best size for a Husky. It's been a while since I've had all my other large, super strong jaw breeds as big pups. (I'd avoid any chew bone shapes with a very narrow neck.)

I assume you mean - positive reinforcement to train the dog to get off the couch when you want it to get off? That's a good thing to work on... but most cases around here, I have no problem getting them off the couch....but I have a problem with them thinking they OWN the couch - people getting growled at for sitting on the couch, stuff like that. That's an immediate ejection - and they know off means off so we have no problems getting them down, the handful of times this has happened. But, if I need to boot a dog off the couch for misbehavior, I'm not going to 'trade up' with them. Worse case, I get out the leash and leash them up and get them off. I treat guarding a couch and guarding food differently.... food, I will trade up because I'm asking them to give up something that is theirs. Dogs growl as a communication... that doesn't mean I have to like what they are communicating to me. If it's "I own this" when they don't in fact own it, and *I* do, I will correct it. Otherwise, if the dog is upset, nervous, uncomfortable, having issues, etc. they don't get corrected. My comment is for any dog who seriously (dangerously) challenges a human. IMO, some dogs do not react well to a challenging human alpha approach, and that could enforce a reactive bite to protect his/her personal space. Leashing up works for some dogs, but other dog's won't even allow a leash up without an attack. Calling the dog off a human's bed or sofa and/or into another room and then treating is a safer way to get the dog off the furniture. Just my opinion, some space protective dogs are better off not being allowed on furniture that needs to be shared by humans. Other space protective dogs may be worked with over time to eventually learn to share. I'm of the camp of not inviting dogs on human's furniture, but I understand many people enjoy it. IMO, when a newly retired hound joins a family it can be helpful to wait several months before allowing a hound on human furniture. That way the hound can adjust to a new home and learn his/her position in family hierarchy first (vs. setting up a dog for a potentially challenging situation).

I agree with Kennelmom: "Too many people train growling out of their dogs and it's a mistake, IMO. Growling is a form of communication, not a form of aggression." I much prefer to understand and carefully observe a hound's reaction to something rather than to scold them from growling. (We know many Greyhounds lift their lips "smiling" in happy delight, so I'm not talking about that.) As an example of some dogs' stages of being bothered near their food bowl: A dog will often freeze and stare while guarding their food bowl. Lip-lift to show their weapons (their teeth) from frustration. Growl Air snap Bite their target. Not all dogs go through all these stages, but it's important to understand and recognize the stages so a person can handle the situation more quickly. Meaning: Stop and get a child or another pet away from the dog immediately before it progresses. If growling is supressed by a human scolding, the dog is much more inclined to skip any warning stages and go directly to bite. This is very dangerous. IMO, all dogs should be left alone when eating and sleeping, but in other cases (like for hounds who are allowed on furniture who then begin space guarding) it's safer to modify a dogs' behavior through positive training methods, including "trading-up" with higher value treats to get the dog to move off a sofa, etc. We have a super loving cat not afraid of a dog who gives warning growls while eating. (Maybe growls sound like purring in cat language.) It's the human's responsibility to remove the cat immediately, teach the cat to leave the dog alone, and/or separate the dog to a private space to eat.

I agree with everyone's excellent responses. A couple more ideas: Baby gate him in one room that you make sure is as dog safe as possible. (Preferably one of his normal living areas where he is most comfortable.) Or ex-pen him (4' tall) when you're away. This is a free-standing exercise pen which is larger and more comfortable than a crate for a hound who won't jump out. When chewer dogs are not muzzled, it's good to show/teach them about how great it is to chew their own safe chew toys. If you catch him in the act, offer him his own safe chew toy so he understands what is okay to chew. Not many are safe but among the safest are specifically called "Durachews" by Nylabone. "Souper" size. (This is a hard bone, not the flexible or edible type.) The shape of a fist with arm is one of the favorites with Greyhounds because they can easily get their mouths around them to chew, and that shape is made solidly enough not to break. They last a very long time. I recommend the flavored Durachews most highly: Bacon, Liver or Chicken. (Not "Original" flavor, which is really no flavor.) If he's not interested within a day or so, you can try smearing peanut butter on it. All our "chewer" Greyhounds love to chew these bones and they help keep their teeth much cleaner. Here's one reasonably priced source: www.entirelypets.com (Type: Durachew Souper in the search box.)

What a heart-felt memorial for your beloved boy. Cooper was a lucky boy to have been adopted by you. That painting of Cooper is an absolutely gorgeous way to remember him, a wonderful keepsake. They stay sooo close to our hearts. We are so fortunate to have known our beloved family members. Tears here too...

We use these reflective embroidered ID collars (no ring) 24/7. I've had drivers stop to tell me they could see my hounds' collars from over 3 blocks away at night. Available in many colors, but the picture on the Web site doesn't do them justice. The reflective material is whitish-silvery and our hounds' embroidered thread color is black. This color contrast works best. A person can read the phone number from a far if a hound won't let anyone catch them. Also, we have our cell # on the collars. Reason: If a hound is on the loose, hopefully, the owners are out looking for them (not sitting at home by the phone). Reflective Embroidered ID Collar link: http://www.fancyk9s.com/collar/identification Like others, I leave the leash attached to the Martingales when I remove the Martingale collars after every outing. I know a lot of people have had good luck with break-aways but the ones I've tried fall off too easily. Hopefully, some of the ones recommended here are stronger.

Thank you all for your excellent responses! You've all given me more to research. Tuff: Yes, it definitely looked more like a "Transient Ischemic Attack" than a full blown "Stroke". Thank you very much for that important clarification. Batmom: Clotting is one thing that completely perplexes me, knowing that normally causes strokes or mini-strokes. In my girl's rare case, she's an excessive bleeder; thus, surgeons have advised me against any future surgeries for her (even with Aminocaproic Acid as an additional safety net). Her Hemangiosarcoma (being a blood cancer) could be the cause of her excessive bleeding (or it may be the typical Greyhound excessive bleeder disorder). Alannamac: Thank you re: Bandit's LP. Thus far, I have only read of the hind-end problems in advanced LP patients, so my girl's front leg being held up to her chest for so long and repeating through the hesitant step rotations made me wonder. Madredhare: Tom's experience is valuable information. I wondered about a pinched nerve when it first happened. I thought about another Hemangiosarcoma cancer tumor possibly growing internally near my girl's spinal cord. Tbhounds: Will do re: watching for proteinuria. Her last test was fine, but good to recheck at our next appt. in a few weeks. Thanks foxysmom, and duncan 41 for your replies. If this episode was a TIA, I suspect it is rooted from my girl's Hemangiosarcoma spreading to create a disturbance in the cerebral area, or advanced Laryngeal Paralysis (temporary lack of oxygen to the cerebral area). I was highly relieved my girl's breathing did not go into crisis mode. Geez, management of these two terminal diseases is a tough balancing act. Thankfully, she's still doing well enough on a daily basis to consider her quality of life well worth living. If other readers see any mini-stroke or stroke-like episode happen, a rapid emergency visit to a vet is always recommended.

Here are a few questions you don't need to answer here but you might think about. What was Spinner doing 1- 2 hours before his symptoms started? Did he eat new kibble (even a new bag of his usual brand of kibble) or other food for dinner or a treat last night? Is there a chance he may have chewed and ingested a foreign object, possibly causing an obstruction or partial obstruction? I assume there is no blood in his vomit or diarrhea. Hopefully, by preventing your boy from eating grass he will stop vomiting. I know they often say not to give food for 24 hours to allow time for the gut to rest, and I don't mean to suggest you go against the vet's protocol. (Just food for thought: A few of our hounds vomit bright yellow bile if they go more than about 10 hours without any food in their systems. If Spinner does that if may be worth a call to the vet's office to ask if you could offer a tablespoon of cooked white rice a little later.)

I would stop him from eating the grass. The grass could be making his vomiting worse, and can damage his throat. Fertilizer on the grass is worse. For starters, white rice may help his diarrhea. The vomiting is especially a concern. Any idea what prompted this sickness? Could he have gotten into something toxic?

A Greyhound slipping on a hard floor can be very dangerous. A serious fall... a broken hip, etc. can lead to outrageous vet bills $$$$, if not worse. Please consider doing whatever you can to place rubber-backed runner rugs down throughout the hound's most frequented pathways and rooms. If you can't find suitable already rubber-backed runner rugs, you can buy regular cheap runner rugs and buy separate rug grips ($2. or $3.) to place underneath the rugs. In a pinch, placing old rubber-backed bath mats down will help. (Possibly borrow some if you don't have extras.) This is a safety issue, and hounds that have such a dramatic change in behavior often do so after a painful fall. This is not something to expect to "teach" a newly fearful hound to overcome. That comfort level will take some time after your hound feels safe walking on rugs in her own home. Her new behavior sounds like she has a strong underlying reason for her reaction. She's trying to communicate with you. In case your hound did happen to experience a fall on the hard floor, please physically examine her body to ensure she's not in pain from a new injury. Check for heat, swelling, etc. BTW, If a hound falls by accident I don't see any reason not to comfort them. They aren't like human children in that regard. It's an accident and they don't do things like that on purpose for attention. We could help look up her racing information if we knew her racing name, but that probably wouldn't help much re: her floor reaction. Learning medical history is pretty rare in retired racer Greyhound adoption. Dogs having problems after a fall on hard surface floors is extremely common, especially with Greyhounds. Barring snow and ice, I doubt temperature has anything to do with your hound's indoor floor fear reaction. Slippery wet paws/floor could be a factor. I can understand your rubber bootie hassle. Having been through the hardwood floor issue with our hounds and foster hounds, I imagine you will all be much happier with cheap runner rugs. Good luck.

I'm curious if anyone's hounds have experienced a similar episode to the following resulting from Hemangiosarcoma Cancer or Laryngeal Paralysis? The other night, one of our 9 year old hounds was trying to walk from the family room over to me in the kitchen as I was finishing hounds' dinner prep. (She was late arriving, she's always eager to arrive first.) Her gait was very abnormal. Only her right side motor skills appeared affected. As she walked, she picked up her front right leg very high near her chest (goose stepping) as she very slowly tried to figure out how to place it back on the floor to complete the step(s) for a walking motion. (It looked as if she had a new snow bootie on that paw for the first time ever.) As she moved forward, she was very slightly lopsided from the obviously troubled right side, and her right rear leg did not follow normally. That right rear leg looked very weak and nearly uncontrollable (as if it were about to collapse out from under her). She looked at me with a panicked look in her eyes. (Her hind right leg gait movement looked a bit like she was drugged/drunk and her brain wasn't connecting with her right rear leg.) Her breathing was just a little shorter quick breaths, but she did not appear to be in breathing distress. To the touch, her shoulder and body were stiff and trembling slightly. A minute or two later, as I was trying to observe her gait movement, I walked into an open space in the next room. She eventually followed me and walked fairly straight towards me, but her right side extremity gait problem was still happening. She eventually laid down on the carpet. This problematic episode lasted about 7-10 minutes. She remained very alert the entire time. The next time she got up to walk to another room about 5 minutes later, her gait was more normal. She's appeared normal ever since. A stroke is the first thing that came to my mind (and the vet's mind). I also thought of Cerebellar Ataxia, Polyneuropathy, or Cancer advancing to the brain. Any similar experiences, or thoughts?

Judy, and family, we are so very sad to read of your loss of Gee. Poor sweet girl, Gee gave it her all, and you were there loving and caring for her throughout her years. May she run free in peace.

Ohhh, this is such crushing news. I am so deeply sorry for your loss of your handsome Steak. He was fortunate to have had you as his loving mom for this time.

A wonderful trick for shy hounds is to ask your understanding and patient husband to feed her entire kibble meals while sitting down from cupping the kibble in his own hands, while looking away from her face for at least 2-3 days. Thereafter, he can just hold the food bowl for a day or two, and that usually helps a lot. Then resume regular feeding. Please ask him to try to speak calmly and patiently around your new hound, but speak in an upbeat, happy voice when calling her towards him. Only good things should happen for your girl when she is called to either of you. Many Greyhounds are soo sensitive that if they get scolded or feel any negative vibes from a human's mood, they will shut down quickly. Please do read John's good link re: calming signals. The shy ones are my favorites to work with because our reward of their growing trust in us and their comfortable personality blossoming is sooo greyt over time! Good luck and please keep us posted.

Burpdog, thanks for the reply re: that you have seen swelling with ringworm. Good to know. Yea! I'm so glad they diagnosed it so that poor dog will have relief. If anyone is interested: The ringworm fungus is very contagious from skin to skin contact, towels, etc. The spores can live for up to one year, so it's important to clean dog bedding and towels, etc. with an appropriate anti-fungal solution. I went to different doctors for 6 months before it was diagnosed and treated on my face!! I finally diagnosed it myself back in the day of researching through medical "books." I went back to the original doctor with the name of the medication I needed. It worked perfectly. I may have picked up ringworm fungal spores from gardening (in dirt) then touched my face with my hand. Now, I try to wear gloves when digging, and I try not to touch my face. Hopefully, the owner will figure out where the dog got it to prevent a repeating problem. Here's a link re: ringworm fungus (it's not a worm): http://pets.webmd.co...s/dog-ringworms

Glad you have a pool cage. That helps. These young hounds are so curious and get into all sorts of things they shouldn't. They are like 2 year old toddlers. We have several water features and ended up fencing them off so the hounds can't get to them. We decided it was better safe than sorry for these precious hounds.

This was the initial diagnosis but maybe reading this could help the owner think of some other possibilities that might result in a different medication? http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/30106.htm (I though about ringworm also but I haven't seen the excessive swelling with ringworm.) Any culture test results by now?

What a wonderful story Maci (although part was sad)... You are such a lucky hound to be beginning this new chapter in your life!! Congratulations on finding you new wonderful mamas... and we l.o.v.e. that you shared all your pictures!!