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EllenEveBaz

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Posts posted by EllenEveBaz

    Doolin got a rabbit

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    Milo adds his high four:  "Major score, dude!  Congrats!  Make that first shake decisive and you won't have the humans (who probably eat meat themselves, amiright?) blubbering as much.  Rabbits are idjits and will keep on coming into your yard.  It is your duty to keep houndie territory free of those lop-eared vermin.  Let's see -- you've already gotten a squirrel, may I suggest your next critter be a groundhog (although those little chunkies can run surprisingly fast) or a chipmunk, if you prefer them small and agile.  While I have caught several skunks, I do not recommend them for the beginner. " 

    One of Milo's songs is my lyrics to the tune of "Popeye the Sailor Man."  Feel free to adapt for Doolin.

         He's Milo, the wonder hound
         Leaps logs with a single bound
         He chases the wabbit, he catches, he gwabs it
         He's Milo, the wonder hound 

    No matter how many times Milo catches something, even though I was raised in a hunting and fishing family, I still dread it.  

    • Like 1

    A loss of some sort

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    Rest in peace, old houndmobile.  Or be recycled into new and exciting things.

    Years ago, Claudia from the Greyhound Gang in Utah wrote a wonderful essay about saying goodbye to the Gang's van and what a powerful symbol of hound life it was.  It brought the dogs from their old racing life to their new life as pets.  It gathered the pack to go places together; sometimes places of enjoyment and sometimes not.  Unlike most hound trailers, it had windows so the sighthounds could see out.  And sometimes it took them on that last trip to the vet.  

    • Like 1
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    Blonde Bandit

    in Cute and Funny things Greyhounds do

    Posted

    Gelsey enjoyed the last half of her raw sweet potato.  Milo got a dental chew to keep it fair.

    Today, Gelsey was supervising me in the kitchen from her chair in the den, and noted one piece of shredded cheese (approx 1/2 inch x 5 ml) fall on the floor.  She instantly transformed from Houndie at Leisure to the Vulture, kind of like Snoopy would get in the Peanuts comic strip.  I moved away and said the magic "ok," and she leapt on it.  It really surprised me that she saw the cheese fall -- it was so small.

    Her Blonde Bandit name has been changed to Red Fawn Felon, to make it more hound-color appropriate.  

    Something's Happened to AnnIE

    in Cute and Funny things Greyhounds do

    Posted

    Crazy girl!  (said in tones of great affection and admiration)

     

    Milo has figured out how to get out of his coat if it starts slipping.  Somehow he gets it moved so it's hanging off the front of his neck, and then he steps on the coat and lowers his head till he gets it pulled off.  Time to get new velcro for all those old coats, I guess.  (Sorry, Jupiter)  

    • Like 1

    Milo Makes 14!

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    Almost 12 years ago, volunteers from a rescue program drove six hours to bring Milo for a home inspection and, we hoped, a final home.  He had been dropped off as a skeletally thin stray at a kill shelter.  Someone at the pound called this rescue program, knowing that one of the leaders had a hound of her own.  "You'd better come and get this greyhound."  She did.  Then someone on GT posted his picture here.   It was clear to discerning eyes that he wasn't full greyhound -- floppy ears and a round ribcage.  Their guess was he had been someone's hunting dog.  He had already bounced from his first home the program found for him.  "Too expensive."  I'm sure that was due to his fetish of chewing anything foam rubber or fiber.   I will always remember my first sight of him --   jaunty step, ultra-curved tail, bright red brindle, eyes interested and alert.  As a vet wrote in his records once Milo had recovered, "Beautiful dog."  A DNA test showed 2/3 greyhound, 1/6 Tennessee treeing coonhound, and 1/6 whippet.  That same test showed he has a ton of greyhound and mix cousins -- he must be a product of a large hunting dog breeding business.  He's certainly done more than his share to reduce the number of wildlife who make it out of our back yard.  :puke 

    And now he's 14 (probably older, but I picked New Year's Day as his birthday).  I've never had a dog make it to 14 before.  His face is all white now, and he carries both his head and his tail lower.  He's got chronic lymphatic leukemia, a slow cancer, but he is doing great on the chemo.  He's got good muscle mass on his rear legs and enjoys mile-long walks, just slower than before.  He eats meals well with 5 fewer teeth, although will now accept room service for his good-night snack rather than coming in the kitchen.  He goes out first thing in the morning, and comes racing back in the house, enjoying the new day.  His step remains jaunty and purposeful.  Part of the Dog Aging Project, he has aced every cognitive test they've set.  Always congenial, he's now officially snuggly (although I think he's seeking an auxiliary heat source).   He has developed a fear of some loud noises.  I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but he hasn't made a documented wildlife kill in 15 months.

    I know he has missed going out on hours-long hunts with a pack of his besties, chasing coons and possums or wild hogs all night.  But that didn't turn out so well for him.  We've had our ups and downs together.  He's outlived 3 other dogs here, and while he has annoyingly battled for pack position with all of them, he has missed them when they've had to leave.  I can see his departure getting closer and closer.  I hope he feels like he's had a good life.  My Milo.  MiloBiloDilo.  Milo Milo, you are thrice of everything that's houndie nice.  My my, Milo.  Milo My Love.  

     

    • Like 4

    Blonde Bandit

    in Cute and Funny things Greyhounds do

    Posted

    Inspired by all the recent barking of Black Bandits, yesterday Gelsey tossed out all of her kitchen behavior training to resume the Blonde Bandit crown.  

    Background:  About 95% of Gelsey's brain is hotwired to the concept of food.  She does not naturally have a lot of impulse control  :rofl  so there has been a lot of work teaching her to leave the kitchen when asked and to wait for permission to hoover up food that has been dropped on the floor.  She will eat ANYTHING -- raw kale, coffee beans ... .  

    Yesterday I was putting groceries in the fridge and a sweet potato escaped from its produce bag and rolled under the fridge door and into a corner.  Gelsey was not in the kitchen.  I did not see any movement, but I did hear kind of a swishing sound.  So I called Gelsey and she appeared in the doorway from the living room.  I praised her and resumed putting groceries in the fridge before shutting the fridge door to retrieve the sweet potato.  Gone.  Nada.  Disappeared.  I did hear a faint gnawing sound, and went into the living room to find Gelsey had already demolished about half the sweet potato.  Score for this pack's red fawn version of the :ph34r

    • Like 2
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    • Haha 6
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