dealing with loss of pets
Over the years we have loss so many loved pets and sometimes it gets harder, I found a way to deal with it by writing down a list of all of them and remembering all the good times. I hope this is not to long for the forum, if so be nice
My Life with Four Footed Friends
Chapter one
The Early Years
As far back as I can remember I have always felt better with my four footed friends around. They are never judgmental, never criticized, with just something to eat and a pat on the head and they were always there.
My first friend was when I was three or four, a blond collie whose job it was to keep me out of trouble, which when you live on a remote farm, required a lot of work. I was always wandering out in the pasture. Shep had been told by my father and mother to keep an eye on me. His job was to keep me out of the pasture. He would grip my pant legs and pull me back to the house while I was crying the whole way but never letting go. As time went by we used to spend our days trying to catch a particular cotton tale rabbit we had named Thumper because he would come out and thump his foot until we could not stand it and chase him around and around the garage. We could never catch him until one day he made the mistake of running into a hollow pipe. I picked up one end and he slid out the other end into Sheps mouth who really was not expecting it. Then Thumper kicked him in the face and ran off. Thus ended the rabbit days. Shep remained my first friend until a terrible hard man of my father’s poisoned him; father fired him on the spot.
The Pony Years:
My father then decided to get us a Shetland pony. A beautiful black and white we named Spot. We had only had her week when she gave birth to a tiny little brown baby, and we thought spot was just fat. We named her Brownie; Spot and Brownie gave us many happy days. One thing we learned early on was, when a Shetland mare wants to go home to see her baby she cannot be stopped. She would take the bit in her month and no matter how hard one pulled or tried to turn her head it would not work. If the shortest way home were through a barbed wire fence she would drop to her knees and go under it. Most of us kids lost skin or part of our shirt to learn this. If the shortest way home was under the clothesline you had better be quick on getting off or you would be the next victim with marks on their neck.
As Brownie was too little for us to ride except for my younger brother and sister, he simply just got to have full run of the farm. He would spend his days getting into about everything from getting in the garbage can and stringing it all over, to one day walking into our basement house when our mother was serving dinner. If you have never seen a mad woman with a broom chase a Shetland round the house you have truly missed a great show. Brownie discovered early on how to open the corral gate and would let all of the other animals out. Then they would go visit the neighbor’s three miles away.
Off they would go in a line. My fathers big red horse, then Spot, then Brownie, my pet calf I raised from a baby, the pig I caught at the fair in a grease pig contest and then my brothers duck. “Come on little brother a duck” It became a neighborhood laughing matter and our mother’s embarrassment to have to bring them all home. Riding one horse leading Spot, Brownie following, the duck in the back seat and the pig in the trunk. I think this traumatized the pig.
The Big Horse:
Prince came to me from my Uncle who raised horses for racing. He was a one-year-old colt who I would not ride until he was two as I was worried he could not carry my weight since Brownie could not. I always rode him with a halter as I did not want a bridle to hurt his mouth and I taught him to rope using a single cinch instead of a double. A very smart and 17 hand tall big palomino who would whinny call whenever he saw me coming, maybe the apples laced with sugar was the key. I would just jump on him with no saddle or halter and laugh with joy as he raced around the pasture bucking a few times to see if I would fall off.
Years later when I would come home on leave I would run to the corral to jump on him. He would take off and he would buck as usual only then I would fall off. He would come back and look at me “what’s the matter with you” then he licked my face. I did not come back as many times, as I should have. I miss Prince.
Bull Days:
My father came in one day and announced that a cow had died who just had a new calf and that I could have it, I was beside myself. I don’t think I thought this through as I fed him warm powder milk daily along with eggs mixed in. I also refused to allow him to be dehorned or made into a steer. After five years “Baby” weighed in at about seven hundred pounds with four foot horns and who thought he was really a horse we could ride. Father then insisted he be sold to a breeder, as he was no longer willing to pay his milk bill.
Piggy Wiggly:
Then came “Wilbur”. We used to go to the county fairs and they would have pig-catching contest for kids. One year I actually caught one, a runt who I promptly named Wilbur as I was reading Charlottes web at the time. Wilbur was another escape artist and grew rapidly. Probably this was because, on the farm we would stack grain in a big pile, Wilbur would climb to the top and lay down and eat his way back to the bottom. I spent many hours restacking the grain. When it would get too hot Wilbur would get into the cattle tank as access on one side was lower. Then he would just stand it with his nose sticking out; of course the cattle will not drink when a pig is in their water. So I would have to climb in the tank pick up the front in push from behind. Wilbur grew so big that my sister was putting the Shetlands saddle on him to ride, it was decided that poor Wilbur had to go.
Chapter two
The Cat Days:
So now I have a son and I knew he needed entertainment also, My then wife would not allow him to have a dog but I was able to negotiate a cat for him.
Hence Sam, a little black cat that only would tolerate my son, came into our lives. I swear this cat would spend her days making me pay for what I do not know. By putting Lincoln logs in my shoes, knocking a tall shelving unit off the wall at midnight. My former wife was cooking pork chops one night and while serving them up at the table. Sam jump ups and stole her pork chop and ran off. ”Good kitty”. I do know that generally trying to give a cat a bath is a bad idea. I discovered this after putting on leather welding gloves and trying to give her a bath in the sink. Okay we take her to the pet shop and let them do it. After paying extra to cover the scratch and bite marks they won’t take her either. I tried bringing her back under a false name. Didn’t work, she was banned for life. When we moved to Colorado from California we took Sam in a cat carry case. I forgot to lock the door and she got out and climbed in my lap going down the road 70 miles hr that is where she decide should be a good place to pee I swear that cat had it in for me! When our son moved into his own place and he wanted me to watch his two cats while he was in the Army reserve week tour. Both of those cats jumped me also. I know cats hate me.
Chapter three
New Beginnings.
My son and I moved and as luck would have it the new lady in our life likes dogs and has two whippets. Tiffany a brown and white lovely little girl and Tiger a brindle boy who spent his days seeing out much he could drive Tiffany nuts.
Tiffany loved food so much and would try and eat anything and loved nothing better than cookies. My wife had made four dozen cookies for her new son’s arrival and in the span of a week he and Tiffany had eaten them all. She had gained five pounds. We never found out why until our son moved out. Tiffany also developed a taste for beer and would set next to you and pull your arm down so she could get a drink, If you left your glass for a minute you would find chunks in it. We thought about sending her to rehab. Tiger would steal Tiffanies toys and run through the house with her chasing him crying all the way. He would lay around and smack his lips so she would think he had food and drive her crazy. Then go bark out the window to make her think someone was out there, a typical boy. He always went to bed at 9pm and if you did not take him to bed he would take himself right at 9pm pull the covers back and crawl under the covers. He would sleep at the end of the bed and roll so he was in a hammock of course your cover went with him.
Luck of the Irish
Lady:
When fishing in Jackson Hole this pretty Irish sitter came to our motor home and would not leave. We just knew someone must have lost her. So we tried to leave, however she chased us down the road so we stopped and let her in. We could not find anyone in town who was looking for a dog and as there was not an animal shelter there we decided to bring her back to the shelter in Utah to find her a home. Nine years later we were still looking. She loved to go fishing and would follow me whenever I went to the river. However she likes to swim also and the other fisherman did not appreciate the dog diving into the river, as I could not keep her out. I started leaving her with my wife at the motor home but then she would throw a temper tantrum. Seeing an Irish setter throw a tantrum is quite entertaining. If she seen you coming with a camera she would leave the room. For some reason she hated having her picture taken. When we took her to the pet shop to have a bath, they would put bows in her ears, which she also hated; she would walk in the house just sulking,
Living with three dogs and a crazy cat was an experience as the dogs had never seen a cat and just wanted to play with her. But Sam the cat still did not get along with anyone but our son. Tiffany would wait out side the door for her to come out. When she finally decided to stick her head out, Tiffany was waiting and held her down. But Sam slapped her in the face and ran off. From then on Tiffany would wait outside the door all day just waiting for a chance at revenge. All of the dogs would sleep on our bed with us snoring away while Sam roamed the house at night when she jumped on the bed and decided to do the cat stretch thing while purring away. We held our breath waiting for the big fight we knew was coming but finally she left and we hurriedly shut the door.
Chapter four
The Greyhound Years,
Abbey
After Tiffany and Lady had passed away we decided to adopt a Greyhound after hearing of their plight. Our first one was a large fawn girl we named Abigail or Abbey for short. This was without a doubt the smartest dog we have every had. Greyhounds have to be shown how to go up and down stairs, once we did this she had to practice several times a day.
Doors fascinated her One-day she saw my wife open the downstairs door. She went to it put her mouth on it and turn the knob. From then on no door remained closed
She loved nothing more than laying by the fire in the morning. So she would go to the woodpile and bring in logs. If one would not fit in the dog door she just went and got another one. I was building a gazebo at the time and she saw me bring tools from the shed if I laid one down she would pick it up and take it back to the shed. She would stand up to give you an Abbey hug and put her big legs around your neck and squeeze. She had a fetish for anything that had a lid on it, if it were closed she would open it up. We had a large ceramic jar, which was used to prop open a door. If the lid was on it she took it off, the dog feeder had a lid on it and she would always eat from the top. But if anyone else came to get a bite she would shut the lid so they had to eat from the bottom. The first time we took her camping she slipped her leash. Its true greyhounds can go from zero to 45 miles an hour in a heart beat. I was frantic and thought we had lost her, but she was waiting at the motor home when we got back. She could remember where ever she was, when we went down to the marina to the boat. She knew exactly where the boat was inspite of two hundred boats in the marina. Once when walking back down the dock she suddenly decided to swim back and jumped over the side with me holding the leash. Trying to reel in a swimming 75-pound greyhound is fun. Abbey loved to open Christmas presents and would open them all just to see what was in them. My wife finally had to leave them in another room after she had rewrapped them all three times. When she was bugging someone and we told her to go to another room. She stomped off like a little kid complaining the whole way.
Dee Dee:
Because Abbey was treating tiger like a squeak toy we decided to get her a partner. So then came Dee Dee named after my wife’s mother. What a sweetie, a little fawn girl who ruled the roost. She had raced until full retirement age, “5”, and when she retired, she retired. She refused to go on long walks if we went very far. She would just sit down and I would have to carry her back. Too bad we never saw the pet strollers we could have used one. Eating was her favorite thing to do, once when my wife was trying to cook jerky. She left the oven partially open and Dee Dee stuck her head in a hot oven and ate the pepper jerky burning her whiskers. We were expecting a large party over for a BBQ. The filet mignon was left on the counter and she climbed up, ate four large steaks. My wife had cooked a chicken and had thrown the carcass in the trash. In the middle of the night she got up and opened the cabinet door to get in the trash and ate the whole carcass bones and all. She never got sick on any of this, Go figure. Because she had bad teeth and could not chew a roll bone very well she would take hers to Abbey to soften up for her and Abbey was happy to oblige. She would always sit on my lap to watch TV and kiss my face.
Molly
We lost our last whippet and then came Molly Wolly.
Molly a midsize brindle girl who came to us spoiled rotten by her trainer. She could get her own drink by lifting the toilet seat, holding it up with her head and flipping up the lid. When she did not want me to move her she would start screaming her head off thinking I would just let her be. If you told her she was a poor dog she would start crying. Molly was “miss prissy” and never played hard, as she did not want to get any oweys. The other girls seemed to sense that something was wrong and would never let her get hurt or play rough with her.
Chapter Five
The Mischievous Three:
My wife and I both worked during the day so the three girls were left to entertain themselves. I came home and looked out the window to see what they were doing. We had put out a wading pool for them and they had created a game to throw their toy in the air run and jump in the pool then it was the next dogs turn, This went on for several minutes. What a treat.
We kept having holes dug in the yard and we could not catch who was doing it. So we set up the video camera and left. When we ran the playback all we saw was three greyhounds running in and out and all digging like a bunch of gophers. So now we had lots of holes as this went on for over an hour. Our brother in law said the way you stop this was to bury blown up balloons filled with water so when they dig they will pop the balloons and scare them. Greyhounds have no concept of loud noises so this became a game for them to see how many balloons they could find, More holes. Only to China now.
One terrible day we took Molly to the vet only to find out she had intestinal cancer, our poor sweet baby, good by.
Chapter Six
Go between Maggie:
Our Vet friend in Colorado called. She had a sweet clingy black girl who needed a home and of course we took her. She was scared of lightening and thunder but was very well trained and very social. Her favorite thing to do was to ride in my wives convertible and put her head over the window so the wind hit her in the ears. This was the way she went down the road in the motor home head out as far as she could go. We got a lot of strange looks. We did not have this sweet girl very long but she was a treasure with her gentle ways and her love of travel. She did get anxiety in the beginning this we learned by the computer cord she chewed up and my wife’s glasses. The new linen closet with hand carved legs fell to her thoughts also.
Oh no Abbey is limping we went to vet again and she had bone cancer. Our first baby who convinced us we should always have greyhounds is now gone.
Chapter Seven
Katie:
Katie Rae named after my father in law entered our life from the rescue in Idaho.
A very independent girl around humans but simply could not live without her greyhound friends. Liked to play but thought she was a boy. Loved kids and loved walks so she could smell the flowers. Every night she would like to play catch with a toy three times so she could earn the treats. If the other girls would ignore her she would get in their face and bark, as if to say, “ I said”
Katie liked to sneak up on the robins in the yard just to scare them. Once a robin was looking for a worm and Katie stalked him and jumped at him to scare him. The robin was mad and chased her all over the yard pecking at her head. Every time he saw her from then on he would immediately chase her in the house. If she heard him chirping she would run for the house. She cornered a little cat once to see what it was. The cat scratched her and from then on she looked for cats everywhere she went to get even. Katie was trying to learn how to bark from listening to the dog next door. We told her “no bark” so she would just gurgle. She always knew which Christmas presents were hers and would only open them.
After our trip from Kansas we lost pretty Maggie to bone cancer and a few weeks later our little D dog to intestinal cancer. Katie is devastated and alone and so am I.
Sometimes this is so hard but I know they need a home. Katie mopes around all day and makes me feel sad also. Only one thing to do.
Chapter Eight
The fantastic family of four.
As Katie and I just moped around we called our vet friend in Colorado. As luck would have it she had another sweet black girl with a bad leg who needed a home. However it would be a month before she could bring her over. Ok we wait? Yeah sure.
Bridie,
It turned out that the Greyhound rescue in Utah now had a chapter in Ogden, and just our luck had a brindle girl who also needed a home. Why not we have had three before. So into our life came Bridie Fey. This sweet girl just loved to travel and very quickly became my wives best friend. I was just there for convenience. It was so bad that if I called her to come out to go outside and potty she would check with my wife first to see if she had to. If I told her to get off the couch she would wait until my wife said to. However if it was dark out then she wanted me to go with. Bridie and Katie bonded quickly and would climb in the same bed and sleep together never fussing with each other. Bridie was the protector in the group and if it looked if someone was going to threaten her sisters. It was Bridie who got in front of them. She was very protective of my wife.
The Vet from Colorado called and said she had another little girl who was quite young and had bonded with the girl she was bringing to us. What is one more bring them both?
The day she delivered Annabelle and Mattie, Katie was ecstatic that she now has three sisters. For some reason the other girls figured because she was there first, so she must be in charge. Right talk to Birdies paw first.
These girls all blended so well and got along never fighting. Just went with each other and wanted to be with each other. Always shared their toys and food and treats.
Chapter Nine
Annabelle
The big black was Annabelle very clingy, loved everyone craved attention would lean on everyone. When the other girls would take off to start the chase game hiding behind the gazebo. She would just go the other side and cut them off. She always slept in her own bed at the end of ours and did not want to be bothered by her sisters when she slept. Bridie who generally slept with Katie would come in the room at night and try and climb in with Annie. But Annie would hear her get up and start growling before she got in the room. Bridie would just stand in front of her and wag her tail. She loved to lay behind my wives organ and listen to her play. She would close her eyes and go to sleep listening.
Mattie Joy.
This black girl was young and because the trainers had decided she would not be a racer had not been treated very well. We named her Matilda Joy after my mother, Mattie for short. At first she was shy and was afraid she would not get enough to eat so was a little withdrawn. For some reason Katie became her idol and she would follow her all over and imitate her. Whenever she really wanted something she stared at you with squinted eyes; we called them “the serious eyes”. She liked to scare the birds with Katie and peek around the corner to see if they were there and jump at them. Matte did not like rain or snow and would not go out. We had to get her a yellow rain coat to go out and do her business in.
The four girls went everywhere with us, in the motor home and the boat.
Chapter Ten
A Sad Year
We were out on a trip and early one morning Matte got me up to go outside. When I took her out she was a little sick. When we came back she just wanted to lie on the rug with her sisters. All of a sudden we heard a noise and got up Mattie was lying on the floor bleeding and could not get up. We were in a panic and tried to find an emergency vet, but it was several miles away. It took both of us to carry her to the truck and get her to the vet, but she passed away in route. Turned out she had a tumor in her stomach that had burst. Our poor little girl, When I put her in the truck she lifted up her head and kissed me goodbye, I miss her every day.
A few months later Birdies kidney and liver failed and we had to say goodbye, she was strong until the very end. On the last night with her Annie lay with her and would not leave her side. It was if she knew what was happening and was trying to comfort her.
Then Katie our oldest girl started to have heart failure she could hardly breath. Her independence will be missed along with her ability to pick out other sisters.
Chapter Eleven
Sally O’Mally:
Before we lost Katie we decided to help the rescue group in Ogden foster a little girl who had several bad homes. So into our life came little Sally O’Mally a little fawn girl who is shy and scared of loud noises. Whenever she gets frighten she tucks her tail between her legs. We call her the tail tucker. She bonded so quickly with Annie and followed her every where. She learn how to play catch from watching Katie and has now taken over that job For some reason whenever she goes to the bathroom she “prays” first. We haven’t figured this out yet. At night she will sleep with us but I always have to play “spin the pup” so she can hide her face. The fostering project lasted two weeks and she moved in permanently.
Gracie:
Because we knew that Annie was getting older we had decided that Sally would not like being alone… enter the big girl.
Gracie a large black girl who is very quick to learn, but has a problem with corns on her pads. We call her the corn dog sometimes she has trouble walking. We solved this problem by getting her a radio flyer wagon to ride in. She is also such a loveable girl who likes to travel and play with all the toys. She learned how to sit by watching the other girls and doing it on her own. She would rather not lay on the grass but sits in a chair with her favorite pink blanket. So now we have to have three camping chairs. She is also learning how to play catch from watching Sally. Every morning she does the breakfast dance by stomping her feet and shaking her head.
A Bad Day:
Annabelle was acting sick and as she was elderly for a greyhound we took her in to be checked. They took a blood test and said she had a virus and sent her home with medicine.
Later that day she could not get up, We had to carry her to the truck and have the vet come out to bring her in. After a xray, it was discovered a tumor had burst in her stomach and she was bleeding internally and slowly dying. Our sweet rose who loved everyone and every dog who was always patient with everyone is now gone.
Chapter Twelve
The Traveling Two
So now we are down to two sweet puppies that are always ready and willing to go anytime. So my wife told me I have keep it to two.
Wait was that the phone? Maybe Sheri from Ogden or Heather from Colorado is calling, After all we could foster another one right?
My Life with Four Footed Friends
Chapter one
The Early Years
As far back as I can remember I have always felt better with my four footed friends around. They are never judgmental, never criticized, with just something to eat and a pat on the head and they were always there.
My first friend was when I was three or four, a blond collie whose job it was to keep me out of trouble, which when you live on a remote farm, required a lot of work. I was always wandering out in the pasture. Shep had been told by my father and mother to keep an eye on me. His job was to keep me out of the pasture. He would grip my pant legs and pull me back to the house while I was crying the whole way but never letting go. As time went by we used to spend our days trying to catch a particular cotton tale rabbit we had named Thumper because he would come out and thump his foot until we could not stand it and chase him around and around the garage. We could never catch him until one day he made the mistake of running into a hollow pipe. I picked up one end and he slid out the other end into Sheps mouth who really was not expecting it. Then Thumper kicked him in the face and ran off. Thus ended the rabbit days. Shep remained my first friend until a terrible hard man of my father’s poisoned him; father fired him on the spot.
The Pony Years:
My father then decided to get us a Shetland pony. A beautiful black and white we named Spot. We had only had her week when she gave birth to a tiny little brown baby, and we thought spot was just fat. We named her Brownie; Spot and Brownie gave us many happy days. One thing we learned early on was, when a Shetland mare wants to go home to see her baby she cannot be stopped. She would take the bit in her month and no matter how hard one pulled or tried to turn her head it would not work. If the shortest way home were through a barbed wire fence she would drop to her knees and go under it. Most of us kids lost skin or part of our shirt to learn this. If the shortest way home was under the clothesline you had better be quick on getting off or you would be the next victim with marks on their neck.
As Brownie was too little for us to ride except for my younger brother and sister, he simply just got to have full run of the farm. He would spend his days getting into about everything from getting in the garbage can and stringing it all over, to one day walking into our basement house when our mother was serving dinner. If you have never seen a mad woman with a broom chase a Shetland round the house you have truly missed a great show. Brownie discovered early on how to open the corral gate and would let all of the other animals out. Then they would go visit the neighbor’s three miles away.
Off they would go in a line. My fathers big red horse, then Spot, then Brownie, my pet calf I raised from a baby, the pig I caught at the fair in a grease pig contest and then my brothers duck. “Come on little brother a duck” It became a neighborhood laughing matter and our mother’s embarrassment to have to bring them all home. Riding one horse leading Spot, Brownie following, the duck in the back seat and the pig in the trunk. I think this traumatized the pig.
The Big Horse:
Prince came to me from my Uncle who raised horses for racing. He was a one-year-old colt who I would not ride until he was two as I was worried he could not carry my weight since Brownie could not. I always rode him with a halter as I did not want a bridle to hurt his mouth and I taught him to rope using a single cinch instead of a double. A very smart and 17 hand tall big palomino who would whinny call whenever he saw me coming, maybe the apples laced with sugar was the key. I would just jump on him with no saddle or halter and laugh with joy as he raced around the pasture bucking a few times to see if I would fall off.
Years later when I would come home on leave I would run to the corral to jump on him. He would take off and he would buck as usual only then I would fall off. He would come back and look at me “what’s the matter with you” then he licked my face. I did not come back as many times, as I should have. I miss Prince.
Bull Days:
My father came in one day and announced that a cow had died who just had a new calf and that I could have it, I was beside myself. I don’t think I thought this through as I fed him warm powder milk daily along with eggs mixed in. I also refused to allow him to be dehorned or made into a steer. After five years “Baby” weighed in at about seven hundred pounds with four foot horns and who thought he was really a horse we could ride. Father then insisted he be sold to a breeder, as he was no longer willing to pay his milk bill.
Piggy Wiggly:
Then came “Wilbur”. We used to go to the county fairs and they would have pig-catching contest for kids. One year I actually caught one, a runt who I promptly named Wilbur as I was reading Charlottes web at the time. Wilbur was another escape artist and grew rapidly. Probably this was because, on the farm we would stack grain in a big pile, Wilbur would climb to the top and lay down and eat his way back to the bottom. I spent many hours restacking the grain. When it would get too hot Wilbur would get into the cattle tank as access on one side was lower. Then he would just stand it with his nose sticking out; of course the cattle will not drink when a pig is in their water. So I would have to climb in the tank pick up the front in push from behind. Wilbur grew so big that my sister was putting the Shetlands saddle on him to ride, it was decided that poor Wilbur had to go.
Chapter two
The Cat Days:
So now I have a son and I knew he needed entertainment also, My then wife would not allow him to have a dog but I was able to negotiate a cat for him.
Hence Sam, a little black cat that only would tolerate my son, came into our lives. I swear this cat would spend her days making me pay for what I do not know. By putting Lincoln logs in my shoes, knocking a tall shelving unit off the wall at midnight. My former wife was cooking pork chops one night and while serving them up at the table. Sam jump ups and stole her pork chop and ran off. ”Good kitty”. I do know that generally trying to give a cat a bath is a bad idea. I discovered this after putting on leather welding gloves and trying to give her a bath in the sink. Okay we take her to the pet shop and let them do it. After paying extra to cover the scratch and bite marks they won’t take her either. I tried bringing her back under a false name. Didn’t work, she was banned for life. When we moved to Colorado from California we took Sam in a cat carry case. I forgot to lock the door and she got out and climbed in my lap going down the road 70 miles hr that is where she decide should be a good place to pee I swear that cat had it in for me! When our son moved into his own place and he wanted me to watch his two cats while he was in the Army reserve week tour. Both of those cats jumped me also. I know cats hate me.
Chapter three
New Beginnings.
My son and I moved and as luck would have it the new lady in our life likes dogs and has two whippets. Tiffany a brown and white lovely little girl and Tiger a brindle boy who spent his days seeing out much he could drive Tiffany nuts.
Tiffany loved food so much and would try and eat anything and loved nothing better than cookies. My wife had made four dozen cookies for her new son’s arrival and in the span of a week he and Tiffany had eaten them all. She had gained five pounds. We never found out why until our son moved out. Tiffany also developed a taste for beer and would set next to you and pull your arm down so she could get a drink, If you left your glass for a minute you would find chunks in it. We thought about sending her to rehab. Tiger would steal Tiffanies toys and run through the house with her chasing him crying all the way. He would lay around and smack his lips so she would think he had food and drive her crazy. Then go bark out the window to make her think someone was out there, a typical boy. He always went to bed at 9pm and if you did not take him to bed he would take himself right at 9pm pull the covers back and crawl under the covers. He would sleep at the end of the bed and roll so he was in a hammock of course your cover went with him.
Luck of the Irish
Lady:
When fishing in Jackson Hole this pretty Irish sitter came to our motor home and would not leave. We just knew someone must have lost her. So we tried to leave, however she chased us down the road so we stopped and let her in. We could not find anyone in town who was looking for a dog and as there was not an animal shelter there we decided to bring her back to the shelter in Utah to find her a home. Nine years later we were still looking. She loved to go fishing and would follow me whenever I went to the river. However she likes to swim also and the other fisherman did not appreciate the dog diving into the river, as I could not keep her out. I started leaving her with my wife at the motor home but then she would throw a temper tantrum. Seeing an Irish setter throw a tantrum is quite entertaining. If she seen you coming with a camera she would leave the room. For some reason she hated having her picture taken. When we took her to the pet shop to have a bath, they would put bows in her ears, which she also hated; she would walk in the house just sulking,
Living with three dogs and a crazy cat was an experience as the dogs had never seen a cat and just wanted to play with her. But Sam the cat still did not get along with anyone but our son. Tiffany would wait out side the door for her to come out. When she finally decided to stick her head out, Tiffany was waiting and held her down. But Sam slapped her in the face and ran off. From then on Tiffany would wait outside the door all day just waiting for a chance at revenge. All of the dogs would sleep on our bed with us snoring away while Sam roamed the house at night when she jumped on the bed and decided to do the cat stretch thing while purring away. We held our breath waiting for the big fight we knew was coming but finally she left and we hurriedly shut the door.
Chapter four
The Greyhound Years,
Abbey
After Tiffany and Lady had passed away we decided to adopt a Greyhound after hearing of their plight. Our first one was a large fawn girl we named Abigail or Abbey for short. This was without a doubt the smartest dog we have every had. Greyhounds have to be shown how to go up and down stairs, once we did this she had to practice several times a day.
Doors fascinated her One-day she saw my wife open the downstairs door. She went to it put her mouth on it and turn the knob. From then on no door remained closed
She loved nothing more than laying by the fire in the morning. So she would go to the woodpile and bring in logs. If one would not fit in the dog door she just went and got another one. I was building a gazebo at the time and she saw me bring tools from the shed if I laid one down she would pick it up and take it back to the shed. She would stand up to give you an Abbey hug and put her big legs around your neck and squeeze. She had a fetish for anything that had a lid on it, if it were closed she would open it up. We had a large ceramic jar, which was used to prop open a door. If the lid was on it she took it off, the dog feeder had a lid on it and she would always eat from the top. But if anyone else came to get a bite she would shut the lid so they had to eat from the bottom. The first time we took her camping she slipped her leash. Its true greyhounds can go from zero to 45 miles an hour in a heart beat. I was frantic and thought we had lost her, but she was waiting at the motor home when we got back. She could remember where ever she was, when we went down to the marina to the boat. She knew exactly where the boat was inspite of two hundred boats in the marina. Once when walking back down the dock she suddenly decided to swim back and jumped over the side with me holding the leash. Trying to reel in a swimming 75-pound greyhound is fun. Abbey loved to open Christmas presents and would open them all just to see what was in them. My wife finally had to leave them in another room after she had rewrapped them all three times. When she was bugging someone and we told her to go to another room. She stomped off like a little kid complaining the whole way.
Dee Dee:
Because Abbey was treating tiger like a squeak toy we decided to get her a partner. So then came Dee Dee named after my wife’s mother. What a sweetie, a little fawn girl who ruled the roost. She had raced until full retirement age, “5”, and when she retired, she retired. She refused to go on long walks if we went very far. She would just sit down and I would have to carry her back. Too bad we never saw the pet strollers we could have used one. Eating was her favorite thing to do, once when my wife was trying to cook jerky. She left the oven partially open and Dee Dee stuck her head in a hot oven and ate the pepper jerky burning her whiskers. We were expecting a large party over for a BBQ. The filet mignon was left on the counter and she climbed up, ate four large steaks. My wife had cooked a chicken and had thrown the carcass in the trash. In the middle of the night she got up and opened the cabinet door to get in the trash and ate the whole carcass bones and all. She never got sick on any of this, Go figure. Because she had bad teeth and could not chew a roll bone very well she would take hers to Abbey to soften up for her and Abbey was happy to oblige. She would always sit on my lap to watch TV and kiss my face.
Molly
We lost our last whippet and then came Molly Wolly.
Molly a midsize brindle girl who came to us spoiled rotten by her trainer. She could get her own drink by lifting the toilet seat, holding it up with her head and flipping up the lid. When she did not want me to move her she would start screaming her head off thinking I would just let her be. If you told her she was a poor dog she would start crying. Molly was “miss prissy” and never played hard, as she did not want to get any oweys. The other girls seemed to sense that something was wrong and would never let her get hurt or play rough with her.
Chapter Five
The Mischievous Three:
My wife and I both worked during the day so the three girls were left to entertain themselves. I came home and looked out the window to see what they were doing. We had put out a wading pool for them and they had created a game to throw their toy in the air run and jump in the pool then it was the next dogs turn, This went on for several minutes. What a treat.
We kept having holes dug in the yard and we could not catch who was doing it. So we set up the video camera and left. When we ran the playback all we saw was three greyhounds running in and out and all digging like a bunch of gophers. So now we had lots of holes as this went on for over an hour. Our brother in law said the way you stop this was to bury blown up balloons filled with water so when they dig they will pop the balloons and scare them. Greyhounds have no concept of loud noises so this became a game for them to see how many balloons they could find, More holes. Only to China now.
One terrible day we took Molly to the vet only to find out she had intestinal cancer, our poor sweet baby, good by.
Chapter Six
Go between Maggie:
Our Vet friend in Colorado called. She had a sweet clingy black girl who needed a home and of course we took her. She was scared of lightening and thunder but was very well trained and very social. Her favorite thing to do was to ride in my wives convertible and put her head over the window so the wind hit her in the ears. This was the way she went down the road in the motor home head out as far as she could go. We got a lot of strange looks. We did not have this sweet girl very long but she was a treasure with her gentle ways and her love of travel. She did get anxiety in the beginning this we learned by the computer cord she chewed up and my wife’s glasses. The new linen closet with hand carved legs fell to her thoughts also.
Oh no Abbey is limping we went to vet again and she had bone cancer. Our first baby who convinced us we should always have greyhounds is now gone.
Chapter Seven
Katie:
Katie Rae named after my father in law entered our life from the rescue in Idaho.
A very independent girl around humans but simply could not live without her greyhound friends. Liked to play but thought she was a boy. Loved kids and loved walks so she could smell the flowers. Every night she would like to play catch with a toy three times so she could earn the treats. If the other girls would ignore her she would get in their face and bark, as if to say, “ I said”
Katie liked to sneak up on the robins in the yard just to scare them. Once a robin was looking for a worm and Katie stalked him and jumped at him to scare him. The robin was mad and chased her all over the yard pecking at her head. Every time he saw her from then on he would immediately chase her in the house. If she heard him chirping she would run for the house. She cornered a little cat once to see what it was. The cat scratched her and from then on she looked for cats everywhere she went to get even. Katie was trying to learn how to bark from listening to the dog next door. We told her “no bark” so she would just gurgle. She always knew which Christmas presents were hers and would only open them.
After our trip from Kansas we lost pretty Maggie to bone cancer and a few weeks later our little D dog to intestinal cancer. Katie is devastated and alone and so am I.
Sometimes this is so hard but I know they need a home. Katie mopes around all day and makes me feel sad also. Only one thing to do.
Chapter Eight
The fantastic family of four.
As Katie and I just moped around we called our vet friend in Colorado. As luck would have it she had another sweet black girl with a bad leg who needed a home. However it would be a month before she could bring her over. Ok we wait? Yeah sure.
Bridie,
It turned out that the Greyhound rescue in Utah now had a chapter in Ogden, and just our luck had a brindle girl who also needed a home. Why not we have had three before. So into our life came Bridie Fey. This sweet girl just loved to travel and very quickly became my wives best friend. I was just there for convenience. It was so bad that if I called her to come out to go outside and potty she would check with my wife first to see if she had to. If I told her to get off the couch she would wait until my wife said to. However if it was dark out then she wanted me to go with. Bridie and Katie bonded quickly and would climb in the same bed and sleep together never fussing with each other. Bridie was the protector in the group and if it looked if someone was going to threaten her sisters. It was Bridie who got in front of them. She was very protective of my wife.
The Vet from Colorado called and said she had another little girl who was quite young and had bonded with the girl she was bringing to us. What is one more bring them both?
The day she delivered Annabelle and Mattie, Katie was ecstatic that she now has three sisters. For some reason the other girls figured because she was there first, so she must be in charge. Right talk to Birdies paw first.
These girls all blended so well and got along never fighting. Just went with each other and wanted to be with each other. Always shared their toys and food and treats.
Chapter Nine
Annabelle
The big black was Annabelle very clingy, loved everyone craved attention would lean on everyone. When the other girls would take off to start the chase game hiding behind the gazebo. She would just go the other side and cut them off. She always slept in her own bed at the end of ours and did not want to be bothered by her sisters when she slept. Bridie who generally slept with Katie would come in the room at night and try and climb in with Annie. But Annie would hear her get up and start growling before she got in the room. Bridie would just stand in front of her and wag her tail. She loved to lay behind my wives organ and listen to her play. She would close her eyes and go to sleep listening.
Mattie Joy.
This black girl was young and because the trainers had decided she would not be a racer had not been treated very well. We named her Matilda Joy after my mother, Mattie for short. At first she was shy and was afraid she would not get enough to eat so was a little withdrawn. For some reason Katie became her idol and she would follow her all over and imitate her. Whenever she really wanted something she stared at you with squinted eyes; we called them “the serious eyes”. She liked to scare the birds with Katie and peek around the corner to see if they were there and jump at them. Matte did not like rain or snow and would not go out. We had to get her a yellow rain coat to go out and do her business in.
The four girls went everywhere with us, in the motor home and the boat.
Chapter Ten
A Sad Year
We were out on a trip and early one morning Matte got me up to go outside. When I took her out she was a little sick. When we came back she just wanted to lie on the rug with her sisters. All of a sudden we heard a noise and got up Mattie was lying on the floor bleeding and could not get up. We were in a panic and tried to find an emergency vet, but it was several miles away. It took both of us to carry her to the truck and get her to the vet, but she passed away in route. Turned out she had a tumor in her stomach that had burst. Our poor little girl, When I put her in the truck she lifted up her head and kissed me goodbye, I miss her every day.
A few months later Birdies kidney and liver failed and we had to say goodbye, she was strong until the very end. On the last night with her Annie lay with her and would not leave her side. It was if she knew what was happening and was trying to comfort her.
Then Katie our oldest girl started to have heart failure she could hardly breath. Her independence will be missed along with her ability to pick out other sisters.
Chapter Eleven
Sally O’Mally:
Before we lost Katie we decided to help the rescue group in Ogden foster a little girl who had several bad homes. So into our life came little Sally O’Mally a little fawn girl who is shy and scared of loud noises. Whenever she gets frighten she tucks her tail between her legs. We call her the tail tucker. She bonded so quickly with Annie and followed her every where. She learn how to play catch from watching Katie and has now taken over that job For some reason whenever she goes to the bathroom she “prays” first. We haven’t figured this out yet. At night she will sleep with us but I always have to play “spin the pup” so she can hide her face. The fostering project lasted two weeks and she moved in permanently.
Gracie:
Because we knew that Annie was getting older we had decided that Sally would not like being alone… enter the big girl.
Gracie a large black girl who is very quick to learn, but has a problem with corns on her pads. We call her the corn dog sometimes she has trouble walking. We solved this problem by getting her a radio flyer wagon to ride in. She is also such a loveable girl who likes to travel and play with all the toys. She learned how to sit by watching the other girls and doing it on her own. She would rather not lay on the grass but sits in a chair with her favorite pink blanket. So now we have to have three camping chairs. She is also learning how to play catch from watching Sally. Every morning she does the breakfast dance by stomping her feet and shaking her head.
A Bad Day:
Annabelle was acting sick and as she was elderly for a greyhound we took her in to be checked. They took a blood test and said she had a virus and sent her home with medicine.
Later that day she could not get up, We had to carry her to the truck and have the vet come out to bring her in. After a xray, it was discovered a tumor had burst in her stomach and she was bleeding internally and slowly dying. Our sweet rose who loved everyone and every dog who was always patient with everyone is now gone.
Chapter Twelve
The Traveling Two
So now we are down to two sweet puppies that are always ready and willing to go anytime. So my wife told me I have keep it to two.
Wait was that the phone? Maybe Sheri from Ogden or Heather from Colorado is calling, After all we could foster another one right?
