December Has Come and Gone

It's been a long time since my last post.  Over a month, in fact.  Life just got away from me and I just didn't have the time, energy, and drive to write out the posts.  Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to.

Thanksgiving

We went for a hike along the Potomac River.  Hard to believe this dog was once paralyzed.

Luna, Mike and I went to Washington D.C. to visit family and hang out with my Aunt and Uncle's dog, Ginny.  Luna had a great time playing with Ginny's toys, taking walks around the neighborhood, and taking care of any leftovers from dinner.

Foster Dog, Trina

Atascocita Trina (a.k.a Chuckles)

For the first two weeks of December we fostered a lovely brindle greyhound named Trina.  She had been adopted, but was returned quickly when she got into a fight with the resident greyhound.  Unfortunately, the dogs were left unsupervised with food so it is unclear who started the fight.  Both dogs were injured and Trina was returned.  Happily, she was placed in the Prison Program where inmates care for the dogs one-on-one 24/7.  They couldn't find any evidence of food aggression so she was placed with us for a "home situation test".  Again, no food aggression or any other negative behaviors were found.  However, she seemed to lack any kind of understanding of "personal space" as she was constantly in Luna's face and attempted to share the pillows.  Luna was very tolerant of Trina's ridiculous behavior, but I can see another dog getting a bit ticked off when Trina's face was in their food bowl.  After just a short time with us, Trina was adopted by a family that lives just 20 minutes away and owns three other dogs (one is a big male greyhound).  Her family reports that Trina is a mischief maker, but everyone (including the dogs) enjoys her silly antics.  What a great Christmas for Trina!

Snow and Sun

Luna loves to explore the snowy woods.

The weather has been flexing back and forth over the last few weeks between muggy Florida rain and freezing Arctic snow.  Luna enjoys running in the snow and splashing through the mud.  Ugh.  However, there was a week where the snow became ice and Luna was pretty miserable.  She did not like walking on the slippery "snow" and falling through with her spindly legs while trying to go to the bathroom.  We hope to get another good snowfall so we can hike at the mansion again.

Christmas

Luna thinks every present is for her.

Luna has been traveling with us a lot over the last few weeks.  I've taken her to work since no one is around and she can keep me company.  She also spent Christmas morning with us at my parents' house followed by Christmas afternoon and evening at Mike's family's house.  She had plenty of playtime with Ryder...well...nap time.  Luna wasn't interested in Ryder's attempts to play.  Poor guy.  Luna received some tasty treats, rawhides, a new stuffed moose squeak toy, a new light up collar (for night time walks), and a new bed for when she comes to my office.  Lucky pup.

Little Brother Wants to Play

Ryder and Luna have had several play dates at this point.  Each time, Ryder tries desperately to get Luna to play with him.  She, as always, refuses by ignoring him.  Sorry buddy.

Since Luna won't play, I've been working with Ryder on his "drop it", "take it", and "sit" commands through our tug-of-war and retrieval game.  He's doing pretty well, but has plenty of room for improvement.  Many times he brings the toy to Luna just in case she suddenly decides to join in the fun.  So such luck as of yet, but who knows?  Maybe she'll change her mind on the 100th try.

Ryder celebrates capturing his "prey" by racing around the yard.

"Look, Luna!  Doesn't this look like fun?"

"Are you sure you don't want to play?"

"Is there something we should chase?"

"She STILL won't play.  What's wrong with her?" 

Continued Play Date with the Gemstones

After the market, Luna and I enjoyed some time hanging out in Mary Pat's large back yard.  She has four chickens in a fenced in section that the dogs pretty much ignored which was surprising to me since they all have a history of going after chickens.  At least, they ignored the chickens up until Mary Pat went in side the fencing to inspect them.

At that point, Luna was on high alert and even gave a couple of barks at the birds.  Tanzanite offered a few play bows and tested how well the fencing held up.  One of the chickens seemed to understand that the dogs could not get her because she walked right up to the fencing and pecked Tanzanite right on the nose which was both a surprise and hilarious.  Emerald suffered the same pecking when she got to close.  The look of surprise on her face was priceless.  Only Opal waited on the sidelines just in case a bird got loose.

After playing with the chickens, Luna surprised us all with a sudden desire to run around.  Ever since her accident (nearly two years ago) she has refused to run in the presence of other dogs.  Apparently, she felt comfortable enough around the Gemstones that she was able to run until she was good and tired.  I was so happy to see her fully enjoying herself.  She didn't even mind that Fun Police Officer Tanzanite was trying to stop her from having a good time.  Go, Luna!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any video of Luna running.  I was too busy taking in the moment.  Since Luna has shown that she can run with the other greys, we will have to visit again soon so she can enjoy another care free run.

Tanzanite and Opal enjoying the warm sun.

Emerald keeps a watchful eye while she rests her head.

Big Outing with the Gemstones

I've been really busy lately with graduate school projects and coordinating a huge event for work.  As a result, Luna developed another case of cabin fever.  Her symptoms include selective hearing, excessive dancing/prancing around me when I put on my shoes, and desperate attempts for attention.

Opal, Emerald, and Tanzanite relaxing on the way to the market. 

Luna was too excited to relax.

Today was the first day free of commitments so I decided to cure Luna's cabin fever by taking her to visit Mary Pat and the Gemstones (thanks Mary Pat for seeing us on such short notice).  The weather was perfect so we decided to visit Rice's Flea Market in Pennsylvania.  I've taken Luna there a few times before and she loves the attention from the shoppers, the many interesting smells, and the different kinds of dogs that people bring.  It didn't occur to me that visiting Rice's Flea Market with FOUR greyhounds might draw some attention.

We had barely stepped on to the main walkway when we were stopped by several people who wanted to talk greyhounds with us.  Two of the people who stopped by had just lost their greyhound and it was evident that they needed their greyhound fix.  Another family had a young girl who was curious about the dogs and happy to pet each one.  After several minutes chatting with several shoppers, we finally headed off towards the dog treat vendor.

Decisions, decisions....

The girls enjoyed many samples from the vendor before we made our purchases.  Luna never took her eyes off the vendor even when shoppers were petting her.  It's amazing how well she can give someone eye contact when they have food.

We decided to do a full lap of the market, but this proved to be difficult because we were stopped every few feet so someone could pet our dogs.  Mary Pat and I answered many questions and encouraged shoppers to consider a greyhound as their next pet.  I wasn't expecting our little outing to turn in to a Meet & Greet, but it was a great opportunity to help spread the word on greyhound adoption.

Tanzanite makes a great head rest during stops.

*Sigh* Are we going to move soon?

By the time we finished our lap the market was closing up so we loaded the girls up to head home.  All four were finally tired enough to lie down and relax.  Social butterfly, Tanzanite, was so tired from greeting shoppers that she passed out the moment we started the car until we pulled in the driveway.  Luna, on the other hand, stayed alert in case something interesting happened.

Luna finally laid down for the car ride back.

All four dogs are ready for a nap.

Halloween 2013

Luna was a good sport and got dressed up for Halloween this year.  Mike pointed out that she has more outfits for October than any other month.  At this point she has a pretty orange collar, two orange and black necklaces, a pumpkin bandanna, and now a Halloween costume.  It seems a bit much for one dog.

Luna sporting her pumpkin bandanna.

Anyway, Halloween fell on a Thursday this year so Luna was able to come to work with me.  My co-worker, Kathy, brought her Siberian Husky, Libby, to work, too.  Libby came dressed as a princess, but promptly threw her crown off her head after only a few minutes.  What a diva!

Luna and Libby all dressed up.

Luna's costume was very simple.  She went as a pony with a cowboy riding on her back.  She looked very cute, but not thrilled with wearing the silly thing.

Happy pony?  I don't think so.

The past two years have had natural disasters screw up Halloween.  Two years ago we had a snowstorm.  Last year we had Hurricane Sandy.  This year we had some rain, but not too much so we ended up with a few trick-or-treaters.  I have so many fun memories of trick-or-treating in my neighborhood as a kid.  Sadly, trick-or-treating seems to be a thing of the past since we haven't seen many kids in the last four years.

Despite the low number of kids, Luna greeted each one at the door in her costume.  It looked like she was happy to see the kids, but unsure of their strange outfits.  She was also probably confused by the fact that we had even a few kids at the door since this is out of the ordinary for our house.

Anyway, I think Luna had a fun Halloween and will definitely model her costume again next year.

Finally at the Fair

Luna finally had a chance to go to a 4-H Fair.  The weather was cool, the rain held off, and Mike and I were motivated to go.  She enjoyed getting pet by anyone willing to stop and say hello.  She also helped us finish our sandwiches.

Luna wanted her picture taken at the dog tent.

As always, her favorite tents were the poultry and small animal tents.  She especially liked the big wall of rabbit cages.

I don't think the chickens want to see you, Luna. 

That's a lot of rabbits.

As we passed by the Mechanical Sciences tent, a young man had an radio controlled car zipping by the entrance to the tent.  Luna immediately stopped in her tracks to watch with her ears up.  Thinking that the car was scaring Luna, the man stopped the car and waited for us to pass.  We explained that she actually enjoys watching the car and asked him to continue.  When the car came back to life, Luna started barking her head off as if to say, "What the heck is that?! Can I catch it?!"  She did not pull on the leash, but all her barking and intense gaze told me that she really wanted permission to put the car out of its misery.  Maybe someday we'll get Luna an RC car to chase.

It was a great Fair and I'm glad Luna had a chance to visit.  She settled down a bit when we got home, but you can tell she is still eager to be included in adventures outside of the house.

Wake Up Call

Nothing startles you awake better than a greyhound nose in your face.  Luna is typically very good at staying quiet in the morning.  She will stay on her pillow and wait for me to get up (for some reason she doesn't bother moving if Mike gets up first).

"I noticed that the sun is up."

However, if she decides that we've had enough sleep she will come over to the side of the bed and just stand there looking at me.  Again, she rarely bothers Mike.  If I don't respond, she'll move closer and rest her head on the bed.  If I still refuse to acknowledge her presence she will inch her nose close enough to leave a wet nose print on my arm or face which usually sends me leaping out of bed to her delight.

I'm just thankful that this method of waking up only happens occasionally and that she does does not choose to wake me up by jumping on the bed.

"Perhaps you weren't aware that the day has started."

"Do you need some motivation to get out of bed?"

"You'd better get up before I touch you with my nose."

"You know, you could help me get her out of bed instead of just smiling at me."

Tug!

A while ago I talked about how Luna has discovered the fun of playing tug with her toys.  She has definitely improved over the last few months.  When I take her outside to run off her zoomies I try to take one of her toys with us so we can play tug.  If I forget, she is obviously upset with me because she will look for something to tug on me.  Having the toy on hand focuses her energy and leaves me without fear of her chomping on my hand by accident.

What I'm really impressed about is how focused she can be on tugging.  She will clamp down on the toy and refuse to let go.  I pull her in all directions including running with the toy so she has to follow, but she never lets go.  I'm pleased that she has figured out that the game works best when she is actively holding onto the toy instead of letting go right away.  At this time, she does not tug back if I stop moving the toy.  I don't know if she understands this part of the game or if she just prefers to have me do all the tugging.

Crocodile grip on the penguin.

It's hard to take pictures and play tug at the same time.

Scary Puppy

I bet you didn't know that Luna has a bit of mean dog in her.

Well, she's really only mean in her dreams.  Many times I have caught her not only running in her sleep, but also barking, growling, and baring her teeth.  Sometimes I like to think that she is chasing a rabbit or playing with other dogs.  After the shepherd attacked her, I'm sure she is now dreaming of getting some revenge.

The other night, Luna and I were cuddled on the spare bed watching TV when Mike came in and nearly collapsed in laughter.  While catching his breath, he managed to point at Luna as the source of his hysterical laughter.  I looked over and was surprised to see the meanest looking dog cuddled up next to me.  Luna didn't seem to bothered by our laughter and picture taking.

Who knew our sweet puppy could be so ferocious?

What's that?

Do you have something to say?

Oh my! What big teeth you have.

Very scary.

Don't eat me!!!

Luna Inspired Poetry

When I was little I wanted to be a poetry writer.  For several years, I did pretty well at writing many different poems.  During one of my free moments last week I decided to take a stab at writing some poetry based on Luna.  Here is what I came up with.

Luna

Loving

Unusual gait

Notorious snacker

Attention hog

Napping Dog

Fur warmed by sunbeam

With a sigh I close my eyes

Inner peace is found

Anticipation

An open field calls

Heart pounding and eyes sparkling

Deep breath and I run

Luna is a wealth of inspiration.  I will have to find time to write a few more poems.

Happy Sixth Birthday, Luna!

Today is Luna's sixth birthday! 

Mike and I can't believe that she's already hit the big sexy six.  She looks great and is in fantastic spirits.  Unfortunately, today is a very busy day with work and graduate school so we will have to save our celebrating until this weekend.  I'm planning to take her to the pet store for her to pick out a bully stick.  We'll probably stop by the ball field or dog park for a run.  Today will have to be a bit boring, but when I get home I'll be sure to sing "Happy Birthday" and give her the nearly empty peanut butter jar to lick.

Birthday girl being sassy.

Silly Face Contest

Husky's Life is hosting a Silly Face Contest so of course Luna had to enter her most silly picture.  I know Luna is a very beautiful dog and most of the pictures I put online make her look fabulous, but we have captured a few less-than-perfect shots.

Here is our entry:

Fingers crossed that our entry makes it into the competition on April 1st.  Please visit Husky's Life to vote for us. :-)

If you're interested in learning more about the contest or entering be sure to visit before March 28th.

Luna and Symphony

Things have been crazy busy this past week (don't I say that all the time?).  There have been so many wonderful moments between Symphony and Luna, but just not enough time to capture them all here.  I'll try to sum up what we've experienced in just a few short notes.

1. Symphony loves to be as close to Luna as possible.  You've seen the picture of her using Luna as a head rest.  One night, Symphony decided Luna would also make a good bed.  Luna was very tolerant, but looked at me pleading with her eyes for me to get Symphony off of her.
2. Luna came to work with me this week and really enjoyed the one-on-one time with me.  I appreciated having a dog in the office that knows the routine so well that I don't have to worry about her.  The teens I met with that evening loved seeing Luna and gave her plenty of attention.
3. Symphony has been playing with the squeaky toys more and more.  She especially likes a small toy that rattles and squeaks.  
4. Luna has been trying to get Symphony to play with her in our tiny yard.  When Luna has the zoomies, she wants Symphony to join in.  A few times she has mouthed Symphony's neck with no response from Symphony.  I think if they were both off leash they could really be fun to watch, but the opportunity to do so has not come up.
5. I previously wrote about Symphony's first day at work which was both stressful and fun.  Today, I brought Symphony in to work again, but this time it will be her last day at work because...
6. Symphony has been adopted!

Tomorrow, I will be taking Symphony and Luna to a Meet & Greet where she will be adopted by her new family.  If all goes well (and I'm sure it will), Symphony will be going off to live with a very nice man and his 11 year old male greyhound.  In addition to adopting Flying Symphony, the new owner will be adopting Flying Loveable, a black brood mom from the same kennel as Symphony.  

Mike and I are so excited to see her go to such a fantastic home, but we will miss her.  In fact, during the phone interview the adopter asked me if we were planning to keep Symphony.  I think he sensed that we really love this girl.  While we think Symphony is just a fantastic dog, it's a little too crowded in our home for us to all be comfortable.  Until we move to a bigger place, we will be a one dog family with the occasional foster.  She is going to make her new family's life so wonderful and we look forward to seeing her at all the greyhound events.

Evening Antics

I've gone back to school this year to earn my Masters degree so I'm in class two nights a week.  In addition, my work schedule has me staying late for meetings at least once a week.  The one night a week I am reliably free, I go to Zumba.  My point is that there are few nights of the week that I'm home before 8:30pm (some as late as 10:00pm).

Because of my late schedule I miss moments like the one pictured below.  Luckily, I have Mike around to capture it with his camera. :-)

The story behind this picture is as follows.  Mike and Luna were watching tv when Luna decided to give her back end a little licking.  Mike does not like to watch this behavior so he said "Luna. Stop."  She froze.  In fact, she remained still with her back leg over her head for at least five minutes.  Plenty of time for Mike to take a picture and laugh. What a goofball!

Frozen in place waiting for the release command.

Cuddle Puppy

I've often referred to Luna as a "Velcro" dog. She loves to follow Mike and me around and wants to stay close when we go for a run. All good things.

Sometimes she takes "Velcro" to a new level when she decides it's time for cuddling. A few nights ago, Luna and I were lounging on the spare bed. I rolled Luna on to her back to pet her belly. Apparently, Luna was enjoying the attention because she stayed on her back with her head on my chest for a long time. In fact, it was very difficult to convince Luna that we should get up. Good thing Mike was around to get these pictures.

Winter Zooms

We had a couple of little snowstorms so far this season and Luna definitely enjoys playtime in the snow.  When we are on a walk she will periodically play bow and catch a case of the zoomies.  It makes us laugh every time.

Get ready to zoom!

High steppin' when it's cold.

Now that's a happy puppy.

Waiting for Mike to come back with the coffee.

The other day Luna's zoomies hit a new level.  She discovered the fun of running around the yard with a squeak toy.  That poor toy moose was shaken, tossed, plowed in to the snow, and ended up losing an arm in a tug session.  What fun!