Purple Snoods are In This Season

I have been trying to expand my knitting skills and use up some of the leftover yarn I have collected over the years so I decided to attempt knitting a snood for Luna.  It came out pretty good and I'm quite pleased at how well it goes with Luna's coat.  She looks very stylish.  I can't wait to show it off this winter and I know Luna appreciates having a warm neck on our nighttime walks.

"Seriously?  You want me to wear this?"

Close up of my handiwork.

"Does purple go with this face?"

She's such a sassy fashionista.

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.

Annoying Little Brother

We've taken Luna over to Mike's parent's house a few times over the last few weeks.  The dogs are doing well together, but it is obvious that Luna is not thrilled with Ryder.  She tolerates him, but she's not interested in becoming his next best friend.

It turns out Ryder is over two years old which explains his relatively calm demeanor.  However, he is a young dog who wants to play.  He tries to get Luna to play by offering play bows, gentle nose nudges on her head, and happy tail wagging.  For a young dog interested in finding a playmate, he is surprisingly respectful and gentle.  I believe it is due to his experience growing up with an older dog in his last home.

Luna tolerates his invitations to play fairly well, but she has shown her teeth several times and given him plenty of dog body language clearly stating, "Back off! I'm not interested!".  One of these days she may snap at him if pushed too much so we always supervise them.  Luna has snapped at young dogs before, but she is always careful never to make contact.  She just gives them a quick scary bark/snap in their direction as a warning to go away.

Last weekend, Mike and I went to a friend's wedding and we left Luna with Ryder all day.  When we came back to pick her up, the report was that Luna behaved beautifully, but Ryder had to spend some time in time out when he was bugging her too much.  Afterwards, both dogs settled in for a nap, but Ryder insisted that Luna stay within eyesight just in case she decided it was playtime.

I'm sorry that Ryder hasn't found a playmate in Luna, but I hope that someday they will enjoy each other's company like Amber and Luna did.  I think it will just take some time for Ryder to fit in the family a little more and for Luna to accept that Ryder isn't going anywhere.

Welcome Ryder!

Last weekend, Mike's family welcomed their newest member.  Ryder is a 1 year-old black lab mix who was surrendered by his previous owners in West Virginia.  He only just arrived in New Jersey last week and Mike's mother was lucky enough to meet him at a local Farmer's Market.  By the end of the day, Ryder was settling into his new home.

He's a happy guy.

We brought Luna over to their house to meet Ryder the following day.  To be honest, I was a little nervous about how this introduction would go.  I figured Ryder would be too energetic for Luna and was worried that she would be reactive to a young pup's attempt to play.  With Luna's experiences getting hit by other dogs when running and now the attack from the German Shepherd, she is very nervous about unfamiliar dogs moving around her.

Fortunately, Ryder spent at least three months living with an older Labrador in his previous home so he is understands how to be respectful of older dogs that do not want to play.  After a few unsuccessful invitations to play, Ryder settled on Mike's sister as his playmate.  Luna was clearly uncomfortable with the new puppy in the house, but she went about her business searching for snacks in the kitchen.  For awhile, Ryder followed Luna from room to room the way Luna used to follow Amber.

I think it is going to take some time for these two to find a routine that works for both of them.  I am hopeful that Ryder will get Luna to play a little in the yard when she feels more relaxed around him.  In the mean time, it is nice to know that they are respectful of each other and can co-exist without too much trouble.

Fall Hiking

Sunday was beautiful with sunshine and slightly cool temperatures.  It was the perfect day to take Luna for a long hike at the local park with the mansion on the hill.  It seems like we've visited this park once a season so we were due for an autumn walk.

Mansion on the hill.

When we started the walk, I had to keep Luna leashed because there were so many walkers, runners, bicyclists, and other dogs.  By the time we reached the nature trail which goes past the barn and through the field, most visitors had finished their hike and were headed back to their cars.  We were left in peace to enjoy the hike a little more "free ranged".  

Luna checks out the fencing.

The nature trail requires hikers to travel up a steep hill in the woods (at least its shady), walk down the hill to the barn, through the grassy field (very sunny), back up the steep hill (this time in the full sun), and finally back down the hill through the woods.  It's a pretty good workout for both of us.

Headed downhill towards the barn.

Luna goes on ahead.

A quick stop for a photo shoot.

Luna knows how to strike a pose.

Final stretch before we had back downhill.

After we did the nature trail, Luna and I stopped at the stream for a quick drink and a rest in the cool water.  Then, we continued on the standard trail which took us on an easy walking path through the woods and across the main lawn.

Isn't that water cold?

Somebody is a happy puppy.

By the time we returned to the car, Luna was feeling pretty tired.  It has been a while since she's had such an extensive walk.  We'll have to make these hikes a more regular experience.