Neighborhood Watch Dog

This was a busy weekend for Luna and me.  On Saturday, Ashley, Chewie and Luna went with me to a Holiday Caroling Party which was hosted by 4-H for residents at a local nursing home.  Chewie and Luna were a big hit with the residents.  Luna sported a blue collar with jingle bells and Chewie wore here new reindeer sweater.  The people we visited with just loved petting Chewie and Luna and admired their fun outfits.

The dynamic duo waiting for a cookie.

Sunday was my birthday (yay!) and we celebrated by attending the Greyhound Friends of NJ Craft Show.  We bought Luna a new sweater (stay tuned for pictures), checked out the latest batch of greys looking for a home, and got Luna's nails cut.  While we were walking around the vendors, we passed a man selling fuzzy marionettes.  Luna stopped in her tracks when she saw the fuzzy "dog" on the ground.

"What's that?!"

Luna cautiously approached the puppet with ears up.  When the man moved the puppet towards Luna she backed up quickly.  Apparently, she wanted to check out the toy (probably to play with it), but she was very afraid of the puppet.  After a few minutes of staring from a distance, Luna decided the best course of action was to bark at the puppet.  People passing us laughed and said, "Doesn't she know greyhounds don't bark?"  I guess not.  As a side note, none of the other greyhounds passing the puppet took any notice of the funny toy.  Only Luna was on high alert.

Continuing this theme, Luna and I had our normal morning walk before I leave for work this morning.  As we approached a small garden, Luna became very alert about a new statue.  I couldn't help laughing when I realized it was a rabbit.  Luna's fur was standing up as she slowly approached the rabbit statue.  She insisted on sniffing it from the side before standing in front of the statue.  After a few minutes she decided we were safe to move on.  Thank goodness! :-)

Be careful, Luna.  It can probably smell fear.

Miracle

 

Recently, my church asked for congregants to submit their uplifting holiday stories.  I could think of nothing better than to share our experience with Luna's accident.  Today marks one year since her accident.  I know I've said over and over how amazed I am with how far Luna has come in a year.  The following is the story I submitted to my minister which I will be reading in front of the congregation later this month.

"Miracles are a common theme in religious stories this time of year.  Celebrated miracles include the birth of Jesus, the oil that lasted eight days, and the enlightenment of Buddha.  In today’s modern world, do miracles still happen?  It all depends on your perspective.

In early December 2011, I had taken Luna, my newly adopted greyhound, for a run with her fellow sighthounds.  What started off as a wonderful day changed in a second to one of the worst experiences of my life.  In an instant, Luna was t-boned by another greyhound running at roughly 35 m.p.h. Luna struggled to breathe as she laid on the ground, unable to stand.  I rushed her to the veterinarian who discovered that Luna’s first two vertebrae had been affected.  The damage had left Luna paralyzed.

Mike and I were faced with a heartbreaking decision.  Should we keep up the fight in the hopes that Luna would have some quality of life or should we end her pain now?  In either case, we knew we would not be able to keep Luna.  How could we care for a dog that may never walk again or would possibly require a doggie wheelchair?

Luna’s positive attitude despite her discomfort and fear told Mike and me that she was not ready to give up.  We responded with 24/7 intensive care including physical therapy.  Within a week Luna was able to get herself into a sit.  In another week she could stand with little assistance.  Almost a month after her accident, Luna walked unaided.  Soon, she was back to trotting, running, and performing tricks.  There was no need for a wheelchair or to find her a new home.

This certainly is a fantastic story, but is it a miracle?  Let’s take a look at some of the factors that played an important role in this situation.

1. The impact was terrible, but significantly less than it could have been.  Luna was injured, but no bones were broken and no surgery was required. 
2. The woman who drove us to the veterinary hospital did not have a dog with her so she was free to help us all day.
3. The veterinary hospital was not terribly far and was one of the best emergency clinics in New Jersey.  From doctors to secretaries, everyone cared about Luna’s recovery.
4. Our families and friends were available to care for Luna when we needed to go to work.  Caring for a large dog in pain is no easy task, but everyone took a turn.
5. Our bosses were understanding of the situation and made accommodations to support our unusual situation.
6. The physical therapy clinic we visited had all the latest technologies and equipment we needed to rehabilitate Luna.
7. The owner of the dog that collided with Luna volunteered to care for her while we were away on a much needed Christmas vacation.  Her pack of greyhounds encouraged Luna to walk by stealing treats and instigating playtime.

Whether you believe in miracles or not, it is easy to see that many factors played a role in creating the best outcome possible of a worst-case scenario.  It has been a year since Luna’s accident and every day we see her enjoying life we are reminded of our miracle."

Naughty!

Temptation has been calling Luna's name this week and unfortunately she's given in.  It seems that Luna has discovered that she can get into mischief when we are out because she won't be scolded.  Hmmm.

Early in the week Mike came home to find the bin where we keep some of Luna's items was pulled out from it's spot on the shelf.  Any ziplock bags with treats that might have been in there were long gone evident by the carpet being littered with confetti sized plastic.  Yay.

A few days later, Luna struck again.  This time, Mike found a bag of Luna's treats had been pulled off her crate.  I'll admit it was within sniffing distance, but she has never shown this type of behavior before so I never thought anything about it being too close to the edge.  She had happily torn apart the ziplock bags and snacked on all the treats and leftover kibble from our vacation.  Sigh.

Tonight was the final straw.  Mike and I were out for only a few hours.  In that time, she had knocked over the garbage can and retrieved some treats from the furthest part on top of her crate (meaning she had to really work for it).  I was out to dinner with a friend when I received a frantic phone call from Mike describing the scene (notice that it's always Mike who comes home to the crime scene). 

We called the vet because this time we weren't sure what the damage was.  The vet assured us that if she was acting normal (and she was) that she was probably fine.  We will continue to monitor her to make sure everything passes without complication, but let it be known that Luna is a VERY NAUGHTY GIRL!

She's earned herself plenty of crate time when we are out until the foreseeable future.  We'll see if Santa puts her on the naughty list after this latest stunt.

Being Silly

 This past week was stressful for Mike and me.  We had a lot of responsibilities to take care of for work and family.  It was so nice to spend our free time with our silly Lunatic.  She always knows how to make us smile.  Here are just a few photos that capture the spirit of our bonding time with the puppy.

Walkies in the afternoon.  Cold, but very enjoyable.

Luna knows how to make us laugh with her silly antics.

Bet you didn't know Luna is a lap dog.  It may not look comfortable, but she was enjoying the attention.

Run, run, run!

It is amazing to me to see how much Luna has improved physically over the year and how much she has opened up since we adopted her.  Her walking and running has sometimes made me forget about what we went through last December.

At this time last year, Luna was just starting her career in LGRA racing.  She was getting the hang of going into the starting box and chasing the lure.  I remember how much fun she had on those runs.  She was so excited to let loose and get that lure.

While Luna doesn't hit those incredible speeds anymore, she does move pretty quick.  I took a video of her running back in October, but unfortunately the video did not transfer well to my computer.  I will have to take another soon.

Now that she is back to running like a maniac, I have been reinforcing her recall.  She learned that "eh eh" means "stop what you're doing" so it easily transferred over to "stop moving forward" when she is exploring the ball field where we go running.  She will turn towards me and make her way back to my side when she hears the "eh eh".

We have also transitioned the standard, "Luna, come!" to a whistle.  I don't like shouting commands at dogs, especially when I am in a quiet area.  By using the whistle, I can ask Luna to come back without making a big scene.

Luna has been thoroughly enjoying her runs and I enjoy watching her take joy in something so simple.

Mixed Feelings

It's hard to find the right words to describe what we have been experiencing.  We certainly have a lot of blessings to count, but we are reminded of how many other families were affected by Sandy harder than us.

Yesterday, I went to the memorial service for the two people I knew where were killed during the storm.  The large home barely contained over 700 people who came out to show their support.  It was a very moving experience and I was glad for the opportunity to connect with friends and co-workers.  I finally felt like it was ok for me to cry a little for what this storm has taken out of my life.

When I returned home, I discovered that the power had returned to my neighborhood.  Again, I cried this time with relief.  Luna was so happy to have power back because she could finally take off her sweater which she had been wearing 24/7.  She was finally warm. :-)

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people who do not have power (our parents' for example) and we are now in week two.  We've heard some rumors that the power companies won't be able to return power for 2-3 more weeks because they are low on poles for the wires.  Ugh.

On the plus side, we are all able to find warm shelter, good food, places to recharge our batteries, and the company of friends and loved ones.  Not every one is so lucky and we keep that in mind.

Hurricane Sandy's Effect

This is just a quick post to let you all know what's happened in the last two weeks.

I was gone for a week for a work conference and was all prepared to come home and write a post about how Luna handled my absence.  Instead, I came home to find out that we had Hurricane Sandy on the way.  Mike and I spent the weekend getting the house ready for the storm and any guests that may need to move in with us when their power went out.  On Monday, my parents and my brother moved in when they lost power and by Monday night we also lost power. 

We do not have power, heat, or the ability to cook hot food.  However, we do have running water, although it is very cold.  My parents do not have power, running water, or heat, but they have a gas stove and a gas fireplace.  Mike's parents have a generator so they have all the comforts of home, just rationed.

We've been spending our nights at our house and then traveling between the other houses for food and warmth.  Luna has been with us through it all.  We haven't left her for a moment and she in turn sticks right by our sides.  She's done very well with the crazy storm, the unusual schedule, and the increased stress we are all under.

We've experienced some loss thanks to this storm.  Two friends I work with were killed during the storm when a tree landed on them.  Many of my parents' neighbors have trees through their homes.  Not to mention, the entire coast has been washed away.  However, we have been lucky with everyone staying safe, healthy, and well fed.

We hope to get our power back soon so we can get back to some normalcy.  Until then, stay safe and we'll update you again when we have power.