Tuesday, December 9, 2008
CWP
Got my concealed weapons permit from the State of Florida yesterday. Heck only five months when the state approximates a 90 day wait! I have a lot to say about the state's handling of my application and manner in which it seems to have magically appeared (after my phone call inquiring) but will leave it at I am please to finally receive it! Now on to the wally walk, someday when I have time, which is tradition with new carrying permit folks.
Friday, August 1, 2008
a new hobby, a new day
Since I have last blogged, I have acquired a new hobby. Guns. Yes, you read that right... I still believe in the sanctity of life and will save one where I can, I also believe in my right to protect me and mine. Tedious to recount here but let's just say, as it is today, I have three guns where just a few months ago I had none. I've gone to the shooting range and I have taken my concealed weapons class, so I have been a busy bee!
I have found a new circle of humans in the gun world. These folks seem balanced and focused which is so different than the majority of the public. So much for gun control folks. I know where sanity is. Honest.
So that is a quick update from me. My animals are all doing well, though Ruby is a bit of a worry. At almost 17 years old, birth date in November) she is not always sure where she is but then if I were her age, probably about 100 in human years, I'd probably would not know where *I* was half the time either. The rest of my pack are doing fine! Thanks for looking!
I have found a new circle of humans in the gun world. These folks seem balanced and focused which is so different than the majority of the public. So much for gun control folks. I know where sanity is. Honest.
So that is a quick update from me. My animals are all doing well, though Ruby is a bit of a worry. At almost 17 years old, birth date in November) she is not always sure where she is but then if I were her age, probably about 100 in human years, I'd probably would not know where *I* was half the time either. The rest of my pack are doing fine! Thanks for looking!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
What a week...
The fur kids have kept me busy and a little broke. When I noticed Moon standing over Baby (both greyhounds) in a most protective way, I was puzzled. Upon looking closer, I saw Baby had a puncture wound high up on the inside of a front leg. Off to the vet for a look see and eventual 3 stitches. Keeping her from picking at the stitches has been an adventure in itself but almost done with the bandage over top of the stitches, another few days and the stitches come out and hopefully this little saga is done. No, I don't know how she did it. I am thinking it was from play wrestling with Roy the collie as he tends to grab another dog's legs when playing that way. Why, I don't know.
Jolly and William needed their annual vaccinations BUT Jolly has not seemed improved after starting Lasix about a month ago for his diagnosed congestive heart failure. Instead of shots, Jolly got a new x-ray and a new diagnosis. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and some new meds. Here's hoping he improves with time. The vet said his prognosis is maybe another year of quality of life. I will just be happy if he can exist without huffing, puffing and coughing so hard!
Oh, William the pom got his vaccinations without any problems. Yeh, William!
Final dog tidbit is that I applied to adopt Blue Moon Red, my greyhoundfoster boy. He fits in here with the other dogs well, so it is working out okay. I figure Ruby is elderly and at 16, I really don't know how much quality of life she has going for her and then there is Jolly with COPD. While it seems a lot of dogs right now, I think nature will run its course here sooner or later. D
Jolly and William needed their annual vaccinations BUT Jolly has not seemed improved after starting Lasix about a month ago for his diagnosed congestive heart failure. Instead of shots, Jolly got a new x-ray and a new diagnosis. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and some new meds. Here's hoping he improves with time. The vet said his prognosis is maybe another year of quality of life. I will just be happy if he can exist without huffing, puffing and coughing so hard!
Oh, William the pom got his vaccinations without any problems. Yeh, William!
Final dog tidbit is that I applied to adopt Blue Moon Red, my greyhoundfoster boy. He fits in here with the other dogs well, so it is working out okay. I figure Ruby is elderly and at 16, I really don't know how much quality of life she has going for her and then there is Jolly with COPD. While it seems a lot of dogs right now, I think nature will run its course here sooner or later. D
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Goodbye Miles, Hello Moon
Miles went home a week ago, adopted by a couple in Virginia. I have heard they were very pleased with him and I did get some photos of their meeting Miles after the transport.
Miles went up to Virginia on a tranditional transport truck for greyhounds. All but Miles and another boy from the rescue group I help, GPA/GO, were doubled up in their transport areas. Miles got to ride alone, so it worked out okay for him.
On to my next foster, Blue Moon Red. Checking the greyhound-data website, he has no races to his credit just as my Baby (Hurricane Momalaw) does not. Just a couple of "goose eggs" (or zeros) on their official race records! Moon, as I call Blue Moon Red, has been in the adoption kennel for several months and considered shy or a "spook", at least when he arrived at the rescue. He was a good candidate to go into a foster home, since living in the kennel did not seem to serve him well. I brought him home on 02/22/2008.
The first night was rough. I don't know if I even got one hour of sleep! He was just inconsolable. Nothing was right, as far as he was concerned. Nothing I did seemed to matter. Happier days were to come but that was a hard first 24 hours. I even emailed my foster home contact with the rescue, emailing her at 3 a.m., telling her "I just don't know if I can foster this dog". He was not only upset but he was hard to handle! Everything just seemed wrong.
Slowly but surely the sun started to come out for Mr. Moon. He always liked my current dogs. Having lived his life around other dogs in the kennels, that part seemed easy for him. The living inside with me seemed to be the hard part, for both of us. In the racing kennels, the days start early so a greyhound really is not a good dog for those who want to sleep in. On the plus side, I don't think I will need to worry about an alarm clock. Boy, did Baby my greyhound spoil me! She will happily wait until 9 to go out. Not so for the retired racers or any dog who has lived in that environment. Wow.
So, 5:30 a.m. is my wake up call from Moon. Imagine the sound of an animal being stabbed. He makes a sound something like that, or at least that is how it is perceived by me at that ungodly hour. Keep in mind, I have been working second shift, so I usually don't get to bed until well after midnight which in turn does make 5-ish a.m. obscene. 5:30 up. 6 a.m. breakfast. Just when I am ready to crawl back into bed, he is ready to start his day! Live and learn. Or better, be flexible. I am now getting up earlier to accomodate him rather than think he'll change his schedule anytime soon. I am even changing my shift of work to accomodate Mr. Moon (or any retired racer). The early bird gets the worm and other such stuff, you know?
Well, within a week Mr. Moon has worked his magic on me. He's no longer shy, at least not shy towards me. Taking a good critical look at this boy, I can see he's not Miles. Miles came in with pretty much perfect coat, big old punkin head and all of his teeth. Not so Mr. Moon. Mr. Moon's coat is punctuated with scars from God only knows what and his tail appears to have been broken at the tip, making it appear he is permanently signaling a left turn! Finally, his teeth. No, they are not especially dirty but they do seem to be missing in spots. He is down to one canine tooth and the front teeth are worn down, assuming he spent time chewing on his crates over his only 2 years of life! Ah, well. Mr. Moon. Welcome to the Rodgers Ranch... stayed tuned for more adventures to come.
Miles went up to Virginia on a tranditional transport truck for greyhounds. All but Miles and another boy from the rescue group I help, GPA/GO, were doubled up in their transport areas. Miles got to ride alone, so it worked out okay for him.
On to my next foster, Blue Moon Red. Checking the greyhound-data website, he has no races to his credit just as my Baby (Hurricane Momalaw) does not. Just a couple of "goose eggs" (or zeros) on their official race records! Moon, as I call Blue Moon Red, has been in the adoption kennel for several months and considered shy or a "spook", at least when he arrived at the rescue. He was a good candidate to go into a foster home, since living in the kennel did not seem to serve him well. I brought him home on 02/22/2008.
The first night was rough. I don't know if I even got one hour of sleep! He was just inconsolable. Nothing was right, as far as he was concerned. Nothing I did seemed to matter. Happier days were to come but that was a hard first 24 hours. I even emailed my foster home contact with the rescue, emailing her at 3 a.m., telling her "I just don't know if I can foster this dog". He was not only upset but he was hard to handle! Everything just seemed wrong.
Slowly but surely the sun started to come out for Mr. Moon. He always liked my current dogs. Having lived his life around other dogs in the kennels, that part seemed easy for him. The living inside with me seemed to be the hard part, for both of us. In the racing kennels, the days start early so a greyhound really is not a good dog for those who want to sleep in. On the plus side, I don't think I will need to worry about an alarm clock. Boy, did Baby my greyhound spoil me! She will happily wait until 9 to go out. Not so for the retired racers or any dog who has lived in that environment. Wow.
So, 5:30 a.m. is my wake up call from Moon. Imagine the sound of an animal being stabbed. He makes a sound something like that, or at least that is how it is perceived by me at that ungodly hour. Keep in mind, I have been working second shift, so I usually don't get to bed until well after midnight which in turn does make 5-ish a.m. obscene. 5:30 up. 6 a.m. breakfast. Just when I am ready to crawl back into bed, he is ready to start his day! Live and learn. Or better, be flexible. I am now getting up earlier to accomodate him rather than think he'll change his schedule anytime soon. I am even changing my shift of work to accomodate Mr. Moon (or any retired racer). The early bird gets the worm and other such stuff, you know?
Well, within a week Mr. Moon has worked his magic on me. He's no longer shy, at least not shy towards me. Taking a good critical look at this boy, I can see he's not Miles. Miles came in with pretty much perfect coat, big old punkin head and all of his teeth. Not so Mr. Moon. Mr. Moon's coat is punctuated with scars from God only knows what and his tail appears to have been broken at the tip, making it appear he is permanently signaling a left turn! Finally, his teeth. No, they are not especially dirty but they do seem to be missing in spots. He is down to one canine tooth and the front teeth are worn down, assuming he spent time chewing on his crates over his only 2 years of life! Ah, well. Mr. Moon. Welcome to the Rodgers Ranch... stayed tuned for more adventures to come.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Crummy "luck"
My foster Miles Ahead was neutered on Tuesday and I picked him up from vet's office on Wednesday with the plan for him to travel to his new home on Friday. It is not going to work out that way. Seems Miles had different plans and opened up his abdominal incision today, so back to the vet's office he went. He's going to have to miss his ride north tomorrow and wait for the next transport in 2 weeks. Live and learn.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
You Tube link added today
I just added You Tube video link to my blog, with emphasis on greyhound and animal rescue in general. Enjoy! D
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Try try again. Re-welcome to my world. I will try to post random thoughts on my seeminly random life here. Seems I somehow deleted rather than edited my previous blog. Live and learn. Onward and upward, and all that jazz.
My immediate family consists of my dogs:
Ruby, the 16-year-old Basenji, is still the Queen of Everything here. Her hearing and vision have diminished with age but, heck, welcome to the club. Folks seeing her for the first time think she is much younger don't realize how she has slowed with time. Occasionally she gets lost in the yard, 15 feet away from me. Sometimes she pees inside the house or the Florida room. Now I think this is from disorientation where years ago I'd assume she was doing such things in spite.
Jolly is second in command here. He is about 12 or so years old and recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure. It used to be that Buck the mutt was the other half of my "old couple" but with his passing in March of 2007, Jolly has rose to position of beta position to Ruby's alpha.
A position that would make any old mill dog proud...
Speaking of positions in the pack, then there is Roy. Roy is the bottom of the pack or what is termed the "omega". Neighbors think he is scarey but I am convinced it is only because he is big and he barks... the dogs, all dogs, know differently. Even though 80 pounds, he is a mere blip on the radar screen for most dogs. He's friendly and loving, albeit kinda big and floppy. Every woman who visits here terms Roy as "their boyfriend"... he's that kind of dog.
William is my "puff of smoke". Now you see him, now you don't. The vet guesses his age at about 10 years but a friend with poms, such as he is, thinks he is quite a bit younger. All I know is this little dog is very stealth and I can see how he ultimately ended up in a shelter (and heartworm positive). He probably slipped the grasp or eyesight of his previous owner and spent one too many days and nights outside, ending up heartworm positive. I pulled him from a shelter and I often think of him as my nappy-headed Georgia boy... he was quite a sight when I first got him and very sick. A friend now states he looked very near death when I first arrived home with him. Anyway, his nickname is BarkBark, for all those times he does make his presence known, usually at dinner time.
Speaking of heartworm positive. My latest addition to my family is a greyhound I got from an individual. Seems she kept the dog outside for at least a year. In Florida, without protection, that usually results in heartworms and such was the case with my little girlie. Her racing name was Hurricane Momalaw but I just call her Baby. Who would have thought another female would fit into my pack? Certainly not me and certainly not Ruby, who is usually a grump with other females. The timing must have been right is all I can say... Anyway, my mother used to say that Ginger (Rodgers) my doberman years ago was the most expensive free dog she had ever seen. Well, I think Baby has given Ginger a run for that title, as more than a few bucks were spent restoring her to health too.
Then, I currently have the fastest foster ever here. I am fostering Miles Ahead for Greyhound Pets of America and he's found a forever home, in Virginia. He is going to live with a retired couple and their female greyhound. Sounds pretty perfect to me. By the time he is shipped out on a transport, he will have been with me for all of two weeks. Happy ever after, Miles!
Hopefully, I will be maintaining my blog better in the future. For now, this is me and mine. Thanks for looking! D
My immediate family consists of my dogs:
Ruby, the 16-year-old Basenji, is still the Queen of Everything here. Her hearing and vision have diminished with age but, heck, welcome to the club. Folks seeing her for the first time think she is much younger don't realize how she has slowed with time. Occasionally she gets lost in the yard, 15 feet away from me. Sometimes she pees inside the house or the Florida room. Now I think this is from disorientation where years ago I'd assume she was doing such things in spite.
Jolly is second in command here. He is about 12 or so years old and recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure. It used to be that Buck the mutt was the other half of my "old couple" but with his passing in March of 2007, Jolly has rose to position of beta position to Ruby's alpha.
A position that would make any old mill dog proud...
Speaking of positions in the pack, then there is Roy. Roy is the bottom of the pack or what is termed the "omega". Neighbors think he is scarey but I am convinced it is only because he is big and he barks... the dogs, all dogs, know differently. Even though 80 pounds, he is a mere blip on the radar screen for most dogs. He's friendly and loving, albeit kinda big and floppy. Every woman who visits here terms Roy as "their boyfriend"... he's that kind of dog.
William is my "puff of smoke". Now you see him, now you don't. The vet guesses his age at about 10 years but a friend with poms, such as he is, thinks he is quite a bit younger. All I know is this little dog is very stealth and I can see how he ultimately ended up in a shelter (and heartworm positive). He probably slipped the grasp or eyesight of his previous owner and spent one too many days and nights outside, ending up heartworm positive. I pulled him from a shelter and I often think of him as my nappy-headed Georgia boy... he was quite a sight when I first got him and very sick. A friend now states he looked very near death when I first arrived home with him. Anyway, his nickname is BarkBark, for all those times he does make his presence known, usually at dinner time.
Speaking of heartworm positive. My latest addition to my family is a greyhound I got from an individual. Seems she kept the dog outside for at least a year. In Florida, without protection, that usually results in heartworms and such was the case with my little girlie. Her racing name was Hurricane Momalaw but I just call her Baby. Who would have thought another female would fit into my pack? Certainly not me and certainly not Ruby, who is usually a grump with other females. The timing must have been right is all I can say... Anyway, my mother used to say that Ginger (Rodgers) my doberman years ago was the most expensive free dog she had ever seen. Well, I think Baby has given Ginger a run for that title, as more than a few bucks were spent restoring her to health too.
Then, I currently have the fastest foster ever here. I am fostering Miles Ahead for Greyhound Pets of America and he's found a forever home, in Virginia. He is going to live with a retired couple and their female greyhound. Sounds pretty perfect to me. By the time he is shipped out on a transport, he will have been with me for all of two weeks. Happy ever after, Miles!
Hopefully, I will be maintaining my blog better in the future. For now, this is me and mine. Thanks for looking! D
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