Archive for November, 2009

Photo of Jubilee suitable for framing

Here is a wonderful photo of Jubilee, taken by Melissa Fisher.

Hi everyone!!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Just wanted to give a short update and share this wonderful picture Amanda’s sister took. Jubilee is doing fantastic, I would say she is back to 98%. She is going for walks again being very playful with us and her toys(yeah!!). She is still on the steroids but that is being reduced slowly. We are hoping to join playtime within the next month. See you soon!

Take care
RJ

Jubilee - photo by Melissa Fisher

Jubilee - photo by Melissa Fisher

What a great photo! Glad she continues to get better!! What a relief.
-Kristin

An update on Rubi

Here is the latest update on Rubi (formerly Red Bud from Willow’s litter)…

Rubi at bedtime

Rubi at bedtime

Rubi is doing really well. She’s growing so big…she’s over 44lbs now (apparently not as big as her other litter mates)! She still has her beautiful eyes and her red nose. She has developed mange as well. It would have taken us a lot longer to figure out what was wrong with Rubi if the other families have not informed us. Thanks! She’s on her treatment and we hope she gets better asap.

She’s so full of life and energy. We walk her daily but it’s a good thing Dave can also take her to the Dupage county off leash area where she gets to run around and mingle with other dogs…and gets a lot of her energy out. She’s losing her puppy teeth and has stopped nipping and mouthing.

halloween RubiRubí has done very well with training commands. She knows down, stay, sit, come and “high-five” with consistency (occasionally she has some trouble with distractions). She was the star of her puppy class. So far we haven’t had an accident in the house in a very long time.

She loves to snuggle before bedtime with us. She’s growing so big but still thinks of herself as a little lap dog.

She had some fun dressing up as a french maid for Halloween. Her and Qhali (our cat) both got in the spirit of things. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep both of them still for a good picture. Maybe next time.

She’s such a joy and everyone she meets loves her.

d and e

November 29, 2009 • Tags: , , , , • Posted in: story update • No Comments

900 Greyhounds need homes

Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on December 31, 2009.

Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on December 31, 2009.
900 Greyhounds will need to be adopted otherwise they will be euthanized, now is a great time to consider adopting a Greyhound. They are very loving and laid back. They don’t need the space people think they need. They are great for an active family because they have been crated almost all their lives and they sleep about 18 out of the 24 hours a day. They are just looking for someone to love them and supply them with a warm bed!!!!

They test the dogs to see if they are cat friendly and or small dog friendly. They also know if a dog should be a single dog or if they would be great in a 2, 3, or 4 dog house!!!

Please help me get the word out; we only have 6 weeks to get this task done!!

Margie Polk,
Production Coordinator
Medline Industries, Inc.
(847)775-6057
(847)775-6061 fax

Annie still loves to fetch

Here we have an update on our foster mama from last Christmas, Annie!

Annie with Greta

Annie with Gertie

Kristin,
Annie is still and will always be obsessed with retrieving, but that is part of her charm. She continues to bring us joy everyday. The girls and I had the best time with her up north at the lake and she stayed right with us. We had to be very patient with Annie. It is so much for the mother dogs to adjust to. First the foster home, puppies being weaned, and yet another adoptive home. Feel free to share our story with Annie.

These pics are of Annie and Gertie in the summer at our lake house in WI. Annie loves retrieving objects from the water and is quite the swimmer.

Marsha

Annie & Greta

Annie& Greta at play

Annie

November 28, 2009 • Tags:  • Posted in: Annie, story update • No Comments

Quaker Parrot Frank Frank talks

Here is a long (10 minute) video of me and Frank Frank enjoying some quiet time together. If you want to see the sweetest part, move all the way to the end to see us “cuddle”. Watching it showed me how far he and I have come in this short 6 months together.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Checking in on Bauer

One of Annie’s puppies, Bauer has been practicing his swimming and agility. Here are some pictures, videos and stories of his life to date. I am always so touched and happy to receive updates on my little ones. Thank you to everyone who sends them!!

Hey Kristin! It’s been a while…..months!

Bauer at 11 months old

Bauer at 11 months old

Today is Bauer’s birthday, and I thought you might enjoy some recent pictures we’ve taken of him.

He’s grown up to be such a good dog. He still gets excited when he meets new people, but he tries to listen – I’ll tell him sternly to sit or down, and he does this awkward “I’m trying really hard to sit, but I’m so excited I can stop wiggling my butt” flop. He doesn’t jump up on people now unless they open their arms up as he’s coming to them, so I’m always careful to tell people to keep their hands in front of them. We tried the whole just ignoring him until he settles down, but he just kept flopping at our feet. We’ve moved on to the standing still while he flops, and when he calms down for a second, we pet him. The instant he starts his flopping, we stand still again. It seems to be working! I think he’s reached his max weight…a whopping 71 lbs.

BauerHe’s great at the dog park…we go to the one off of commerce drive in St. Charles that your were told about by that one person in your playgroup…). Anyhow, he LOVES to swim….he will swim out as far as I can throw the ball – the only funny thing is that he will only retrieve his ball – a green squeaky one – he wants nothing to do with tennis balls! They have little obstacles set up there too – a tunnel to crawl through, a ramp to climb up and down, and then poles to jump over that can be set at 3 heights….Bauer does it all! Who though my awkward little puppy would be able to learn so much! It’s took a little while to teach him how to do it all, and now he loves to show off! Last Saturday when we went He was running through the obstacle course with another dog along his side…it kind of made me feel a little like a dog whisperer 🙂 .

[flashvideo file=/images/BauerRamp11mos.flv height=240 width=320 /]

We keep him on a pretty strict diet – We went though months of thinking something was wrong with him because every food we tried to give him gave him diarrhea. Even plain beef and rice and boiled chicken and rice caused him problems. We switched him to an allergy/grain free formula, and he’s been great ever since!

BauerHe loves to chew….rawhide is too easy, and it scares me because he tries to eat it whole, so I’ve found these bones that don’t splinter and last FOREVER that I give him…..the one he’s on now is at least 6 months old. We still crate him when we go to work…he loves his “bed” and will lay in it while we’re home as long as it’s open. We leave him out at night in our bedroom with the door closed, and he lays in his “spot” every night – an old pappason cushion on the floor on my side of the bed. He tried to sleep in bed with us all night, but I was having no part of that…he’s too big! He still will hop up in the morning to cuddle though….even at his size, he is a true cuddler. I swear, he thinks he’s a 5 pound lap dog! If he’s being too “in my face” I have taught him it’s not nice to be “rude” and he will back off….I didn’t realize I even taught him “rude” until my friend pointed it out to me – apparently I’ve told him he’s rude on several occasions! 🙂

[flashvideo file=/images/Bauerswimming11mos.flv height=240 width=320 /]

Anyhow, he’s earned complete freedom at night….we’ve tried letting him have freedom from the crate during the day, but he always manages to find something of mine to chew (J- tried to make me feel better by saying he picks my stuff because he loves me more…..), so needless to say, when we’re at work, he’s in his crate – which is large enough for two dogs probably, but he doesn’t have any accidents in there, so we figure the extra space is probably nice for him. He still uses his bell to let us know when he has to go out, and when we’re at our friend’s he’ll sit by the door patiently to let us know he needs to go.

He still loves to go on long, long walks (especially on the weekend when I can get out for 2 hours at a time!) – My next investment for Bauer and I is a bike for next spring….I have a feeling he’d be a good bike companion! We did attempt rollerblading, but I’m not very good at the stopping, and while Bauer would stop when I would tell him to, I couldn’t! Oh! He’s also learned to “stop” when I’ve recalled him – the look on his face is priceless….semi-confused as to why I would call him to me and then tell him to stop, but he does it anyhow.

I hope you like the new photos! We took them just for you!! 🙂 Thanks again for letting us bring him home…I can’t even remember what it was like before we had him! 🙂

November 19, 2009 • Tags: , • Posted in: puppy update, story update • No Comments