A Ring Around The Collar

Niki, is our German Shepherd and our baby girl. She has been with us the longest as we got her at about 10 weeks of age in 1999. She will be 10 in November, 2008. She is the most laid back dog we have. She is usually with one of us at all times. You couldn't ask for a better dog.

I took Niki to puppy kindergarten and she and I continued our training through Novice II. She is very well behaved and a real joy to take on walks, always in the heel position. She and I built a very special bond during those hours of training together.

Niki is a dog that we can always rely on. She never does anything wrong. She’s great with people and especially likes our grandsons.

Recently she started taking stairs to the deck a little slower but other than that, seemed healthy as could be. Until earlier this week, September 2008, she quit eating and started crying when she had to step up or down a stair. We immediately took her to the vet and they ran tests and did x-rays and found that the disk in her lower spine is almost deteriorated and the nerves are being pinched which is affecting her ability to get around. They started her on a series of injections and have put her on a special diet. Of course they have her on pain medicine so she sleeps most of the time. We’re praying that after a few of these injections, she will start functioning somewhat normally although she will have to careful the rest of her life. I know you can’t have them forever but I’m not ready to lose my special girl.

And then there is “The Princess”, Freckles. She was 8 in May, 2008 and we adopted her when she was 18 months. She was the second greyhound that we’ve had and the first of the current group. She never raced and we were really never able to find out her background because she had been dumped.

Freckles came in and seemed like the perfect dog UNTIL we figured out that she had separation anxiety. We kept her crated while we were gone but after a few weeks, we felt like she was cured and decided to let her stay out while we were gone one day.

I called when my husband after he got home from work that day to see how she had done. He gave me a good report and decided to keep the one side of the couch cushion that she tore up, a secret from me. Imagine my surprise the next week when I went to vacuum the couch and found it.

There were many toys, beds and yes, another torn up couch before Freckles truly got over her separation anxiety. She is now the lady of the house and thinks she is in charge of everything and everyone. She is so precious and of course she knows it!

Our next arrival was Korky who turned 9 in February, 2008. We adopted her about 6 yrs ago. She was in an accident while in race training, although they were never sure exactly what happened. She broke her front leg and apparently hit here head which caused damage and she ended up losing her eyesight.

She is completely blind but the most confident dog in the house. She is so smart that she even learned how to go in and out the doggy door by herself. She is truly amazing and such a special girl. Everyone that meets her falls in love with her.

She was being fostered by a lady in GPA and when I mentioned that I was interested in adopting her, she & I later laughed about it because she truly put me through an FBI interrogation before we were allowed to adopt her. The lady & I ended up becoming best friends and she never regretted letting us have Korky and neither have we.

Andy turned 8 in March, 2008 and he is my shadow. He never raced because of an injury in training. We met Andy while at a Christmas party for our adoption group in Tulsa, Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption. He was being fostered by the host and hostess of the party. I was sitting on the floor when this big beautiful fawn brindle boy came over wanting some attention. He laid down beside me and that is where he spent most of the evening. I knew down deep that I was head over heels for this dog but I DIDN’T want another dog. We left the party that night but my heart was still back there with him. After a couple of weeks I was still thinking about him but fighting off the urge to adopt him. By the end of the third week I was starting to crumble and by the fourth week, it was all over, I gave in, knowing I wasn’t going to get over him.

When my friend brought him into our home that first night, we didn’t think he would ever be able to live in our home. As soon as he arrived, he ran and started jumping up on my parrot cages, which I had never had a greyhound do before. I told her to go ahead and leave him and that if after 3-4 days he wasn’t doing better, I would bring him back.

Well the very first night he was there, I was in the bird room feeding and watering and didn’t realize that Andy had followed me in there. All of a sudden he back up to our male African Grey parrots cage and the bird nipped him on the butt. Andy jumped and ran out of the room yelping. He never jumped on another bird cage again. In fact he avoids the birds and their cages completely.

Andy was recently diagnosed with mouth cancer and had a portion of his lower jaw removed at the vet school in Oklahoma. His surgery was a big success and his prognosis is good which we are VERY thankful for.

He is such a sweetheart and very close to us. He sleeps in between us at night. He's my baby boy and I can’t imagine life without him.

AJ, race name, Ajax, will be 8 in December, 2008. He is our big, silly boy. We adopted him in 2004. He had been a Grade “A” racer but they retired him because he broke a hock. After having surgery to repair the injury, he was put up for adoption.

We met him while at the Abilene Greyhound Gathering in June, 2004. It was our third year to attend the gathering and we had planned to take Rudy with us for the first time but he died 3 weeks before we were to leave. Or course we were devastated and I decided that I didn’t want to go to the gathering under the circumstances. When I found out how disappointed my husband was that we weren’t going, I decided to go ahead and go.

We had a nice time but it just wasn’t the same. The third day of the gathering we attending the bus trip to the race track in Wichita, KS, which was where Race The Wind housed the dogs in their group available for adoption. It had always been a highlight of the trip for me to visit with all those dogs but this year I had no interest in going but decided to go anyway.

I went through the building, going from side to side, petting each of the dogs but really not getting excited about it. I got to the very last cage and gave the dog inside a scratch on the head and turned around to leave but the dog started crying so I went back for one more pat on the head. Every time I tried to leave he would cry. I had never really paid attention to the dog or what it looked like. After the third time of walking away and the dog crying, I called my husband over and told him to watch what was happening. We kind of laughed when the dog did it again and decided to take the dog out of the cage for some extra head scratches. We opened the door and out came a big red brindle male that was identical, down to same markings as Rudy. We both gasped feeling a bit eerie. We loved on him and he ate it up. Reluctantly, we put him back and left with the group to head back to the gathering.

On the ride back, we asked about this dog and found out that he had been there for over a year and that one of the group members was possibly interested in adopting him but hadn’t yet. She heard about what happened and came and talked to us about him that evening. She said that she wanted him but he really hadn’t fit in with her dogs so she hadn’t made a decision and if we wanted him, we could have him.

I really didn’t want another dog. I was still heartbroken and grieving over Rudy and I wasn’t ready for another one. We went home on Sunday. During the next week we couldn't stop thinking about him. We ended up calling at the end of the next week and driving back to Kansas, about a 5 hour drive, a week later to pick him up.

The name Ajax reminded me of the household cleaner so we decided to shorten his name to AJ which seems to fit him. Other than being scared of the wood floors, he took to home life and never looked back. He’s happy and loves just hanging out with the other dogs and barking every chance he gets, which is not a typical trait for a greyhound and one that I wish he would forget. But we love him and we’re so happy to be owned by him.

Crystal, race name, Crystal Platinum, is a blue fawn and turned 12 in June, 2008. We adopted her at the age of 9. She had been a brood bitch her entire life.

We met Crystal at a Greymeadows farm while attending the greyhound gathering in Abilene, Kansas in June, 2004. The owners of the farm had allowed the group to come and see what a working greyhound farm was like.

There were several buildings that housed the dogs. Most of them housed different ages of pups but there was one building that had nothing but breeders. The males were in part of the building and the broods were in another section.

I was walking along talking to all the dogs and giving them a scratch on the head but when I came to Crystals stall, we were attracted to each other. She was so happy to have company and came to the fence and jumped up to be petted. I called my husband over and we spent a good portion of our time petting and talking to her. I told the owner I would be interested in adopting her when they retired her. The farm owner called me a year later and said she had decided to retire Crystal after she weaned her litter of pups. So we made arrangements to pick her up when we attended the Abilene Greyhound Gathering in June, 2005.

She lived on a wonderful farm with the best care but it just wasn’t the same as having her own home where she could roam freely without the restraints of being in a kennel all day every day. It took her a little longer than the others but she has adjusted to being a pet and having a family and is very happy. She has even learned how to play with toys which she really enjoys. In fact sometimes she hides them in one of the open crates to keep them to herself. We call her our little hoarder.

We have a doggy door and of course she lives in the house but has full access to run and play in the backyard any time she wants. Thankfully she will get to spend the last part of her life carefree and happy.