I have a foster dog.  I now have 4 of my own greyhounds, 2 liter mates, Maggie and Alec who just turned 4, and Rollie and Macho.  Macho is 11 and Rollie 8.
Sam (BF Par Sam) had to leave his original foster home, due to the surgery on the foster moms leg.  So, I took him although I really don't want to foster. When Sam first arrived in ESGAO,in October, he was spunky, assertive and food aggressive, or so I was told.  He was requiring constant monitoring and was a challenge. His prior family let him on the couch, something we don't encourage, but is hard to stop when your greyhounds are allowed on the furniture.

Sam arrived yesterday afternoon, full of energy and joy.  After muzzling my pack, I sent them out to meet Sam, one at a time, till they had all sniffed each other and they didn't have any issues with each other. We let Sam in the yard and he was greeted in normal greyhound fashion by all 4 at once, then he was ready to run. Fortunately, Maggie and Alec were up to the challenge, and ran him around the yard a few times.  When they all came in, Sam made himself at home and ran up the stairs, and all around the house.  He looked at the couch and whined.  My furniture placement prevents the dogs from getting on the couch.  None of mine have even tried.

Bill said, he looks a lot like Maggie.  I said yes he does and he acts like her too,.  Although Maggie and Alec are liter mates they do not resemble or act like each other.  I jumped onto google and found out that Sam and Maggie and Alec have the same grandpa.   All I can say is Grandpa muist have been quite a character. 
This is the first of several upcoming blogs about the joys and sorrows of having a foster dog and 4 greyhounds.
Sam wont stay still long enough for a good picture.  As soon as I get one, I will post it.

Rollie 2015

I am a failure. 

Rollie was returned to ESGAO in January 2015.  Since prior to his adoption he was my foster dog, I took him back to foster until he could get adopted.

Bill took Rollie to many meets and greets, those are days when adoptable dogs go to stores or dog events to be seen and hopefully adopted. 

Around April, I started thinking we should just keep him.  He was such a good dog., friendly, happy, energetic and smart.  Bill said, logically, we can't keep him, we don't need four dogs.  I agreed. 

Rollie was advertised on the ESGAO website as the dog of the month several times. 

One couple fell in love with him and adopted him.  But, Rollie didn’t match their life style; he was returned, pretty quickly.  And since he had been my foster dog, I of course took him back…           to foster.

When the summer hit, and Rollie was able to get out in the yard and be the dog he knew he was, he would chase cars, from the safety of the fence.  He would expend so much energy and get so hot, he nearly collapsed from heat exhaustion.  Fortunately, by then we had the kiddy pool full for the dogs, and he knew to get into the water, to revive himself.

I told Bill that no one else would understand that he has to have a kiddy pool in the summer.  He could die without one.  Bill said, we will tell whoever adopts him that he has to have a pool in the summer.  And we will explain he gets heat exhaustion. 

When Rollie gets  nervous, his tummy gets upset and he gets diarrhea, which hits around 3 am.  Since he is such a sweet dog, he doesn’t wake anyone up when this hits.  So, many mornings, I came downstairs to find diarrhea all over the kitchen floor and often he had gone number 1 too.  A great

 way to start the morning.

I told Bill that no one will tolerate months of diarrhea on the floor every morning.  Bill said that the new adopters will love him and be willing to clean up after him.

So on Facebook and on the ESGAO website, I posted, that Rollie needs a home that has another greyhound to play with, a patient owner, a loving owner, and preferably a doggie door, so he can go outside at 3 am.  He also needs a fence so he can run, and a pool to recover in.  A Facebook friend who lives outside of Ohio and specializes in taking care of "problem dogs" wanted to adopt him.  But he is too far.

It is now September and no one wants to adopt him.

A friend in the group has always loved Rollie (really, who doesn’t?) and was contemplating taking care of him while we are out of town soon.  I thought, they would be good parents for Rollie.  But alas, they are unable to take him at this time.

For 8 months Bill and I tried to get Rollie adopted.  We failed.  So I am again failing.  I am a failed foster parent.  Today, Bill and I officially adopted Rollie. We failed at fostering.  A phenomena that often occurs with foster parents, but very often with greyhounds. 

Macho was my first failure as a foster parent, and now Rollie is my second failure. 

Pat C. Roller became Pat C. Roller-South today.

Welcome my buddy!  I often call him Bubba. :)

Life before retirement

We are temporarily fostering a 2 year old female greyhound.  She was adopted within 5 days of arriving here and never really had a chance to figure out what happened and learn how to be retired before she was adopted.  Her adoptive people had a greyhound who died and she is their next dog.  She was returned when she wouldn’t go outside to go potty. She had been whiny and skittish also, but the foster coordinator was able to help them deal with that  The reason, she was returned seems to be that there was a roof being removed and replaced across the street and the noise and flying things scared her. She would not go out.  This was the last straw for the humans.  Bill told them to bring her here and we'd find a place for her.  Fortunately, River has mellowed in her old age and is tolerating Indigo well.  I told Bill that we already have a foster dog and 5 are too many.  He convinced me and Indigo's adoptive family that the South Pack would teach her about retirement and I would teach her how to be a good girl. They could take her back when she got some greyhound guidance.  Her adoptive Dad comes to visit every 2 or 3 days, he loves her and wants what is best for her.

I got to thinking what the retired racers go through before they retire and through their transition.  I found this article by Dennis McKeon, written in 2013 that addresses the mindset of a retired greyhound as they become pets.

" It’s just that when a greyhound retires and is adopted, he is entering an entirely new and foreign world, full of strange and often, to him or her, intimidating new places and things.

For the first time in their lives, they are outside of their normal, busy, familiar, athletic routines, and their greyhound-centric environs. They are without their kennelmates, their littermates and the people they have known, depended upon and loved. For the first time in their lives, they are often without any canine companionship at all, or the security of the pack that they have known since the day they were born.

For some of them, this adjustment is a can o’corn--for others, not so much.

Because of their essential nature as hunters, who locate and then chase after game by sight, racing greyhounds are very highly attuned to their surroundings. They notice things. The simple flick of an upright, velveteen ear among briars, while entirely imperceptible to us, can be, for a greyhound, the clarion call to a thrilling chase and catch episode of the purest excitement and delight. It’s what they do.

Conversely, the horn blast of a passing automobile, or even the crash of a milk glass on hardwood, can be absolutely terrifying to them. They notice things. But they only know what is familiar to them. Everything else is a crapshoot, and to the most high strung and skittish of them, some things can be terrifying.

We hear a lot about “socialization”, or the lack of it, from those who themselves lack greyhound experience or first hand knowledge. The truth is, that mostly all racing greyhounds are quite well socialized, both with and among canines and humans. They are handled by a plethora of individuals from the day they are born, from the breeder and their helpers, to assorted guests, to the veterinarians they visit, or who come to visit them. Again, with their handlers, when they begin to learn how to chase after the artificial lure, and to also learn proper manners, while being walked on the lead, exercised, groomed, bathed, and/or massaged.

At the racetrack, they encounter many different people, from the leadouts, to the judges, to the track vets, and then of course, in addition to their own handlers, the many other handlers they also come to know.

Most of the time, it’s not lack of socialization that can cause upset to a greyhound. The real challenge is complete and utter “re-habituation”--from life as a racing athlete, to life as a family pet.

Like all dogs, racing greyhounds are primarily creatures of habit and routine. They have remarkably accurate psychological time clocks in their pointy little heads. They have led very structured and predictable lives. They demand your punctuality and your attentions at what they have learned to be the “appointed” times. They thrive on routine. It is novelty that can sometimes completely undo them and even drive them into an ill-advised “fight or flight” panic ."

Indigo was in a panic mood at the adoptive home.  The roofers put her over the edge.  But happily, she has been here for 2 weeks and is a normal greyhound and is ready to go back to her adoptive family.  I think she has figured out that this retirement will be a good thing.  

Well, It has been a long time since I Blogged and a lot happened.  Mike got adopted with another greyhound and Mike and the other hound didn’t get along real well so they returned Mike.  He is in a different foster home right now and is getting along well there. He is becoming a Velcro dog with this foster dad.

Rollie was returned.  I try to keep in contact with the adoptive families, but his mom wasn't interested in talking about Rollie, so I stopped trying to contact with her.  Rollie was adopted in June 2014.  Out of the blue, we got a call saying his mom is moving into an apartment and couldn’t take the dog.  What???? Anyway, I took him in, of course.  I had forgotten about Rollies quirks.  When I send my foster dogs to their new homes, I write a book about what the dog does, what he needs, how to comfort him, etc.  When Rollie was returned, I received the dog, and his book.  The book contains his medical records.  My info to her was not included so it was like starting over.  I texted her a couple of times, to get info. She would give me that info and that was it.  She never asked how he is, if he is doing ok, or anything.  Very strange, cause she loved him from the minute she met him.  People are weird.

My three dogs and Rollie were getting along fine.  Then a couple wanted to adopt Rollie. It didn’t work out.  Rollie is too social to be an only dog with people that work all day.  He didn’t work out for them, so he came back to me.  That's ok cause he is the "fun" dog.  When we got the next batch of retirees from Alabama, I wanted Rollie to be here as the official greeter.  In the past, he would be gleefully welcoming everyone to his yard.  This time, he was snarly and grumpy.  I had to leave River and Rollie in the house most of the time the new dogs were here.  But he calmed down and when I let him out again, he was the normal social dog that makes him so adorable.

I've decided to be very particular about who gets Rollie.  I don’t want him to bounce back again.  He needs a home where there is a playful greyhound or other large animal and no small dogs or cats. He needs to have free range of the house, including a dog bed or couch.  He needs a yard to run in, sun in, and observe life as it goes by.  He needs someone that will walk him a couple times a week and let him go with them in the car once a week.  He needs to be part of a loving home where the people understand greyhounds..  I think my criteria may be too specific, but that would be perfect for him. Oh and he needs a patient person to clean up after him when he goes potty in the house, or get up in the middle of the night to let him out. 

Welcome to winter.

When Greyhounds arrive at a home, they are often on their good behavior.  It takes a couple weeks for the greyhound to get to comfortable enough in a house to let their actual personality come out. Mike has been here for a month now, and the weather has changed.  When Mike got here, he knew how to ask to go out.  After the weather changed, Mr. Mike has decided that peeing outside makes him cold, so instead he will just go #1 inside. He no longer asks to go out.

When this first started, I convinced myself it was because I wasn't noticing his request to go out.  Then, one morning, I found a puddle in the front hallway.  I figured he didn’t know how to wake us to let us know he had to go out.  Later that day, I found  another puddle after he had come in.  Instead of being  a responsible foster mom, I just complained about it as I cleaned it up.  The next morning, I got up and he had peed on the tile and carpet leading from our bedroom to the bathroom.  I of course was barefooted, so the carpet was squishy, and my sleeping brain didn’t recognize the issue.   As I took the next step onto the carpet, I stepped directly into the puddle of pee and before quickly realizing what "that was", my other wet foot stepped onto the tile and I went sliding across the floor, followed by Mikey wagging gleefully that I was out of bed.

He was introduced to a belly band after he went out and before breakfast that morning.  He lived in the belly band for 2 days without an accident.  He did not get to wear it while he was outside.  So far he has not gone #1 in the house since he was introduced to the belly band.  In case you don't know, a belly band fits around the dogs private parts, it velcros on at the top.  It contains a pad to catch the urine, and like a toddler being potty trained: it gets wet and they don't like that feeling.  Greyhounds learn pretty quickly not to go potty in the house with the help of a belly band.  I will keep him in the belly band at night till I am sure he can wake us up.

Today, he discovered the fun of deep snow.  While we have not had a lot of snow, we have some good drifts in the yard.  Macho was doing his trot around the yard, in the snow to find the perfect place to take care of doggie business, which meant he had to go through the snow.  Mike watched this with great attention and wagging.  I let him out and he layed in the snow and watched Macho, then, with all the enthusiasm of a puppy, jumped off the deck and into 1 foot of snow. He ran and ran, he ran his 3 laps. I do believe he had the best time of his life in the deep snow! Now he is a tired boy.

Mike, foster dog #17

                                 Hi.  I had been blogging about my foster dogs, then they got adopted so naturally I stopped.  We took a little time off from fostering to let my dogs relax and return to normal.  But while we did that, a dog named Red was returned by his owner, and he stayed with us for a short while.  He was adorable, and I really wanted to keep him.  Fortunately, a lady came to meet him at one of our events, and he really, really liked her.  She is now the proud owner of Red.  Any way, we got 5 dogs in from the Alabama tracks on November 15.  All 5 dogs had foster homes to go to, so we didn’t foster this time. 

       Then, the phone rang, and one of the foster families was having problems and not able to give their foster dog, Mike, the time, training and attention he needed.  She asked if there was some place he could go.  Naturally, I said he could come and stay with us.

                                 Mike is a 3 year old Black greyhound.  He only has a quarter of a tail, 6-8 inches long.  Greyhounds ordinarily have a long whip of a tail, normally 17-22 inches long.  Mike's tail was obviously amputated at some point.  I called the kennel to see if they knew why.  The kennel mom said she had asked everyone she knew and no one knew why his tail had been removed.                  Anyway, Mike does fine without his tail and it is very cute when he wags it. His rear thighs are bald, but the fur should grow in over time.  He is a gorgeous Black dog with a white chest the slowly disappears down his belly and he has a few white toes.

Mike All curled up

  This Blog is about the adventures of Mike and his growing up while in my care.  He will make a great pet for someone who wants a happy, energetic dog. 
These are the best pictures I have of Mike.  You can't tell that he is anything more than a resting dog in these pictures.  So far, the only thing he doesn't like, is the camera. 

Camera shy, Mike

Rollie leaving

This is a happy day for Rollie.  Not so much for me.  Rollie is going to a home,where the lady is going to foster with intent to adopt.  She is fostering greyhounds for another greyhound group but she has not fallen in love with her foster dog. She met Rollie at an event this weekend and came around 5 times asking about him and she decided he may just be the right dog for her to adopt.

So today I say farewell to my foster dog Rollie.  I know I should be happy for him, and he is able to go because of me. But, after 15 or 17 foster dogs, you'd think this would be easier by now.  I've decided if the foster dog is here for a short time, it is easy to let them go to their forever home.  But after 5 or 6 months, it is a terrible feeling to say good bye to the dog who had diarrhea for almost a

month, the dog who fell asleep while roaching and used the wall to prop himself up while sleeping, to the guy who would joyfully roo "hello" when I came down the stairs after feeding him.  The dog that learned squeakies are fun, treats are good, and people that lay on the floor with you are wonderful. I will miss this guy a lot.
In addition to me missing him, I will need to help River understand the loss of her best dog friend.  While it takes a while for her to warm up to them, after they understand her and the rules, she enjoys the company of the foster dog.

The tears will soon stop and I will appear normal again, I think.
So Mr. Rollie, I bid you a fond farewell.    I told him he can come back to me if it doesn't work out.

Bye Y'all!