Walk With Willie

Mom changed my profile picture! Take a look! It was taken at Greyhounds in Gettysburg during the speed run. They had a radar gun on me to clock my speed. It was all for fun. I was so happy that I was literally flying! Mom loves the pure expression of joy on my face.

Yesterday I went for a walk with my friend, Willie. Mom's friend, Jen is Willie's mom. They will be moving to a new house soon. They won't be very far away though. Only as far as my Vet. We had a nice walk around the neighborhood. Mom didn't want to go down the river trail because there are too many bugs out right now. When we got back from our walk, both Willie and I got a cookie. Then Jen put my new costume on me for a final fitting. It looks really nice and it is comfortable to wear. Mom says there is a dog event in September that will have a costume contest. I guess we are going. Mom said that Shorty Rossi from Pit Boss and Hercules will be there. Mom wants to meet them. I wouldn't mind meeting Hercules myself! I like those pit bull boys!!

Mom and I are doing a walk next Sunday to help shelter dogs. It is a shelter called Baypath Humane Society in Hopkington, MA. It is a no kill shelter. Here is a link if any of my pup pals would like to sponsor us in the walk: https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1455&AID =2022&PID=280686&Preview=Y
You can just copy and paste this into your browser. I will write up a full report on the walk after we walk it. Later!

Memorial Day Hike and Picnic

I got to join mom and dad's Meetup group for a hike and picnic today. Mom and dad didn't have to work today because it is Memorial Day. Mom says it is a special day to remember the soldiers who were in all the wars. Personally I don't understand anything about war. It is a human thing. I get along with everyone! Mom says she doesn't understand it either. We drove to Minute Man Park which is about 20 minutes from our house. I have been there before so I knew where I was. Most everyone else was late arriving so we had to wait for a bit. Mom sprayed us all down with bug spray. It is a natural bug spray that both dogs and humans can use. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine. Once everyone arrived we started our walk. Actually one human got lost and started walking from a different parking lot! We never did find her. There were lots of people walking, jogging and riding their bicycles. There were some other dogs too. I liked that. Mom brought my special water bottle. It opens up into a bowl. I was glad because it was hot outside. Mom gave me frequent water stops and anything I didn't drink she poured on my back to help keep me cooler. We walked about an hour and a half. It was nicest in the shade!

After the hike we drove down the road to the park's visitor center. One of mom and dad's friends named Karen rode with me in the back seat. She had ridden her bike to the park. There was plenty of room for both of us though. At the visitor's center they had picnic tables and a bathroom for the humans. Daddy found a perfect picnic table in the shade. Mom's friend, Victoria had mats so we covered the table with the mat and made a table cloth. They had a band playing music. We got to relax under the trees, eat and listen to music. Mom brought cookies for me to eat. I tried to dig in the dirt but mom and dad told me not too. I had a fun time, but I am really tired now, so I think I will end my diary and take a nap. I hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day!

The Enchanted Forest

Many of you who read my diary may remember me writing about the enchanted forest. It was a nice little wooded area near my house. Mom and I used to love going there to walk and play. I actually found it one day. Mom didn't realize it was so large. Now it is being destroyed and I am very sad. No one knew who owned the enchanted forest and our neighbor just assumed it was part of her property. Well, last year the owner came forward and decided to build 5 condos there. Nothing happened until yesterday. They are cutting down all the trees and it is horrible. Mom and dad are very upset too and so are our neighbors. We had a nice, pleasant, quiet street. It won't be any more. We feel bad for all the birds, squirrels, opossums, chipmunks, racoons and skunks who used to live there. Many may have even lost their lives. I went to the edge of it with mom this morning. I sniffed around and said my goodbyes.

Greyhound Friends Spring Open House

I knew something was up when mom painted my nails again on Friday. She did both the front and the backs this time. I really don't like the smell of the nail polish. Even though it is made especially for dogs, it doesn't smell nice. Mom took it slow and did a little at a time. They ended up hot pink!

We left a little after 10:00 on Saturday. Dad stopped at the ATM to get money and mom and I waited for him in the car. Daddy left the air conditioning on because it was already getting hot outside. When we arrived at Greyhound Friends I knew where I was. I got a little excited and pulled mom to the silent auction table. Daddy grabbed my exercise pen from the trunk and followed. There wasn't any canopy for shade so mom and dad made a tent for me. They clipped my blanket over my exercise pen. Mom gave me some cool water. Poor mom and dad didn't have any sun protection. Mom helped set up the silent auction and daddy worked on setting up the raffle. We have worked this table many times before so they know what they are doing. It was all set up and ready to go when the event started. Mom and Dad took me for walks and we checked out all the booths. Mom bought a hat to protect her head from the sun. She wanted a greyhound hat any way. Mom fell in love with one of the pictures being auctioned. It was a greyhound head in an Andy Warhol style design. I must admit it was very nice. The minimum starting bid was $35 so mom wrote her bid. Louise is the president and head of Greyhound Friends. Mom told Louise how much she wanted the picture and Louise told her to take it off the bidding table and that she could have it for the $35! Dad wrote out a check and the picture is now hanging in the living room. Aunt Carla was a little upset because she wanted it too!! Aunt Carla is OK with it though. Mom and dad had lunch. They had some nice hummus wraps and veggie burgers. Daddy was getting roasted by the sun so he found an umbrella in the car. Mom and dad shared it for shade. They had a nice dedication at the memorial garden for all the greyhounds who had crossed over to rainbow bridge this past year. They read GT's name. GT doesn't have a memorial brick yet but one has been ordered. Mom says I will have a brick someday many, many years from now. Much to mom's surprise there was already another brick for a different Isis!!! After the memorial ceremony, it was time for the dog show. Mom and dad entered me in best trick. When it came time to announce my trick mom said that I was going to do one of two tricks. I was either going to sing, or really embarrass mom and dad! I was a bit confused by the whole thing. I only sing at home. I embarrassed mom and dad!! BOL! When they gave out the ribbons the announcer said that I got last place but that mom and dad got first place!! Everyone laughed! I got mom and dad to do the trick! I still got a 5th place ribbon. Mom hung it on my exercise pen and I got to rest for awhile. Once the "Find your twin" contest was announced mom started dressing me up for the costume contest. I was a playboy bunny. Check out my photos for a picture! There was a lot of good competition this year. I was up against 6 other dogs. As they announced 6th, 5th etc. Mom was getting nervous. Soon it was down to 2 of us- me and a hula dancer dog. Mom held her breath and they announced second place to.....the hula dancer dog! Mom whispered to me that I had won! Daddy was with Aunt Carla and he said Aunt Carla gasped when she knew I had won!! I got a huge blue ribbon and a box of milk bones!! I was happy to have won but even more happy to be out of my costume. The last event of the day was the raffle. I didn't win anything in the raffle this time. Daddy was relieved since I won just about everything at the last raffle. On the way home we stopped off at the pet store to get our weekly supplies. We were all tired! Mom and dad both got sunburned! It was a fun day! I hope that Greyhound Friends got a lot of donations and that many of my brothers and sisters found their forever homes.

Last Day Of Greyhounds In Gettysburg!

We had to get up very early yesterday morning. Mom and dad started packing all of our stuff back into suitcases, boxes and bags. The morning festivities started at 9AM as well, so there was some tension in the room. Mom and dad made me wait in the room while they brought our things to the car. They had a quick breakfast of cereal that they had bought the night before, and we all got into the car. Daddy drove to the recreation field where the events where taking place. Despite our best efforts to get there right at 9 we were about 15 minutes late. The speed trials were already going on. Aunt Carla, Uncle Jeff, Gill and Skylar where already in line waiting. Mom and dad had a hard time finding the entrance because things where set up backwards from last year. Daddy jogged with me to the opening in the fence and we got in line. We got to watch Gill and Skylar run. Both are a little chunky now that they are retired but they both did very well. Gill clocked in at 34 mph and Skylar surprised everyone by running 36mph. When it got close to my turn, mom walked down to the end of the run. She wanted to video tape me. Daddy ran down to the end too and a man held my collar. They used the squawker for me. I was trained to run to it at the track. I ran fast but I only got a speed of 29 mph. The man with the speed gun said it was because I ran too high off the ground causing me to lose speed. I ran headlong into 2 people, however! They had to catch me. Uncle Jeff bragged about Skylar the rest of the morning! Mom did get me on tape but the angle was strange. You can see me though. After the speed run it was time for the rainbow bridge/pet blessing ceremony. We all gathered in the picnic area. It was a beautiful service. The minister had everyone write down the names of pets to be honored and remembered. Both Aunt Carla and mom wrote down GT's name. Mom also added two other special companion animals from years ago- Blitz and Duke. Mom and aunt Carla cried. We did a group roo as a finale! Next it was time for the fun run. Me, Gill, Skylar and 3 other dogs I didn't know got to play in a fenced in baseball field. The only bad part was that we had to wear muzzles. Mom said it was a rule even though I don't need one. I spent a lot of my play time trying to rub my muzzle off. It didn't work. By now it was 11:00am and time to head home. We had a long drive ahead of us. We stopped several times to stretch our legs and mom and dad stopped at the same Subway they did last year for a veggie sub. The last rest stop we went to was in our own state of MA. It has a little dog park I like to go to. I was there with daddy when another greyhound joined us! Mom and dad thought they might be coming from Gettysburg too, but they weren't. It felt good to be home. I ate a good supper. Mom was relieved because I didn't eat well on the trip. I was too excited. I ate only about 1/2 what I normally eat.

Mom and dad both took today off of work to relax. Mom took me for my walk early and then had me get into the car. Wouldn't you know it- I ended up at the vets!! It was time for my annual check up. I had to get a rabies shot too! They took something called a titer to see how my immunity was. If it is high enough I won't have to get booster shots for the other things. I'm keeping my paws crossed. I weighed only 66 pounds. I lost 2 pounds from not eating much this weekend. The vet said she wasn't worried about it and that I looked great! Mom said she probably gained the two pounds I lost! She said I can have them back!! I think she was joking!! Anyway It was a greyt vacation.

Second Day of Gig!

We had to be at the event a little earlier today. Festivities began at 10:00. I was so excited I couldn't eat my breakfast. I just wanted to be out there with all the other dogs. After mom took her shower she painted my nails hot pink!! She said it was for my costume. She only painted the front feet. I put up with it. I must admit that I did get a lot of complements on them! We got to the vendor area and Aunt Carla and Uncle Jeff joined us along with Gill and Skylar. We walked around the booths again. Mom bought a greyhound mug. It is hand made and very nice. Mom also bought a leash to match one of my new collars, I usually wear a harness but collar and leash was more practical today since I would have to get dressed up in my costume. At 11:00am it was time for the parade. We all marched around the shoppes. People watched and took pictures. At the end we did a group roo. Aunt Carla wanted to go into a store so we did. I like going in all the stores that I usually can't go into. It was getting close to the costume contest time, so we headed back to the registration table. Mom and dad got me into my costume. I wore my workout outfit but this time mom embellished it a bit! She had bought this crazy wig for me to wear. It was a multi-colored wig with a mohawk! The silly thing even flashed. Mom stuffed it with a T-shirt so that it would fit my head better and the mohawk part would stand up. I was a "punk rock workout girl"!!! People really seemed to like it. Gill was dressed up as Hugh Hefner and Skylar was a playboy bunny (Skylar is a boy!). Mom was going to enter me in funniest but they said she could enter both funniest and most creative so we did both. My new friend, Claire was dressed up as a picnic! We all had to parade around for the judges. People laughed and took pictures of us. Then we had to stand in front of the judges so they could make their final decisions. First they juged Most Creative. Third place went to two dogs dressed up at greyhound buses. Gill and Skylar got second place! They got a ribbon and a dog toy. My new friend Claire won first place! I didn't win anything in most creative. That was OK because mom wanted me in funniest any way. First they chose third place. It wasn't even a greyhound- it was a lab with a monkey on his back! Then they announced second place- a dog dressed up like Harry Potter. When they announced first place I heard my name!! I won!! I got a blue ribbon and a gift bag with a stuffed squeaky bone, portable water bowls, a pet place mat and a sponge shaped like a dog bone for mom to use to wash my bowls out! There were two other categories in the show as well. Those categories where most patriotic and best civil war (After all we are in Gettysburg). All the first place winners then had to go before the judges for the best in show award. My friend Claire won! She got a huge trophy. I was happy for her. I was also happy to get out of my costume! We had a few minutes before the first lecture that mom and dad wanted to attend so we brought my costume, winning goody bag and mom's mug back to the hotel room. Once again we went back and forth. We went to a lecture on the Spanish galgos. It was interesting but I napped. The second lecture was cancelled because the speaker had a family emergency. Daddy wanted to go into the kitchen store because I had won a $5 off coupon in my winning goody bag. Daddy likes kitchen stuff so we bought a few things. After that we went to check out the raffle winners. On our way there a man with a microphone announced that someone had left a dog locked up in their car and the dog was in distress. That made mom very angry. One of the vendor ladies got very angry too. Mom and the vendor lady rushed over to the car to try to help. The police was called too. By the time they found the car the woman had returned and assured us her dog was OK. Mom and the vendor lady gave her dirty looks. Even though it is not a hot day outside, cars can get warm and stuffy very fast. We went back to the registration table to check the raffle winners but we didn't win anything. Mom was surprised because I usually win at raffles. Guess my mojo was spent all on the costume contest! Wouldn't you know it, daddy wanted to go back to the hotel again to drop off the kitchen stuff. I must have walked 10 miles this weekend going back and forth from the vendor area to the hotel!! Then, you guessed it- back for another lecture. This one was on neurological disorders in greyhounds. I was so tired I just slept. Mom got a brain. Not a real brain! It is a rubber brain that you can squeeze when you feel stressed out. We are back at the hotel now. I am sleeping on the floor. Mom says I can rest a few hours and then we will be going to the social again tonight.

First Day Of GIG 2012

A little before noon we headed out to where the tents where. It was very cold and windy out so daddy ran back to get my fleece jacket. Mom and I walked to meet daddy. I was glad to have my jacket. We had to stand in line to get our registration package. I got a lot of goodies including two new stuffed toys. One is a pink seal and the other is a blue dog. Since we had bags of stuff,we walked back to the hotel again to drop them off. Mom didn't want to have to carry every thing around. Mom and dad made me take the elevator. Another dog rode up with me so that helped a lot. I'm starting to get used to the "room that moves". Then it was back to the main event we went. We got a lot of exercise walking back and forth. We looked at all the booths. Mom looked at the everything, trying to find me more Egyptian themed collars. She found two! I am wearing one of them now! Mom and dad both bought new sweat shirts. They wore them along with the sweat shirts they were already wearing! That was how cold it was outside! The wind made it feel even colder. The animal communicator was there again this year. Mom and dad had her talk to me again. I like her a lot. She understands me. We had a nice talk. Mom and dad bought me some yummy cookies and treats! I'm not eating much because everything is strange here and I am also very excited.I am eating the treats though! Next it was time for the greyhound games. I was in the "dress your dog" contest with daddy. Daddy didn't do very well! He couldn't get the shirt on me. Daddy gave up! Mom said he should have put it over my head and THEN got my legs in. It was all in fun. Mom and dad got hungry so they went over to the shoppes to a place called Quizno's. While daddy ordered sub sandwiches, mom and I went into a clothing store. It was actually MY idea to go into the store. Mom found a pair of pants she liked on sale. After they ate, mom went back and bought the pants and 2 shirts! Wouldn't you know it, we walked back to the hotel AGAIN to drop off the bag! Back and forth was making me tired. It was almost time for the Jean,animal communicator, to give her talk so we headed over to the lecture room. I fell asleep on the floor. A lot of other dogs napped too. I didn't want to leave because I was so tired. During the lecture daddy's phone went off so he left to answer it. It was Uncle Jeff and Aunt Carla. They were checking into their hotel. Daddy told them that he would call after the lecture and we would all make plans. After the talk we walked around the booths to see if Uncle Jeff and Aunt Carla were still there. The vendors were packing up for the day so Aunt Carla and Uncle Jeff went back to their hotel. We planned a time to meet for dinner. We had time to kill so mom and dad took me miniature golfing!!! That was very interesting. Mom and dad tried to hit a colorful ball into a hole with a stick. I watched them but I couldn't play. They had fun though. Daddy won. We went to dinner after that. They had an outdoor area so I could go to dinner. There were a lot of dogs there. Gill and Skylar came but Gill was uncomfortable because there were too many dogs. For me, the more dogs the better. Gill likes his space. Gill and Skylar went back to wait in the car. I socialized with all the other dogs. I even made myself at home on someone else's blanket. Daddy went and got my blanket but I stayed where I was. The dog whose blanket I stole laid down on mine. It was all good. Mom, dad, Aunt Carla and Uncle Jeff ate. Mom and Aunt Carla were getting very cold. They were glad to get the bill paid. Next we went to a social at one of the hotels. I went to this last year. I had to say "Hi" to every dog there. Then I laid down on a blanket and went to sleep. Skylar and Gill came to the social too. Skylar laid down next to me and somehow my face ended up under Skylar's butt! I was too tired to care. The humans got a kick out of it and they were taking pictures. I'm sure they will end up on Facebook and probably here on my Dogster page. Some of the dogs I met where from Spain. they are called Galgos. They are smaller than us. They are not used for racing but for hunting. They don't have it any better than us greyhounds. When they can no longer hunt many are often killed by hanging! The dogs who were good hunters are killed quickly but those who were not good are made to suffer. They are hung low enough so that their hind legs barley touch the ground. This makes their deaths go slow and painful. There was one dog there who was saved just in time! He still has the scars on his neck from the ropes. He is doing well with his new loving mom and everyone was giving him lots of love. Mom hates what some people do to us. Well, I am going to call it a night. I'm exhausted! Until tomorrow, Good night!! zzzzzzzzz

Back In Gettysburg!!

We left yesterday morning at 8:30AM. It was a long drive but smooth sailing the whole way. Daddy said it took us about 7 1/2 hours to get here. I just laid down on the back seat. We stopped at several rest areas to stretch our legs and take care of business. Mom and dad played music most of the way to help the time go faster. The minute we pulled into the hotel parking lot, I saw the other greyhounds!! It was like a family reunion. I had to say "Hi" to every single one! We went into the hotel to check in. They even had a sign in the door welcoming all the dogs. In the lobby I got to meet about 5 more. Mom and dad got me to ride in the "room that moves". I didn't realize it until it was too late!! They tricked me!! Our room is amazing! Much better than the one we stayed at last year. We have a little living room and separate bedroom area. There is even the perfect place for my bed right next to mom and dad! It is very nice. After daddy rested for a bit, we took a walk around the outlet shoppes. We are SO close to the main event area that you can see the tents from out hotel room window. Many of the stores had greyhound welcome signs posted. That means I could go into those stores! I went into 2 stores that sold clothing, a book store and a really cool store that sold crafts. I met other greyhounds and their humans as we walked along. I had to stay in the room while mom and dad went to get dinner. When they got back they got ready to take me for a walk. Even though we are on the 3rd floor, I insist on the stairs! No more rooms that move!! We had just entered the stairwell when mom looked out the window. It was pouring outside!! The wind was blowing too!! We went back to our room and waited until the storm passed. To say I am excited to be back in Gettysburg would be an understatement. I had a hard time finishing my dinner!! At 1AM I started whining. Mom couldn't sleep. Daddy took me out to go potty. I really didn't have to go! I only wanted to see other dogs!!! To my surprise there weren't any!!! They were all in their rooms sleeping. I used the bathroom anyway and went back inside.I settled down and finally fell asleep. Humans claim that we animals don't anticipate or think about the future. That of course just isn't true. I know where I am and I am thinking about the events that today will bring- and I am very excited!! This morning mom took me out for potty. I met some really nice greyhounds.Mom chatted with the man who adopted them. We are back in the room now. It is time for daddy to get up and for me to have breakfast. I will write more later. Stay tuned!!

Visit To Aunt Carla's

Saturday Afternoon mom, dad and I got in the car and headed to Aunt Carla's house. We had to make a few stops before though. First we had to go to Whole Foods. That is a grocery store. It was a hot day outside so mom stayed in the car with me while daddy ran in. We kept the air conditioner on so we wouldn't get too hot. daddy wasn't long. He got pizza making supplies to bring to Aunt Carla's. The next stop was the Petco in Hudson. Mom wanted to pick up dog cookies and look at the fish. The tank still isn't ready for fish yet. We will most likely not get fish until after we come home from Gettysburg. Mom wanted an angel fish but our tank isn't big enough. I guess they grow very big! We are getting fish called platies and mollies instead. They come in many bright colors so they will be pretty in the tank. We finally went to Aunt Carla's after that. This was the first time we had seen Aunt Carla since GT went to the Rainbow Bridge. It was very strange not having him be there. My other friends where there though- Gill, the Italian Greyhounds- Dash, Iggy and Miaya, Uncle Jeff's greyhounds - Skylar and Ninja and Aunt Donna came with Kitty and Kinley. We had a nice party! We dogs got to run and play. Uncle Jeff filled the kiddie pool for us. The humans ate food like they always do. Later Troy and Oscar's mom came. She didn't bring Troy or Oscar because they had been at a meet and greet and they were too tired. It was a nice time. Later mom and Aunt Carla started going over our costumes for Gettysburg and Greyhound Friends Spring Open House. I will have a different costume for each event. I will be wearing my workout outfit to Greyhounds In Gettysburg as I haven't competed there with it yet, and I will be going as something called a Playboy Bunny to Greyhound Friend's Open House. The ideas humans come up with!!!
Mom says we leave for Gettysburg in 10 days!! I can't wait!! I had SO much fun last year. This year will be even better because Aunt Carla, Uncle Jeff, Gill and Skylar are coming too!!!

Photo Shoot

I hope all my pup pals are having a very Happy Easter, Passover or Spring Celebration today! Thank you everyone for all the wonderful Easter Eggs in my special gift box!

Mom, dad and I went to the pet store near our house yesterday. I thought it was going to be a regular shopping trip but I was wrong! Mom got all the food and then we went into a section of the store that I had never been in before. Mom was looking at the fish supplies for the tank we won in the raffle last week. Mom only bought a thermometer as she didn't care for any on the decorations there. A few minutes later the manager of the store came in. He wanted to take pictures of me with the dog food I had won in the St. Patrick's Day contest. He wanted pictures for the store's newsletter. Mom and dad knew about it!! We all had to pose for the camera with the dog food bags. Later, when mom was on the store's website there I was right on the home page!! It was a picture of me in the St. Patrick's costume announcing that I had won. Mom will put it on my dogster page. Later that morning mom and dad got the fish tank all set up. Mom and dad went to another pet store that specializes in fish. They got nice decorations and got the filter and the bubble wand working. Mom is still waiting for the heater. It was out of stock and was back ordered. It should arrive early this week. Then mom has to do something called "cycling" to make sure there is good bacteria in the tank to keep the fish healthy. It may be a week or two before we can get the fish. After the tank was set up, we all got into the car again. Daddy drove me and mom to Grampy's house. Daddy went to his mom's house to pick up things he had stored there. Grandma is selling her house soon. Mom and I had a nice visit with Grampy. Mostly I just slept but mom brought two cookies for me to eat. I was careful not to leave too many crumbs on Grampy's rug.