If you were wondering where your bounced dog went (oh wait…you probably weren’t)

Yesterday we adopted a new family member, a 13-year-old brindle boy named Boozer, who has been with his current people since 2002. He has started to pee in the house, and since they have kids, they cannot keep him. Here’s what I say to that.

A message to Boozer’s people:

We are the family who is adopting your 13-year-old Boozer. I understand what it’s like when they start pottying in the house, especially when you are taking care of kids too… We had a 14 year old greyhound who did that too. His name was Palu. He wore diapers for the 2 years before his rear legs became too weak to walk and we had to help him die. Not a day goes by when I don’t wish I was still washing his 6 diapers a day, to still have that boy in my life.

While we had Palu, we also had 6 other greyhounds. Two of them had cancer and had their legs amputated. They were both doing chemotherapy at the same time. I sure do miss cleaning up post-chemo vomit, washing bloody bandage coverings, and helping them outside to potty in 17 inches of snow. Those two boys, Whitey and Apollo, were one of the biggest blessings in my life. I am so grateful that they found their way to me, after their other families found them to be too much trouble — even before the osteosarcoma.

We still have 6 greyhounds, mostly seniors, although thankfully none is seriously ill right now. Boozer will be our 7th. Oh, and we have kids too, just like you! Our 6-year-old has cerebral palsy and is missing nearly half her brain. She amazes me every day and her smile lights up any darkness. Our 4-year-old was left at an orphanage gate in Beijing on a cold March day. She’s the smartest and most creative child I’ve ever met. And in April, we’ll adopt our third daughter, a beautiful 3-year-old cancer survivor who is missing one arm and speaks no English. Can you believe how lucky I am? I can’t. I think Boozer will be a perfect addition to our home, and I am so happy to have him.

Are we saints? NO. We aren’t. Are we rich? Hell no! I’m a volunteer and a stay-at-home mom, and my husband works for the public schools. We are regular people. We are a family who believes in LOVE, compassion, and responsibility.

Don’t tell me that these dogs and kids are lucky to have us. We both know you’re saying that to make yourself feel better. For every drop of love we give them, they give us back oceans. We cannot imagine our lives without them.

I hope that your children are not learning from your heartless example, that family is only family when it is convenient. Otherwise, I’ll look for you under the bridges of downtown St Louis when you are old, incontinent, and…well…just not that much fun anymore.

Love,

Boozer’s Forever Mom

A Public Service Announcement

I’m a little slow on this news, since it’s a week old now, but it’s important so I wanted to make sure it gets up here.

I’m hoping that someone may benefit from my stupidity…

Last Tuesday morning, we were getting ready to take 4 new adoptables in for their spay/neuters. In the main house were our 6 personal greyhounds plus one adoptable (Dudley). I had on my “dog clothes” so Tigger and Eyore assumed that they were being taken somewhere, and started bouncing around. Then, leashes came out, and everyone started bouncing around. We gated them away from the door, and began bringing adoptables from the kennel into the garage to load into the van.

There was about 30 seconds during which both Lloyd and I were out in the garage, putting the 2 new brothers into the van. During that 30 seconds, *something* happened in the house which caused 6 of the “house” dogs to all attack my 6-yr-old boy Brad. I imagine that Brad may even have started it. But he sure didn’t finish it.

Literally 30 seconds. And the damage was extensive. The vet said she stopped counting at 12 laceration repairs. 2 into the muscle. 2 drains placed. About a 4″x4″ flap of skin hanging on one side that is necrosing and will need resuturing later. 3 of his teeth yanked sideways (presumably on another dog’s collar) and needing extraction. Thankfully, jaw bone not broken.

Every time I do an adoption into a multi-dog home, I warn people to USE THEIR MUZZLES when their dogs are unsupervised. All the time I hear, “But I’m only going to be gone for a minute.” A minute is a long time. This is what can happen in a minute. And these are dogs that live together peacefully every day and have for years.

Brad is going to be okay, but he has a long recovery ahead. And it’s our own damn fault. Everyday life — rushing around to get the dogs off to the vet and the kids off to school and ourselves dressed and ready. Taking a minute to put muzzles on the 7 dogs would have prevented Brad’s injury (and $1200 of vet bills, for what that’s worth).

So. Use your muzzles.
End of lecture.

[Everyone else is fine. Chester has one staple on top of his head (that I placed) and a tear in his ear. He has no teeth, so he really should have thought better of getting involved. Eyore has a tear in his ear and some punctures along his snout, also fixable by me. Everyone else is fine, surprisingly enough, since all were involved.]

More kennel photos

Almost there!!!

A couple kennel photos

The girls and I have been taking advantage of the empty kennel space to practice our taekwondo (or just to run around in circles like crazy maniacs, whichever). But it’s coming along. The subfloor is in, and the stainless steel sheets are up on the walls of the ledge. In a couple days the hospital-grade linoleum goes in. Then the kennels, which are in sections in my turnout yard at the moment. It’s almost done!! I can’t believe we’re finally seeing this project happen.

I’m looking forward to getting some new dogs in. There are a few waiting for me in Iowa. It seems so empty here!! Abigail, Angel, Latey, and Maker are all in foster homes during the renovation. All we have here are Gal and Dudley (plus our 6, of course). Amazing how much time that shaves off the daily routine. But I miss my crew!

As we’ve had Dudley free in the main house, mixed in with our personal pack, we’ve really gotten to know and love him. He is a wonderful boy. So sweet and cute, with a tail that never stops. When he first arrived from Daytona he was kind of bananas. I don’t think he’d ever seen a child before, and when Sunny came out to the kennel he would fall all over himself trying to get at her. Which freaked her out, which got him more excited, etc. Not great. He may have pulled a bow or two out of her ponytails during that time. So for a while I was billing him as not good with small kids. But I was WRONG! He has settled into his own in a big way, and he is a lover. He seeks out my girls for attention, lets them lead him around the house, and is sweet as pie. The other day they had on their vet costumes and were listening to his heartbeat as he slept on the couch.

He’s waiting because he’s not so great with small fuzzies. Everyone in Minnesota seems to have small fuzzies. But someone really needs to adopt this boy! He wants to have a family badly, and we are getting dangerously attached to him. We cannot keep such a young, pretty, adoptable dog. I know there’s a great family out there for him!

Here’s Dudley with Sunny: