Another roacher!

Hanna has roached (in greyhound lingo, it is the position assumed by the pup with the belly up, like a dead cockroach) ever since we got her.  She usually does it  with one front leg extended  up in the air.   According to the "hubbypedia" (my hubby, the walking encyclopedia, I guess he will ask me to take this line down when he reads this ;D), greys roach when they are happy.

Louie has never roached.  I attributed this to the unevenness of his back, or so I thought.  But he  is a happy puppy who thinks everybody wants to pet him.  Then I started noticing that once or twice a year for a couple of years now, he would try it but very briefly.  He usually stops if I make a big fuss out of it.  Yesterday was a breakthrough, he finally roached for a while and allowed me to "document" it.  I know, big deal.  It is for me ;D

It is amazing to realize that the family room has really evolved into the critter room.  Last time we sat on this couch was  years ago when I was still anal enough to cover it.  But the pups love it and we are glad they share such a valuable resource.

Unsafe foods for Dogs

Got this from the Greyhound Outreach's FB https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greyhound-Outreach-Inc/45197102720 (who in turn got it from https://www.facebook.com/TheAnimalHospitalPC):

Nuts about cosmos!

I started with a packet  of bright lights cosmos 3 years ago.  Since I added more flower beds for our cannas and shastas, I had more space for, yes, cosmos, so I went nuts planting them everywhere.  I now have plenty of seeds to share with family, friends and neighbors.  This year we had picotee, fuschia and pink seashells cosmos. 

The bumble bees loved them. 

Who's the Boss?

We are lucky to have a) a very accepting and secured cat who welcomed our greys with such grace and b) retired racers who are smart enough to know who the boss, er, more senior critter is.

Smarties

Our top dog has decided it's ok to share with Hanna's bed.  This pic wasn't a photo-op.  We just found Sebastian one night, plopping down beside a sleeping Hanna.  And to think we were so worried about upsetting the "equilibrium" in him when we were just in the process of researching about adopting greyhounds.  It turned out to be a "purr-fect" match ;)

I am so pleased that our greys can spell.  Their vocabulary now includes, " T-R-E-A-T", "O-U-T", "L-O-V-E---U" and "Get Daddy!"  I am so happy, they have trained me well :P

Lastly, Louie is a compulsive licker.  There are times when we can just tune it out but there are times when the slurping just drives us crazy.  Lately, whenever I get exasperated and will call Louie out on that, Hanna will immediately stand up, look at me and offer (more like shove;) her ears

to Louie for licking.  It actually stops the noise and yet Louie still gets to lick and Hanna gets her ears done.  I must say, we have a pretty smart girl.

Greyt Entertainment

We are an our third year now without TV cable.  We don't miss it, at all. Thank God for news via the internet though.   With critters like ours, we have all the entertaining we need.

Louie:  "Have to air out  my tongue, mom".

Sebastian to Louie:  "Why did mom put to this SOL (space occupying lesion) of a portable greenhouse here?  Doesn't she know this is prime real estate in terms of sunny hangout for the 3 of us?"  Louie:  "You go tell her, I'm not saying anything"....

Louie: "Gotta check if this guy is real"....

Hanna: "Ok, Lou, get to work now, start cleaning my ears"....

 

Looking forward to Spring

While winter has magic all its own....

And Hanna really wishes that it stays winter all year long...

Louie, husby and I are already looking forward to spring! 

These are what remained of the crocuses that I planted 2 years ago.  Those pesky squirrels kept digging the bulbs and the rabbits kept eating the leaves.  And no, cayenne pepper doesn't really work, I just end up with powdery red stuff all over the flower beds. 

Easy No-Sew Snood

From an old  fleece sweatpants from our nephew.  I love that it stays in place and so easy to make, all you need is a pair of scissors and the old sweatpants and voila! a nice snoodie to protect Louie's ears from chillblains!

From Greyhound Outreach

I got this from the greyhound rescue group from whom we got our 2 loving pups:   http://greyhoundoutreach.org/

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Believe it or Not

Greyhounds are the only breed of dog specifically mentioned in the Bible.
Greyhounds are the second fastest animals on earth. Only the cheetah is faster.
When running, Greyhounds spend 75% of their time in the air.
Some Greyhounds sleep with their eyes open.
Greyhounds come in 18 primary colors and over 55 different color combinations.
Greyhounds wear muzzles while racing to protect themselves from injury during the excitement of the race and to make it easier to determine the winner in a photo finish.
At one time only Noblemen could own a Greyhound.
Most Greyhounds are physically unable to sit.
Greyhounds have a higher body temperature than any other dog.
Greyhounds have significantly more red blood cells and a bigger heart and lungs than any other breed.  Red blood cells carry oxygen that helps them to run faster.
Greyhounds have a universal blood type and are used for blood donors.
Greyhounds have a 270-degree range of vision. They can see objects behind them and over ½ mile in front of them.
Greyhounds have stereoscopic vision, which means they are suited to seeing moving objects.  When calling a greyhound it is sometimes helpful to move your body while calling.
Greyhounds are in the top five gentlest dogs.
Some very famous people including Cleopatra, Christopher Colombus, Teddy Roosevelt, General George Custer, Bo Derek, Jackie Gleason, Babe Ruth, Al Capone, Betty White, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Sinatra, Queen Victoria and King Henry VIII have owned greyhounds.
Gray is now the least common color because at one time it was thought that gray dogs ran slower and the color was bred out.
A greyhound uses its tail like a rudder while racing.
Greyhounds are mentioned in 11 of Shakespeare’s plays.
A content greyhound will often “cockroach”  (lay on its back with legs up).
The day before Custer’s last stand, he sent his 40 greyhounds away with a soldier thus saving their lives.
For every greyhound registered with the AKC there are 150 registered with National Greyhound Association.
During a 30-sec race 100,000 watts of waste heat energy are produced, enough to bring 600 ml of tap water to boil in 2 minutes.
Greyhounds can loose up to 5 pounds in a single race.
Out of all the purebred dog breeds up to date, many animal experts have come to believe that the Greyhound is perhaps the healthiest breed of dog when it comes to staying clear of developing any hereditary health issues. It’s truly amazing how a dog breed as ancient as the Greyhound can have a practically perfect health record.

Sauerkraut for Beginners

Husby has read a lot on the health benefits of raw fermented foods (probiotics) so we are trying sauerkraut.  The local farmers' market just finished last week and we've managed to snag beautiful green and purple cabbages.  Now, I am quite anal about doing this right but I don't want to spend big bucks on an expensive crock that will just gather dust if  this doesn't go as planned.  So we searched on alternatives and found this blog

http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/08/fabulous-ferments-making-sauerkraut.html

that lead me to this blog and this amazing sauerkraut and kimchi maker (jar)

http://www.therawdiet.com/pisaandkimch.html

I used 2/3 of a huge green cabbage and a rather big purple cabbage.  It took me hours despite using a food processor, the purple mess all over the counter just overwhelmed me.  But it was all worth it, husby and I have been watching our "experiment" as it turned from purple to fuschia to nice pretty pink right in front of us.  We are on day 5.  A couple more days and we will see if the taste is  worth all the efforts ;)  If this goes well, we will try kimchi next....

Beautiful Fall Colors

Taken before Sandy hit upstate NY and the rest of the US east coast last Monday.  Can't complain,  we are still lucky...

Critter room, etc.

Our family room is now  the critters' room...Hanna on the couch (where the humans rarely sit), Louie on the dogbed, and Sebastian tucked safely under the coffee table.  They work too hard (at sleeping all day) so every nap is well-earned ;)

One of the joys of summer is the abundance of locally grown fruits and veggies.  We are lucky to have a good farmers' market nearby.  The peaches and blueberries have been delicious.  Frozen blueberries or peaches plus vanilla almond milk in a magic bullet--healthy & yummy!  We have also made our first attempt at making our own tomato sauce.  For $10, we got 3 baskets of ripe tomatoes.  An organic 13.5 oz (and in a BPA free can like Eden) tomato sauce costs around $2.75 plus.  I haven't learned how to can so everything is frozen (we got a new chest freezer on sale last Memorial Day).  Freezing collard greens, garlic scapes and swiss chards also work.  Supporting our local farmers is always good aside from having fresh, less expensive and delicious produce.

Conjunctivitis in Greyhounds

A day before husby left for a business trip a couple of weeks ago, I noticed Louie's usually wide-eyed look turn into a squinty with eyelids almost slit-like look...Oh $!!$!, conjunctivitis!  True enough when I opened one eye, the usually white conjunctiva is red, with no obvious discharge though.  Maybe viral.  The following morning, there was already a yellowish discharge.  So off we went to the vet after dropping husby off at the airport.  Flourescein dye was applied to check for abrasions, thank God, Louie had none.  It was allergic conjunctivitis.  Vet couldn't specify what allergen.  We were given a triple antibiotic with steroid ointment for a week.  Fast forward to a week after the treatment, Louie's eyes are already  back to normal.  He also had his Lyme & distemper shots.  Unexpected trip to the vet= $167.00   Seeing your pup with no medical issues=PRICELESS!

Getting rid of Japanese beetles

These beetles are gold with greenish sheen and would have looked nice if  they weren't so destructive.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle

They eat the leaves of fruit bearing trees, roses, cannas and our bonsai (maples, beech, hornbeams).  The easy way to protect the plants  is to use a commercial spray with nasty ingredients (malathion) but husband and I searched for an organic (safer) way to do it.   Traps are out of the question because they will attract more bugs in our area. An online search yielded an interesting suggestion.  Apparently,  having a bucket with some dishwashing liquid and a little bit of water  as the tool to kill these buggers is effective, at least based on our experience.  These bugs start to appear mid-late June  here in our area.  We kept an eye out for the first few bugs which are actually "scouts".  They survey areas and if they find a good one (lots of potential food), they summon more JBs.  So husband and I kept a bucket on hand and did our JB patrols.  Just a light tap on the leaf where these buggers are perched will send them right into the bucket.  Yes, we had a lacy leafed crab apple (15 ft) last year but at least, we didn't have damage in our bonsai. It is still to early too tell if our method reduced the JB number that will be coming to our yard this year (they are usually at their highest numbers mid July). 

JB update:  It is the 21st of July and so far,  the JB turnout this year is less than what we had last year.  Maybe we can also try the milky spore method this year.

Spring 2012

It has been a busy few months.  The warmer winter has ushered in spring  earlier than we were used to (at least here in upstate NY) and with it, the fever to start outdoor & gardening activities.  We enjoyed the crocuses, grape hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, irises and now, the rhodondendrons.  Mowing is again, a weekly activity.

irises

  

red azalea and sweet woodruff

rhododendron bush in the back patio

  And our garlic plants are looking healthy!

garlic plants planted fall 2011

 

 

 

The  bonsai trees are out and all leafed out.  Some had blossoms.  My pink wisteria didn't bloom this year because I harvested 2 seed pods this winter=2 baby pink wisterias!

Hubby's wisteria

Hubby's maple , early spring colors

The dogs are enjoying their morning walks with  our friend's yellow lab.  We also have a very friendly new next door doggy neighbor, a year old rottweiler, who loves treats and playtime with us.

So far, Hanna is used to wearing 4 booties now.  Hopefully, no more paw ulcers...Louie is still his very sociable (to people, not male dogs) self.  Sebastian, our 3rd dog (he thinks he is), is doing well and for a 16 y/o, he looks and acts young.

June birthday girl, Hanna

Louie & Sebastian

our very friendly rottie neighbor, Troy

Dental Health

Greys are known plaque formers. To prevent gum disease, tooth loss and other diseases linked to poor oral health, we brush our greys' teeth every night, they have occasional dental treats and once a year dental cleaning (sometimes once every 2 years, well, they are expensive!).  I am just thrilled that they tolerate the brushing, yep, they don't offer  much in terms of struggle.  Louie even looks forward to it (I bet it's because of the peanut butter flavored toothpaste!).  There are some biting the brush but so far, I still have all 10 fingers intact.

Hanna just had her dental cleaning done last Friday.  Couldn't help but admire her  cleaner & whiter teeth after the procedure (our vet did a great job).  She has gingivitis and some periodontal infection so we were sent home with some Flagyl and Royal Canin dental diet kibbles.  The pics below are her post -$416 teeth cleaning shots.