This is one of my favorite photos from summer 2010 – Sophie and Argos “on duty” watching the kids play. They laid down by each other on their own, keeping watch of their charges. The kids were industriously building sand castles. The dogs didn’t seem to care.

They didn’t seem to care until we were gathering up to go – then Argos got a wild hair and began play bowing and acting silly. I was trying to get my camera out to take a photo of the sand creation. Argos sprang to life. He bowed down on the edge of the castle and that was it. He pawed repeatedly and furiously. Goodbye sand castle! I had tears from laughing so hard. We all did, which only fueled more pawing. Silly Greyhound.

Sophie, if it is possible, laughed too.

Sophie and Argos on Beach Duty

More of Sophie and Argos beach days: Don’t worry – he’s friendly

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Dog Days of Summer

First Argos.
He has actually shown the least interest, especially if it is nap time.

Next Sophie.
She is always the referee/nanny/babysitter. Remember when Barnie joined us?

So intense. Checking out the new guy.

Next, Greta
She has been a little cranky. I would say it is because she is 19 years old, but she has pretty much been this way her whole life. But we love her anyway.

And finally, Barnie!
The playmate he has been searching for. Maybe…?

So the new guy – still kind of nameless, but considering Quincy or Pete – is pretty cute. Warning… Cute overload:

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New Kid in Town

And well… a few new things have been happening in our lives.

We left off with Barnie cozy-ing up with Greta. Wow – this was a first! Some people suggested that it was because of the Cat Mat – that they couldn’t resist sharing the space. I would like to believe that, and there might be an element of truth, but… the real reason is below.

Barnie fills us in on getting squeezed out.

Barnie loves his Invisi-Cat Shield. Now it is being used by someone else.

Next update coming soon…!

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Move over, Barnie

Sleep, sleep, sleep. The pets have fun, too. They… go for walks, play in the yard, go for hikes, chase stuff (and each other) and enjoy meal time excitement. But mostly, they lounge around, living the easy life.

They also swap sleeping places. Never fighting or aggressive, but definitely on the “first come, first sleep” basis. Here is a typical day in the life of lounging pets.

Nothing is more "typical" than a Greyhound loving life on the couch.

Unless we find this...

This causes trouble for Argos, who must find other accommodations.

This IS a very nice dog bed, by the way...

Deaf 19 year old Greta minds her own business. She sleeps very soundly in her Princess Bed.

Unless we find this...

Barnie insists he is comfy (and fits) in Greta's Princess Bed.

I have recently taken up the sport of knitting, and am obsessed! But … I don’t like to just make random things. Schtuff to fill up your house. Nope. I am all about functional art. In this case, I decided that I would make Barnie his very own Cat Mat for napping coziness.

My “in my head” pattern turned out a little too big for his window perch, so I thought it would make a great back-of-the-couch cozy for Greta. This is “her” spot nearly all of the time, when she isn’t in the Princess Bed. I worked until late at night and left the Cat Mat project on the back of the couch, where I was figuring out how wide I want to make it.

Cat Mat in progress, laying on the back of the couch to measure size.

Greta approves of the Cat-Mat-in-progress.

You can see where this is going here.

My sweet Sophie is happy wherever she lays her head!

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Sleeping Arrangements

Greyhound Twister! I don't pose these photos. Silly dogs!

That’s Hammer peeking under Lunar, another foster, and Argos. Lunar is also coming to our pre-adoption meeting tonight – the family is considering adopting two Greyhounds! How exciting.

Argos needs a head rest.

It was a very beautiful day — my daughter (and Greyhound wrangler) and the dogs were begging to go to the park after the meet-and-greet, so we did.

Everything about the park is fun. Fun!

Argos comes alive. Squirrels! He is doesn't pull or go crazy, just super, hyper-alert. So still.

Sophie and Argos have a silent communication – they get it – there’s squirrels here. How exciting! Neither dog makes a sound, but they look at each other, back to squirrels, and back to each other.

Hammer is not-so-much into the squirrel thing.

I heart you, Sophie.

To be continued…

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A Meet-and-Greet and the Park

Then I got home to a message from my rescue group. A family is very interested in adopting Hammer. They live 2.5 hours away. Hmmm. Stop and think. A little panic. Would I ever hear about him again? I called the family. Wow… could be a perfect fit – two dog-loving kids about my two dog-loving kids’ ages, flexible work/home schedules, and they have done their Greyhound research. We are meeting next week to see if Hammer is a good match. My rescue group says that “Greyhounds choose you,” so Hammer will be the center of all of this. For now, here are some photos from today.

Someone is coming to pet us!

My sweeties - Argos and Sophie

Argos has really come out of his shell since we adopted him in December. He loves the attention!

Hammer and another foster boy, Lunar. Also a mellow sweetie!

Greyhounds love to use each other as headrests. How heavy can their tiny heads be?!

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Adoption Meet-n-Greet at PetsMart

There are those who say animals do not have feelings, I disagree. Consider this. Argos has slept on the same dog bed, in the same place in the bedroom, since we first adopted him. He always sleeps the same way on it; curled up, back to the wall. The night Hammer arrived? I had to laugh – there was Argos, on his bed as usual, all curled up but – facing the wall. His back toward us!

We have an odd assortment of bedraggled dog beds here. Sophie has never really cared about being on a bed, she seems to prefer the floor. Knowing that we were headed in the direction of fostering a Greyhound, I ordered another bed. I didn’t have anyone special in mind when I did this, just that it would be good to have another dog bed. On the way home, I decided that is should be deemed Argos’ special bed. I put it in the place of his old one, and he took right to it. He loved it so much that I am now dragging it to the bedroom and around the house for him.

Oh, and he isn’t sleeping with his back to us anymore.

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Argos gets a new comfy bed

But things have changed for me, thankfully. I wrote more about this fostering experience on VetMed Connect right after posting these photos, but for now, here is a peek at our new guy. His name is Hammer, and he is 2 years old.

First order of business - a nice bath. Ahhhh!

Argos demonstrates his typical work day for Hammer.

Sophie demonstrates her typical work day for Hammer.

Hammer thinks about it.

Hammer wonders what the deal is with all of the photos. Look at those EARS! So cute.

Barnie, feeling a little put out that the new guy isn't very interested in his dog-teasing antics.

Continued:

Hammer Time – Our New Greyhound Foster Dog – in Words

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Hammer the Foster Dog – in Pictures

Pets feel the same way too, sometimes.

I had an amazing day yesterday – working with 23 Greyhounds just off the track. I will be posting photos and the “rest of the story” this weekend…

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Busy day ahead. Where to start?

Had the spotlight all to himself. Until his buddies showed up.

The dogs just HAD to see what was up. And thus Barnie’s modeling session was cut short.

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Barnie strikes a pose. And is upstaged.