tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018511536466529922024-03-12T22:15:39.678-07:00A (Greyt) Dog BlogInfo on dogs (mostly greyhounds) and my experiences with them. And maybe a hint of me in there too.Kinipellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11090005090417604030noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-4746823526981279112015-11-25T13:18:00.003-08:002015-11-25T13:19:18.843-08:00Not so good news for Win...I've been delaying writing about this for a while, since it feels more real written down. But, as of a few months ago, Winry came up with a random limp, at first in her back legs. We took her to the vet and did comprehensive x-rays to, as always with greyhounds, rule out bone cancer first and foremost.<br />
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The x-ray came back clean, and Win went on Rimadyl for a few weeks and her limp went away, though she stayed on mostly bed rest (no real exercise). Unfortunately, during this time, she very suddenly came up with another limp, this time in her shoulder. She seemed in pain, despite being on the Rimadyl. Off to the vet we went again for more x-rays of that area, and oddly enough, they again came up clean. During her examination though, we found a small mass on her leg that we decided to aspirate and send to the lab, just in case.<br />
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The results came back and indicate a type of malignant cancer that manifests itself in the joints. Because the source of her pain looks to be deep within the joint in her shoulder, we aren't able to very well identify it. It is tissue based and not showing up on the x-ray, and would require surgery to thoroughly evaluate it, and even then, the vet said not much else could really be done. It's possible (and likely, since the mass we found was lower on her leg on the opposite side), that the tumors have spread to other locations, so trying to treat it is essentially not possible due to its gelatinous and spread out nature. <br />
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Because we can't identify how large existent tumors are or how aggressive they're being (or if she's had this her whole life and it just gradually takes over?), we don't even have a timeline of things. For now, basically all we can do is manage her pain. Currently, Winry is on the steroid prednisone that has actually been somewhat helpful; she still limps, but she limps faster and doesn't seem as hindered. She gets 15mg once a day in the morning, so unfortunately, mornings before her medication is roughest for her, where she struggles to get up and moving. But, afterwards, seems more or less normal, despite her limps. She loves to eat, she loves to chew bones and over all still seems pretty happy. We're doing all we can to keep her that way.<br />
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So far, it looks like we'll enjoy the holidays with her, and hopefully for a good amount of time after that. It will just be a matter of managing her pain, and of course, not letting her existence be more about suffering vs enjoyment.<br />
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We love you, Win <3<br />
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Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-46839342735900628522015-09-21T10:07:00.000-07:002015-09-21T10:07:15.330-07:00Camping Trip to Sylvan Lake, Eagle COWe were overdue for a trip to the mountains, and wanted to try out some of our camping gear we got from our registry! Winry, unfortunately, was unable to join us as she had recently recovered from a sprained leg from playing too hard with Ahri, so she spent the weekend at their favorite dog boarding facility and also seemed to have a good time :).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As always, waiting for him to wake up. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferguson enjoyed himself and caught some good Zs. </td></tr>
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Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-47091181926817706702015-07-29T18:20:00.000-07:002015-07-29T18:20:51.814-07:00A Normal Sight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-Mr1SDVWKRqPUfqEzWsnKRkN0to4VVSD02PCEz55F6btUl0dFgAc3bHT1t7uSN_Hc4mqf8_HPYHeQjWPKyczkwyhiYTZ9k4uVeROcvdauPTrc2IjvXcDsRVCujiKh-2cn1uuriUJuRM/s1600/20150729_191620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-Mr1SDVWKRqPUfqEzWsnKRkN0to4VVSD02PCEz55F6btUl0dFgAc3bHT1t7uSN_Hc4mqf8_HPYHeQjWPKyczkwyhiYTZ9k4uVeROcvdauPTrc2IjvXcDsRVCujiKh-2cn1uuriUJuRM/s320/20150729_191620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-32560093718909634502015-07-29T14:50:00.000-07:002015-07-29T14:50:00.567-07:00"I'll Just Wait." <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'll just wait here for you to wake up." </td></tr>
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-53116916656592815022015-07-24T15:09:00.001-07:002015-07-24T15:10:14.577-07:00Birthday Daycare<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-7A_16PiU6NjdxupqYKZzoYXxLyU_wxA2V30bwHqMA922fv9l5s3Y54hSXILcJXy3pFVeN3ZiBsST-l3vaz57zlbN-Nc9Wbvbps4722YykFR-A7An_TBQOSY5-G6TiPRFtkanN3wt04/s1600/20150724_072026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-7A_16PiU6NjdxupqYKZzoYXxLyU_wxA2V30bwHqMA922fv9l5s3Y54hSXILcJXy3pFVeN3ZiBsST-l3vaz57zlbN-Nc9Wbvbps4722YykFR-A7An_TBQOSY5-G6TiPRFtkanN3wt04/s320/20150724_072026.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Are we almost there?"</td></tr>
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Ahri already looks a lot different from when I last posted photos! She has fully recovered (as far as can be detected) from her parasites, and thankfully just in time. Arik had required meetings this week, causing his hours to be far too long for a growing pup. He was able to stop for lunch at home for the greyhounds, but as anyone with greyhounds knows, they are far easier to tire out in short time periods than any other dog and don't tend to do much during the day besides sleep anyway. But as Ahri is still young and needs to be crated during the day (the greyhounds are free roam downstairs with muzzles), we thought it best that she go to daycare during his meeting days.<br />
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So today is her third day in a row of daycare, with the staff constantly commenting on how grateful they are to see her. She is described as "the best player we've ever had" because she will play with any dog, any size, any age, any play-style. She is also tireless, and will literally play all day, while most dogs go full speed and are done in a few hours, if that. But Ahri's energy level is interesting to me; she is perpetually a 3-4 out of 10 on the energy scale. She is never insane or "hyper" and is very mellow in temperament. But while she remains low key, she has the endurance of a husky. Whether she runs ten miles or none at all, there won't be much difference in her general demeanor. I'll notice her being more "busy", but the speed in which she does anything is still the same. I think this ties back to the "Livestock Guardian" breed though, as they must be very even tempered to not startle their flock, but also must travel many miles in a day's work as they roam the fields. <br />
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In any case, she impresses me that she can tire out the daycare's most active dogs, but is also compliant and mellow enough to get along swimmingly with my lazy older greyhounds! She does have a sense of charm about her in that every dog likes her. Ferguson, who is often so grumpy and impatient with younger dogs, actively invites her to play with him, lets her lick his ears, and genuinely seems to enjoy having her around. I think he plays with her 3x more than Winry does!<br />
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It is true that daycare does tire Ahri, but I suspect she is not as good at monitoring her energy levels as an adult dog. She will often seem restless when she comes home in that she still wants to be a part of everything and follow everyone around to see what they're up to. In the evenings we've had to ask her to kennel-up (which she can do from across the house, by the way...such a smart pup!), to convince her to hang out in one place, and within 5 minutes she's dead asleep. But without this prompting, she'll keep going like the energizer bunny...unbelievable.<br />
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For my birthday this evening, my parents are flying in from out of town and we're headed to dinner with friends, so I will appreciate Ahri being a living stuffed animal for majority of the evening. By morning though, she'll be up and ready for our 1-2 mile long walk with the greyhounds...;).Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-33130816621461222422015-07-06T15:38:00.001-07:002015-07-06T15:38:12.401-07:00One Sick Pup.It's been quite a week for all of us.<br />
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Poor Ahri is really taking advantage of her 30 day pet insurance...and thank goodness we have it. After going to the vet in regards to my concern of her odd urinary habits, she was seen, and a urinalysis was submitted along with blood-work to rule out anything major. As it turns out, she has two types of crystals in her urine that point to a UTI, though no bacteria was yet observed. The vet felt confident a UTI was likely the cause though, and put her on 2 weeks of amoxicillan in hopes of that clearing things up. <br />
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Little did we know, that was actually the least of her problems. After another several days, I noticed Ahri itching uncontrollably, and saw little red bumps on her, along with little black spots. WONDERFUL. I immediately guessed fleas, and treated her (and the other two dogs) with frontline I happily had on hand. Fortunately, this seemed to do the trick and most itching stopped within another day or so. We also started a cleaning/sanitizing regiment that should keep them at bay. So, problems over?<br />
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Not even close.<br />
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I took Ahri to daycare, only to get a call an hour after leaving her that she had pooed, and that multiple segmented worm bits were found in her stool, indicating a likely tapeworm. She of course needed to be removed asap from daycare, and was away from all the other dogs. I had to leave work early to get both her and the sample to the vet (this vet, whom I've unfortunately lost all faith in over this processes since they are apparently incapable of doing ANYTHING in-house...urine, fecal, heart worm test, or otherwise). I explained the situation to them, but they refused to give any medication until the fecal results came back from the lab two days later.<br />
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TWO DAYS?! It was quite clear to me that the dog has a tapeworm, and would make sense with my flea analysis. SO, for Ahri's sake of comfort, I stopped at the petstore and grabbed OTC fenbenzole (sp?), and paid a ridiculous $25 for what would give me two doses (it's $10 on amazon >:( ) just to get her started. Two days later, we get her results back, and apparently the tech decided to only swab the sample and ignored my indication of BIG WORM BITS were in that sample. Just the same, she came back positive for Giardia. OH, GREAT. THAT THING THAT'S INSANELY CONTAGIOUS?! LOVELY.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOnbvbvRa13knsHYPHxCBLld_MtTJqpoNRODkd2LtRaysf9hcG0N71_mO_4UWZ-dkN0nVlNSu9sHgY8QfVegzD2jJr76tRdvZTgs0hpFlcN0K7UKbatK_jhH6BFqn4dgrscIenT-TS2c/s1600/giardia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOnbvbvRa13knsHYPHxCBLld_MtTJqpoNRODkd2LtRaysf9hcG0N71_mO_4UWZ-dkN0nVlNSu9sHgY8QfVegzD2jJr76tRdvZTgs0hpFlcN0K7UKbatK_jhH6BFqn4dgrscIenT-TS2c/s320/giardia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It even has an evil face.</td></tr>
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Fortunately (or unfortunately), Ahri pooed again at home with more worm bits showing up, so we were able to convince the vet staff that she also needed treatment for tapeworm, in addition to the giardia. We get medication for both and start her right away on a 5 day regiment (which is actually 7, since I gave her two doses of the same stuff (fenbenzole)over the weekend...I've learned you usually can't overly de-worm). <br />
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Naturally, a day later, Ferguson EXPLODES overnight, all over the kitchen and laundry room. So, since Giardia is so ridiculously contagious, we're assuming he's got it too. Only since our wallets are wiped from spending nearly $500 on Ahri and her treatment (since we should in theory get reimbursed for her treatments, per the fine print of her 30 day pet insurance trial), we just go ahead and order 4 rounds (two rounds for each greyhound) of fenbenzole in the assumption that this is his issue, and will likely treat Winry as well as soon as it arrives tomorrow. Getting it overnighted from amazon is only $60, when Ahri's was $50 alone for one dog. So, at least there is some savings in there, somewhere.<br />
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In any case, the greyhounds' treatment arrives tomorrow, and Ahri finishes her treatment tomorrow evening. The dogs are being ultimately confined to downstairs (where the hard, easy to sanitize floor is), all poo in the yard has been cleaned with the area dowsed in a vinegar/detergent/hot water solution. All poo is being removed immediately, and the subsequent spot sprayed down with ammonia. All toys and bowls are being washed daily with hot water and detergent, or run in a high temp dishwasher for those that can handle it. Ahri's crate is being wiped down with disinfectant every day. High end probiotic is arriving Friday, along with <a href="http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/diatomaceous_earth.html" target="_blank">diatomaceous earth</a> that can be sprinkled in all of the areas, on dogs, in their water, and fed with food to keep away any future infestations of any parasites. The dogs are getting baths on their last days of treatment, and behinds wiped with babywipes after use in the meantime. Floors are to be swiftered every evening for the next two weeks.<br />
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NO MORE PARASITES, PLEASE!!!!!<br />
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The worst part is, I have no idea when Ahri can go back to daycare. Her fecal won't be re-checked for three weeks, as it can supposedly take quite a long time for giardia to no longer show up in stools, even if none of it is "live"...or sometimes it can come up negative even when still present. It sounds like a huge headache, but I resent the fact that my pup can't use her valuable time as an adolescent to socialize with others like her :'(. Perhaps I can call the vet and ask, but I'm thinking the answer will be no sooner than that "cleared" stool sample, despite all our treatments.<br />
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It's all been such a headache. I just can't wait for it to be over -_-.<br />
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And to think, our biggest concern was originally just her abnormal peeing, or then just a tapeworm. I only WISH it was just a tapeworm. *Sighs*.<br />
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-16270057977185546922015-06-16T12:13:00.000-07:002015-06-16T12:17:56.701-07:00Ahri the Amazing...? <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63i1jLKNct0l33dxhSMsYvnsizXMjaNGLg5uCcfpQNHdW0o-lN5nUAdPYIb-SJvMLOrWlzSJkGhuKwOy0Tl94cTQHXx9SledgoHUCg39CTPKcEwoE8GBgcFsxRTEoGWhep_Ze3bzDMqs/s1600/AhriandWin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63i1jLKNct0l33dxhSMsYvnsizXMjaNGLg5uCcfpQNHdW0o-lN5nUAdPYIb-SJvMLOrWlzSJkGhuKwOy0Tl94cTQHXx9SledgoHUCg39CTPKcEwoE8GBgcFsxRTEoGWhep_Ze3bzDMqs/s320/AhriandWin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Who, me?"</td></tr>
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It's only been a few days, and while we know she may continue to change as she becomes more adjusted, we really like our Ahri so far :).<br />
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We don't know what she is. As mentioned before, she was labeled as a Maremma Sheepdog. Last night, we briefly went to a training facility, and they called her a Kuvasz. I guess she looks like either. I'd be interested to do a breed DNA test on her one day, but what's interesting are the number of people who refer to her like she's a mogwai and going to one day transform into this aggressive, extremely difficult beast. Yet at 6 months old, Ahri is compliant, quiet, sensitive, submissive, friendly, gentle, and mostly low key (last night when I got home, I could tell for instance that she'd been confined much of the day while we were at work, as she played fetch with me for around 15 minutes in the yard and we went for a walk later that night, but I'd never describe her as "active" necessarily...just puppyish). She loves people and dogs, and wags her tail and gets a bit bouncy whenever she sees them, which I'd consider a bit unusual for a dog that supposedly is "aloof with strangers," as the Maremma and Kuvasz apparently are. <br />
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People are so odd with dogs, it seems. After reading a study I'd found where 5,000 canine "professionals" (vet's, trainers, etc), were asked to visually identify the breeds in 100 mixes, they only had about 25% accuracy, which leaves me feeling a little less than confident that Ahri is what anyone visually thinks she is. <br />
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Can't she just be our dog? The paranoia about her makes me feel a bit nervous, that one day I'll wake up and my sweet marshmallow puppy will be a barky, disobedient, aggressive monster to everyone outside of the household. I'm sure she'll test some boundaries as she gets older, but after having already been spayed at 5 months, I'm hoping her hormones don't get THAT out of wack to where she acts like a different dog. I'm also hoping that our firm, yet gentle consistency with her, daily exercise routines, and frequent exposure to new people and situations will prevent many of these issues and keep her amiable. For now, she just reminds me of a more mellow golden retriever!<br />
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We're planning on bringing Ahri to daycare every other week or so to keep up her socialization with other dogs and people while she's young, and plan to enroll in a basic obedience course to help her stay obedient and responsive even in distracted situations. I think she'll really enjoy daycare, since she loves everyone and has a submissive demeanor that is apparently very likable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAagP5nE5pkmI7d5aKfd8_hK_VqIpce0Gwz1eJWeDmX346sXEYuROflFoj8VX4M5kJFDwVWshAN8Mp6OKDRUOC70HvRVvyq3NStHO_TtZWR0eS0sMsucQPF5Na3teBJ7wBCumNztbMbXk/s1600/fergahriwin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAagP5nE5pkmI7d5aKfd8_hK_VqIpce0Gwz1eJWeDmX346sXEYuROflFoj8VX4M5kJFDwVWshAN8Mp6OKDRUOC70HvRVvyq3NStHO_TtZWR0eS0sMsucQPF5Na3teBJ7wBCumNztbMbXk/s320/fergahriwin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lounging in the yard together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Even Ferguson seems to enjoy her, and I was expecting much more aloofness and annoyance on his end. Normally he is quick to growl and snap at unfamiliar dogs, but thus far it's only happened once, when she was really pushing him to the edge and I was actually HOPING he'd tell her to stop so she'd stay in check with canine etiquette (she was jumping all over him and nibbling on his ears). And, with a very low growl and quick showing of teeth, she stopped immediately and backed away. I'm amazed at her intuition and sensitivity with other dogs, so long as the other dog gives her any indication.<br />
<br />
Only time will tell what happens I guess with Ahri's breed tendencies. But for now, she is responsive and mostly quiet when confined, doesn't pull on the leash (I can actually walk all three dogs with relative ease! We've been doing 2 miles each morning before work), fetches, is non-confrontational, loves everyone, and is non-destructive. So...what could go wrong? I guess we'll find out if anything does...!Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-44091757956618617752015-06-15T12:23:00.000-07:002015-06-16T12:17:39.808-07:00Our OKC AdventureArik and I had a rough time getting to OKC. Originally our plan was to stay overnight in Salina or Wichita KS, but low and behold, some baseball tournament was going on IN OKC, and caused every single hotel within a 400 mile radius to be booked -_-. We ended up having to drive straight to OKC, arriving by around 5am, and attempting to sleep in the car in a Bass Pro shop parking lot until 11am. The volunteer ended up running late by about 90 minutes, which admittedly did give us a chance to walk around the downtown OKC area with the dogs. They seemed to enjoy this and had a nice time:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with pink flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with red flowers...</td></tr>
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And then, finally, at around 1:30, we got to meet Ahri! She greeted us by running up and sitting, and then flopping over for a belly rub. Within a few minutes of having her meet Winry briefly before being lifted into the back with her, we were off again, back to Colorado. We made stops every few hours, and eventually made it back by just about midnight.<br />
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Needless to say, we are TIRED, and it should take a few days to fully recover from the adventure. The whole ride, we kept saying, "Poor dog...we'll have really high expectations of her after going through all this trouble...she better be worth it!" Fortunately, as will be discussed in the next post, she really has been above and beyond our expectations!<br />
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And while OKC was nicer than I thought it would be, I'll have to keep these photos for memory, since I doubt we'll be going back maybe ever again!<br />
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-264533130946824622015-06-13T18:25:00.003-07:002015-06-16T12:16:58.595-07:00The first "Ahri" pictures!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-47004216648346007532015-06-11T11:28:00.000-07:002015-06-16T12:16:44.087-07:00A New...PUPPY?!Sometimes life can surprise you!<br />
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Since moving into our house, it's true that Arik and I had been looking at adopting a third dog, and we'd talked about it for many months prior. As I've mentioned many times, I love my greyhounds, and expect to always have at least one around in the future :). But for an all around family dog and for me wanting to potentially get back into recreational training, we were hoping our next dog would be some sort of low-medium energy mutt with working lines. A less fragile, fine with everything the future will throw at us, easy-peasy dog slightly more inclined to enjoy recreational obedience.<br />
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We had initially applied to a rescue group called Big Dogs Huge Paws that operates out of CO, TX, NE, KS, OK, WY, and UT. While I wasn't initially searching for a "giant" breed of dog, we were actively looking for a lower energy dog and thought we'd be more likely to find one if it were mixed with a "giant breed" but still being of similar size to Ferguson at 80ish pounds. The group had a lot of promising dogs within their foster homes, so we inquired about several once we were approved and had a home visit conducted. Comprehensive evaluations done on each dog we inquired for were sent to us, and we got learn even more in depth about the dog's personality and behavior traits within their foster home. We had gone through a few, and none seemed quite right; some were very high energy, some had possession issues, some were barkers, and some had separation issues (NO MORE PLEASE!). We were fine waiting for the right dog though, so were not trying to be impatient.<br />
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We had looked through most of their dogs, and on a whim, I saw the youngest dog they have in rescue, with a pretty typical bio about her general behavior (essentially that she is learning positive behaviors in her foster home and has a good attitude). She was listed as a "Maremma Sheepdog", which did make me apprehensive; that breed is one of the rarest in the world, and is not known for being a particularly good pet due to their overpowering drive to watch over livestock, roam, and bark. However, understanding that this is a rescue and they are likely doing their best to "guess" her breed, I decided to inquire further about her and request her formal evaluation, since she had no obvious deal-breakers listed for us. <br />
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Her eval was fairly impressive. Her foster home sounded like they were doing a good job of being consistent and that she seemed fairly low energy for a 6 month old pup. We decided to request an interview with her foster mom to get an even more comprehensive profile.<br />
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As it turns out, "Sophie" sounds like quite the opposite of a "Maremma Sheepdog," and to me, sounds much more like a Golden/Samoyed/Pyrenees/St. Bernard cross (which is great, as I enjoy both of these breeds!). She is just 45lbs, described as being extremely low key and mellow, and the easiest pup her foster mom has fostered over the course of several years. She said "Sophie" is very submissive and wonderful with her older great danes, and very respectful of boundaries. She LOVES her crate, and just likes to be nearby, but is rather humble, yet friendly and affectionate to everyone she meets. She spends most of her time lazing around, but is always open to play if you start it. Apparently, no one knows why exactly she is so sweet, gentle, and easy-going for her age, but she's had a clean bill of health and is ready to go to her new home. It might have to do her background of being dumped in the middle of rural OK, being covered in 100+ ticks, and found at the age 4.5 months (also making me doubt that she's this 8k priced, rare breed of a dog) Who knows what happened to her before then, but she was certainly a dog in need of rescuing!<br />
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So, after some discussion, we decided we'd like to move forward with "Sophie's" adoption. Unfortunately for us, she is being fostered in OK City. The group does have volunteers that would drive her a few hours, one at a time, to get her to us in CO, but to do would take another two weeks in trying to coordinate. Arik, very excited at the prospect of our new little one, said, "Well, I'VE never been to OK! ROOOOOOOAD TRIP!"<br />
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We leave tomorrow evening after the hounds have been walked and fed, in hopes of making it to Salina KS by 1am. We'll then make the rest of the drive Saturday morning, to pick her up and head back to CO and get there by midnight, and have Sunday to recover!<br />
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What a whirlwind!<br />
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We'll be sure to post some great photos of our trip, as well as our new addition as soon as we have them :). But, here is a photo from her profile, as a preview:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://bigdogshugepaws.com/sites/default/files/u17/sophie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that smile! </td></tr>
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<img src="http://bigdogshugepaws.com/sites/default/files/u17/sophie5.jpg" /><br />
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-34736112389881308922015-06-03T09:56:00.001-07:002015-06-03T09:56:28.757-07:00So Far So Good!I'm pleased to report that Ferg and Win continue to settle in very well! They've enjoyed getting to burn off any extra energy frolicking in the yard, have gotten to chew some natural bones (not previously possible in our apartment), and are over all adapting quickly! <br />
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I've worked hard to keep our routine very much the same. We still go for a mile long power walk in the morning before breakfast, and before I go off to work, and they are still muzzled when unsupervised. The house has made us make some adjustments as well; initially we weren't sure on whether to give them full run of the house or not (which admittedly, it's not a huge house!) during the night or when we're away, but have currently settled on having them confined downstairs during the day while we're gone (kitchen, dining room, family room...it's all one large room), and have let them have free access at night, also being able to access the loft and two bed choices up there if they wish. Surprisingly, Ferguson actually chose to stay downstairs last night (not sure he realized the gate at t he top of the stairs had been moved, but he didn't really bother to look or try). Winry has so far ALWAYS been glad to stay downstairs, as her favorite bed currently resides there...my easy pup!<br />
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It's actually very lucky Ferguson chose to stay downstairs, as his stomach got quite upset in the middle of the night and caused him to vomit twice at 4 am. I've noticed that he's been able to handle raw meat not nearly as well as he did when he was younger, so am not sure if that set him off. He also has been eating a lot of grass lately, as we've been in the process of trying to mow down some higher, stubborn spots on the lawn's edge that the dogs are like magnets too. Winry, happily, has had no issues at all the last few times they've had anything raw, which is funny since she's usually my sensitive stomach pup! <br />
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Ferguson did eat his half-portion breakfast this morning, and had formed stools, so I think he'll be bounced back in no time. Arik reports he's not gotten sick and seemed fine the rest of this morning too. <br />
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That's a bit of a dilemma, as both LOVE raw meat/bones, and the marrow bones we got them were very affordable ($1 a bone, about) and entertained them for a total of 2 hours. I know it also does miracles for their teeth as raw items tend to, so perhaps we'll just continue giving them as a monthly or bi-monthly treat, and only on weekends so I can catch up on my sleep schedule or take an afternoon nap during the day to make up for any late-night awakenings. And perhaps his stomach will re-adapt to the raw...he used to do wonderfully on it! Maybe it was too much grass, or a combination of the two. Who knows?<br />
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More updates to come!Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-73753172050658170602015-05-30T10:58:00.002-07:002015-05-30T10:58:41.055-07:00Fenced yard play! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-6663859686654039502015-05-28T11:14:00.000-07:002015-05-28T11:14:02.269-07:00First Visit to the HouseI'll admit I was a bit nervous to bring Ferg and Win to the house for the first time. I wanted to be sure they didn't feel any anxiety and that they generally had a good experience over all from the get-go.<br />
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To prepare, I packed up their ex-pen and had set it up in the family room with blankets before their arrival. I also had ordered Ferguson a pheromone soothing collar for him to wear over the next month (supposedly it lasts 30 days) as we continue these adjustments.<br />
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Fortunately, everything went quite well! Both dogs seemed very happy about the space, enjoyed exploring, but didn't seem at all insecure. They were all smiles, but still listened very well when corrected (like to not go into the master bedroom). While we were unpacking things in the master, they actually chose to go lay down in the guest bedroom across the hall on the floor, seeming to be totally content :). <br />
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They both seemed to really be happy about the yard space! The grass is in desperate need of mowing, but they had a great time frolicking around and sniffing. They kept coming back to me with a happy look on their faces, as if to say, "This is great Mom! We love our yard!"<br />
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Unfortunately I didn't have my camera at the ready for every picture, but I did catch one of Ferguson being used as a butt pillow. He has a miserable look on his face, but I can promise he was actually quite happy and laid there pleasantly as we unpacked many, many boxes. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"We're good here, Mom! You just keep unpacking all our stuff!"</td></tr>
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More pictures to come soon! Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-61575005505604605502015-05-27T09:54:00.000-07:002015-05-27T09:54:00.324-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Winry <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-20395441011788988382015-05-20T08:26:00.001-07:002015-05-20T08:26:42.574-07:00Happy 8th Birthday, Ferguson!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting politely on a "stay" waiting to be released for his birthday breakfast of raw beef chunks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His muzzle looks so grey! Out and about during his walk this morning. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A throwback to 2011. Look how dark his muzzled used to be! </td></tr>
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<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-43571676633864001402015-05-11T19:12:00.003-07:002015-05-11T19:12:48.491-07:00Pet Matcher JenRelevant to my passion for dogs and aiding homeless pets, I've began my own startup that strives to do exactly this! <br />
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My site, Pet Matcher Jen, strives to help people adopt compatible pets. Potential adopters complete my personalized questionnaire and I use this to find pets in their area, in a radius that the potential adopter dictates. I take into account all their considerations (breed, age, color, energy level, etc), and delivery quality, well-matched pet profiles based upon the adopter's well thought out, logical wants and needs for their future furry companion. My service aims to match more compatible dogs and cats with homes that are well suited to them, removing the potentially counter-productive emotional toll, and for aiding those with busy schedules to find companions they may not have been able to find on their own. Thanks to technology, this is a service I should be able to complete from anywhere in the United States, and for an affordable fee that the adopter can also select based upon their needs.<br />
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It's still a work in progress, but I've got the website up and running! Please visit the link below, and tell me what you think!<br />
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https://petmatcherjen.wordpress.com/Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-31055865463194905992015-05-10T08:51:00.001-07:002015-05-10T08:51:55.254-07:00Photos from this morning, May 10th.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQzLETmVFeKqzdKK5ZyXeL77FKPGIVj2Yq1sm3jBkjAiNcDxBSSjgFWfTV8P1uqHemBCUdFCp99Nami64H_e0NmWC19WwN7JzrT5CFqQBpDSZvlsOjbW4mZ8CANQ_ulG3zJi_Q6clV1M/s1600/13487_10152784195106960_7169710169701465905_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQzLETmVFeKqzdKK5ZyXeL77FKPGIVj2Yq1sm3jBkjAiNcDxBSSjgFWfTV8P1uqHemBCUdFCp99Nami64H_e0NmWC19WwN7JzrT5CFqQBpDSZvlsOjbW4mZ8CANQ_ulG3zJi_Q6clV1M/s320/13487_10152784195106960_7169710169701465905_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferguson is unimpressed, as was I.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWBrpTpuEowqkESy7O0fITg1oj9mIWdESRopAawOL-RPwnFJSzWpKXXmBChYNsjTrcLLKpXRREfarmsD_76DHnzEp6tLVHtb3pNQkhIYF3O_6gp6D5SMD3ttYL7EMexEJI-R-EzLZIqw/s1600/11205097_10152784195276960_7072861041535309000_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWBrpTpuEowqkESy7O0fITg1oj9mIWdESRopAawOL-RPwnFJSzWpKXXmBChYNsjTrcLLKpXRREfarmsD_76DHnzEp6tLVHtb3pNQkhIYF3O_6gp6D5SMD3ttYL7EMexEJI-R-EzLZIqw/s320/11205097_10152784195276960_7072861041535309000_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winry too, looks less than thrilled.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_eMdKuuTEp9w-1lGmvBMcu1h1CbJncsfpVl1XVTxWq5bBSKwGtyrpmUCGe_qsD9AfiZSCGZb29Ua2udM50XxqlihxC-mc7oZZN408JHS7dc2II7f8hsQV-y5F9JZLg84iS6J2BayA9U/s1600/11143602_10152784194881960_3265591136558325352_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_eMdKuuTEp9w-1lGmvBMcu1h1CbJncsfpVl1XVTxWq5bBSKwGtyrpmUCGe_qsD9AfiZSCGZb29Ua2udM50XxqlihxC-mc7oZZN408JHS7dc2II7f8hsQV-y5F9JZLg84iS6J2BayA9U/s320/11143602_10152784194881960_3265591136558325352_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urg. 5 inches -_-<br /></td></tr>
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On the bright side, the forecast for the rest of the week is supposed to be in the 70s, so it won't be here for long.<br /><br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-89676786413892556702015-05-06T13:52:00.002-07:002015-05-06T13:52:43.786-07:00Wordless Wednesday <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTumHo1zwryMvU2oz5wBS4_4kKKAneRosx78JwulMzGj9kK9vJpajp-DKD0Ucj808fmoFpdzWbd750pzUzFoqAsyegM1qNTR0oKDFUD1OxQ4M3S2AAuCPaWp683zlNC8tZEcIybvkJsw/s1600/ComfyWin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTumHo1zwryMvU2oz5wBS4_4kKKAneRosx78JwulMzGj9kK9vJpajp-DKD0Ucj808fmoFpdzWbd750pzUzFoqAsyegM1qNTR0oKDFUD1OxQ4M3S2AAuCPaWp683zlNC8tZEcIybvkJsw/s1600/ComfyWin.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-51409154753750882582015-04-22T09:49:00.001-07:002015-04-22T09:49:54.338-07:00Wordless Wednesday: The Sunspot <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu6p2-qET9OXKDMDHm-XkyfIavcNpNDuMCMaYT5pbL6dA3vK5eDMX_6RlFoF9dj9DxzMSzvss1WDVjaHPxubedtsd9GCaS_b2t4N8Y2JMsvhzQExeguMiOs2bGPVgMnIJwu-q7EM6uXY/s1600/Sunspot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu6p2-qET9OXKDMDHm-XkyfIavcNpNDuMCMaYT5pbL6dA3vK5eDMX_6RlFoF9dj9DxzMSzvss1WDVjaHPxubedtsd9GCaS_b2t4N8Y2JMsvhzQExeguMiOs2bGPVgMnIJwu-q7EM6uXY/s1600/Sunspot.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-35770158329571772002015-04-15T14:28:00.001-07:002015-04-15T14:28:43.965-07:00We're Back! And We're Moving!Life has been pretty non-stop since the week before our wedding. We began house hunting in a rush, and entered into the hellish market known as Denver, where every person in the country under 35 has decided they want to live! This made the market outrageous; pretty much all homes end up selling for $10k more than their listing price and have 5+ buyers on every house making offers.<br />
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Needless to say, when we started getting involved and realizing what we were up against, we had no idea what we'd come up with for Ferguson and Winry's new permanent, non-apartment home with us. But the search continued; even while on our honeymoon we were making arrangements to see houses. We made a few offers here and there, and were consistently outbid every time. Weekends no longer became time to take the hounds hiking or to the park, but rather spent looking at all houses available on the market in the areas we hoped to live.<br />
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And then, on my mother's birthday (the 13th), we were successful! Our offer was accepted for a BLUE two story, single family house with 2 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, and a large loft area. The floor plan is open, and has a nice kitchen. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img3.nrtwebservices.com/Thumbnail.ashx?p=http://img3.nrtwebservices.com/Colorado/Properties/JPG_Main/204/901204_2.Jpg&nif=http://www.coloradohomes.com/NRTProducts/include/images/NoPropertyPhoto.gif&h=480&w=640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img3.nrtwebservices.com/Thumbnail.ashx?p=http://img3.nrtwebservices.com/Colorado/Properties/JPG_Main/204/901204_2.Jpg&nif=http://www.coloradohomes.com/NRTProducts/include/images/NoPropertyPhoto.gif&h=480&w=640" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our House!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But most importantly, it has a <b>FENCED YARD </b>and <b>PERGO FLOORS! </b>No more HAVING to take leashed walks and 5 minutes to just get out of the building to find grass for every single potty break or upset stomach in the middle of the night, and no more coming home to any carpet stains from vomit or muddy shoes...I can't WAIT.<br />
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We gain possession of the house May 27th, so we have a while yet to go of apartment living, but at least the end is in sight!<br />
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In the meantime, Ferguson and Winry fortunately seemed to do very well at their boarding facility. Winry, unfortunately came up with a limp (an old racing injury that tends to flair up when she stands on it too long), so they simply had them leash walk every other day and not continue participating in daycare since she was more active in the play areas with other dogs. This seemed fine with them though, and there was no loose stool, tummy upset, or any other problems mentioned. We even got to pick them up from their run and saw their living conditions were clean, and they were just hanging out laying down before we opened the door (then you know, nothing but excited happy greyhounds).<br />
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I'm very pleased they did well because the facility is about 10 minutes away from our new house! This will make it much easier for us to transition them to the new house as we're moving, and will probably do a few days of daycare before we leave them alone in the house while we go to work. Otherwise, this would have been much more taxing on us; I'm glad we have a safe place to have them go while we get things set up :).<br />
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Photos will have to come of them enjoying their new yard :). It's certainly not huge by any means, but is way better than anything we've had in the past two years!Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-38487757103664172612015-03-25T09:08:00.003-07:002015-03-25T09:08:50.329-07:00Ready to LeaveEven though I searched hard to find a good place and went through the trouble of having both Ferg and Win get to visit for daycare before leaving them, I still hate leaving them and worry that they'll be okay. 9 days is the longest I've left them before, though I know dogs don't have a terribly good sense of time.<br />
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In attempts to soothe my worries, I've gone out of the way to purchase products to help keep their bowels regular and normal, as well as their joints lubricated and teeth clean. So, when making their meal bags, I've included one <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WFS9G0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Zuke's Hip Action</a> dog treats in each, a emptied capsule of probiotic, and am then sending along 4 cans of pumpkin (instructing them to give 2 spoon fulls to each dog with their meals in the evenings, followed by a bag of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P3NU30/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">CET Chews</a> to be given at "lunch" each day. <br />
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What's also difficult is trying to not seem at all nervous around the dogs so they don't think anything is up. Tomorrow when we bring them, they should be heading right into daycare as they did before, which should make for an easier transition. They can get tired out there and be ready for a nap when they're moved to their run, (which will be equipped with their own beds, by the way). <br />
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I'm sure I'll make a few check-in calls to see how they are, and I will try to catch them on the webcam during their daycare time as much as possible. <br />
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Honestly, leaving them might be the hardest part of the entire wedding for me! Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-35023985679915506132015-03-10T15:45:00.000-07:002015-03-10T15:45:40.790-07:00A New Game: Stair RelaysFor almost two weeks we had non-stop cold and snow, which is actually very atypical of the Denver area. <br />
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We are used to snow, it's true, but usually just for a day, and the following days usually increase in temperature enough to melt any snow left from the previous day. It also usually returns to the 50s and is bright and sunshiney; many people tend to have inaccurate images of Denver weather. <br />
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However, the past two weeks had been an exception, and it is just now starting to get sunny and warm again in the 50s and 60s.<br />
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What I hated most about the cold snowy weather was how much it disrupted my routine with the hounds. Because of my work schedule, I'd need to be up and walking the dogs by 6:30am, but the complex doesn't get the sidewalks shoveled until after 9:30am, making it very difficult to walk the dogs at all, without a sidewalk to speak of. We would trudge through for a while, but the snow would get between their toes and make their feet go numb. Neither dog enjoys wearing boots (the ones they will are flimsy and expensive to go through) and musher's secret only helped so much. We'd usually trudge for 1/3 of a mile before finishing our walk going up and down the 5 floors of garage, which, while less snowy, is full of icky black sludge, and of course, is very boring for the dogs. <br />
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To keep Ferguson's anxiety at bay, we usually exercise for a solid 25-30 minutes in the mornings to keep him tired, and his routine very strict. So, no doubt you can see our troubles?<br />
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Fortunately, Ferguson and I learned a new game that actually tires him quite quickly and seems to be something he (for now) enjoys. I call it: <b>Stair Relays. </b><br />
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It starts by us coming inside from the cold and choosing to walk up the stairs, rather than taking the elevator. Because I'm quite sure no other apartment tenants even know we have a side stairwell, particularly before 7 in the morning, I let Ferguson (not Winry) off leash at the bottom, and we all head up. <br />
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Ferguson always chooses to sprint up the stairs, but he stops at the top of each level and, because of how they are structured, is able to turn around and look back down at us as Win and I walk. For some reason, Ferguson has not yet figured out we live on the fifth floor, despite our having lived in the same building for just short of two years and having taken the same stairs hundreds of times (well, no one said greyhounds were geniuses). Just the same, once Winry and I reach the top, he stands staring expectedly at the door at the top of each stair flight. I grab his collar and gently turn him around, and it clicks with him that he gets to go up another flight of stairs. Repeat process until we get to the 5th floor.<br />
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Only at the 5th floor, recently, I've started continuing on (since he apparently doesn't know the difference anyway), and lead him to the bottom of the 6th flight of stairs, which actually lead to nowhere but the roof and only has a locked door at the top. Here, I tell Ferguson excitedly:<br />
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"Go up!" He does.<br />
"Stay!" He does.<br />
"Come down!" He does.<br />
"Sit!" He does.<br />
"Go up!" He does.<br />
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Interchange "sit" command with "touch," or "stay." <br />
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Repeat another 10 times, and you end up with one very tired, but quite content greyhound. <br />
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It seems silly, but in a way is like agility on a less difficult or complicated course. Maybe one day this is something we'll look into for him, since he seems to enjoy it so much! In any case, it has certainly come in handy for some especially chilly, wet icky days!Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-44143517531137880732015-03-01T15:40:00.000-08:002015-03-01T15:40:37.604-08:00Club Pet ResortRecently, Ferguson and Winry got to visit a new dog daycare and boarding facility. This will be the place they stay at when we leave for the wedding and honeymoon, which will be a total of 9 days.<br />
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One of the many things that went wrong with making wedding plans is that I received a "farewell" email from The Comfy K9, the place where I'd always taken the dogs since I first moved to CO. Because of Ferguson's sensitivity at new places, this was very upsetting to me, knowing I'd need to take him to get adjusted at least once before leaving him and expecting he might not do well at the first place we would go to.<br />
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<img src="http://s3-media1.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/qGTODHpHQkSAjfbHIV0GtQ/l.jpg" /></div>
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Fortunately, when we went, things worked out for the best. While the pricing is about the same (something high like $65 a day for both dogs), they get to participate in more activities than just three 20 minute bathroom breaks a day. We have it set up so they will get 4 hours of daycare every other day, and on the non-daycare days, will get a long leashed walk on the 2 acres of the facility's property.<br />
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Additionally, they got a free 2 hour daycare trial, and we got to watch them for a bit before we ran a few errands. Both dogs did really well! I saw pretty much no anxiety from Ferguson, and the other dogs were all very accepting, cool and collected that made the transition very seamless. When we returned, Ferguson was laying on his side in the middle of the floor taking a nap. He had to be called awake to leave to go home...sounds pretty relaxed to me! <br />
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Their painless visit has made it a lot easier for me to accept leaving them for so long, and I feel confident they'll be comfortable and in good care with knowledgeable staff. We will also have access to webcams for their play times, so I can check in to see them! Even if it it's just more napping on the floor with the elderly dogs ;). What's also convenient is this place will be within 10 minutes of hour new future house!<br />
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In any case, I'm optimistic the hounds will have an okay time while we're away. I will miss them terribly though!!!!Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-20540509141280133372015-02-12T09:08:00.000-08:002015-02-12T09:08:00.381-08:00Newly Implemented Poo TrackingI'll admit, one of my least favorite things about living in a dog friendly apartment complex (or between three, actually), is the amount of dog waste left EVERYWHERE where there is grass. Because it's no one's property specifically, too many tenants are careless and don't pick up after their dogs. Obviously, this is infuriating to those of us who DO pick up after our dogs and really puts a bad name in for allowing dogs at apartment complexes in the first place.<br />
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I also worry extensively about parasites, especially considering the number of times both Ferg and Win got sick in 2014 from parasite related issues. As result, even after multiple carpet shampoos, I'm quite sure that the complex will need to have our carpet completely replaced after we move out in the fall.<br />
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Obviously winter has been better, as the cold weather likely kills off any residual parasites, and the dogs have been consistently well. But judging from our apartment complex's new policy, I'm thinking we weren't the only ones having parasite troubles.<br />
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As of this month, our complex has began working with <a href="http://www.pooprints.com/dog-poop-management/faqs" target="_blank">Poo Prints</a>. This is a DNA identifying service that can trace any waste back to an identified dog, and as of yesterday, all dogs living in the apartment complex have been required to submit to DNA extraction via their saliva (Ferg and Win especially enjoyed this, as milkbones were involved). While I realize this will only help somewhat (unless all three apartment complexes are contributing), I am optimistic that it may help cut down on transferable parasites, even just a little bit, at least where the dogs are most often walked for bathroom breaks. I've heard they implemented a similar program in England, and as result, dog waste is nearly a non-issue over there, at least in London!<br />
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Here's hoping they convince the other complexes to contribute as well, and our walks can be poo free for a change!Kini_pellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05075569006915822301noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201851153646652992.post-13982230391036027782015-02-11T08:38:00.002-08:002015-02-11T08:51:33.196-08:00Winry, Post-Hike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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