GREYHOUND SKIN: THE SKINNY
By Kathleen Bradley

As the greyhound mom of a bevy of beauties, I have been appointed the area greyhound fairy. That’s a little like a guardian angel, in case you didn’t know. The greyhound fairy from La Verne has a warning for all new greyhound moms and pops. Watch their hides! Skin that is. Despite the fact that these darlings are former athletes, they have very delicate skin. Think tissue paper. This summer I spent enough to buy a small wing at Linda Brown’s ranch, having body work done on two of my greys. Ryan O-Bryan was lounging in the computer room and tore his whole side hide less on a corner of the computer hutch when he jumped up. Donna Bella sustained a horrible hole in her abdomen that went into her leg, from a dried desert weed. If you lovingly and with all good intentions take your greys to a desert area, and I’m not talking Death Valley, but Elsinore, Quail Valley, or Hemet, please be warned that your cheery pal can severely damage his or her body on even dried weeds. You know the kind—used to be flowers and baked in the sun ... It was ugly. A second hint is for the medics. You know how our snookies can’t be collared when they are hurt? Narrow head, large neck, no collar ... You know the drill. My clever vet has begun to put orthopedic collars, like neck braces, on my injured greys to dissuade them from nibbling their stitches. The third hint is for greys with injured sides. Nothing keeps those slender stomachs bandaged long enough to heal. I have discovered that a tee shirt, taped around the slim haunch area, leaving room for natural pottying, avoids the problem of putting any tape on that delicate hide and ripping the skin. Wrapping a couple of layers of good sturdy tape around the fabric protects the sutures, keeps the dirt out, and looks pretty spiffy too! We have had a lot a practice through the years, with Gunpowder, Vic, Aloe, Cleopatra, Neffertiti, Donna and Shiner.

On a personal note: My profound condolences to Mike, in the loss of his boone companion Megan, and to the Lehman’s in the loss of sweet Ace. I also lost two greys within a year, Vic and Gunpowder. My father, Tom Bradley passed away last month as well. The grief in each loss has equal quality, and can only be understood by those who have shared the joy of knowing such beloved friends. This is certainly not to demean the importance of the passage of my father, at age 85, but to affirm the splendor and sacredness of all life. I do not think of my greybabies as sleeping, or dreaming. I see them in my mind’s eye racing in the winds of God’s valleys and chomping on the flowers in His meadows. They dance! They smile! They are eating watchbands they have foraged from His countertops, and somewhere, especially Gunnie, they are nibbling in a 44 pound sack of dog food, and they never get sick from their stolen snacks! I know they are grinning as they wait for me! Again, my deepest condolences to both families.

DOG DREAMS
By Mike Gallas

In our August newsletter, Ron and Linda Heath asked why their greyhound, Football, howls in his sleep? Could he be dreaming? The logical answer to this question would be yes, your dog is dreaming. Although I am not aware of any scientific study that has proven dogs do indeed dream, after living in a multiple dog household for several years and experiencing this phenomenon several times myself, I think it is fairly safe to say that they do. I have watched our dogs "acting out" during “dream states” several times and continue to be amazed. There is such a variety of sound and movement depending on which dog is involved. Able, our eldest and alpha male, is a very “active sleeper”. He kicks his legs about as if he is in hot pursuit of something, muscles twitching all over his body. He also pants and emits little yipping noises. No wonder he stays so thin; his naps have become an aerobic workout! In contrast, our youngest male, Ben, is a very vocal sleeper. I have awakened to the sound of his forlorn cries and howling many times. One can only imagine what he is dreaming about. He seems to be in such a state of panic. The only way to reach him is to call out his name loudly several times. Once he is awake, his panic ends. This brings up the next question, what should one do to calm a dog who seems to be having a bad dream? Due to both the surprises of one’s approach and the dog’s intensified emotional state, the dog may snap if approached too quickly. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for greyhounds to sleep with their eyes open. Even though the dog may appear to be awake, it is advisable to call out to him before approaching too closely. This may take several seconds. I do not advise touching the dog until you are certain the dog is awake and aware of your presence. At this time, it should be safe to approach the dog in order to comfort him. Rubbing a dog’s ears is often an effective way to calm him down. Long stroking motions down the dog’s back seem to help calm him as well. I like to lie with ours until they fall back to sleep. I don’t know of anything one can do to stop a dog from dreaming or even if it would beneficial. Dogs, like us, may need to dream in order to stay sane. All we can do as their compassionate friends and caretakers is to be there to comfort them when they need us. Our wonderful dogs have lived through too many bad dreams already. Hopefully, with time and our love, they will begin to dream about long walks, big hugs and really good treats.

REMEMBRANCES
Our hearts go out to. . .

• Larry & Linda Brown for the loss of their marvelous 15-year-old man Kip. 
• Roger & Lynn Plank for the loss of Mr. Barnes at age 7.
• Laura Lisanti for her loss of 10-year-old Brandy.

THE STORY OF BARNES, 

PART ONE
By Lynn Plank

I would like to share my story of love, joy, loss & thankfulness. On Sept. 17, 1999 we had to put our dearest love down to sleep in peace and to enjoy eternity even better as he knew his life here on earth. Several years ago I had the privilege of meeting some people at a local pet store in Laguna Niguel that were showing and sharing their wonderful greys. It was my first time I had the pleasure of seeing and meeting some very fine owners and their beautiful companions , all different sizes colors and shapes. I had heard of Greyhound racing and seen a few Greyhound buses over the years, but never had the opportunity to come face to face with one. I received some business cards from the different organizations represented and shortly after happened to find my way to Hemopet. I was going through a difficult time in my life, just recently separated , but for some reason God had a plan to fill a void with a very special friend (my very best friend). I walked into Hemopet, I saw so many dogs, my heart felt I had a home for all. I walked up to a particular kennel and spotted a handsome brindle that was very friendly, kind of a soft spoken kind of guy, kind of mellow, but had this very cute cuddly smile & his name was Barnes. Greyhound families know him from Barnes and Noble, where their fine portrait graced the gift wrapping events that took place at the holidays. I looked at this handsome lad and decided to get in his kennel and spend a little one on one time with him and he had another female companion that seemed to want to steal all the attention, but my eyes and heart were on him. I knew he was for me when I sat in the back of his kennel and he laid his head on my shoulder. That was the beginning of a relationship that I will never forget. It took me over two months at that time to bring Barnes home, due to the number of greys allowed to be released each month. I visited him every chance I could; we walked around the commercial area, we sat in his kennel, and spent as much time together as we could. I believe it was the longest 2 months, wanting so much to bring him home right away. As Barnes and I grew even closer day by day, we would even have these ongoing conversations; his characteristics were very human in many ways. When I spoke to him his eyes would never leave my eyes; he followed me everywhere, slept with me, watched over me, when someone came knocking at the door his bark would make them think twice about knocking again, and upon opening the door he would greet anyone with a big smile and his long waggle tail. I felt when I looked in his eyes I was looking in the window of his soul. I believe our creator created every animal and that as I am sharing this story with you, all our dear greys are all looking down on us while having a splendid time in their heavenly playground. (To Be Continued . . .)