In memorium… the greatest of hounds

We were contacted recently by FLAAG – Fingerlakes Adopt A Grey, a group in New York that works with retired Greyhounds to find them forever homes after racing, and were asked if we could do anything to help support their upcoming fundraiser Grapehounds Wine Tour.

From thier site:
“The Grapehound Wine Tour^® is a multi-day celebration of greyhound adoption held in mid-May in Leesburg, Virginia, and again at the end of July in the cool, cool Finger Lakes area of New York.

The event features wine tasting, music, a custom wine glass for registrants, vendors, and beautiful scenery, while benefiting participating greyhound adoption groups throughout the country.

Registration for the Grapehound Wine Tour^® in the Finger Lakes of New York, July 28-31, 2011 is open.

Our Grapehounds-New York event will be hosted by Atwater Estate Vineyards on a beautiful property high on a hill overlooking Seneca Lake.”

As we are big supporters of animals, dogs, and specifically those of the sight-hound persuasion, we jumped at the chance to lend a hand. If you happen to be in New York and attend this neat fundraiser you will have the opportunity to bid on a few of our handmade glass pendants. Of course, if you can’t make it, all of our pendant sales support Greyhound rescue as we donate 20% of net proceeds to local rescue groups from direct and Etsy sales. Long live the Greyhound!

Pendants for Pooches is off to a great start! The first donation check from our efforts is in the mail and on it’s way to a very deserving, and extremely needing group, Homes for Hounds.

It’s been a slow start this year for sales, however in spite of a down economy we have delivered on our promise to support greyhound rescue. This quarters donation is only $32, but every penny counts and these noble dogs need every bit of it. Keep an eye on our site for new pendants coming soon and the launch of our home party program. Every sale makes a difference in the life of a greyhound so keep wearing our pendants and loving the dogs!

Greyhounds are the oldest purebred dogs. They have graced the tombs of Egypt, thrones of Kings, and my couch. They truly are 45 MPH couch potatoes, and Whippets are their exact match… only 1/2 their size. Half a Greyhound is still 100% of the fun, they just fit more compactly on the couch, bed and anywhere else they deem squishy. That, and you are much more likely to get your hands on a whippet puppy than a Greyhound puppy. Although I HIGHLY support Greyhound rescue, the folks at Greyhound Pets of America do a great job here in Stumptown finding forever homes for this most magnificent breed, sometimes a puppy just fits in a little better with current pets and can heal a broken heart.

After my Greyhound Trixie died, my husband and I decided to get a puppy for two reasons.

1. Our whippet Qeynos is a total spaz with change and strangers so we thought in his depression over losing his best friend he would be less than thrilled with an adult dog on his turf.

2. I was so heart sick from losing Trixie, she was my very first dog and the decision to put her down due to kidney failure was the right thing to do but just about killed me. I needed another dog, but not one that felt too much like a replacement for her.

Enter Beezly…

At two weeks old, a whippet isn’t very “whippy”, basically just an adorable pudgy peanut. I was in LOVE. I contacted the breeder, Susan Heiniger of Quixand Racing Whippets, and submitted an application to adopt this gorgeous little lump.

I won’t stay on my little soap box too long, but I must stress how important I feel it is to find a breeder and deal with them directly. PLEASE don’t ever go to a mall type pet store chain or other puppy mill supporting business where you get an under socialized and overpriced pup that has come from who knows where. I know they are cute, I know they look so sad in the window you just need to save them, but for every puppy-mill dog that is purchased another unethical breeder stays open. If your going to spend that kind of money meet the breeder, ask them questions and get a feel for thier philosophy and how the pups are treated. Better yet, save some money and adopt a homeless pet. Truly many come from the same people that the pet stores buy their dogs from…

Needless to say Quixand Whippets is an upstanding kennel. Susan was very involved with the pups and picky about where they went. I had the chance to meet many of her racers, and they were all wonderfully friendly, well cared for dogs. For those who are squeamish about dog racing, Whippet racing is not Greyhound racing. It is like any other AKC sanctioned sporting event. Much like a dog show they only compete for titles and the sheer fun of it, no betting is involved.

When we brought Beezly home at 9 weeks old, he was much more whippy, and so freakin cute I couldn’t stand to let him out of my sight… look at that face! Far cry from pudgy peanut, but how would heart broken little Qeynos do with a new pup?

By a month in I knew it was love. Qeynos was smitten. He had a new friend and snuggles like he had never had snuggles before. Trixie had been nearly 10 years older than Qeynos so although he was in love with the very ground she tread, she hadn’t been overly affectionate with him outside of play time. Beezly was the exact opposite, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Nearly a year later Beezly is a 48 lb giant of a whippy (that’s a KING size bed he’s sprawled all over) who just loves everyone and everything… but mostly he loves cat naps!

Have you ever had one of those sublime moments of perfection when your precious pooch breaks through on a huge training point… I mean like a complete 180 of pure bliss?

My little 4 year old, Qeynos, has had social anxiety issues and car sickness since he was a pup. Absolutely lovable and full of joy when at home with mommy, but then transforms into a quivering fear ball out in the world.

*Cringer with no BattleCat action sequence*

His only travel happiness has been either trips to my parents to play with his pudgy LabRottMix buddy and the park adjacent to our house for Frisbee (which is the equivalent to crack on his addiction scale). He became even worse after my greyhound Trixie died last year, to the point that he would mess himself if someone other than family tried to touch him. Over this past year, since getting Beezly our new little whippy, I’ve been working with him constantly on his confidence and taking him out with Beezly to various places, even if just in the car around a few blocks. He has made vast improvements and has gotten to the point that he hasn’t been getting sick in the car, and he even has been doing “ok” at the dog park although he never loved it and would go to the nearest picnic table to hide out while Beezly ran around joyously.

Well, a few months back he started occasionally coming off HIS table at the dog park to try and tag Beezly on his run by’s. So to encourage him we devised a game where I leave him at his table with my husband and walk out to the other end of the park, then when most/all the dogs are preoccupied the other way my husband would tell him to “get mommy” which is a game we play at home where I hide and “get mommy” means find me and cover me with smooches. *ahhh puppy love* Since Qeynos is SO mommy oriented this worked to get him to run from his table, get a pet, but then he would run back to his table. This was pretty good to me and I felt he had made such progress that I was satisfied that he just wasn’t terrified anymore.

So now the amazing part…

We went to the dog park Saturday, as is tradition because Beezly will mope all day until we go (“mope” with these pups is an olympic sport), and when I said “let’s go to the park”… Qeynos got all happy like he does when we go to my parents (he knows the difference between “park” and “Pudgy’s House” because his vocabulary is huge). But I thought “huh, maybe he just wants to go in the car, then once he sees we are going to the park he’ll be bummed”… but he wasn’t, and when I unclipped his leash he tore off with Beezly… not to his afore mentioned safe zone but AROUND THE PARK WITH THE OTHER DOGS!!!!!
He actually PLAYED… And was HAPPY! He would run out and play a round of chase then run back to me at the table to get a pet, then run right back out to play! So I took them Sunday too, and the same thing…. Total doggie bliss.

I’m just soooooooo PROUD! This is a HUGE mental break through for him. He still seems to have a threshold if there are to many dogs or too big of dogs he will run back to me to get a reassuring pet or rest on top of his table… but for the most part he just runs back out into the fun once he sees they aren’t after him.

I never thought after 4 years of trying and failing, I could get him to this point… My goal was just to get him a little less fearful and more tolerant, but for him to actually ENJOY playing with other dogs and even greeting the occasional stranger, is the most amazing thing I have ever accomplished with my boys…
I feel like he just won the doggie Olympics!

I’d like to share a pastel illustration I did a few years ago of a dear friend. Trixie was the best of dogs and is sorely missed by both her human and canine companions. One of my greatest passions is for all things greyhound, so my pack will be sticking the occasional nose in my blog. More to come…