Dusty and me

Bullet (left) and Kango seem to be getting along quite nicely. ---------- Dusty and I heard from Kango and Hawk yesterday. They didn't have much to say but sent us a couple of photos. Mom Amy said it took a day for the girl to overcome her fear of Hawk.

Hawk with new adoptive parents Mark and Amy ---------- The good news: Hawk got himself into a new home Tuesday. Michelle and I delivered him to Mark and Amy in southwestern Miami-Dade County three days ahead of Hawk's fourth birthday. The bad news: We had to stop in Davie on the way back to retrieve Kelly -- known as PJ when he left the Friends of Greyhounds kennels in April. Kelly couldn't get along with the young grandkids, so he had to say goodbye and come back to Sunrise to look for a more suitable home. Kelly (formerly PJ) ---------- Mark and Amy lost both of their senior greyhounds in the past year. They visited the FoG kennels several days ago and claimed Hawk, who now has a couple of young human siblings and a small fenced yard to explore. The young family will face some challenges bringing a new dog into their home with two toddlers. But Hawk seems to be the laid-back, mellow type, and it is a family with plenty of greyhound experience. Mark and Amy we...

Working the FoG booth: Lisa, Jerry D. and Michelle along with Rachel, Dusty, Hawk and Logan ---------- "It's been a long day, Dad. Can we go home now?" ---------- Dusty is sound asleep right now. She woke up long enough for her morning business walk and light breakfast. But since she's been finished with those essentials, she's been stretched out on her bed oblivious to the world. And except for a forced late-night walk, that's how she spent Sunday evening after her long day at the Animal Adoption Fair in Fort Lauderdale. Dusty and I were at the event open-to-close to help out at the Friends of Greyhounds booth. We spent much of the first couple of hours cruising the aisles among all the vendors and exhibitors and going outside once or twice in search of grassy areas. After all that exercise, Dusty spent most of the next four or five hours camped out on a cushioned mat in the FoG booth allowing all kinds of strangers to stop by and ...

"Between you and me, Lilly, it's kind of slow here today." ---------- It was a short day for Friends of Greyhounds today at the Pet Supermarket store in Sunrise. Dusty and Frozen hanging out at Pet Supermarket ---------- Dusty and I hung out for a couple of hours with Michelle, Jerry B. and FoG guest resident Frozen at the adoption event. Steve showed up for a short time with his foster girl, Lilly. But it was a typical slow South Florida midsummer day. The store had very little customer traffic and the FoG display only had a couple of curious visitors, so we decided to fold it up early and take the rest of the day off to rest up for the big event Sunday. Dusty and I will be at the FoG booth at the Animal Adoption Fair at War Memorial Auditorium, 800 NE Eighth Street in Fort Lauderdale, on Sunday. Parking and admission are free. Put your dog on a leash and stop by and say hello to us. It should be a great event.

Fella ---------- The revolving door continues to turn at the Friends of Greyhounds kennels in Sunrise. Mercury ---------- Michelle drove to Hialeah on Tuesday evening to pick up a couple of beautiful boys from Chris at the Florida Kennels compound. Fella and Mercury bring the FoG guest roster up to seven. They join Kal, Logan, Hawk and black girls Frozen and Stormy. Hawk has been claimed -- he will be delivered to his new home in Miami-Dade County sometime next week. Some if not all of the adoptable hounds will appear at a couple of adoption events this weekend. Michelle will take a couple of the greyhounds to the Pet Supermarket store in Sunrise on Saturday. Another adoption group also is scheduled to be at the store, at 2696 N. University Dr., as part of a company promotion. The event starts at 11 a.m. and will run until mid-afternoon. The seventh annual Animal Adoption Fair is slated for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale. Frien...

Dusty and I heard from a couple of friends today. Both Kango and Lia (formerly Fufu) touched base to let us know they're doing great. Tia dropped us a photo to show us that Lia is feeling at home already in her new apartment. She's got no worries. Tia said she's Lia is struggling with the external stairway that leads to the second-floor apartment. But we all know she'll figure that out pretty soon. Lia feeling very much at home on her first full day in her new apartment ---------- Kango, meanwhile, is doing great as he enters his second month with his new family. Rick sent this video of the boy blowing off some steam in his wonderful new backyard:

Rosco ---------- Michelle at Friends of Greyhounds has found herself in a bit of a pickle. A friend who owns a horse ranch in western Broward County came upon a couple of mixed-breed puppies a few days ago that were apparently dumped within the fenced confines of the property. Michelle drove out to her friend's ranch to retrieve the dogs, who eventually landed at the Plantation home of longtime FoG friend and supporter Steve. FoG isn't equipped to shelter breeds other than greyhounds, so the two dogs can't stay at the Sunrise kennels. And Steve already has three greyhounds and a couple of cats in his house, so it's a big burden for him to take on a couple of more animals, even on a short-term fostering basis. I went with Michelle to Steve's house today to meet Rosco and Lilly. So I can vouch that these two youngsters would make great pets for anyone, especially a family with young kids. Rosco is a bundle of lovable energy -- all he wants to do ...

Lia (formerly Fufu) poses in the summer sun with Leon and Tia ---------- It was a day of new beginnings for Fufu, the cute little black female grey who had been in the Friends of Greyhounds kennels for several weeks. I left Dusty at her second home with Uncle Jerry and her Sunrise buddies for a couple hours Saturday afternoon to ride along with Michelle and deliver Fufu to her new family. Leon and Tia live on the second floor in a Coconut Creek apartment complex. They greeted Fufu, Michelle and I in the parking lot outside their building and led us to a long, steep concrete stairway that would take us to their front door. Lia with her new toy ---------- Fufu, of course, was confused as Michelle guided humans into position to coax the girl up the steps. But she took to the stairway surprisingly well. Michelle pushed her from behind and I guided Fufu's leash to get her up the first few steps. But Fufu caught on and essentially climbed the last half of the steps on he...

Bullet (left) and Kango back home after their active beach vacation.

Kango and Rick having a moment during their vacation ---------- Sorry you haven't heard from Dusty and I in a few days. It's been more than a week, the longest dry spell we've had since we started this blog. Part of it are the dog days of summer. We're not getting out into the world much these days -- four or five quick walks to take care of business is our speed on this run of sun-drenched, humidity-soaked, 100-degree-real-feel days. Dusty and I did have a couple of house guests of the grandparents variety -- Ma and Pa Sharp stopped in to visit the grand-hound and break a lot of bread with the son for a few days last week. I spent this weekend with my new next-door neighbor washing and painting some concrete. Early-morning beach walk ---------- I'm filling in the rest of the time tinkering with my new obsession to make this townhouse and the entertainment electronics smarter. But I do long for the days coming soon when Dusty and I can get back...