Dusty and me

Dusty was ecstatic today when she realized what her day was about to become. Dusty has a look and a couple of sniffs around while I take a short break on one of the park's benches ---------- A nice cool front moved into South Florida. And for the first time in months, we were able to turn off the A/C and open the doors and windows in the townhouse. It only got a tick or two above 70 degrees today, and a hefty 10-mph breeze with some serious gusts has been blowing all day. Just after noon, I put the girl in the Kia Koach and drove northwest for a couple miles or so. Dusty, of course, is always proud and happy to take a ride in her Koach, no matter where she ends up -- even if she ends up right back at home after a short round trip. Eastern section of Tephford Park ---------- But, my, does she get happy when she looks out the window and sees one of her favorite walkways getting closer. This time, for the first time in a long time, she caught a glimpse of the long gree...

Casey has perked up a bit since we last saw him, but it continues to be a slow process. ---------- Casey's back. The shy young boy spent about four months in his Coconut Creek townhouse with his greyhound-experienced adoptive mom and his feline sibling. But he wasn't happy, and he's back at Friends of Greyhounds looking for a more suitable home. Casey, whose registered name is Killer KC, was afraid of everything when he came to the FoG kennels in April for the first time. He would cower at the back of his kennel if anyone so much as looked at him. He slowly began peeking out of his shell fairly quickly. He would come up to the front of his kennel for a hand nuzzle through the closed gate, and I eventually got him to venture out of his kennel a few steps to take a cookie out of my hand. Within a couple of months, I got to a point where Casey would venture out into the backyard with me as long as one or two other dogs were with us. But he wouldn't want to stay...

Jagger, left, and Facebook in a face-to-face sleep-off ---------- Jagger, the energetic 8-year-old boy who stayed with Dusty and me for a few days recently, has been delivered to his new home in Ocala. Jagger, left, with Mark and Facebook ---------- Jagger was taken in Friday by former Fort Lauderdale resident Mark, a veteran Friends of Greyhounds adopter who moved to Central Florida a few years ago with his hounds Taylor and Facebook. Mark lost Taylor recently and was keeping his eyes open for another older, hefty greyhound who could join him and Face on the long car rides and walks they love. He thought he might have found the hound he was looking for after reading about Jagger here and on the FoG website . He peppered Michelle and me with some email questions about Jagger and got the answers he wanted. Michelle put Jagger in the back of Jerry D.'s SUV (no transport kennel required) and made the long round trip Friday. Mercury ---------- Mark dropped a couple ...

Stormy cleans up pretty well, doesn't she? (Thanks to Carolina for the photo.) ---------- Congratulations to Stormy. The 3-year-old black girl who had been in the Friends of Greyhounds kennels since April has found her way into her first family home. FoG Veep Michelle delivered Stormy this morning to Carolina and Jorge in Miami. The young couple submitted an adoption application on Stormy a couple of days ago, pending a home visit to see if she would get along with the family's Italian greyhound. The two hounds hit it off just fine this morning, and Stormy became an official family member. Jagger taking a snooze ---------- Stormy was the only female in the FoG kennels -- leaving the roster with six boys. Mercury -- the sculpted, athletic fawn -- has been spoken for by a returning FoG adopter and is expected to be delivered later this week. FoG hasn't heard from the Boca Raton couple who visited last week to look at Jagger. They have not submitted an applicati...

Logan responding to his name ---------- Logan is a sweet, laidback fawn who reappeared at Friends of Greyhounds on June 1. He spent more than three years in a home where he was loved but did not adjust to its high energy. Logan was born Aug. 16, 2011. He was pretty banged up when he first appeared at FoG in November 2013 as Fuzzy's Bob Dylan. He still has the scars on the side of his body and the missing toes to show for his rugged racing career. Logan's right hind ---------- He didn't stay at FoG long that first time. He was out of the kennels and into a home a few weeks later, on New Year's Eve 2013. But judging from a letter his adoptive father wrote to FoG after he was returned, he spent much of the time in his home confused and upset. One of the children in the family is special needs, and he apparently put Logan through some rough times -- taunting him, trapping him in corners and confusing him on household furniture rules. The letter said Logan s...

Kelly got dressed up for a photo shoot earlier this week. ---------- Kelly is back at Friends of Greyhounds  looking for another home. The 4-year-old black beauty has been back in Sunrise since August. He spent about four months with a retired couple in Davie who reluctantly gave him up because Kelly wasn't a good mix with the grandchildren. Kelly, born April 27, 2013, was retired in December after 102 races as PJ Loaded Dice. He became simply PJ when he arrived for the first time at FoG in February. Michelle delivered him to his Davie home in April, but he came back renamed Kelly in August. His former adoptive parents are longtime FoG adopters. Kelly was their sixth greyhound. But they reluctantly decided to give up Kelly when it became apparent that he would not be able to get along with their six young grandchildren. They wrote a letter to Michelle to assure her that he adapted perfectly to living in their home. He never had an accident in the house, they sa...

Fella, shortly after his arrival at FoG ---------- Fella is the newest arrival at Friends of Greyhounds . He and his buddy Mercury arrived at the Sunrise kennels Aug. 15, just as activity was slowing down for the start of the school year. Fella is a muscular bundle of high energy in a compact frame. He was born Feb. 8, 2013 and ran 152 races as Oshkosh Fella before he was retired in August, just before his arrival at FoG. Remember what I told you the other day about Kal being such a toy hound? Well, he's not the only one at FoG. Fella is just as much the playful boy as Kal is. He's never met a squeaky toy he didn't want as his very own. Fella is on the small side of the male greyhound size scale. If you don't look too closely, it is easy to mistake him for a female because of his relatively tiny frame. But don't let that fool you. He packs a lot of energy and joy. He wants to be involved in whatever action is going on around him. He loves to romp wi...

Kal at his whimsical best ---------- It's always playtime for Kal. Kal is a big, strong black dog born March 2, 2014. He wrapped up his 66-race career as Turbo Kal in May and landed in the  Friends of Greyhounds  kennels in July. And he's been collecting every squeaky toy he can get his jaws around ever since. In the time I've known Kal, he seems to always be chewing on some pliable squeaky thing. Wait. Let me revise that: He always seems to be chewing on some pliable squeaky thing only if he's not reaching into his neighboring kennels trying to get at the other dog's pliable squeaky things. When we do turnouts, Kal usually always gets distracted on his way out the door by a toy that might be lying on the open floor -- or by one that might be sticking out of one of the other kennels calling Kal's name. This boy does love his toys. This is how he spends most of his waking moments: Kal, simply put, is a 75-pound bundle of joyful exuberance....