Dusty and me

BBQ Dave (kneeling) surrounded by humans and hounds Sunday at One Last Cast BBQ ---------- We had a glorious day Sunday for one last gathering of the greyhounds at One Last Cast BBQ. Our beloved barbecue stand on the grounds of Flamingo Road Nursery announced on Facebook earlier in the week that it was closing shop at the end of business Sunday. Diffy and Creepy enjoying the beautiful day ---------- But not so fast: BBQ Dave told us Sunday that we'll know for certain on Monday but the farewell announcement may have been premature. Dave said it's likely that he will stay open at the nursery. If you get past the great barbecue aroma, it all smells like a lease negotiation worked out in the end. Here's hoping to see you again in a couple of weeks, Dave. We had a pretty good turnout of hounds and humans, considering the NFL playoffs probably kept a few people away. The weather was superb -- sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s. Most of the ...

Mercury with his new mom, Lisandra ---------- Mercury is in a home, and it turns out he didn't have to go far to find his new family. The muscular fawn was delivered Friday night to Luis and Lisandra in western Sunrise, not far from the Friends of Greyhounds kennels. Mercury and Luis ---------- This is Mercury's first taste of domesticity. The 4-year-old was fresh off his racing career when he landed at FoG in August. Luis and Lisandra are first-time greyhound parents, and they chose a particularly spirited one to initiate. But it's a great situation for Mercury. He has a spacious backyard to explore. His new parents work opposite shifts, so he will have someone at home with him most all the time. And the L's seemed excited about the prospect of taking long walks with Mercury to get him accustomed to the neighborhood. Luis and Lisandra had been watching the FoG website and this blog when they saw this video of Mercury in full-on prance mode. They visit...

Waiting for Logan: From left are Betty, 2 years old; Briggs, 6; and Allie, 3. ---------- Congratulations to our old friend Logan. The 6-year-old fawn fella has found a new home in New Port Richey, over on the other coast north of Tampa Bay. Logan will celebrate the new year with his new daddy, Darrell, and three greyhound sisters in a nice big house with two adjacent fenced yards. Logan ---------- I will ride with Michelle on Saturday afternoon to Fort Myers, where Darrell will meet us to say hello to Logan for the first time and welcome him into his family. Darrell, who works full-time at home, found Logan online a few days ago while searching for a male hound to fit into his family. In particular, Darrell was looking to welcome a grey who was having a tough time finding a home. He found the Friends of Greyhounds website  and eventually this blog and read all about Logan, who has been in the Sunrise kennels for nearly six months. Darrell also became inter...

Black dogs, kennel collars and winter wear have been moving out of Friends of Greyhounds at a good clip the past couple of weeks. Apollo hanging out at FoG on Thursday ---------- But the Sunrise adoption shelter still has a quartet of fawns as well as a brindle beauty that would love to have permanent homes for the holidays. Apollo , at 8 years old, is the eldest of the current residents. He landed at FoG two weeks ago after being in his home for 6 years.  Apollo wasn't much of a racer. He ran twice in Melbourne in 2011 as D's Red Fury before moving to Birmingham, AL, where he ran in five maiden races, always finishing near the back of the pack. He was adopted six years ago, shortly after his racing career ended. But he recently went through a family breakup and moved into an apartment in Coconut Creek with his dad. His caretaker works long hours, and Apollo soon became really unhappy with his situation, spending long hours by himself day after day. Dad...

Fella looks to me for help, but I was busy taking photos. ---------- Yahtzee bargaining with the devil ---------- Old friend Mike brought the Groom Waggin mobile doggie spa to Sunrise today to give Friends of Greyhounds ' 10 guest and resident hounds a little freshening up. All of them were getting a bit long in the toenails, and Mike, as always, stopped by the shelter to give pawdicures for all. Mike's a longtime supporter -- in fact, he and his wife have a couple of greyhounds adopted from FoG. He picked up his two dogs' kennel collars from Michelle while he was there. Groom Waggin has been giving pawdicures to FoG dogs off and on for a few years. Mike's visits have been sporadic, though, and always overdue by the time he arrives. Today, he told Michelle he would start putting her on his calendar and schedule regular visits. Casey trying his best to be brave ---------- The Davie-based Groom Waggin takes its mobile spa all over South Florida. Mike ...

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...

Boogie (formerly Oshkosh Pumped) ---------- Friends of Greyhounds has had a busy couple of days: Two hounds came in from Florida Kennels in Hialeah on Sunday, and three were delivered to new homes Monday night. Turtle ---------- New to the Sunrise kennels are a sleek dark brindle boy, Oshkosh Pumped, and another big fawn male whose name I don't yet know. Meanwhile, Casey, Stormy and Annie were delivered to new homes Monday. That leaves FoG with five male guests at the moment -- the two new guys, Kango, Logan and Taylor. I missed Michelle's trips the past couple of days because I was finishing up my weeklong job driving to Plantation to walk Joy's dogs -- Honey, Turtle and David. I had a great time bonding with those three -- and got to meet felines Sugar and Jasper as a bonus.  David ---------- Having breakfast with Michelle and Jerry B. in a few minutes. I'll get caught up with all the FoG details then. UPDATES:  Oshkosh's new na...

From left: Annie (3 years old July 3), Taylor (3 on June 25), Maggie (7 on July 3), Casey (2 on July 20), Kango (4 on July 1) ---------- Five guests at Friends of Greyhounds have birthdays coming up. Larry Warsh of Larry Warsh Photography in Fort Lauderdale put together this photo/graphic to help celebrate. Contact FoG if you'd like to come by and celebrate. Michelle says she'll give you a deal on adoption fees for one of these hounds. Act now, though -- one of them (Maggie) just went to her new home, and another one (Kango) is spoken for. But the other three are still looking for homes.

Joan, Zoe, Smidgen and Cassie (new arrival Maggie didn't want to leave the couch) ---------- It's official: Maggie is now part of Smidgen's harem in Delray Beach. Maggie, you'll recall, is the little brindle girl who landed with Friends of Greyhounds several days ago after her adoptive human mother passed away. She arrived at the Sunrise shelter noticeably underweight and shaking in fright. Maggie on her second day at FoG ---------- But things only got better for Maggie from that point. She began eating vigorously almost right away and got over her insecurities within a day or two. She was only in her kennel for about a week when longtime FoG friend Joan agreed to take her in, sight unseen. Michelle and I drove Maggie to Delray Beach a few days ago to meet her new family and see her new home -- and sealed the adoption commitment with Joan. Maggie got all her veterinarian work done on Thursday, and we took her home for good this morning -- just in time to ...

Dusty was feeling a little restless this morning. Here she is not-so-patiently waiting for me to finish my coffee: We had been hunkered down for a couple of days waiting out some nasty thunderstorms and flooded streets. We finally dried out today, so I put her in the Kia Koach to take her for a play date with her Friends of Greyhounds buddies. Dusty and Annie getting re-acquainted ---------- We got to see an old friend when we got there. Annie, a beautiful little fawn girl a couple weeks short of 3 years old, came back to FoG a couple days ago. She went to a home in Coral Springs earlier this year, but she had some issues with the family's other dog that couldn't be resolved. So she's back looking for another family to take her in. Casey's still shy outside. ---------- Annie is on an antibiotic treatment fighting a urinary infection, and she should be fine in a week or so. I'm guessing her illness was probably the reason she's been cranky. S...

Marvin the Moose and her new collar from Happy Hound Designs give comfort on another morning indoors. ---------- It's been a slow week for Dusty and I. Summer's onset in South Florida has made us kind of lazy -- we're not getting out as much as we used to when the weather was so pleasant. Kango enjoying a few minutes of free time ---------- But we did get a chance today to get to Friends of Greyhounds. Dusty got a few minutes to run in the yard with her Sunrise buddies before the rains came, and I was able to spend some time with the four guests at the kennels. As expected, old FoG friend Daniel appeared at the kennels Monday and went home with Domino, the big black hound who stole his heart Saturday at the One Last BBQ gathering. Daniel was ready to adopt a new companion after Jeff crossed the bridge a few weeks ago. Domino's big personality won him over Saturday and pretty much sealed the deal when he planted a big kiss on Daniel late in the day. And ...

Posey making all kinds of friends ---------- Michelle and longtime Friends of Greyhounds jack-of-all-trades volunteer Jerry B took a drive to Miami on Wednesday to introduce some elementary-school kids to the joys of greyhounds. Posey, one of the FoG guests, and Slinky, one of Jerry B's dogs, did the honors at Riverside Elementary Community School in Little Havana. A great time was had by all the kids and both dogs, Michelle told me. Jerry sent along some photos for me to share. Michelle, FoG honcho Jerry D and I did some cat-testing this afternoon with six of the eight FoG kennel dogs, and most of them passed with flying colors. Casey, Savvy, Taylor and Posey all showed us they would be quite happy to share a home with feline siblings. Herman and Stormy, though, weren't too keen on the cat idea. Kango and Domino previously failed the cat test. Don't forget to join Dusty and me at the Pet Supermarket at 9798 Glades Road in Boca Raton on Sunday. Michelle...

Dusty and I were back in Sunrise today for a scheduled volunteer shift at Friends of Greyhounds. The day was overcast and breezy ahead of some incoming thunderstorms -- a nice breath of pleasant fresh air. So I took the opportunity to spend some time out in the yard with a few of the hounds. Nothing of note to report today, but I got a couple of photos and videos to share. Enjoy. Whatever I said, Stormy thought it was funny. Check Dusty's Videos for a quick vid I got of this beauty. ---------- It took some work, but I got Casey to go outside with me. He tentatively followed me out to the back of the L-shaped yard -- all the while staying several feet behind me and freezing as soon as I would turn around and look for him. In the end, all he really wanted was to go back inside to his safe spot in his kennel. ---------- Calendar reminder: Dusty and I plan to join Michelle and a couple of FoG adoptables Sunday at Pet Supermarket in Boca Raton. Check Dusty's Cale...

Casey still wants to stay close to home. ---------- Dusty and I answered an emergency call from Michelle this morning. She and Jerry got tied up longer than expected on a personal errand, so Dusty and I drove to Sunrise to give the Friends of Greyhounds dogs their noon breaks. Herman looking for love ---------- We're always happy for that task. Dusty gets to run outside with her friends Chumlee, Joy, Yahtzee and Mitzi. And, of course, I get to spend a little one-on-one time with a couple of the dogs. It was my first real chance to get to know Herman since Michelle and I picked him up in Central Florida with his brother Buford a couple of weeks ago. It turns out the big white 3-year-old guy is just like his brother -- he loves human attention. Just like Buford, Herman is happy to body-lean against my legs for as long as I'm happy to give him petting attention. He loves it. And, of course, I had to get in my time with Casey, who's feeling more confident by the d...

Today was flea and tick and heartworm prevention day at Friends of Greyhounds, that monthly ritual when all of the guests and permanent residents get nasty liquids squirted into their mouths and spread across their backs. Savvy enjoying a little kennel-free time ---------- All the dogs take to it pretty well -- it's more a time-consuming ritual than a difficult one with 13 dogs to treat. Spent a little bit of time with a couple of the dogs. Casey is getting braver by the day. Today was the first time he instinctively moved toward me when I opened his gate, and he didn't think too long before running out the door into the yard. He's feeling more at home by the day.  Savvy, one of the newest guests in the kennel, is a big, curious guy who had to check everything out before hanging with me for a couple of minutes for some playful attention. Michelle has firmed up dates for a couple of events coming up. I've created a page, Dusty's Calendar , to...

A lot of comings and goings at Friends of Greyhounds right now with new guests coming into the kennels and several greyhounds leaving for permanent homes. New FoG guest Stormy ---------- The flurry started with Ralph and Nadine going to new homes and Kango going out on an audition in Cutler Bay earlier in the week. Ralph returned to the Sunrise kennels today to get a microchip and to make his adoption official. A short time later, former guest Molly appeared at the permanent residence, where she'll be staying for a few days while her family takes a vacation. Dusty and I showed up a couple of minutes behind Molly for our volunteer shift giving noontime walks to the guests -- and to meet a couple of new arrivals Michelle picked up Friday in Hialeah. And that's when Dusty met her match -- Stormy, a shiny 3-year-old black female who could pass as Dusty's twin sister. Look closely: You can tell them apart by noting that Stormy has very little white on th...

Nadine and her new mom, Angela, in her new backyard ---------- Dusty got to spend a couple of hours this morning with her friends over at the Friends of Greyhounds residence. Her visit with Mitzi, Chumlee, Yahtzee, Joy and Uncle Jerry was relaxing and uneventful as far as I know. At the least, it kept her occupied for awhile as I climbed into Michelle's van for a ride-along to deliver Nadine to her new home in Kendall. This is the second time I've gone with Michelle on a home delivery, and it's such a kick. It gives me a chance to bond one last time with a dog I've gotten to know at the FoG kennels. And the excited greeting we get from the new family when we knock on the door is the best -- after all, what we're delivering is much more highly anticipated than a big box from Amazon. Nadine taking a tour of her new home ---------- Nadine's new parents are a retired couple who recently lost their beloved greyhound and were ready to start fresh...