Dusty and me

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 ...

A black-hound convention: Molly, Dusty, Domino and Slinky ---------- It wasn't the biggest crowd for a Friends of Greyhounds gathering at One Last Cast BBQ. But it certainly was the hottest. At one point about halfway in, Jerry B checked the weather status on his brand-spanking-new smartphone, and he said the Feels Like was 99. It wasn't completely unbearable. We did have some nice shade cover out on the patio and we would catch a nice breeze now and then. But the hounds weren't very active, preferring to find a relatively cool spot to lie down. And not many of the humans stayed around for the entire four hours. Jerry B. and his lap dog, Slinky ---------- All that said, it still turned out to be a good afternoon. Old FoG friend Daniel, who lost Jeff to bone cancer a few months back, came to tell Jerry D. and Michelle that he is ready to adopt a new companion. He set up an appointment to stop by the Sunrise kennels Monday to check out the dogs on hand. He bonde...

Savvy with little sis Riley, big sis Hayley, mom Kim and grandmom Debbie ---------- Without a doubt, my favorite task as a volunteer with Friends of Greyhounds is accompanying Michelle on her home deliveries. I got another chance to do it today as we drove the FoG greyhound bus a few miles northeast to Coconut Creek. This time, we had two guys in the van -- Savvy and Posey. Debbie, Kim and the two young girls, Riley and Hayley, met those two dogs last weekend at the FoG adoption event in Boca Raton and decided they wanted to adopt both. The plan was to leave one of the dogs there today, return to Sunrise with the second one and then to come back to Coconut Creek with the second dog a couple of weeks later, after the women adjusted to having the first one in the home. Posey ---------- When we arrived, Michelle thought it a good idea to take the dogs into the house one at a time. Savvy was the first, greeted at the front door by an excited Michelle, followed by Debbie and R...

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...

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...

Dusty ready for the road ---------- Dusty and I will be off on a road trip Wednesday. We're heading to Largo, in the Tampa Bay area, to visit her grandparents for a couple of days -- and, most importantly, to make some adjustments to Dad's Roku. I'll be doing all the driving while Dusty kicks back and takes in the scenery from her tricked-out Kia Koach. Doc, shortly after his arrival ---------- What's up, Doc? What's up is that Doc, a sleek little marble-faced brindle boy, came to Friends of Greyhounds on Monday as a new kennel guest, bringing the roster up to eight -- seven boys and one girl. Jerry and I helped Michelle test the newer guests yesterday for their cat-tolerance. Doc passed the test, making him a good candidate for prospective adopters with small animals already in the home. The two red kennel guests -- big beauty Randy and small, muscular Nadine -- passed with flying colors. Bashful Casey didn't get the test. Ringo was brou...

Dusty with three of the four Friends of Greyhounds permanent residents -- Mitzi, Chumlee and Yahtzee ---------- D usty and I got over to Sunrise today to give the Friends of Greyhounds residents and guests their noon walks while Michelle and Jerry were away taking care of other business. Nadine ---------- Michelle delivered PJ to his new home a couple of days ago, which means we're down to seven in the guest quarters. We've had as many as nine and as few as three in the kennel since I started volunteering in July 2016. The newest guest in the kennel is Nadine, who arrived about a week ago. This little red beauty is buff. She's the only girl in the kennel at the moment. Ralph is the veteran of the crew. He's been a guest of FOG for about six months, and he's ready to find a family. Ralphy, as I call him because of his pronounced Roman nose, is a strong guy with a big personality. He's extremely friendly, loves human interaction. He's about ...