Dusty and me

Andrea welcomes Pearl River (Zhujiang Winds) to the FoG kennels. Pearl is the cutie of the bunch. She's 8 years old. We think she arrived in heat -- to be dealt with in the next week or two. ---------- They appear happy and healthy. And thrilled to be off those damn airplanes. Winning Star is celebrating her  8th birthdaytoday. Andrea bonded with her right away and hopes to adopt her if she proves cat-tolerant. ---------- The five Macau imports taking up residence at Friends of Greyhounds enjoyed some quiet, restful sleep Wednesday night, their first on the ground in Florida. Michelle, longtime FoG friend Andrea and I spent more time Wednesday picking them up at Miami International Airport than we had anticipated. Getting all five loaded with their crates into Michelle's van was a bigger challenge than we had hoped. But we got the job done with little real problems, and the hounds are happily in their spacious kennels devouring their meals like little po...

Dusty and Sunny in the Kia Koach on their way to a walk in the park ---------- Meet Sunny, Dusty's house guest for the next few days. Sunny is staying with Dusty and me while her parents, Hedda and Shep, are traveling. Sunny stakes her claim to one of Dusty's several beds. ---------- Sunny originally was set to stay with Michelle and Jerry at the Friends of Greyhounds residence in Sunrise. But with five Macau greyhounds arriving Wednesday and Michelle's previous commitment to take in David, Turtle and Honey for the week while Joy hit the road, I offered to take in Sunny to lighten the load. Michelle and I picked up Sunny on Monday afternoon from her home in Boca Raton. The 8-year-old girl has adjusted beautifully already. She's found her favorite bed and discovered a great toy, a big squeaky fuzzy hedgehog , in Dusty's toy box. We worked on going up and down the stairway last night and this morning. She seemed to understand the concept, but it might ta...

Deb and Kim confirmed what I observed Saturday night, that Reasey really has come out of her shell in the past several months. Savvy, meanwhile, is the same big hunk of fawn lover boy. ---------- Dusty and I joined several regulars and a couple of new faces and hounds Saturday night for the first Friends of Greyhounds gathering of the new season. Michelle got us a new spot, the Panera Bread patio at the Plantation Promenade shopping center. I always love seeing Rosie and Luna. ---------- It was the culmination of an eventful few days for Dusty. Except for a couple of short bathroom breaks, she has been curled up nearly unconscious for about 14 hours now after a few days of visits from grandparents Ma and Pa Sharp, a distressing rescue of a family of ducklings Saturday morning and her meetup with old and new friends Saturday night. A couple of wounded warriors were among the group in Plantation. It was the first time we saw Mike since he went down several months ago wi...

Cheyenne meets Dakota, her new next-door neighbor. Click here for a video. ---------- A former Friends of Greyhounds volunteer has given Cheyenne her first home. The 2-year-old was adopted Saturday, less than two weeks after the end of her racing career. Fella ---------- Michelle and I delivered Cheyenne to the Sunrise home of longtime FoG friend Kim and her boyfriend, Mike. Cheyenne will share a nice backyard with her big brother, Reno. Kim had been on the lookout for a small female hound to add to the family. She stopped by the FoG kennels earlier in the week to meet Cheyenne and immediately decided to adopt the young beauty. Cheyenne's departure leaves Fella all alone in the FoG kennels. The affectionate 4-year-old brindle dynamo has been looking for a family since his racing career ended in August. He plans to be at the Sunday play date at Dog Dude Ranch, so come out and meet him. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The address is 6305 SW 120th Ave., ...

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 ...

Luna with Dawn and Rosie at Ruby Falls in Tennessee ---------- Luna just got home from a winter vacation to points north. Mom Dawn sent along some photos to share with everyone. It's never too cold to have fun with sisters Rosie and Lily. ---------- Dawn, Lily and Rosie took their hound on a four-state expedition over the holidays. Dawn said Luna (known as Lulu when she was in the Friends of Greyhounds kennels) was a great travel companion. Luna got to visit dog parks in four different states -- Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky -- and went everywhere with Dawn and the girls. She had no problem with the frigid weather, Dawn said. Luna's faux sheepskin coat and hound tee helped her cope with temperatures in the single digits. Dawn said Luna got a bit spoiled on the trip. "Re-entry has been a little tough for her," Dawn wrote. "Each time I reach for the car keys, she is halfway in the car -- and I have to break it to her gently that she can...

It was sunny but cold for the FoG gathering at Flamingo Road Nursery. Hounds and humans alike were bundled up and preferred the sun to the shade of the usual hangout under the canopy. ---------- The hounds and their humans were bundled up Sunday for their gathering at One Last Stand BBQ at Flamingo Road Nursery. The sun was bright, but temperatures stayed in the low 60s as a stiff breeze made it feel even cooler. Considering, the turnout was pretty good at the monthly Friends of Greyhounds event. Joy's hound David sporting his football jammies ---------- Michelle handed out a few more kennel collars and had some hound jackets and jammies to sell. And Lynne turned up with a nice spread of martingale collars to sell. Dusty picked out a nice holiday-themed collar she plans to wear for her Christmas visits to the FoG folks and the grandparents. The day featured Andy's first public appearance since his scary heat-stroke incident about a month ago. Andy appeared in gr...

Dusty and Kelly at the Parkland adoption event Saturday morning ---------- That's two black greyhounds in two days for Friends of Greyhounds. Four-year-old Kelly will be delivered Sunday evening to Sam and his family in Palmetto Bay, a day after Michelle took Kal to his new home in Coral Gables. Kelly isn't officially adopted yet -- he's going to spend a few days with Sam's family on a home trial. But I would be very surprised if Kelly came back to Sunrise after visiting with Sam and his young son Saturday afternoon in Parkland at the Homes For Dogs Project event. Sam and his family lost their hound to cancer a few weeks ago, and they are ready for another one. Their previous grey came from FoG several years ago, when Jerry D. and Michelle were operating in Hialeah. Sam keeps an eye on FoG's website  as well as Dusty and Me, and he and his son got interested in Kelly. He called Michelle when we were at the Parkland event and decided to make the drive all...

Apollo would love to be in a new home for the holidays. ---------- Friends of Greyhounds has a new guest in the Sunrise kennels. Meet Apollo, an 8-year-old fawn boy who is looking for a new home after a family breakup. Apollo landed at FoG on Friday, and he's already adjusted to his new temporary life. I stopped by to visit him this morning, and he seems like a happy, healthy, friendly, well-adjusted guy. He's eating well, he was excited to get attention and affection from perfect strangers, and he got along great with his fellow senior adoptables during their turnouts today. Here he is (with the red collar) hanging out with black hound Kelly and fellow fawn Logan: Apollo was adopted in Virginia six years ago by a couple who eventually moved to South Florida. The family broke up, however, and Apollo landed in an apartment in Coconut Creek with his dad. But Apollo ended up spending long days by himself in his crate in the apartment as his dad works 10- and 12-hou...

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 ...

Dusty relaxing with an ear massage from Pa Sharp ---------- Dusty and I just got back from a short visit to Tampa Bay. Ma and Pa Sharp enjoyed every minute of their 22-hour visit with their favorite great-greyhound. I loaded Dusty into the Kia Koach on Thursday morning for the 200-mile-or-so drive to Largo to help Pa set up his new Roku TV and introduce Ma and Pa to their new electronic roommate named Alexa. All technology tasks went smoothly. And as always, Dusty reveled in being the center of the grandparents' attention. Dusty got a couple of quick walks around the Sharps' neighborhood. The highlight for her was a walk with Gramps and me Thursday afternoon at Largo Central Park, where holiday displays are already under installation. Here's a video of Gramps with Dusty's leash: As always when we are in Largo, Dusty got a visit from Jane, a neighbor of the Sharps who loves to stop in for a quick hello. It was a short visit, but a good time was had by al...

John G. says hi to Bo, who we used to know as Boogie. In the background are Bruce (formerly Posey) and Knuckles. ---------- It was a glorious day for a gathering of greys. Midday temperatures got into the 80s and the sun was bright for much of the day. But One Last BBQ provided plenty of shade, and the tropical breezes made for a beautiful afternoon. Joy gets a family photo with Turtle, David and Honey. ---------- Friends of Greyhounds had a great turnout for its gathering today at the barbecue stand at Flamingo Road Nursery. The big attraction: Boxes and boxes of kennel collars Michelle and Jerry D. have collected over the years. FoG put out the word earlier in the week that adopters wishing to claim those mementos of their hounds' histories could pick them up at the BBQ gathering. And a lot of old friends showed up to do just that. The collars giveaway is looking like a hit. Michelle distributed dozens of them today and has heard from several other adopters who wer...

Dusty having a word with new friend Reasey ---------- Ahhh, it was so good to get outside again to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine -- and, of course, the barbecue -- with all our hound buddies. We had a great turnout Saturday at One Last Cast BBQ on the grounds of Flamingo Road Nursery for the first Friends of Greyhounds gathering of the season. The weather was almost perfect. It got a little warm at times if you were out in the sun. But we had just enough clouds, some nice breezes and plenty of shade cover to make it a success. Of course, everyone exchanged their Irma war stories. Fortunately for us inland dwellers, no one had any real damage. Most of the Irma talk was about losing power for various lengths of time. Mike and Andy spent parts of one or two evenings sleeping in Mike's air-conditioned car to escape the still, humid heat of their house. Jerry D. arrived late to the gathering because he was making arrangements to have someone rebuild the fence at the FoG ...

Hello again, everyone. It has been awhile since we've talked, hasn't it? The dog days of summer just wore us down, nothing of note really happened for a couple of weeks, so we just decided to lie low. And then came Irma to shake us awake. And fortunately, there went Irma leaving most everyone I've heard from in our little community almost completely whole. A few of us lost power for a time, some of us lost cell service, Friends of Greyhounds lost part of their backyard fence. But none whom I have talked with lost life, limb or home. So we're in great shape. While we were sweating it out in Florida with Irma raging around us, old friend Buford was playing it cool at his other home in New Jersey. Travis, hope to see you guys soon. Come join us at some of our gatherings this fall when you're in town. ---------- Dusty and I were probably the luckiest of them all. Neither of us, nor the Kia Koach nor the townhouse sustained a scratch from Irma. Worst thing that ...

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...