A Day When Bad Pictures Were Taken

It's Post Time

Dogs don't think in language like humans do. We can't tell ourselves stories about the past as we remember it.   We remember things by recording snapshots, like photographs.  When we are having fun and enjoying ourselves, we take lots of good pictures.  Happy pictures so we can remember how happy we were and what made us happy.  When bad things happen, we take pictures of that, too.  And we record what made us sad, or unhappy, so we can avoid it in the future.  I guess that's why I like to take pictures so much for the 5 on the Fifth posts.  I get a chance to show you some of the pictures in my mental photo album.

Today, no good pictures were taken.  I am sad. Very sad.

But the day didn't start out that way.  We were all very happy.  I have lots of those pictures.  Papa getting up in the morning.  Nicky chasing after me.  Going down the steps and outside to potty after a long night.  Those are all good pictures that I have in my photo album already.  Daddy coming down.  Eating breakfast.  Oh, pap makes such good breakfasts.  And then, some of the best pictures of all came up!  Daddy getting out the green harness and putting it on me.  Oh boy!  That means we are going for walkies!  I love walkies.  I get so excited.  So does Nicky.  We love walking with Papa and Daddy.  Some of our favorite pictures were recorded on those walks.  Lots of smells and friends to meet.  Nicky doesn't like the friends, but he likes those smells.

But this morning our walk was like the one we took a few days ago.  Only worse.  A few days ago, we were all walking down the street, minding our own business.  Nicky was trynig to smell in the poison ivy.  Daddy was pulling him away from it.  I wanted to go peepee on the bush in a yard near a house.  Papa told me to stay out of the yard.  Just an average walkie. Then, out from one of the yards came this big sandy colored dog.  Nicky was angry to see him.  I wanted to say hello.  But the dog wasn't nice.  He kept trying to get at me.  Papa was pushing him away and trying to get me clear of him.  Daddy picked Nicky up and carried him way down the street.  I just wanted to go to Daddy and Nicky, but the dog wouldn't let me.  Finally, Papa got the dog out of my way and I was able to go to Nicky.  And Papa stayed between me and that mean dog and got us cleasr.  He stayed back until we got far away.  And he made sure that mean dog stayed on the other street. 

This morning the same thing happened, only it was worse.  Really worse.  The dog came out again and ran at us.  Daddy picked Nicky up and ran away and Papa tried to get the dog away from me.  But all of a sudden.  Pain.  Seering pain.  Oh, I had to scream.  It hurt so bad.  The other dog kept on coming and Papa go between us.  The lady came out of the house and yelled at the dog.  But it wouldn't listen.  She couldn't control the dog and it kept on circling around me and Papa kept trying to push it away.  Finally, a man came and took the dog away and we were able to go to where Nicky was. 

And then Daddy noticed that my leg had a hole in it.  Papa got really mad and told me to stay with Daddy while he went back down the street.  He'd be right back.  He didn't come right back.  He was gone for awhile.

But then he did come back and we didn't go on with our walk like we normally did.  That was fine with me because I was hurting.  I just wanted to lie down.  We walked home really fast.  We got into the house and daddy talked on the little box for a bit.  Then he put my leash back on and we went out again.  Nicky and Daddy didn't come with us this time.  We got in the car. And Papa drove us the way to the place he calls the doctors.  It's where I go and they pinch off my nails with a thing that looks like Papas pliers.  And sometimes they poke me with a sharp needle.  They are usually very nice, but I don't know why they always want to poke me with needles.  Papa calls it a shot.  I've seen Papa do things he calls shots.  They are not like my shots.  His shots come in little glasses.  Mine come with pointy sharp pins.  It's not fair when you think about it.

After I saw the ladies at the big desk in the big room, we went into a little room.  And we waited there for awhile.  Then the doctor came.  She's nice.  But she pokes me with needles sometimes.  This time she didn't give me a needle, or take off my toe nails.  She was interested in the hole in my leg.  She looked at it for a while and then talked with Papa.

It seems it needed something called surgery.  I never had that before.  I wonder if it tasted good.  I hoped so,because up until now, I had a really awful day.  But this surgery was sounding like it was tasty.  I wanted some, but I was nervous and my leg still hurt.  The doctor would give Papa the surgery and I could eat it in the car, when I knew we were going back home and I was safe.

Only I didn't go home.  The doctor took me away to another room and put me in a little house, like the one I have in my bedroom.  And I waited there for a little while.  Papa didn't come with me.  I was all alone. Where was Papa?  What was Nicky doing?  Was Daddy giving Nicky treats?  Why did the hole in my leg hurt so much?  All these questions were all bad pictures being stored in my album.

Finally, someone came out and there was that pick again.  And I laid in the house for a little while longer before someone came and took me out.  Then they stuck something in my front leg.  It picked like the needed, but they didn't take it out.  They left it there.  And then I went to sleep.  Fast asleep.  I ran through some photo albums of running around on the baseball field and peeing on Daddy's hosta.  I saw pictures of the other dogs I smelled on the red tree trunk and saw a picture of me peeing on it, too.  I saw pictures of Daddy.  And pictures of Papa.  And pictures of Nicky. And pictures of Papa's pillow.  And pictures of Daddy's shoe.  And more pictures of Papa and those yogurt little treats I love.  And Daddy and the teriyaki beef jerky I love.

And then I started to hear sounds and I opened my eyes.  I could not see very well.  I felt all woosey.  My leg hurt.  But the hole was gone. There was a little plastic tube thing sticking out of the place where the hole was.  But even though the hole was gone, it still was very sore.  And it hurt a little when I moved my leg.  After a while I could see better and I felt better, but the pain came back.  The sore was even worse than before.

I looked everywhere, but I could not see Daddy.  I couldn't see Papa.  I couldn't see Nicky.  I was in this little house and I didn't see anyone I knew.  I was lonely. I didn't want to get up, but some people made me get up and took me outside.  I went peepee and poopoo.  Boy did it hurt to go poopoo.  It didn't hurt where the poopoo came out, but it hurt where the hole was.  I wondered why those people put a plastic tube in my leg.  It was hurting.  If only the tube would be gone from there, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.  But it hurt even worse when I tried to stretch to get the tube.  I left it there.  And I waited for Papa.  I knew he would come for me.  He wouldn't just leave me.  Papa always comes back.  He told me so.  He told me he would always come back.  But he never left me here before.  He always left me at home.  And now he left me here.  And I got scared.  What if Papa was mad because my leg had a hole in it and took me away because I was broken.  But these people made the hole go away.  It hurt more, well, different.  It hurt different.  So my hole was gone.  But what if Papa didn't know the hole was gone?  What would I do?  Would I have to stay here.  And hurt?  I was sad.  Very sad.

And then after a while, some people were trying to get me to come with them.  But I didn't want to go.  I just wanted to lie there and be sad.  I was looking at pictures of my Papa and Daddy and Micky from the photo album in my head.  I wished I could see them for real.  And these people kelp asking me to go.  Why didn't they leave me alone.  I didn't want to go anywhere.  I just wanted to remember.  My myself.  I hoped I wouldn't have to be by myself again.  Alone. Lonely.

And then I thought I heard Papa.  I looked all the way down the hall where I heard the voice, and thought it was him, but I still could see a little blurry, so I wasn't sure.  But then he kept calling me and walking closer.  And then I knoew it was him for sure.  I got up and walked over to him.  At last, my Papa was here.  He came to see me.  I hoped he would take me back home.

Papa led me back to the car.  I jumped in,I was so excited.  It hurt bad when I jumped.  I should not have done that.  But I was in the car. And Papa drove us home.  When we got there, I saw Daddy and Nicky.  And I went in the back yard and went peepee on my own grass.  Daddy kept Nicky away from me.  I could hear him yelping in the other room, the room where Papa keeps Nicky's food dish.  Where all the nice smells come from.  But I could hear him.  He was crying.  I wanted to go see him, but my leg still hurt.  And Papa sat with me and held me and stroked my back.  And Daddy gave me love.  And Papa gave me love.  And I felt better, but my leg still was sore.  And my tummy felt a little queasy.

And Papa brought down my beds and my pillows and my blankey.  And he sat on the floor with me.  I wanted to lie down, but it hurt so bad. I didn't want to move. I stood for as long as I could and then Papa helped my lie down.  It hurt and I yelped a little because of the pain.  But it felt good to not be standing.  And Papa gave me a hug and rubbed my belly.  And he put his forehead on mine. And my mind snapped a picture of Papa with his forehead on mine.  And I put it in my good photo album.

...and I knew I was going to be alright. 

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

June: 5 on the Fifth

It's Post Time

Hi everyone!

I know I missed this last month.  Sorry about that.  I was busy and didn't have time to take pictures to share with you.  Please forgive me.  I hope you enjoy my pictures for this month.

We were supposed to look at new things.  Since the weather was getting warmer, my Daddy and Papa have been outside more often.  They don't take me out all the time, so sometimes I have to watch from the windows.  I don't know why they don't want me outside with them.  They say I get in the way sometimes when II follow them around.  They say my pee pee kills anything and everything it touches.  I'm not sure what that means, but I don't think it sounds very nice.  I don't try to kill things.  I just have to pee sometimes.

But I did get to walk around and see some new things growing.  Baby plants.  So I thought I would feature some new babies that I found in our yard.  I'll try to remember not to pee on them, so Daddy won't get mad at me.

This is a picture of what Papa calls a Spirea.  He says it grew from seed in the middle of a wall.  There are lots of them around the yard.  Papa says that's lucky because that means the plants are happy when they have babies.  I can see them from the lower part of the yard where I usually go poo poo.  Papa told me not to pee on these plants.  They are in a wall, so I can't go poo poo on them.  I don't think I'd want to do it anyway.  I like their color.

Spirea plant growing out of a brick wall.

This is one of Papa's favorite plants.  He says I almost killed it last year because both my brother and I peed on it.  Apparently, it was a favorite spot for both of us.  I can't really remember that, but I suppose Papa would not lie.  Anyway, he says that it used to be a much larger plant but we kept peeing on it.  Then some of the leaves started to disappear.  Papa got angry and dug it out of the ground.  He moved it to a flower bed that neither of us can pee on anymore.  This spring, it came up like this.  Papa was very happy.

Hosta growing in a garden bed.

Here is a picture of ferns that grew wild in the yard.  Papa says that the ferns in the fern garden have something he calls spores.  I guess they are different from seeds.  These spores have to have a lot of water in order to grow into a plant somehow.  I guess we have a spot that is wet at the right times because all these little ferns grew from these spores right in the middle of the yard.  Well, not really int he middle.  Now, Daddy is protecting them and he gets angry if I go over there.  Papa let me take a picture of them.  But I am not supposed to pee on them.

Ferns growing in the yard.

 Now these little plants grew from seeds that Daddy planted in the garden with the vegetables.  It's a raised garden to keep my brother and I out of it.  But both of us can get in there.  The other day Nicky was in there and Daddy yelled at him about it.  I can very easily jump in there, and it really looks like a nice place to pee.  But I won't because I know I am not supposed to be in there, or pee in there.  Papa says these little plants are called Marigolds.

Marigolds growing from seed in the garden.

This last picture is of flower seeds Daddy planted in these little plastic dish or cup things.  They are very wierd and make a really strange noise when you touch them.  Daddy filled each little hole with some dirt and put seeds in them.  And these are what grew.  Daddy called them Morning Glories.  What a cool name.  They are not in a place where I can pee, even if I wanted to do it.  It's tempting, because the plastic boxes smell funny.  But I won't do it.  Papa wouldn't like it.

Morning glories growing from seeds.

Those are my 5 pictures for this month.  I hope you enjoyed them.

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

Don't let these dreams be their last ones.

It's Post Time

Hi everyone.   My Papa showed me a video after we came back from our walk this afternoon.  It was so sad.  He was talking to me about whether or not I would like another brother or sister. Now, to tell you the truth, I am not sure I can handle someone else besides Nicky.  I mean he is really a handful for me.  He's always on me.  and I don't like it very much.

Yesterday, we all went to the doctor's for our annual check up.  I was fine, of course.  So was Nicky. But I saw another greyhound like me who was there.  He was much bigger than me and very handsome.  I wanted to be his friend, but he was a little shy.  His Momma told me that he had been picked on by other dogs at the track.  He was a racer, too.  It was sad to think that this beautiful puppy had been picked on so badly by other dogs, and very likely, his humans, too.  At least, his humans were not there to protect him.  Anyway, I was sad for this puppy and tried to make friends with him.  Eventually, he came around.  They always do.  Papa tells me I am irresistible.  I just have to wag my tail and people just love me!

So I got to thinking about having another brother or sister.  And I think that if Nicky is OK with it, I will be, too.  But I think there will be a lot of convincing having to happen before he comes around and accepts it.  He's just not that nice a guy.  He was picked on very badly by his original humans.  You would think her would forget that stuff by now.  But we never, do.  I still have pictures in my mind from my racing days.  They weren't all bad ones.  But some made me feel very bad.  I was treated like I didn't matter much.  Remember, I told you I didn't like to run ahead of the other dogs.  I like to run with them.  It's more fun being part of the pack than running ahead of it.

But there are so many dogs in shelters now.  They are all getting over crowded.  If you have room in your home and heart for another puppy, please consider adopting one soon.  They are all waiting.  Some won't get the chance to wait much longer.

Here is the video Papa showed me.  It makes both of us cry.  I don't want it to make you cry, but I do hope it helps you open your heart a bit more.  Please...

Here is another one that isn't as sad, but still very good.

Thanks for listening to me talk about adoption.  It really is important to me that every puppy gets a chance.  No one wanted me in my first home, but I found a wonderful place to be and I am very happy.  All the pictures in my mind's photo album are really happy ones now.  And it is all because someone like you cared enough to take action.

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

Happy Earth Day Everyone!

It's Post Time

Hi everyone!  It's a beautiful day today, and it is Earth Day.  I am going to go for a long walk with my Papa and Daddy and brother.  When I am walking, I am going to pick up any trash that I see.  Well, I really am going to look at the trash and then stare at Papa.  He will pick it up for me, because he loves me.  I hope that you have a really great Earth Day and that you can do something good for our Earth.  It is the only one we have.

 To find out more, visit the Earth Day website here:  http://www.earthday.org/

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

Silence is Golden on April 15th

It's Post Time

Papa told me that tomorrow, April 15th, is a day to be silent to support young children who are bullied. Tommorrow is the National Day of Silence. Each year, this national event event brings attention to the suffering in silence that GLBTQ youth have to endure each and every day. GLBTQ youth are most commonly the targets of systematic mental and physical bullying and abuse from peers and our communities at large. The bullying has to stop. The hatred and fear being spread by those without empathy or acceptance has to stop.

I promise to be silent all day tomorrow to support this day and the children who suffer at the hands of bullies.  I have seen bullies when I was racing.  I understand what it's like.  I will be silent for you tomorrow.

Can I count on you to be silent tomorrow as well?  What can we all do to end the silence?

Day of Silence

http://www.dayofsilence.org/

Stop Bullying from the US Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Justice.
http://www.stopbullying.gov/

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

April Pictures for 5 on the Fifth

It's Post Time

Hi everyone.  I was able to get Papa to help me take some pictures this time, so I am going to show you the pictures that I took that have to do with "Blur."  I took all these pictures by holding the camera really really close to the thing I was taking the picture of so that it was blurry.

This is looking at the stained glass in the window.

This picture is looking outside through the stained glass window and the screen door in the front hallway.

This is a close up of one of Daddy's paintings that is all glittery and shiny in the sun.

This is a picture of some holiday ornaments that are in a plastic box.

This is a close up of my favorite rope toy.  This is a pretty new one.  It isn't all stringy yet.  But it will be sometime.  I liked this toy, so I took a picture of it for you.

 

Thanks for looking at my pictures this month.  I appreciate your visiting my blog.

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie

Why I Can Run So Fast

It's Post Time

The snow has been melting and I have been able to run in the back yard more than I have been able to when it was cold and there was a lot of snow outside.  Papa and Daddy make paths so Nicky and I can go potty, but it's hard to run around because you have to follow the paths and that's not always easy.  Sometimes they end and you just have to turn around.  Besides, it is very cold outside and I don't want to stay out for so long.  I usually just go potty and come right back inside when it's very cold outside.  I can't stay outside for very long because I am so thin.  I get very cold very very fast and could get sick.  So I have to just potty and come right back.  But now it has been getting warmer and I can stay outside for a longer time without getting very cold.  So now that it is getting warmer, I can run again.  That makes me very happy because I really love to run. 

Papa told me that the stories I tell that you like the most are the stories I tell about greyhounds and puppies and why we are special.  He says that the stories about how I can see and how I used to race get lots of visits.  So that means that you all like when I tell you about the special qualities of puppies like me.  So tonight, I am going to tell you about running, because I really like to run.

And I can run fast.

The two ways all 4 feet are in the air.

Why is it that some dogs can run fast and others can't run so fast. It's all about what humans call gait.  Papa says that my gait is the quality of my running.  I just like running, so I do it.  But I guess greyhounds were bread to run fast a long long time ago.  And we have a special kind of running.  There are two kinds of running.  One is called single suspension, and the other is called double suspension.  Greyhounds run fast because we have double suspension running style.  That means that when I run, there are two different times when all four of my paws are off the ground.  When I start running, I just walk fast and pick up my feet two at a time and just do that fast.  But as I run faster and faster, I start to gallop.  When I push myself off by my back feet, I stretch out my whole body.  My front feet are stretched out in front of me and by rear legs are stretched out behind me.

The second time is when I am stretched out like that, my front paws hit the ground and I push off with them.  As I push myself in front of my front paws, I go into the air again and my front paws go behind me and my back paws catch up and go ahead of my front feet.  As that happens all four feet are off the ground again and my back feet are in front of my front feet.  It sounds confusing, I know.

Here is a picture of the double suspension gait.

http://www.oricomtech.com/projects/leg-run.htm

Here is a video of an Italian Greyhound running in slow motion. If my description was a little too difficult to follow, watch the greyhound run in slow motion and you'll get a better idea of how I can run.



Here is another good video of a greyhound running in slow motion and playing with another puppy friend.



And remember, just because we can run fast, that doesn't mean that we should be forced to race against our will.  We love to run, but we don't like to be forced to run around a track so people can bet on us.  And what's worse is that only a small portion of the dogs that are bred for racing actually are good enough to make it to the track.  The rest are just killed.  They die alone and unwanted.  So if you appreciate our running and love to watch us run, then adopt a greyhound and bring him or her to the beach or to a dog park and let him or her run around freely.  Don't make us run for sport.

It's not cool.  You bet.  We die.  That's not cool at all.




Here are some links so you can read more about my running gait, if you want to.

Running Gaits of Galloping Dogs
http://www.oricomtech.com/projects/leg-run.htm

Gait from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gait_%28dog%29

Keep your tail up and wagging!

-Katie