Greyhounds

SEGA continues its efforts in supporting November as Adopt-a-Senior-Pet month. There are two 9-year-olds remaining who need a home, but someone has expressed an interest in adopting them. And we've got a 10-year-old bouncing back to SEGA for readoption; the family has a recently widowed mother-in-law who is moving in with her two cats, and the greyhound is "a cat zapper." SEGA will find him a home. SEGA has placed two 11-year-olds and two 10-year-olds so far this month.

Hugger at home 11-year-old Hugger's foster parents have flunked fostering. They adopted him. (Taken from the SEGC message board home page.)

But this comes in the face of some bad news for SEGA members. 12-year-old Teresa had to be put to sleep while her owners were out of the country; they're coming home to five dogs instead of six. (It was a case of owner-of-four-dogs marrying owner-of-two-dogs.) Teresa had been ailing for a month or so. Teresa was a champion agility and obedience dog, and will be much missed. (She was the teacher's demo-dog when Oreo took obedience classes. Teresa showed how the dog should respond after training. Oreo was the demo-dog for how you teach the behavior, since an open-mouthed Oreo would follow the treat anywhere the teacher moved it...and ever-after greeted the teacher by sniffing her pockets.) And 11-year-old Walker died this weekend, too, after a long bout with cancer.

Today would have been Oreo's ninth birthday.

Edited to add an update: Another 9-year-old has been adopted today!

A public service announcement...

Today: A friend's two greyhounds got out of her fenced yard and took off in opposite directions. Patti called our "Lost Hound Cooperative," which went into action: messages on the Yahoo Message Board, MapQuest maps posted on the Web site, phone calls to SEGA members in the area. Patti grabbed her cell phone and took off after the escapees.

Fortunately, today's weather here was sunny and only a bit cool, and lots of people were outdoors. Area residents spotted both dogs, knew they didn't belong loose on their own, and grabbed the dogs. (It helps that both dogs are friendly, social dogs who go right up to total strangers to be petted.) The rescuers called the number on the dogs' tags. But that number was ringing in Patti's empty house, and people wound up leaving messages on the machine.

Patti got the messages eventually, but if she'd gotten the news earlier, she could have saved herself a lot of worry. So both dogs are home safely. And Patti's getting them new tags...with her cell phone number on them.

Are your pets tagged?

Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month

November is Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month. Our rescue group has placed two 11-year-old greyhounds this month, but we still have three 9-year-olds and one 10-year-old looking for homes.

In an effort to spur adoptions of seniors, one placement worker drafted a list of greyhound owners and asked each of us to make a pro-seniors post one day this month. Today was my day to post.

Why adopt a senior?

The edges are all smoothed off. He's been around. He "gets" glass doors, mirrors, slippery floors, squeaky toys, mom leaving to go to work. And he understands the idea of "going out to potty."

He appreciates comfortable routine. He's had the "new boy" experience and is grateful now to just drop down onto that open, available bed and be the least trouble he knows how to be...

He knows that ear-scritches are vastly to be treasured. Kisses on the head are a prize nearly equal to "cookies." And cuddles on the couch are absolute heaven.

But he hasn't seen EVERYTHING. He's still curious about what's around the next corner on your walk. He's wondering if he's allowed to catch squirrels at your house. He wants to know what games you know and what toys you have. He wants to meet your friends and coworkers.

He wants to be YOUR DOG.

And he'll enrich your life far more than you'll be able to enrich his.


That's for Oreo, who would have been nine years old next Monday.