Bo Seeya and Bella Bean

Bean has got a squirrel up her rump

2008-12-04T20:59:00.007-06:00

I know it has been a while since the last post, I feel so bad about not being up to date. There has been a lot going on so hopefully I can get this back up to date...

Every once in a whole Bella Bean gets squirrley and has a big burst of energy. This only lasts a minute or two but is so much fun to see her so excited and happy.

It was her favorite hedgie that got it started...

Which was quickly replaced by a smaller hedgie

Oops. One more try

Look mom, no feet!

That smile tells it all

Been a while

2008-08-06T20:15:00.003-06:00

This summer has been way too short and passing way too fast. We've been pretty busy though.

We have been going to the dog park (although its been so warm they poops find a shady spot and call it a day):

Snoozing:

Killing helpless creatures who blatantly disregard the signs that states "greyhound property, enter at your own risk" (Picture is a dramatization, but unfortunately there have been a couple of losses per the puppers teeth- real live Woodchuck included):

Taking naps:

Tolerating a foster dog:

Sleeping:

Zoomies:

And finally, the ever important daydream.

You know, the usual. We all hope this lovely warm weather holds out for at least another 6 months (we can dream can't we?)

2008-06-18T20:32:00.002-06:00

Yea! The rain has subsided (hopefully for a while now so we can all dry out), and we can spend some good quality outside time with our Poopers. This last week was pretty stressful with the storms, work and family so this past Sunday's decent weather really lifted all of our spirits... Bella took charge of Mr. Hedgie. She just got done doing a couple of laps with him in the backyard and was posing so pretty.

I went and sat in the shade and my shadows didn't lag too far behind. My Bella girl has the most beautiful grin!

After another romp we settled down n the other side of the yard and even though we were "relaxing" her ears were perked up at any sign of a squirrel (who are known to be Bean tormentors... sitting up in the tree, making enough noise to rouse the dogs, but well out of reach.)

Bo, who has a lower prey drive, kept his eyes on me to make sure mama wasn't going anywhere.

But Hark! Doth I hear the sounds of Squirrel?????

2008-05-12T08:17:00.003-06:00

YEA! Winter is FINALLY taking it's leave and nicer days are starting to become more and more frequent. I can tell that both Bo & Bella are about as happy as I am with the weather change. They are more excited about going outside and they spend more time peeking around the backyard than they have been able to for the last few months.

So Jon and I were Spring cleaning the backyard... I was on landmine patrol and Jon was trimming branches. Bo & Bella were doing the toughest of jobs... overseers. But I'm not sure how seriously they were taking their jobs.

Bo started out well, "A little higher dad!"

But before long he started laying down on the job, "Come on, it's hard work standing up"

Soon after the both of them were sitting side by side gossiping about the parents:

"So I hear they have some bath plans for us in the future, that's CRAZY talk!"

Bella then fell asleep on the job:

Or so I thought until I realized that she was just sun bathing and trying to get a little color on her tum:

Hey mom, you are in my light.Bo on the other hand tends to shy away from the harmful rays of the sun when he can and finds a nice shady spot to lie in...

Bo, "Aren't you guys done yet? Wake me when it's time to go in."

Going to the Park!

2008-05-08T11:04:00.002-06:00

Bo & Bella have a love/hate relationship with the car. They LOVE going places and they will eagerly jump into the SUV. But as soon as we get going they get restless, too warm (even in winter!) and oh so drooly! Well tell them to lay down and calm down, so Bo will lay down and take the WHOLE back seat so poor Bella has to try to maneuver herself into the little corner Bo allows her. Inevitably she'll accidentally step on him and then he is up and dripping drool all over the seat in front of him. The only time that they are ever fully relaxed in the car is when they are exhausted.

This is from last weekend, we went to a dog park that isn't too far away from us, and the car ride was almost more entertaining than the park itself.

Mmmmmm, smell that fresh country air!

Hey, look! Cows! I knew something smelled funny.

Bo: Skootch over, you're hogging the backseat!

Bella: You move! I'm trying to get to the window.

Yea! We're almost there! I see the other dogs!

Bella: Yeah, I'm done... One lap was enough for me.

Bella: Mooooom, Bo's taking the whole backseat, he won't let me lay down and... Wait, is that home? Why are we going home??

It's been a while

2008-04-29T09:53:00.006-06:00

It's been a while since I've added some new pictures. Spring is finally coming in (although in teasing bits and pieces) so we've been out and about a little bit more, but unfortunately without the camera. This means that I that although I have some new pictures, they are indoor ones. Jon and I have been so enamored of this breed that we are considering the opportunities of fostering greyhounds to help them in the transition between the racetrack and their soon to be forever families. This makes us both nervous and excited. Nervous in that there will be a new dog come into the house every now and again with new dog issues that'll need to be worked through (housebreaking, counter surfing, crate training, stairs trainins and just adjusting to a home), but then it was so much fun with Bo & Bella that we're sure it'll be great. So without any further ado, some cute pics of our pups:

Sleeping Bat-Eared Beauty

This is why we call her Bella Bean. She'll snuggle up in a little bean shape and sleep so soundly in such an awkward position.

A beautiful evening walk with Seeya scouting for squirrels...

Within minutes of getting home he takes his normal position... snooze mode.

The sweet melodies of a Seeya

2008-03-24T10:16:00.006-06:00

Bo is a roo-er. He'll sing at the drop of a hat. If I roo at him, make a funny noise, hum to myself, or sing aloud... he'll join right in.

The other day I was working on the computer with my music playing and I started singing along to it. Before long I hear a low whine behind me and I knew someone was getting all worked up. I turn around and sing right to both Bo and Bella to see if I could get a song out of them. Bo takes this invitation and runs with it. My diva boy loves to hear himself sing so much that even his doggy day care people tell me that he'll grace them with his lovely voice on occasion.

And without further ado, I present Bo Seeya and his solo, "The Roo". Sit back and enjoy:

You can see in his eyes the love of the song, he puts so much of himself into it!

Are you watching?? The high note is coming!

"Rooooooooooo"

Thank you, Thank you. No autographs, please!

Bella: Moooom! Tell him to stop! I'm trying to snooze!

Bella's favorite spot

2008-03-19T20:47:00.002-06:00

Bella Bean's favorite spot in the house is our bed... more specifically on our pillows, even more right after the sheets have been changed. As we putter around the house doing other chores she'll sneak into our room (She learned how to open our bedroom door) and quietly jump up onto the bed. Sometimes she'll take it as is, but other days she thinks it needs a good fluffing and takes the opportunity to scratch the covers off and nestle down on top of fresh clean sheets. *sigh* Jon knew that Bella had snuck into our room a few minutes before so he quietly went into the room with the camera and found this:

Bella: What, the... whats going on! Oh, its just you.

Well, while I'm up here on your bed I may as well get all my itchins out of the way...

Again, *sigh*

Bring your dog to work day

2008-03-10T10:18:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a little treat and were able to bring the pooches (and kitties) to work with us. I first checked with everyone here to make sure if any cats were going to make an appearance, and if so where. Bella and Bo are not kitty friendly and I didn't want to put any other animals in danger so I can have company throughout the day. Only 1 kitty was going to be coming in and in another department so there were no possible interactions so I decided to bring them with me. I also booked day acre for them that day just in case they became restless. Bella: What? Where are we going today? Bella: Work? *Sigh* And here I had plans today to chase those squirrels out of the yard! Bo: Whats work? I decided to have Bella Bean there in the morning and leave Bo at the daycare partly because Bo is a whiner and I figured Bella can be quite charismatic with larger groups of people. But by early afternoon I think we were both ready for the switch. She had had enough with being confined to my office with me and I could tell she was going a bit stir crazy... not to mention that she tried to poop in our lobby. I took my lunch hour to switch and grab Seeya Bella: So this is where you go when you leave me alone all day, not bad. Bella: I thought I smelled some yummies around here somewhere! Bella: Hey co-worker people, more good stuff please! When I made the switch Bella was was quite pleased to be out and about, and Bo was even more pleased because he thought we were going home or for a walk or something. He was a bit confused when I took him into the office, but he was so tired out from the morning at the day care that (other than a marking incident on a plastic tree) he was snoozing the rest of the afternoon. Bo: I'll be your greeter today, I can do that from the floor right? Bo: Bella told me that there were some good treats here, can I have some??? It was nice to have them with me at work, to give a scritch or two when I felt like it or when I needed it, but for the most part I think I am more productive without them staring at me all day asking (whining) for yummies or walks.

Nurse Bean

2008-02-11T09:34:00.001-06:00

Poor Jon has been quite under the weather lately. Fortunately it is nothing serious and he is now on the road to recovery, but Bella Bean kept an eye on her papi while he was ill. This particular morning while I was getting ready for work, Jon stayed in bed to let his fever rest. Bella Bean jumped up onto my spot on the bed and helped keep the bed warm while keeping an eye on her sick dad. She had no problem laying her little Bean head on my pillow either. After a couple of pictures she noticed I was still in the room and managed to lift her head to see what the heck I was up to. "Oh, are you still here?"

"Don't worry mama, I've got this."

Snuggling

2008-01-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

We generally keep the house relatively chilly to help save energy (and money). We keep ourselves and the pooches covered up, but Bo and Bella have started to snuggle closer and closer than I have ever seen them snuggle before. I don't know if it is the chill in the air or the compromise of sharing preferred beds, but I think it is just too dang cute.

Now even though there are 2 beds, they still shared this one back to back. Awwwwww!

With this new bed, they will literally race to get to this bed first and the loser will pout and watch the other until they get up for whatever reason to steal the spot. But this evening Bo wasn't in the mood to sit sit by as Bella enjoyed the whole bed, so he sucked it up and they shared the bed... peacefully!

Gah! Winter!

2008-01-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

It's cold, it's snowy and reluctant to venture out much. So whats to do in Wisconsin when you are a retired greyhound (and an owner that comes from the south and still doesn't get winter sports)? Sleep, relax and find comfort in a warm balnket and a warm partner. Think Spring, think Spring!!!

We found this wonderful bed at Sams and we should have gotten several more. It fits Bo! My leggy 90# dog has a bed that fits all of him. Since then I haven't seen it since, sigh.

On a particularly chilly night we put this warming blanket over Seeya and he was in heaven.

Bella Bean and her papa taking an afternoon snooze together.

New Hound Mobile!

2008-01-13T20:32:00.000-06:00

So, we got ourselves a hound friendly car! A Hyundai Santa Fe. We knew we were going to eventually need a vehicle that could carry ourselves, the 2 pooches with room for another person if needed. I love it. The hatch has enough space for the two to lay down without bickering and I don't have them drooling on my shoulder as they try to peek through my window.

After having the car for a couple of weeks we decided to break it in and take the dogs for a walk in an area they haven't been before... for a good 1st experience. Getting them in was a little challenging. Bo isn't that nimble and he doesn't like to jump up into it, but he does when he isn't given much of a choice.

It was COLD, but not windy so it was a very nice day to be out and about, and they are all for any new areas that provide new smells and pee opportunities.

Bo: Hey, this is nice, is this ours?

Bella: Hey I got my own window... was that a squirrel?

Bella: Moooom, Bo is hogging the backseat!

OK we have to be getting close now...

Bella: And we don't live in Arizona because.....??? Brrrrrrrr!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-13T20:09:00.000-06:00

Christmas was a great time this year. Bo and Bella were involved with a Secret Hound Santa exchange this year again and I had a great time shopping for their exchanged pups and we all had a good time snooting through the Santa boxes when they came in from their S. Santa. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas filled with love of family and friends !

Wasn't Santa supposed to come last night???

Lounging through a quiet Christmas morning.

Chewey (mom's pup) taking a much needed nap after a few laps in the backyard with Bo and Bella.

Bo coming down after a day's festivities

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Christmas Tree is up!

2007-12-12T11:57:00.000-06:00

Twas the weeks before Christmas and all through the house,

2 greyhounds were snoozing, dreaming of treats for their mouths.

The Christmas season is upon us and we are so excited. We participate in a local greyhound secret hound Santa exchange and we've sent ours out for their hounds, and they are excitedly awaiting their secred Santa's boxes.

We've had to have the "talk" with them about which stuffies were for them and which stuffies were for decoration, they either weren't listening or they didn't care, so the decorative stuffies had to be placed well out of reach.

Fortunately Christmas plans this year are small and rather quiet, so we all should enjoy a peaceful reflective day...

Bo "reflecting"

Hey? Was that reindeer we hear??? Oh, no even better! Papa coming out of the "treat room"!!

How can you NOT love that sweet face

2007-12-05T15:12:00.000-06:00

Both Bo and Bella sleep with gusto. There is no such thing as a quick snooze or cat nap. They take their sleeping seriously and I have a picture to prove it.

I was working on the computer, doing a couple of projects and downloading pictures when I look behind me and see a face of utter sleeping bliss. Mind you, I had only been on the computer for no more than 10 minutes by this time. I snagged the camera and made sure to shre the blissful sleeping face of my sleeping beatuy Bean. (I'm going to have to watch my shoes, I'm sure she's want to get back at me for posting this picture. :))

They got jammies!!!!

2007-12-05T14:55:00.000-06:00

Bo Seeya hates being cold, we learned early last winter that Bo needs something on when he goes to bed, otherwise he is waking us up all night whining with shivers. They have tummy warmers, but this year I went with jammies too. Bella Bean doesn't like to be covered up too much, so I got her a light fabric with only the front legs. Bo went with a thermal fabric to keep the toasty in without the all of the static electricity that fleece can bring. They weren't too big on modeling, but they had little choice in the matter, I had to share the total cuteness of my babies in their jammies!!

Bella Bean looks so sweet in pink butterflies, even with her snarky stink eye in the second picture:

Here is the See curled up and comfortable in his manly blue & black pawed pjs.

Bo Seeya keeps pulling his back legs out of the jammies. I have been rolling them up to keep them on, but he still manages on snaking them out. Here he is, pj legs flapping at his side, doing his happy dance with his favorite hedgie in tow:

Bye!

Stolen moments

2007-12-03T10:19:00.000-06:00

Bo and Bella have always gotten along really well. As can be expected in the beginning there was a minor scuffle, but since the 1st week together, they're pretty much inseparable. Although they aren't the biggest snugglers, I see them "appreciate" the other's presence by looking for the other one or snacking side by side without any snarkiness.

Then I caught them in a moment of... "appreciation". It was later in the evening and bed time was getting close. We were going through nighttime rituals when I saw them stealing a "kiss". Fortunately I usually have a camera near and I caught the moment.

Here we have them, in the cover of the dark room, stealing their kiss:

Oh, poop! We've been caught!

As soon as the lights came on the moment ended... and as if in denial, Bella turns her head demurely as if to say that the kiss was a stolen one...

She knows the softest place in the house

2007-12-03T09:35:00.000-06:00

The other day as I was passing by the bedroom I noticed that the bed wasn't made. Weird, I knew I made it that morning. I had just seen the dogs in the other room not a few minutes ago and Jon was studying... What the heck?

So I walk over and I see my little girl had snuck away when I wasn't looking, climbed into our bed, re-arranged the covers to her liking and settled in for a warm nap.

As I stood above her she was sneaking little glances at me, pretending that she was still sleeping...

When I called out her name she looked up "totally surprised", whaaa? Whats going on mama?

And I had to include the bed head picture:

Poor little girl has her cold issues. She gets chilly, but hates having something on top of her, like a blanket or her tummy warmer, so she finds a warm spot and curls into the smallest ball of Bean that she can to warm up. As long as her little tush isn't on the pillow, we'll let her enjoy her naps.

Smart Girl!

2007-11-14T21:41:00.000-06:00

Bella Bean is one smart cookie... but usually best demonstrated when it can be used to her advantage. When there is a yummy in hand, I don't have to ask "down" more than once. In the car though, she conveniently "forgets" what that "down" word means. On walks she "forgets" that she isn't allowed to sniff everywhere (designated sniff posts are along the walk only, don't want to anger neighbors), but she remembers clearly where the best squirrel paths are and will gently remind me that she must go down that path with a tug and a soulful glance.

Little furries seem to stick out in her head more often than not. Along our walks there are a couple of places where kitties had been spotted at one time or another. It may have only been once, but she never forgets to peek in that direction... just in case.

Thankfully we don't have to visit the vets office too often, maybe 3 times in the last year, but she knows where she saw that office kitty that one time. Mr. Kitty wasn't in the office last time we were there (he had long retired to another room) but Bella wasn't convinced and spent almost the entire wait for an empty office with her snoot behind the desk:

Mama, I swear it was here somewhere:

Maybe if I look hard enough, it'll appear:

I say a little too smart for her own good. :)

Hard day's work

2007-11-13T10:45:00.000-06:00

A couple of weekends ago we had a few people around helping us to "clean out" some areas of the house that were badly in need of being cleaned out. Such as the flooded basement... carpet and drywall needed to go, and the pooper's room (they weren't taking care of the carpet the way we asked them to, bad poopers). So during the time we were ripping carpet out and doing general cleaning, the dogs were confiscated outside, we didn't want them to get hurt with nails or dust or whatnot.

They weren't too put out by being locked outside. It was a warmish day so they found their fluffy beds and napped for us.

Their room is very different now. No more wall to wall carpet, so they can make whatever mess they want and clean up will be much easier.

By the looks of them, you would have thought they were recovering for all of the strenuous work!

Tired poops!

What? Is it time to go in now?

Bella's New Bed

2007-11-13T10:34:00.000-06:00

Ms. Bella Bean has a tush of higher tastes. The softest piece of furniture in the room is hers. The couch, the bed, Bo's bed... doesn't matter, her little behind needs the cushiest of cushions. We've been slowly replacing dog beds (all that scratching and plopping down flattens those suckers after a while) and Bo has been reaping most of the benefit because the beds are on the floor, and why would Bean lay on the floor when there is a perfectly good couch to push humans off of?But then Jon came home with this magnificent bed. Bella decided that this one is hers and hers alone. She even chose it over the people's fluffy couch! Without further ado... my princess and her new throne:

Is this bed for me??

Are you sure?

Ok, I'm getting comfy then. (notice Bo having to settle for the bare carpet)

Mmm, this is good, comfy softness.

OK mom! Enough pictures, let me sleep!

2007-11-05T14:44:00.001-06:00

This has to be my favorite picture ever! Bella Bean really isn't much of a snuggler, but every once in a while she has little choice. She is just so dang cute we have to give her a big hug and cuddle. Saturday was a busy day around the house with lots of people and both Bo and Bella were on their best behavior. They said their hello's, they were happy to see everyone but pretty much stayed out of everyone's way and napped and accepted love when it was given. Jon saw Bean snuggled up on the couch and had to sneak attack a hug. I love the look on their faces. Jon, happily loving on his little Bean, Bella Bean looking at me and those eyes saying, "Mama, help me!"

Ghostly Halloween fun

2007-11-05T11:32:00.000-06:00

This Halloween Jon and I dressed up as ghosts. We went to a costume party and everything. Now while I am sure we were quite frightening, I think Bella Bean took the scary ghost and improved on our idea.

Here is Jon and I at our friend's house looking ghostly:

And here is Bella Bean who not only donned the white sheet, but she added the scary alien eyes to it:

Happy late halloween!

Whacha doing mama?

2007-10-30T21:07:00.000-06:00

This last weekend it was gorgeous! Not too chilly, not too windy... a great time to start winterizing the home. So I was out in the front of the house raking leaves and getting the front of the house together when I looked up and saw 2 faces looking at me from the other side of the window. The front yard does not have a fence so they couldn't accompany me while I worked, but they kept a close eye on me the whole time. Either to make sure I was getting the work done right or just to make sure I wasn't going for a walk without them (that would be unforgivable in their eyes).

As soon as I grabbed the camera (I always have it on me... just in case) they pretended that they weren't really interested in me or anything I was doing, but just... looking out for the squirrels. :D

Peanut butter and Screaming Monkeys

2007-10-24T11:56:00.001-06:00

A week or so ago I was in the grocery store and saw an impassable deal on generic peanut butter. Now, I bought this knowing it was going to be for the dogs and the dogs alone. We have our brand and aren't likely to change. They love it! I like that it an easy treat and everyone gets enjoyment out of it. They love the yumminess of creamy peanut butter and we love watching them continue licking their chops for about 10 minutes after the peanut butter has been put away. Just look at the crazed look in their eyes! :D

At the gala this year we bought 2 screaming monkeys. Last year when we brought Bella Bean home she made sure that the monkey would never scream again within a matter of minutes. We even special ordered another one, and again, his screams were silenced in seconds. They love the monkey and their little screams, but it just drives them batty and in a mood to show that screamer who is boss.

Well, it seems that a year in a home has mellowed my Bella Bean out considerably. Even though she still goes a little crazy at the sound of a monkey scream, she no longer wishes to tear it's little voice box out. She'll crunch on it so the screams follow one after another, and then carry it around happily. In this picture she just went through her squirrley stage where she ran from the front room into the bedroom and was chewing happily on the monkey. As soon as she saw the camera, she turned all shy and demure. Look at the face of innocence. She could never be a monkey killer (nor would she dream of messing up our recently made up bed either).

Gratuitous cuteness

2007-10-16T10:53:00.000-06:00

We were out on a little stroll and they were being so good I gave them treats. Bella being too interested in every scurry furry that was around ignored the treat, leaving it on the ground. Bo on the other hand was torn. He wanted to sniff and mark- mark and sniff, but he also really wanted his snack. So he ended up walking around with the bone hanging out of his mouth as he went about his business. I did eventually stop them both and let him enjoy his yummy. As soon as Bella saw Bo enjoying something she gave me the big sad what-about-me look. :)

And a quick side-note of good news! Abby, the foster greyhound that we were babysitting... She was ADOPTED! Her foster parents let me know that someone fell in love with her at the gala (Not a hard thing to do) and she has found her new forever home! Yea!

GALA, GALA, GALA!

2007-10-13T21:17:00.000-06:00

Today was the GPA-WI Greyhound Gala. 1 Year ago at the gala we brought our sweet Bella Bean home with us. While this year we had a pretty good haul, it didn't include another greyhound. We dipped our resources in a little of everything... bag raffles, family photos, contests, new collars, new tummy warmers, and a "Clock your dog" run. Last year we didn't know Bella well enough to let her participate and Bo was still fairly new so his time was a little off. 29 mph. This year both of them had the chance to play:

Bella is out the gate and flying!!!

I'm gonna get it!

Bo couldn't wait to get in there. Barking his big head off, wagging his tail, bucking to get to the squeaky toy at the other end... He was loving it!

Just look at that grin. He is in pooper heaven!

And if you take a good look at the rudder on the Seeya, please note that he is the winner of the "Longest Tail" contest (2 years running, 23 inches!). Here we are accepting his #1 cookie: After a few hours of fun, we were pretty tired and our wallets were pretty thin, so we decided to pack up and go. Being that they were both pooped out they actually both laid down for a majority of the long trip, although not comfortably: (I'm trying for a hound-mobile, the Focus isn't the most large dog friendly)

And, I'd like to present, 2 Hound Design collars (I love these)

Bella is SO pretty in this soft pink:

Bo's collar is about as earthy as he is:

Stubborn dogs

2007-10-10T13:37:00.000-06:00

We've recently been adding some new dog beds to our collection because a lot of the fluff has gone out of the older beds and I can hear thumps when their bony bums hit their beds. This means there isn't enough padding to cushion their weight. We've found some dog beds that are made of squares of "memory" foam and are pretty inexpensive for the size of them. Bo is in heaven, he absolutely loves the fluffiness of them and uses them exclusively. The old ones are still out just in case but they are soon to be trashed because my dogs won't use the old ones unless pretty much forced.

Take last night for example. The office usually doesn't have a dog bed in it, but they were pacing around and a surefire way to stop that is to set a designated spot to stay. Bella saw the bed being brought in and not a moment after the bed hit the floor, she was on it. Bo paces in and sees the bed, steps on it but realizes that there isn't enough room for him. Pacing continues. I run out and grab another bed (an older one) and set it where there should be plenty of space for him to lay out. Nope. He edges into the corner behind me and next to a wall and eases down... schooching Bella over enough so he'll fit.

Now my dogs are NOT snugglers. They like each other, prefer to be with each other, will even sit close to each other, but body contact has never been something either one of them is comfortable with. So seeing 2 large dogs struggling to lay on the same bed made me laugh so hard. Bo was so happy that he was on his comfy bed that he started rooing. Bella isn't a big roo-er and she seems a little put off that not only was he taking her bed away but he was also singing loudly in her ears.

After a while he settled down to snooze but kept edging Bella off the bed little by little. A few minutes of this and she was done with the whole fighting over the bed thing and went to the older bed. 5 whole minutes of scratching and fluffing the bed up, she finally made it somewhat as comfy as the new bed, but she kept her little bum on the new bed... on principle you know. :)

Bo: Rooo, roo, roo. This bed was bought for me wasn't it mama?

Bella: Can you knock it off? I'm trying to get a little rest here.

Bo: Fine, I'll just make myself comfortable:

(Now take note that the other bed has more than enough space on it for a whole dog, but the prince and princess don't think it is cushy enough for their royal rumps)

Finally Bo wins. He got his bed and begins to snore. Poor Bella Bean has to nearly ball up the old bed to get the desired softness to match the memory foam gives, but her royal rump is still adequately cushioned. :)

Foster Abby

2007-10-10T12:26:00.000-06:00

Otherwise known as: Abbers, Abbler, Abbies, Aber-kadaber.

Jon and I love our dogs and just love the greyhound breed in general, the breed has so much history both good and bad. We thought that since we feel so strongly about the dog's cause that we'd dabble in fostering a bit. Abby is already in a foster home but they needed to go out of town for a week and we had the pleasure of watching her.

She is such a sweet dog (and still up for adoption), she loves to snuggle and is so pretty. She took right to the house and there was never any potty issues. I really hope she finds a good home that will love her as much as she has love to give.

Without any further ado here is Abby:

Here she stole Bo's newest favorite bed, he looks so dejected on the older, less fluffy one:

Abby is all white with red ears and a red patch on her left eye.

And how adaptable is she? Being shuffled from one place to another, and still comfortable enough to konk out like this as if she were home:

Abby has gone back to her foster family and will be attending the Greyhound Gala in hopes of finding her forever family.

Where have we been?!?

2007-10-09T21:14:00.000-06:00

Well, nowhere. :-)

These last few weeks have been pretty uneventful, so much to that point that the most interesting activity that I have documented of the dogs are these:

Lazy poopers but cute nonetheless. :-)

Meet & Greet

2007-09-20T15:24:00.001-06:00

On the weekends that our schedule allows us both to do as we please, we try to attend meet & Greets to show off our fawn beauties and to promote GPA and greyhound adoption. The last one we went to was a lot of fun because the pet store was having a dog days of summer kind of thing and there were people and dogs everywhere. Our GPA chapter is amazing and it was fun to see the other pooches and talk greyhound with other people, but by the end of our shift Bo Seeya was so tired that the was down for the count. Our usually "space conscious" dog didn't care who was encroaching in on his very personal space.

Bella is always looking for a pet or a snuggle, and she gets plenty of those at meet and greets:

Bo Seeya even took up the GPA cause asking for donation for those still waiting on their forever homes:

Bella even got to meet a rep for a local radio station, the "Charlie Horse" (Charlie FM), she didn't quite know what to think of him:

So many people and so many pooches:

And watch them fall! One thing about greyhounds is that they can only be on their feet for so long before their innate laziness takes over:

Neither one of these are mine but there is always bed share-age.

This is Ruthy, the 3 legged princess. This pretty little girl has had a leg removed in her fight with cancer. Although she lost a leg, she beat the cancer!

And here we have my exhausted boy, down for the count. Who cares is someone sits on his head, or puts a cold wet nose where it shouldn't go... Bo isn't going to let any of that ruin his nap!

Dog Park Fun

2007-09-12T11:38:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we all made a trip over to the dog park. It was mid Saturday morning, and we were hoping that it would have been past the mosquito stage but not quite to the HOT part of the day. We were wrong on both counts. The nasty little bugs were still swarming and wow was it hot. The dogs only had enough in them for one lap around the park and then they were begging to go home. Actually they didn't even really make one round through without finding places to lie out of the sun. One lap and they were out for the rest of the day.

Bella making friends with a Springer Spaniel at the park:

Bo seeking refuge from the sun:

Bella out like a light!

relaxing by the poolside

2007-09-12T10:17:00.001-06:00

Bo Seeya ercently celebrated 1 year as an adopted pooch in our home (9/8 to be exact) and we celebrated with a good long walk (one of his favorite things in the world). When we got home he was so warm that we filled the pool back up for him and he engaged in pool play. Soaking himself in the cool water to bring his temperature down, the jumping out, running around like mad and getting toasty again. After a few rounds of this he walks out, "dries" himself on the grass and konks out. Happy one year home my big beautiful boy!

This is Bo's old kennel picture that was on the http://gpawisconsin.org website.

Bo cooling off in his personal spa. Yeah that's the stuff:

Drying off and lounging in the sun:

Greyhound gathering

2007-09-09T19:49:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago there was a GPA volunteer appreciation day, where volunteers, greyhounds and greyhound owners were welcome to come and say thank you to all of the GPA volunteers who work so hard to help this great cause flow smoothly. It was a fun time. Lots of dogs, lots of people and lots of good food.

There were all kinds of greys there of all colors and abilities

Bo was having a ball, but had a hard time staing upright... We even had hula dancers!

After a while we found a shady spot and cooled off a bit.

Bella in deep conversation with her daddy:

Bean sitting pretty and smiling for the camera: Posing with their mom

Bella: Bye everyone! It was real!

When is mama coming home???

2007-09-07T18:23:00.000-06:00

Today Jon had the day off to catch up on some of his own stuff and to keep to dogs company. He always jokes that the dogs love me more and I tell him he is just being crazy, they love both of us. When I came home he gave me the camera and said, "I told you so!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSmsTlWZa4k

This is our sweet Bella Bean waiting patiently for me to come home from work, albeit early, but waiting none the less. This makes me happy to come home.

We had guests this summer!

2007-09-05T10:02:00.001-06:00

Visitors! This summer we have had a few guests cross our door. It was so much fun to have new faces in the house. It is always a little adjustment for us and the pooches with new pups around, meshing what we are used to and what they are used to so that everyone is happy and comfortable. Fortunately with other greys, everyone would rather sniff, eat and sleep so it took the guesswork out of a lot. Our first guests were Mia and Po’Boy. They only spent one night so their parents would have a house warming party without worrying that someone might accidentally let them out. Hey mom! Who are they? What’s going on? Ooh, what’s this smell? And that one? Hey another one here!

Guests part 2

2007-09-05T09:57:00.000-06:00

Meet Mia, a very snuggly little girl. She loved being where the people are and even snuck up on the bed at night to sleep with the peoples.

And Po’Boy. A handsome brindle boy who took joy in each and every stuffy that he passed in the house: And here we have the 2 houseguests taking advantage of the comfortable accommodations… … and the various stuffy selection at their disposal: Bo and Bella had a great time with the guests, but Bella got a tad jealous… someone competing for her people’s affections and for the comfy spot on the couch!

Guests cont...

2007-09-05T09:53:00.000-06:00

They left the next day and life went back to normal, that is until we got a request from my mother… She is going out of tow for a little bit and would we mind watching her Chewey while she is gone? No problem! Chewey is a little white fluffy ball of energy, we could use a little excitement in our home.

Bo: What? Who is coming over now?

And I thought we had the house to ourselves for a change.

But it seems that when Chewey comes over, the overall calming effect of greyhounds set in and he becomes quite a placid little pup.

We had everyone outside, relaxing and enjoying the beautiful summer day (before the deluge and the onslaught of mosquitoes)

Don’t mind me, I’m just keeping patrol on the squirrel situation…

Guests cont.

2007-09-05T09:50:00.000-06:00

But this isn’t to say that the greyhound attitude completely diffuses this ball of energy. And when he gets started, everyone gets involved (with a person close by to referee):

Tag! You are it!

Chewey: Uncle! Uncle!

But it doesn’t last. They go from the super hyper to this in a minute:

Bo: are we done now? Can I have my beds back to myself now?

My Bella Bella

2007-09-02T22:48:00.000-06:00

I can't help but show off my sweet Bella Bean every once in a while. She is so expressive, and just too darned cute for her own good. She acts quite regal one moment, and then acts like a squirrley, silly little bean the next. Without any further ado... Sweet Bella Bean

Do you have my good side mom? Here she is showing off her Hedgie collection

Thoughtful in Black & White

And finally here is my sweet girl giving me the stink eye. Mo-om, stop with the flashy thing!

Smile for the camera my photogenic beauty!

2007-08-16T11:10:00.001-06:00

Say Cheese!!!!!!!!!

Silly Bella Bean was laying on the bed getting her tummy rubbed when she flashed me her beautiful toothy grin!

Mamas home! Mamas home!

2007-08-16T10:11:00.000-06:00

Jon has this crazy idea that th pooches love me more than they love him. I have been called a "dog stealer" by some family members because I tend to fawn over the dog & dogs know who to go to for the love. But I don't belive that our poopers love me more than they love him, we both feed, treat, and snuggle them spoiled and they know who their people are. But yesterday Jon had the day off and spent the entire day at home with the dogs. I came home around 5:30 and was greeted how I normally am, with 2 snoots at the door, and enough tail wagging to take someone out. After giving them their hello kisses, hugs and scritches I went over to kiss my sweet husband hello. He promptly said, "I knew they loved you more." Whaaat? They greet you the same way when you get home! He then handed the camera over to me and asked if they did this when he comes home, and after I burst out laughing I had to admit that, no, I have never seen this. I can't help that our poochers get happy when mama gets home!

Bella to Bo: Hey, what's that?? The garage is opening! Is it Mama??

Bella Bean: I can see her! I can see her!

HOT!

2007-08-07T15:36:00.001-06:00

It has been very hot and humid here in WI lately. The pups are always trying to find the coolest spot available. I was working in the yard the other day and you can imagine my suprise when I walked in to see them snuggled so close together on such a warm day in their room. The I realized that they were both laying in the direct path of the room fan I had set on the other side of the room. It was so warm, in fact that they didn't budge when I sneaked out into the house, got the camera and came back! I just thought it was too cute not to share! I love seeing them snuggle (or as close to snuggling as they get) since it happens so rarely.

Houseguest Continued

2007-08-07T15:23:00.000-06:00

Greyhounds have this relaxing aura about them. When you are near them, they put you at ease... then the calming effect amplifies and all you really want to do is snuggle up and go to sleep.

Chewey was not immune to the greyhound effect. At his home he is a very energetic little dog, running, playing, barking... but after only a few days at our house and around our dogs the calming effect was very apparant.

He went from this: An energetic playful pup:

To this: A pooped out pupper. I think he became so enamored of the greys he was trying to imitate them!

Pupper sitting

2007-08-01T15:35:00.001-06:00

This last week mom went to DC to visit my brother and his wife. Since our dogs had gotten along so well in the past, we figured I could sit for the little puffball. I was a little apprehensive at first because he is such a little ball of fur and I was nervous that Bella and/or Bo Seeya would mistake him for a darting bunny or any other type of lure when running. But as we can see below there were no confusion that this was a little pooch that they had no problems getting close to.

Hi everyone, I'm Chewey! I'm energetic and too darned cute for my own good!

Bo Seeya, who can have space issues when he is laying down, seemed not to mind Chewey getting close to him.

Dirty, dirty dogs!

2007-08-01T15:23:00.001-06:00

Its been pretty warm here in Wisconsin. Not that I'm complaining, I prefer the warmer weather, but the pooches are the whiners. I have to MAKE them go outside and when I do the sun causes such fatigue that they can't keep themselves upright for more than a few minutes. So as soon as I trick them to go outside they make a beeline for the few cool shaded areas. Their favorite place is underneath the slide. This is the only place where we let them dig. They'll both run over and start digging. For the most part they'll make sure there is room for 2, but sometimes I'll see (usually Bo) someone taking up the whole space and makes the other find another spot. The only big downside is that they get to DIRTY! They love the feel of the cool dry earth on themselves that they'll get as much of it on them that they can. I notice it much later when I see pupper tracks on the blanket over the couch or when I go to kiss a forehead and have a mouthful of dust... ewww.

Mmmmm, cool earth...

And it isn't enough that they get themselves all dirty, but they have to get Mr. Camel into the fun. But mom... he wants to be cool too!

How can this be comfortable??

2007-07-22T20:55:00.000-06:00

The other day I walk into the front room and see Bella Bean on her throne in the most uncomfortable looking position. Her head was dangling off the side and she was snoring away. I had to walk up to her and make sure that I got a couple of cute pictures of my little contortionist sleeping.

Sleeping away

Who goes there?

Come on Mom! I was sleeping!

Fine. Now that you've woken me up... when is dinner??

Out on a walk

2007-07-08T21:04:00.000-06:00

We try to take the puppers out daily for a good walk. Contrary to popular belief greyhounds (at least my greyhounds) they are not high energy dogs. If we go for an hour walk, I'm dragging them by the end of the walk... come to think of it I'm dragging them if we are out for only a half hour. When we go for our walks, it is all about the walk, the exercise. We are such a mean pupper mom & dad that we won't let them sniff and mark every other post and tree. We have 2 places on our regular walking path that we let the dogs sniff and mark until their little sniffers and bladders are content. Bella takes this also as an opportunity to search for bunnies, kitties, squirrels, really any little fuzzy that takes it's little life in it's hands and is out in the open in Bella's vicinity. I decided to take a couple of pictures last walk and thought they were kinda neat.

Bella: Hey, what was that?!?

Bella: I saw it go THAT way! Come on lets go there! Bo: Lots of good sniffs here mom.

Bo & his headless moose...

2007-07-08T20:32:00.000-06:00

Headless Moose still has a place in our home and a place in Bo's heart. A few months ago Mr. Moose lost his head while in play with Jon and Bella Bean, but this doesn't mean that his spirit (and headless body) has gone from our lives. He is still a favorite with Bo and Bella. He is so favored that when Bo is happy he'll walk circles around the house with the headless moose in mouth, when he lays down for a nap he'll take the comfort of his stuffy for a headrest. I just love how sweet he looks napping with his toy.

Just because they are cute

2007-07-02T09:33:00.000-06:00

Most of the pupper pictures that I have are just pictures of the puppers doing nothing but just so darned cute! So I thought I'd add a couple here.

Bella impersonating a gecko:

Here, I had You Tube playing another greyhound "Rooing" Bo just couldn't understand where it was coming from.

HOT

2007-07-02T09:23:00.000-06:00

It has been a rather warm summer. Not that we are complaining, but we are a bit hesitant to turn on the a/c unless absolutely necessary. Bella seems to take all temps to the extreme. She curls up tight in the winter, even with a jacket on and now in the summer she is always panting and looking for the coolest spot in the house to lay down. Well the other night, her pillows were too warm and the wood floor wasn't doing it's usual job in cooling her down. She got inventive. We always have a fan going and she decided that she needed the full brunt of it on her to stay cool. It was after this that we finally conceded and turned on the central air.

Finally, cool air

What? Can't you see I'm cooling off here? No need for picture.

What a summer so far

2007-07-02T08:23:00.000-06:00

This summer has been a little crazy. With longer days and it finally being warm enough to be outside more often, we are trying to take as much advantage of it as we can. The pups are more than happy to take as much outside time as we'll let them... as long as we are with them. If we let them outside by themselves they'll find a shady corner to lay in or a spot to dig up cool earth to lay in before whining to come in. I have a couple of good summer pictures that truly depicts what summer means to the pups:

Bella stretching out in the sun

Bo doing what he does best... sleeping sweetly:

Bella following Bo's lead

Taking some time to sniff the flowers

Bo cooling off on a hot day in a pond. He was not too pleasant to smell later. :P

Portraits at the park

2007-05-29T14:29:00.000-06:00

We went to the dog park on my day off. It was just me and the pups and I wanted to make sure they had a fun, exhausting day so they would be relaxed the rest of the afternoon/evening. The day was fun and the got some good running in, but being the lazy dogs they are, I got mostly still shots (very few action opportunities. :))

I got this one of Bella and she looks so sweet and charismatic I just had to share.

I accidentally got this picture and I absolutely love it. Bella looking at her Seeya in the distance.

So I tried to duplicate this pretty picture but with Bo up close looking at the beautiful princess Bean and I got this...

I didn't realize until later what I had captured and I can't look at it without a big smile and a little giggle!!! Tee hee

Pupper parade

2007-05-29T14:04:00.000-06:00

A nearby town had a parade the weekend of May 19th, and various groups were able to participate to advertise their cause. We went in the "adpot a pet" portion and showed off our bautiful hounds. It was a lot of fun, very warm and I could hear little kids tell their parents, "I want THAT one!" Here are some fun shots of that day:

Bella meeting some new brindle friends.

Look at all the houndies!

Bella meets her lighter coat look a like, Nadia.

GPA parade!

Some friends chilling out in the shade after the long walk

Lots of hounds participated in the parade, I think I counted 15 at one point.

Mom, we're warm, can we go home now?

Rogue Squirrel

2007-05-21T10:10:00.001-06:00

Mom! I see a Squirrel!

Yesterday there was a lot of excitement going on in the backyard. I heard some serious running and then a couple of barks. Now my greyhounds rarely bark. Only occasionally when they play, or when we ask them to. So when there is barking in the backyard I know something has gotten in that may be regretting that choice (last time it was a cat, fortunately the cat made it to the other side of the fence unharmed, but it also delighted in sitting just on the other side of the fence to torture Bella by being just out of her reach). I get outside and Bella is pacing, smiling and circling the tree hoping that whatever had gotten up into the tree would make it's way back down. Too much fun!

Poor girl, all of the fun is just out of reach!

All for the comfort of a Bean

2007-05-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

The other evening I was on the computer and I realized that I was all by myself, no dogs by my feet, which is unusual. So, I grabbed the camera and went on a pup hunt. You never know what they are up to and when I'd need proof of it. :) Bo Seeya was in the pup room on his favorite pillow. I went over, gave him some scritches and scanned the room for Bella. Nope, not there. I went from room to room looking in her favorite spots to see what comfort she had abandoned me for. Finally I went into the bedroom, switched on the light and saw that my previously neatly made bed was quite disturbed, but no Bean on it. As I walked around to the side of the bed I see this:

She stole my pillow! Apparently the dog bed and 2 comforters that I have for her bed wasn't soft enough for her princess head and she snagged my pillow. But, not only had she swiped my pillow from under the comforter, she had arranged it to her head of her bed. If she had merely tossed the pillow down it would have landed by her rump. So my genius, or mischievous, Bella Bean figured out where the softest pillow was and how to arrange it to her best interest. *sigh* Needless to say I was washing some sheets that night (doggy drool :P)

Bella: Hey, mom, can you turn that light back off please... I was sleeping. Thanks!

New collars!

2007-05-07T12:36:00.000-06:00

Bo and Bella just got some snazzy looking new collars from Nancy B. Although I know they prefer to walk around as bare as the day they were born :), I prefer they have something arounf their necks with all of their lovely togs showing where they belong and that they are up to date with vaccs and with the village. And if they HAVE to wear said collars, they may as well be pretty!

This is Bella showing off her beautiful asian inspired collar:

Try this angle!

Ok, I tire of this modeling now...

Bo, on the other hand LOVES pictures, so he is more than happy to show off his snazzy new look.

Bo: While you are taking pictures, make sure you get my "strong arm flex"

Sweet, handsome Bo and his "Manly" collar

Lazy Sunday...

2007-05-07T09:22:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was a terrible mama to the pups and made them stay outside to enjoy the fact that it wasn't winter anymore. As you can see Bella got bored right away:

She then went for the "pleading eyes" mooooom, can't we go in now????

My Bo, the ham, just has to get in somewhere. Mom, I'm here, take pictures of ME! :D

Bo gets lots of love in this house!

2007-05-07T08:18:00.000-06:00

Bo is well loved around here. Every time I turn around he is getting kissed or pet or snuggled by someone. Here are a couple recent favorites:

Jon loving on Bo

Bella whispering sweet nothings in Bo's ear:

ETS

2007-04-28T20:41:00.000-06:00

Escaped tongue syndrome, commonly known as ETS, has infected Bo this afternoon. :)

We had a pretty active day and both Bo and Bella were exhausted! I wanted them to be outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather, but they decided they would enjoy it just as well behind closed eyelids. I spent a little bit of time with each pup giving ear rubs, pets and general loving. As I approached Bo, I saw his tongue just hanging all out, no shame. I started laughing so hard, I was sure he would have sucked it right back in, but no... he apparently wanted it out to tan. Good thing I had my camera on hand, I just had to share the laugh!

Snoozing, innocently enough

A quick peek...

I almost missed it

But there it is, for all the world to see

Full blown ETS. :D

Lounging by the pool

2007-04-24T11:07:00.000-06:00

We got a pool! Well, not a big pool… or really even a people pool. We got a dog pool. Yes, I know, I spoil them, but this was so much fun for me that I can’t say it was just for them. We checked all over town looking for this simple little plastic pool, but I was surprised that only one place had them. Everywhere else had the inflatable pool, which would have been popped right away if I had gotten that type, so not an option. I somehow managed on getting this large pool into the back of my little 4 door and couldn't wait to get it home for the dogs to try out. It was a little gamble though because they are both quite repelled of water, but it was warm enough that I thought they just might give it a try. At first Bo put the brakes on when I was leading him to the water. His previous bath experiences were enough to shy him from any water. But once he got his toes in he was loving it! He sniffed it a little bit, and snagged a couple of sips

He took a couple of moments to get used to the temperature and shake off any loose drops that had gotten on him:

2007-04-24T11:04:00.000-06:00

After he was ok with the temp of the water he started to settle in, doing circles to find the perfect spot:

And finally lying down:

2007-04-24T11:01:00.000-06:00

When he finally got cool enough he jumped out to shake, and then got really squirrelly, taking off all over the yard running at full speed!

2007-04-24T10:58:00.000-06:00

Bella Bean, never one to turn down a chase, took advantage of Bo’s spurt of energy:

Bo, still running:

Bella Close Behind:

2007-04-24T10:28:00.000-06:00

After the big chase, Bo was ready for another dip in the pool (with his now big muddy paws). Bella Bean was a bit intrigued with the pool. What was it? Why was Bo laying almost completely submerged in it? Is it good to drink? So as Bo eased himself back into the water, Bella took little steps into the pool:

Even after he got out, she kept investigating

But alas, she didn’t trust the water enough to get all the way in, just splashing around in it.

I’m so happy that they are enjoying this and I look forward to summer when this will be a backyard necessity for greyhound fun!

Springtime!

2007-04-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

Spring is finally coming around. The sun is out and the temperature is wonderful! I’m trying to keep us all outside to soak up as much sunshine as we can to make up for the long winter months we were holed up inside. A big misconception that I hear about greyhounds is that some people think they are high energy, highly active dogs. If someone can inform Bo and Bella of this fact… they will have their moments, but for the most part they want to be inside lying down on a big soft pillow. This means that the whole weekend that I made them stay outside with me they would run a little bit, then seek out any form of shade and crash out. And if I made any sudden movement towards the backdoor, both dogs were up and begging to go inside before I could tell them otherwise. Sheesh! But I did get a few cute “sunning outside” pictures of the both of them that I just had to share:

Bella looking divine:

And Bo happily rolling in the grass:

The spirit of Mr. Moose lives on...

2007-04-24T09:53:00.000-06:00

Even with the untimely passing of Mr. Moose, he is anything but forgotten. If anything he may be a little more popular with the pups, (no awkward head to get in the way). This weekend was so pretty, I let them take out one stuffy of their choice to play with outside. Bella snagged Mr. Moose while Bo was still pondering his many choices… as soon as Bo noticed that Bella had the moose, the game was on. Bella letting the moose know who is boss

Bo running over to “reclaim” what he thinks is rightfully his

Bella losing the 1st round

She is keeping close just in case he tires of the stuffy

But no, he prances around showing off his prize.

Obedience classes

2007-04-20T21:48:00.000-06:00

Jon and I have been teaching the puppers some things here and there, down... settle... outside... no eating off the counter... etc. But their recall is awful and there are some manners that leave much to be desired. So we decided that they needed some classes. Not only to teach them, but to teach us to teach them better. So far we have had one class and it was fun. We are trying to practice at home to instill some of the things that we are going through... and I think they are clicking inside their little heads.

Here we are in class, so excited to see all the other greyhounds!

The trainer teaching both Jon and Bella hoe to "come" when called...

And this is what she did when I called her to come to me today in the backyard!

Yea! they are learning something!

Moose Boleyn

2007-04-20T08:55:00.000-06:00

*sigh* The carnage never ends. Just as we were getting over the loss of Mr. Penguin and dealing with Mr Hedgie's gaping wound (that although looks quite painful hasn't stopped him one bit... note to self... find that sewing kit), another tragedy struck the Peckham home. A beheading no less! Mr. Moose is a close second favorite stuffy of Bo. He just loves the big rattling stuffies. Unfortunately this means that his teeth and slobber are having a daily effect on the Moose's figure. The other factor that we need to take into consideration is that Bella Bean also favors this stuffy. He has long legs and a soft round middle (perfect size for the long greyhound snoots), so there is a lot of stealing and thrashing of our poor Mr. Moose since his arrival at Christmas. Well, it looks like this moose was a lot more delicate than it originally appeared to be (or my dogs are a lot harder on stuffies than I like to think), because I came home to the news that there is a beheading. Jon was playing with Bella and the moose when the fatal blow occured. Moose Boleyn, much loved, could not handle the Bo and Bella love and lost it's head. But there is a little bit of good news that comes out of this tragedy... the one stuffy has now become 2! Bo still carries the body around the house, while Bella Bean has become a big fan of it's head. So they are both able to continue their affection for their moose, at the same time with no compromise... well at least no compromise for them... Mr Moose was quite severely compromised! :D

Limping

2007-04-19T09:59:00.000-06:00

Poor Bo Seeya has been limping. It started a few weeks ago, and we decided to wait and see how it worked out. Within a few days he was fine, so we chalked it up to overdoing himself. We have already spent 2 different occasions with both dogs where it turned out to be nothing... so we are a bit vet-shy. :) But then it came back, and a little worse. Instead of just limping, he was holding his left rear leg up completely. Baby aspirin wasn't helping, resting wasn't helping, so we decided he needed to get in. In the back of my mind I was rather worried... what if this was cancer? There has been so many stories I have heard of limping puppers having osteosarcoma (cancer) and needing to amputate or even losing their dogs from this that I was quite scared of the vet visit. Jon had the day off and was able to take him in and I was close to the phone to hear what was going on.

A Sprained Toe!

An office visit, 3 X-rays, and a lot of worrying later, we found out that there was nothing really wrong with him. Nothing broken and nothing suspicious. At least I can breathe again, but Bo and Bella are quite upset with the treatment the Vet prescribed. 4-6 weeks of limited activity. If we walk, they have to be short ones. NO running, which means that they will have to go outside separately to avoid zoomies and no dog park. We are all a little disappointed, The weather is finally picking up again and we can't all go out and play until he feels better. *sigh* BUT this is a very little inconvenience compared to what it could have been and we are so thankful that he isn't sick and we only have to pamper him a little extra for a few weeks.

Why Wisconsin, Why?

2007-04-14T19:23:00.000-06:00

OK Wisconsin weather. Why must you torment us with a taste of Spring, then take it all back with freezing temps and more than a half foot of snow???

Bella: Hey, I thought we were done with this stuff!!

It just keeps on coming!

Bo: I thought you said Spring was finally here. Doesn't look like Spring to me.

Nope, definitely feels like Winter.

But as they say, wait 5 minutes (or in this case 3 days) and the weather will completely change. The big snow came Wednesday to Thursday. By this afternoon we were back in Spring-like temps (no complaints there). Jon and I took Bo and Bella to have their heart worm tests and then a quick spree in the downtown dog-park. And spent a little time in the backyard until the evening chill started to come in. I'm just hoping the next 5 minutes brings more Spring... or even better, Summer temps. We are done with snow... We are all getting a little softer around the edges and are looking forward to getting out more in the summer! :)

Bella running the perimeter of this newer to her dog park. She was even gentle with the little puppy that was playing in there too. Good Girl!!

Backyard afternoon fun... CATCH! Bo just watches, but Bella can't resist a chase... all blur. :)

Bella: Mama, I caught it!

Its so much fun to squeak it!

Here's looking for Spring! :D

EASTER!

2007-04-11T20:32:00.000-06:00

Happy Easter... a little belated. I hope it was as fun and filled with love as ours was.We spent this Easter with my mom... and her newly adopted Chewey. She just adopted Chewey from her local Humane Society about a month ago, and I have been a little apprehensive introducing her pup with mine because she has an energetic little white fluffy. And I know full well that Bella Bean LOVES chasing little white fluffies. But there was no way I was going to leave my sweets dogs at home at Easter, and mom missed her "grand-dog" anyway. So I packed their beds, their muzzles, some treats, their leashes (no fenced in backyard) and we were off!

Bella is always super excited to go somewhere:

Meet Chewey, a Maltese/ bischon mix:

2007-04-11T20:22:00.000-06:00

As predicted Bella was very excited to meet this white fluff of energy and the little energizer bunny was more than happy to have someone chase him (Bella was MORE than happy to oblige). Bo even got into the mix a few times, and he really isn't much of a chaser. After the initial hello and obligatory 15 minute race around the house, my 2 ran out of steam and started settling down a bit. I was so surprised that Bella really took a shine to this little guy and was so sweet with him. So gentle that the muzzle came off a lot sooner than Bo's did. He was being an old man, demanding his space with a growl whenever Chewey started getting too close. But no nipping, just letting him know where the boundaries were.

Saying HELLO!

CHASE ME!!!!

pooped already

Chewey: come on! One more chase?

Bella: Sorry little one, I need to compose myself for a minute

Chewy: how about a snuggle then?

Bella: I'm cool with that. Mom in the background: Awwwwwwwwwww!

2007-04-11T20:16:00.000-06:00

The rest of the afternoon became the little excited dog begging the bigger lazier dogs to get up and chase him, which they promptly ignored, just looked on with looks that said, "what is this little ball of energy? Why isn't he sleeping? Its much more fun"

Bo and Bella crashed out while Chewey looks at me begging to play:

Chewey strutting by Bella, asking... don't you wanna chase this??

He then stole Bo's mini hedgie from right under him and tried to entice a reaction

Wanna treat? That got both of them to look at me. :)

2007-04-11T20:12:00.000-06:00

When he couldn't get the bigger dogs to play he went for the people. When Jon went to give Bella some attention, Chewey took the opportunity to jump on him and ask for some playtime. Chewey was so cute, kissing and nibbling on Jon, begging to play. We were still so proud of our prey driven Bean, calm as a clam around a little white dog.

2007-04-11T20:11:00.000-06:00

At the end of the day our babies we POOPED. It was a beautiful day, we took several walks and there were several chases around the house. They took many snoozes throughout the day to help keep up with Chewy. They liked him so much and it just made for a very pleasant visit.

Bo grabbing a quick couple of Zzzzs before the next chase.

Hope your Easter day was as much fun and filled with as much love as ours was!

DOG PARK!!!

2007-04-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we decided to go to a different dog park. This one is a little closer than the one we usually go to but it is so much bigger that I get nervous to just let my pups loose, even though it is totally enclosed, for fear that it would take hours to find them again.

They were so excited to go somewhere, even though Bo isn't a big fan of the car, he was relatively well behaved (maybe because I told him if he didn't behave and lay down in the car he was going to stay on the leash the entire time... or not).

When we got there we walked them a little bit on leash and let them at least get some good smells in entice them to not run too far (HA, good luck). We met up with a few greyhound owners from GPA MN, and that was a lot of fun.

We finally got to a clearing with some other larger sized dogs, where we decided to let them go. It was a big open area and we figured they couldn't escape us too easily there. *sigh* Well Bella Bean saw some chasing games and HAD to be in on it. Unfortunately the white furred dog being chased (although a larger dog, American Bulldog type)was a bit of a chicken b/c he saw these two coming and turned tail. Next thing we know, the dogs chased this big white dog into the woods, the owners are scared and we were way too far off to do anything. But the scared doggy followed a trail that led them back to us and we just managed on snagging our pups (with the help of some other people there). By this time the white dog realized it was a game and was looking for more, but I think it's owners had enough of a heart attack for a day. We were so embarrassed, but everyone was pretty understanding that these two were just looking for a run, nothing more. After their chase, Bo and Bella were done running for the day. They stuck pretty close after that and even gave eyes of, "Isn't it time to get going?" It was a good day, lots of fun and good runs.

Bella in anticipation, "Where are we going??"

Then blowing rasberries at us for taking so many pictures. :) Bo trotting back after some good tree inspections.

Making sure that they didn't miss marking any trees in the park.

After a while they just stuck close to us, too tired to run anymore. :)

Which way are we going papi?

Driving home, take 1

Driving home, take 2

Driving home, take 3, YEA!

Bo Seeya snuggling down

2007-04-07T20:29:00.000-06:00

The sitting room has become Bo's favorite spot, he even seems reluctant to go to his own bed at night because he has gotten his spot just right. As the temps have been dropping we are bundling up to stay warm. Bo gets the same. I noticed one evening as We were setteling down that he was curled pretty tight on himself. So I grabbed his sheet and covered him up. Within minutes he was stretched out and out like a light. I just couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of a snoozing Seeya:

Hey, its much nicer with the blanket

...warm and toasty... Zzzzzz

Zzzz... snort... zzzz

Bean Bean and more Bean

2007-04-07T19:52:00.000-06:00

I know it seems like Bella Bean seems to monopolize the blog, and I really do try to give them equal camera time (whether they like it or not :D) Bella Bean has a way about her that every time we turn a corner we have to whisper to each other, "Honey, get in here... with the camera!!!!!" She just cracks us up. She knows that she is home and makes herself comfortable wherever she can. Here are a few of our favorites:

Bella was in a playful mood and was tossing her squirrel around, out of nowhere she decides that she's done playing and jumps up on her chair... with the squirrel. Snuggling her stuffy.

Just check out that extra long snoot. What a pretty face.

In Wisconsin it went from 70 degree weather back down to the teens in a matter of days. We had already put the sweaters away. On this cold night I tucked her in so she could sleep.

Kangaroo rump. She got tired of the flashing camera and got away, but not without a good bum shot. :)

Bella Bling

2007-04-03T18:59:00.000-06:00

I was feeling a little creative the other day while at a craft store and I decided that Bella Bean needed some bling. She is such a cute little thing so she needed something that could match her fun personality but also the bit of refinement that she can display. Pink Pearls! Well, glass pearls at least. I strung this little necklace together and she posed prettily for a little while so I could get her best sides. Then as soon as I let her outside for a potty break she tossed the necklace off. *sigh* I found it a couple of days later, washed it off and will save it for special occasions or when shes looking to impress. :D

Toothy princess

Smiling Bean

Day dreaming

Backyard racetrack

2007-03-30T11:50:00.000-06:00

Welcome to our on site racetrack. Nothing fancy but lots of racing action! My greyhounds love to run. When they are all giddy and in a playful mood, they don't wrestle like some other dogs do... they'll challenge each other to a race and then stand back... greyhound "zoomies" in either an oval or figure 8 around the backyard. They are crazy fast for about 2 to 3 legs of their race then they tire out, slowing down for another couple of runs, then just trotting over to me with huge grins, big panting breaths and a soft bed dancing in their heads. It is so much fun to watch... but this fun has come at a big toll for my backyard. There is an actual "track" now around their turns. My grass is being dug out by their little cleats and I'm afraid to try to plant more in it's place because I know they'll just run right over it again. Oh well, their pleasure is worth my yard's pain! :D

This side is the most prominent of the turns because there is an object that they are turning around. Just check out the roundabout!

Spring!!!

2007-03-25T21:41:00.000-06:00

Today was another beautiful, albeit cloudy day... but I was able to be outside without a heavy coat on (or even a jacket for that matter) so I made the pups stay outside with me all afternoon while I worked in the yard. They weren't as excited as I was to be in the fresh air, begging for the most part to be back inside on their comfy beds. Sheesh. :-) But I got a few cute pictures while I was out there that I thought I would share:

Try getting 2 dogs to pose for a picture at the same time. Not an easy thing to do when springtime wildlife is close by and a rather high prey driven Bean.

Bo Portraits

2007-03-25T21:38:00.000-06:00

Poor Bo is having such a hard day! He has to make due with soft cool earth as opposed to his overstuffed pillows. How will he ever recover???

This spot ok, I guess. It'll do in a pinch.

Breathe in that fresh country air!

Bella portraits

2007-03-25T21:31:00.000-06:00

Bella spent the afternoon doing 2 things... looking at a log pile hoping for a chance to chase down a little furry or lounging. Here are a few of my favorite lounging looks:

Sunbathing:

Watching for the furries: Sitting on command but refusing to look at the camera (Bella: this is my "good" side)

Hey, what was that?!?

2007-03-25T21:21:00.000-06:00

I was taking a break and just listening to the wind in the still bald trees when all of a sudden Bella stood up. As soon as I got my camera on I took 3 pictures right after another. In the 1st one Bella is just taking off towards the log pile (there are a few critters that are using that space for the time being and Bella LOVES little critters). Picture 2 is Bella almost reaching the logs in the few seconds it is taking Bo (bottom left corner) to scramble to his feet and move. And picture 3 Bo arriving to help Bean investigate the myriad of fuzzies that have escaped them. Man are they fast, I don't know how the little mice escaped them.

I think she feels entitled...

2007-03-24T22:31:00.000-06:00

After our long afternoon walk the pups nestled down for their afternoon naps. I was on the couch for a few minutes before I remembered a quick errand I had to do on the other side of the house. When I got back to the couch I saw that Bella Bean has no only taken my spot, but taken my pillow. In the short time I was gone she had gotten on the couch, gotten comfortable and drifted off so soundly that a bit of tongue was escaping from her lax jaw. *sigh* She looked so sweet and comfy that I didn't ask her down.

Daddy's little girl...

2007-03-24T22:23:00.000-06:00

This afternoon was a great afternoon for a walk. It was warm, albeit a little humid, but we are so itching for Spring that we had to get out. When Jon kindly volunteered to clean up after Bo in a local public park, he had to walk away from us to dispose of everything in their proper places. Bella just stared at him the whole time. When he started coming back she was wagging her tail and pulling to get to her papi. Just look at the love! Awwwww. :)

What a great week

2007-03-20T20:33:00.000-06:00

This last week we had some vacation time that we got to use and it was nice, we were able to spend some good quality pupper time. I think we all had the most fun the day we walked along one of Madison's bike paths along the lake. We walked a good 3 hours, long enough to wear both the dogs and us out!

Bella was super excited to get out

Where are we going???

I think I'm gonna be carsick... wait, no I'm ok! :)

2007-03-20T20:30:00.000-06:00

We walked and walked

Bo: Mom, are we there yet?

Bella: Hey dad, I think that was our exit!

2007-03-20T20:27:00.000-06:00

We got to enjoy watching springtime wildlife... Bella a little more intently than the rest of us.

Hey what are those?

Ducks you say? They look chase able...

If it weren't for this darned water, they'd be MINE!!

2007-03-20T20:25:00.000-06:00

We took a quick pit stop at a small, local, very muddy dog park.

Bo: Hey, I think I found a dry spot!

Bella: Where? I can't get through all this mud!

2007-03-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

We had a quick lunch break at the halfway mark and Bo made himself quite comfortable:

I'll just get a couple of zzzs here before we take off again.

Zzzzzz

Bella thought she sould haggle a piece of our lunch from us.Sorry girl, you are too late, these are the napkins.

2007-03-20T19:11:00.000-06:00

After the long trek back to the car and the 1/2 hour drive home these two were o-u-t for the rest of the day.

No pictures, its snooze time!

*blink* Huh, what now?

We are so looking forward to warm weather so we can have more outside afternoons like this one!

Another dog park visit

2007-03-12T17:28:00.000-06:00

Early Saturday morning (and I mean early) we decided to bring the pups out to the dog park. It was to be a beautiful clear day, and in the low 40's. Unfortunately there weren't any other greyhounds at the park, but they had a blast anyways. We got some good shots of them doing what they love best at the park. And when you look at the snow, consider that the fence is typically 4 feet tall... there was still A LOT of snow on the ground!

Jon with Bo and Bella

Sharing a good sniff together. Bo, making sure the world knows that he was there. Bella seeing a potential running buddy come in. Sacked out after an hour of good solid, running, sniffing, marking and having fun.

Spring is on the paws!

2007-03-12T17:11:00.000-06:00

Yea! The weather has finally crept up above freezing! This means the mountains of snow that WI has dumped on us has been melting... and fast. Bo and Bella are ecstatic. They can hang outside without sweaters on and without freezing their long tails off. This also means that they can see grass again. They are quite happy to have grass and earth between their toes than frozen ice and snow. So they have been seeking out any bit of grass to walk on and rest on. Apparently the wet grass and earth haven't been soft enough for Bo's liking, so he has taken it upon himself to remedy that to his liking. I knew that Spring meant a little more cleaning, but wow... how was he tracking THAT much mud in? I didn't think there were that many open spots yet. So I hid behind the door yesterday to see what they were up to and I caught Bo red-handed, or should I say muddied paw-ed.

1st he gets up from a seemingly comfy spot, I initially believed to be rearranging himself (notice the tongue lagging to the right.

Then he started to dig...

And dig... and dig some more!

He must have sensed me peeking, so he looked up with a big smile on his face.

He bounded for the house, came in and left me many little tracks to remember him by. Sheesh!

Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled!

2007-03-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

Apparently our home is more Bella Bean's than ours. I was working on the computer earlier today and I felt an absence of the dogs. And everyone knows when it is too quiet, there is usually trouble a-brewing. I went to the living room... empty(Bella wasn't in her favorite chair). I went to the sitting room... empty (She wasn't on the couch). I went to the "dog's" room... empty (she wasn't on either of the big fluffy beds in there). I went into our bedroom and lo and behold... Bella has staked a claim of the bed, with her head on our pillows nonetheless (actually she kicked my pillow off the bed). I was going to shoo her off the bed, but she was so darned cute! *sigh* I think we've let her take a mile out of our inch. As long as she knows to move when it's time for me to get in there!

Goodby Misty

2007-03-04T20:09:00.000-06:00

Our little houseguest Misty has gone home with her mama. She was such a good little girl and I'm sure the pups miss her. Bella had just started letting her close enough to share a couch with her.

It was nice meeting you Misty. I hope we see you again soon!

Happy pups

2007-03-01T15:12:00.000-06:00

Bo and Bella seem to be getting along so well with their new houseguest. Bella even managed on making a square inch on the couch available for Misty one evening when we were all watching tv. Although we were all a little squished, it was nice. Bo acts differently around Misty... she doesn't know that he wants the world to see him as a dignified man, and will egg him on to play by nibbling on him, barking and playbowing. Bella might have gotten a sound grumph from him to knock it off, but otherwise not a peep. We are so used to the Bean and Seeya that it is a bit refreshing to see another dog's personality and how it brings out personality traits in our dogs that we haven't seen before. I can't wait until Spring when we can get together at the dogparks again. :) So here are a few pictures of the pups in the last few days:

Nyaaaa. No pictures while I'm relaxin!

Misty and Bella Bean snoozing together

Bo giving me the stinkeye. :D

We have a visitor!

2007-02-26T17:46:00.000-06:00

Meet Misty. Misty's mom won a vacation to Mexico and needed a place for her little girl to stay for the time she was gone. We happily invited her to stay. She has been here for 1 full day already and even though she has been missing her mommy, she has been having fun with this bunch here. It has been so much fun for Bo and Bella to have another greyhound around, and they have been so open to her in their home. No squabbles, no fussing. :) She is so sweet, loves to kiss and loves to be pet. She has been getting Bo and Bella to play a little more while inside too. So without further ado... Here's Misty:

Hello!

Full roach. She feels welcome here with Bo and Bella

She's even taken a shine to Jon, snoozing next to him on the couch.

And the gand of greys; relaxing, sniffing, getting to know one another...