Thrifty Tips from Harvey & Jackson - Mealtime!

Hi friends, we're always looking for creative ways to save money (so we can buy more stuffies!), so we thought we'd share a couple of our mealtime tips.

Greyhounds do better with raised feeders, and there are lots of different types to choose from. Some are utilitarian, some fancy, but most are a little pricey. The raised feeder we use is a $4.98 wrought iron plant stand from WalMart. It works great, and with the right bowl, it's quite sturdy! We use an upside down pet food bowl with rubber skids with another plastic bowl set inside.



Now, if you have a food gulper (yes Jackson, that's you!), there are ways you can slow down your chow-hound. You can put rubber balls or unopened food cans in the bowl, but we found that to be messy. Or you can purchase a brake-fast bowl, which is a bowl with plastic nubby parts. Or, you can use our trick... A rubber jello mold (we found ours on sale at Target - $4.98).


So there you have it... a couple of mealtime tips from H&J!

"Why Everyone Should Own a Greyhound"

We love this video... and it's so true!!

Scooper Bowl XVI

Hi Everyone! Harvey and Jackson (and me!) were really busy this week! Here's a recap...

Yesterday we went to Scooper Bowl XVI, which was hosted by the Science Museum of Virginia. We went last year too, just one week after Jackson's adoption! When we attended last year Jackson had to quickly learn steps, as we had to walk down two flights to reach the Meet & Greet area. This year he took the steps like an old pro.

There were lots of kids at yesterday's event (I know, duh!), and Jackson's favorite food... ICE CREAM!! We had a great time, and I hope we can go again next year.

The FETCH a Cure hounds were in attendance!







On Friday we stopped by PetSmart for one of GPA-RVA's monthly Meet & Greets. It was cool enough to stay outside, and we met Duke and Duchess for the first time!


Duke and Duchess.


Check out this brave puppy!


And on Wednesday, Belle's family invited Harvey and Jackson to a play date at her house, which has an acre of fenced-in grass! Jello and her dad came along for the ride. Many thanks to Belle's mom and dad for hosting the play date, and to Jello's dad for taking these cool pictures! Harvey and Jackson had a blast!!

Jackson - First Year

Jackson's first "Gotcha Day" was Monday! Jackson ran his last race on 4/13/07, left a Jacksonville FL track kennel on 6/15/07, and was adopted by me on 6/16/07!


What a wonderful first year it's been... Jackson is a big, goofy, happy hound, and is a great Greyhound Adoption Ambassador!

Here are a few things I've learned (and love!) about Jackson:

• Jackson's chin is the color of bubblegum.
• Jackson loves to play fetch. In fact, I think he's a Lab in a Greyhound's body. He's always carrying his toys (and other "finds"), except when he's sleeping.
• Jackson's a velcro dog... wherever I go, he's right by my side.
• Jackson's always surprised and sometimes frightened by his own flatulence.

Happy Gotcha Day!!

New Meet & Greet Venue!

Yesterday we hosted our first Meet & Greet with Ukrop's! 14 Greyhounds and their families attended, and a lot of nice folks stopped by to ask questions and meet the hounds.

Here's a roll call of the Greyhounds in attendance:
Ally and Dolly (and their Whippet brother Diego)
Rusty and Harry
Cleo and Twister
Jello Shot Dot
Lady
Isabella and Hemingway
Kate and Leopold
and of course, Harvey and Jackson!

And... some photos from the day.

Dogs Playing Poker

Well, I wish Harvey and Jackson could play poker... it's unseasonably hot here, and we haven't done anything fun since last weekend's Belle Isle walk!

Poor H&J, they are so bored! I've been trying to entertain them with hide-and-seek games, bones in Kongs, ear scritches, and rooing sessions. What they really want is to stretch their legs and run, but they just can't in this heat. Greyhounds have very little body fat, short coats and thin skin, making them extremely susceptible to overheating. Oh well, there's always next weekend!

We did have one Greyhound event this weekend, despite the weather. On Saturday GPA Richmond had a dog haul. Due to the heat the hauler was about 12 hours late, as the haul drivers had to continually stop for ice, which they used to keep the dogs cool. The dogs did just fine though, and we recieved Dream Thief and RMJ's Flying Joe. Dream and Flying Joe went straight to their forever homes. Hooray!

Here's Dream Thief.

Dream Thief with her new family. She's one lucky hound!

And, a couple of photos from yesterday. We took an early morning drive along the James River (before the heat became unbearable).


See you soon!

A Visit to Belle Isle

Yesterday we ventured out to Belle Isle. Belle Isle is an island in the middle of the James River and is the site of a notorious Civil War prison. In 1863 the prison housed over 10,000 men.

Also visiting Belle Isle yesterday were Belle and Sasha! It was so great to see them again, and to meet their new families. I hope we see each other again soon!

A view of the James River from Belle Isle.

Belle and her family with Harvey and Jackson.

Belle and her daddy.

The view from the Belle Isle footbridge. You can see Hollywood Cemetery in the background.

Belle.

And here's sweet Sasha. Sasha, whose racing name is Flying Incubus, rode with us to the GPA picnic!


Oh, and on Saturday we stopped by Woofstock, which was hosted by the Richmond Animal League (RAL). RAL is Richmond’s oldest non-profit, no-kill humane society, and is a great friend to GPA Richmond.

Jello Shot Dot and her dad made the evening news!

Our tent was positioned between groups representing Great Danes and Pit Bulls, which are some of the sweetest dogs in the world!

Some of the gang from Ring Dog Rescue.

The agility course.

Rusty and Harry!!

The folks from Ring Dog Rescue were smart, and brought pools to help cool off their dogs. They were very kind to share the pools with some of the Woofstock attendees. Here's Dolly cooling off, while her friends wait their turn.



Jackson takes a dip!

Jello Shot Dot closes out the day.

Have a great week everyone!

The Magic of Peanut Butter

Jackson is a big baby when it comes time to trim nails. I don't blame him though, as a vet tech once nicked a quick so badly that it bled for hours. I heard Jackson scream from the back of the vet's office when it happened and vowed to learn how to trim Harvey and Jackson's nails myself. Since I'm a nervous-ninny about performing nail trims, I knew Jackson and I would have to gain our confidence together.

I bought a dremel, and studied these excellent dremel instructions. I tried Harvey first, and he was a champ! Jackson was a different story. Jackson wouldn't hold still and kept yanking his paws away. I was ready to give up until I came across this awesome tip... Rub peanut butter on the inside of a turn-out muzzle. So simple, and it works perfectly! I use soy butter instead of peanut butter, but Jackson loves it just the same.

Here's Jackson...completely oblivious to what's happening with his paws.


The nails are done, but Jackson still has a bit of soy butter to finish!


And here's Harvey, already finished with his trim and napping the afternoon away.