Bullet still likes to run

Bullet still likes to run laps in the back yard. Bliss and Bullet will be 10 years old in January 2012. They both still have plenty of energy and are in good health. I was trying to catch him to clean off his feet, but he takes off running everytime I get close to him.

Christmas Day 2011

The weather was great on Chistmas day so we went for a walk. Tommy still manages a short walk. I drop him and Stephanie off at home and then take Bliss and Bullet out for a two mile walk around the park.

Tommy is losing weight

Tommy weighed 75 lbs when we got him in August 2005. We recently weighed him and he weighs 62.2 lbs. He gets anything he wants to eat, but he just doesn't eat very much.

Squirrel hunting

Bliss has been watching a squirrel from the front bedroom window and then ran into my office, which is adjacent, to keep tracking the squirrel as it ran down the side yard. I was surprised that she realized the spacial connection between what she saw in the front window and the window in my office. Bullet didn't seem to care.

Tommy is so thin

Tommy has lost a lot of weight and muscle in his hind legs. We give him anything he wants and he eats, but he doesn't seem to fill himself up and gain any weight. He weighs less than all of the other hounds at 63 lbs and he is the tallest. The Anipryl seems to be helping his CCD and he is acting more or less normal. Sometimes he seems to be a little confused, but it is not as serious as it was.

Skunk problem

A few days ago Tommy woke me up in the middle of the night to go outside. I let all of the hounds out as usual. I suddenly realized Bliss and Stephanie were chasing something and then I saw the skunk. I quickly called them inside after closing the gates to keep them in the family room. Bliss actually had the skunk in her mouth and got most of the spray. Stephanie got a slight amount. So I had to mix up the cleaning formula of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and soap to clean up Bliss. For the next few days we were checking for skunks after dark to make sure it didn't happen again.

Glow's Angel

This is a little greyhound angel we got at the last greyhound gathering. It reminds of us of our Glow.

Tommy started his medicine

Tommy started his Anipryl treatment. He stills acts confused and we have had to give him diazepam in the morning and the evening to settle him down. He will wander around and keep standing while his hind legs shake. Then he starts panting. He has lost a lot of weight. When we got him in Aug 2005, he weighed 75 lbs. Last year at this time he weighed 70 lbs. Now he weighs 63 lbs which is less than any of the other hounds. He looks very thin and you can see he has lost muscle mass. He also seems to get cold easier, so we put his coat on in the house. On Friday he started shaking like he had chills and settled down with his coat and some blankets on him. He still wants to go for short walks. He has slowed down a lot, but he loves it. We have to entice him with things like cheese to get him to start eating. Once he starts, he eats other things. We give him anything he will eat. He still recognizes us and understand commands. We can still get him to roo with "Who are you?". When I am getting dressed to take them for a walk, he will come a snuggle with me like he and Glow always have done. Things like that tell me we still have our old Tommy. I don't know how we will be able to deal with it when he stops doing these simple things. He is such a sweet boy. It hurts to see him slip away little by little.

Tommy is showing signs of confusion

Tommy has started showing signs of confusion. He will want to go outside, but then stands there like he doesn't know what he wanted to do. He got me up a few times last night wanting to go outside, but then didn't have to do anything. I finally gave him some diazepam and he slept until morning. He has some signs of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. There is a drug, Anipryl, that is used to treat this. I think this will be our next step with him.

Tommy the leader

Tommy is still the only one to figure out how to open the screen door. The other hounds wait until he gets it open and then they follow him through.

Bullet

Bullet has been very healthy like his sister. He has plenty of energy and is very playful. I am sure he misses Glow, because they have been buddies ever since he came into the pack. He will run and chase with Bliss, but it is not the same as it was with Glow. My grass is growing again because he doesn't tear it up so much.

Bliss

Bliss is the playful one. She has plenty of energy and has been doing very well. She will chase her brother around in the yard and loves to dig in the mulch pile and spin around like a crazy dog.

Stephanie

Stephanie is still hanging in there in spite of all of her medical problems. She has a few of these fatty tumors like the one you see on her belly. The vet says they are harmless, so we don't want to put her through any kind of surgery to remove them. She has gained weight and always wants to finish up what the other hounds leave behind. She still walks very well. She wears her boot on her bad leg so it helps her a lot. Stephanie recently had a urinary infection and had to take antibiotics. It has cleared up and she is doing much better.

Tommy

We have been watching Tommy carefully now since Glow left us. Little by little he seems to be more frail. He gets a low dose aspirin every day. He goes on short walks and still gets excited when he knows we are going out. He has less of an appetite and has lost some weight. We give him anything he will eat.

Tommy and a pile of beds

Tommy likes to dig and make a nice big cushey pile of beds to lay on.

Independence day walk

I took the hounds for their walk today. They wore their flag bandanas like they do every year. This is the first year without Glow. Stephanie wore Glow's collar and leash so she could be with us in spirit. Today is a month since she left us. We really miss her a lot. People have asked about our missing hound. The neighbors always have seen me with the five of them.

Remembering Glow

Yesterday was two weeks since she left us. We are still trying to adjust to life without her. The other hounds are rooing more often. They seem to have adjusted. It's still hard to talk about her without getting choked up or crying. I put some collages together to try and capture her essence. I think this one does it best.

Tommy takes a drink

We have had a lot of rain lately. I keep the pool ready to wash dirty feet. They all seem to think it is a big water dish. They all rooed Saturday morning for the first time since Glow died. Tommy started it as usual. It was good to hear it even if one voice was missing.

Glow's tags

We have had this bronze of greyhounds before we got the five of them. I thought this would be a good place to put Glow's tags and the tags of the other hounds as they pass on. Her collar and leash is sitting on the shelf near the other leashes. They will just stay there for a while. I can't throw them away. Our feelings are still quite raw. I am barely able to type this as I cry and the tears fill my eyes.

Glow comes home

Yesterday afternoon 6/7/2011 we brought Glow's remains home. We both miss her so much. I have spent a lot of time looking at her pictures and videos. I am so glad I have those. She was our pack alpha. The other hounds seem to notice she is missing. They usually roo at least once a day, but we haven't heard them do it at all since she passed. She would be the one to get some play going in the yard. We haven't seen any of that yet.

Glow has gone to the Rainbow Bridge this evening

Our sweet girl Glow has passed on this evening at about 6:45 pm. She had been out playing in her mulch pile like she loves to do. Bullet and Bliss had been outside playing with her. I let them in and looked to see where Glow was. I looked out and saw her laying in the grass near the mulch pile. I called her name but she didn't move. I went out to check on her and she wasn't moving and didn't appear to be breathing. She must have had a heart attack after playing in the mulch. She appeared to have just laid down on her side as if to go to sleep. I carried her inside and we checked her to see if she might have some life in her, but sadly she was gone. She was such a sweet girl and had been acting like a puppy all the way to the end. We went for a walk this morning with all of the hounds and everything was fine. She had a good meal at suppertime and I sat on the floor with her and was petting her. She loved having her neck scratched and lifted her head up as I did it. I gave her a little scratch on her thigh and she stiffened her leg as she always does when she enjoys it. We will miss her so much. She was always the one to put her feet on the door sill to let us know she was ready to come inside. We feel it was a blessing that she went so peacefully. We always feared that it might be a situation where we would have to make that horrible decision. She saved us from that. We love you Glow and will be with you again someday.

Memorial day 2011

Memorial day afternoon. The hounds take some sun and a dog biscuit.

Racing after the snow melt

The hounds couldn't resist getting out and running in the mud after the snow melted and we had a little warmup.

Tommy gets a chicken foot

Tommy got a couple of chicken feet for breakfast the morning after his event. He seems to be just fine now. We are giving him a baby aspirin each day now to help in case this might happen again.

Tommy had what looked like a stroke

Tommy had a mild stroke yesterday that kept him from using his hind legs very well for a few hours. He panted heavily at times and could not get to his feet without help. In the evening, he was finally able to get up and walk on his own. He made the final turnout with the other hounds and then walked to the bedroom. This morning he seemed perfectly normal.

Tommy gets a special meal

Tommy got a nice big bowl of cooked shrimp. He loves them.

Playing in the new snow

Bullet, Bliss and Glow play in the new deep snow that we got on Groundhog day. Glow still has a lot of play in here for an 11 year old girl.

Groundhog Day 2011

Bliss and Bullet have some fun in the 20" plus snowfall.

Tommy gets busted

Tommy stays off the furniture usually when we are home, but it seems that when we go away he makes himself comfortable.

The hounds unloads like a military movement.

Bullet gets very excited about rides in the van.

Tommy Romano Top Dog 2002

Tommy was Top Dog tied with Oklahoma Lil in 2002 for winning 25 races. John, Carla and Dallas Sappington 2nd, 3rd and 4th from left in back. Oklahoma Lil never made a Night Of Stars appearance. Tommy ran 72 races in 2002 and had 52 wins out of his 176 races in his career.