Wrapping Up 2008

I'm one of those people who loves Christmas and wish it could be every day, but alas I have another year to wait! Sigh.... Despite busting our budget for Christmas gifts, I still love giving gifts. It's such a fun time of the year.

Since this was our first Christmas with Beau and Belle, we were anxious to see how they would react on Christmas morning. Beau's reaction was pretty much as expected; he's sort of like an old hippie. He'd rather lounge around and let the action come to him. That being said, he did enjoy his stocking which had a Teddy Bear, dog biscuit and 10" rawhide bone. After that he tucked up in his cage and looked on from a distance.

Belle was a different story. She knew that something was amidst. She loved her stocking, and even showed interest in opening her present [another teddy bear]. But her most favorite part of Christmas was shredding wrapping paper! How great is that? For one day she can shred anything she wants and not get in trouble for it! Needless to say, I picked up about 200 pieces of tiny wrapping paper bits. She also had a humorous encounter with a remote controlled car.

It was a bit of sensory overload for them when the family came over in the evening. It was the most people we've ever had in our house since we moved in back in March. Beau was a little unsure about all the people, and Belle was noticeably stressed. She found a nice warm spot on my brother-in-law's lap and wouldn't leave his side. She was panting nervously for about 30 minutes, until she eventually calmed down. All in all, they did great and by the end of the night they were both roaming around vying for attention from everyone.

One particularly funny moment was when my sister, nephew and brother-in-law decided to jam out to some Guitar Hero in the living room. My brother-in-law was cracking us up with his screaming vocals to Sweet Home Alabama.

This year has been a big one for us. We bought our first house, and we adopted our two wonderful Greyhounds. We managed to make it through the year without losing any friends or family members, and we also retained our jobs during this questionable economy. I hope that all of you were as fortunate as we were, and I sincerely hope that your 2009 is no different.

From Iva, Scott, Beau and Belle, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year.

Today I Went To The Doggy Doctor

Today I went to the doggy doctor. My daddy said I had to go because I have a bump on my tummy. It doesn't hurt me, but he says he worries about it.

The day seemed like a normal day until daddy put me in the Prius. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but once I get inside the whole world moves around and I see lots of neat things. I keep hitting my head on these invisible barriers that daddy calls windows. I've only been in the Prius three times, but I'll get the hang of it eventually. He said I did much better today because I didn't fall behind the seats when he stopped.

When we got to the doggy doctor daddy wanted me to go to the bathroom, but it was raining so I wouldn't listen. So we went inside this new building I have never smelled before. It smelled like a thousand doggies!

When we got inside, the ladies with funny white coats behind the counter were saying how pretty I was, so I tried to jump up on the counter to say hi. Daddy said I was being bad and he made me put my front paws back on the ground. I think they were going to give me treats, so I tried it a couple more times before I left. Eventually I figured out that I wasn't supposed to do this, so I gave up.... for now.

We waited in this area with benches and seats for a bit. It smelled like other doggies had used the bathroom in there. There was lots of things to smell, but daddy said I was being a good calm little girl while we waited.

After about five minutes I got to go in the back. They wanted me to stand on this funny metal thing so they could see how much I weigh. Daddy kept calling me a wiggle worm, and the lady said I weighed 49.5 pounds. I thought I was heavier than that, but I think it was because I wasn't cooperating. There was just too many good smells for me in there!

Next we went into a closet with a trash can and a table in there. Daddy said it was was the room where they examine doggies for problems, but it looked like a closet to me. He told me the doctor would look at my bump while petting me and making sure I was in good health, then I could leave the closet and go home.

Once the doctor came in he was asking daddy all kinds of questions about me while some other lady was petting me and preventing me from sniffing around. The doctor put this cold metal thing that was attached to his hears on my chest. He said my heart sounded good, and said I was a pretty girl.

The doctor seemed concerned that I haven't been going to the bathroom that well. So they stuck something inside my butt to check for worms. It didn't feel that great, but everyone seemed happy so I sat there like a good girl. Later, Daddy said I didn't have any worms, which is good.

The doctor decided to give me some more worming medicine just as a precaution because I am still showing signs of having them. Last I checked I didn't carry around any worms with me, but Daddy said they might be inside my body somewhere. They think it could be whipworms. I don't know what that means really, but daddy said they gave me some medicine that looks like the steroids that baseball players use. He said it should help me get rid of the remaining worms.

The doctor said the way I got my belly bump is from when I had my surgery to prevent me from having puppies. He said it's a hernia. Then he told me once I am able to go potty normally again that I will need to go back to the funny smelling building and get an operation. Daddy said not to worry because they know that Greyhounds need special attention when it comes to anesthesia. I don't know what that means, but daddy helped me spell it. He said it's not anna-sneeze-uh, but that's what it sounds like to me.

Daddy said I was a good girl today and that everyone loved me. In fact, at one point there were three or four people coming in the closet, err examination room, to see me and give me attention. They even liked my tattoo on my belly. I liked going there because I got lots of treats and everyone wanted to pet me. Daddy said I was "working it." Whatever that means....

That's all for now. I will let you know when I am all better.

Belle's first snow

Saturday night a brief snowstorm passed through Richmond, leaving a dusting of snow on the ground. I couldn't resist Belle's first opportunity to see snow, so I rushed out there with the camera in tow.

Beau didn't seem to care much about the strange white things falling from the sky, but Belle was acutely aware that there was cold and wet stuff all over the ground. She's not a fan of going outside in the rain, but the snow didn't seem to bother her. She was more interested in sniffing around and eating some of the snow. I think she was disappointed when I told her it wasn't actually food....

Even though it wasn't a blizzard by any means, it was still neat to see her reaction. We assume that Beau has seen a few similar snow showers during his three years in this area, but we can't wait to see how both dogs react when we actually get a significant snowfall. I'm not asking for one anytime soon though!

The snow was perfect timing, however. Iva and I were in the process of decorating the house for the holidays when we noticed it was snowing. I was outside putting the lights on the porch when I saw a few flakes hit my hand. I was as excited as a kid getting a snow day from school, so I ran inside telling Iva and the dogs it was snowing. Who doesn't think snow is pretty?


It snowed at a pretty good pace for an hour or two. Here is a good look at the snowflakes in the sky. I think you can see Andromeda in there somewhere.... You can't tell the difference between stars and snowflakes!


Since we've only been in the house for about nine months, we haven't amassed a large amount of decorations yet. This is partially because I don't have a ladder to put the lights up on the house, so we're settling with bare minimum decorations this year. The wreath on our door looks nice, but it came in a box that was clearly mislabeled. It said "Clear Christmas Wreath With Lights." It would have been more accurate if it were labeled "Christmas Wreath With Lights From The Surface of The Sun."

It was really nice to have the snow mixed with Christmas music and decorations. So nice in fact that I felt the need to hit the store for some chocolate chip cookies, egg nog and rum! What a great way to start the holiday season!

Our incredibly fast Greyhounds

I was debating whether I wanted to post this or not, but I decided I should because it is extremely impressive and shows how amazingly athletic our lovable hounds are.

Car vs. Greyhound - Watch today’s top amazing videos here