So in preparing to take our daughter to college, we had to arrange care for our domestic petting zoo. This was a moment when being a part of the community of people who’ve adopted retired greyhounds was absolutely greyt!

I’ll admit, dropping the dogs with our friend Jim and his adopted greyhounds Ozzie and Ransom gave me a weird bonus: no ginormous greyhound puppy in the bed the night before we left. There weren’t even greyhounds on the floor to trip over in the morning.

Adopted greyhounds Ransom and Ozzie

No dogs in the hotel bed wasn’t half bad either. I’d like to say Bandit learned to sleep on the floor while we were gone, but it would be more accurate to say he’s learned to be sneakier about sleeping on the bed since we’ve returned.

It was weird returning home with only the cats to greet us at the door. After a few greetings and snuggles were exchanged, we looked at each other and decided to pick up our three adopted greyhounds right away, even though we’d been on the road since 5am.

Our three adopted greyhounds were their typically ornery selves for Jim, but knowing greyhounds, and being a greyt guy, Jim told me he enjoyed it. Now that’s they type of friend you meet in the adopted greyhound community. Going from two to five greyhounds with unique issues and personalities is a lot to ask, but Jim told us he got into a rhythm with the ‘pack’ and it all worked out fine.

Of course it worked out fine. It’s greyhounds – and these five are very familiar with each other.

Picking up our dogs was an event as lively and silly as the drop off, as the pack of five adopted greyhounds greeted us at the door, ready for kisses and lovies and all eager to be up front.

Ozzie and Ransom were fantastic hosts, even if Brody broke into their food bin (Brody hates his prescription food, most especially when there’s a more interesting dog food in the vicinity).

It’s friends like Jim and his adopted greyhounds Ozzie and Ransom that are one of the singular perks of adopting retired greyhounds and working with such a caring group of volunteers who share our love for these amazing dogs.

Live the greyhound adventure!

It’s true. Our easy going adopted greyhound retirees can get stressed out due to a variety of factors. We don’t think about it much, since our current three adopted greyhounds are pretty laid back (now that the puppy is settling down) but they do get stressed out by different things and we’ve learned how to soothe them.

Boo has a classic case of adopted greyhound fear of thunderstorms. Her symptoms include hiding in the half bath, panting, trembling. She doesn’t like fireworks either, but thunderstorms are by far the worst. (The Thundershirt helped, but I had to stop using it when she started seizing for fear of overheating).

Our oldest adopted greyhound, Brody, has a classic case of fear of fireworks. He pants, shivers, refuses to lay down, and refuses to go outside while there’s any chance of noise. As he ages, his tolerance for thunderstorms is decreasing too. And lately we’ve had some doozies. A bummer, since he’s restless with whining, pacing, and trembling, rather than following Boo’s ‘find-a-cave’ example.

Adopted greyhound with 'almost curious' ears

Bandit, fortunately, has not picked up any bad fear habits from the other two greys in our adopted greyhound pack. He's mostly afraid Daddy will come home and leave again too quickly (without him! gasp). This involves a bit of whining, but for the most part is a tolerable situation for the rest of us.

Everyone knows when a cat gets stressed. The sounds, maybe the inappropriate behavior or marking. But while adopted greyhounds nap enough to be considered the ‘cat’ of the canine community, their stressed behaviors aren’t always as pronounced as Boo and Brody during storms and fireworks, respectively.

Sometimes, the greys won’t eat when they’re bothered. Sometimes, they shy away from new situations in or out of the house. An example is our daughter preparing for another school year. She’s packing and it seems our greys have set up a rotating schedule to pass by her room, get lovies, and covertly check on her progress.

You can’t always rely on the tail or ears of adopted greyhounds to show stress.  Or boredom. In greyhounds stress and boredom can look alot alike in ears and tail expressions. I’ve been at meet and greets when people thought my adopted greyhound was upset because the ears were flat or the tail was down. In reality, the grey was just in an open stance, waiting to see if the situation warranted getting excited.

Excitement however, is pretty obvious across the breed with perked ears, a tilted head, and often a high, wagging tail.

Three tips for soothing your adopted greyhound:

1. Use a steady voice. If your commands to your dog are steady and normal, you send the signal that the situation is normal too.

2. Use a gentle touch. The ears are good soothing pressure points, as is that space between the eyes. Most of our greyhounds have enjoyed gentle neck massages too. Combined with a calm voice, a soothing, repetitive touch can be a grounding point for your adopted greyhound.

3. Use a diversion. If the stress causes your adopted greyhound to act out, give them something positive to put that energy into. A safe bone, chunk of rope, or even a stuffed toy they can cuddle or destroy as needed.

Live the greyhound adventure!

One more reason for my addiction to the outstanding dog breed of retired, adopted greyhounds: 5 greyhounds in one room and no fighting, not even much grumbling. Even with a stressful situation like noisy fireworks.

That’s five dogs with long legs, noses and tails and an average weight of approximately 70 pounds each.  Yup, that means a lot of adopted greyhound cooperation.

We’ve been dogsitting for Ransom and Ozzie, a pair of greyhounds we adore, while their daddy took a well-deserved vacation. This pair is well behaved, loveable and like many adopted greyhounds, very laid back. Which is probably why it works out so well.

Adopted greyhounds Ransom and Ozzie

Each dog has their favorite spot on the couch or a dog bed. (In case you didn’t know, Ransom and Boo – the queens – get first dibs on the couches). Seating only gets tricky when the greys have to factor in the humans, but usually humans are allowed to win.

Ransom loves the couch during the day and feels entitled to sleep on the bed with us at night. She’s sneakier, smaller, and not as obtrusive as Bandit so it’s not a big deal. (and it’s temporary) Bandit should take notes on how she manages to be where she wants to be and we sleep right through it.

Instead, our gigantic puppy tried to be patient, but sometime during the third night, he decided it was his turn to sleep by his daddy. Which meant he tried to steal my pillow while my head was still on it.

I love that dog. Truly. But that was a bit much.

Despite that #fail moment for Bandit, nights are just as easy as the days. Each dog has a bed, occasionally they rotate, and five greyhounds and two humans sleep peacefully through the night.

Adopted greyhounds are simply the best, in my opinion, when it comes to pack dynamics.

Live the greyhound adventure!

Well, we had a bit of excitement this week. Our precious Boo, queen of our three-pack of adopted greyhounds had a grand mal seizure Monday afternoon.

It was terrifying as she started with foaming at the mouth and a twitchy lip, then suddenly collapsed in a full blown seizure that lasted about 5 minutes. Absolutely terrifying. I’d had no first hand experience with this and I fumbled, one hand on the phone dialing the vet, one hand on Bandit as we helplessly waited it out.

First, let me say Boo has been fine since. We’re hoping and praying this is a one time occurrence, it’s been known to happen in adopted greyhounds, but we’re keeping a close eye on things. Today though, I really want to share how much Bandit surprised me.

Sure, at about two and a half, he’s still very much a curious puppy. But he sensed a problem moments before Boo started foaming. He wanted to be close to her, but I held him out of the way as she went down – for the safety of both greys. But the worry on his face was vivid and heart breaking. He didn’t understand why Boo was struggling.

Adopted greyhound Boo helps promote

When I finally got the right number into the phone and related the situation to the vet, Bandit stayed with me, but didn’t interfere as I tried to help Boo. More remarkably, he tried to help me tell the vet what was happening. He’s tended to be more vocal when I’m on the phone in recent months but this was different.

Call me a fool, tell me I’m ‘too attached’ to my adopted greyhounds, but I believe he was earnestly trying to communicate whatever trouble he was sensing from Boo. I would say something to the vet, and Bandit would look at Boo, then up at me, and add his two cents. Not barking, crying or the famous greyhound ‘roo’ing. Just a concerned sort of vocal pattern that repeated until even the vet commented on it.

When we took Boo to the vet for an exam and blood work, Bandit was very upset about staying home. He didn’t want her to go alone. And when we got home, he seemed immensely relieved. He sniffed her all over and has stayed close by ever since, not smothering her with concern, but checking on her periodically and making sure I’m doing the same.

Adopted greyhounds are remarkable creatures with such amazing personalities and this week is one more example of why I love them all so very much.

Live the greyhound adventure!

Let me tell you about a morning. A morning that looks just like any other morning. The sun rises, the alarm goes off, I stumble through motions that are routine after decades of practice.

Feeding our adopted greyhounds should be counted in that routine – for me as well as our pack of greys.

On this particular morning however, my precious pack of sight hounds did their best to give me the opportunity to prove I was awake and coherent. When I wandered into the office rather than the family room, they figured some important people-task had come up. They hovered, then nudged me back toward the kitchen and the dog food bin.

Except they knew I needed the bowls to hold the food (although they may have been hoping I’d just let them stuff their heads into the bin). So Boo aimed me back toward the family room to collect Bandit’s bowl.

See, that’s routine. I pick up Bandit’s bowl, then hers, then Brody’s in an economy of motion – going from the furthest away and moving toward the ever important dog food bin.

And when it was clear I needed help (after staring at Boo’s bowl wondering what I was missing) she nudged me in the right direction. The smallest of our pack, she is the queen and what she wants, she gets.

She gave some invisible greyhound signal to Bandit and together they herded me in the proper direction, not allowing me to deviate. Hungry tummies were depending on the sleepy human, y’know.

With Bandit’s bowl in hand, Boo and Bandit escorted me back through the kitchen to the food bin and supervised with no small measure of concern until I emerged victorious with their breakfast.

Oh, how I love a smart dog – adopted greyhounds in particular!

Live the greyhound adventure!

Learn what makes adopted greyhounds so priceless! Buy the Adopt A Greyhound Guide today!

It blows my mind that today my firstborn turns eighteen. Another big milestone! She’ll celebrate with friends I’m sure, but I know it won’t feel complete until our adopted greyhound Brody sings Happy Birthday to her before she blows out the candles on her cake. (He’s very talented).

It’s a day packed full of memories of all we’ve been through and the hopes and dreams for her future. A day as full as our cars eleven years ago when we moved from the Midwest to the South just days before her seventh birthday.

As the designated driver of the van, I was blessed with the company of our adopted greyhound Bubbles, both cats, and both children. Let’s just say my hopes and dreams include never repeating that experience.

Bubbles and family 1999

Bubbles was great, she’d always been a fantastic car companion, and she did her part to amuse the children and keep the cats calm. On a trip like that all you can do is prepare for anything and pray the worst doesn’t happen. It was cumbersome to say the least, but we made it!

Everyone had a role when we stopped for whatever necessity of the moment: refueling the vehicles or rest stops for the passengers.

The nearly-seven-year-old would clip Bubbles’ leash to her collar and hold her while I eased open the van door. After catching the inevitable tumble of toys or sippy cups, I’d unbuckle the toddler and let him burn off a little energy while I walked the greyhound and answered the inevitable questions posed by travelers curious about her. Once we’d completed the necessary tasks, we’d get back on the road.

I’ll always wonder what the hotel staff thought when we arrived: a small caravan with a plethora of dependents.

And I’ll always be grateful for staff’s hospitality as well as Bubbles, who enchanted them with her exquisite grace and perfect greyhound manners. They were delighted to meet her and made us feel that much more welcome in our new town.

Wow. Eleven years since that cross country adventure went pretty smoothly. Twenty years (and counting) of marriage and greyhounds. All years packed with human and canine milestones. Watching the kids grow, hosting foster greyhounds, and expanding our family with adopted greyhounds after Bubbles passed on.

Forgive my nostalgia on this amazing day and…

Live the greyhound adventure!

The Adopt A Greyhound Guide is helpful for people eager to make a new fast friend, as well as a helpful fundraiser for greyhound rescue and adoption groups.

You’ve heard of ‘delusions of grandeur’. In my world, it’s quite possible delusions of silence is the same thing…

Most of us require something to keep our focus on the task at hand. The white noise of the vacuum cleaner can be soothing. Classical music on the office intercom is a balm for some and as bad as nails on a chalkboard for others. Maybe you thrive on routine or the daily adventure of an unpredictable schedule.

As an author, I indulged in some fun world building for my paranormal romance novels and plopped my cast of characters in 2096 Chicago. The regulation of caffeine, sugar, and nicotine is just one facet of the world building for the books. There’s a whole lot more world building I’ve had to create, just to get the books written.

Hence my delusions of silence.

I frequently have to pretend that the two cats aren’t misbehaving or that the loud crash followed by feline silence can be ignored. Not that my cats frequently misbehave, but they’re cats, and they have their own agendas. The big, black kitty has become an expert in ways to attract my attention: like startling the finches so that the happy sounds they make (the equivalent of white noise in my office) are disrupted. Now that he has my attention, don’t I want to give him a love to keep him out of trouble?

The finches are quite content to help me write, though there is usually a place in each day when the happy song gives way to goofy, louder sounds. Then I must make sure they’re not being threatened by a cat or a snuffling greyhound. Finding them safe, I quickly return to the world building within the paranormal novel and reclaim my delusion of silence as I go about my work.

The greyhounds are nearly always perfect (that’s why they get their own blog space on Saturdays). I only need to activate my delusion of silence once I’ve confirmed Brody’s cries are to move Boo rather than summon me to watch him drink water or go outside. The delusion of silence is also activated when I need to get the last few thoughts into the draft before addressing Bandit’s whistles (a silly precursor to the NEED for playtime).

I’ve done some edgy world building for my paranormal romance novels, but that’s a cake walk compared to the world building I’ve done to create those novels in the first place. Even so, I wouldn’t trade any one of my domestic ‘zoo’ for real silence. That would probably make me crazy.

Live the adventure!

Seems like Boo’s been getting a lot of blog time lately, but that’s okay. She deserves it for having to put up with two brothers who outweigh her. (Although she is the alpha and like any adopted greyhound Queen, she keeps them in line).

The first time we took a trip with Boo was sort of an accident. We were going away for the weekend and I’d booked space for her and Brody (we only had two adopted greyhounds that week) at his favorite kennel. Boo was new to us, only a few months off the track, and it seemed everything still spooked her.

When we got to the kennel, she happily followed Brody (who was ecstatic about the va-cay) into the lobby. She soaked up the attention and loves from the receptionist and hesitated for just a second when we headed back to their ‘rooms’. A couple dogs barked and one of the kennel gates clanged and Boo froze.

F.R.O.Z.E.

No amount of begging, pushing, pleading, coaxing, (or any other synonym) moved her forward. She could see Brody – all smiles – but she refused to get closer. That in itself was odd because back then she deferred to Brody for everything. He was, in effect, her security blanket. But she looked up at me with such a hurt and baffled expression that I just couldn’t leave her.

The staff tried to help, offered me all the platitudes you offer a mom worrying over a baby with separation anxiety, but I knew it wasn’t going to work.  And I couldn’t put her through a weekend of misery and angst.

Fortunately I’d cleared the possibility of a ‘canine’ guest with our weekend hostess, simply because Boo was so new to us. I smiled down at her, said, “Come on baby” and moved toward the entrance. She un-froze herself, whipped around and launched herself into the van when I opened the door.

The road trip did not spook Boo. She was a great driving companion. Even the peripheral noises of stopping for gas or at rest areas didn’t bother her. She seemed just fine as long as she could see me or the kids.

Best of all (in Boo’s opinion) she discovered a passion for Fritos – one of my typical road trip snacks. She’d be napping on the floor in the back until I bumped the Fritos bag, then she was at my shoulder, hoping I’d share. (Of course I’m careful about dogs and people food, but I let her in on the joy of a couple small corn chips, just because girls need to know these things).

Live the greyhound adventure!

P.S. Brody was beyond content when we picked him up, showing no signs of being offended or feeling abandoned. Adopted greyhounds rock! Learn more with the Adopt A Greyhound Guide! Proceeds benefit greyhound adoption and rescue groups and help support their tireless volunteer efforts.

Oh, and tune in to the Dog Tails and other fun at Woofers Club! It’s a great website created by a couple of dynamic women and they recently let me share a story about one of our foster dogs!

I admit it’s a sweet fantasy to write all day long, traveling leisurely through the writing process with my characters from “Once upon a time” to “The End”.

But let’s get real. With a husband, two teenagers, three adopted greyhounds, two cats, four finches, and several fiction and non-fiction titles to promote, writing paranormal romance novels all day long is a pipe dream, even for an author with an alpha female attitude.

When I only have minutes for my writing, I sit down at my grandmother’s desk, the one I inherited when she passed away. There’s something restful that washes over me when I settle there. It must be something about working where she worked that frees me, enabling the words to pour from my hands to the computer.

Oddly, and a fabulous bonus, is that after spending even an hour at grandma’s desk, the feeling carries over, allowing me to be more productive into the evenings if necessary, despite being surrounded by end of day family chatter and the gunfire and explosions of my son’s gaming habit.

She was a writer, and a mom, and the primary financial officer of her household and several business endeavors. A real alpha female of her time. Looking back over her life, it amazes me all she accomplished with such a steady pace and loving heart. She was a get it done sort of person, the person others came to for guidance. No task too big or too small, she assessed, planned, and took action.

The first time I dared to write at grandma’s desk it was simply to change up my perspective (and detach from the Internet). I thought the increased productivity was a fluke: Just a granddaughter seeking any tangible connection to her  influential and supportive grandma. But getting it done and meeting the word count happens with tender and alarming consistency.

It doesn’t matter if I’m writing blog posts, interviews, or kick butt alpha female action scenes for the next paranormal romance novel. At her desk, I get it done.

It’s peaceful. Energizing. Crafting my stories in the place where grandma focused so much of her own time is inspiring me on a level deeper than intellect, more poignant than simple memory. It’s heart, and love, and family.

Generation to generation, writer to writer.

Live the adventure!

We took our first adopted greyhound, Bubbles, with us everywhere. Like many newlyweds, the pet was our first baby.

We took her to picnics where people could ooh and ahh over her. She rode along with my husband when he’d pick me up from work and everyone adored her. It was a tough life, sure, but Bubbles was up for it.

She was fantastic in the car, which is fairly typical of these stoic and adaptable dogs, though some have their troubles. Big or small car, Bubbles was always eager to go for a ride, even to the vet’s office. Like many adopted greyhounds, if we opened the door from the house to the garage and she managed to get into the car (ie when we’d bring home groceries) she refused to get out of the car until we took her for a drive – even just around the neighborhood.

And despite the normal stress and chaos that goes into selling a house, Bubbles was happy with our busy showing schedule because it meant more car rides. Sure she had to share the space with the cat and the kids, but by then she was more of a nanny anyway. And naturally, being nanny to a toddler guarantees bonus treats in the way of dropped cheerios and goldfish crackers.

One caveat: when dealing with adopted greyhounds – you must be sure that long tail gets all the way inside or out before you close a door.

Bubbles’ tail got pinched in a van door only once. You know the old adage about head injuries bleeding so badly? Well adopted greyhound tails bleed like heads. The thing is, the greyhound gets over it faster than their person usually and they start wagging that tail. Long before the bleeding’s done.

The best thing is to apply pressure, and a soothing voice, until the bleeding stops. Sometimes a bandage is required (after you clean the wound) if it’s only a little nick, but if it’s worse, or the tail’s broken, let your trusted vet handle things.

Live the greyhound adventure!

Find out more about adopted greyhounds and choosing your own forever friend with the Adopt A Greyhound Guide!