Sigh, neither can mine, and they are pretty talented. Very inspiring presentation. It not only shows amazing work on the dogs’ parts, but exemplary communication techniques on the owner’s part. I love that you can just feel the bond between them and that they are all about the fun of it. This is the best part about life with dogs.

C’mon hounds, time for us to get to work!

Please consider adopting a loving senior – their appreciation and friendship are endless.

This week we’d like you to meet Trudy and Mount Rainier. They are both beautiful 12 year old girls currently being cared for by GPA Senior Sanctuary.

A 10 month old greyhound at the beach…

The Irreplaceable Macy Grey, Summer Moon of Artemis, CGC aka KD’s Buffy

1/16/98-3/26/11

Whenever I see your smiling face, I just have to smile myself because I love you!

I’ll never forget the first time I saw her or her adoption photo. Her eyes just seemed to dance off the page. When I went to pick her up from her temporary caretaker, she came bouncing through the yard toward me, stopping to duck down and splash her marble swirled brindle face in a mud puddle along the way. Her white stocking legs now muddied, she came and greeted me with those same dancing eyes. KD’s Buffy – what a doll she was!! “I’m glad you saw that,” Renee laughed, “I’ve had to wash her off three times now.” After watching her play and get to know her new pack mates in the yard for a bit, I loaded the adorable jokster and my other two greyhounds, Bethany and Austin, into our SUV and we headed home.

It was the beginning of a very special bond and many years of fun, laughs and love. My second heart dog.

I was very surprised to find that Macy had some submissive tendencies. She was in general a confident and balanced girl, but she occasionally had bouts of submissive wetting. A quick study in everything that came her way, this quickly passed with a little bit of guidance. At only two years, she was still such a silly little girl and had a lot of ropes to learn. I came home from work to find a lot of stuff missing or sabotaged. I began referring to this as ‘Macy-ated’. Socks, bras, books, computer cords…it was a reminder that I had a lot to learn still too!

She had a great nose for bunnies and would rush any bush that one had recently visited. Sometimes they hadn’t left yet and she’d be so excited about her find. She and Malibu were quite the huntresses together.

Macy playing frisbee at the park. She and Malibu are my only two with perfect catches.

Macy loved to play, course, swim, hike, perform agility or obedience and sun bathe. She was extremely food motivated, a hard worker and quickly became the perfect dog. No, really, she was THE perfect dog. Though she had a very funny, silly side, she was a very serious dog. She was very sensitive and took getting anything wrong quite hard – I think she must have mulled it over when she did, because it would seldom become a habit. She would eventually become the manner police of the house. If another dog was into something that I should but didn’t know about, she would do her best to clue me in. If there was something amiss such as a possum hanging out in the dog room, she would do her best to alert the humans. She was so incredibly bright and a beautiful soul. Just about every dog lover that met her wanted to take her home.

There was once a very uncharacteristically off balanced greyhound staying with us, and he ended up attacking my sweet Macy over a bone. He got her good and in the neck. I started bawling and was probably more upset than even she was as I saw blood gushing from a large hole in her neck. I rushed her to a very kind doctor that understood my hesitation to put her under anesthesia. Being a vet that had significant greyhound experience, he felt comfortable treating her with just a local. Macy maintained her composure beautifully through the whole thing and was stoic even with the drain insertion and sutures. The foster dog left that day.

Confidence and grace

I began training her in agility with some other greyhounds. This too, she learned with ease and great desire. Once she got the hang of it, man did she ever love to show off! She had such a regal gallop and stride. I loved watching her trot around after she pulled off something really smooth. She absolutely loved to hear me tell her how perfectly she did a training session or run. She’d give me a big smile and a hug and wag her ferocious tail back and forth with pride. She never wanted her agility sessions to end and would stand in place eager for more as I called her to come inside. I know she would have gone far in an agility career if her trainer wasn’t so clumsy. After a couple of years though, we just did it for fun rather than competition. I think she probably missed showing off to others though!

Her encounter with the attacking foster dog must have confused her a bit and also made her weary of some dogs and situations. Once when we were at agility class, one of her classmates got the zoomies. Those of you with greyhounds know the zoomies – when something jumps into their head and they have to take off running unstoppably without caution. After about the third or fourth time that he zoomed by her, she reached out and nipped him pretty good.

Macy loved to perform.

It wasn’t an aggressive move as much as a ‘hey stop it sucker’ type of gesture, but never the less, the skin of a greyhound snipped at top speed is going to look pretty bad and bleed a lot. She got a firm reprimand as he was taken off to the ER and as I mentioned, she did NOT like getting anything wrong. This was the last time I ever saw her quibble with another dog. She actually became the most tolerant dog that I can imagine. Children, puppies, foster dogs, guest dogs, moving to a new home, and a lot of changes to her pack through the years – she maintained her cool through it all and never acted put off or sulked like Bethany would. She became a confident leader. She loved exploring and frolicking with her pack. She and Malibu, who I adopted only a few months after Macy, grew up together and grew old together – our golden girls.

I think the only thing that I can think of that would upset her was knowing that I was upset or I was getting ready to go somewhere. I swear she actually cried with me after a death in the family. She stayed by my side, snuggled up in a blanket. If she knew that I was getting ready to go on a trip, she would get very anxious. Unfortunately she had a tendency toward seizures, and they often popped up when I was getting ready to leave. Though they were always pretty short, it’s still very upsetting to watch your pup go through such a confusing thing. I would make sure that she got to a soft bed and just hold her until they passed. My holistic vet helped reduce the episodes and Macy even overcame them eventually, without the need of any daily drugs. I am really grateful for that.

All of the dogs got along well with Macy because she was just so good natured. They could flop on her, steal half of her bed, or tumble through her space and she wouldn’t be phased. She kept them in line when they needed it and had all of their respect. When Roxy joined the family as a tiny little pup, Macy wasn’t sure what to make of her, but was soon completely accepting of the spunky mischief maker. Years later when Rio came into the pack, it was Macy and Malibu that made him feel safe and welcome while Roxy and Armani made him earn his place. It makes me smile to know that there’s a bit of Macy in all of them.

Gathering sea trinkets at Honeymoon Island

Macy loved to sunbathe and chase the ripples at the shore. She wasn’t much for tackling the waves but she did like to trot in the surf. It’s funny, the moments that stick with you… On one of our beach walks she found a random sea treasure and carried it with her down the beach for about ten minutes. I guess it smelled pretty good! It was normal for her to walk around with her bumper but this just really made me laugh. Whenever she would overheat at the beach or park or coursing field, she would go back to her water bowl and stand with her two front feet in it. It didn’t matter that I’d just hosed her off – she liked the icy water on her feet. Funny, funny girl!

The beautiful, poised Macy on Honeymoon Island

We spent many summer days together basking in the sun. She, Malibu and Paris would lavish in the rays with big smiles and total contentment while I lounged on a pool floaty. I know she loved the pool time more than she’d let on. It was much easier for her to go into the water at the beach where there weren’t any stairs, but she’d do anything for a treat.

Sweet funny beauty

Being the authority on manners, Macy was a stickler for the rules, whether they were mine or hers. Hers went a little something like this: when I stare down your neck and show my teeth in a forced smile, I need to potty. When I stare at you, dance and twirl around, throw toys in the air and dig up the rug, it is probably dinner time and you need to feed me or I’m going to get the whole pack on your butt. She taught Rio well in her last months with us. He has continued with her schedule.

It’s so hard to believe she is gone. It’s been three weeks and I’m still trying to stop the tears. I feel like she’s always been a part of my life and I still look around expecting to see her. She’s without a doubt woven into the fibers of my entire being. She was always by my side, whether in the office, kitchen or living room. I look across her favorite spots and my heart becomes heavy. She made me laugh and gave me a reason to smile every day. She comforted me and shared my pain through a lot of hard times. Her never quit spirit rubbed off on me and kept me going, when at times I just didn’t want to. She could not have been a better friend.

Her last two years were made very difficult as she dealt with a degenerative spinal condition. Acupuncture and homeopathy helped a great deal and gave us some lasting quality time together (read more), but over the last few months her mobility and balance began to deteriorate a great deal. I just didn’t realize that it would soon take her so quickly – she had bounced back from so much. This time, it was not to be. On Tuesday March 22nd I watched her walk around her yard for the last time. I had to help her back in the house after seeing that she was falling repeatedly and not getting up easily. All things considered, she remained in ok spirits until we got to the vet the next morning. We were having to help her around with a towel holding up her back end but she was still excited to eat and was giving it her all as we helped her around. A day later, and things were not holding up as well. She was in great distress, the therapy wasn’t working and she was now losing control of her upper body. Roxy stayed at our side, watching with deep concern just as she had with Paris. I struggled with my decision. Macy was still so present mentally and fully aware of the situation, watching me with her warm, loving eyes, which made my struggle all the worse. We had ordered a wheelchair – if only it would hurry up and arrive! If only one of our therapies would kick in! By Thursday, she had made her decision and waited patiently for me to understand. She had stopped eating. She’d never refused a meal in her life.

She was so happy to be in the sunshine this spring. February 2011, sunning with me, Roxy and Rio by our pool.

On Saturday, I spent the day with her in the sun, knowing what sundown was going to bring. She rested peacefully and patiently in the sunshine at my side as she always did and watched my every move, though making no attempt to give me false hope. After all, being a part of my heart and soul, she knew that I was looking for anything – any sign of progress. We exchanged knowing looks, I thanked her for so many wonderful years of perfection and held on to her for every second that I could. At sundown, our vet came to the house where Macy was resting comfortably, knowingly, with her pack and we said good bye to our matriarch and set her free. It felt like cutting off my right arm but I know it is what she wanted and I’m glad that she only had 4 bad days in our wonderful 11 years together. I miss her every moment. I imagine her without struggles, running and dancing and smiling with Bethany, Austin and Paris at the Rainbow Bridge and hope that she is waiting for me when my journey here is complete.

We love you Macy. xoxo

Macy’s pack through the years

2001 - Malibu, Macy, Bethany and Austin

2003 - Macy, Austin and Malibu

2004 - Malibu, Paris, Armani, Macy and Austin

2006 - Malibu, Paris and Macy

2007 - Roxy, Macy, Paris and Malibu

2008 - Paris, Macy, Malibu, Armani and Roxy

Losing a great canine companion is hard but losing two heart dogs in one year is just more pain than one should face.

2010 - Armani, Macy, Malibu in front, Rio and Roxy in back

How can it be? I know the reality but it still seems like a bad dream. Still too many stinging tears to find the words in my heart, but as we both know you know all that there is inside me. For eleven years, you kept me going. You gave me smiles and comfort when I needed it most. You were such a wonderful friend that I will cherish forever. Thank you for every day that you gave to me and to your pack.

I can’t remember when you weren’t there
Through the years, you’ve never let me down
You turned my life around, the sweetest days I’ve found
I’ve found with you, through the years
I’ve never been afraid, I’ve loved the life we’ve made
And I’m so glad you stayed, right here with me
Through the years

I can’t remember what I used to do
Who I trusted, who I listened to before
I swear, you’ve taught me everything I know
Can’t imagine needing someone so
But through the years it seems to me, I’d need you more and more

Through the years, through all the good and bad
I knew how much we had, I’ve always been so glad
To be with you, through the years
It got better every day, you kissed my tears away
Through the years

Through the years, when everything went wrong
Together we were strong, I know that I belonged
Right there with you, through the years
I never had a doubt, we’d always work things out
I’ve learned what love’s about, by loving you
Through the years

Through the years, you never let me down
You turned my life around, the sweetest days I found
I found with you, through the years

This footloose golden makes a lot of us look bad! Carrie the golden from Chile has also shown off her talents on Letterman, the Wendy Williams and various other shows. Currently she is trying to win the hearts of Dancing With the Stars, and frankly, we think the show could only benefit from her presence. How can you not love her???

In addition to blowing up prime time and Youtube, she has her own web site. Visit her at http://carriethedancingdog.com and find her on Facebook at Carrie The Dancing Dog.

Suriya, an orangutan, and this hound became instant BFF’s – an actual love at first sight encounter!! Watch, laugh, love!

Agility trial, Wills Park, Alpharetta GA, 2002

Shortly after Macy’s 11th birthday, I had to stop doing agility with her. She had always been my favorite athlete, as her drive was non stop. My other hounds had fun and I loved agility training with them for exercise and enrichment, but they were all easily distracted or had too high of a prey drive for me to trust to compete (my training shortcoming, not theirs).  So, when Macy fell after trying to land a jump a couple of weeks after this video was taken, I was devastated. I truly walked back inside crying, as I knew this was it for our usual agility workouts and because there was something seriously wrong with her legs.

I turned to my wholistic vet for help and began regular acupuncture treatments for her, along with administering homeopathics daily to help stave off the neurological deterioration.  Walking and moving about progressively became more and more difficult for her, and I saw that she was upset mentally from the hinderance. I’ve tried to do my best to find activities that she can still do, like frisbee, swimming and low impact agility, to keep her mind sharp and legs moving.  This past summer took it’s toll on her though, and through the mosquitos and sweltering FL heat, we found ourselves indoors way too much. She seemed to become resolved with just lying about, even though I could tell that she was terribly restless emotionally in having to do so. I worried that she’d just lose interest in everything.

After a couple of really bad weeks, I returned to my vet to see how we could further her treatment. Since then, Macy has almost been taking more supplements than me, and that is a lot!  Well – it seems to be working.  Over the last couple of weeks, she has been much more stable on her feet. She shakes her vigorous shakes on the slick tile and doesn’t fall.  She leaps out the door for dinner with such force that you’d think she hasn’t eaten in days.  She’s totally been in my face all week wanting to do stuff and has not been lagging in our walks at all.

I pulled out the agility tunnel for her over the weekend, as she always loves to show off and that she did.  She was running through it with dancing eyes and bounding to me for her rewards.  So today I didn’t feel like pulling the tunnel in and out of the dirt since it was getting dark quickly, but I wanted to get her doing something – too much spare time and restless energy staring at me working!  I thought she’d be satisfied just doing a few weave poles (which she hadn’t even been able to do when her hind legs were so unstable).  She bounded through the weaves like a pup half her age. Back and forth, she showed off, eyes dancing, eager for praise and treats.  I tried to move on to a bit of time with the frisbee since no other obstacles were available. Nope, she wanted nothing to do with that. As I watched her kicking around with ease, I decided to test the waters with a very low jump. Oh ya, that’s what she wanted!  With much hesitation I relented and sent her around several jumps – she cleared them each time! Not quite as graceful as in her youth, but she did it and did it with such happiness that I couldn’t tell her not to. Even when I said time’s up, she stood in the yard staring at me waiting for more as she always used to do.  I love this sweetheart so much. Happy almost 13 years my hard working girl!!!!  And thank you so much Dr Cannizzaro.

Our star pupil

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