All About Abby

Taking a break...

2009-02-06T11:30:00.003-06:00

We lost Jack-Johnson this morning. He passed away in my Mama's arms with all of us around. We took care of him all night last night. Mama and us slept on the couch near his kennel. We got up and turned him and gave him water every 2 hours. We gave him pain medicine and adjusted the heater to keep him warm. Dr Koster thought he might do better at home while we were waiting to see if his leg could be saved. He was very quiet and tired at the clinic and Dr Koster thought he might be more comfortable at home.

He seemed to recognize that he was at home, but was still very uncomfortable and unhappy. He just got sleepier and sleepier during the night. Then Mama just felt like we needed to check on him, and he was breathing funny.

The really nice people from Pet Angel came out and picked him up. Dr Koster called and offered us comfort.

Mama has been crying a lot today, so we're going to take a break from our blog for a little while. It's been pretty hard on Mama and Daddy to lose 2 furkids in 2 weeks. It's been hard on us, too, since we've never known life without Sunny and Jack. Thank-you to those of you who have sent us prayers and good wishes.

Jack " Big Palooka" Smith 3/08/2001-02/06/2009

Another Bad Day for Jack-Johnson

2009-02-05T11:27:00.004-06:00

Two nights ago my brother got home from work in the middle of the night. Sometimes Jack-Johnson likes to sneak out then. My brother was working on the computer when he heard Jack-Johnson screaming. He ran outside and saw that Jack was being attacked by what looked like two pointer-type hunting dogs. My brother beat the dogs off several times because they kept trying to come back. Jack couldn't move his back legs and had some boo-boos that were bleeding. My brother and my Mama took him to the Emergency Vet.

After a while, they called and said that Jack had no broken bones! Just torn muscles in his back end. My Daddy took him to Dr Koster yesterday. Dr Koster said he is doing better and actually trying to walk! He might get to come home today. I was so worried. We all just kissed his head and prodded him gently before he went to the Emergency Vet.

This is Taz and I waiting for news.

My Other Mama, Sunny

2009-01-27T11:12:00.005-06:00

Sunny Marie Smith 1997-2009

I don't feel like talking much today. My other Mama, Sunny, went to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. Mama says Sunny was 12 years old. She had been kinda tired lately, then she fell down Sunday night. Daddy took her to Dr. Koster yesterday and he said she had a really big tumor in her tummy. I don't know what a tumor is, but I miss Sunny.

She was my first doggie friend. When I came here as a little puppy, I really, really wanted to PLAY!! I had to bug Sunny ALOT, then she finally played with me. She also cleaned me sometimes. And she showed me where to go potty. Mama says she took me "under her paw."

Sunny's Daddy was a really goofy St Bernard named Argyle. Her Mama was a Rottweiler named Aspen. She has lived with my Mama and Daddy since she was 6 weeks old. Sunny was very strict with all of us, but she never harmed a fly. Mama says she was the "playground watcher" because she would watch us carefully when we played and rush in to break us up if she thought we were being too rough.

Sunny LOVED to eat. Just the other day, she stole part of a rack of ribs from my Daddy when he was bringing them in from the smoker!! She could also steal a burger patty RIGHT out from between the buns!! She was lucky, she didn't have to stand on her tippy toes to counter surf like I do.

I know Sunny is happily playing now with Buddy, Shelby and Stanley. But I miss her.

Here is a video Mama found of us when I was just a few months old. I thought I was pretty tough, but now I realize that she was letting me win!

My Mama Loves Us

2009-01-23T13:03:00.005-06:00

Dreaming of Tucson

2009-01-22T18:57:00.006-06:00

Mama, Olivia and I were feeling homesick for Tucson today. We found some pictures of when we used to go for long walks. The only time we didn't get to for a walk was when it was raining. Then we just waited for it to be over and went out and splashed in puddles.

Walking down this wash to get the the River Walk was Olivia's Mostest Favoritist part. That's because lots of little dogs with really long ears (Mama says they are called Rabbits ) lived there and would run really fast when they saw us. She would have LOVED to have been allowed to chase them. Once or twice there was water in our wash, so we had to go around.

We had to be careful, because sometimes there would be some wild dogs that Mama calls coyotes in the wash. They never bothered us. Mama said they wandered up through the big wash called the Re-EEE-tow (Mama says it's spelled Rillito) and took a wrong turn. I always hoped they found their way home.

Once we saw some people on a big, huge dog that Mama called a horse. It had really funny feet and smelled weird. I would hate it if people tried to ride on me.

Mama says this is a Walking Stick. It scared me at first cause it was really big. We found it one morning just hanging on the wall. Mama moved it up a little, and told me to "leave it alone." It wasn't really big enough to chew on, anyway.

This is me gazing in the dusk at my beautiful back yard in Tucson. I had green grass ALL THE TIME. And that tree made things called peaches one time. Olivia and I ate all the peaches that Mama picked off that tree when she wasn't looking. She was pretty steamed. She said it was a good thing we didn't eat the pits, which are the hard things that are like chew toys. She said they are poisonous for dogs. It's also possible that I am on patrol for bird invaders in this photo. I never caught one. But neither did Olivia.

What's In-aww-grr-a-shun?

2009-01-20T13:59:00.002-06:00

So my Mama and my sister were watching the TV this morning. Mama said it was "really important, be quiet." It was just some boring people getting in and out of cars and walking down steps and talking and singing and stuff. There were no dogs in the show. Mama said it was the in-aww-grrr-a-shun. Taz moaned and groaned like he always does, but I was quiet.

Then, he disappeared upstairs. Usually Mama calls him back or goes after him, cause he's ALWAYS getting in trouble, but today she was just watching the boring show and eating crackers.

Guess what he got into?

My brother said, "I was NOT eating cat poop! I don't know how that stuff got on my nose! Somebody's tryin ta get me in trouble again!" Then he had to get his face washed. Ha HA!

I'm not the Pack Leader!!! Yeah!!!

2009-01-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

Wow. I just realized a couple days ago that I don't have to be the Pack Leader!!!! That is a big load off my little, anxious shoulders. It's so cool to let Mama and Daddy be in charge. I feel like a new girl. I am relaxed and happy for the first time in months!!!
Here is the "No Dog Zone" that my Mama put on the floor. I'm totally OK with it, but Taz and Olivia are NOT. Taz tries to sneak in, one paw at a time, and Olivia tries to zoom in - or "fly under the radar" Mama says. They are just not as smart as me.

Our sissy and brother are supposed to be coming to visit. Where are they??? The game has already started! The snacks are already made!! Daddy says the Cards are "gonna open up a can" on the Eagles.

Sissy????? WHERE ARE YOU????

The Doggie Nanny

2009-01-15T19:15:00.002-06:00

So, my mama is always saying she's gonna call The Dog Whisperer on me when I'm bad. I'm not usually bad, just sometimes when we go for walks. But the other day, I was mean to my sister, Olivia. My mama says that I can't be allowed to do that again. She thinks I'm confused about who's the boss here. I AM confused, I really am.

She called Doggie Nanny 911. Her real name is Kathy and she is really nice. She smells good and has good things to eat in her pockets. You cannot BELIEVE how much I like doing things and getting treats. I showed her all the stuff I know how to do. She was impressed. She has a thing that makes a noise when I do something good.

So now we're not allowed in the place where the food gets made. They keep telling us "out'. I also have to sit and wait when Mama opens the door. I'm not allowed to stand on my Dad's lap and put my paws on his shoulders. They say this means I think I'm his boss.

I'll let you know how it's going.
Bye!

2009-01-14T20:01:00.003-06:00

i just wanted to let everybody know that Jack-Johnson came home Friday. He is just as obnoxious as he was when he left. His leg is SHAVED! He is mad because Mom and Dad have to give him medicine. Taz likes the medicine - even though it's not his. It smells like strawberries. I am suspicious, but he is not.
Mama says this picture says "alot." I wish I could read, but I do like pink.

Update on Jack-Johnson

2009-01-09T12:51:00.004-06:00

Mom says Jack-Johnson is doing fine. She says Dr Koster says he can come home this afternoon. YEAH!!!! Mom says he will have to eat different food from now on. I wonder if the litter box goodies will taste different now. Mom says his poop-box is NOT A BUFFET. Personally, I don't like it, but Taz does. He thinks he is being sneaky, but he has stuff all over his nose sometimes. What a tard.

My nephew, Leo, had surgery yesterday. He had com-pli-ka-shons. He has a diaper on. It's yellow with some bones on it. He came to stay with my mom for the day for ob-sir-va-shun.
Here I am nursing him back to health. Plus, a better view of his DIAPER!!!

My sister, Olivia, got her new collar from GreytEscape yesterday. Isn't it gorgeous ? It's totally HER. If you're looking for a comfortable tag collar at a great price (much less expensive than the pet store) try here...GreytEscapeAccessories

Poor Jack-Johnson

2009-01-08T14:53:00.005-06:00

Today my brother, Jack-Johnson, is in the hospital with bladder stones. I tried to tell my mom and dad that he didn't feel well, but they didn't listen. Taz and I are very worried about him. My mom says that he will be OK, and will come home tomorrow, but I don't know. I keep checking his poop-box and his bed.

My friend, Kira, came over last night and we had a slumber party. She says her brothers are going to get "fixed" today, and her parents didn't want her to spend the day alone. We've had fun. We played outside and took a walk.

Since my mom doesn't have any pictures, she decided to show you this video of Sugar. Sugar was apparently found by a Taiwan rescue group with broken legs and other injuries. Obviously, she is quite a survivor - with the help of some really cool people who think dogs deserve love.

2 Legged Dog - The funniest home videos are here

No smiles for Mama today

2009-01-06T10:52:00.001-06:00

Only 2 exciting things. My brother Jack-Johnson got a new bed. Mom says he has to put up with lots of greeef from all of us dogs. I don't know about that. I think he likes to play chase - he always runs!

My mom was trying to get a picture of me smiling. I have vowed never to be smiling when she pushes the button. I think this would ruin the overall effect and surprise of the elusive smile.

The Great White Thing

2009-01-03T21:20:00.011-06:00

So, my dad got a thing called a "smoker" for his birthday. You cannot BELIEVE how good it smells. Anyway, my mom put the turkey in this White Thing with some water and other stuff. My little brother was scared of the White Thing! He sniffed it from all angles. He stretched his whole body out so much that his back feet slid away from him on the floor. He was pretty worried when she put the White Thing in the fridge with our other stuff. But it turned out OK.

I just think he's such a baby. I'm scared of Big Square Things, but so what? That's way different than White Things.

I guess you just can't be too careful, right Taz?

Oliver's Movie

2009-01-03T19:55:00.003-06:00

My mom found this GREAT video of an AGR greyhound starring in his OWN MOVIE!!!! Gosh. He's lucky. Olivia says he is doing his own singing. She says she knows a greyhound's voice when she hears it.

Sad Today...

2009-01-03T09:52:00.002-06:00

I am sad today. My friends moved out yesterday. My friends Kira, Leo and Diesel. They were my neice and nephews. They moved to Wichita. I'm going to go take away the squeaky toy from Taz now. Bye!

IKira

Leo, me and Kira

Olivia and Kira

Aja and Olivia

2008-12-31T12:33:00.000-06:00

So, after Laverne, there was Olivia. Mom didn't get any pictures of her right away because she went to live with a family who thought they wanted to adopt her. Mom was so devastated that she rushed to the kennel and picked up Aja. Aja was THE MOST PLAYFUL GREYHOUND EVER!!! As soon as we were introduced in the yard, we played for an hour. She wasn't afraid of anything, and was game to try anything. She was very, very bossy, though. She really loved going to the dog park, and was never bad there.

She really did have her pick of several dog beds and other assorted furniture, but she preferred to hang out in the closet with a pillow.

Aja's talent was singing. Just about anything would get her going - then Oliva and I would join in. It was soooooo much fun. The neighbors thought we were really crazy!

Aja went to a forever home with a huge pitbull-labrador mix named Harley and his mom who was a school teacher. They had a HUGE backyard, and Harley agreed right away that Aja could be in charge of the whole family. They now live happily ever after in Tucson.

Here is a picture of Aja and Olivia. Olivia ended up coming back from her adoptive home after 2 weeks - much to my mom's utter relief. So...we had 2 hounds, me, my sister and my mom and my brother, Jovi all in a little apartment. It was actually pretty fun.

When I Was an Only Child

2008-12-30T21:10:00.000-06:00

As you can see, I was very bored before I got my greyhound friends. I could often be found like this after a long day of watching soaps and drinking coffee. The remote was never far from my paw.

This is how I used to look after a couple of hours at the dog park.

My boredom was so great at times that I would play dress-up/house with my mom's stuff and Monkey.

Laverne

2008-12-29T09:23:00.000-06:00

One more silly picture of Laverne. One day she decided to take the wig off one of my mom's dolls. I told her not to, but she did it any way. She took it to my mom when she got home and Mom took this picture. I think she looks like Goldielocks.

When I was a Greyhound Foster-Sister

2008-12-28T18:09:00.000-06:00

I wanted everybody to see my foster-sisters Aja and Laverne. Laverne was my first foster-sister. At first, I thought she was just my new play-thing. But pretty soon I realized that Laverne didn't even KNOW HOW to play!! Good thing she had an expert for a foster- sister. I had to hold her paw while she discovered things like TVs, dishwashers, and toilets.

Laverne was a really fast learner - she was very young and had never had to live the life of a race dog. She soon discovered that furniture was heavenly.

People on the couch made it even more of a challenging game. If you look carefully at the photo below, you can see the bottom and feet of a person who tried to get comfortable on Laverne's couch.

When she first met her Forever Family, the first thing she did was test out ALL the furniture in their beautifully furnished home. She found it to be suitable and lives there happily ever after. My mom still has some scratch marks from Laverne on her (at the time) new leather couch. Laverne would try to make the couch EXTRA comfy by "fluffing it up. " We think of Laverne whenever we see them.

Snow and Stuff and Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T13:24:00.001-06:00

Ahh, winter in Kansas. We like the snow, but we hate not getting our daily walks like we did in Tucson. Mom says she needs to get Olivia an in-suu-late-ed coat. I don't know what that is, but I wish she would hurry up.

We thought my sister Olivia would HATE the winter weather, but she actually totally loves it. She played in the snow forever and had trouble hearing my mom and dad when they called her in! Maybe the cold shrinks her ears or something. Greyhounds are funny that way, I think.

My nephew Leo and neice Kira like the snow, too. That's me with the blue coat that my mom always makes me wear when it's cold. Yuk, like I'm a baby. We were eating snow. It tasted like cold water even though it looked like that stuff that mom puts on her pie.

Happy Dance: By Abby

2008-06-22T08:45:00.000-05:00

I do this happy dance almost every morning when my mom gets home from work. Sometimes I like to bark while I dance! Of course, as soon as Mom gets the camera out, I stop!! I think that's pretty funny.

2 Years Old, Now!!

2008-06-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, I'm 2! My mom has obviously not kept up with my blog since it's been nearly 2 years since the last entry!!

Lots have changed for me in the last 2 years. I've been living in Tucson, but I'm getting ready to go home to Kansas. I've acquired a sister here. Her name is Olivia, and she's a greyhound. She is an active retiree who enjoys soft, cushy places and snacks. My mom and my other sister, Bree, fostered greyhounds for a while before Olivia adopted us. We'll post some pictures of Laverne and Aja. They have found wonderful homes.

My mom promises she will keep up with our blog! So check back for pictures and stories.

Olivia

Professional Advancement

2006-08-08T16:53:00.000-05:00

Mom says I'm moving up the career ladder with my mastery of the Art of Begging. I have become quite good. So good, in fact, that nobody (except my mom) can resist feeding me all kinds of tidbits.

Here's some of my past work:

Do not make eye contact!!

Must...eat....sooon.....

I feel faint...

I warned you....everything is becoming blurry....too weak to hold my head up....

Bubba Teeth

2006-08-03T12:31:00.000-05:00

Me as "Bubba." Monkey helped me make this face.

The New Bowl

2006-07-29T11:21:00.000-05:00

This is my new bowl! Isn't it pretty? My Daddy painted my name on the front, and some paw prints on the other side! It's alot bigger than my old one. 'Cause I'm bigger now.

Cool!

There's No Place Like Home!

2006-07-26T12:29:00.000-05:00

I was soooo happy to get out of that car and run around my house! I thought all my brothers and sisters would be happy to see me, but they didn't seem to be. Maybe they were just tired. My trip home was much better than the trip there. I had a great time in Tucson, but there's no place like home.

Ahh, my brother's Big Red Pad!!

In this picture, I'm dreaming about rolling around in cow dung. We were just outside of Herford, Texas.

It was very exciting to visit Billy the Kid's grave in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. I don't know who he was, but Mom really wanted to stop there.

On The Road

2006-07-18T09:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm on the road! We're here in Arizona, enjoying our vacation. I guess I slept all the way from Kansas to Arizona. I visited the Grand Canyon! We will post some pictures soon. Oh my Gosh... I went to a Dog Park yesterday!!! It was soooo fun. I've never had so much fun in my whole life. I got there just as the Boston Terrier social was breaking up. Mom didn't get any pictures because I was moving too fast.

Hey! Guess what! My mom says I'm 5 months old now!!

Me at the Grand Canyon

Me enjoying the entire back seat to myself between Phoenix and Tucson

My Aunt, Abby I

Self Portrait. Don't tell Mom I was playing with her camera!

My friend Molly at the dog park. You can't really see her pretty pink harness. She was pretty tough.

Long day, new collar

2006-07-06T14:59:00.000-05:00

I got a new collar yesterday. TeeHee!! I found my old one laying around and hid it!! Mom is upset because it has all my "tags" on it. Whatever tags are. My new one is blue with sparkly studs. It's really cool.

I played with my sister Sunny all day Tuesday and wore myself out. This is how I fell asleep. I don't think it was very nice of Mom to take this picture of me. That's Monkey sleeping with me.

Uh Oh, Mom's got a new camera!

2006-06-27T17:25:00.000-05:00

My mom got a new camera, so now she can take pictures all the time. Here's one for today. I've been really excited lately because I'm going on a long trip to Arizona pretty soon! I can't wait because I hear they have Dog Parks there!! I don't have any where I live.

I'm sure my mom will drag that camera everywhere we go, and there will be plenty of travel pictures to post!

By the way, I checked in at the vet today, and I weigh 23 pounds!! That's 8 pounds since I came to live here!

Abby's Family

2006-06-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

Today, Abby decided she wanted to post some pictures of her brothers and sisters.

This is Buddy, her 13y/o big brother. He likes to make sure she knows who's the boss.

This is Buddy and Stanley. Stanley passed away this last December.

This is Patty. What a dork. All of the cats do this.

This is Jack. He's about as dorky as his sister, Patty.

This is Sunny. She has decided to be Abby's mom. She weighs over 100lbs, but likes to wrestle with Abby.

LIttle Abby

2006-06-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

This is all about a puppy named Abby. She came to live here by accident - but we can't remember life without her. Abby is 16 weeks old - her birthday is February 14. She has a dog sister and a dog brother. She also has 6 cat brothers and sisters.

We're not exactly sure what kind of dog Abby is, but we suspect mostly boxer. Her original owners adopted her from the pound - I think because they thought she looked like a pit bull. After about a month, they decided they no longer wanted to care for her. So she came to live with us. She was very thin and timid when she first moved in. She had been eating cheap adult dog food for the first couple months of her life. She has now gained almost 4 pounds in 3 weeks. She is a happy puppy. She will be attending basic obedience in July, and has aspirations to be a Canine Good Citizen. She would like to be a therapy dog some day.

Her favorite things to do are watch Animal Planet (anything with dogs), play with noisy toys, annoy her brothers and sisters, chase flies and meet new people. She also loves to "work it" for the camera. She loves learning new things and getting treats. She sleeps all night (with her mom) and is mostly house trained. She makes friends everywhere she goes. We're just sorry that our city doesn't have a dog park of any kind.