Up to the Minute News From Long Island GreyHound Transfer!!!! ......

Hi Ellen!
I just wanted to tell you how magical that dog wash was. Although Biscuit was shaking more than any other dog there, she's really taken to my Dad and has had an incredible impact on all my friends who met her.
The one that blows my mind the most is my husband, Mike. He's been Mr. I'm-allergic-to-everything forever, but when I handed him the leash to fill out the papers with you, he was hooked. I turned around and didn't see either one of them -- they were out walking and bonding. Coming home, Biscuit rode in our car with her head right behind his shoulder (scary breath and all) and HE was the one who led her out. She walked around our block with him on the leash like this was the most natural thing in the world. (He surprised me more than her!) Although he went upstairs to bed, I spent the night downstairs with her, sleeping in the living room. She kept going to the stairs and sniffing up like she knew he was there, sniffing his chair, his watch. (I was a little jealous -- only kidding!).

Biscuit spent a good 10 hours here with us, and met some of our friends who had to come see her. They're still asking when she's coming back to visit! When we drove her to Queens, she was calm enough to lay down in the back seat, but stood up to look out the window when we were pulling up to Dad's house. Well, that was love at first sight too. Mike didn't give up the leash to easily, though. He was the one who led her around to explore the entire yard. I took her over for the house and she flew up the back stairs that I was worried about like she'd been doing that all her life. The real kicker is that Mike's been telling EVERYONE how he got teary eyed leaving her! (I'm still working on him.....)

Dad took your advice about checking the gate and then letting Biscuit off the leash. She's now sniffed every possible sniffing place and is really great about letting him know when she's got to go out. She's found her own "potty place" and is now using it daily.

I can't thank you enough for your encouragement and for choosing the perfect companion for him. Now I hear what she's discovered every day and just how she likes to be caressed. She apparently comes over and asks for a hug, which he gives repeatedly. I do believe that they are healing each other and I hope she can forget her "Dutch Neva" days.

I'm just about done with the coat I knitted for her and Dad's putting together her raised feeding station. Her bowls are raised now, but he wants her to have a pretty place to eat. I'll send you pictures of both projects. If people need stuff like that, we'll talk -- I'd love for part of the cost to go to you guys at LIGHT. So although I don't officially have a greyhound in my house, you can count me among their fans -- after meeting Biscuit and the others that shared the van with her, I'm addicted!

Thanks again!
Madeline Jabin

Although I try to post upbeat posts on this page sometimes life isn't always that way. The following is a story about Alice who personally touched my life when she came off the track and almost didn't make it to her home. Alice pulled through that battle only to lose one almost two years later. I personally am glad she made it into the home of Susan, Mark and Brian who I know made Alice's too short life one where she discovered true love. From all of us at L.I.G.H.T. our thoughts are with Alice's family.

ALICE

Dear Ellen,

Thank you. And I've said that over and over, why Alice? Everyone at my vets office loved her. Some of the docs there have been greyhound owners in the past, and they all agreed that Alice had such a winning personality; with tail wagging she'd go over and say "hi" to everyone and was very happy to be around people. In the past few months, every time we went to LIVS for her chemo treatment, docs, techs, nurses from all the different areas came running over to say "hi" to her, telling me how much they love her and what a great personality she had. One of Mark's friends, Steve, who adopted Monty, was jealous. At night, I'd sit on the floor to read or watch TV and Alice would lie next to me with her head on my leg. He said he can't get Monty to do that. Even at the picnic, people were coming over to me to say how Alice had a very extrovert personality and wanted to meet and be petted by everyone.

Two years ago we read the article about LIGHT in Newsday; a few weeks later we saw your group at a Ducks game. I'm not a big baseball fan, so I have a tendency to wander after a while. When I saw the dogs, I stayed a while and petted them. When I got back to my seat, I said to Mark, "remember that article we read about the rescue dogs, well they're here in person". Mark & Brian then went over to see them, and Mark got info on how to adopt. I told him at the time not to, since Chien needed so much of my attention at the time, plus I was taking care of my aunt, my dad, and was still very involved in volunteer work, not to mention having to take Brian, here, there and everywhere. Besides wanting to own a greyhound, Mark also knew that Chien wasn't going to live much longer, and he knew how attached I was to that dog. He thought having another dog in the house would help ease the pain when Chien died. Who knew that less then 2 yrs. later we'd have out hearts ripped out again.

Alice had us trained from the very beginning. Everyone at LIGHT said how the dogs are "crate" trained; yeah, right!!! Every night, before we'd go to bed, we had to physically carry her into the crate then try to back out before she could run past us; then she'd proceed to howl the rest of the night. After 3 sleepless nights, we decided to block her into the kitchen area; give her a "bigger crate". I don't know how she jumped over those gates, but she did. In the morning, there she'd be, wagging her tail and sticking her cold nose in either my face or Mark's. We decided to give up on the crate idea. She was always good with the cats, and very gentle with Chien. However, if we showed them more attention then she thought she was getting, she had no problem coming over and, very gently, pushing them out of the way with her paw. She was a character. When we played "tug-of-war" at night with one of her toys, I had to teach her to growl back at me. She finally got the hang of it, but the growl was so soft and gentle, everyone had to be real quiet to hear it. I know every pet owner says the same about their pet, but Alice truly was one-of-a-kind.

We all need some time. As they say, it's been a hell of a year for us. I would say, probably by next summer, we might be ready to put in another application for another dog. My only problem is, I'd want another Alice and I just don't know if there's another one out there.

Our 2 cats have been walking around the house looking for her all night. They are very spooked, especially Salem, who shared the couch with her.

I just need a few days, but, if you don't have one already in your files, I'll send you a photo of my Sweetie Girl.

I know we are all asked from time to time why we devote the amount of time we do to help these dogs.... Well I think the following letters help put it all in perspective. Thanks to ALL the Volunteers that help make stories like this happen.

Way to go TUXEDO!!!
(Good Luck Jean!!)

Sorry I haven't contacted you sooner - but have been going thru chemo. It has not been that bad except my immune system was shot and I got an awful upper respiratory infection and a sinus infection that laid me up for almost a month. I am done with chemo and now on to radiation therapy.

I have to tell you a wonderful story. You know our Tuxedo (who used to be the Troy - (Hell on Wheels) Well he is the best friend you would ever want to have.

I have a blanket that he sleeps on when in the living room with us. Well, when I was sick I laid on the couch in the living room to watch TV. My wonderful boy decided that he did not want to sleep on his comfy blanket. He squeezed himself between me and the couch. And what is really amazing is that every time I fell asleep, for some well needed nap, he would come and stick his nose in my face to make sure I was okay.

And to think that someone else gave him up - their loss and our gain. He has turned into being my "BOY". Not that I ignore Oliver - they both get spoiled all the time.

But how much Tuxedo has made this turn around is amazing. And just think we just took him in as a foster and being such a bad boy - but now we would never let him go in a million years.

Hope to see you at the members luncheon. I will be there - wig and all. Have no hair anymore. Eyebrows are gone and so are the eyelashes - hey - what does that mean as long as I get thru this.

P.S. If you want to post this - it is fine with me - maybe others will think about taking fosters that are not too well behaved and know that all you have to do is just show them some love and affection - all turns out well. Not only for their friend, but for them also. They give back so much to us.

Tuxie and Oliver are the best. Miss seeing you all. Hope to get to some dog washes soon.

Hi Ellen,

Thank you for the welcome to the greyhound family. Cody is really settling in more and more each day. It amazes me how smart he is. Aside from knowing his name, he knows come, stay (which works most of the time) he knows to let me walk through the door first, he knows not to put his head and nose on the kitchen counter and is pretty good at leaving us alone at the table. He’ll come sniffing, but goes to lie down as soon as we tell him no. We are still sleeping downstairs on couches. I miss my bed-but he is having his stitches taken out at the vet this afternoon. We’ll ask if he can do the full flight of 12 steps from now on. He is NOT sleeping in the cage, but has free roam of basically half the downstairs. When we go out of the house, he goes into his cage with a biscuit. He will tell us he has to go to the bathroom, however, we usually take him out minimum of 3 times per day. He loves everyone in the family, and they love him. He cries when someone leaves the house. He enjoys being able to stand and look out the bay window in front. He walks nicely in the street and knows where home is when I say let’s go home.

Question, do they give the dogs toys at the track? He suddenly discovered the squeaky stuffed toys that we gave him, and I can’t tell you what a fun time he has with them. He jumps around with them and goes from one to the other. We got a runner for the long hall into the kitchen, and this allows him to slow down when going from the den to the kitchen so he won’t slip once he hits the kitchen floor. He likes to prance into the kitchen with a stuffed toy, and has figured out just how much bounce he can have to his step without slipping on the floor. Do I sound like the bragging mama? We haven’t let him run free in the back yet, we walk him on the leash. Since he had the major surgery, we wanted to give him ample time to heal. We’ll ask the vet today about letting him run loose in the yard.

Hope you don’t mind my lengthy update and bragging. We have a few busy weekends ahead, but at some point we’ll want to pay you and the dogs a visit at one of your pet events. We also still have to introduce Cody to Maggie. We are getting so much pleasure and love from Cody—thank you so much.

Talk soon--Lorri

Long Island GreyHound Transfer's