| I'm having an incredibly difficult time composing this. I keep telling myself that I am having a terrible dream and I will wake up soon. This loss is profound. I had to say goodbye to Finnegan this week, unexpectedly and painfully. You can do everything right and preventative and still lose a piece of your heart suddenly. Hug your hounds tight. Finn and Timmy were the two dogs I bonded the closest with in my life and now both are gone. Finnegan had been my constant companion from the day we met, when he was 8-weeks-old. I fell in love with him instantly and he picked me to be his person. He wiggled his way deeply into my heart and soul. We had a strong spiritual connection. He and I battled mental demons together and learned so much from each other. I'll never forget the day where I started crying inside the house after MawMaw passed. He was outside at the time. Within moments he had run in back through the dog door and straight to me. He tried to lick away my tears and snuggled his head into me before I could register that he was even there. We had that kind of relationship: we just knew when one of us needed the other and we were there. He always checked in with me and was often my shadow. He loved giving me kisses and receiving kisses and ear rubs in return. We could read each other's body language and, it felt like, even each other's thoughts. He loved Justin too, although we always joked that Justin was his emergency backup human. Justin was also his protector when scary stuff happened like storms and fireworks and he spent countless nights up with him while the booms raged on. Their personalities did not always mesh the best but Finn and I both knew how much Justin loved him. It was evident. Finn was an extremely handsome boy and floated across the fields and yard. Sometimes I would just watch him move and stand because I found him to be so beautiful. He started off as a natural comedian as a puppy but grew into a serious dog that actually enjoyed daily training sessions. He was a great hiking and walking companion, provided we did not run into off-leash dogs, and enjoyed our daily walks over the years. I never spam Facebook with daily walks with my dogs because I cherish the time we spend together and try to live in the moment and not on the phone. I am glad that I do that because I can now easily recall so many wonderful quality times with him without me being distracted (I know how I am with phones). Finn loved to patrol the yard and took his job as neighborhood busy body very seriously. He barked a lot to let me know the comings and goings of every furry, feathery, or human thing within sight and, as much as I griped about the noise, I miss it terribly now. He also played the part of my guard dog and defended the castle from the invaders from the kingdoms of USPS and other enemies. He loved getting up in his papasan chair and curling up for a nice nap. He liked new toys but they were pretty useless once the newness wore off so he did his part to keep the pet store in business. He never got into things or created mischief. He respected the house rules and I could trust him loose in the house almost his entire life. He could also open all of the kid-safe gates in the house and would happily embarrass adults who could not by showing them how when they struggled. Instead of abusing that power he used it when I asked him to get the gate because I was carrying something. He liked to help me with things. He would also come up for attention and sit politely in front of me, tail wagging and eyes begging. Every time he did that I melted and he got lots of love and attention. He knew this so it happened a lot. No matter what was going on, Finn was my constant companion and friend. He made sure I got kisses and snuggles and I made sure he got back-end rubs and ear rubs and so much love. He would ditch the other dogs to check in with me and spend time with me. He bonded with Nova and thought Trillian was the most amazing girl dog in the history of the world and worthy of all the flirting. The house, and pack, feel very different right now. There are a million other things that I could say but my heart is shattered and I am numb. It has been 2 days and I still keep hoping I will wake up soon and he will be waiting for me to let him out to play. Hug your dogs, give them a treat, take them on a walk, put down the phone, and cherish the moments. 5/20/2012 - 7/8/2020 |   |
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 Today we are absolutely heartbroken as we say goodbye to the matriarch of our pack, our queen, Lorelei. Lorelei was the dog that everyone loved, even people who didn't like dogs. She was sweet, adorable, kind, and incredibly empathetic. We always said she was everyone's dog, not just ours. She came to us almost 11 years ago (next week) as a foster and we never planned on keeping her. At that time we had an incredibly neurotic Galgo Espanol who bonded deeply with her. She was petite, pretty, sweet, and cat safe so we knew she would get a home quickly. Argos, however, had other ideas and destroyed our house when we took her to a meet and greet. When we came home with her he met us in a state of panic and shot straight to her as if he would never see her again. We always said that Argos adopted her right then and there. Over time she helped us teach him confidence and how to cope with a scary world. It was the first of many lives that she would touch in her 12 years. Lorelei loved everyone. She got along with every dog and person she ever met. She was a calm, steady presence in every situation. We fostered a long time and for years our home was a revolving door and she was always an integral part of pack integration going smoothly. Nobody could have a problem with Lolie. She really LOVED people. She was the perfect Renaissance Festival breed ambassador and therapy dog. She was gentle with those who needed it and fun-loving with those who wanted it. She attended several years of the Carolina and Georgia Renaissance Festivals and the Enchanted Chalice. She visited the elderly and young children and special needs children at various events. She was always incredibly well-mannered and never stepped a foot out of line. She was truly a very good girl. You could always rely on her being a perfect princess when it counted. Lorelei loved all dogs and especially puppies. She had a lot of health issues (mostly automimmune) for most of her life and acted like an old dog years before she should have but every time we brought her a puppy she came to life. She would run and play and bark and go wild with "her" babies. They brought her life and vitality and she took her role as Momma Lolie seriously. She raised Delilah, Finnegan, and Aziza as her own and all three are incredibly attached to her. They are going to be beyond devastated when they realize she is not coming home tonight. Every member of this pack came after her and respected her greatly so I anticipate a rough few days here. Lorelei was a quirky dog. She loved collecting toys and would hoard them in piles. She had the cutest little-dog yip and sweet smile and tail wag. She always met you at the gate with a smile and a cute little tail wag. She was simply adorable all the time and would charm everyone she met. We always joked that she was Princess LoLie of LoLie land and she had marshmallow clouds in her head and was made of sugar and iced with love. She was an incredibly happy dog. We are going to miss Lorelei so much. As many health issues as she has had we are fortunate she stayed with us as long as she did. The past few months have seen her going downhill rapidly. She was so exhausted and ready for a long rest. She went peacefully on my lap.  Due to the vote in Florida yesterday there will soon be an influx of retired racing Greyhounds needing homes. The estimates I see put the numbers between 8,000-10,000 dogs at the Florida tracks. As many of you know, I have owned and fostered Greyhounds for the last decade and spent many years doing adoption work. Although our primary breed focus has obviously shifted, we still own and love Greyhounds and want what is best for them. That being said, if you have questions about the breed or are interested in helping, fostering, or adopting please send me a message. I will be happy to help you and connect you to your nearest adoption group. Please do not donate to national organizations like Grey2K, PETA, or the HSUS because none of those funds will go to help the dogs. Please donate directly to adoption groups. They are going to need a lot of funding and help to clean up this mess. If you have ever considered adopting a Greyhound now is the time. With the closure of the large majority of tracks in Florida over the next year or so, the numbers of available Greyhounds will dwindle significantly. I will NOT tolerate squabbling between pro and anti racing people on this post. What's done is done, the focus now needs to be on the dogs and the people whose lives will be altered.  It may not win them any ribbons, points, or awards but I honestly feel that being a wonderful breed ambassador is just as important as the other stuff, especially with a rare breed. Over the last 10 years my dogs have legitimately met thousands (upon thousands) of people working Renaissance Festivals. I've taken both Greyhounds and Ibizans over the years. These people have often never heard of the breed or heard of them but never met one in real life. The impression that my dogs leave on them is important, as we all know first impressions tend to last. I have had people come up to me years later telling me all about meeting Ibizans at the faires I work and even showing me pictures of my own dogs. <3 I have spoken to people that adopted a Greyhound or another sighthound after meeting the hounds at faire. I have personally adopted out dogs to people I met at faire, and even adopted my own Greyhounds because I met the breed there. It makes me proud of the work that they do and even prouder of how well they do it. <3 They make a difference. Ava and Aziza did magnificently. They were very calm and gentle, sweet and polite, and well-behaved. Aziza has grown up at faires but today was Ava's first time and she acted as if she has been doing it all of her life. Meegan told me she was an amazing meet and greet dog and she was right. I am so proud of the girls today. <3 Aunt Nancy got to share Beezer handling duties today and even though she is a Wolfhound person I think they charmed her a bit. ;) Zz is madly in love with Carissa's Saluki Gabriel. She has never acted that way around a dog. She was flirting with him all day. It was so great to get to spend time with them and Wanda and Winston the Greyhound and Stephanie and Aisling the Irish Wolfhound. You did well, girls.
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