Sparky - One month later

What a sweet boy! Sparky has integrated into the pack very well. There were a few rough spots with Tasha, but that was based on her issues and not his. Everyone gets along very well and Sparky has fit into the daily routines. He loves his walks, chasing lizards in the yard, and especially his Jeep rides. He sits in the back--harnessed in for safety--and watches the world go by. He rides like a pro and doesn't move around a lot. If it gets too bumpy or windy, he lays down. Seeing other dogs doesn't trigger any reaction...it's his ride and nothing will ruin it.

Hard to believe that he was in the shelter for all those months without anyone seeing his potential and adopting him. Of course the shelter staff knew he was a great dog...they all loved him and he was a mascot around the place. Like Bella before him, everyone else's miss was our big hit! His personality is a mix of our beloved Sam and Boris, hitting the best parts of both of them. We're convinced that they've sent him with instructions on how to live here.

Stay tuned for more!

"No Quiero Sparky!"

Sparky got a hold of the Taco Bell dog today...I think he was fed up with all the Mexican protesting. Sparky prevailed and Mr. Taco won't be advertising anymore...

Uncanny Coincidence

We are still trying to get over the loss of Boris. Through an odd set of coincidences, we have found another dog who now lives with us. This boy was found wandering stray late last year, and has been in dog jail (the Humane Society kennel) since December 2005. "Vader", as they called him, hasn't been able to find a home. Maybe it's the breed (Pit), maybe it was the sad photo on the Humane Society website. In any case, here's how we ended up with "Sparky" as we call him.

Debbie happens to be looking at petfinder.com and sees his listing. She thinks he is cute, and shows him to me. No expectation of doing anything about it, just showing the resemblance to Boris. Several days later, a neighbor calls and asks if I have the newspaper for that day. "There's a dog in there you should see", he says. It was "Vader". As the paper stated it: "The pet of the week is, once again, Vader..." He's been in before, no luck.

So last Friday we decided to go and see what he was like. He was great! A big headed, brindle pitty boy. Recently neutered, he was all kisses and wags. Whomever raised him did it right, he knows "sit, down, wait, come" and is very well adjusted. He has no problem laying at your feet for 45 minutes while you dine outdoors. He doesn't beg. When you open his crate and say "crate", he goes in and lays down. We currently crate him when we leave him home, and at night. He has to earn his points to be sure he is as well behaved as he appears. In time, he will have full run of the household, but for now, he is supervised closely.

He is also very good at just hanging out. While Nick works in the garage or front yard, Sparky lays down and watches or sleeps. No wandering off!

Stay tuned for more info. We're thinking of making him a bandanna that says "Ask about my Greyhounds" and letting him wear the backpack carrying their water.

In Memoriam - Boris 4/5/95 - 4/17/05

Dear Friends;

It is with a heavy heart and a mind full of sorrow that I write to let you know of the loss of our dear sweet pup Boris. He left our world to continue his journey on April 17th and we miss him so much. He was our loyal companion and taught us many lessons during his time with our family.

He joined our lives 11 years ago as a small puppy. He taught us that we needed a little boy in our lives even though we were looking for a little girl. He was very persistent and picked Nick out, which was the start of a lifelong love affair with our “twins” Boris and Tasha.

Boris taught us to always enjoy life, take a walk every day, savor each meal to the fullest, greet your loved ones with much joy and appreciation each time they return home and finally seek out the most comfortable place to take a nap especially if it is the lap of someone you love.

We have prepared a very special pictorial tribute to Boris that I would like to share with you, it is a large file and on some computers will begin playing almost immediately, while on others it will have to download first and may take quite awhile. Please be patient. Click here to open it.

We are thankful that he was a part of our lives.

The Dogs of Easter

OK, some of you will think it's just wrong...but they had a lot of fun with this! We've taken our three Grey Hares out to a meet and greet event and everyone loved their outfits.


"It's tough being handsome and cute at the same time!"


"Being a bunny is hard work, let's rest!"


"What are YOU looking at?!?"

We Adopt another Greyhound - Welcome Figgy!

OK, so we're suckers for dogs in need. There was a sweet 7 year old female who had been adopted and living with a family for a couple of years. They decided to adopt a chihuahua (why?!?) and the two dogs didn't get along well. So, they dumped Figgy.

We didn't want her bouncing around from one foster to another, so we adopted her. She's very sweet and gentle and all the other dogs get along with her. It will take awhile for her full personality to blossom (as it did with Kingman), but she is already showing that she belongs with us!

We Finally Get A Little Rain...

After over a 140 days with no measurable rainfall, we finally got some yesterday. This morning, we awoke to a little winter wonderland! It will probably melt away in a couple of hours, but for now it's quite a desert treat!