Leap year...

Won't see this date posted anywhere for another 4 years... would it have been too much to ask that Spooky pass today instead of on the 1st of this month? To not have to relive the "day", but only every 4 years? I'm funny about dates more than the next person I think. When I got back to work on Feb. 3rd and was working through work orders that had the 1st on them, well I just rushed through them as if to make them disappear- I didn't any time on them because really if everyone before me did their job correctly then the account should be correct... I think in a strange way I envy anyone losing a loved one today as long as it's been their time coming.

So we pick up a greyhound tomorrow to foster for a while. Who will it be?
Emma












Kadabra
Jetta
Who ever tries to eat Limo the least will be the one.
Let the snarl fest begin (Limo is a real biotch and wants us all to herself)

Hi, I'm Limo

I was found one morning behind the building where my mom works in June of 2006. A strange man (a cable tech, need I say more:-) spotted me and called mom up on the radio and said "Denise, I got this dog back here you need to come get"... So then this girl came outside and even though I was sick with worms and physically drained from all the fleas and ticks on my body I managed to thump my tail for her...She scooped me up and brought me into the building. I put on my saddest eyes and she took this picture. I slinked around the room and some guy said "Hellllooooo Limmmmo" and so mom thought the name fit... I am called other, sometimes colorful things from time to time, but I'm pretty sure Limo is my formal name...

I was a bit awkward looking at first and still needed to grow into my body a bit....

But look at me now....Who knew I would grow up into this beautiful specimen...?

Mom said she wasn't going to keep me at first. Just get me healthy and find me a home. But I charmed her with my crooked legs and little "Roooo"... good thing she didn't pick up on the fact that "roooo" is me cussing her out.

Mom knew Spooky wasn't going to be around forever and she knew she'd need me then...

Opened the flood gates...

It's weird what will bring on the uncontrollable tears. I just got a call from the Altoonna Animal hospital where Spooky had her acupuncture done telling me they never received her xrays and wanted to know if I wanted to schedule a visit:-( I wish I could. Afterall it's only been a little over 3 weeks. I shocked her by telling her that Spooky had died, I guess it's having to say those words aloud that bring on the tears it's still just so raw:-( The lady was very sympathetic.
Dr. Wanksy had warned me that *if* she had cancer that it could speed it up. I asked what that meant and she assured me that meant by a week and not months. I do think the acupuncture and laser treatment sped up her death, but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. Spooky was withering away, I could see it in her face and body. I just didn't want to accept it so I tried to think and treat it as an injury. Even though I did know it wasn't good. My friend Teresa lost her greyhound Smokey in the exact same way. She believes a teeth cleaning sped up his cancer spreading, he too lost use of his hindend. It all just happens so fast, you just never know when their last run, last tail wag, their last endearing moment towards you will be:-( It was hard on both of us having her lose the use of her hindend so I guess the sooner we didn't have to deal with that anymore the better. I like to think that Smokey greeted Spooky during her passing since they lived together and had sleep overs together for many many years. Smokey was the laziest greyhound I have ever known, but he was a clever one:-) He always had to have the best dog bed and if another dog had it he would fool us ALL by barking at any hour of the night to be let out. I would drag my lazy butt out of bed and open the door to see Rosie, Spooky, Cafree or Fesstus and what ever foster she had at the moment zoom out (they had fallen for the "there's something outside bark" where as I would fall for the "hafta pee bark), but there was never Smokey. I would go back to the bedroom to find him all nestled up in the best dog bed and he wasn't going to budge.

Whatta you think?

It prints out nicely- I could call it done, but I will still tweak it here and there. Does it look like her? My feelings won't be hurt, I want it to be perfect so please critique. I didn't add all the white, this is sort of her younger version:-)

Crumpled clothes...

This morning I woke up about 5AM and I thought some of my crumpled clothes on the floor were Spooky:-( I could see "her" in two differnt angles with the clothes. I sat there and stared and took a few minutes to believe it was her. Then Limo started licking and it really was "her" as that was one of the angels I could see her in... I wake up and have to remind myselft every morning that she is gone. No more waking up to her peacefully laying on her bed and then getting up and putting her head on the bed as soon as we make eye contact. No more just standing around and getting in my way in the mornings before work:-( OH how I wish she were in the way now... I'd be trying to put my socks on while sitting on the bed and she'd come put her head on my leg, course I had to stop and pet her who wouldn't.

My Lil' Pony

This video was taken before I got bashed with a twitch... I believe my pony is sore again. He has really good days and then stiff days. I think I need to take it a little easier with him. He does try though. He was in the pasture across from the house yesterday, and even though it was only 2:30pm when I drove down the driveway he immediately went to the gate and stood there till I came and got him :-) such a sweet boy. I brushed him and tried to convince Limo that he's not a mutant eating monster, but she still doesn't believe me.

Twitches are tools of the devil :-o

Ever hold a crazy horse for a nose/ stomach tubing? I did on Saturday :-x The barn owners' horse, Chase was sick and was also colicy. He had 103 tempature and was just blah feeling and wouldn't eat his dinner. I have held countless horses for this tubing procedure, mine as well as strangers' horses not ever have I almost been killed while doing so. Thank goodness the vet told me to stand to the side. As soon as the vet got the twitch on and touched Chase's nose with the tube he FLIPPED out and yanked the twitch out of my hand and flew backwards. OK, I wasn't expecting that, I'll be ready this time. So the vet gets the tube in where it needs to be and everything that needed to be pumped in and out...and I guess Chase freaked out when the vet started to pull the tube out because the next thing I know I'm thrown 10-20 ft backwards and all I can see or think is this crazy horse is going to trample me. Thank gawd he bolted towards the barn and AWAY from me. I also remember the twitch being thrown 50+ft in the air and landed several seconds 2ft behind Matt and Limo. My left arm is bruised, I think the twitch nailed me in the arm, but the vet said he also thought Chase's hoof caught me when he reared as well... The twitch that was used was heavier wood and longer, but this gives you an idea. I am bruised and sore, I feel like I've pulled every muscle in my arms... thankfully Laura did the stalls yesterday because I wasn't moving so great.

Lay your head on my shoulder...

Driving home for lunch today to pick Limo up it all the sudden hit me that I would never feel Spooky put her sweet head on my shoulder ever again:-( This wasn't something that I taught her or coherced her to do and it wasn't something I had to or would ask her to do...We were coming home from a shopping trip and were sitting at a red light and all of a sudden I felt her head on my right shoulder. I remember it pretty well because there were kids in the next car over that made such a happy face and pointed at us. I remember thinking OMG this is so sweet and that it was going to be a one time thing. As soon as I started to drive off she laid down again. She wouldn't do it at every redlight, but she would on most of them. One night I wasn't expecting it, I don't know what I could have been thinking about because she scared the crap out of me it made me jump, but not so much as to disturb her because I looked over and she just looked so peaceful and content and it just made me smile...

Did I mention Spooky was perfect? It did take a bit of time...

*No seperation anxiety

*Not a storm or fireworks phob

*Would let me sleep in!

Some other things I forgot to mention about her was she was fine to be alone meaning she didn't have seperation anxiety, we lived in an apartment for the first 6-8 months we were together and did just fine when I had to go to work, other than that I took her EVERYWHERE else. I remember after I had adopted her and had chosen an apartment I read they only allowed 50 or 60 lb dogs to live there and Spooky was a good 70 lbs! So I drove to the office to talk to management and they laughed and didn't believe me when I told them how much she weighed and they all just fell in love with her. They had no problems with Spooky:-) nor did anyone ever.

Most people don't believe me or just don't remember, but Spooky was TERRIFIED of men when I first adopted her and she was TERRIFIED of other breeds (imagine if she had met Limo back then :-o ) I took her to Petsmart daily as there was one about a 5 mins drive away from us. She would freeze, that cury tail would be so far tucked and if another dog wanted to smell her or get close? You could forget it! She embarrised me A LOT when we would go in there :-) A great dane sniffed her behind once and she screamed and collapsed because her claws came out on the slick floor. Our routine was to enter Petsmart and go directly to the treat isle, open up a bag of yummy treats and make the rounds around the store. Everytime we saw a dog I gave her a treat and kept moving. One time there was a lady with a VERY well trained collie and we got to talking from a far (Spooky wouldn't even look at her collie) and she asked if I wanted her to put her collie in a sit stay and let Spooky come to him and sniff him. I said sure and the collie was a saint, he just sat there when Spooky scrambled up a pile of dogfood bags to get away from him :-) I don't remember what happened next, I probably picked Spooky up off the dogfood bags, thanked the woman and went home. Wow, it's so WEIRD to think of these days as she did not leave the world as the same dog she came in as. I think the key to my success with helping Spooky out of her shell was I pretty much tried to ignore her dramatic behaviors when she was terrified of something. Meaning I wouldn't baby her and love on her as to praise this behavior. I have no idea when it was, but something happened and it was like a switch went off that she was suddenly fine and happy about going to Petsmart- it was a few years later, BUT it still happened. Eventually she got to start picking out her own toys! and she would carry it around in the store with her.

Spooky HATED men at first. (The pic of Spooky and the scary man was actually taken AFTER she had gotten used to men :-) I just think it's a funny pic- That guy is an animal lover and she was very comfortable around him and liked him even though the pic says otherwise :-p I brought her to work several times and one morning they wanted to dress her up in their work clothes :-) I don't really know why...lol

But she wasn't always comfortable around men.

My mom and I could be loving on her and playing with her and my dad would walk in the room and she would just cower, shut down and try and hide in a corner. I don't even remember how we worked on this though? I do know that the photo I have of my parents and Spooky is the first time she ever jumped on the couch with my dad:-) Hence the photo op. She disliked the few guys I dated during that time too. I can remember this particular guy reaching out to pet her and she growled at him and was very leery of him like she didn't trust him.

Eventually she loved everyone though, well except for the pest exterminator. Matt and I sorta slummed for a year and a half and rented a house near work, from the company we worked for. It was an OLD old house, some of the floor was uneven in places and the best part was the 7ft ceiling:-) LOL, I'm not kidding I would get dressed in the mornings and hit my knuckles on the ceilings. Boy was it worth it though. Being so close to work allowed me to come home and pick Spooky up EVERYDAY after work and take her to the farm with me. I love the fact I was able to do that in her last year. So being a very old house, it needed to be sprayed for bugs every month. I would meet the pest control guy get Spooky out of the house so 1 she wouldn't have to smell the stuff and 2 I really was worried she might bite the man! She HATED him, even when I would talk to him outside and try and convince her he was OK she was not having it. She'd growl and be very leery. She had a nice, deep, firocious growl and bark.

2 weeks

So it's been 2 weeks now since Spooky's death. I'm still drinking at night probably more than I should, but sometimes I just want to be numb and not have to think. I woke up this morning and thought Limo's head was Spooky's for a second... I uploaded alot of pictures to the CVS photo center website and got them printed out. I'm happy to report that most of the pics came out well and better than I thought they would. I now have a framed photo of Spooky and I on the mantle and it makes me feel better. I put the rest of the photos in a little album as a Valentine's Day gift for both Matt and myself.
Gosh I miss her.
I remember when we would housesit for a house in Sandy Springs they had 3 or 4 greyhound which meant toys galore. Spooky was a toy hound, LOVED toys, but would never destroy them. When we went to this house she would claim a dog bed for the weekend and then go around the house and gather up all the toys and take them to "her" bed. She would just lay there with all the soft toys, I distinctly remember a pig being one of the favorites. If I left the room she'd pick the pig to come too- she could never let me out of her sight when she had the choice.
At home we had a basket of toys and she always had to have every toy out. When ever we went somewhere new she would scope out the place and see what toys they had. One of the first times I took her to my parents' house she left the room and came back with a teddy bear that was sitting in the dining room, I think it was in a highchair or something. After that I had to buy dog toys to keep at my parents house as they were dogless for years.

Lester my wonder horse

I haven't mentioned Lester in a while because I've been so focused on my grief over Spooky. Lester has been himself lately and I really needed that. He's been sweet, charming and a joy to ride. I didn't ride for a week after Spooky passed because after 12 years I learned that if I'm really down about something Lester will take advantage of it :-/
Lester and his buddy Polo have been spending the winter in the top pasture for their turnout. The pasture is so far from the barn that it's easier and saves time if I just park at the pasture and bring Lester and Polo to the barn. Now when I pull into the farm's gate and Less sees my car he comes running and nickering. It's enough to melt my heart even though I know he's expecting a peppermint or sugar cube:-) Oh and if I drive to the barn first? He is VERY upset and gives me this look like I have abandoned him. Look at that face!
So Lester continues to amaze me in his workouts. His lunging is beautiful to watch and gives me goosebumps sometimes! I've just never seen him step out like this before. It's like his shoulder and neck have really opened up. The last 2 times I've ridden him I haven't even lunged him before. I just have him do some turns on the forehand in hand and some side ways stepping and trotting in hand and then hop on, insert sugar cube, and off we go:-)
Even when I'm on him I can feel him stepping out and if he gets fussy he just lengthens, very different from getting fussy and going short and tight! I do love this horse and feel so lucky to have a second chance with him.

Matt brought up an excellent point

He does so every once in a while ;-) and I didn't see it this way, but he said to me last night that he's OK with the loss of her collar because in return she was laid to rest in our car. He said he was sure that "normal" procedure wasn't followed since they had to take her out of the car. He is right. I'm at peace now that I don't have her collar; we exchanged it for a peaceful end for her. I don't fault the vet office anymore. Dr. Morris said he would give us a moment before they took her away that day, but I told him that no, I was ready. That would have been the time to get the collar. Dr. Morris told Matt to walk me away while they took her from the car. I am expecting a call from either Dr. Morris or the vet tech, I think her name is Ashley and I will be sure to thank them for following my wishes that day.

Don't make my mistake

Ask for your pet's collars and tags up front when they pass. I didn't know this was something I had to tell my vet and apprently her collar was cremated with her. Makes me feel a little better knowing it wasn't lost, but it is still something I really wanted to have. I called my vet office and the crematory place. My vet office said the pet's are sent in a bag after being identified with a tag- the tag is on the bag. When I called the crematory place I got a little more info then I wanted:-/ He said they don't even look in or open the bag. The pet, bag, and whatever is in the bag is cremated. The remains are then put through a sifter to take out the bone fragments so there is no chance of me even having her tag:-(

Don't make my mistake, ask for the collars and tags up front even though I think it should be a "given"........also talk to your vets about when that sad time does come would they be willing to put them to sleep at home or in your vehicle.

Spooky's Life

I have finally completed the remix slideshow I've done in honor of Spooky. None of the pics or video will do her justice, she was the most enjoyable girl to be around and she loved everyone. When we would go to visit my parents she would stand at the front door and just wag her tail like crazy and she was welcomed everywhere.

She's home again

Matt went and picked up her ashes today. Like I said, I didn't want to do it. I'm not sure I can even hold them. I had asked Matt to ask about her collar and they have apparently lost it:-( I knew I should have taken it the day she died. But I didn't want to take it off before she was gone and when she went stiff I didn't want to be there anymore:-( Damn it. I still have her pretty collar that was hers, but don't have her tag.

Spooky Art

I'm not ready to draw anything yet that shows her eyes:-( but I wanted to draw something of her. It's meant to be a bit blurry, but the jpg it is saved in messed with the pixels a bit.
I got a call today from Dogwood Animal Hospital, I knew it was them so I didn't answer. I knew they were calling to tell me that Spooky's ashes were ready to be picked up. Matt will go tomorrow to get them, I don't want to go. The staff there is very nice in fact the one person I always felt had a "cold shoulder" came out to the car after Spooky was taken away and she hugged me and told me how sorry she was. I don't know how I'm going to feel when I hold "her" again :-(
Matt wants to sprinkle some of her ashes where they used to fish together. She was terrible help! She would jump in the water after the lure and chase all the fish away. I too have pictures of that scene:-)

Found some videos

I have found a few videos of Spooky. I love the one of her thumping on the floor, that always would crack me up. She used to have a big time in that huge living room. I rented a house from the company I work for and it was literally 2 minutes from where I work. This gave me the oppurtunity to always go home for lunch and to take her to the farm everyday that I went.

One day at a time...

I've been going through literally hundreds of online photos of Spooky. I am so thankful I have them. Even the "bad" photos where leg positioning isn't perfect or the color is wrong or whatever will be treasured. I can not tell all of you enough to TAKE more pictures, there is no excuse in this digital age. I am sad though that Matt and I don't have 1 photo of just the 3 of us together.

I'm doing better than I thought I would. I can remember when she was alive that I would sometimes wondered about what life would be like when she was gone. I think women tend to do this more than men because Matt would always get upset with me and tell me to not think that way and enjoy her while she was here. But I never could imagine my life without her and here I am today and she is gone. I do feel her though, she is still with me and always will be. She was a "quiet" dog yet you always knew she was there.

Is it weird for me to feel relieved that her death is over? I mean it's something I have thought about and intisipated before. Thinking of the day I would have to bring her to the vet that final time and lay on that cold floor with her and say good bye. I always worried about having to make that decision of when to let her go. I had no idea it would all play out the way it did, but I do take huge comfort that for one it is over, I don't have to wonder anymore and that she was laid to rest with Matt and I in a very familiar place.

I can open my heart a little more for Limo now. I've always had a hard time sharing my love between 2 of the same type of beings... I felt OK giving Limo the "left over" love I had because she was a rescue and had a wonderful life ahead of her. I never would have gone and looked for a second dog. I had always wanted a bit of an unusual, homely dog and well Limo definently fits that bill! She is the EXACT opposite of Spooky and I love that and needed that.

Everyone is surprised, Matt included when I say I don't want another greyhound. Not now at least. Spooky was perfect and that is the best way to describe her. She had no major titles or accomplishments and it doesnt' matter. I think in the last year Spooky realized our time was getting shorter. She began to sleep in my bed again or at least spend some cuddle time with me and she hadn't done that in years.

I've been to the farm to see Lester everyday. In fact Matt and Limo have come out everyday too. We all need each other. I haven't ridden in over a week and I don't know when I will ride again. He's been really dirty lately anyways.

I've been drinking alot of wine lately to take the edge off, perhaps too much, but nights are the hardest times.

John Parker's Tribute to Spooky

SEEGOLD SPOOKY 1996 - 2008
It is with sadness that I report the passing of Denise Lawson's Seegold Spooky today. I have put her photo on the home page. Many of you may know Denise - she is the sister of Jen Bachelor,is a longtime SEGC member, and has provided the artwork for some SEGC and SEGAevent logos in past years. Denise keeps her horse Lester here at SummerWind and so Spooky has been a fixture here for many years. I brought her back as anadoptable Greyhound after one of our first Birmingham Race Course field trips. We were then taking a number of Greyhounds from trainer Jim Watson, who ran the Blair Kennel there. Jim had in his charge anumber of "Seegold" Greyhounds, owned by Jack Seeley and Phyllis Mangold (the Seegold was a combination of their last names), who wanted all of their racers placed as pets at the end of their racing careers.When I first met Spooky on the field trip, Jim told me she had sustained an injury in a race, which he was pretty sure was a fractured leg. Spooky was in a cast up to her hip on her right rear leg. Jim asked if we could take her since we had previously taken other Seegold Greyhounds. I hadn't planned to bring a dog back from the field trip, but like others on field trips over the years, I liked the look of Spooky and felt we could place her quickly if her leg injury wasn't too serious. When we got back to Newnan, I arranged to have her seen by Dr.Toby for a full work-up and possible cast change. Lo and behold, x-rays showed no fracture, so the working diagnosis was a soft-tissue injury, possibly to a ligament. Toby felt that the cast had done its job and now it was time for her to do some streching and get mobility back in the leg. Off came the cast, and Spooky came back to the farm with me.In the meantime, Denise had seen Spooky when she had come to the farm to ride Lester, and she also liked the look of her. Before long,the decision had been made by Denise that Spooky was a "keeper."Spooky took to Denise immediately, and was always her shadow whenever Denise came to the farm -- she was the perfect "farm dog" because shewould always stay nearby,whatever Denise was doing. She loved tofollow behind Denise and Lester whenever they took a ride around thefarm. She never looked back from her leg injury, and never had any residual deficit from it -- she could run fast in the tightest circles you could imagine. Since Spooky was black, she tended to get hot in the summers, but always had the solution at hand -- she would simply lay down in one of the ponds, with just her head and neck visible. When she came out -- what a muddy mess ! Into the horse wash stall she would go for acomplete hose-down.In the last couple of weeks or so, Spooky developed pain in her back and hindquarters, and it was thought she had sustained an injury when she slipped on an icy sidewalk in the recent snow. In a shorttime, she became more painful and was having difficulty walking. Today, she began hemorrhaging, and what had been thought to be an injury was now more likely to be cancer that had spread to her internal organs. Denise had no choice but to let her go, and she was put to sleep. Spooky was a fine hound, always fun to have around, and never any trouble. Denise gave her a good and full life, and she will be missed by all of us. John

Slowly sinking in

I'm doing OK. Truth is I lost her about a week ago, had she been running and "herself" just yesterday this would be so much harder on all of us. As horrifc as the scene was Matt and I and more than anyone Spooky are all so lucky it happened in the time frame it did. Had I taken her straight to the vet when she cried in the car I would have most likely gotten there, picked her up and taken her in the building. I think picking her up at any point after her first cries would have been very painful. Instead of being put to sleep on a cold floor or table in a place she hated, she died in a familiar place on a soft surface and wasn't put in any futher pain. She had alot of miles in that CR-V. Limo will never ever replace Spooky, no one ever will or ever come close, I know this. But 2 years ago when I accepted her in our home I knew Spooky wouldn't be around forever even though she promised me or so I made her promise.... But I knew this day would come and it would be hard as hell and I knew I would want a dog to have, but I didn't want to look for a second dog nor did I want to look for a dog after she had passed. I guess you could say Limo came at the right time. Spooky had a great time playing with her, would chase her down and and grab her by the neck with her 3 teeth. I think what I will miss most of all is Spooky would always put her head on my shoulder when we were stopped at red lights... I feel lucky to have pics of this moment.

I love you Spooky more than you will ever know

I'm in such shock, but at the same time relieved and just terribly sad :cry: She was MY first dog, I had others, but they were never mine, they always had someone else they felt higher lover for, not Spooky. She was my shadow and she was perfect, so perfect that we constantly broke the golden rule of owning a greyhound, never let them off lead outside a fenced area- she was never going to leave my side. Even at the farm where she had 62 acers to roam where ever she pleased, she was always RIGHT there with me, if I ducked into a stall or tackroom she would go looking for me and would have such a look of relief on her face that she had found me. She was mine and I was hers.


Her final moments--------------------------------------The back of my CR-V looks like a horror movie :cry: but it could not have been better timing. Matt and I came home to get her around 11, got her in the back of my car and I headed back to work (we had a 1:40pm bet appointment for the laser treatment) on route she cried out in pain and it was for about a minute, I talked to her and told her it was ok and to lay down. She settled some and cried out again, at that point I almost just drove straight to the vet's, but we still were an hour early and I had to relieve my co worker for lunch. Spooky had once again settled and was laying down. I got to work and popped the back hatch and she stuck her head out and put her head on my arm and I petted her and told her I was sorry we had a terrible morning. I had her lay down again, got her water and a kong with frozen yogurt. I went back to work, but knew I was losing her- not that I thought she was dieing right then and there- but that she was giving up. I went back to my desk and cried, Matt came over, bringing me pizza and saw I was crying and asked what was wrong, I told him about her crying out and he asked if I wanted him to check on her, I said yes. He came back quickly and said "you need to take her to the vet now" I followed him out and he opened the back door of the CR-v and all I saw was blood and my Spooky laying their doing her best to breathe. I knew then she was dieing. Her tounge, mouth and neck were all swelling up and blood was pouring out of her mouth. I jumped in the back seat so I could look down at her and not in her eyes :cry: I petted her the whole time and told her how sorry I was and how much I loved her over and over and over again. Matt has called ahead so the vet office knew we were on our way. We were 5 mins away. Problem was the vet was at lunch, we were told he'd been paged and was 5 mins away, but it was more like 15. A vet tech came out to take her and I told her no, she will be put to sleep here, there is no point in picking her up and taking her in there. I stuck my fingers in both her ears and rubbed them, she stopped panting enough to enjoy her last eargasm as I used to call them because she would moan in such delight. The vet came finally and put her out of her poor misery.Matt drove me home and had to go back to work. I've made all the phone calls and now I just sit and think about the day and how horrible this experience was, it could have been worse- I don't know what I would have done if I had come home alone to find her in this condition.Matt seems to always be there when I need him most.

I miss her already

Spooky died today around 1:20 pm from internal bleeding. :-( RIP sweet, perfect companion.