Exemplary behavior

I took all three greyhounds to Petco to have their nails trimmed today. I've gotten out of the habit lately, and I give thanks to the Petco groomers for not scolding me for the girls' long nails.

I also apologized for Maple's bad breath. I am a horrible mom.

To continue with my last post's ideas on "The best thing about [so and so]..." here I'll state that the best thing about greyhounds is their mellow behavior. Some might say "stoic." You take three greyhounds to see the groomer, and you get three instances of "dog stands there sculpture-still while groomer cuts all nails." It's amazing. Trips to the vet are the same: "dog stands unmoving while vet sticks thermometer up its butt."

It makes me even look like a good mom, somehow.

Greyhounds for Obama

It has come to my attention that I am not the only one who has suggested that the Obamas adopt a retired racing greyhound. There is already a campaign in existence!

You can download a free 18" x 24" poster to help the cause:


Who knew ... greyhounds have supported Obama all along:


The above "Born to Run" poster, plus many others, are available for download at designforobama.com.

(You'll also find a mediocre flame war at that link ... some people are delightful idiots in what gets them fired up.)

So, are greyhounds hypoallergenic, as the Obamas require? Kind of. They are a single-coat dog, and produce far less dander than most dog breeds. Some allergic individuals may still react to greyhounds, but many do not. They are worth checking out for any allergic dog lovers.

Pets rule my white house

Right up there with the Sarah Palin news trifecta (1: She spent >$150k on clothing; 2: She doesn't know Africa is a continent; 3: It's a tossup between the NAFTA thing and the Russia thing, but it doesn't matter, any three blame-game items will do), the media can't stop talking about President-elect Barack Obama's first Presidential promise to his daughters to adopt a dog to live with the family in the White House.

It's great news that the Obamas will continue the long-standing tradition of keeping pets in the White House. So whether they end up with a goofy, happy-go-lucky kind of dog, or a more disciplined, working personality, just because this pet will live where it does with whom it does, I'm sure it will exhibit many picture-perfect pet-dog qualities such as loyalty and obedience, and respect for its owner, because that is the kind of dog the President of the United States deserves.

While the rest of us, we get this:

This is the kind of crap I come home to at night. My pets don't even leave me a place to sleep. Animals on the bed, animals on both my pillows. If I had a wide-angle lens, you would also be able to see animals sleeping on my stacks of clean laundry.

Not Presidential in the least.

But while I'm here, I can't pass up the opportunity to suggest that the Obamas audition a retired racing greyhound during their search. Contrary to the behavior of my particular stubborn hound, they can be taught a quantum of respect.

Moody Maple

My girl Maple, pensive as usual:

We had just finished watching the Travers Stakes. She was probably feeling nostalgic for her racing days.

A Dazzle in the sun

Dazzle is an expert sun-seeker, second only to a feline.

I'm sure she comes from a long lineage of expert sun-seekers.

Oh, how I love this dog.