Oskar & Gaia's mom here again - checking to say "Hi!"

[Ursa Lunar]

Hello again - here with another update
Some of y'all may remember me, to others I'm an unknown relic!

Oskar - my reason for joining in 2003) is 11 as of November 15th and Gaia will be 10 February 14th (we don't know her exact age but she was aprox. 7 mo.s when she can home to us 9/14/05)
We still have the two Greyhounds as well and the dogs still get along beautifully.
We believe Odin the Grey will be our next "alpha", but with his personality and Oskar's example he will be another "benevolent dictator."

I would like to say that Oskar is completely going strong but after a bad bought of Lyme he was knocked for a loop. He's on twice daily Glucosamine and Tramadol (works better on him than Rimadyl), and back on Doxy when the Lyme flares up - you never quite get rid of that. The guilt about his Lyme hit us hard - we should have found the tick sooner, but the vet said with all his thick fur very few would have ever seen it.
We think he's losing his hearing too; he runs barking to the front door at a glass being put down 3 rooms away and no longer recognizes the sounds of our vehicles as opposed to others when pulling in the drive - at least he'll cue of the other dogs and then realize it's Mom, Dad or the Biggest Boy pulling in and start whining in excitement with them. Thankfully a stern "Oskar, enough," still works on stopping his barking.
He is still a VERY happy dog and has learned from the Greys to seek attention more - which we are always happy to give. Our younger two boys are 8 & 9 but Oskie has kept his job of watching over them.

Gaia is still the sweetest girl, still loves her face to be held when she is cooed to, and still has the biggest most beautiful smile of any dog I've ever seen! She has stayed lean thru her years - thankfully! And is as active as ever. Being that we are down to one cat Gaia has become the "Little Mommy" and treats him as her beloved pup; they cuddle, she grooms him (Caleb walks around with huge wet licks and goes back purring for more), and they play gently. She's still a Little Mommy to her youngest boys too - often found cuddling with them both and sleeping on the bottom bunk with our youngest - he loves that. She's such a baby girl and loves wearing her pretty neckerchiefs, she still thinks Daddy walks on water but loves her Mommy just as much now.

The Greys ... are decorative. They sleep as much as the cat, drape themselves bonelessly over comfy furniture in ridiculous poses. And they're both "bomb-proof", nothing phases them. And they seem to be the only breed I've met who "pet" you back. They lean and rub and endear themselves easily to all who meet them. Our family still volunteers with the adoption kennel and I'm now on the board of directors even though I rarely make that hour each way drive - instead I keep up their web presence, do meet-n-greets and fundraising in this area. Buddy and Odin are wonderful ambassadors; Bud-a-boo reels them in with his pretty red brindle coat and Odor-head charms them with his gentle antics. One of our group's founders (RIP) would bring Odin with him on meet-n-greets often, called him the money-maker as people would worry over his scars and drop $5 in the donation jar instead of the usual $1

Well, that's news of our furry family members' world - hope all is well here

[MaggieRoseLee]

Welcome back, hopefully you will be able to stick around for awhile this time.

:-)