jesse is my co-pilot

the nose knows.

2010-07-31T10:02:00.000-05:00

jesse b&w

2010-03-29T20:46:00.000-05:00

nose in b&w

2010-02-27T06:12:00.000-06:00

jesse blur

2010-02-18T09:08:00.000-06:00

b&w portrait

2010-01-18T15:01:00.002-06:00

portrait of a dog & his boy

2009-12-13T15:29:00.003-06:00

Hound Noir

2009-11-24T21:26:00.001-06:00

greyhound gone wild!!

2009-11-03T13:34:00.003-06:00

Jesse burns off some pent up energy.

No Particular Place To Go

2009-08-02T11:03:00.001-05:00

the Navigator double checks the bearings

2009-06-23T08:12:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Hound!

2009-05-24T12:07:00.001-05:00

today we're celebrating Jesse's 4th Birthday.
he's come a long way down a hard road & deserves
nothing better than a day full of walks, play & I'm
sure more than his share of naps. let's have a great
one, buddy!

jesse in b&w

2009-05-23T17:29:00.002-05:00

toughing it out

2009-02-12T19:49:00.004-06:00

a couple of days ago, Jesse came in from our afternoon walk w/a bloody paw. the neighborhood has really been a mess since the recent thaw, & when I say a mess I mean that I've never seen so much trash on the streets & sidewalks as I have over the past week. it really is disgraceful & makes me so angry. try as I might to watch where we walk, I obviously missed something
& Jesse got a bad puncture wound on his right front paw. I had been diligently washing & applying Neosporin over the course of 3 or 4 days, but he was still limping badly. so, today we went into the vet & luckily the wound was clear. he did come home w/that big, bright bandage on his foot. it was all I could do not to laugh at him openly. poor guy. he's resting quietly & hopefully healing well.

happy hound

2009-02-07T00:04:00.003-06:00

this is the face of a hound who has just spent 4.5 days w/half a dozen of his greytest friends, while I was off traipsing through the frigid midwest winter to keep him in the lifestyle that he has become accustomed to. he collapsed from exhaustion as soon as he got home & is still sleeping off his bender.

new Neko Case & a cause

2009-01-14T17:07:00.001-06:00

People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case

Today, we are especially happy to bring you “People Got A Lotta Nerve,” the first single from Neko Case’s forthcoming album Middle Cyclone (out March 3), because for every blog that reposts the song Neko Case and ANTI- will make a cash donation to Best Friends Animal Society. Five dollars will be donated for every blog post. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009, Best Friends Animal Society is one of America’s foremost animal rescue organizations. Founded in 1984, Best Friends advances nationwide animal welfare initiatives by working with shelter and rescue groups around the country. On any given day Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the nation’s largest facility for abused, abandoned and special needs companion animals located in southwestern Utah, is home to approximately 2,000 dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, and other animals. The society also publishes Best Friends magazine, the nation’s largest general interest, pet-related magazine with approximately 300,000 subscribers. For more information, visit www.bestfriends.org.

2 or 3 things I know for sure*

2009-01-03T23:45:00.006-06:00

3. the bond between man & dog is one of the
oldest & strongest in history.
2. the law of inertia applies 10 fold to Jesse.
1. this hound has the most soulful eyes of any that I've met.

(*apologies to Dorothy Allison)

the Jesse Mind Trick

2009-01-01T16:32:00.005-06:00

this is not the hound you seek.
this is not the hound I seek
you will take me for walkies...
I will take you for walkies.
& then give me yogurt & scritches behind the ear.

a significantly less than jolly ol' elf

2008-12-19T13:36:00.003-06:00

sends Merry Christmas wishes to all none-the-less.

the race is heating up

2008-12-16T22:10:00.009-06:00

seems there are more folks out there making the case on behalf of retired racing Greyhounds as the perfect 1st Dog. Kira Craft put forth a very convincing argument over at the Huffington Post the other day. I couldn't agree w/her more, but then again...I may be a little biased.

blue hound

2008-12-14T19:35:00.001-06:00

doggy diptych

2008-12-10T14:14:00.001-06:00

portrait of a nose

2008-11-30T21:09:00.001-06:00

life of Riley

2008-11-19T20:00:00.003-06:00

we've found ourselves spending alot of time in the wilds of central Illinois of late. jesse's really loving the long walks around the lake, discovering all the new flora & fauna. he's been mistaken for kin by a number of deer. 1 which actually followed us at a safe distance for a number of yards before it realized that the creature at the end of the leash was a dog & not bambi. jesse takes this all in stride, though. curious but not overly excited by the unfamiliar sights, sounds & smells. I have to admit, that the walks are doing me a world of good as well. there's really nothing quite so therapeutic as a long walk w/your dog through peaceful scenery.

it's not all the Adventures of Grizzly Jesse, though. as you can see, he's taken quite nicely to the comfort of grandpa's leather sofa. it was a bit of a shock to us all the first time he lumbered up onto the couch. once he settled in, though, there was no going back to his spot on the floor. we all just simply had to adjust our seating arrangements to accommodate him. that's okay, though, as he's more than made up for this by amusing us all w/his crazy greyhound antics. he's really been a much needed distraction & comfort to us all during this very difficult time.

the choice is right under their nose

2008-11-18T20:26:00.001-06:00

Yes We Can
put a greyhound in the White House!

lazy Saturday

2008-11-01T15:49:00.000-05:00

portrait w/dish

2008-10-14T16:16:00.002-05:00

oh, it is so ON!

2008-10-12T15:31:00.001-05:00

the cat's, once simply curious about this creature that seemed to spend more time sleeping than even they could possibly imagine, are now down right indignant over this fact. they are currently in a heated battle, determined to wrestle the Crown of Laziness back from Jesse. I fear they are in for only disappointment & crushing defeat.

king of the road

2008-10-06T18:58:00.000-05:00

careful...he's right behind you.

2008-10-03T17:34:00.006-05:00

my biggest concern when deciding to bring Jesse home was how the cats would react to him. Sully & Ramona were both barn
kittens & at times still exhibit their strong feral instincts. instincts that have mainly been the uncontrollable urge to flee in situations they perceive as dangerous. I've been amazed at how quickly they both have adapted to Jesse's presence, though. their curiosity seems to be stronger than their fear. the cats are still wary when Jesse rises to his full height, but even then they are quick to return once they realize that he is no real threat.

prince of ennui

2008-10-01T17:34:00.000-05:00

room w/a view

2008-09-22T20:35:00.001-05:00

X-ray Specs

2008-09-19T07:29:00.004-05:00

like so many greyhounds, Jesse's racing career ended w/a bad crash & a broken leg.
the specifics of the incident & his recovery have been something of a mystery to me. I know that he has had a very long recovery, spending nearly a year in foster care. yesterday I received another piece to the puzzle, though. (thanks Sharon) I was simply shocked to see the size of the plate that remains in his leg. I didn't suspect something this substantial. I have to say, he's come a long way & with barely a limp. he favors the leg only slightly, & usually right after he gets up from a long nap. he's able to walk off the stiffness in no time, though. what a trooper.

over the river...

2008-09-16T08:55:00.006-05:00

we chose a very soggy weekend for our first foray into distance travel. Jesse did very well in his new car hammock on the way downstate this past weekend. sleeping most of the way, of course, despite having to navigate through some fairly heavy rain. the residual effects of hurricane Ike did hamper our outdoor activities somewhat, once we got to our destination. Jesse, however, found plenty to occupy his time indoors. meeting the family & making new friends, especially G-ma & G-pa. loads of new toys were presented & much romping ensued. He's quite the mama's boy, as we all watched him 1st attache himself to G-ma & then to both of my sisters as they each arrived.

the last day cleared up nicely & we were able to take some good walks around the lake & surrounding neighborhood. Jesse was mesmerized by all the new sights & smells. plants, ducks, geese, blue herons...it was nearly sensory overload for his manically twitching nose. I can see that exploring the Chicago lakefront will take top priority in the near future. all-in-all, a wonderful trip & one that I can see we will be making again very soon.

are we there yet?

2008-09-15T15:05:00.002-05:00

X-Treme Power Napping

2008-09-04T13:14:00.014-05:00

with each passing day I learn 1st hand something new about this creature. In my research over the past months I had read about greyhounds sleeping 12+ hours a day, but to actually observe this phenomena in action (err....inaction!?) is something to behold. we've fallen into a routine of dinner at 5pm then a walk, then Jesse curls up on his comfy bed for a nap. I was amazed at 1st to realize that this 'nap' was stretching into 3, then 4, then 7 hrs of good, quality sleep. at midnight I have to physically wake him up, (I've found jiggling his leash produces the best results) wherein he bolts from his slumber to the back door in mere seconds. then it's out for a walk & his business, & then back to bed for another 7 or 8 hours of sleep through the night.
My God, such effortless discipline, such stamina... this hound is my buddha.

best. question. EVER!

2008-09-02T19:23:00.005-05:00

posed by a boy tonight on our walk through the hood:

"hey mister...is that a horsedog?"

horsedog!? kids, Gawd love 'em.

portrait w/kong

2008-09-02T18:08:00.001-05:00

test drive

2008-08-31T22:54:00.004-05:00

took Jesse for a quick spin today to test out those navigation skills.
he blocked the rear view mirror & drooled in my ear, before settling in
to his responsibilities. all-in-all, a fine showing for a novice.

jesse's 1st day

2008-08-30T20:02:00.004-05:00

well, after weeks of anticipation, Jesse finally came to his new home today. it's a brave new world for him, but he seems to be settling in fine. meeting the neighbor dogs & being completely mesmerized by the squirrels stealing pears from the tree next door. he was a complete champ when it came to conquering the stairs, too. as you can tell from this picture, he's a pretty chill fellow. which explains why the cats are still trying to figure out if the new addition to the home is animal or furniture.