Sad Roos

I’m taking a break from retirement today because I am sad. My Dad told me of the passing of one of my biggest fans.

Marcy Butler Challen was a real nice person and loved us greyhounds very much. Lots of people loved her too and are very sad now—just like me.

She always told me how much liked my stories and what I had to say. I liked her too and I hope she gets to play with lots of greyhounds in Heaven.

Me and my Mom and my Dad are going to miss her.

Sad roos today.

Into the sunset!

Yesterday Dad called me down into his office and said he had to talk to me. I wondered what it was about and ran quickly to find out. I like when me and Dad have talks. I don’t get in trouble much and usually when we get done talking, I get a treat cause I am a good boy.

Dad said I should sit cause this was important news. I could tell Dad was stressed right away, cause I don’t sit and he knows that. I walked over to Dad, gave him a wink, and said, “Talk to me, Dad.”

Dad told me the news; he said that he is not going to be president of ESGAO anymore. I couldn’t believe my ears cause I know Dad loves helping us Greyhounds find homes. Dad said that he had to stop being president for “personal reasons.” I am Sky and he should tell me what personal reasons mean, but what he said is that if he is not president, he will have more time to play ball with me and go for long walks!

That’s all I had to hear—if Dad wants to play more with me, then I want to play more with him. Right then and there, I decided I have personal reasons too, and it’s time for me to retire from writing my blog so I have time to play with Dad. Dad said he also wants to spend time with Petey, cause he is sick and Mom and Dad want to take good care of him.

Being a big star is a lot of pressure for a greyhound. And being a writer means spending a lot of time researching things on The Google. I’d rather research which treat is the best and see how fast I can chase the ball!

So this will be my final blog and I want to thank everyone for loving me and reading what I have to say. In a year and a half, I wrote more than 50 blogs. That’s a lot and I need a break, for personal reasons. I am so happy in my new home and my counter says that over 7,000 times folks visited fiveroos.com to read what it is like for me to be a retired racer.

I’ll leave my blog up for awhile . . . and you never know. Maybe one day me and Dad will not have personal reasons anymore and I’ll start writing again. But for now, I am a retired, retired racing greyhound. It’s time for me to put down my pen, grab my ball and roo off into the sunset with my family and Petey— and maybe Bailey too.

Thank you again for being my fans—I will miss you. Come visit me anytime! Five roos to everyone!

Spend a Day with a Grey . . . Come home with a Stray!

Spend a Day was so much fun, I was so happy to see so many of my old friends! I wish every day was Spend A Day . . . With A Grey. I was so tired after the event that I slept for two days.

While we was there at Spend A Day, we could hear this little dog whining and crying behind a wall. He sounded so sad. When we were getting ready to leave, mom found out that he was a stray dog and that nobody loved him. He had been behind the wall for four months cause the nice person who picked him up couldn’t find out where he lived.

Mom and Dad talked about that dog the whole way home, they were very sad for him. I didn’t know this dog, but I was sad for him too. Only thing I knew was that we wasn’t a greyhound because he didn’t come out from behind the wall and play with us.

All week we were all thinking about that poor dog and finally Mom asks Dad if she can go get him. Dad said yes. So on Friday Mom goes and gets this dog and now I know what he looks like. He is small and cute and acts like a puppy, not like a grown up like me. He looks like a mini Petey, except he is black and Petey is white.

Mom and Dad are taking care of him until they find out who wants to love him. They named him Bailey, I don’t know why. I think Mom and Dad already love him—they go outside and play with him. I met him too, but I don’t know if I love him yet. He keeps wanting to jump on me and I don’t like that.

Mom and Dad messed up Spend A Day; it’s not come home with a Stray. It’s eat a hot dog and save a fast dog.

Dogs without no homes get no roos, but people who save dogs get 5 roos . . . I don't know, I'm so confused. I hope Bailey gets a home soon.

Spend A Day is almost here!

If you’re like me, you’re counting down the days to Spend A Day . . . With A Grey. It’s the best day of the year for us greyhounds from ESGAO. Mom and Dad and many other nice folks are working hard to make it a special day. I heard some of the stuff they were saying cause I got to go to the planning meeting. That was a fun day too . . . I was playing with Rollie and Macho and gosh so many friends. For a while Rollie was chasing a tractor and I was chasing Rollie and Macho was chasing me. We were being so silly!

I heard April is also National Adopt a Greyhound month. I looked it up on The Google and it’s true! I was adopted in April two years ago, one day before my mom’s birthday! That will always be a special day for me. Please adopt three greyhounds, or as many as you can, every April!

I am going to have my own Five Roos table again, so you can come see me and say hello. My cute friend Kelsey is coming to help me with my table. She is a very nice girl. If I am napping, just say my name, “Sky,” and I’ll hop right up to meet you. I will have my t-shirts for sale for my loyal fans. It has my picture on it and they won’t cost very many dollars. I also have some super cute can covers for sale.

We’re also going to play games, eat treats and roo real loud. If you have a lucky ticket, you can win $500 worth of gas. If you don’t want gas, you can give that to me cause Dad says gas for the SUV costs a lot of dollars. There is also a silent auction, but it is not really silent, you’re allowed to talk and roo. I double checked it.

Please come see me! I’ll give each person who comes and says hello to me five roos!

Private Sky

Mom and Dad have been calling me Private Sky lately. You see, I like to investigate things. When mom comes home, I have to go through her bags and things to find out where she has been. I want to know. And also I am looking for food, duh—right? Sometimes Mom and Dad bring home leftovers and it’s very important that I know what they brought me right away.

But I investigate everything, I have a good nose! The other day, Dad had an envelope and I stuck my nose right in there. The people who sent Dad mail had a dog and I could smell it. I think I know who that dog was—it was a greyhound for sure!

Dad says I don’t go for walks anymore, that I go for a sniff! I do more sniffing than walking. Dad said it’s my walk and I can do what I want, but sometimes he rushes me along. “C’mon Sky,” Dad says when him and Petey are ready to go. I say, “Please, just four more sniffs, and Dad sighs and says hurry it up!” I like sniffing up the neighborhood—I need to know what dogs have been getting walks—and I have to let them know that Sky was here!

I think I am good investigator. If you need something investigated let me know and I’ll get you answers. Between my nose and The Google, I pretty much know everything!

Knowing everything is fun, I give it 3.5 roos!

What does the Sky say?

Ever hear that song “What Does the Fox Say?” Dad said it is silly and that I should look it up on The You Tube. I found the video and watched it—and Dad was right, it was so silly and I loved it! I was laughing and wagging my tail really fast. It is a funny song—it is about animals and the things they say. But nobody knows what the fox says and they make up voices that sound nothing like a fox. And they also put on goofy clothes that don’t make them look like a fox either. A bunch of them start dancing all funny.

Dad knows I like that song now and when we’re singing and dancing, we will do a greyhound version. Dad will stop and look at me at say, “What does the Sky say?” Right then I get ready, cause I know my part is coming up. Dad says “roo-roo-roo” to start it off and then I go “roo-roo-roo” real loud!

Then we’ll sing it again—sometimes like five times. We’ll just keep doing it. Petey just looks at us and laughs too. Petey don’t sing (don’t ask, it’s not a pretty conversation) but he likes dancing and watching us.

Over the holiday, we sang that song as a phone message for my Mom. She didn’t know what the heck was going on. The phone said, “You have one new message.” When mom played it, she heard, “What does the Sky say, roo-roo-roo, roo-roo-roo” real loud.

I like silly songs and I like singing when I know the words. The fox song gets 3 roos.

You're it!

Hey, I learned this fun new game called “Tag”! Have you ever heard of it? Dad says it has been around for a long time; he played when he was a young boy.

So what happens is that I am just standing around, probably doing nothing, when Dad sneaks up on me and taps my backside and says, “Tag, you’re it.” After Dad says that, he goes running around the room. I want to say wait, “I’m not ‘it’, I am Sky”! But no time for debate, because the way the game goes, I have to run after Dad and “tag” him.

Dad’s already got a head start because he was playing before I even knew what was going on. He started running and his advantage is that he knows the lay of the land. But I have speed on my side and I use it to my advantage. Greyhounds are faster than Dads.

Mom likes when we play and she is always rooting for me. She says, “get him Sky, get him!" Sometimes Petey runs interference for me, trying to slow Dad down. Petey knows the faster I catch Dad, the sooner we get a treat.

We play in a circle and it’s important that I catch Dad fast because if he gets half way around the circle then he starts messing with me. He starts running one way and then when I start chasing that way, he runs the other way. Dad laughs because he thinks it’s funny that a fast greyhound can’t catch him. Dad thinks he is smart.

But I do catch him, I always catch him—even if I go the wrong way. I am too fast for Dad. And when I catch him, I let him have it. I jump on him real hard and then I start spinning in a circle. I might even roo sometimes.

It’s a fun game and I hope we play lots more time. I give it 3.5 roos!

Happy Roo Year!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Roo Year! Can I get a roo-roo?

I hope everyone made good resolutions. Resolutions are important to make goals for us to do things better than we did last year. The Goggle said that most people do not keep their resolutions, but it is okay to make them anyways.

Last year I made 5 resolutions and I did pretty good with them. But they were challenging and I worked hard on them. Since I am a greyhound in retirement, this year I made some resolutions that I plan to keep—nothing too ambitious!

First, I resolve to eat more. That is a good one and I am certain I can do it if people give me more food. I also resolve to go for more rides. It is important that I go for more rides and I will ask Mom and Dad all the time if I can go. They didn’t buy me an SUV for no reason! Finally, I resolve to go for more walks. It is important that I get exercise, so I need more walks and I resolve to make that happen. Mom and Dad can’t resist my handsome face when I ask for a walk!

So that’s it, pretty easy huh? My roo year resolutions! I hope 2014 is "Five Roos" year for you!

Roo years get 4 roos!

King Sky!

Greyhounds get cold and need to dress warm so that they don’t catch the flu. I like running around in the snow. It’s fun, and Dad says I make a blizzard because I kick up lots of snow when I run fast.

I have a nice purple coat that my Mom bought me. How do you like my purple coat? My Dad says it makes me look like a king! I am not a king, I am Sky!

But what if I were the king? What kind of laws would I make? I think I would make a law that people have to be nice to each other! That’s a good law. And, that all dogs should have a family that loves them. Another law is that every dog should get 24 walks per day—that’s one walk per hour! Let’s see, what else? Oh, yeah, people have to use their turn signals—wait, that might already be a law. My Dad gets mad when people don’t say where they’re going—he says it’s common “courtesy.”

Courtesy, uh oh? Have to go visit The Google on that one. Be right back. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

I’m back, The Google says courtesy is a “gentle politeness to each other.” Good, I like it, though it sounds a bit like my first law. Another law would be that Moms and Dads can stay home from work whenever they want and still get money. They would be allowed to stay home and play with us dogs! Dad said that is a very good law.

What law would you make if you were king? Wait, I got one more . . . dogs named Sky are allowed to have pizza for breakfast if they want it. I think that is a very important law.

Pretending to be the king is fun, I give it 3.5 roos.

Can we get an SUV?

As all my friends know, I really want Mom and Dad to buy an SUV. I’m a big boy and it’s a tough fit in Dad’s car. I started selling t-shirts to raise money to buy my own SUV, but I’ve only made $36.00 so far. Dad says that’s not enough to buy an SUV.

Every day I ask Dad if he is going to buy me an SUV. I usually wake Dad up and our morning goes something like this:

Dad: Good morning Sky, are you hungry?
Me: Good morning Dad. I am hungry! Can we have pizza for breakfast?
Dad: No Sky, no pizza for breakfast.
Me: Can I go for a walk today?
Dad: Maybe Sky, we’ll see how the day goes.
Me: Can I go for a ride today?
Dad: Maybe Sky, we’ll see how the day goes.
Me: Can we buy an SUV today.
Dad: No Sky!

Dad says “no” every day, but I keep asking so he doesn’t forget that I want one.

Well, on Saturday I ask Dad if we can buy an SUV, and he said, “Maybe”!

Maybe? That’s almost a yes and I was so excited that I nearly fell down the stairs! I couldn’t believe my ears. I was so excited. Mom and Dad were talking about it all morning, so I knew it was a good chance! After they left, I waited by the window all day Saturday afternoon to see if Dad brought home an SUV.

Finally, after waiting for what felt like forever, in pulls Dad . . . in an SUV! Yes, finally! I am so excited.

I rushed to meet Dad at the door and asked Dad if I could go for a ride, but he said I have to wait a few days till they spray it or something. I can’t wait!!

An SUV for me to ride in is very cool. I give it 5.0 roos.

Spend A Day . . . With Sky

A couple of weeks ago, ESGAO held their big event: Spend a Day . . . With A Grey. It was so much fun and if you were there, then you got to spend the day with me!

I was selling t-shirts, can covers and signing autographs at my table. I also brought some of my blogs so people could read about what I have to say.

It was cool having my table, but really I just wanted to play with all the greyhounds. There were games and I got to do a couple of them. That was fun. And, oh, I got my picture taken by a professional! I’m putting that one in my scrap book.

Mom and Dad were busy trying to make it a nice event, so I had to help out where I could. Next time, I don’t want a table, I want to hang out with my friends and talk about how we used to race but now we’re retired and we spend time with nice families.

ESGAO just got eight new dogs (wow!) and I can’t wait to meet them. There is another Spend A Day event in April. I hope you all will come see me and all of my friends.

What’s a Rotary?

I don’t like it when Dad uses words I don’t know. When I don’t know a word, I have go to The Google to look it up. It’s a good thing The Google knows everything.

Dad said his boss asked him if he wanted to talk about greyhounds at her Rotary club. He asked if I wanted to come and before I even knew what a rotary is, I said, “Yes, I’m coming!” When Dad came home and got my leash, I was so excited and jumped on the door three times. I had to check out this rotary thing!

The Google said it is a civic organization that does a lot of nice things for people. I was happy to meet the nice folks of the Rotary—and tell them that one nice thing they can do is adopt a retired racer!

When we got there, they were eating lunch. The ham smelled so good. They asked Dad if I can have some, and he said yes! That’s a good start to any meet and greet. Dad got up there and talked about what great pets us greyhounds make. He showed a video too. I walked around and said hello to some folks. I think they liked me.

At the end, the Rotary asked Dad to sign a book for the library. He signed it “Dad and Sky!” My name is in the library now! Maybe one day I’ll be in The Google. As we left a nice lady asked if she could take my picture. I said of course! I like my picture being taken. Not bragging, but I’m a handsome boy with some funny ears!

Rotaries are fun, I give it 3.5 roos!

Doggie Doo Two

Doggie Doo was so fun! I didn’t want to leave. I hardly took any breaks—I was meeting and greeting people all afternoon. It was raining all morning but the sun came out after we got there.

Mom and Dad went to meet Daniel, the miracle dog. They call him a miracle dog because he didn’t die in the gas chamber. Nobody knows how he survived. I could see him but he had too many fans for me to visit him. He looked so sweet and had a big special chair just for him. His Dad was signing his books. Daniel and his Dad tell people that they should pass laws that make it not okay to use gas chambers. My Dad told him that I write a blog and he seemed impressed.

Later I saw Fog—it was like a canine writer’s convention! We all like saying what we think. Fog has a new Mom and Dad and they seem very nice. He seems very happy.

While I was there, I met Ally and Sidney. They wanted a picture together because they said that out of all the dogs at Doggie Doo, and there were a lot of dogs, that I was their favorite. How cool was that? I almost started rooing right there—but I didn’t want to brag and make the other dogs feel bad.

Mom and Dad said that they are going to the Woolybear Festival on October 6 and because I was so good, I get to go to that too! I can’t wait! Maybe I’ll get to meet and greet Dick Goddard. Maybe he’ll say I’m a good boy and want to read Five Roos.

Doggie Doo gets 4.0 roos!

Daniel and Doggie Doo

I’m so excited, I just found out I am going to Doggie Doo in Oberlin on Saturday. I told Dad I wanted to go and he said I am allowed!

At Doggie Doo, I’ll see some of my old friends and my foster mom and dad. I can’t wait, there will be lots of other dogs there. And a parade! Poor Petey can’t go because Dad said he is too rambunctious. He don’t behave in crowds and wants to go where he is not allowed to go.

One dog that will be at Doggie Doo is Daniel “the miracle dog.” I hope I get to meet him; he is a special little dog. He was supposed to be dead—people tried to kill him by putting him in a gas chamber because he didn’t have a home or a family to love him. But he didn’t die and now he tells people his story. He’s from Alabama just like me and now has a happy home. He even has a book!

Doggie Doo will be a fun day! Come say hi to me and the other dogs! Lots of good dogs need a home.

Gas chambers get no roos; Daniel gets five.

Dad's shoes

I keep a close eye on Dad’s shoes cause when he puts them on, it means I might be going for a walk. Sometimes I get to go, sometimes he is going to work or someplace I can’t go. But whenever he grabs his shoes, I give him my hopeful face.

When I don’t get to go, Dad says, “No, sorry Sky,” and then he tells me where he is going. But when it is time for a walk, Dad says, “Okay, let’s go Sky!”

When I hear that I go nuts. I lose my mind. I am so excited. I can’t wait to go. When I see my leash, I know it’s official, I am going—and then I jump around like crazy and start barking and rooing. I knock over things and run into Petey. I go by the door and start jumping on it . . . I can’t wait. I get going so fast that it is really just a blur. At that point, I am not responsible for my actions.

Mom’s worried that I am addicted to walks and said I might have to join DWA (Dog Walks Anonymous). Dad knows stuff about addiction and said his shoes are my trigger. I don’t know what that means, plus I don’t have a problem. I just love walks and want as many as possible.

Sometimes when Dad is going somewhere and I am not allowed to go, he tries to put his shoes on quietly—so I don’t know. But I can hear him. He’s not fooling me. I come running and give him my face (see photo, by Chris Paulus)

Going for walks is the most fun thing I do. It gets 5.0 roos.

I am an entrepreneur!

Dad says entrepreneurs are people who do a business in hopes of living the “American Dream.” Right then and there, I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur—I want an American Dream!

But what can a silly-eared greyhound make a business be about? I pondered and contacted business advisors to see what they thought. I tried calling a man named Warren Buffett to see what he said, but he wasn't home. After much debate, and practice spelling the word ‘entrepreneur,’ I narrowed it down to two ideas—lemonade or t-shirts. The advisors said that many people start out by selling lemonade, but I decided on t-shirts. I am a risk-taker and I think out of the box—so I am going to break all the rules and sell t-shirts.

I told Dad my idea and he said I could. I told Mom and she wanted to help me! So, the three of us sat around last week to make up some t-shirt ideas. But what do we put on the t-shirts? The advisors said to make a business about something you know. What do I know—I know me, and people like me, and my blog—so that’s what my t-shirts will be about. Me, my blog and what greyhounds like.

So here I go. I have two Five Roos t-shirts that I will be selling. When I sell one, I will give half the profit to the Erie Shores Greyhound group so they can rescue more greyhounds (Dad says that’s smart because it is tax-deductible) and I will save the other half for my American Dream.

I’ve already sold two t-shirts and the calculator said I only need to sell 45,251 more in order to get my dream—an SUV! Dad says we can deduct that from the taxes too. I don’t know what taxes are, but seems like nobody likes paying them. I have to look ‘taxes’ up on The Google later.

Being an entrepreneur is very exciting, I give it 4.5 roos.

Vacation is Over!

Well my Mom and Dad’s vacation is over and it is back to normal. I am so sad. I like when Mom and Dad are on vacation. They are home most of the day, and we get to play outside and get to eat lots of vacation food. We make sure we get our walks and lots of times we get a ride too—on the same day! One day we got a ride to the fast food place and I got a hamburger. I love hamburgers, Petey too!

Me and Petey got a new toy—a big squeaky ball. It’s fun. Dad throws it and I go get it as fast as I can. Sometimes I give it back to Dad to throw again; sometimes I take it in the house for safe keeping. Dad laughs when I do that.

When I get tired of playing, I lie down in the grass. I often fall asleep. It's very relaxing.

My Mom and Dad were gone for two days to watch tennis balls go back and forth in Cincinnati and my Uncle Dave came over to take care of me and Petey. Petey loves Uncle Dave; they go way back a lot of years. I like Uncle Dave too; he’s easy going just like me. He likes to get us to play. Petey likes roughhousing with Uncle Dave—to see who is tougher. Sometimes they wrestle like MMA. I just watch; wrestling is Petey’s thing.

I can’t wait until the next vacation! I give it 4 roos.

Doing an "S"

The other day Dad was cutting the grass and I was outside spotting for him. I look for things in the yard that he shouldn’t run over—like my toys! While I was on the lookout I saw a baby snake. I was so shocked; I never saw such a thing! I had to let Dad know this right away!

I probably would have been scared, but this was a small snake and he was anxious to get out of the yard. I watched him as he slithered away, doing his “S” to move real fast. He was scared of me, Dad and the lawn mower!

Snakes don’t have any legs like me, so I had to get on the computer and look up how they move on The Google. It’s pretty amazing they can move without legs by doing an “S.”

Dad told me that last year when he was jogging around the neighborhood he saw a baby snake in the road. It was trying to get out of the road, but no matter how hard he tried to do his “S” he couldn’t make it up the curb. Dad said he tried doing a fast “S” and a big “S” but neither worked. He was too small to get over the curb. Dad said he got a stick and helped the snake get out of the road.

Seeing a baby snake was pretty cool. I don’t know if I want to see a big snake; Dad says they can get pretty big! I give it 3.5 roos.

The Greyt Race

Last Sunday, me and Dad went to the Greyt Race in Rocky River to do a mile walk (I love walks!) and tell people what great pets us greyhounds make. We left early and I was a bit sluggish because I was out late partying the night before. I went to the South’s house and I saw all my old friends. We ran around and watched fireworks. I had so much fun.

At the race, me and Dad walked a mile in 9:43—and that included a poop break. I don’t care about my times anymore, and I don’t think that was really a mile, but we had fun and I got a medal. I also got to see a lot more greyhounds and other dogs—even two that looked like Petey! I told those dogs about Petey and that they looked just like him. They seemed excited that I told them that.

Before the race there was a very scary moment. Me and Dad pull up in our car and the guy in front of us stops his car and gets out to talk to the race people. While he is talking, his greyhound jumped out the window! I thought, “Oh my gosh,” what is this dog doing? The guy didn’t know or nothing. My Dad beeped, but the guy thought my Dad was telling him to get out of the road. My Dad wasn’t saying that at all, he was trying to tell the guy that his greyhound jumped out the window. The guy got in his car and then realized his greyhound was gone. Luckily, people caught the greyhound pretty quick and nobody got hurt!

It was a fun morning and I was worn out. I give it 4.0 roos!

Sharing the attention

I like attention, I admit it. I like meeting and greeting people, having my picture taken and being petted. Often, when Mom and Dad are paying attention to Petey, I get jealous and shove my way right in. I get in between them so that I can get the attention.

But Petey has been hurting lately. His little legs are bothering him and he gets medicine from the vet. Dad even has to give Petey a shot every Tuesday—something that neither Dad nor Petey looks much forward to. Because Petey is hurting, Mom and Dad are giving him lots of attention, and lots of love.

I think Petey needs lots of love right now, so I am trying to share the attention with him. I am being a nice boy and not shoving my way in.

I hope Petey gets better and the medicine works. He’s a bit of a blockhead, but he’s my friend. And, if he gets better, then I can go back to seeking all the attention.

Petey’s legs hurting are 0 roos, but the sharing the attention with my friend is worth 4 roos.