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.