Welcome to our journal page! We hope you enjoy reading about some of the big events in our lives so far. Clicking on any link below will either bring up a picture in a separate window, or, in a few cases, jump to a related website!
Jump to: 1997 / 1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001
1997 |
|
September 26, 1997 |
My story begins today, when I was born at a puppy mill in Nebraska. My dam was named OK's Silver Bonanzaah and my sire was OK's Blue Montana. |
October 1, 1997 |
I was born today, just a few days after my future brother, at a puppy mill in Missouri. My dam was named Brattin's Little Lilly and my sire was Vore's Tap-Jack. Sometime later this month, I arrived at a Petland in Ohio, where my first owner would adopt me. |
November 24, 1997 |
I arrived at a pet store in a mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 24. My mom never saw me there, but people who did told her that they remember me doing tricks in my little cage, pleading for somebody to take me home. |
November 27, 1997 |
After only three days
at the pet store, on Thanksgiving day, I decided I had had enough of this awful place!
Since the mall was closed, I decided that this was a good opportunity for an escape
attempt. An air conditioning vent was near my cage, and since I was about the size of a
large palm, I was able to sneak up into it. I crawled through the air conditioning ducts,
and somehow made it alive and safe to the end. I found myself near the escalator in the
empty mall -- I was tired and scared and didn't know what to do next. A security officer saw my long tail near that escalator. He thought I was a rat and got out his mace. When he got a little closer, he saw that I was a puppy, and a shivering one. He picked me up and read my pet store tag -- Bonanzaah, it said. He called his supervisor, and they also called the manager of the pet store. Since it was Thanksgiving, it was decided that I could stay locked in the mall security office until the mall opened on Friday morning. But the nice security officer took another look at the shivering little puppy in his arms and knew he couldn't leave me there. He brought me home to Thanksgiving dinner. His sister Angela was there and it took about two seconds for her to fall in love with me. Not only was I beautiful, but I was so grateful for a warm blanket, some food, and some hugs, and I became her hero when she found out how I escaped from that awful pet store. She wanted to adopt me right away. But then there was Little. Little was a 13-year-old Terrier mix who was very sick with inoperable cancer and heart problems. She was a real fighter and was taking medicine to keep her comfortable, but she was also very set in her ways, and she didn't need a playful new puppy around at that stage of her life. I stayed downstairs that night, and Little spent the whole night at the top of the stairs, looking down as if she was having a bad dream. Heartbroken, Angela realized that I had to go back to the pet store the next day. Angela spent the next several weeks distracted, looking at the pictures she had taken of me on Thanksgiving and worrying about what would happen to this little puppy who stole her heart so quickly. She called the pet store at least twice a week asking if anyone had adopted me yet. They hadn't. |
December 22, 1997 |
One day Hugo told Angela that I wasn't in my cage anymore and I must have been adopted! She called the pet store to ask if I got a good home, but the news wasn't so good. I was still there but I had been moved to a cage in the back of the store, which Angela later found out the employees called "the dungeon." The store was asking $900 for me, so nobody was buying me, and I was starting to grow -- they wanted the new, smaller, cuter puppies in the front cages. Second, I had a few problems -- I had caught kennel cough and was a cryptorchid. They wouldn't sell me at a lower price so that they wouldn't bring down the value of any future Italian Greyhounds in the store. So they moved me to the back, and who knows what was going to happen to me... On December 22, Angela became my mom. Little shared her Christmas gifts with me, and the last few months of her life suddenly became much more interesting! Mom kept us separated as much as possible, since I was just too playful for Little, but after a couple of months I could tell that she grudgingly started to like me! |
December 27, 1997 |
In the first of several such visits during the first, clumsy year of my life, I wound up at the emergency room of the animal hospital. Mom found me this morning at the bottom of the stairs, limping -- I could jump over the first baby gate we tried, so she got a taller one -- I tried to climb over it and managed to pop both of my back kneecaps out of their sockets. The vet said that if I could stay almost totally still for two weeks, they might pop back in on their own, but if not I would have to have surgery. Thank goodness me and my mom had our friend Elaine (also known as "the nice mommy") to watch me for those two weeks, and now I'm as good as new! |
1998 |
|
February 28, 1998 |
After beating the odds for almost two years, Little went to the Rainbow Bridge today. A few days before she died, she started to snuggle with me, and lead me around the backyard -- mom thinks she was trying to show me everything I would need to know to follow in her pawprints. I think Little would be proud of me now -- in addition to taking very good care of my mom, that squirrel who used to torment Little because he was too fast for her knows not to mess with me! |
June 15, 1998 |
I was awarded my Obedient Puppy (Preschool Level) certificate. Somehow I did sit, stay, and come in front of the whole class without running off to play with any other puppies! Mom was very proud, and says she never had a doubt that I could be an obedient puppy (yeah, right)! |
September 26, 1998 |
I'm a whole year old already! I got so many presents, and mom even made a special, dog-friendly cake. This is my grandma holding me while I check it out! |
November 1998 |
Even though I spend a lot of time with my mom and all of my people friends, I get so excited when I get to be around other puppies, like when I go for walks at the park! Mom asked me if I would like a brother or sister, and I said WOOF! (Actually, since I don't usually bark, I just kind of looked at her in that curious way that I do, like I'm really trying hard to understand.) We found out about a great group of people called Italian Greyhound Rescue and submitted an adoption application. Our rescue rep, Niki, came out for a home check and brought one of her IGs, Runner, to see if I would accept another one in my house. I accepted him so much that I wanted to play him to death! Niki started looking for a brother for me right away and gave us descriptions of a few IGs that could be good matches for me. Mom wanted to adopt them all! So on December 12, I'm going to meet Bo, a rescue IG about my same age who is being fostered in Buffalo. We're meeting halfway at a dog show in Cleveland, and as long as Bo and I hit it off, he's coming home with us! |
December 12, 1998 |
Last night, mom kept saying to me, "Ready to meet your new brother tomorrow?" What's a new brother, I wondered? Well today, boy, I found out what a new brother is! It's about 20 pounds of black Italian Greyhound, and no offense, but I'm not sure he's playing with a full bag of treats if you know what I mean! He's a nut, he has even more energy than me and I didn't think that was possible! And he actually listens to mom -- now he's going to mess everything up when I had her all trained! On the way home from Cleveland, he just slept on Elaine's lap the whole time, not at all curious or nervous about where he was going. Then when we got home, first he started to eat out of my food dish, and then, for the final insult, he stole my sleeping spot on the very first night, snuggled up next to mom's tummy! Can you believe the nerve of this guy?! But he plays with me, and keeps me company, and then sometimes he makes a pretty good pillow. Okay, okay, I guess he'll do. |
December 12, 1998 |
I'm Vito's new little
brother, Bo! Actually I'm his BIG little
brother. Boy, am I one sturdy IG! Time to update you on what has happened in my life since
I was born back on October 1, 1997... The first family who had me kept me in a crate for 20 hours a day (I think maybe it would be better if they got a stuffed animal next time). One day when they let me out I was SO excited and I didn't know WHAT to do with myself so I ran to the bed and went shredSHREDshred and then the bedspread was ALL GONE. Oops. Little did they know that I always knew what my destiny was, so to meet my mom and new brother, I had to wind up in IG Rescue and this was all part of the plan. They played right into my paws!! I met my new family in Cleveland today, just before Christmas. Can you believe that somebody would give up a face like this? I was very nervous -- I had a couple little accidents at the dog show we went to! -- and then I was just so exhausted that I slept the whole way on the drive back to Pittsburgh. My new mom couldn't believe how trusting I was, how I didn't seem to wonder one bit where we were going. I needed to gain a few pounds -- you could see the bumps of my spine -- but whenever anyone would try to feed me, I would get sick because my stomach wasn't used to being fed too much. Within a few weeks, I will put on weight and become an even more beautiful boy, but I'm still trying to make up for all the food I missed out on! |
1999 |
|
January 1999 |
My mom says we have to take a minute to thank Dr. Robert Lynch in Monroeville, Pa. She has never been more scared for me than this month, when my eyes were protruding like this! If your dog's eyes are red and watery, it might just be a bacterial infection -- my regular vet diagnosed me with that two times. But if they're protruding like mine, that isn't normal for an eye infection -- ask your vet to refer you to a special ophthalmologist, like Dr. Lynch, right away! |
January 1999 |
Because of my past, I've been getting scared whenever my mom leaves. I don't want to be abandoned for almost a whole day at a time ever again! Mom promises that won't happen but it's going to take me a little while to learn to trust, so I still tend to go shredSHREDshred to anything in my path when she leaves me. And I get really upset in a crate because I had such a bad experience. So mom is taking me to a special doctor to help me feel better; he said I have separation anxiety, whatever that is. I have my own special little doggy-proofed room whenever I'm alone for now, and I'm doing a lot better. I am working with an obedience trainer too! Despite my rough start in life, mom says that I am the most affectionate dog in the world!! I love to give kisses and I claimed my sleeping spot, snuggled up to mom's tummy, from the very first night in my new home (sorry Vito, but I'm bigger!). I'm really funny too; I have this really sneaky move where I lay on my stomach and just slither along towards my unsuspecting target. Usually that's Vito, who is still delicately eating his treat while I have already devoured mine! I don't feel guilty, though, because even though Vito might act like the innocent one, he's always provoking me when I'm trying to be good! My other sneaky move is to bark at Vito to distract him so I can take treats and toys away. Unfortunately, mom and my big brother are catching on to my cleverness. I'll just have to think up some new tricks to outsmart them! |
February 15, 1999 |
Well, this proves that mom and I are a match made in heaven. I thought I was clumsy, but mom just took the prize when she fell down a whole flight of stairs. Bo and I both went running to kiss and comfort her when she got to the bottom, but it was too late to save the poor fool. She wound up with a concussion, lots of cuts and bruises, and a third-degree separation of her shoulder. Now she's wearing this ridiculous-looking contraption, but most importantly, she can barely play! Oh, woe is me! What am I going to do without my morning walks at South Park? Who's going to hold my chew toys so I can concentrate on eating them without the bother of holding them myself (at least she still has one good arm!)? And worst of all, she wakes up a million times every night, disturbing my beauty sleep. Geez, there sure are a lot of very rude individuals around here! |
| August
4, 1999 Bo  |
Look at me, prancing around the ring just like a show dog! I was in the Italian Greyhound Rescue Parade today, in Canfield, Ohio. Mom and Vito walked around the ring with me, so I got to show off my family! |
| August
29, 1999 Vito and Bo  |
Today, we went to Bark in the Park, a Humane Hike through North Park, to benefit the three Pittsburgh animal shelters. Mom volunteers for the city's no-kill shelter, Animal Friends, so she takes us to all of the benefit events -- we have such a great time seeing all of the other dogs! Today, a nice man from a local greyhound rescue organization saw us and asked to take our picture -- do we look adorable in our little bandanas, or what? Also check out the Bark in the Park website where the picture was originally posted -- we are proud to be included! |
| September
26, 1999 Vito |
I'm two years old today! Since my brother and I have birthdays only a few days apart, mom decided that we would have a big celebration for both of us -- since my birthday happened to fall on a Sunday this year, this is when we celebrated! We are usually spoiled rotten, but today took the cake -- literally! Our booty included: a special cake from Three Dog Bakery, a new monogrammed bed (plenty big enough for two to snuggle), some cool new toys (great for playing together!), beautiful new collars (made just for us in Italian flag and Southwestern designs by Marilyn Lomashewich -- thanks!), a bone-shaped toybox, and a seemingly endless supply of treats! |
| October
1, 1999 Bo |
Right on Vito's tail, I turned two years old today! We had a more scaled-down celebration than the shared one on Sunday, but they saved a few special treats and presents just for me on my special day! |
| October
10, 1999 Vito and Bo  |
Another Animal Friends benefit; this one was called Howl-o-ween and it was -- you guessed it -- a costume party and parade! Mom had a great idea for our costumes -- since we're Italian, and one of us is named Vito Corleone, she thought it would be funny to dress us up in infant-sized suit coats, little hats, and toy guns and holsters. But she waited too long to start on those outfits, and so we went as Santa Claus (Bo) and a reindeer (Vito). We were SO cute and funny that all of the news stations asked who we were, and two of the three put us on television! We got to play games, like Scavenger Hunt, and mingle with all of the other dogs -- and they sent us home with a big pillowcase full of toys and treats! |
| November
1999 Vito and Bo |
We're all ready for winter! Since we don't have much body fat or fur, we get cold during the winter... sometimes we even shiver when we're wearing our sweaters, but we don't want to give up our walks, either! So this year, mom decided that we should have winter coats -- click here to see Vito and Bo modeling them! We want to thank Judy Benson at Hound Togs for doing such beautiful work and being so helpful. Judy really knows sighthounds... we think she's just greyt! |
| December
25, 1999 Vito and Bo |
Merry Christmas! Click here to see how beautiful we looked on the special
Christmas cards that mom had made this year. This picture pretty effectively conveys how badly Santa spoiled us this year! And here we are with a couple of our favorite presents after they've been opened! |
2000 |
|
| January
2000 Vito and Bo |
Happy 2000! Here we are, starting off the new year in brand new polar fleece coats, a Christmas gift from mom's dear friend Joy in California. What a wonderful surprise! Vito got a multicolored Aztec print coat, and Bo chose a red and black Nordic print. They are so warm and beautiful... thank you so much to Joy, and to Susan King from Toastie Coats and Paws, who custom makes these gorgeous coats especially for sighthounds like us! |
| April
16, 2000 Vito and Bo |
Another great Animal Friends event to benefit the shelter dogs and cats... the first annual Easter Bone Hunt! We came home with a bag full of yummy Iams bones, got to rub noses with lots of new canine friends, and get our picture with the Easter Bunny! As you can tell by our tongues, it was a very warm spring day in Pittsburgh... thank you, Bunny, for withstanding the heat to pose with all of us! |
| July
2-3, 2000 Vito and Bo |
Our Independence Day weekend was filled with firsts for us... our first vacation, our first stay at a hotel, and our first trip to a beach! We visited Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA, just a few hours drive from our house. When we first set our paws on the beach, we were a little confused about the way they sunk into the sand! Bo was looking a little nervous about the water at first, while Vito the adventurer waded right in! Eventually though, we both got our paws wet and had a great time! |
| July
10-13, 2000 Vito |
I don't feel so good... I'm all swollen with my third systemic (staph) infection in the past year. My doctor didn't like the sound of that, so he sent me for a little vacation at the Veterinary Referral Clinic in Cleveland, where I had a lots and lots of medicine, and an MRI to make sure there weren't any masses behind my eyes or breaks in my nasal cavity. Oh, how it broke my mom's heart to leave me there... I kissed the tears in her eyes just before I went trotting off with the vet tech who checked me into the hospital, trying to act brave. The final diagnosis... no masses or breaks were found, which means that my original diagnosis of a systemic infection still stands. That is good news in some ways, but bad news too... the doctors are thinking that I was born with this infection, which means that my body doesn't consider it to be foreign and will never fight it on its own. We'll be seeing our specialist as soon as he gets the results from Cleveland... in the meantime, my mom is giving me all of my antibiotics and drops, and is just so happy to have me home safe and sound! |
| July
12, 2000 Bo |
Our wonderful next door neighbor, Dolores, who comes to check on us during the day, called mom at work to tell her that I wasn't acting like myself. I usually jump up to greet everyone who comes in the door, and today, I wasn't getting up at all... when she finally convinced me to get up, I was hunched over when I walked, with my tail between my legs. Then I started to shake uncontrollably. Mom rushed home from work to meet me and grandma, who was already on her way to the emergency vet with me... when we got to the vet, I was really shaking, and didn't want to stand up. And my tummy and sides hurt so much that I screamed when anybody tried to hold me. After x-rays and blood tests, they found out what I was trying to tell everybody... I strained something in my back, and that made it really uncomfortable to go potty... so I wasn't really going potty much for what was probably a pretty long time. Owww, the pain! But after the vet, um, flushed me out [blush] and prescibed me anti-inflammatory medicine for my back pain, I feel like a brand new dog! Here I am nicely sitting (with Vito) for the treat that my medicine comes in. I'm not stupid... I know there's a pill in there... but I'm not gonna pass up a treat! |
| August
2000 Vito  |
I have a pet! A friend
of mom's found a stray kitten near his work. Mom found somebody who would be a great home
for her, but the lady had another cat and we wanted to take the kitten to the vet and get
her checked out before putting her in a home with another cat. So, we kept her for a few
days. By the time we took her to the vet for her checkup and vaccinations, we were all
getting just a little attached to her... especially me. I doted on her every move just as
if I had adopted her. And she seemed to settle in so quickly, like she belonged here all
the while... mom started to feel like it might not be a good idea to displace her again...
so, Cat became the newest member of the family! Want to know more about our new pet? Cat now has a webpage of her very own! |
| October
7, 2000 Bo |
Not to be left out, now I have a pet, too! Just kidding... well, sort of! Mom's brother Hugo and sister-in-law Miki had a beautiful baby boy today. And just like Vito has adopted Cat, I have adopted Baby! We have a little cradle for him at our house for when he comes to visit, and I patrol it vigilantly, making sure that Baby is safe and sound inside. If he makes any sound that I don't like, I go and get mom to make sure everything is okay. Whenever anybody is feeding him or holding him, you'll always find me nearby... and both Vito and I are trying very hard to understand that they're not really hurting the baby when they burp him, whatever burp means, and that we don't have to bark in protest. I think my new cousin, and his whole family, are just great! |
| October
14, 2000 Vito |
Well, I don't know
what the big fuss is about. Mom is so happy today that she has tears in her eyes... all I
know is that once again, the opthalmologist who looks a little like Santa Claus and is one
of the nicest, smartest people we know put all kinds of stuff in my eyes, and then sent
mom home with some drops that I have to endure several times a day. Oh, woe is me! He said he has done some research and finally figured out what is wrong with me. I have a sort of autoimmune disorder, which causes my body to hyper-react to foreign organisms. When I get any kind of foreign organism in my eyes, like bacteria or even dust, my immune system goes crazy trying to fight it off, which makes my eyes irritated, red, swollen, and finally protruding. The drops I have to take are called Cyclosporine, which humans also use as an anti-rejection drug. After a few weeks, I can start taking the drops only one time each day... the doctor says I should be able to use them for the rest of my life without becoming immune to them, and with no side effects. Mom says that she knows now that we are going to have a long and happy life together... c'mon, mom, I always knew that! |
| December
2000 Vito |
Just when we finally
got to the bottom of my immune system problems, now this! Mom was kissing me goodnight
when she noticed a lump on my front paw, around where a person's ankle bone would be. It
was a pink bubble, about the size of
a pea. She knew that it hadn't been there for more than a day or two, because she would
have noticed it... well, Cat was being checked in at the vet the next night to be spayed,
so she took me along to have it checked. The vet looked it at and right away said,
"uh-oh." She said it was one of two things... a histiocytoma, which would be
benign and present no further problems, or a mast cell tumor, which would be very bad
news. She put a needle into the lump --ouch! -- and then left the room to check the
results. Mom hugged me and rocked back and forth the whole time. That mom of mine... what
a worrywart! The vet came back into the room and said that the needle biopsy looked good, but she still didn't want to promise that everything was okay until she removed the lump. She told mom to bring me back the next morning for surgery. So I spent that day in the hospital alongside my pet, Cat. When mom came to pick me up, I looked and felt pathetic! I had an Elizabethan collar on so I wouldn't bother my stitches, and green bandages wrapped around my paw like a cast. But I was so glad to go home and sleep in my own bed that night... except that mom kept squeezing me like there was no tomorrow! It took three loooong days for the vet to get the results of my biopsy back... and for us to get the WONDERFUL news that my lump was a histiocytoma after all. I think I've had my quota of close calls for a while now, don't you think? I'm wishing for a year free of vet visits -- except for my regular checkups -- in 2001! |
2001 |
|
| February
15, 2001 Bo |
Mom's Italian
Greyhound e-mail list held a contest called The Great Duck Caper. Lots of people bought
stuffed ducks for their Iggies, but not just any stuffed duck... this one has a voice box,
and when you squeak it, it goes something like "quack QUACK quack quack quack
quack," and repeats the whole sequence a few more times. Just the thing to drive
mommy crazy! But she loves us, and all proceeds went to IG Rescue, so how could she
resist? The Great Duck Caper included prizes for things like the first dog to de-quack the duck, de-wing the duck, or shred the duck, so mom specifically bought the duck to enter Vito (a.k.a. the master de-stuffer) in the contest. How many times I've gotten a new stuffed animal, made it my "baby," and Vito gets to it and tears it limb from limb while I watch with the saddest face... But this morning, I decided that I wasn't going to take it anymore! Grandma gave us our Duckie, and I immediately took the new baby, tucked him possessively under me, and eventually drifted off to sleep with him. This earned me the title of First Dog to Take a Nap With the Duck! And here is the incredibly cute picture frame I won as my prize! Unfortunately, my victory was short-lived. The first moment that I let my guard down, Vito took my baby, and very methodically tore at a seam until the thread came loose. By the time I came in, it was too late to do anything but survey the damage. Oh, the horror! Looking quite troubled, I took my injured Duckie back on the couch with me... notice his flat, de-stuffed head! How depressing, that my baby had fallen into Vito's evil paws! Mom did surgery on Duckie a couple of times to repair his various injuries, but eventually, after about a month, there was no hope and we had to part ways with poor Duckie. Please mom, get me another duck, SOON! |
| April
8, 2001 Vito and Bo |
Another hot spring day, another picture with the very patient Easter Bunny! Mom thought this was just too cute and had to share it! We hear that next year's Animal Friends event will be an Easter Bonnet Pet Parade... mom, don't even think about it <g>! |
| June
2001 Vito |
Stay tuned to hear all about my ROOT CANAL, as soon as mom helps me add it to my page! |
| August
1, 2001 Bo |
I'll post details and photos from my wonderful time at the IGCA Rescue Parade in Canfield, Ohio soon! |
| August
26, 2001 Vito and Bo |
It's the 2001 Bark in the Park, a.k.a. Humane Hike and Picnic, to benefit Animal Friends, Pittsburgh's only no-kill shelter! We'll be posting all about our adventures there! |
| September
2, 2001 Vito and Bo |
We went to have
professional photos taken today. And it was VERY STRESSFUL! We even took Cat along, and
she was the most stressed of all... in the interest of Cat's dignity, we'll leave it at
that <g>! Finally, thanks to lots of help from our Other Mommy, who helped to
exercise each of us while we waited for our turn, we each got a really nice photo. Well,
two of us got nice photos! Poor Cat... for all of her trouble, her picture wound up
underexposed and didn't even turn out! She was invited back for a free sitting, and we're
sure she will be thrilled about that... NOT! But in the meantime, you can check out our pictures! What typical expressions from both of us... Vito is giving what the family calls "the black eye look" (who, me?! says Vito) and Bo is looking like his usual, sweet self. |
| October
14, 2001 Vito and Bo |
Well, here it was, the
morning of the Animal Friends 2001 Howl-o-ween Parade and Costume Party. Our grandma had
bought us beautiful, custome-made costumes from Doggy
Duds for our birthdays... and the sky decided to open up! Mom said she wasn't
even sure if the event would still be on, but we drove to Schenley Park anyway (along with
our other mommy, Elaine) to check it out. The rain continued off and on the whole time!
But there was a nice shelter, and that was where we paraded in front of the judges. We
both did a beautiful "sit" right in front of the judging stand to show off our
costumes to their very best effect... What were we, you ask? Vito, who's always instigating, was perfect as an inmate, complete with a number placard, ball and chain, and the most hilarious headpiece that mom said reminded her of a babushka. Bo, who's always trying to be good, was a natural choice to be a policeman... another officer in the family! He had handcuffs, a police hat, and the most adorable little tie. Here's another photo of us together; Vito's placard got straightened out for this one but poor Bo's hat slipped around his neck in the windy day. And here's the traditional shot of the two of us on the ride home, pooped from all the excitement of the day! Did we mention that we were selected as one of the winners of the contest?! Those judges sure do have good taste! We won a gift certificate to a local restaurant and two passes to the Pittsburgh Zoo... neither, of course, which we are allowed to visit ourselves, not even as a reward for all of our torture! Hmpf! We're sure we'll get a doggy bag out of the deal, though <g>. |
Click on Vito to go home
