Channeling the Inner Woman

Response #3

I couldn’t help but to respond on this post. Another girl in my class Dyanne, whose blog I love, reminded my of a few things I wanted to add in my previous post about ending the class.

I have to totally agree with her that for many months before deciding to start my blog I would channel Carrie from Sex and the City, because let’s face it, she was fabulous. I would always sit and wonder if I could really bare it all online. Not in the sense of pictures and all that, but just about my personal life and the thoughts that run through my head. It’s hard to think of actually doing something like that, I had tried it once but was a little scared by the idea of actually allowing my personal life to documented online.

Being young and just starting off in the world of business and communication, it has always been a struggle to discover where to draw the line. I mentioned it at some point but I am planning on taking the summer to re-define my social presence. Meaning I am going to re-evaluate how I use certain social media platforms. I know that may sound silly but my social media class has really made an impact on how I want to portray myself online and in the world of Web 2.0 – oddly enough I think that I may just take a risk. So be on the lookout for something new…

Don’t tell Janie, because I still intend to keep up with her blog, but I don’t want princess to get upset.

Getting to Pa – One pant at a time…

Response #2

Over the weekend I traveled home to PA and taking Janie in the car has always been quite the adventure. My classmate Liz promoted me to post about Janie’s travel adventures after reading one of her posts from her blog The Snarky Beagle.

Lets just say that Janie isn’t the best traveler. She pants the entire way no matter how near or far the destination seems to be, and will only settle down when I drive straight and steady and if you’ve ever been in PA you may know why that’s not always possible.

While I travel a lot with Janie, you never know what to expect. Let’s just say that there have been some accidents along the road. The poor thing gets so stressed out that she can’t control her bowls. After shopping around I found an herbal gel that it supposed to help Janie relax. I haven’t tried it out yet or I would give you the name. The issue with giving her anything else is because Greyhounds react differently to anesthetics than other breeds so you have to be careful.

As you can see from the picture above after a few of these accidents I also invested in a doggie car mat that basically covers your back seat and attaches to the head rests. They are waterproof and can be rolled up so I would advise anyone to get one if you travel with your pet and they are too big for a carrying case. My new trick that can also be seen is her bear. She loves that bear and is the only toy she doesn’t chew on, probably because it doesn’t have a squeaker in it. But it’s added a level of comfort to her travels and I’m happy to report this last trip was accident free!!

Toys and Treats

Response #1

So one of my favorite blogs that was started by a girl in my class is called AbbyBakes and last week she posted an article all about brownies. I have to say that I love brownies, and they are one of my favorite treats! If only I could make them like my mother I would be so happy!

But it got me thinking about Janie. I would have to say her “treats” are more like her toys, and I’m not talking about Skully, though there has been picture evidence that shows otherwise. But Janie is the queen of toys and especially her toys that are stuffed and have a squeaky in them.  When ever we get a chance to play, she usually ends up collecting them all around her bed just like a pretty little princess surrounded by all her dolls.

She couldn’t be happier when she see’s that momma has come home with something new for her. But even happier my mom brings her new toys because there is always more than one. The funny thing is, is that when I first got Janie she didn’t know what to do with these toys or really how to play with them. I would sit in my living room with her for hours just throwing them around and trying to interest her into playing with them. I’m not sure when it ‘clicked’ but since then she can’t get enough.

Watching her play is entertainment in itself. Her long limps allow her to pounce halfway across a room, which never ends up well because she usually ends up forgetting that the hardwoods floors don’t allow her to stop the way she would like too.  But overall I just thought I would share another moment of life with Janie.

Is This the End?

Week #13

So tonight will be my last social media class and essentially what prompted me to start this blog. Looking over the past few months I can say that it has definitely been a few months of intense learning and growing. There have been ups and downs in life for me personally and for Janie (poor tail).

I think my favorite part of blogging has been finding my voice and learning the tools to keep a blog going. I was able to lightly explore a topic that is very special to me and that of course is my life with Janie but also discover more about her. I was really happy with how it encouraged me to reach out to the Greyhound community and connect with various people on a new level. I think somewhere down the line I may have earned myself a little street credibility and in ways I think I’ve laid the groundwork and acquired the tools to become a more informed advocate of Greyhound adoption.

There have definitely been a few challenges along the way too. One of the biggest challenges was keeping up with my posts in general and working to incorporate all the different tools to drive traffic to my blog. Another challenge was keeping up with all the information that it out there and available to people online and learning the importance of choosing how you want to represent yourself online. We covered so much information that I wanted to include but now realize that I can keep it and use it in the future.

This blog did start off as a class project but finding my voice and looking back on the journey that’s brought me here, I think that while I’ve struggled with certain things, it’s empowered me to keeping posting and really take the time this summer to establish my online presence. And of course, keep you all updated with Janie, because she really is a treat to be shared, I mean it’s so cute!

What to do…!

Week #12

Well obviously been a while since my last post, my apologies, the past few weeks have passed by in a blur. Whoever told me that life doesn’t slow down as you get older wasn’t kidding. I swear that I keep waking up and another week has disappeared. Besides that, nothing really exciting has happened. Janie is just dandy and itching to be outside now that the weather is starting to get warmer. I swear I get a look from her every time we head back into the house, regardless of how long we’ve been out, that just screams “Mom I don’t wanna go inside yet!”. But on the overall I would still consider her one happy and spoiled couch potato.

Anyhow, over the last few weeks I’ve been looking into the history of Greyhound racing, as promised, and in the midst of doing so I was presented with what I would call an ethical dilemma. Since I have yet to make decision either way I thought I would ask other people to share their thoughts and then maybe I could come to some kind of conclusion. First let me start with what brought me to this point. The other day I got an email from my roommate asking me if I wanted to go to the Virginia Gold Cup, she had never been to a horse race and got an offer for a great deal on VIP tickets through LivingSocial. Let me just make it clear that she wasn’t so interested in the race itself but mainly wanted to go so all of us girls could get dressed up in pretty dresses, find ridiculous big hats to wear, and get VIP treatment all at once. Without much hesitation I wrote her back to count me in…and then I read the more about the deal. Not only would horses be racing, there would be dog racing there too.

This is where the wheels started turning in my mind and things got a little complicated. I first started to research dog racing because I didn’t think that I was educated enough to pick a side that wasn’t purely based on emotions. But playing my own devil’s advocate let’s just pretend for a moment that I came to the definite conclusion that dog racing was wrong and I wouldn’t participate in anything that supported the sport. That leaves me with more of a personal battle and where I need a little guidance. Here’s the question:

I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when you’re young and looking to form an opinion or choose a side, I always feel like I have to look at the issue from every perspective possible. Comments are more than welcomed!

Week #9 – Not A “Happy” Tail

In my last post I had promised to provide more information about dog racing, however in keeping my promise to provide accurate information on my page about Greyhounds, I need to amend a prior post before starting down a new path. And yes, I’ll admit that I’m in part procrastinating researching websites with pictures that will probably make me cry. I’ve had a rough week and let’s be real, we all have our limits.    

 Anyhow, I recently contacted the adoption organization where I found Miss Jane because I wanted to say hello and ask a quick question. Which reminds me, in case anyone reading is a worry wart like myself, if your greyhound starts to pant excessively be sure to account for a sudden change in the weather as the reason for such panting before contacting everyone Grey owner you know. Luckily Denise, the woman who started the adoption agency, was my first call. After assuring me that Janie was okay because the weekend weather jumped from in the 50’s to the 80’s, we chatted about what’s been going on and of course I re-counted the whole story about Janie’s tail. I told Denise that Janie has a bad case of “happy” tail syndrome and was surprised when she responded that she didn’t think was the correct diagnosis. Apparently “happy” tail syndrome mainly affects the tip of the tail. Because there is no way to stitch this area, you just have to wait for the wound to heal which can take months because the wound will  constantly break open every time the dogs hits it against anything. Janie’s tailed healed in about a month’s time and was able to be stapled back together.

I trust the information given to me by Denise because she has worked with Greyhounds for many years and has seen about every injury a Greyhound could have. I’m glad I was able to reach her on the phone instead of email. I feel old fashioned in the fact that I prefer contact with everyone in this way, in all aspects of my life. Despite growing up with a generation who mainly communicates electronically through one or several of the social networks out there, talking on the phone allows for that extra level of interpersonal communication to happen.  When I write a post, I constantly review and re-edit, and sometimes analyze each sentence (thanks to my job) to ensure that my true personality is reflected through my writing. Because at the end of the day my overall goal is to connect with you, my audience… and I think there are a few of you out there (Mom not included).

Week #7 – Friday?

Is it Friday yet? Usually, I love the sound of word, unfortunately the only thing that comes to mind just by hearing it is the new one hit wonder ‘Friday’ by Rebecca Black. I can honestly say that upon hearing the song, that went viral over night, I was instantly humming it in my head for the rest of the day, today, and probably tomorrow.  I’m always so entertained by what becomes quickly popular, despite the content. Lately, for instance, I have heard too many people around me make statements along of the lines of “I did this or that, which equals winning”, which can only bring one man to mind, Mr. Charlie Sheen.

However, while I am entertained, I now start to look at why and how these things become so popular. I feel that I am working pretty on becoming a more knowledgeable advocate for Greyhound adoption, and in doing so I would like to be able to raise more awareness about the cause on an individual level; not only for Janie, but for all Greyhounds.

I think the next step in this journey is to finally begin a topic for research. Since adopting Janie I have become very interested in learning more about Greyhound racing. I’m constantly reminded of the sport every time I go to rub her cute little ears that are both tattooed from her years as a racer. One ear is tattooed with her birth information and the other with her racing number. Almost like two little barcodes that owners use to tract the dog’s lineage. To me it just seems mean to do so to an animal. So at this point I can only make an emotional stance on the subject, which is just the thought of how these animals were treated only leads me to believe that dog racing is cruel and should be stopped. However, in my next few posts I think I will gather some more facts, ask around the Greyhound community, and find out what a day in the life of a racer was like. So stay tuned, and remember tomorrow is Thursday which means it will finally be Friday! (the humming begins again)

Week #6 – Couch Potato

Greyhounds, greyhounds, greyhounds! Hopefully everyone at this point can learn two things from my blog:

1. I am in love and completely adore my Greyhound Janie

2. I am continuing to learn the ups and downs that come from owning such a dog

Growing up, I was raised with small dogs like Shih Tzus and Chiuauas. Some obvious differences in those particular breeds compared to Greyhounds are that both are considerably smaller and for lack of a better term ‘yappier’.  I had mentioned in a previous blog that I did my research before choosing the Greyhound breed and initially many of the websites that I had looked at provided the basic positives and negatives. Which was all fine and dandy; however, I wanted information first hand from Greyhound owners.

Finally, after only a few minutes of searching I found what I was looking for. It was a forum for Greyhound lovers called GreyTalk. This forum allows individuals who register to participate by sharing pictures, events, information, and experiences about the breed. I learned so much very quickly. Particularly, I remember reading that Greyhounds are lovingly referred to as ‘couch potatoes’.  I couldn’t believe that these dogs, which were trained only to race, were any kind of lazy. Now, almost a year later, I can attest for that information to be very true.

Case and point. While Janie has been called an assortment of nicknames by myself and others, I most often refer to her as my ‘lazy Jane’. And that’s usually because 95% of the time you will find her curled up on her bed, or even on the couch just dozing away, most likely hoping that Skully is far away from disrupting her slumber. She even has a morning nap that takes place before I even leave for work!

Every morning I get up, take her out, feed her, and begin my morning routine. When I emerge from the bathroom ready to start my day, you could bet your bottom dollar that Janie is in her number one favorite bed – and that would be my bed. So allow me to depart with a one key piece of advice: if you have a full size bed or smaller, it’s time to upgrade, because these ‘couch potatoes’ love to hog the bed!

Week #5 – What I Like About You

 

It was the ‘face off’ of the year, well maybe not, but from the looks of it Janie and my roommate’s Dachshund Skully look like they mean business. When in reality, it was really just a perfect picture capturing a brief moment when Janie was actually able to chew her own treat.

Looking at this picture always makes me smile and today it provoked a thought. If you’re an animal lover or owner I’m sure at some point you’ve come across articles that ‘scientifically’ prove that pet owners look like their pets, or something along those lines. My thoughts today, however, drifted more towards the likeness between our pets and our personalities and relationships.  If you spent a day with all four of us (Myself, Janie, Skully and my roommate), I think you’d find that we are eerily quite the reflection personality wise of our animals.

My roommate and her “little rat”, as she so affectionately likes to calls him are carefree, outgoing, curious, and playful. All traits that are typical of the Dachshund breed. Janie and I on the other hand are a bit more reserved, timid at times, and are like walking emotional detectors; we can sense a change in a person’s emotions almost immediately.  And like Greyhounds, I am typically quite shy at first and hard to coax out of my shell, but once I’m comfortable it’s hard to shut me up, literally.

Anyhow, where I’m going with this is that I find it unique, a bit quirky, and oddly similar how Janie and Skully’s relationship progressed quite like my roommate and I’s.  While we quickly found it easy to bond over our dogs, like many dog owners do.  When we first met it took us a bit of time to get to know each other.  My roommate was this outgoing, loud girl with fantastic heels that I was a bit apprehensive about meeting, but after ‘forcing’ me to join her for Sushi more than once or even twice as I recall, we couldn’t have become better friends and obviously now roommates.

I think it’s safe to say that we are more of a reflection of the type of animals we own than we think; we may not look like them, but we probably reflect a few of their personality traits. For some of us that may not be a good thing, but its food for thought, or at least just a thought. So the next time your furry friend makes you laugh or gets on your nerves, take a moment and think, have you acted the same way?    

 Oh and has for the puppies, well let’s just say their learning to get along quite nicely…

Week # 4 – A Somber Weekend

I would have to say that it has been quite a weekend for Janie and I. Sadly, my grandmother passed away on Sunday and it’s been a rough week. My grandmother was a wonderful woman who I loved very much and someone I wish I would have spent more time with as I grew older. Now, I am left with many precious memories to wrap myself in when I miss her most.

Some of you may be surprised that I’m sharing such intimate details of my life on a blog. But when I started this blog I had one main goal: be honest. I think it’s important that I give my audience the same respect that I expect when reading other people’s blogs. Blogs can be as personal as a diary and an outlet for someone to express themselves in a way that at times can be better captured in writing than in a conversation. For me, I’ve always found it easier to express myself when writing, which was one of my main motivations for starting a blog. And as I’ve mentioned before this blog is as much about Janie as it is about me and our journey together. Beyond that, this blog is a place to share the special qualities and traits of Janie and Greyhounds.

As a Virgo, (guilty – I believe a bit in Zodiac signs), I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. Oddly enough, however ‘oddly’ may not be the right word, I think Janie has sensed my somber mood over these past few days. While she normally sleeps on her own bed on the floor, the past few mornings she has quietly slithered her way onto my bed and I’ve woken up with her always wet nose against my neck. And since this isn’t the first time this has happened I have come to believe that Janie is quite intuitive. Yes I think many of us would like to think all dogs are, however, Greyhounds are one of the only breeds I have been around that can keep constant eye contact. Like a friend who knows when you need a hug, Janie always seems to have the same instinct. Instead, her hug is more of a head press into your chest and a quick lick on the face. It’s reassuring and gentle and over these past few days she has made me feel a bit more peaceful about life. I mean honestly, what more could you want in a best friend?