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).

My Grey Obsession

For the past year or so I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a blog. However, when I would finally take the time to sit down and get one started I would end up spending more time staring at a blank screen trying to pinpoint exactly what I wanted to blog about then I would actually creating the blog. It wasn’t until recently, after I attended my first Social Media class, that the idea finally hit me or in this case nudged me.

While we were required to start a blog for the semester, our professor allowed us to choose anything to blog about whether it was about our lives, our interests or a simple blog created for class discussion. I of course went straight home, plopped on the couch, and began to stare once again at my computer. The same unanswered thoughts started running through my head; there were just so many directions I could take the project. It wasn’t until I felt a familiar wet nose nudge my leg that inspiration finally hit. I peered over the top of my screen to see my beautiful Greyhound Janie giving me that all too familiar look, a look that makes me feel like she knows exactly what I’m thinking. It couldn’t have been more obvious; I needed to blog about her.

I’ve named my blog “MyGreyObsession” because I’m simply in love with my Greyhound. Since adopting her in May, she’s brought so much happiness and adventure into my life which I would like to share. I would also like this blog to be a space for me to document my feelings and experiences as I explore the different aspects of the Greyhound world, including life on the track, the controversy over dog racing, and the lives of retired racers.

I hope that people will join me and share their experiences, advice, and thoughts as I continue on this journey. And just maybe, if I’m lucky, I can convince someone out there how wonderful it is to adopt a Greyhound.