Meet Gordon our Greyhound Part 1
16 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in dogs, Greyhounds of Greater Rochester, pets, veterinarian, veterinary Tags: Dog, Greyhound, Greyhound racing, Hound Group, Pets
This is only my second official blog…so I ask readers to be patient and at best ignore the typos…The Internet blogosphere is new to me and as I say to my tennis teacher..,my neural paths are just developing to the new media.
Gordon is one of 3 dogs (and 3 cats) that courteously allow me to LIVE with them. Prior to Gordon all my dogs were Pembroke Welsh Corgis(another blog) and Labrador Retrievers. 20 years ago I would not own a Greyhound because I assumed they were high-strung, high maintenance dogs. As more and more left the track (most doomed to be destroyed) rescue organizations sprung up to help place the retired pups. And logically I began seeing more in my practice.
When I spoke with our local representative from Greyhounds of Greater Rochester http://www.greyhoundadopt.org/ about their care I was shocked at how little I knew about the breed. Yes they raced and yes they were the second fastest land mammal behind the cheetah)..and that was all I knew. Much to my chagrin they are, in fact, as described “90 mile an hour coach potatoes”. They spend their time at the track conserving their energy. So, if they are NOT racing, eating or playing they are asleep. Gordon is at rest almost 24/7.
In all honesty the rules to Greyhound care are few but stringent. These are the first two I want to discuss.
- ALWAYS have them on leash when walking them outside (more on the hazards of not obeying this rule in part . Many have very high prey drive..and the sight of any furry critter(squirrel, another dog or cat) is like blood to sharks. And many if unleashed are off and out of sight in seconds. The result can be disastrous as you can imagine..
- ALWAYS keep them off the furniture. In general, dogs on furnitures (and beds ) is a bad idea. It allows them to dominate you and your home. Humans should remain alpha to their canine companions. Greyhounds were crated at the track unless racing eating or playing. It is their safe spot. And, owners are encouraged to crate them.
After having Gordon live with us for several months I violated rule 2. He got up on my bed and never created a fuss until last night. Failing to comply with Rule 1 led Gordon to a brush with a car last week, The drivers never stopped and he was left with some nasty scrapes.
A bad scrape on his elbow compounded with a Greyhound’s tendency to constantly lick and groom themselves led me to place a large bandage from his elbow to his ankle. For some reason, the only place he was COMFORTABLE (on my Queen size memory foam bed!!) was across my legs. There is space at the bottom of the bed for the Queen Mary to park, but apparently that was inadequate for Gordie. Each time I pushed him off with my legs he would circle 2 or 3 dozen time(again another Greyhound anomaly)..and then lie back down on my legs. I don’t know about you..but I cannot sleep with 70 pounds of dead weight across my legs.
It was 3 am and I was to be up at 6:30 AM. This process repeated itself for 2 hours…dog lays on legs, gets pushed off and circles to lay back down on legs. By 5 AM I was ready to eject him “to the Moon ” as Ralph Kramden would tell Alice. But I kept thinking, I am smarter than a Greyhound. They are not rocket scientists. (and to all you dog owners out there..please don’t berate me with how smart your dog is …this is humor here…). I could wear him down. But nope, the hound kept it up until I finally exhausted lapsed into slumber from exhaustion after fighting 15 rounds . To make matters worse, Gordon started to nest (another feature Greyhounds love to display). So, after circling and before laying across my legs he pulled all the covers off of me.
I lost the battles and the war. Gordon won the battle and best of all he got to sleep in late !!
The Smallest Racing Dynasty
08 Nov 2010 2 Comments
in DVM, horse racing, Michelle Brownstein, Secretariat, veterinarian, veterinary
After viewing Disney’s latest release, Secretariat with my 16-year-old son, many fond memories surfaced and we talked endlessly about ”The Horse”. My youngest brother, our Mother and I were all lucky to have witnessed the Big Red colt win the 1973 Derby. I was a student at the University of Louisville at that time. Lousiville was a city we visited many times. It was our Father Itzy’s birthplace..so in addition to the college, we had many friends and relatives there.One relative was closely tied to horse racing…our Uncle Sammy .
Uncle Sammy married my Fathers sister. And simply put, he was a character. His job by day was to run a small liquor store in downtown Louisville were he sold spirits and cashed paychecks ( only after the payee passed his strict “criss crossing” examination). As he professed to us kids…he was a “regular Dick Tracy” when it came to detecting bogus checks.
But Uncle Sammy also had a passion for the ponies and his other “job” was a racetrack bookie. A dark secret that was kept from the children! Prior to the Derby my brother and I made local headlines. Our Mother discovered I had opened an OFF TRACK BETTING (OTB) account for my then 15-year-old brother. She was not happy that her children were following a criminal path and reported us to the local newspapers in Rochester NY.
The only tragedy was that Uncle Sammy never got to see the end of a race. He had suffered a heart attack years before and his doctor ordered him to avoid excitement..so he always turned his back at the track as the horses thundered down the stretch. And in all good humor, Uncle Sammy had a stutter which exacerbated when het got excited. So when he spoke of the ponies, their grand lineage and the jocks…it was a cacophony of words and spit…but we enjoyed the stories.
Uncle Sammy took me and my brother to Churchill Downs on several visits but the most memorable had to be the 1973 Kentucky Derby. I recall it was a pleasant Louisviile day and we arrived to watch all 9 races. Most people are not aware that the Derby is the 8th race in a day of races at Churchill Downs. Many of my classmates were watching from the infield but we had lucked into Grandstand tickets. We saw the parade of women in absurd hats each trying to best the other in their on audacious manner.
I remember the race as if it was run yesterday. Secretariat thundered down the homestretch like a proverbial equine freight train. However, the MOST exciting race for me was the Belmont, the 3rd leg in the Triple Crown. Never have a I seen a horse since then leave his competition in a wake of dust as did Secretariat in this race.
Little did our Mother know that her youngest children’s paths in life would diverge but remain tied by horses. My brother loved to watch them race..I loved to ride them and learn about their medical problems. He worked at the Maryland Jockey Club and later as a VP at DC Edelman…I went on to become a veterinarian…Years later still we are still linked by the first Saturday each May.
Words to Remember
06 Nov 2010 2 Comments
in cats, dogs, pet hospice, veterinary
Never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way. Martin Luther King, Jr.
