What is privacy?

I don't know what privacy is, but I'm not sure I like it. When mom goes into that little room with the big bowl of water I'm not allowed to drink from (I still don't know why), she actually sits on the bowl. This seems weird, so I go in figuring that if she's just sitting there, she probably wants to rub my ears. But everytime I go in, she somehow quickly turns me around and out the door, which she then shuts. She says she needs "privacy."  I don't think I need privacy, but then again, I don't know what it is. All I know is it means I'm on the outside of the room and she's inside and no one is petting me. Boo!
BART

I'm a Busy Boy!

I'm so glad I can snuggle in my crate and rest today! Two days ago I went to another Meet & Greet, which was super fun. I loved seeing so many of my buddies there. Plus, my foster mom bought us all treats to share! And I met a nice pair of humans named Tom and Michelle who took me for a walk. They invited me to come visit them at their house soon, and they say if I like it, I can live there! I hope I like it because they were very nice!

Then yesterday, my foster family had a human Meet & Greet. There were lots of people here, and they all gave presents to Alex and sang to him. I had so much fun visiting with everyone, especially Celia who I haven't seen in forever! She's only a little taller than me and I was so excited to see her I almost knocked her over. Oops! I do love that girl. She gives awesome hugs and tells me she loves me.

Back to my crate now for a snooze!
BART

A few of my favorite things

My foster dad keeps talking about my forever home. Here are a few of my favorite things I hope my forever home has:
1. People who love me.
2. Scratches for behind my ears.
3. Kisses for the top of my head.
4. A treat jar. Or a treat box. Or a treat closet. Or a treat room!
5. A soft bed for long naps.
6. A leash for walks.
7. Lots of clean fresh water. Speaking of which, I'm thirsty now. BRB...

I'm back!
8. Big hugs and belly rubs.
9. A warm blanket.
10. Rawhide bones and squeaky toys. I can make do with socks though. Or cashmere sweaters.

Woof!
BART

Run, run, RUN!

Aroo-ooooo!
I've been having so much fun with my sisters racing around the yard. A lot of the cold white stuff is gone, and the birds are back. Those big black ones are so much fun to chase! No fair that they leave the ground, though. Sometimes I run so fast I feel like I'm flying, but not like those birds. Except when I dream at night -- then I dream I can chase them right up into the sky. I always wake up before I catch them, but it's still fun. My foster dad has been taking us for walks again, too, and I totally love that. Gotta go take a nap now so I'll be ready to run when everyone gets home!
Woof!
BART

Love Meet & Greets!

Woof!
Haven't had much time to blog lately. I've been a busy boy! We just came back from another Meet & Greet. It's so much fun to meet new grey friends and new people friends! I love getting hugs...and treats! Mark is one of my favorite friends. He gives me lots of love AND treats! Last week he had a whole bag of treats, and this week I discovered his magic pocket. Yeah, he reaches his hand into his pocket, and out come treats! It was great! I tried to get my nose in there a few times. I could smell the tasty treats, but couldn't quite grab them. But Mark was happy to share them with me. You can tell they were good treats because even Mark and his friend Tony tried one! Silly humans!
Off to take a nap now!
BART

A few of my favorite things

Woof! Thought I'd tell you about some of my favorite things about retirement (other than the great food, treats, and comfy beds).

1. Snuggling with my foster mom. I love it when she lays right down with me and rubs behind my ears and tells me how sweet and handsome I am. Sigh.
2. Walks with my foster dad. So much to see, so much to sniff, so much to mark! This usually followed by a nice nap.
3. The Kongs the boy fills up with treats and peanut butter for us every morning. They are delicious! Plus, he gives great hugs, too, and is usually right on time with our breakfast!
4. Riding in the car! This is awesome! We go fast and I try to see everything out the window. Sometimes they open the window a little and the smells are overwhelming! The only challenge is that I sometimes trip over or step on my sister greys because they like to sleep in the car.
5. Having a tree in the house that's all sparkly and covered in toys (even if I don't really get to play with them). It's gone now, though. : (
6. Visitors who understand why I have sniff them so thoroughly, like Celia, and Kristen, and Scott. I hope they visit again soon!
7. Snow! It's so fun to frolic in the snow with my sister greys. We can kick up that white fluffy stuff so high! It makes it a little hard to sniff things sometimes though. I have to stick my nose right in it. I don't mind, and it make my foster mom laugh when I come to the door with a pile of snow on my nose.
8. Chewing on and snuggling with mom's clothes. They smell so good, just like her. The only problem is, she doesn't like when I do this.I don't know what cashmere is, but it's so soft and warm!
9. Bones! Give me a good rawhide bone and I'm a happy boy for hours!
10. Dreaming about my forever home. I love it here, but I know it's just one stop on my journey....

I'm a good brother

Hi Friends!
I guess my foster mom didn't like having that tree in the house after all. When I came downstairs the other day, it was gone. Just like that! I'm kinda sad because I like laying under it. It was very sparkly and had lots of stuff to sniff. Oh well, I'm amusing myself by checking out mom's other stuff, like her socks, sweaters, scarves. She doesn't seem to like when I do that, though.

My sister greys made a big mess last week! All the humans were gone, so we were just hanging out in the bedroom. I was snoozing in my crate. Then one of my sisters (I'm not saying which one) got bored so she jumped up on the bed and took down this big fat book and ripped it to shreds. I have to admit, it sure seemed like fun. Until my foster dad came home. He was not happy and cleaned everything up. When mom came home, she tried to get me to tell which one of the girls did it, but my lips are sealed. I am a good brother after all! I don't know what a bible is, but mom wondered aloud what happens to a dog who chews up a bible. Nothing too bad, I hope-- I love my foster sisters!

Arooo, roooo!
BART

Fluffy sneezy stuff

Last night, my foster dad wrapped some plastic around his shoulders. Then mom used these buzzing things on his head. I wasn't sure I liked to buzzing. I went closer to mom to sniff it out. She told me to move over unless I wanted a haircut, too. What's a haircut? Can you eat it? Then I saw stuff falling on the floor. Must be food. I moved in to sniff it. Achoo! Sniff. Achoo! Sniff. Achoo! It tickles my nose. Sniff. Achoo! Sniff. Achoo!  

 

"Bart! Go lay down..."   

 

Achoo! 

Mom says I'm a goofball

So for all my four-legged friends out there, I invented a fun new game that you can play all by yourself. Lay on your side. Bring your nose down toward your middle and roll to push yourself onto your back. All four legs should be in the air. Then lean ever so slightly to the other side, and let your body fall to that side. THUMP! Then repeat in the opposite direction. THUMP!. Again. THUMP! THUMP! More. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! My foster mom was laughing and laughing, and she called me a goofball, which sounds kinda nice so I got up and gave her a kiss. Then back to my game. It's especially fun if you have an itch on your back that you want to rub.
THUMP!!!
THUMP!!!
THUMP!!!

The Best Visitors Ever!

Haloooooooo!
My foster parents had the best visitors over last night! Mostly when humans come over, they pat my head and then push me away while I try to smell them. They don't realize that a good introductory sniff can take several minutes, so I usually don't get to finish. But the pretty lady who came over last night named Kristen spent the whole night giving me hugs and kisses and letting me smell her and telling me how pretty I am and how much she wanted to take me home. I would have been happy to go with her, but the man she was with said no. He was good at petting me, too, and let me sniff him a whole bunch. I think they have other dogs at home and he didn't think their boy dog would like me. But I think EVERYONE likes me, so I don't see the problem. Anyway, I'm still looking for my forever home, but enjoying it here, too. Another grey joined our pack yesterday named Victoria. Mom says she "visiting." I like her. She's pretty. I love "visitors!"
RooRooo!
BART

I'm learning...decorations are NOT dog treats...

Here's a tip for all my fellow greys in foster homes. If your people have a tree in their house--which is confusing enough--they might hang things on it that look and smell interesting. I sampled one last night. It didn't taste great, but it felt good to chew on. Not for long though! My foster mom and dad made a very convincing argument for me to "drop it" and "leave it." Mom hung it back on the tree. I'm not sure why those things are on the tree, but apparently, they are not for me. I wonder how dad feels about that shiny thing with buttons he's always holding and pointing at the TV...
Sniff, sniff,
BART

I Love to Party!

Hey friends!
I did something exciting on Sunday -- I went to a party! It was a holiday social for all the Greyhound Options humans and hounds. I've never been to a party before, but I can't wait to go to another one! There were so many humans petting me and telling me how sweet and handsome I am. I got to catch up with some hounds I've met before, and got to sniff lots of new ones, too. But the best part, the very best part, was a long, long table covered in treats!!! I could barely look at anything else! My people only gave me treats from one dish on the end, but that was OK because they were so yummy. I tried to help myself a few times, but I guess you're not allowed to do that at a party. Anyway, next time you're planning a party, don't forget to invite your buddy Bart!
Happy Howlidays!

A Failure to Communicate

Hello Bloggers!
I'm looking for some help from my fellow four-footed friends. My foster family keeps a whole lot of my food on the porch in a closet in a bin. I don't find this convenient at all, but I try to make the best of it. Since I can't open the door to the porch by myself, when I want to get out there, I go to the door and push my head against it. Sometimes, I also whine and scratch the door. Very clear, right? Wrong! Whenever I do this, one of the human people leads me out, right past the food closet (which I can open by myself with my nose and a little perseverance) and outside. But it's cold outside! And there is no food out there! So I stand at that door. Sure enough, someone comes to the door to let me in, but again, they don't let me stop at the food closet and hustle me right back into the house! Help! Is there a special bark, wag, or sign any of you can recommend?
Your Buddy, Bart

I have a headache

My head hurts.

1 hour earlier:

I see the door is open to the porch. My food is on the porch. I dash for the door. Ouch! 

“Oops, sorry! Didn’t see you boy. You can’t run through the door when I am closing it.”

½ hour earlier:

My foster dad opens a cabinet door. I wonder if there is food in there? Ouch!

“Bart, sorry! I didn’t see you again. You can’t stick your head in every open door…”

5 minutes earlier:

Wow, the cold box with food is opening! It smells good in there. I move toward the light. Ouch!

“Oh Bart, not again! Sorry, but get your head out of the refrigerator…”

Now:

Hey, I think the closet door where they keep the treats is open…

My favorite water bowl

Hi Blog World!
I wanted to tell you one of my favorite things about living in a house. An unlimited supply of water! I'm a thirsty guy, and I love being able to drink whenever I want. My humans have several bowls of water in the house, but my favorite bowl is in a small room all its own. The bowl is raised up to my height, is all shiny and white, and is alway full of cool fresh water. The only problem is that whenever I'm drinking from it, my foster family tells me "no" and brings me over to one of the other silver water bowls. I don't know why they don't want me to use the white one. When they go in the room to use it, they shut the door. Maybe it's just for them. Oh well, it's confusing, but as long as I get fresh water, I'm happy!
Wag, wag, slurp!
Bart

What's the problem?

I don’t see what’s the big deal. I was doing my daily counter surfing looking for food when my foster dad walked in and yelled, "Hey!"  Startled, I jumped down and he pointed to the living room and said, “Go lay down.” This made me sad, so I hung my head and headed for the room.

I wonder if he was talking to me? I go back to the kitchen. Something smells good up there. Up I go, reaching, reaching... agh, he's yelling again! What? He doesn’t say anything else, just points to the other room. Down my head goes, back to the living room.

This carpet is soft. Sigh. Something smells good. I go back to the kitchen, up I go, reaching, reaching... "Hey!" Ok, ok, back to the living room.

Don’t know what the big deal is……. Wait, what is that smell...

Upset tummy

I woke up yesterday morning while it was still dark with a very upset tummy. Whatever was in there just needed to come out. My foster mom leaped out of bed and turned on the lights. She was very sweet to me, talking softly and rubbing my tummy. It was kind of weird that she kept trying to lay Cinnamon's blanket under me when I was heaving, but I didn't want to get any yuck on her nice blanket, so I made sure I got it on the rug instead. Three times. When I was done, she sent me outside with my foster "dad" and Lass and Cinnamon. The fresh air felt great! I came in good as new and looking for breakfast. I love it here!
Woof!
Bart

P.S. My foster mom also calls me Bartimus, Bartolomew, and Bartilicious. She's funny! I come no matter what she calls me, especially when she says "treat!"

Car rides are exciting!

Woof!
Went for a ride in the car last night with my two fosters sisters Lass and Cinnamon. I love them for sharing their forever home with me while I look for mine, and for sharing their space in the car last night. [Note to Lass: sorry about stepping on your head!]

Last time I rode in the car, I was alone in the back and it was daytime. This time was at night and it was so exciting. So many sparkling lights! So many amazing smells! Our "mom" opened the back windows a little for us so we could stick out our noses. I was almost dizzy with all of the scents! We stopped for a while, and then the boy, Alex, got in the car with us, and I had fun smelling his head.

It was so much fun, I had to take a long nap when we got home, before I went to bed. Can't wait for our next trip!

Arooo roooo!
Bart

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Hi Buddies!
I'm excited to report that I've made a new friend. Well, sort of. He's the most handsome greyhound I've ever met. But I can only see him when I stand right in front of my foster mom's dresser. I've tried jumping up on the dresser to give him a good sniff and a kiss, but it's like I'm licking glass. I can see him, but I can't touch him. And he does everything I do at the same time, so I know he wants to play with me, too. It's frustrating, but I guess I can be happy just looking at him. He's so beautiful! And his foster mom looks just like mine, because when mine comes over to tell me to get down, his does too! Amazing!

My first Meet-n-Greet

Hello!
Bart here! It's Sunday afternoon, and this retirement life is pretty great. I've got plenty of time to relax and hang out, but it's not boring. I'm learning a lot, too. Like how to go up and down stairs. Man, those things look like a mountain at first, but I found if you only look at one step ahead, it's not so scary. I go up and down whenever I want. I stumbled a little yesterday, but the stairs here are well padded and carpeted, so it was OK.

Yesterday was very exciting. I went to my first meeting event. My foster mom put me in the car with some treats. I like riding in the car. There's so much to see and smell! Then we went to a big place with slippery floors and I met lots of other greys. It was fun to spend time with a pack. There were other dogs there, too and lots of humans who did a good job rubbing my ears and telling me how handsome I am. I was also fascinated my these little furry things called hamsters. They looked fun but my mom wouldn't let me too close to see for sure.

Then we went to another house and visited some more humans, including a little girl named Celia who I really liked. She laid down on the floor with me and gave me a nice massage, and she's a great hugger, too! I love hugs!

Whew! I was outside for a while watching my humans rake leaves. I don't know why they do it, but it was fun to watch. Now, I need a nap!
Woof!