Closing Down.

It's hard to keep up the content to manage two blogs.  I thought I could do it, with so much that happens during the year with the activities of Greyhounds Rock.  I was wrong.  Pretty much immediately after the last post on this blog, I made the decision that it would be easier on me to merge the content that I would have directed into this blog into my main blog (Hartwood Roses).  This blog never picked up the readership I would have liked to see, and it was hard for me to separate my work with Greyhounds Rock from everything else I do.

In October, I posted some adorable photos from one of our Greyhounds Rock planning committee meetings.  We always had great food to share and lots of sleepy dogs in attendance.  (CLICK HERE to view post.)

Scrunchie and Denny don't care what we're discussing at the meeting.  They just want to hang out with their humans.

I chronicled our Halloween weekend gathering IN THIS POST, with the vendors, seminars, speakers, and the costume contest at our banquet.  It was a huge success, and we are excited about the plans we already have for this year's gathering.

In December, many of the Greyhounds Rock volunteers worked a couple of weekends with Santa at the Mall ... keeping the kiddies and their parents happy while they were waiting in line to visit with the jolly old Elf.  (CLICK HERE for more).  We have a dog event planned for the Mall this summer ... stay tuned for details.

We are in the early stages of planning this year's fall weekend event, being held November 11-13, 2011.  We have already secured a nationally recognized speaker that we are incredibly excited about.  Details will be forthcoming come VERY soon ... announced on the Greyhounds Rock web site, through our mailing list, and on the Hartwood Roses blog.

My latest portrait of TJ, taken last week.

For those of you who have been following the progress of TJ, our 'poster dog' who lost his left front leg to Osteosarcoma in July ... he completed his 6th round of chemotherapy last month.  He has had two chest x-rays during that time, and both were normal.  I saw him yesterday at Kim's house, and he greeted me with his usual enthusiasm ... running through the snow and jumping over branches.  It's good to see such a happy dog!

I will leave this blog up as an archive, what little of it there is.  Can it really be called an 'archive' when there are only nine posts? 

To keep up with all of the activities of the Greyhounds Rock gang, please visit our web site.  While you're there, consider joining our mailing list to be notified of whatever is going on, and donations are graciously accepted and greately appreciated ... hint, hint.

Show Your Support

For every donation of $3.00 or more made to Greyhounds Rock, we will send you one of our new bracelets.  (We're a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, so all donations are tax-deductible.)

You can use the PayPal button on the Greyhounds Rock web site.  Every cent of your donation will be donated to the cause ... finding effective treatment, and an eventual cure, for canine cancer.

Join us, and show your support!

Making Martingale Collars for the Greyhounds Rock Booth at the Dog Fair.

We, the ladies of Greyhounds Rock, in addition to planning our own event and fundraising activities, are also on the planning committee for 'Fredericksburg's Gone to the Dogs' the Downtown Dog Fair.  We are in charge of soliciting all of the vendors and animal welfare organizations, and coordinating their booth space and locations.  All of this meshes perfectly with what we already do for our own annual gathering, and we are pleased to be making a contribution to such a fabulous event like the Dog Fair.

The Dog Fair is THIS SATURDAY, and I still haven't finished sewing enough collars to sell at our booth.  (I'm trying not to panic.)  The rainy weather this week has kept me out of the garden, and has made for perfect conditions for staying inside and sewing like crazy.  I'm getting a lot accomplished.

This was the fabric rack at the ReStore.

I already had a lot of fabric picked out to use, and I found even more at the Richmond Habitat ReStore.  I love making collars from discontinued designer decorator fabrics!  The fabric is usually of exceptional quality, and the colors are beautiful.

Most of these are linen or linen blends.

I cut the squares of fabric into strips ....

... and I sew on the lining.  To make the process go faster, I usually sew the strips one after another without cutting the thread.  I end up with a huge heap of strips behind the sewing machine, then I cut them apart and iron them.

When I'm sewing, I can count on having at least one of the cats sitting in the middle of what I'm doing.  This is Amy, taking a quick bath.

Dorothy was sitting behind the machine for a little while.

... and Alice would hop into my chair whenever I got up.

After ironing, the fabric blanks are ready to get their hardware and become collars.

We sell these collars at our booth (and on the web site soon) for $20.  Every cent of that $20 goes to Greyhounds Rock and will be donated to organizations who support canine cancer research and treatment.  I expect to be sewing myself to death for the next couple of days, to make as many collars as possible for the booth. 

Every collar we sell represents $20 more for the cause, and could bring us $20 closer to finding a more effective treatment for canine cancer.  It is this thought that keeps me motivated as I sew.

If you are local, be sure to bring your dog and come to the Downtown Dog Fair this Saturday, October 2. 

To find out more about Greyhounds Rock, to get details about our weekend gathering October 29 - 31, or to make a donation, please visit our web site.  Every donation helps us reach our goal of finding an effective treatment for canine cancer.

Farewell to a Gardening Hound

Freda Cameron, you know her from the blog Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel, said good-bye to her beloved greyhound Charm today.

Charm

raced as 'Won By Her Wits'

1999 - 2010

Charm had kidney disease for the past four years, but it was the pain of bone cancer that finally forced Freda and her husband to make the heart-breaking decision to let her go.

Run free, sweet Charm.

(go to Freda's blog for more beautiful photos of Charm.)

I'm Back!

For a variety of reasons, which I'll share with you some time soon, I completely lost my blogging momentum.  The longer I was away, the harder it seemed to pick up where I left off ... and writer's block set in. 

Instead of trying to back track and tell you EVERYTHING about TJ, I'll just share a couple of photos and a video that I took yesterday at our Greyhounds Rock meeting ... it will make you smile, I promise.

Posing for his picture.

All tuckered out!

While watching this video, remember that this is a dog who is 4 weeks post amputation, and 2 days after his first chemo treatment.  Look how happy he is!!

I'll be back soon with details of our event, ways you can help the cause if you can't come to the gathering here in Fredericksburg, and lots more.

(Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg, a non-profit charity, 501 (c) (3) applied for.)

TJ Update

Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes for TJ and his parents. 

TJ had surgery to amputate his leg on Saturday afternoon.  He spent two days in the hospital, returning home on Monday afternoon.  It has been a rough adjustment so far, but Kim says that things are getting a bit better each day. 

A very touching thing that happened on Tuesday afternoon.  Kim and TJ and Howe were outside on the front sidewalk.  TJ had been using Kim as a crutch whenever he had to go out, but this time she was standing in front of him.  Howe walked next to him, and he and TJ were standing side by side.  TJ leaned on Howe for balance for a few moments and Howe braced for him.  (You have to know that Howe is quite frail right now, and he usually has enough to do keeping his own balance.)  It seems like everyone in the household is doing what they can to help TJ adjust and recover.

I'll update more later in the week.  I just wanted to put a quick note here, so I don't leave everyone hanging.

Why We Do What We Do

Greyhounds Rock is a non-profit charity (501 (c) (3) applied for) that friends and I run.  Our mission is to raise funds for Canine Cancer Research, especially Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) which is common in greyhounds and other long-boned dogs (like Dobermans, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, etc.)  I had intended that my first real post on this blog would be to give you the story of how we started and what we do ... but I have something else to tell you about today.

I was out running errands yesterday afternoon.  My phone chirped as I pulled into the parking lot at Lowes, alerting me that I had a new text message.  The message from my friend Kim said, "TJ broke his ankle in 3 places - cancer not ruled out."  This morning, the news from the vet confirmed our worst fears .... Cancer. 

Four years ago, at the age of four, TJ was Kim and Andy's foster dog.  He came from Wheeling, West Virginia, and he needed a place to stay until a permanent home could be found.  He quickly made it known that he WAS home. 

TJ was a Therapy Dog from the moment he arrived.  He loves people, and he works his shifts at the hospital with Kim like a professional ... it's just how he is.

TJ dressed in 'scrubs' for Halloween one year.

He's friendly, and goofy, and curious.  Everything that makes a perfect Therapy Dog.

His 'brother' Howe looks on as TJ checks thing out.

Kim is one of my dearest friends, and I love TJ as if he were my own.  My heart breaks for them.  I don't know yet what will happen next ... whether they will treat his cancer, or whether they will kiss him goodbye. 

Please include Kim and Andy and TJ in your prayers ... they need all the comfort they can get right now.