Chillin' at Starbucks

I went to a "Tweetup" this morning - where you meet in person people you chat with via Twitter.com. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to get Casper out of the house, plus I thought he *might* get a little attention without the competition of the other two hounds. He's a very good car rider, by the way.

We sat out on the patio at Starbucks for at least an hour. I brought one of the travel-sized pet beds with me so Casper had something soft to lay on, and he chilled at my feel the entire time. One woman brought her 1.5 year old son with her and Casper didn't seem at all bothered by him.

People don't often see Greyhounds around Douglasville, where I live. That and Casper's striking good looks attract attention when we're out. I wish one of these admirers would seriously consider giving him a forever home. Casper can be more reserved until he's gotten used to someone, but he loves human attention and is one of those loyal dogs that, once he decides you're his, will follow you everywhere.

Seems nothing fazes him

Casper has got to be one of the most unbothered Greyhounds I've met. He really hasn't been afraid of anything. He was a little whiny when he took his first ride to our house, but then his whole world was changing. Still, he was a good car rider. Thunderstorms haven't bothered him at all.

Casper hasn't been shy about nudging in, competing for attention with my two. But he's really not rude about it and even snarky Sara has yet to feel the need to put him in his place. She *always* snarls and snaps at new dogs at least once because they presume they can get closer than she likes. Either she likes Casper or he hasn't been too pushy. Probably a little of both : )

Tonight I was using a Dremel tool to grind down Sara's nails. She hates it so I just put her in our baby-gated dog room where she really can't run away from me. Then she pretty quickly laid down and let me take care of her nails. Casper whined a little because he wanted to come in and be near us but I didn't want him in the way. So he laid down on the floor in front of the gate until I finished and let Sara out, then he got up to come in the room.

I said, "You don't want to come in here and get your nails done, Casper." But in he came, and laid down on the dog bed. So I tried the Dremel on him to see how he'd react and he just laid there passively and let me file down his nails. It sounds crazy because neither of my dogs want to put up with the Dremel tool, but it seemed like Casper actually liked the attention.

The Only Worthwhile Toy

Casper wasn't much of one for playing with toys, at least not regular stuffies. But when he learned that the Buster Cube (the red cube above) yielded treats with a little bit of work, that was a different story. The only reason he isn't attacking it in the picture was because he'd worn himself out emptying it.

Like many Greyhounds, Casper is all about food. His stomach knows when it's time to eat, and if I let it slip by just a little bit, he'll let me know! I don't know if that's only because he just loves food, or if it's his metabolism and hyperthyroidism that make him extra hungry.

I asked Dr. Toby what kind of care Casper needed for his thyroid other than medication, and he said "Nothing." I was surprised. I think they check the level at his annual physicals, but other than that I just drop one pill in his food dish with his kibble and he gobbles it up. It's a very inexpensive medication, too. Sounds like a complete non-issue to me.

Poor Guy...

My goodness - eating breakfast was soooooo exhausting. I must retire to the furry shag rug...aaaahhhhhhhhh...