And Then There Were Four

Stephen's angels - Stacker, Julie, and Allie

We went from six to five greyhounds when Julie passed away exactly a year ago. Then Maddie brought us back up to six.

Reagan, Riley, Maddie, Seven, Allie, Stacker

And then in the last month, we lost Allie and Stacker. All three were my husband's greyhounds. He adopted them before we got married and they would be the reason we met. He would not have joined a greyhound club had he not had any greyhounds, right?

I did not blog much about Allie, Stacker, and Julie since they were not "my" hounds. People thought it was funny, but we truly had his and her hounds. His hounds were definitely Daddy's hounds and my hounds are definitely Mama's hounds. Reagan is the only hound we consider "ours", but honestly she is probably more his than mine at this point (recall she became noise phobic and terrified of travel so she can not participate in sports like my other hounds).

No Passing Sones aka Julie

April 1, 1999 - June 3, 2012

Julie was a very easy hound and caused no trouble at all. A very passive girl, friendly and sweet. In his tribute on Facebook, Stephen said: There are few things in life that can transcend time. Throughout history one thing that has been written over and over again is the canine's companionship to its master. Through thick and thin over the last ten years I have enjoyed this. Now, I'll carry on with one less in the pack. Farewell, Julie. You changed my life in more ways than you'll ever know. I am forever thankful for your companionship and I will always look for you at my side in the days, months, and years to come.

The Last Hour with Julie

Allie was nicknamed "The Mule". My parents joked that they had to hold a mirror under her nose to make sure she was still alive when they would babysit her. She was quite lazy.... unless there was food involved and then it was if she was struck by lightning. The girl loved to eat! But she was a slug if no food was included.

Stephen said: Today I said goodbye to Allie, the hardest working hound I've ever had. From coursing to tracking to retrieving to whistle-recalls, she loved all of it. Over the last 9+ years she was by my side, earning a treat from my pocket. Tracking was my favorite outing with her. She was an ace at finding a gloved prize in a hay field. Allie was my happy dog and always had a tail wag for everyone she met. Rest in peace, my friend, and run in joy...

Stacker was part of the June 28th birthday trio. Seven, Riley, and Stacker were all born on June 28th. It was so interesting and random because none of them are littermates and we did not find out until after they had been adopted. We were really hoping to get birthday #14 out of Stacker next month, but it was not to be. He simply tired out.

Stacker won some trophies in his lure coursing days and was our most successful racer.

Curiously, Stacker was diagnosed with bone cancer over a year ago. The diagnosis stuck when we x-rayed it a few weeks later and then again a year later. Our vet was sure it was bone cancer in a metatarsal, but the corresponding toe had been amputated so Stacker never limped except for when he got a hairline fracture which prompted us to x-ray it in the first place. The hairline fracture healed, he stopped limping, and the cancer progressed somewhat, but never spread beyond the metatarsal and never created a tumor. Our vet asked if he could send off the bone for a study and we said of course. Osteosarcoma was confirmed. Dr. Toby had never seen bone cancer progress so slowly. It was not Stacker's cause of death.

P's Stacker FCh aka Stacker

June 28, 1999 - May 20, 2013

Stacker aged well. Just a few weeks ago, he was still loping a few laps around the yard. Although his hikes were much shorter than they used to be, it was impressive that he was still climbing hills and jumping into the husband's Xterra on his own.

Stephen said: Live Life in the Moment – Spending the last decade with the hounds I’ve learned a number of things. The most important of those lessons is something that comes very naturally to them: Live Life in the Moment. To live each and every day of your life excited and overjoyed to see someone is an amazing feeling. My big, goofy boy left me Monday afternoon, happily chomping away at a tray of steak as the sedative set in. Living life in the moment. Over the last ten years, Stacker has helped me change the course of my life. Along with his sisters who have gone on before him, my trio of hounds saw me through thick and thin. I’ve loved every minute of their companionship and wouldn’t trade it for the world. There’s something very special about the bond between a hound and an owner that recognizes it and makes it the best it can be. I can only hope that I live my life going forward in way that my hounds thought I did.
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Julie: "Is that, Stacker?"