![]() Hello WalkTailHour Community, We love traveling. There are so many wonderful and exciting places around the world to go see. Can it improve your life? We sure think so. Traveling abroad offers numerous benefits that can greatly enrich your life. Here are some of the key advantages:
Where have you and your furbabies and friends traveled? Share your comments, stories, and pictures in the comments section below!
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WalkTail Hour Community, As summer approaches and memorial day activities are upon us, we thought it would be a fun time to share some summer cocktail recipes for your next WalkTailHour. Here are three refreshing cocktail recipes that are perfect for the summer season: Watermelon Margarita: Ingredients:
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Cucumber Cooler: Ingredients:
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Pineapple Mojito: Ingredients:
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Remember to drink responsibly and adjust the ingredient quantities according to your taste preferences. Enjoy your summer cocktails! Share your favorite recipes with us below in the comments. Follow us on social media Hello WalkTail, Recent studies have shown that very few Americans meet the basic weekly exercise recommendations. Check out the article below for the overview of the study and a couple recommendations for how to meet those goals. Check out a couple sample exercise videos we've included as well. There are so many different types of exercise you can do. Keep searching until you find something you like! Have you had your #WalkTailHour yet today?
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WalkTail Community, Welcome to #MusicMonday. We are excited to share an idea our dearest friend shared with us recently. And what an idea it is! We would love to see you in the comments section with who your music festival would include and who you listen to during a #WalkTailHour. Comment below and enjoy this week's blog post! With winter's chill in the air, I find more and more time is spent beside my fireplace with a glass of wine in hand - the bottle never sits too far away - and a great album echoing throughout my house. It was during one such session that a curious idea struck me liek the pop of the flames: what would my music festival sound like? Pouring myself another glass of red (more specifically a 2020 Black Label Petit Verdot from Rappahannock Cellars in Virginia), this idea started to take form and I proposed the same invented rules to my best friend: If you had the chance to put together a one-day music festival, who would you book? As in life, there are specific limitations: all acts must be alive so no matter how much I would like to see “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin, the absence of John Bonham precludes these pillars of rock from performing at this particular festival. Another fabricated limitation: only ten bands are allowed plus one headliner. As this is a festival of sorts, there should be a similar vein running throughout each set. Better yet, I thought, what if there would be subsequent collaborations between these bands as a direct result of their mingling at this music festival on future records?! So who to choose? Personally, my list started quickly with names you might recognize (Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Glass Animals) while some lesser-known favorites happen to fall into the lineup (Snarky Puppy, Lettuce). But halfway through this initial lineup, I reminded myself that this is not merely a collection of your all-time favorite acts. No, this is to be a music festival in your image. It was obvious that this initial effort was missing that bit of flannelled rurality that best describes my person. Sorry Dave Grohl but I am relying on the spirit of Chris Thile to guide me through this list. Indeed, it was the Americana glory heard in music of the Punch Brothers that started my list. The Ballroom Thieves are always a great show and the intimacy of their music would be an ideal opening act to welcome fellow wanderers to Happalachia Music Festival. With these two anchoring the lineup, the next few flowed as easily as my third glass of wine. The Dead South, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, and the Record Company were quickly added and brought breadth to the collective sound. The Marcus King Band and Nathaniel Ratliff & the Night Sweats similarly fell in line with the general vibe and it was the soul of their music that inspired the next few selections: JJ Grey & Mofro and Chris Stapleton. To get the crowd into a frenzy, ready for the headliner? Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears. Now the real challenge: who would headline this once in a lifetime event? What band would bring the consummate sound that encapsulates all of these great performances? My thoughts were disrupted by a cacophony of murder sitting in the great White Oak outside my front yard. In her infinite wisdom, Mother Earth was clearly voicing her opinion; the Black Crowes should and would be the final act, closing out what surely would one of the greatest musical events in our short lived time on this earth. Then the fun began. It was time to compile the official Happalachia Music Festival soundtrack. For a one-day festival, ten hours seems about right. It was during the collection that another name arose, one I could not shake: Kenny Wayne Shepherd. To accommodate the inclusion of my childhood hero, I made one final concession: one special artist or group would be invited. As a consummate blues and rock guitar icon, Kenny could obviously join a different sets and would invariably perform some of his own masterpieces. Three days in and I am still working on said playlist. But during the cold of January, this particular thought has brought a great deal of enjoyment to thaw even this often frozen heart. Curious to hear the voices of the Happalachia Music Festival? Check out the official playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0WwZlGIVtg5GuBQncevQfW?si=24659a747a1343db The Happalachia Music Festival 2023 Ballroom Thieves Punch Brothers Dead South St. Paul and Broken Bones Record Company Chris Stapleton JJ Grey & Mofro Marcus King Band Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Nathaniel Ratcliff & the Night Sweats Headliner: Black Crowes With Special Guest: Kenny Wayne Shepherd Sign up for the blog and follow us on social media!
![]() Hello WalkTail Hour Community, We are excited to bring you our next set of Origin Stories. Meet 2 very lucky (and very handsome) pups, Archie and Gidget. These are 2 very different dogs with the same awesome humans. Read their stories below and show them some love in the comments section! Archie I never meant to keep little Archibald. I grew up with big dogs that hiked and ran and played tug with us. They pulled us on sleds in the winter and forged trails for us in the summer. We were big dog people. Little dogs were like what my uncle had. Scruffy, Buffy, and Fluffy. Some kind of shit-poo mix that yapped and bit and peed in the house, but no one really cared because they were small. Small annoyances. That's how I always thought of little dogs. Then I met Archibald. He was part of a surrendered litter of puppies on the death list at a local shelter. They were all about four weeks old and maybe four pounds each. I saw his picture in a friend's Facebook post asking for fosters. They were supposed to be purebred Shih Tzu puppies, and given his general Shih-zy appearance, I'm inclined to believe the assessment. My apartment didn't allow dogs, but I figured I could sneak a small breed puppy in for a few days, so I inquired. A few short hours later, I was driving home with a rental crate, free food, some toys, and a teeny tiny puppy. I told everyone on the day I picked him up that I was just his foster, and there was no way, NO WAY he’d move in full-time. I told my mom that when I was driving to pick him up. I told my coworkers he wasn’t mine when I brought him back to the office and had our photo department take some pictures of him for his adoption profile. I told my brother he definitely wasn’t staying with me when I dropped him off at his apartment so I could make a barre class that night. I told the Petsmart employee that he was “just a foster” as I bought him Sleep Lion, a toy he still has, but at the time was meant to be a souvenir of our time together. But, against my plans, he managed to wiggle his way into my life by being easy, sweet, cute, and little. He was small enough to fit in my purse when I went out at night. He was small enough to fit in the corner of my bedroom during the day, causing me no need to rearrange. He was small enough to live in my previously dog-free apartment because, in the words of my landlord, "he can't do much damage." He was, and still is, small enough to fly home for holidays so I almost never board him. He just fit. Despite the fact, and also because, he was small. So now I have a small dog. A fluffy, small dog who wiggles instead of walks. When he tries to run, he ends up hop-prancing with enthusiasm but little speed. With all that work and so little output, he can't be counted on to complete a long stroll, let alone a run. He's not a yappy dog (Shih Tzus are known for their even tempers) but his bark isn't intimidating anyone. And why would it? He can't guard anything. No one is safer in his presence unless you fear loneliness. Which leads me to: Gidget (Gigi) My first dog happened to be a little guy. And while he’s great for lots of little reasons, he wasn’t the dog I pictured coming home to and definitely wasn’t who my partner, Colin, planned to see at the end of a long day. Colin is a handsome, athletic man who stands 6 feet tall and climbs fourteeners in his spare time. He runs and camps and climbs, and when he moved to Denver to do more of that, there is no way he pictured coming home to a girl who hates beer and dotes on a Shih Tzu. I'm sure when he was packing his car to move from the mean streets of Boston, he pictured meeting a girl with a favorite brewery who thought camping was fun instead of needlessly filthy. The kind of girl who woke up at 7AM for a 'mid-morning' hike and then took her golden retriever to brunch at some pub in Denver. I am not that girl, and Archie will never be that dog. He's an oft-stinky Shih Tzu with teeny paws and a small, misshapen skull. And Colin loves him. He didn't want to, and there are plenty of stories about how they came to be boy and dog, but he loves that little Shih and would do anything for him. A few years ago we all moved to an LA apartment complex a short walk from the beach. The three of us walk along the sand, and Archie races after a little ball, terrified of the ocean but loving the freedom and the dog-like activity we're all doing. But by the walk back, his little legs are spent, his tiny flat face is overused, and he needs a lift. Not exactly what either of us, especially Colin, pictured when we imagined life with a dog. When we moved to the first floor of our apartment building, we noticed another thing our little guy didn’t excel at. While he was a brilliant alarm system for every hallway noise, he wasn’t offering much protection. His voice doesn’t really fill anyone with fear, and god forbid they see him. So we started looking for a bigger dog that would love long walks and keep oddballs at bay. We fostered a pair of shepherd-looking puppies, but in addition to them being ‘part husky,’ they looked pretty small, and we didn’t need another petite alarm system. We then tried a large, older pit mix who stole our hearts but couldn’t win Archie over. Finally, after stalking the rescue intake list, I noticed a big, soulful-looking pregnant pitty. As soon as the “Space Litter” was ready for puppy fosters, I was in a car to pick up two puppies in hopes one of them could win all of us over. “Constellation” and “Meteor” bowled their way into our home in the summer of 2020 when we had plenty of time, which was a good thing because the two of them were… a lot. They never managed to sleep at the same time and delighted in ripping up the pee pads we tried to cover our home with. But the sleepless double-puppy nights were worth it because our beloved Archie got to pick his new housemate, and he had a clear favorite. While he tolerated the little boy, Archie clearly liked the spotted little girl. He ran after her and taught her how to play tug and wrestled with her as long as we would let them. They were about the same size and she made an excellent, ever-submissive sister. Meteor found his own forever family, and we immediately changed our new puppy’s name to Gidget, after another famous beach babe. Archie showed Gidget how to race around the beach and why it’s important not to turn your back on the waves. Colin taught her the best route to the coffee shop and who to make eyes at for free snacks. I of course, taught her the best outfit for afternoon naps and where to find a pearl collar online. She managed to get a lot bigger than Archie agreed to, but he still keeps her in line. And now when he alerts the house to danger, we’re all pretty sure she can handle it. Follow Us On Social
Good afternoon WalkTail Community, We are excited to bring you our next Origin Story. The greyhound community is still out in force here. We love the dedication and enthusiasm. Meet Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her awesome human! This is the story of how Ruth Bader Ginsburg (AKA Ruthie Retired Racer) came to live with me. I've owned six greyhounds since 1990. My last greyhound, George Karl (named after the great basketball coach) died from a brain tumor. I was distraught, lost and grieving. He was fine one day, and the next day they were talking about euthanasia. It hit me especially hard because it was so sudden. He really had no symptoms. I was told that's how it happens with brain tumors in dogs. There I was without a greyhound. I called Greyhound Pet Adoptions Maryland. All the greyhounds I had up to that point came from them. Then there were only a few tracks still open in the US. Racing was only in three states. Now there are just two tracks in West Virginia, and I'm sure they will follow suit and close down at some point. "Sorry, we don't have dogs," I was astonished. All these years I wanted the tracks to close down, but I didn't consider the side effect. There would be no dogs available for adoption. I had been involved with GPA, a former editor of their newsletter and volunteer at outreach events. The goal was to see an end to dog racing. None of us thought it would work. Back in the 1990s, tens of thousands of greyhounds were dying because there were not enough homes for them. Most people had never seen a greyhound (including me until I investigated adopting one). While walking through the neighborhood, people would ask me, "What is that?" Now they say, "Is that a rescued racing dog?" We did a lot of outreach, and we were successful. It makes me feel good that people know and now recognize the breed. And because of that effort, currently, very few dogs are available. I contacted several organizations. Not much happening with them. In fact, many have closed their doors due to the lack of greyhounds to place. I went so far as to contact Galgos del Sol in Spain, an organization that saves galgos and podencos. Galgo means greyhound in Spanish. They were not shipping any dogs because of Covid. Adopters need to have at least a five-and-a-half-foot fence. Mine is too short. I should mention this was in 2020. Covid was in full swing. I looked in shelters and searched on Petfinder. I called people, emailed organizations and combed the internet. Not having a dog in the house, while also not going anywhere because of Covid, was lonely. My other pets were tortoises, lizards, snakes and tarantulas, but none of them watched TV with me or slept in my bed. It's just not the same. Just when I was ready to give up and get a pit mix at the shelter, I found an organization called Greyhound Welfare that had several dogs. They are mostly in the DC area. That's not too far from where I live in Baltimore. I sent in an application for a gorgeous-looking brindle girl that went by the name of Streak. Her racing name was Stubborn Streak. Don't bother looking up her record. She only ran in three races and did poorly in all three. I was told I wouldn't get the greyhound in the picture. She would most likely be adopted by the time my application was approved. My first greyhound, Betsy Ross, was a brindle. I've always had a soft spot for them, but I never had another one. My second greyhound was blue (which is actually gray) and I had two fawns and a white one. Filling out the adoption application with GPA was easy. I got all my dogs from them and was there when their current adoption coordinator got her first dog. But this time I was dealing with people who didn't know me at all. I had a home inspection via FaceTime (because of Covid) and several phone interviews. They had some rules that I wasn't used to following, but I wanted a greyhound, so I vowed to do what was asked of me. Finally, what seemed like months later (it was really only a few weeks), I was approved. They had their own system.
I set an alarm and called about Stubborn Streak! She was still available. No one was home. I left a message. My second option was a greyhound who didn’t get along with other dogs. I sometimes watch my nephew's pit bull (whose only doggie friend was George Karl) and I wanted a greyhound that would be good with him. I passed on that one. There was only one more number. If this dog didn't work out, I'd have to wait until next weekend. Nooooooo! I desperately wanted to get a new greyhound as soon as possible. I called the number and made an appointment in Northern Virginia to see a black male dog. Nice, I never had a black greyhound. I was the second appointment though and they would have to call and let me know if the dog was still available after the first appointment. Turned out he was adopted. I was crestfallen at this point. Then the phone rang. It was a sweet woman named Nanci who was the foster mother of Streak. I had been the first call, so I had dibs on her. My friend Susan (who was with me with I picked out George Karl) was available to go with me. And off we went to Bethesda, MD, just outside of Washington, DC. About an hour later we put on our masks, and I rang the doorbell. Nanci's own dog greeted us and she looked exactly like my Betsy Ross. An omen? Maybe... Turns out she is the half-sister of Streak. Then she brought Streak out of her crate. What a beauty! She was tiny for a greyhound, weighing only 45-50 lbs. The West Virginia tracks (the only ones left in the US) have a terrible new strain of hookworms that my vet called persistent hookworms. Not only was she tiny, but she was also extremely thin. For comparison, Betsy Ross weighed about 68 lbs. at her healthiest. It was love at first sight for both of us. Streak came over and was trying to get up on the couch. That is a no-no for foster greyhounds in their program. I don't care about that and she now spends most of the day on my couch or sitting behind my desk in a big, fluffy bed while I work. My nephew Jake came up with the names Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Frida Kahlo. I loved Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Most of my friends were not sure. I said, "I'll call her Ruthie!" Poor George Karl had been known as "Doggie" for a month while I decided on the perfect name. I liked the name Ruth Bader Ginsburg right away and it fit her. The hookworms were a challenge. The Greyhound Welfare people had a protocol for my vet to follow. But I read that hookworms can live in the ground and reinfect the dog if they step on the eggs, carrying them inside and later lick their foot. The cycle begins all over again. I decided to treat my yard as well as Ruthie. Every time she defecated in the yard, I put a cup or two of diatomaceous earth (which is a desiccant) on top of the spot after I cleaned it. Hookworms cannot survive in a dry environment. I don't know if that's what did it or not, but I've read about people dealing with persistent hookworms for up to two years. Ruthie's were gone in two months. She had fecals done every month for several months. The treatment is super expensive. Diatomaceous earth is cheap. Whether she had regular hooks or the persistent ones, I'll never know. But I'd like to think I helped get rid of them by treating the yard. Ruthie quickly put on about 10 pounds and stopped looking like a scrawny track dog and started looking like a beloved member of the family. That was less than two years ago. I’m so happy that Ruthie gets along great with my nephew's dog. My sweet Ruthie is very attached to me because we spend so much time together. She is loved by everyone who meets her. Two different artists have drawn images of her. I got a new oven about a year ago and started making homemade dog treats. Guess who no longer will eat store-bought biscuits? I bake them about once a week, but she's not spoiled. She loves stuffed animals and has a stuffed football she tosses to herself regularly. This lucky dog has a big box overflowing with stuffies and a 5 ft. stuffed pink alligator. Ruthie loves to roach (lay on her back with her feet up in the air). She enjoys walks and doing zoomies in our yard. Who am I kidding? She does zoomies in the house too! She's a bed hog, blanket stealer and snuggler. I wouldn't trade her for the world.
WalkTail Hour Community, We are super excited to invite you to our next Origin Story with Winston and Diva. They are another rescue greyhound pair with some amazing humans (seriously amazing humans). Give their story a read below. Leave some nice comments and please share their amazing stories. We love to read these stories. It is one of the reasons we started our Origin Story Series. Make sure you check out their social media here: https://www.instagram.com/winston__and__diva/ They have some great links and so many wonderful photos. Enjoy! Winston Aged 5 adopted on the 30/09/2020 We rescued Winston ourselves. He was a free to good home on Gumtree. Little did we know they were greyhound racing trainers giving him up. They told us he was too slow to race and that he was trainable to live with cats ( we have two sphynx cats). He was in poor condition, he was filthy and covered in open wounds. Winston was definitely not cat friendly. We tried to train him ourselves however he was so fixated on the cats it was proving to be impossible. We sought the help of other greyhound rescue organizations and they told us he would never be cat friendly and we need to surrender him. We were definitely not giving up on this beautiful boy. We decided he would live separately to our cats. As the months went on I found an ad by a lovely lady who runs Nilly Ray's Greys. She rescues and trains greyhounds to live with small animals. So we enrolled Winston to do her bootcamp. I burst into tears when she was sending videos of Winston with cats, rabbits and ferrets. It was so amazing to see these hounds can be trained to live with small animals. We now network through Instagram with other greyhounds parents going through the same issues with re activity and integrating greys with their cats. It makes us so happy that we are able to help people. Winston is such a happy go lucky boy. He gets so excited for car rides and adventures. He has this energy that is so infectious and adores humans and demands pats while he leans into you. Diva aged 5 adopted on the 5/09/2021 Diva was in the horrors of the racing industry up until she was 4 years old. She was moved from states to race and she won many. Her last trainers were found guilty of giving her illegal substances. Diva was rescued by Nilly Rays greys. We took Winston for a meet and greet and he bonded with Diva straight away. He leaned his head onto her and it was just the sweetest thing. Diva is a very active girl, she does zoomies in our apartment and her favourite thing is playing fetch. She always sleeps in the goofiest positions that make us laugh. She roaches and has her tongue out or teeth exposed. We never get tired of that. Like Winston Diva wasn't cat friendly and now she has a special bond with our Apollo.
Thank you for following along with our Origin Story Series. Give us a follow on social media and tell your friends!
Hello WalkTail Community, We are launching a series of stories about wonderful animals over the next few months. We are so excited to introduce you to our first pups, Luna and Tia! They are absolutely adorable. Keep reading to learn more about these majestic greyhounds. Before jumping into their stories (and pictures), we’d also like to give a huge shout out to their special humans for taking them in and giving them amazing lives. We need more special people like that out there! Adoption Stories Luna: Adopted 11/11/2019 Adopted at 4.5 - currently 7 turning 8 in February Luna had been at Greyhound Rescue for a number of months and had quite a few failed “meet and greets” because she was very reserved and didn’t show too much enthusiasm when people came to meet her. When we went to meet her she ignored us completely and ran straight past us. We weren’t discouraged by this and continued to spend time with her in the rescue’s office area. She continued to ignore us but all of a sudden she jumped up on the couch we were sitting on and slowly sat between us. We took this as a sign that she was the “one” She was extremely affectionate during the hour long car ride home and has been a cuddle bug ever since! Luna has struggled with reactivity to other dogs, this is something we knew prior to adopting her and something we are happy to support her through. She has made amazing progress but is still hesitant with small fluffy pups. About Luna:
Tia: Fostered 20/12/2020 - officially adopted 3/02/2021 Adopted at 9 and turning 12 in October We made the decision to foster a 2nd greyhound and we specifically asked to foster an oldie who needed some TLC. We got the call about Tia who had only been at the rescue for 1 week. Luna came along to meet her so we could make sure there were no major issue’s between the two of them. Tia was extremely nervous and shy but was ok meeting Luna. We brought her home that day and she and Luna resided in 2 separate areas of our home so that Tia could settle in at her own speed. She was extremely nervous for the first few weeks and was very docile. With time and patience Tia began to break out of her shell and show her true personality. We discovered she had issues with her personal space in addition to also being reactive. We felt she may have a hard time finding a suitable home and would likely also be best with a sibling - it was because of this that we decided to sign adoption papers and make her ours forever:) Facts about Tia:
Follow these lovely pups and their wonderful humans at @lady.luna_and_princess.tia on instagram (or click the instagram logo below). We love learning about these wonderful creatures and all their unique personalities and quirks. It is part of what makes them so amazing! If you want us to highlight your animal, let us know! Stay in touch with us on all our social media!
![]() WalkTail Hour Community, Let us introduce you to a lovely place called Looe. Looe is a coastal down in Cornwall, England. With a population of around 5,500 people, this charming area has been inhabited since potentially as early as the Paleolithic area. Many Neolithic and Bronze Age items have also been found. Some researchers suggest even a little Roman influence at some point. An archaeological mystery is called the Giant’s Hedge. It is an ancient earthwork between Looe and Fowey estuaries. There is some considerable disagreement over who built it and when it was used. Look it up for an interesting read. Today, Looe is a quintessential fishing down with many local fishmongers. Looe’s main business as of the writing of this post is tourism. You can find many pubs, guest houses, Cornish pasty shops, camping sites, attractive beaches, boat rides, and coastal walks. Come in September to see the annual music festival. Another must see is the New Year’s activities where many people dress up in their fanciest outfits and tour the city center and enjoy fireworks. How is it for our furry friends one might ask? Wonderful! Most or all pubs, restaurants, and shops openly welcome our furry friends. The downtown: The downtown is a very friendly area for dogs, owners, and some enjoyable WalkTail Hours. From your local BnB (maybe the The Quay on 6 Buller Street – above the best pasty shop in town, Sarah’s) you can head over to The Golden Guinea a few steps away before making your way down along the quay. The River: Another easy option is to start down at Ye Olde Salutation Inn with some friends, then head with your pups and friends down to the Looe River. Make your way along the river up to the bridge and wander down the other side taking in all the amazing views, scenery, homes, and other friendly dog walkers. The Coastal Path: For those of you up for a more vigorous WalkTail Hour, we suggest grabbing some takeaway from Sarah’s Pasty Shop (delicious and monstrous pasties) and fill up down by the water. Once you are good and full head for the signs for the Coastal Path. You can go on the coastal path in either direction. The path can have elevation in places, so wear appropriate footwear and clothing. Take about a 5 mile walk on the path and you will end up in Polperro (we’ll talk about this on another day), another charming coastal town. At the end of the day, Looe is a wonderful spot to visit and go on many wonderful walks and enjoy yummy food with your 2 and 4-legged friends. Comment with some pictures from your own adventure below! Happy walking!
Follow us!Hey WalkTail Community, One of the ways to make your WalkTail Hours more enjoyable is to be strong and fit. Check out the video below and let us know what you thought of the workout. Thanks! |
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