Black Dogs Unite! An Ebony And Six Pack Story
It’s A Six Pack Summer…….But Not The Kind You Think!
I love being in the pool, by the pool, even cleaning the pool on a ninety degree day. If I did have any complaints about pool time in extreme heat, it would be that I can’t always spend that time with my best friend Six Pack. Six just turned eight years old on August 2nd and it was quite fitting that it was the first time in a while that I was able to take him on a lengthy walk, which he loves by the way. Even with a lot more grey hairs then last year, Six is still an overweight black dog. And chunky black dogs don’t do well in high temps.
We’ve tried a couple of different approaches to try and keep him cool while spending time with him outside. Our first idea was trying to see how Six Pack would do in the lake. We thought he might enjoy the cool water on his feet. After all, one sure way to cool a dog down is to dip their paws in a water bucket. A lake is just a giant bucket, right?
Well, to be fair, I didn’t really know what I expected him to do when I picked him up and put him in the shallow water. Six Pack is eighty pounds of uncoordinated scaredy cat….or greyhound. He also was definitely frustrated with being on a leash in that situation. He lasted about ten seconds and then was over it. He wanted out.
Since Six wasn’t in love with lake water, we decided to take him on his first boat ride. Now keep in mind that like most dogs, Six Pack absolutely loves sticking his head out of car windows.
When all else fails, we just avoid being outside all together. When Six and I went to visit my Great Aunt Mary, I couldn’t tell what made him happier, the air conditioned living room, or all the kisses he was was getting from Mary.
“Next To Ebony, Six Looks Like A Blue”
Because it has been some time since our last post, we also wanted to provide an update on our current foster, Ebony. She’s still the playful, affectionate, black, puppy that arrived almost three months ago. Ebony has had an eventful month and even made a new friend. Although she didn’t race, she did come to us with a leg injury that Prison Greyhounds arranged to have treated at VCA Advanced Veterinary Care. Thankfully, no surgery was necessary to fix Ebony’s “wonky” leg, but was advised by Dr. Emily to wear a custom leg brace on walks.
The brace doesn’t seem to bother Ebony all that much. She’s still able to chase squirrels with it on and put pressure on the paw when before she would limp and hop. And it doesn’t prevent her from going on walks with Callie and Six Pack. We aren’t sure how long Ebony will need the brace. For now, as long as it continues to give her support and doesn’t cause issues, we use it whenever she’ll be standing or walking for long periods of time. She does not need to wear it around the house, and we only put it on her when she is closely monitored. We don’t want her brace to become a $600 chew toy!
So while I am really sad to see the summer come to an end, the two black dogs are really looking forward to the cooler weather. Callie on the other hand, well…let’s just say she’s just like her parents. She longs for the days of the warm sun. Though don’t try to put her in the pool. She might try to harm you in your sleep.