I was on vacation in September, and when I came back there were so many emails from the Greyhound list that it took me a week to get through them. I finally saw one from our list administrator detailing the plight of a poor greyhound. I always want to help those poor hounds who have been neglected or abused of course. I try to send a little money, or support the group in some way. But something about this boy spoke to me. First of all, he fit the description of my "dream" dog. The dog I always spoke about when I said, "If I could have my way..." I wanted a big, black, special needs male because they are so hard to find homes for. I also always wanted to name him Argus (thought it was a neat literary reference). I had been preparing myself for the plunge of a second dog knowing how much happier Sapphire would be with one. So when I saw that email, and he was with my local GPA I thought I had better inquire. My "dream" dog had been dropped in my lap.

When I inquired as to whether or not Sapphire and I could give this boy a good home, they were ecstatic. They felt like we were the perfect family for him. It was too easy. Whenever something is too easy, I think it is meant to be. He was coming home with me the very next weekend! I got very excited and ran right out to buy necessities, food, dog bed, collar, and a new tag for him. I knew they were calling him Freeway, and I actually really like that name (hey, I'm an 80s baby, Freeway was the dog on Hart to Hart!) but I also liked the idea of new beginnings. Freeway was rescued by the GPA people and was with a loving foster home, but when he came to me, I wanted to help him know he was permanent. That chapter 3 (life with us) was a different chapter than the one he had just lived. I wondered if I could name this dog Argus. You really don't know if it is his name until you meet him...

This is Freeway's story from the GPA's newsletter, "The 45 mph Couch Potato Update:"

A call came from a local shelter just a few weeks ago. They had a male greyhound and it was his day to be put down. They advised euthanasia because, "he was old, bald, blind in one eye and very sick." We would never just let that happen! They were told that someone would pick him up before closing time. He had been found tied on a very short leash to an overpass on the 10 freeway. How long he was tied there, we will never know, nor will we understand the reason why. What we did know was that we needed to have this greyhound examined to see how sick he really was and if proper medical care could save him.

One of our longtime volunteers, Jeff, took off work and dashed to the rescue. Turns out this sweet gentle greyhound is only seven years old and not actually sick. Depressed, yes, but not sick. He has lost most of his hair from Flea Dermatitis so he looks rather bad, but hair grows back. He is blind in one eye but he gets around just fine. Jeff took him to the Advanced Critical Care and Internal Medicine Facility in Tustin for an examination and to check for any other injuries. On his drive there he named the dog Freeway. It really seems to fit considering where he was found. We have been told by his foster family, Jim and Bonnie, that he answers to Freeway as if it had always been his name.

He spent the night in the hospital and was picked up the next day with a clean bill of health except for a urinary tract infection. We weren't sure of his color but had been told by the shelter that he was a brindle. Jeff wasn't even sure just what color he was. After several baths, we could see that he was actually black.

This greyhound, Freeway, has not had such a wonderful retirement. What his life has been like will remain unknown to us and maybe that is for the best. He is responding to the love that Jim and Bonnie are giving him. He follows them everywhere. He is the best foster dog they have ever had according to Bonnie. His skin is improving and it appears as if the hair is beginning to grown back. He is on antibiotics for his infection so that problem is clearing up. He is still depressed but time and lots of love will cure that.

Last week he was examined by an eye specialist. We were told that the injury to his eye is an old trauma. He will require daily medication in his eye for the rest of his life and at some point the eye might have to be removed. But for now it is stable.

Soon Freeway will be ready for adoption. He deserves a good home with soft beds, lots of hugs and kisses and a second chance at retirement as it should be.

When I went to pick him up, he was still kind of bald and very quiet, but his weight was good and he seemed kind of interested in what was going on. To me that means his depression is lifting. His wonderful foster mom wasn't ready to give him up so she started crying which made me cry which made everyone else cry. It was emotional for the whole group.

The name Argus really fit him. He is a big grizzly boy with quite a bit of grey. He also answered to Argus immediately so that is what he became. He seemed kind of interested in Sapphire which I took as a really good sign since his foster mom said he showed no interest in her dogs. He was very sweet and accommodating when I piled him in the back seat of my little Toyota Corolla with Sapphire. He had no problem with the stairs when we got home. He seemed very interested in his new surroundings so I took him on a little tour and then showed him his new bed which he took to right away. I gave him a chew stick which he LOVED and worked on for hours. We stayed in one room for the first day and slept in that room for 3 nights since he felt most secure there. He had gotten all his vaccinations the day he came to live with me and it was a little rough on him. He had neck pain that first night and cried every time he moved. He was also very creaky which I knew he wasn't before because Bonnie, his foster mom spoke of him chasing a ball. But when he was with me his hips would sway when he got up.

I got him on glucosamine from The Greyhound Gang right away and we started with little short walks to build up his muscles. We went to the dog park and at first he just sniffed around and hung out by me. But after about a week he was bouncing around the park to play with Sapphire.

Here are pictures of Argus. We'll continue updates in our ongoing journal. Stay tuned!
Laurie, Sapphire, and Argus
November 13, 2000