Teatown Jenny's latest race

Updated: Last night, just about the time I posted this, Teatown Jenny passed away. She took a turn for the worse and when dad arrived at the veterinary hospital it was clear it was time for her to go. Stay tuned for more Jenny stories in the next couple of days.

My dad, Papa Kizz, and his girlfriend have a greyhound named Jenny. She came to them off three winning years on the track. She sports an ear with a bit of a chunk out of it and a Nike swoosh of a scar on one flank as well as a few other dings and scrapes, most of which she arrived with.

This evening as she ran across the kitchen floor she slid and fractured her leg quite seriously in a manner that suggests the presence of cancer. So, while some difficult decisions are likely being made back at the Ranch by the Sea I thought it best to bolster Jenny's strength by telling stories about her.

I admit to being skeptical when dad brought home a greyhound. They'd been looking but had been keeping a long list of reasons not to. That list was swiftly trumped by teh face of a fawn colored greyhound. The entire family immediately began to learn the special care and feeding of the average greyhound. One major lesson is that, having been brought up on special vegetarian diets the breed often has delicate digestion. About 4 days after Jenny came home with Papa Kizz we all attended my cousin's fancy schamncy wedding. Dad is late and I'm doing a reading so I don't get to see him until after the ceremony when we're standing in front of the church. As we catch up I notice that my father is covered in tiny pink dots. He's flecked all over with the color of pink Canada mints. If it were an acquaintance, or even a member of the extended family I might have let it go. Couldn't do it. Apparently Jenny's delicate stomach had come into evidence. All over the house. So a dose of Pepto Bismol was administered with the syringe provided by the adoption agency. Well, if you're not in practice with the equipment you don't get the Pepto down the gullet and once you remove the syringe there's a gap in the teeth on the side. When she shook her head she Jackson Pollacked everything within a 10 foot radius.

The four footed guests and residents of the Ranch by the Sea are given pride of place. Treats are administered on a nearly hourly basis. Human dinner plates are held for you to lick. At some special events you are even taught how to beg properly by Auntie Gette. And she's a serious teacher, she'll keep trying until you get it right. If that means cracking a whole new tub of brie and sending someone out for more crackers Auntie Gette will have it done, all in the name of education. So if a dog were to perhaps slip an hors d'ouevre off the coffee table it's really no big deal. One night Papa Kizz has his back turned and Princess Jennifer nabs herself a cracker with some pate. He watches as she leans over and sticks her pointy nose into his wine glass for a sip of wine. That got a chuckle since he bet that she was looking for water and got a surprise. Until she grabbed herself another cracker and followed it up with another sip of wine.

PonyExpress and I always joke that the Powers That Be took a greyhound sized lump of clay and decided to fashion a swift companion for man. They started with gargantuan thighs. And they built a beast that could run like the wind and were just working on the finishing touches, like the head and realized that they didn't have any clay left. A number of solutions were put to the committee and a decision was made, "Screw it, tease out the neck, throw some eyes on it and forget about it. It'll be going so fast no one'll be able to see the head anyway."

Since I started the entry I've checked in and Jen is resting comfortably and waiting for the surgeon to decide tomorrow if she gets to keep the leg. Your good thoughts are appreciated.