kaupunkigreyn elämää

greyhound Taran ja ihmisten seikkailuja arjessa

Saturday, July 30, 2011

A lady in distress

Last April, we visited Tampere. Humans attended a wedding party, I enjoyed being pampered by auntie R. As you can see, auntie R. knows exactly how to treat her guests:
Yes, that's a dried pig's ear! My favourite treat!

We had a lovely evening (treats! walkies! excellent company!) and by the time the humans returned, I had fallen asleep on the couch. They wanted to drive back home in the middle of the night. I must have fallen asleep again as I didn't hear the rationale behind this decision, but trusted on them knowing better. We left auntie R.'s home around 1am. By 2:30am, we were approaching Riihimäki (109 kilometers from Tampere, 69 kilometers from Helsinki and home). It was dark, windy, and cold outside. Suddenly, we lost all the electricity and the engine died.

Humans called ATCF Road Service for help. We had to wait for towing for about 45 minutes. I was tucked under an extra blanket for warmth. I wanted the humans to explain me the rationale behind leaving Tampere, but they ignored my questions. It was unfair: the back seat wasn't nearly as comfortable as auntie R.'s couch, and we had no food with us.

When help arrived, we had to leave the car. I only had my thin coat and it was b***dy cold. I peed on the motorway. I had to be lifted to the cab of the towing truck (I'm no ladder-climbing creature). The cab was designed for three humans, not for three humans and a freaked out lady greyhound. We had a very, very uncomfortable 20 km ride to Hyvinkää, where the nearest garage our insurance company accepted was located. Half of the time I was standing my bum against the windscreen, the other half I was trying to walk around and made everyone (the driver excluded) freak out. Again, I asked the humans to explain me why this is more fun than staying with auntie R., but they were busy watching the scenery.

By the time we got to Hyvinkää it was 3:45am. Truck driver kindly gave us a lift to the train station before disappearing with our car. Local trains to Helsinki were still running, but the station building was closed. To avoid freezing to death, we had to wait for the next train in an underpass, for about 40 minutes. There was no shortage of drunk company as the local nightclubs had just closed. Fortunately, the female human had grabbed my blanket before we left our car. She made an emergency shelter for me:

A T-train arrived at 4:23am and took us home. It was warm. I tried to get some sleep. I tried one more time asking kindly exactly why a local train full of sleeping drunks is better than dreaming of rabbits and eating breakfast with auntie R., but the humans were discussing the benefits of cycling and public transport.

Humans forced me to walk home from the Helsinki railway station. It was 6am and we were all starving. They served me my morning meal. I wolfed it down too quickly and spent the following two hours gagging and throwing up. The humans had to follow me around because I wanted to throw up on pillows, carpets, blankets and clothes. They tried to lure me to bed, but I resisted the temptation till 8am.

I blame my sudden illness on the humans, who were busy locating car dismantlers and only served me kibble. I bet auntie R. would have served me an omelet, with two sausages and a bowl of strawberries and cream.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Learning psychokinesis



Saturday, July 02, 2011

Hard-working auntie Grey

A few weeks back, I was on a baby-sitting duty. I was visited by brothers Paavo and Väinö, and their cousin Sisu.

Väinö is a human puppy, only two months and a bit! I sniffed his head carefully and then gave him a small lick-kiss. He smells lovely. It was my duty as an auntie to guard him.
When I was trying to rest after Väinö left, Sisu decided it's playtime. He's always had a fancy for my tail.
The best thing about babysitting is an endless supply of snacks and treats. I have to stay alert just in case something falls. The adult humans have to keep an eye on me.
An innocent child having a snack of watermelon and apple juice.
A greyhound acting silly. Behind the smile is a predator ready to strike and polish off any misplaced fruit.