BajaNomad - Baja Dog in the House

Baja Dog in the House

bajadogs - 7-28-2020 at 03:18 PM

I am missing Baja a lot and I check this site frequently hoping for vicarious escape. I’m sure I’m not the only one so let me share a happy Baja story -

Say hola to a new member of my family. My daughter graduated from college last year. As captain of an NCAA D1 cross country and long distance track team she set a goal to adopt a retired race dog. She loves Baja and knows it quite well.

After some research and a few visits to the Greyhound Adoption Center in San Diego her heart was set on a retired Caliente racer from Tijuana. His racing name was Fiesta Natural.

I cannot recommend this organization enough. A no-kill shelter, non-profit, all volunteer. Pay them a visit and you will either leave in tears or with a new best friend -

https://houndsavers.org/about-houndsavers/

The tattoos in his ears prove he was fast early in his career and won quite a few races but stopped trying to win for some reason so they retired him early. He is a lucky one to retire so young with no injuries or diseases. The adoption center named him Kirby and it just seemed right. We brought him home to Carlsbad and realized he had never been in a house before. Stairs were new to him. Everything was new to him. All he knew was life in a crate... and racing. We have a crate for him but the door is always open.

My daughter is now applying to medical schools while Kirby watches her and follows her everywhere. I can’t imagine enduring this pandemic without this sweet boy. I didn’t know much about greyhounds and had fears that they aren’t smart or social.

After having this dude in the house for the last 9 months I can’t say enough about how sweet, goofy, graceful, clumsy, smart, social, alert, aloof, loyal, etc. - just a new best friend who is always happy to see you come home. He loves riding in the back seat of my truck and I can’t wait to take him on a big Baja trip when people stop acting like this virus is fake.

I can’t wait to see him run free in a safe environment.
I’m thinking of the spit to the lighthouse in Bahia de Los Angeles at low tide. This boy is freaking fast. Scary fast.
45 mph fast. I loves him and am so happy to finally have a Baja dog in the house. Be well.

[Edited on 7-28-2020 by BajaNomad]

Fernweh - 7-28-2020 at 04:22 PM

Thank you, for this wonderful story about Kirby.

Enjoy the time with him, even you can't be in Baja right now.

chippy - 7-29-2020 at 06:07 AM

Super cool!

BajaBlanca - 7-29-2020 at 06:10 AM

Those photos are priceless! Welcome to the world of fun, Kirby!

If he ever needed to wear a mask, from the top photos, I see he has it down! NO sharing the virus coming from him.

Beautiful story, beautiful dog. Congrats to you and Kirby on hitting the jackpot.

elgatoloco - 7-29-2020 at 07:43 AM

:cool:

pacificobob - 7-29-2020 at 08:09 AM

excellent post!

AKgringo - 7-29-2020 at 08:43 AM

Good on you folks for adopting a retiree! My long legged girl loves to run off leash with me following on wheels. The fastest steady pace I have clocked her at was 28 mph. I think she could go a bit faster for a short burst, but 45...no way!

I use a "Sport Dog" training collar to keep control of her, and it has been a life saver! It beeps when i turn it on, and she is happy to come to me to put it on, because it means we are going outside. I use it as a hearing aid that helps her hear my commands out to 500 yards.

https://www.bing.com/aclk?ld=e83uv9pUVVLWBe2HoAYis0HTVUCUwYk...

motoged - 7-29-2020 at 09:28 AM

Heart-warming .... muchas gracias :saint:

Lee - 7-29-2020 at 10:04 AM

Home run. Ball is out of the park! Continued pura vida.

JZ - 7-29-2020 at 11:20 AM

Pretty dog.

ehall - 7-30-2020 at 07:16 AM

Great story

pacificobob - 7-30-2020 at 08:04 AM

retired racing dogs are used as cadavers at veterinary schools. when a buddy was in school he showed me a photo of a huge walk in freezer full of hanging greyhounds. this was in the late 70s....not an image easily forgotten.

Loretana - 7-30-2020 at 09:44 AM

bajadogs....

I have tears in my eyes after reading this!

Thank you for your positive, inspiring story, and excellent photographs.

TMW - 7-30-2020 at 12:44 PM

Beautiful story, thanks for sharing.

When ever they put on an RV/boat show or Home and Garden show at the Fair Grounds here in Bakersfield they usually have a booth with retired Greyhounds looking for a home.

gueribo - 7-31-2020 at 04:51 PM

Thank you--I love stories of the dogs of Baja. Lovely photos, too.

BajaBlanca - 8-25-2022 at 06:03 AM

So, how is Kirby doing these days?

Very cool to see these photos again.

pauldavidmena - 8-25-2022 at 08:27 AM

Greyhound Friends rescues retired Greyhounds in the Boston area and does wonderful work educating the community. We nearly adopted one, but instead opted for a velociraptor from the Australian Cattledog Rescue Association, where we've been active for over 20 years, adopting 2 cattledog mixes of our own in the process.

bajadogs - 10-24-2022 at 01:40 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca

So, how is Kirby doing these days?

Very cool to see these photos again.

Thanks for asking Blanca. Kirby is doing well in his second year of med school. Mi hija adopted another TJ racer who shattered his right rear leg on his 80th race. She named him Lucky Boy. Anonymous donors saved him and paid for multiple surgeries to save his leg but he will never be as fast as Kirby. He was only 2 years old when my daughter picked him up over summer break. He is big and strong but also sweet, goofy and gentle. So Lucky Boy and Kirby live in New Mexico in a little cinder block house with a dirt back yard. Because I bonded with Kirby I still miss him horribly and visit as much as I can - my daughter too of course. I'll try to add a few pix. I hope you and Les are doing well and also hope Les has found a good cheese source in Turkey.

[Edited on 10-24-2022 by bajadogs]

surabi - 10-24-2022 at 05:24 PM

Good for you guys for giving a loving forever home to dogs who surely appreciate it. I wish people who pay hundreds of dollars for a dog from a breeder would adopt all the dogs out there who need rescuing, instead. The worst are the people who want a certain breed because its some rare breed and they derive some kind of "status" by having it.

I'm not one of those bleeding hearts for animals that wants to try to save every dog on the planet, but Kirby and Lucky Boy are both very lucky dogs.

The dog I had for 12 years, who appeared at my house at the age of 5 months and had to be put down last year due to a tumor in her spleen was not a racing breed (she most closely resembled a Korean Jindo, both in looks and temperament), but she loved to run and was fast. Where I live in the countryside in mainland Mexico, she would run full tilt boogie straight at the barbed wire fences, flatten herself out and sail between the wires. I could probably have taught that dog to jump through a flaming hoop if I'd wanted to.

[Edited on 10-25-2022 by surabi]

bajadogs - 10-24-2022 at 06:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi

Good for you guys for giving a loving forever home to dogs who surely appreciate it. I wish people who pay hundreds of dollars for a dog from a breeder would adopt all the dogs out there who need rescuing, instead.

[Edited on 10-25-2022 by surabi]

Thanks! It for sure wasn't about getting a pure bred, simply giving an ex-racer a chance to live a full life. I've learned so much since my daughter brought him home. Fun Greyhound Facts -

Christopher Columbus brought greyhounds and mastiffs to the Americas. Look it up if you can handle nightmarish details.

Oldest pure bred dog in the world (mummified with Egyptian Gods)

second fastest land animal behind cheetah

Friendlier than a cheetah.

Sad, but a good thing is that the race tracks have shut down. The big hounds are becoming rare. Caliente in TJ is the only track still open in all of MX.

I do not support any form of animals as entertainment.

Animals for entertainment

AKgringo - 10-24-2022 at 07:03 PM

I generally agree with you, but I have seen some some dog acts performing on variety shows where from their demeanor and body language it seems that they are having a great time!,

[Edited on 10-25-2022 by AKgringo]

bajadogs - 10-24-2022 at 07:18 PM

AK, I only come here to butt heads and rile feathers, but I recognize dogs love to run. It's the crating and dark history of the "sport" that bugs me. Peace.

surabi - 10-24-2022 at 07:24 PM

The nature of most dogs is to enjoy pleasing their owners or handlers if that person is good to them, so I would imagine that many dogs do enjoy doing the tricks they have been taught, but I don't think they have any concept that they are performing to crowds for entertainment purposes.
And even an abused dog will grovel and try to please its abuser, not in anticipation of praise or treats, but to avoid a beating. As spectators, how do we really know what goes on behind the scenes?

In the case of racing dogs, as bajadogs mentioned, the dogs are kept kenneled when not training or racing. That's abuse, even if the dogs might appear to us to enjoy racing. What choice do they have? And if they won't race, they are put down unless someone adopts them.

The problem with using animals as entertainers is all the animals which are actually abused in many ways for that purpose. Using dolphins and whales, or elephants, as human entertainment, for instance, is animal cruelty, regardless of how well they are fed and looked after. They are highly sentient creatures and their natural habitat is swimming and travelling free over a huge range of ocean or land. Confining them in any way is abusive.

[Edited on 10-25-2022 by surabi]

[Edited on 10-25-2022 by surabi]

[Edited on 10-25-2022 by surabi]

Don Pisto - 10-24-2022 at 07:34 PM

I sure get a kick out of those doggie agility events.....I call em doggie cross, they sure seem to enjoy themselves!

bajadogs - 5-21-2025 at 03:36 PM

Update - My daughter graduated Med School, Osteopathic Internal Medicine and will be headed to Omaha, Creighton University for 3 years of residency after 4 years in New Mexico. There is no way she could have done it without her Baja dogs.
mark@bajadogs.com.
Call or text 760-214-7794 if you want to see great pix of my daughters rescued greyhounds at her graduation ceremony or just be friends. Peace... Out! Goodbye "Nomads".

Natalie and her boys.jpg - 180kB

[Edited on 5-21-2025 by bajadogs]

David K - 5-21-2025 at 06:35 PM

Congratulations! :bounce:

dtbushpilot - 5-21-2025 at 09:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajadogs

Update - My daughter graduated Med School, Osteopathic Internal Medicine and will be headed to Omaha, Creighton University for 3 years of residency after 4 years in New Mexico. There is no way she could have done it without her Baja dogs.
mark@bajadogs.com.
Call or text 760-214-7794 if you want to see great pix of my daughters rescued greyhounds at her graduation ceremony or just be friends. Peace... Out! Goodbye "Nomads".

Congratulations to you and your daughter on her graduation! My grandson just received his Masters of Science in Molecular Pathology at Texas Tech and will be beginning his Medical School training at Burrell College in July. Thank you for sharing the story of your daughter and dogs.

[Edited on 5-21-2025 by bajadogs]

bajadogs - 5-22-2025 at 07:46 AM

Thanks dtbushpilot, Burrell is a great school and Las Cruces is a town that was easy to love. When my daughter first visited there she thought it reminded her of the vast landscapes of Baja just without the ocean or Sea of Cortez. Your grandson will be elbows deep in real stuff. They don't make med school easy. Congrats to you and your grandson.

Kirbys last night in Las Cruces.jpg - 300kB

bajadogs - 5-22-2025 at 08:14 AM

Same girl - a few years ago - Damn I miss watching her love for Baja

150310466_10224211255259913_7509370093655454745_n.jpg - 40kB

Lee - 5-22-2025 at 08:23 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajadogs

Same girl - a few years ago - Damn I miss watching her love for Baja

You've taught her well, Dogs. A life time of memories to have!

bajadogs - 5-22-2025 at 11:03 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Lee

Quote: Originally posted by bajadogs

Same girl - a few years ago - Damn I miss watching her love for Baja

You've taught her well, Dogs. A life time of memories to have!

Thanks Lee,
Her first 18 Thanksgivings were in Baja. She still dreams about it and plans to buy a specific house on the Sea of Cortez someday. ¡Salud!

latitude32 - 5-22-2025 at 11:14 AM

were any of those dogs rescues from Caliente? and where's your avatar "blinkin"?

bajadogs - 5-22-2025 at 01:54 PM

Quote: Originally posted by latitude32

were any of those dogs rescues from Caliente? and where's your avatar "blinkin"?

I created that avatar decades ago from a very sweet stray dog near Ensenada. I left her as much food as I could but I'm sure she had a horrible life. The greyhounds were both adopted by my daughter from a group in San Diego that brought ex-racers from the Caliente track Tijuana to adopt/rehome. Read the beginning of this thread to see how my daughter got the best dog in the world. It's not easy to get a greyhound but once you get through the process you realize you have the most striking dog in the hood and when you travel, crowds gather around and ask questions about the tattoos in their ears. There are no other dogs that can compare to a greyhound. I rambled on but hope I answered your question. They both came from Caliente. I'm glad it is shut down. There are still opportunities to adopt an ex-racer because a couple US states and other countries still allow it.

Lee - 5-22-2025 at 03:52 PM

Quote: Originally posted by latitude32

were any of those dogs rescues from Caliente? and where's your avatar "blinkin"?

It's a slow blink. Watch for awhile.

latitude32 - 5-22-2025 at 05:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Lee

Quote: Originally posted by latitude32

were any of those dogs rescues from Caliente? and where's your avatar "blinkin"?

It's a slow blink. Watch for awhile.

did you say "abe Lincoln"........ :lol: