u/pauhow314

$8 at Bunnings for this squeaky duck, Andre’s a fan. He also got a crab toy on the weekend but the duck seems to be his favourite.

On the eleventh of August 2017 my beautiful departed Kylie ran her last race that resulted in her being injured and her leg was broken in six places. Most greyhounds would have euthanised at the track and never seen any life outside of being a racing dog, thankfully Kylie’s owner didn’t take that easy option. Kylie was given treatment and care for almost a year then she joined my life. She was meant to die that day, mercifully she was given another 3242 days of a very different life to enjoy. I still cry often when I reflect on her death, but I could never have wished for a better greyhound to have as my first. Today I’m marking the anniversary of her near miss and that someone made a good decision for my girl. Fred and Andre are snoozing beside the fireplace and that makes me happy that they’re here for me to enjoy their lives. Please raise a toast of your preferred poison to the late Kylie, she was a wholly remarkable dog.

It’s pouring rain here atm and Andre really wants to go out to the backyard and do zoomies like he did yesterday. He stands at the door and whines but when I open it he sees the rain and stays put. Now he’s sitting there waiting for the rain to stop, Fred’s joined in too. Third pic is his antics from yesterday when it was better weather.

We’re having a break in the countryside and the boys are exploring the backyard. Andre is only five and still full of manic energy, as you can see.

These things happen in threes they say, so hopefully Fred’s got the worst behind him. We lost Kylie about six weeks back, then Fred had an episode of geriatric vestibular disease hit him, which was scary. Earlier this week the pendulous skin tag on his face ruptured in the night and I awoke to find something akin to a crime scene in my bedroom. Luckily the vet could see him at short notice and he had it removed. Now he’s doing well but has to endure the dreaded cone of shame.

Hello noodle enthusiasts
After losing Kylie last month yesterday was really alarming. Fred the honorary noodle woke up and was majorly disoriented, vomiting, unable to walk without crashing into something, and his eyes were flickering sideways in an alarming way. I assumed the worst and thought he was leaving us. We visited the vet and she said he’d had an episode of geriatric vestibular disease, essentially dog vertigo. He’s improved a lot since but still a little unstable when he’s walking and his appetite is low. It should pass in a few days, so we’re just riding it out. The second picture is him finally eating something tonight around 9pm. We also visited Kylie’s brother earlier in the week so Andre could meet him, turns out Andre has a penchant for wearing silly hats too.

This wonderful boy has joined our home after the recent passing of our beloved Kylie. It’s a complex time for me as I’m still grieving my girl, but there was a bigger picture to consider. Fred does not cope well on his own, so losing his friend and being alone would not be good for him, so I dived in and adopted a new noodle. He’s a very cheeky boy and loves being involved in the activities going on around him, and Fred adores him! Last weekend I had croissants for breakfast, André was in my face wanting to share, Fred sampled some too.

Two weeks ago today this world lost something wonderful, sadly my beautiful girl Kylie crossed the rainbow bridge, she was 12.5 years old. Kylie started life in racing like so many greyhounds do, her racing name was Locomotion.
In August 2017 she had a race that ended badly and her leg was broken in six places, normally in these circumstances the dogs are put to sleep. Mercifully, Kylie‘s owners were not those types of people and they provided veterinary care and personal care for her for almost a year until she was healed to the point that she could live a relatively normal life. The broken bone healed but because she was laid up for such an extended period recovering she could no longer extend it fully and walked with a pronounced limp. However, Kylie’s enthusiasm for life and her ability to be active were still there. In late June 2018 I met Kylie at a shelter and she accepted me as a suitable human, she came home with me to start a new life in North Melbourne, Australia. Kylie adapted easily to this new life sleeping her days comfortably in the inner city. She was with me through the pandemic, Melbourne was one of the most locked down cities in the world, she was a wonderful companion during that dark time. In early 2021 we took a few days off and travelled to Daylesford and had a weekend away, Kylie loved that trip. She was so excited about a new environment and new places to sniff and that became part of our regular enjoyment of our lives together visiting that region. In 2023 she started showing some signs of slowing down physically and it appeared apparent that she needed to build up some more strength so she started doing hydrotherapy. Kylie enjoyed this and became a regular at our local hydrotherapy centre. In August 2023 a friend of ours owned a dog named Fred, she could no longer look after him. She asked us to take Fred and he joined our home, initially it was meant to be for a few weeks but ended up being a permanent thing. Fred and Kylie were firm friends although Kylie was very much the boss. Having Fred join our lives gave Kylie some company and someone to boss around while I was at work. He also made our leisure time much more fun. Fred enjoyed stays in the countryside of which he had quite a few. Fred started doing hydrotherapy occasionally more for recreational purposes than therapy but just so he could have some fun too. Kylie would practically be tapping her paw impatiently waiting for him to finish so she could get back home to her couch. In August 2024 one evening Kylie began behaving in a very stressed and erratic way, she was screaming and couldn’t stand. We visited the Emergency Vet and she spent three nights there. They had to do a series of tests to try and isolate what was wrong with her they finally found a clot in a lower back which was affecting her ability to walk. She was discharged and placed on medication to try and manage that clot and the damage it was causing her. She bounced back and was full of beans again which brought me so much joy to see. In August 2025 she was showing some symptoms that appeared to be connected to the clot. We visited our vet and it was found that the clot was probably affecting her ability to walk so she was placed on additional medication. This got her back on track. The vet also told me that given her age and her condition statistically she should’ve been dead six months ago, yet she had bounced back yet again. My beautiful girl had an amazing ability to bounce back despite remarkable odds and keep living her life. We discovered that her brother Tigg lived nearby a few two suburbs away and in her later years we started spending some time with him and we even had the fortune of spending two birthdays together. Kylie could be a grumpy cow and always enjoyed her space yet remarkably her beautiful brother Tigg would often sit quite close to her and even rest his head on her. She never showed any issue with that we always felt that they knew they were brother and sister despite the years that they had spent apart. In the last six months Kylie had shown signs of slowing down physically. We could no longer do long walks. She would have to sit and take a break on even a short walk. It broke my heart watching her slowly decline. Two weeks ago her walking was very slow on our morning walk. In the afternoon I decided to take her to the emergency vet and initially the treatment was looking at getting her back up to speed and back at home. Sadly as that afternoon went on it became apparent that it was not going to be in Kylie‘s best interest to go home and the heartbreaking decision had to be made to let her go. I always knew this day was going to be very difficult but nothing could’ve prepared me for that moment of saying goodbye, she went peacefully at the Vet clinic. I’d always wanted it to be at home but it was not practical for her to be put in that situation as she could barely move. She was a wholly remarkable dog and she changed my life in so many ways, I will miss her forever. I’d like to say thank you to all of you on this sub and the kind things you have said about my beautiful girl over the years. When I discovered this sub on Reddit, I really enjoyed seeing all the dogs and their adventures and hearing about their lives and sharing Kylie‘s adventures too. I still cry every day thinking about my departed girl. Run free, Kylie. There are so very many beautiful dogs waiting for you across the bridge, I want you to run and frolic with them forever.

Hello frens and noodle horses. Last week I had the honour of celebrating the eighth anniversary of Kylie entering my life. She’s a remarkable girl and has changed my life in so many ways and the benefits of that union are immeasurable. She’s been a little out of sorts lately and I honestly don’t know how much more she will be with us. There’s been quite a few tears the last week but I’m trying to remember to live the time I have with her rather than mourn her before she leaves. Please enjoy a few pictures of our trip to the park and the cake I bought to celebrate her milestone. She’s alone by the bench because I had to chase after Fred when he ran off to play with some other dogs, Kylie can’t do that sort of pace in her current state.

While Kylie decided to have a nap in the sun at the park, Fred was ever vigilant against the threat of “attack”. Until he got distracted and wandered off leaving the queen vulnerable 🤷‍♀️

Fred loves saying hi to other pups (look at his tail spin), but Kylie is quite happy enjoying it from the sidelines.

Public holiday here today so we visited the dog park. Kylie’s hit the wall early and Fred wants to keep running around with the other dogs.

Today is the first day of winter in Australia and Kylie’s sporting a new tartan jacket that she received as a birthday gift. She thinks it’s pretty stylish, she’s waited six months to wear it as her birthday is in the summer.

Today we were across town catching up with some of Kylie’s cousins and other noodle friends. At one point this happened, Fred’s never been so bold and Kylie’s never been so remarkably nonchalant about him invading her space?! If I hadn’t seen it myself I may not have believed it.

In case you were wondering, we safely navigated the return journey and all is good in the world of the hippo and horse.

This afternoon Kylie took her first train ride. She was quite excited, Fred was his usual pensive self.