English Greyhounds

Steve Sanderson of Lancashire

It has been noted that, at least some of the English, think highly of dogs. Since having greyhound myself, i have seen people sharing cartoons of Rich Skipworth. He draws a particular hound, black with white accents—sort of like my hound, and now hounds. Everyone of his drawings his toon hound's behaviour, i have seen in my Captain.

More recently, i have found the painter Steve Sanderson. He has painted greyhounds in Lancashire. The same scenes with variations. Some would say they are sentimental, his coloring, and draftsmanship are quite good. In the one above, i see melancholy.

Rich Skipworth of Worcestershire

fallen greyhounds

In Holywell Wales there is a pet cemetery with a monument to fallen greyhounds. Fotos from Caged Nationwide, a greyhound protection group. This is in the United Kingdom (Britain), but the same thing applies elsewhere.

Bring tae me my twa greyhunds

Japanese Cherry. Brookside Park. Cleveland. Wednesday, 12ᵗʰ of April.

Why “twa greyhunds”?  Greyhounds were hunting hounds that coursed in pairs. Francis James Child was the first professor of English at Harvard. He collected folklore ballads. Some had many variants, Child #114 is sometimes titled “Johnie Cock”, and other times variants on “Johnnie O'Breadisley”. Ewan MacColl recorded a version, and Alan Lomax (another song collector) recorded people singing. Lomax recorded John Strachan singing it. Their versions, have lyrics like “Bring tae me my twa greyhounds that are bound in iron chains”. Most versions have “iron bands”, and the greyhounds are not consistently spelled. I have chosen “my twa greyhunds” [roll the 'r', make the 'u' long to sound as in 'boo'].

My first houndie is Captain America, and my second houndie is Cassius. My dear beasts came from Greyhound Adoption of Ohio in Chagrin Falls. Captain had the clumsy racing name 'Braska America', and was called 'America' at the rescue shelter. The two women there seemed to really like calling him America. Captain was one of several names which i thought fit dogs well; so, the adoption paper says Captain America. The relatives, at first, called him America; but soon Captain, Cap, and Captain America have become more usual. Most people approve. Only once, someone i met at the dragon boat races mentioned 'Steve Rogers', which was Captain America's real name in the comic books.

Cassius is named after Caesar's Cassius, although everyone [so far] thinks of Cassius Clay. A relative in the old country wrote me that Cassius is a good name for a fighter/warrior.

Among some of the American Indians, custom was not to name until some indication of character or circumstance suggested something. If such was so, Captain would be 'van Winkle', and Cassius would be 'Tripper Wagmore'. Cassius doesn't seem to know there is a space boundary between him and me (or anyone). After we came home, his first walks outside he became a canine sawhorse.  Cassius, in greyhound terms, is a 'leaner'. He also has more tail wagging than Captain.

twa greyhunds visit a graveyard

Cleveland's prestige graveyard is Lake View. There is a spot, they call Daffodil Hill. There is a regular parking spot before it, for a dozen plus vehicles. To-day the 10th of April, would reach near 80º, that lot was near full when we came. The twa greyhunds found their way into the blooming bulbs.

This was first published @ http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2017/04/twa-greyhunds-visit-graveyard.html

My twa greyhunds tour cultural gardens

Well, i am going to have a journal on 'my twa greyhunds'. I have taken fotos of them already. The title is from one of the many variants of Child Ballad 114. The greyhounds are an ancient and storied breed, known to Egypt and Greece in the centuries before Christ. Here they visit Dante Alighieri, the greatest of poet of the Middle Ages.

 Here, Captain America (left) and Cassius (right) inspect a time capsule.

The twa greyhunds visit Rupintojelis, the Lithuanian Pensive Christ. This folk sculpture can be found in Poland, and Germany. This is the antecedent of Rodin's 'Thinker'. 

Gandhi is sculpted walking the Salt March, and as times before, someone has given him a scarf for the winter.

 The Ukrainian garden is in bloom, as April blossoms on a warm day after winter's end.

This was first published @ http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2017/04/my-twa-greyhunds-tour-cultural-gardens.html

Cassius

I read that April is Greyhound adoption month. This past Saturday was the 1ˢᵗ, a day the French pin paper fishes to people's backs; other people pull pranks too. I got a second hound from a greyhound half way house, Cassius.

Cassius was an historical figure, now known to many through Shakespeare. Cassius will not live under tyranny. Cassius is manipulative. Shakespeare has Caesar say, "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous."
Antony replied, "He is a noble Roman and well given."
Caesar responded, "I do not know the man I should avoid so soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much; he is a great observer and he looks quite through the deeds of men..."

Sunday my nephew snapped the hounds on their first return trip from Lakewood Park, Captain [right] is cool in sharing the back seat, Cassius [left] is antsy and the car needs to travel before he settles down.

Greyhounds are an abused breed. Most of those in private hands are rescues. It is rare to see a greyhound pup in public. Many do not see their first year, others will never see their fifth. For a large breed, they are quite healthy. It is not unusual for a greyhound to live a natural life of past fourteen years. The racing line are a cost of doing business, and in America the lauded businessmen are lauded for cutting costs. There is another line as show dogs.

People who choose to adopt greyhounds have a great tendency to fall in love with the breed. It is almost like a 'cult', but a nice, safe one. I am thinking, whether, i should write a diary on Cassius.

________________

this was first published @  http://rustbeltvoice.blogspot.com/2017/04/cassius.html

Captain America

last day of sole possession of back seat

"...O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells..." — Walt Whitman

I have always liked dogs. I think big dogs are fun dogs. Two greyhounds now live with me, and my nephew. Most greyhounds are property of the racing/gambling industry. Most are discarded when no profit is seen in them. Discarded usually means killed, but there has been a growing rescue movement.

There are show dogs of over an hundred breeds in America, and they have pedigrees, and are registered with the American Kennel Club. I am sure, you have heard the term 'papers', as in the "dog has papers". Racing hounds are registered with National Greyhound Association, and some dogs' ancestors are on paper for two or three dozen generations.

Greyhounds were sculpted and painted by the Egyptians, and the faro had such hounds. Odysseus had a greyhound, Argus, who was the only one who recognised him on his return. Alexander had Peritas who saved him, and perished, in an attack by elephant in combat. There is much in mediæval lore concerning greyhounds.

Greyhounds deserve (as other creatures) to live. Sometime ago, in continuous rain, we went to the Spooky Pooch Parade in Lakewood, and i first met greyhounds. After some time, my first greyhound came home on my birthday, over a year ago. My second, on April Fools Day. So we are getting to know him.

Some greyhound rescue shelters will not take black hounds. When we looked at the available hounds, the best looking animal was a black one. When we walked him, he was so easy to pace, and fought the lead not at all. He, Captain America, was our boy.  And males are harder to place than females. Such a beautiful animal, with so many strikes against him.