Obituary of Maybelline "A Bar Tellie" Yeager

My name is Maybelline Yeager.  I wasn’t born with that name.  My Greyhound racing name was A-Bar-Tellie.  Now, isn’t that just the stupidest name you ever heard?  I thought so too!  It had something to do with my ancestry.  So, when my human Mom named me Maybelline, because I honestly do have the most beautiful eyes, I was so happy because I always knew I was pretty.  After all, my human Dad called me “pretty girl” everyday!

I was born on May 25, 2006.   Call it conceit if you must, but I’m very proud of my short, but awesome, racing career.  I raced 36 races and came in 1st place on 8 races, 2nd place on 7 races and 3rd place on 6 races.  I don’t remember why I stopped racing but I heard they closed my home track.  Wow, was that ever my lucky day!

I retired and went to live in Roo Valley with the good folks from Nittany Greyhounds.  They provide us homeless pups safe harbor.  My friends Toni and Ellen introduced me to my foster parents Rabbi David and Joni.  I was almost Jewish.  Shalom! Rabbi David and Joni are very special lovable people and they find room in their hearts to foster us pups waiting to find our forever homes.  Now how awesome is that!

In June 2009, my forever parents came and took me to my forever home.  So, I guess now I’m going to be Catholic.  With my new name and my new Mom and Dad and Grammy gushing over me I thought I was on top of the world and rightfully so because I was certainly worth it.  I know, right?  Until I met my step-brother Starsky! No! What?  How did this happen?  A brother?  Really?  I had no choice but to give him a chance and it wasn’t very long before we were the best of pals and I didn’t mind sharing with Starsky, at least not TOO much. 

Almost every morning after Dad went to work Starsky would initiate our daily ROO.  Starsky loved to put his nose in the air and howl and I would join him because I wasn’t about to let him have all the fun without me.  After all, I was the Princess of the house! At 5:00 in the afternoon I would park my skinny butt in front of the door because I knew that very soon Dad would come home from work and he would fuss over me and Starsky.  We would either join him for a nice walk or a playful romp in the yard followed by a tasty treat for being good.  Well, seriously, I never understood that because I was ALWAYS good.  Sometimes on our walk Dad would use the tandem leash and I had to really watch that brother of mine because if he lifted his leg to the inside instead of the outside he would pee on me.  Indignant you say, humph, you don’t even know!

I loved my Mom and Dad and had the best life any pup could ever dream of.  I had a comfy bed in every room and a big safe back yard for me and my pal Starsky to play and run.  My favorite thing to do in the yard was lie on my back with my belly and legs up and let the sunshine wash over me.  Bliss!  And, Wednesday and Sunday were Sardine days.  Oh, how my mouth would water when Dad was mixing those little fishy’s with my kibble!  Starsky is such a talker and would tell him to “hurry up already”!  We couldn’t wait for the evenings when Dad would lay on the floor between me and Starsky and cuddle with us.  Ahhhh!  Contentment!  If only Mom would quit taking those stupid pictures of the 3 of us on the floor.  That darn flash would wake me out of my slumber.  Sometimes I would dream about my racing days and Mom said my legs would be moving in my sleep and my nose would be crinkled just as it did when I was running.

When Mom was in the hospital I slept in bed with Dad so he wouldn’t be lonely.  I spooned him and I think he slept better.  I know I did.

I loved our road trips.  Mom and Dad took us to so many exciting places.  We went to Greyhound fund raisers, to out of town weddings, to the lake, to the beach, to the mountains, picnics and lots of other cool places.   Traveling took forever though because people would stop us and ask us what kind of pups we were and comment on how soft our fur was.  I’m sure they were talking about me and not Starsky.  Everyone we met told Mom and Dad that I was so pretty and my name fit me perfectly.  Well, duh, I already knew that!

Then one fateful day I was playing in the yard and I broke my leg.  I heard the intensive care doctor say something about cancer.  Mom and Dad stayed with me and pet my face and looked into my beautiful eyes until the pain was no more and when I woke up I saw Grammy and St. Francis.

Mom and Dad thank God for sharing me and these beautiful Greyhound creations with us all.