Souvenirs

Tosca at the Beach in Florida

When most people travel, they buy a post card, or a T-shirt as a souvenir.

Not us.

We adopt a hound.

Voluntouring

Neal & Tosca at the kennel

OK. Most of the New Year's resolutions that I made in January have gone the way of the dinosaur.

You know. The promises to eat less sugar, get more sleep, stop procrastinating.

I find that's always the case. The resolutions that I make to help myself, are normally forgotten by mid-January, if not sooner. Sometimes I don't even make it to the end of January 1st without breaking them.

However, in past years, the deals that I make to help others are year long (if not longer) commitments.

This year, I've decided to Voluntour. No, it's not spelled wrong. It is a combination of two words. Volunteer and tour. Meaning: volunteer while on vacation.

When Neal & I decided to spend January in Palm Beach, Florida, I made up my mind then. I wanted to help at a Greyhound Kennel. So, every Thursday night for the month of January, we've been helping at the GPA Southeast Florida adoption kennel. What a great experience we've had.

The kennel crew and on site kennel keeper go above and beyond to make the stay for the hounds a happy one. Each dog spends very few hours locked in a crate. On Thursday nights for example each is turned out into the run individually for some one on one time. Then they have supper and a rest before being turned out for the evening. During that time, they play with the other Greyhounds and human helpers.

This upcoming Thursday is our last time to help out. We're already making plans to come back and do it again next year.

There is, however, one small problem with Voluntouring...

Superstar

I came across this in the newsfeed of my facebook page. It was posted by Life with Dogs.

What a cute idea this is to showcase a hound in foster care or at a kennel.

Adopt This Pet: Duncan - Video - WMUR New Hampshire

Vote!

Hi Greyhound Friends and Dog Lovers. I copied the following from the Greyhound-L. Wouldn't it be exciting to have a Greyhound Adoption Group win this!

Keep Voting!!!!!!!!

Greyhound Pets of America, Central Florida Chapter needs your help!
PLEASE copy and post this to your facebook pages, your websites, your
chapter's email list, etc. etc.!!

In August “People Magazine” featured our group in their “Hero’s Among
Us” section of the August 1st edition.

We have just been advised that we were selected as finalist for the
“PEOPLE Readers’ Choice Hero Campaign.”
There will be 8 other people that have been selected for this same contest.

****PEOPLE magazine will conduct a voting process starting today Friday
September 16, 2011 and ending on October 13, 2011.

THE WINNER WILL BE AWARDED a $10,000 donation to be applied to the
charity of choice and in our case it would be donated to GPA Central
Florida.

****PLEASE VOTE AT www.people.com/readerhero YOU CAN VOTE AS MANY TIMES
AS YOU LIKE!

How would GPA Central Florida spend this money if were to win this award?
If the $10,000 was used exclusively for repair (surgery) of broken leg
greyhounds 8 or 10 greyhound could be rehabilitated.
If the $10,000 was used exclusively for greyhound transportation to
other groups, we could transport over 150 greyhounds.
If the $10,000 was used for food, it would feed our kennels for about 5
months.
If the $10,000 was used to pay our kennel workers it would cover about 3
months of that cost.

It should be noted that none of the officers or members of GPA Central
Florida receive a salary and we are a NON PROFIT 501 © 3 organization

Alane Shultz
GPA Nat. Corr. Sec.

If you would like to know more about GPA Central Florida, please visit their website:

www.floridagreyhounds.com

After you're done voting, come back & join us in the Saturday Morning Blog Hop!

Florida Enacts Bill which eliminates Minimum Number of Races Required by Tracks

From the Florida House of Representatives website: CS/CS/CS/HB 1145 - Greyhound Racing Greyhound Racing: Provides that greyhound permitholder shall not be required to conduct minimum number of live performances; revises provisions relating to applications, converted permits & tax credits, tax exemptions or license fee credits, greyhound racing purses, intertrack wagering, slot machine gaming licenses & gaming areas, & cardroom licenses.

Effective Date: July 1, 2011

Last Event: 04/29/11 S CS passed as amended; YEAS 25 NAYS 14 on Friday, April 29, 2011 3:46 PM Before everyone starts planning their celebrations, let's consider this: What does this mean for greyhounds? Is it good? Bad? Ugly? Will this create an extreme influx of hounds available for adoption? Can adoption groups find homes for the number of dogs that will need them? Are there dogs that will end up going to "lesser" tracks or in circumstances where animal welfare is even more of an issue that in the U.S.? Be careful what you wish for.

...And the Survey Says...

If you currently have a greyhound, or were previously owned by one, a graduate student at Oregon State University would like to learn more about you. Please visit this link to tell a little about yourself & your experiences as an adopter, 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=qoz91neeVrbQM2GdCF_2b7Lg_3d_3d.  

The survey is anonymous & results will be available to the public.

Chance Encounter

Pictured above:  Louis, one of the greyhounds recovered in Guam.

More pictures can be found at:www.guamgreyhounds.org/Story.html 

A few weeks ago, I was perusing the Internet, looking for greyhound memorabilia.  Nothing out of the norm, I do this often.  I found a great site selling beautiful jewelry & other hound inspired items, NorthCoast Greyhounds, www.northcoastgreyhounds.net/store/.  What is especially interesting about this group is that they are not an adoption group.  Their focus is on raising money & awareness for groups that place retired greys.  And what really caught my attention, was the note on their homepage about a campaign for collars for greyhounds in Guam.

Guam?  There are greyhounds in Guam?  What are greyhounds doing in Guam?

Turns out that there is greyhound racing in Guam.  Or should I say, "there was" greyhound racing in Guam.  When the track closed suddenly in November of 2008, they started a public, "give away", of the dogs.  These dogs were free to anyone who wanted them, not spayed or neutered, no training was given, no transfer papers were signed.  There were absolutely no adoption policies in place until early December when an agreement was made with Guam Animals in Need (GAIN), the agency responsible for animal welfare on the island.  GAIN has found many of the hounds nearly starved, badly sunburned, dehydrated, injured, & dead.  Many people were not prepared/trained for the care that greys require & elected to turn the dogs lose. 

Once they are well enough, the dogs which are recovered will be placed in qualified homes in Guam, many others are headed to adoption groups on the U.S. West Coast.  The fate of those greyhounds at the track is still undetermined.  

NorthCoast Greyhounds started a collar & squeaky toy campaign in early February to entice anyone with a greyhound in Guam to contact GAIN.  (The collars/toys are shipped from California to Guam. When they reach Guam, the care packages will be given to new adopters.) The adoption group that I am involved with generously donated 20 collars & many more members donated money on-line to help with the rescue efforts.  

For more information & to donate, please visit:  www.guamgreyhounds.org/Story.html .  

 

      

For Stan the Man

Stan the Man

color Black
sex male
weight 37.5 kg ~ 83 lbs
date of birth MAY 2003
land of birth US USA
land of standing US USA
ear mark 53D-20115
owner ?
Euthanized for space 11/2006

I found Stan by accident one day while researching my own greyhounds' "family trees". This is the thing that all of us involved in greyhound adoption, wish would go away.

It's not the actual racing that I despise. The dogs love to race. You will never see a greyhound more happy than when they are running. And I'm sure that the majority of these dogs are treated well. In fact, racing greyhounds are probably treated better than the average pet. They are turned out often, played with, see a vet on a regular basis, & are fed high quality food.

Unfortunately, there is always a down side. Stan the Man was euthanized for space in November of 2006. He would only have been 3. Terminating a dog merely because real estate is at a premium, simply boggles my mind.

When I found the picture of Stan (over a year ago now), I saved the picture. It reminds me of the reason why I have greyhounds & prompts me to continue promoting responsible pet ownership & animal adoption.

Pet Registration Update

I received an email from the NGA - complete with the addresses of my hounds' racing owners. Wish me luck!

Greyhound Pet Registration

It's rainy here today, so I thought that I would take the opportunity to do something that I have been meaning to do since we adopted Sophie. Transfer her registration. It is a fairly simple process consisting of a form, some info, a signature, & a fee.

The form can be found at: http://www.ngagreyhounds.com/. There is a link to forms on the home page. The one that you need is called, Pet Transfer Form. The only info that you need is the dog's racing name, and left/right ear tattoos. Today I sent an email to the National Greyhound Association to see if they could help me locate the racing owners of my greyhounds. After I receive the contact info, I can then mail the application form for their signature. I think that I will include a brief letter about each of my dogs and maybe some pictures, along with a self addressed envelope. Once they return the signed form to me, I can then send it off to the NGA.

There is a fee of $30, however, $10 of that goes to an adoption group of my choice. In return, I receive a registration certificate, two generation pedigree, & identity bertillon.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that I hear back from the record owners.

Greyhound Database

For those of you who enjoy genealogy, you might want to do some research for a different family, your greyhound's. The Greyhound Database, or "The Data", provides pedigree & racing stats for greyhounds all over the world. For some racers, you are able to trace back as far as 4 centuries. On the data's site, http://www.greyhound-data.com/index.htm, you can also update your dog's info & add a picture.


Not long after adopting Tutu, we were contacted by her sister, Lulu's mom. We exchange emails & have received hilarious stories about Lulu's antics, & pictures (like the one below). It's amazing to find out how much they are alike despite the fact that they have never spent much time together. Apparently, Lulu is also quite a diva with a penchant for the finer things in life.

Celebrating Greyhounds Magazine

If you are a greyhound adopter, you may be interested in subscribing to a magazine dedicated exclusively to greyhounds. Celebrating Greyhounds (or CG, as it is commonly referred to), was started in 1996 by the Greyhound Project. Published quarterly, it has subscribers all over the world. It's easy to see why this magazine has won multiple awards, I often read each issue several times. Just when I think that they have written about every topic, they surprise me. There is something in the magazine for everyone, whether you're interested in finding out about medical issues or craft projects.
In addition to the magazine, the Greyhound Project is also responsible for a calendar dedicated to greyhounds & Greyhounds Reach the Beach in Delaware (hoping to go to this some year). If you would like more info about subscribing please visit their website at: http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/. The CG calendar is available in late summer/early fall from an adoption group near you. The Project is currently looking for greyhound pictures for their 2010 calendar. A committee chooses the photos in early spring.
I would love to see more Canadian greyhounds in both the magazine & the calendar! I'll be sifting through my hounds' photo albums soon, to get my entries in.

Closing Time

It was announced in July that Woodlands Racetrack in Kansas would be shutting down their operations on August 24th. In July, the owners of the track failed to reach an agreement with Kansas government regarding slot machines. Like many other tracks in the U.S. it has experienced declining revenues. Much of this is due to the increased competition from casinos in neighbouring states (where payouts are higher) & negative publicity from animal welfare agencies. In 1990 (a year after opening), the track's revenue peaked at $197 million. Tracks (for both horse & dog racing), have begun to heavily rely on mixed racing and casino (racinos) ventures in order to stay afloat.

Many of us with ex-racers as pets, have mixed feelings when we hear of track closures. For some, the first reaction is always, "Yippee, one track closer to the end of greyhound racing!" We all want to think that each greyhound finds his/her forever home. Upon closer inspection, I've realized that it is not exactly a happy ending. The best racers are sent on to other tracks. Lower grade racers end up at "the flaps" (tracks which are not so hot to say the least). The unluckiest ones are sold to research facilities & others are euthanized.

When tracks close or temporarily shut down for the season, it creates stress on adoption groups. Large numbers of dogs (upwards of 1000 are kept in kennels at some tracks) have to be moved & quickly. Nobody wants to see a racer get left behind. Many groups are inundated with emails asking for help and pictures of dogs. Difficult decisions have to be made as to which dogs are placed & those that are not. It takes a great deal of effort to coordinate all of the parties involved. More often than not, adoption groups exist outside of the cities and states (& countries) where the racetrack operates.

Another aspect to reflect on is the human. Racetracks have employees. In the case of Woodlands, over 250 people were terminated. The majority of these people have jobs which are industry dependent: kennel operators, dog trainers, etc. Like the dogs that they take care of, they have only known one career. This increases the unemployment rate & leaves individuals scrambling to find another way to feed their families & pay their rent.

Greyhound Adoption Person of the Year & Greyhound Photo Contest

Each year the Greyhound Track Operators Association (AGTOA) recognizes the hard work of an individual involved in placing retired racers. The winner is invited to & recognized at the AGTOA annual meeting. Also, their greyhound adoption group of choice receives a $500 donation. Nominations for 2008 will be accepted until September 01. Maybe there is someone that you would like to nominate.

The AGTOA is also sponsoring a photo contest for pet greyhounds. Entries are due by Oct 11.

You can find out more about this award & the photo contest at: http://www.agtoa.com/.