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See the Events Calendar for our monthly Meet and Greet events and for more details on the events below.
1/17 GreySave Foster Home/Adoption Rep Meeting 2/21 GreySave Spa Day Support GreySave when you shop at Amazon by clicking below (how this works) (866) Grey-Save 866-473-9728 |
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January/February 2008
We publish our online newsletter, GreySave Scoop, to keep our friends and volunteers up to date with what has been happening at GreySave. If you know someone who would enjoy receiving our newsletter, please forward this edition and tell them that they can register on the web at http://greysave.org/mailinglist.php to receive their own copy. Your feedback is important– please share your comments with us! News You Need to Know GREYSAVE IS MICRO-CHIPPING At that point it seemed important that GreySave make micro-chipping one more layer of protection for our greyhounds. The microchips we use are from AVID, one of the biggest chip manufacturers, and are in use at LA and Orange County shelter facilities so any facility can scan and read the numbers. The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is placed just under the skin, usually in the neck area, with a syringe-like tool. Most greyhounds don't even notice that anything is going one while their ticket home is being implanted. We purchased the plan that allows us to register the greyhounds to their new adopter along with GreySave for no additional charge to the adopter unless they change their phone number or move! At this point we have chipped about two dozen greyhounds and will chip all the new guys and girls. We have also increased our adoption fee to $275 to cover chipping and several other increased costs incurred during the last year. We know this service is valuable to us all so we are planning to offer it to our prior adoptees and any greyhound wearing a GreySave tag. The fee for the service will be nominal, probably $20 for greys with a GreySave tag or $25 for the chip and a GreySave tag. At this point we have not decided when or where we will start chipping the other greys, but I am guessing it will be within the next few weeks. We will send out an e-mail once we get the details worked out. GREYSAVE MERCHANDISE We have also made some changes to the online store. We have lowered the shipping and handling fees and added some new GreySave logo items. We have also decided to keep several GreySave items in stock including decals, a sweatshirt, and T-shirts in a couple of standard styles. New items will be added as Marci finds great new stuff! One of the newest GreySave logo items is a Messenger Bag - it is a heavy canvas bag 13.5" wide, 12" tall, that expands to 4" deep, and has a 2" wide extendable carrying strap. Another is the GreySave Volunteer shirt that comes in green, yes green, not black and white! To find these and other GreySave items, go to http://greysave.org/merch.php. Check the site periodically because Marci does plan to add new items soon. WE NOW ACCEPT VISA AND MASTER CARD VETERINARIAN AND GREYHOUND MEDICAL NEWS
To increase public awareness regarding greyhounds as pets, GreySave participates in and sponsors a number of events each month. If you would like to participate or attend an event, details on these and others that may be added can be found at www.greysave.org/events.php:
February 9 • Meet
& Greet at Huntington Beach Petco • Meet
& Greet at Upland Petsmart February 10 February 16 February 23 • Meet
& Greet at Upland Petsmart February 24
Saturday,
March 1: GreySave Greyhound Homecoming Day Saturday,
March 15: GreySave Spa Day
Saturday,
April 5: GreySave Greyhound Homecoming Day Saturday,
April 11-13: America's Family Pet Expo
Saturday,
May 3: GreySave Greyhound Homecoming Day
Adoption News
First, our sincere apologies to these worthy hounds who were adopted in 2007 but whose names never made the adoption list!
Since the September-October newsletter, 35 GreySave hounds have found their Forever Homes:
You can see their photos and profiles on the Adopted Greyhounds pages. Congratulations to all these precious greys and those who love them!
GreytLove Fund News The Greytlove Fund was established to help take care of the extraordinary medical needs of some of the special greyhounds GreySave brings in. Whether it is a broken leg, a long-term illness, or some other injury or accident, the medical costs for these greys can be very high. All money donated to the Greytlove Fund is used exclusively for the extraordinary medical needs of our greyhounds. If you would like more information on contributing to this fund, either by check or through PayPal, see the Donation website page at http://greysave.org/donations.php. If you would like to talk to someone about fostering or otherwise helping one of these broken leg or medical greys, contact us through info@greysave.org. Foster Tails: Ruby Shines in Her New Home
If she could, she would happily tell you about enjoying her Chicken Margaritas by the pool; her own private kiddy pool; an adoring butler and maidservant to cater to her every whim; meals prepared by her live-in-chef with delectable treats in between; five soft fluffy beds; limo service to several local parks and the river bed; daily hugs, pets, belly rubs, and massages; cool, early morning walks around the neighborhood; squeaky stuffies galore and a funny-looking non-greyhound as a playmate. Isn't retirement rough? No, seriously, if she could speak, she would wholeheartedly thank you for rescuing her and sending her to her "forever home" here in Bakersfield. She is such a sweetie pie and we tell her that every day. We all look forward to many happy years with her. As soon as she arrived, she made instant friends with our dog Boomer. They get along wonderfully. Where one goes, the other follows. Once when I attempted to take Ruby for a walk by herself, Boomer made such a heart-rending, howling clamor that I had to turn around and bring him too. Ruby has no desire to run full-out around the backyard; the fastest she goes is a slow leisurely lope. Occasionally, she'll ecstatically do the whirly greyhound spin and happy stomp, flinging her stuffies into the air and dive-bombing on them. Poor Boomer hides behind us while this goes on, probably thinking, "These skinny dogs are loco crazy!" She loves water and her kiddy pool. She even has her own colorful beach towel. Sometimes at night I'll reach over to pet her and she's wet! Even though we keep the house air conditioned like a fridge, she'll still go out for a dip. It's funny watching her turn around and around in her pool, packing down the water to find just the perfect spot to lie down. If there's a puddle, she'll find it! Hmmmm...I wonder if a Gray can turn moldy! She loves bananas! We swear she can hear one being peeled. Her little pigtail spins like a propeller when she gets a bite. She knows her Down, Come and Stay commands really well but we have never seen her sit once. She'll go into Sphinx mode, but just won't sit. Her fur is now a beautiful, silky, shiny black--that dull race-track brown tinge has disappeared. The dandruff is long gone. Fur and dark skin pigment slowly grew back on her bare tummy and butt. She has filled out a tiny bit and is no longer so bony with rock hard musculature. Some current hair loss is probably due to the constant belly rubs, noogies, and the petting she receives from family and strangers. We're surprised at how many people have never seen a greyhound before. She's been mistaken for a Doberman mix several times. When we had her micro-chipped at an SPCA-sponsored doggie get-together in the park, she was listed as a black lab/retriever mix. Huh? We got a chuckle outta that one. Ruby is such a gentle spirit and so well behaved! No behavior problems at all. Nada. We have never had to scold her for anything. She definitely is our special girl. When Boomer passes we will open our hearts and home to another grey! Harriett & Glen Hodson GreySave on Greyhound-Data.Org How did a greyhound available through GreySave end up on the home page of Greyhound-Data.org, a website that provides info about racing greyhounds around the nation and the world? The image above is a screen capture from this website, featuring a picture of GreySave's Periwinkle. (As of February 8, Perry was still being featured). We told you about in the September/October 2007 issue of the GreySave Scoop about how you can use sites like Greyhound-Data.org to find out about your grey's lineage and racing history. Steffenie Jarvis, a volunteer with GreySave, noticed a while back that some greyhound adoption groups have been posting photos and info about former racing greys that were adopted through their group. So she began doing this on behalf of GreySave! Now, post-retirement photos of our greys appear on their racing and lineage profiles. Steffenie was recently contacted by Greyhound-Data.org to provide a photo of a grey available for adoption, and sent them Perry's photo and info. Thanks, Steffenie, for taking the initiative to do this. And thanks too to Greyhound-Data.org! Scoop Special Focus: Lost (and Found) Greyhounds It's always anxiety-producing when a dog gets loose in the open. But when a sighthound like a greyhound gets loose, it's downright scary. At least it should be to you. If it isn't, read the statistics below about what happens to greys who do run off. If you think it won't happen to you, read about a GreySave adopter who lost two dogs temporarily a few weeks ago. As you will see, he's learned his lesson and graciously agreed to write the article below about his experiences. But your grey doesn't have to get loose; the article by Marcia Herman is full of tips for how to hang on to your needlenosed pal(s).
Gone in Six Seconds: Stats About Runaway Greys Members of GreyTalk, an online forum for greyhound owners, has been tracking lost greyhounds on its Greyhound Amber Alert Forum for several years. The numbers below are based on reports to GreyTalk by its participants. Probably many lost dogs are never reported to GreyTalk. The key thing to note about these numbers, then, is the percentage that don't make it back home.
How can you keep from becoming a part of these statistics? Note how people reported that their greys got loose: 33% said through open gates, and 26% said through open doors. 27 people said that their greyhounds got lost while being walked (as was true for the owner in the second article below) or tun off-leash in a non-fenced area. Now that we've got your attention, we urge yo to read the article below for ways that you can prevent this from happening to you and the greys who rely on your judgment.
How Not to Become a Member of the Runaway's Club By Marcia Herman This article, by the Editor Emeritus of Celebrating Greyhounds Magazine, is so full of helpful hints to keep your Greyhound safe, that we are reprinting it here (with permission). The few minutes it takes to read it may save your Greyhound’s life. We have visions of our Greyhounds following us around while we move from place to place, while working in our gardens, walking on the beach, or hiking in the woods. These are lovely fantasies, but they should never become realities unless our loyal, royal companions are in a fenced area or attached to leashes. Even highly-trained working law ...here are a few examples of true, not-so-amusing scenarios that occur repeatedly; a couple of these events have happened to our own dogs over the years. Sometimes these loose dogs return home; sometimes they don’t – not alive anyway. Even worse, some are never seen again.
The list of escape scenarios is endless.... Recognizing that “stuff happens” to even the most careful Greyhound owner, taking a few simple precautions will reduce the possibility of your Greyhound escaping to almost zero. The most common escape route is a door, gate, or window that’s slightly opened…All these new retirees know is that an open door, window or gate is much the same as the starting gate at the track; they may think that opening means RUN! Fresh off-the-track Greyhounds know nothing about cars, highways, traffic, or even how to get back home if they are lucky enough to be unharmed… Here are some suggestions for escape-proofing your Greyhound so he or she doesn’t become a member of the “Runaway’s Club.”
It sure sounds like Greyhounds aren’t much fun if one has to be so careful about them getting loose. But really, once the preliminary Greyhound escape-proofing is done and you’ve become accustomed to watching for open doors and gates and checking for properly fitted collars, you won’t even think about doing it; it will just become second nature to you. By taking a few precautions your Greyhound is [less likely] to be hurt or lost and you won’t ever need to be separated from your fast friend. Reprinted by permission. This article has been edited for space.
It Happens in an Instant: A Tale of Lost Dogs Trust—it’s no longer in my vocabulary. The whole thing was over within an hour, but I am still not going to believe in trust anymore. I thought I could control them, but I was wrong. I’m speaking about the recent disappearance of my two beloved greyhound boys. It seemed innocent enough. I mean, I don’t usually let them go off-leash outside of a fenced dog park or my backyard, but there’s this open field near my home, and it seemed safe enough for them. It’s far from busy streets, pretty flat, with good visibility, and no wildlife to chase. I thought that would be enough to keep the two of them in my sights. I was wrong. I walked them to the field and unhooked their leashes to let them do their business. The boys stayed close and all seemed OK as we proceeded along a long dirt path. But then they decided to challenge each other to a race, and off they went. It all happened in an instant. Apparently they could not decide where the finish line was, so they just kept going and going. I called for them as loudly as I could, but it was in vain. In a matter of seconds they were out of my sight, heading towards who knows where. I tried to follow them, but it was no use. I made the mistake of not taking my cell phone on our walk, so I was unsure if I should keep looking for them or run home, call GreySave to alert them to the disappearance, and get into my car and circle the field to look for them. I wasted a half hour searching on foot without luck and then, discouraged, headed home. By the time I got back to the house, they apparently had traveled about two miles to a strip mall near a main road north of my neighborhood. Fortunately, they had been spotted and held by two good Samaritans (my boys are very people-friendly) before they got into the street. They had their tags on and their saviors had left me a phone message and called GreySave. I rushed over to get them and thanked those nice people and the stars above that my boys were OK. Then I called GreySave to let them know that my boys were found and safe. It could have turned out much worse. Although I’ve had these guys for two years now and have walked them every day, their disappearance taught me an important lesson. Don’t trust them off-leash in an unfenced area. Period. I knew better, but I believed I could control them. I was wrong. I also knew that I should always carry my phone with me--with the GreySave contact number programmed into speed dial--but that day I just forgot it. No more. I even have a lost dog flyer on my computer ready to go should I ever need it. (Ed. note: see If Your Greyhound is Lost on the GreySave website for flyers you can download as well as other useful information.) And, of course, the boys are micro-chipped, just in case. I won’t stop walking them (we all enjoy those walks!) but off-leash, never. It’s just too easy to lose them in an instant, and I know I won’t be as lucky next time. Anonymous
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• The VCA Central & GreySave Blood Donor program is doing quite well and our greyhounds have been the beneficiary of blood donations given by a couple of wonderful greyhound volunteers and their parents. However we could use a couple more volunteers in the program. If you live within driving distance of Upland and you and your greyhound want to help a save a dog while helping GreySave at the same time, please call Nancy Sharp at (909) 982-6386 or Cathy Kiburtz at (626) 354-8476 and ask about the program. The blood donor requirements are that your greyhound is under 9 years old, healthy and has been prescreened by the vet as a Universal Blood Donor. This includes a health check and blood tests including a tick-borne disease titer test. All tests and the check up are free of charge to the adopter. If your grey meets the requirements he or she can join the elite ranks as a blood donor and donate periodically. Every time a GreySave greyhound donates a $100 donation is made in their name to GreySave.
Since it has been awhile since our last GreySave Scoop there have been several Homecomings and plenty of greyhounds brought into the GreySave family and adopted. In October we had the Green greyhounds, in November the Hawaiian greys, in December the Indian Tribe greys, in January the greys with Japanese names, and just last weekend the February Kings & Queens plus several greyhounds from other locations including shelters. In total there have been 42 new greyhound arrivals since the last newsletter! Now I know why we had no time to write about it! (Above: the Kings and Queens wait to be unloaded and introduced to life in retirement.)
(Left: Victoria from the Kings and Queens group lounges as she waits for her spa treatment at the recent Homecoming Day.)
We want to share how much Ruby (formerly Shadow) is enjoying her much deserved retirement and how happy we are to have her as part of our family.