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March 2007
About GreySave Scoop Monthly
Every month we publish the GreySave Scoop, our online newsletter,
to keep our friends and volunteers up-to-date with what has been
happening at GreySave. If you know of someone who would enjoy
receiving our newsletter, please forward this edition and tell
them they can register on the web at http://greysave.org/mailinglist.php
to receive their own copy every month. We hope you enjoy getting
these updates and articles of interest. Your feedback is important‚
please share your comments with us!
GreySave Homecoming News
Meet the Newest Addition!
GreySave Adoption News
Event News
New and improved GreySave website
Mensa + Greyhounds = Brilliant!
A Greyhound Goes to Solvang
Foster Tails: Biscuit to the
Rescue
GreySave Homecoming News
Make a note! The next Homecoming Day (when we bring
greyhounds in from the track) has been moved to March 24. We'd like
to see the wonderful dogs now in foster homes moved into their forever
homes before we bring in new dogs, and we want to minimize the stress
on our foster homes.
Speaking of which, we can always use new foster homes! Let Sandy
Hightower know if you can take a dog on March 24.
Meet the Newest Addition!
Ebony
is a beautiful, small (maybe 40 pounds) beauty. She has a tuxedo
chest, four white paws and a white-tipped tail. She just arrived
from the Bakersfield shelter and may be as young as nine months.
We think she may even be Pippinís littermate! (See a photo of Pippin
in Adoption News below.) Though we have only known her for a short
time, she seems very sweet, a bit timid and is now living in a foster
home with cats. Check the website for future developments on the
newest GreySave sweetie.
GreySave Adoption News
In the last month, four
happy greyhounds have moved into their forever homes!
The first was Taurus, the beautiful white-and-fawn boy who struck
such a nice pose for his official picture and behaved so well at
a Meet & Greet that his future mom just couldnít resist him.
He is now in his Forever Home in Chino with his new mom, a 20-something
human brother, and greyhound sister named JoBeth.
May, who lost her mom in December, adopted a new Forever Home mom,
plus an aunt and new best friend dog, a large Rottweiler mix. May
now lives in Montebello and gets plenty of attention since everyone
she lives with is retired just like her. She has a great back yard
and enjoys daily rides in the car.
Emma moved to her Forever Home in Van Nuys, where she lives with
a black and white greyhound sister, a mini-Pinscher and a secretive
cat who keeps a very low profile even though Emma would be quite
gracious when they meet.
Phantom accompanied her foster family to Solvang and got to stay
at a winery. It wasnít long before she discovered she could jump
the lower fences and go check out the 40+ acres with her jumping
buddy Ace. After her weekend romp she met a very nice couple with
two children who had lost their greyhound and wanted a new greyt
friend. Phantom is living in Summerland and, knowing Phantom, she
has probably already staked out her favorite human bed!
In Solvang, Phantom, Pisces and all the other greyhounds got to
see Pippin (formerly Maverick, pictured at right) and were amazed
at how tall he had gotten and how regal he looked in the beautiful
black oriental-motif coat his mom, Gretchen, had made for him.
Event News
(More information about these events and others is
available at www.greysave.org)
In February, GreySave opened two new permanent monthly
Meet & Greet locations! Both had great kickoff events and we
are looking forward to getting many new applicants from these sites:
Moorpark ‚ Petco (the new one)
Contacts: Gwen Carlson and Brian Dowd
Burbank - Pet Mania
Contacts: Deborah Dunn and Cathy Jones
If you can help at either of these sites (or any other!), please
check www.greysave.org for details and contact information. We need
more volunteers for the PetsMart in Pasadena (Hastings Ranch) and
are working on finding a location in the Santa Clarita Valley. If
you can help at either of these locations, contact Cathy Kiburtz
at cathy@greysave.org.
March 18 (Sunday): Foster
Home and Adoption Rep Social
This is just a few days away! If you currently foster and/or are
an adoption rep for GreySave, we'd really like to see you there.
If you're thinking about becoming a foster home or adoption rep,
this will be the perfect place to find out what's involved from
current volunteers. Please RSVP to Sandy Hightower at greysandy@sbcglobal.net.
March 24 (Saturday): Homecoming
Day (when we bring new dogs in from the track).
New and Improved GreySave
Website
We have dramatically expanded the GreySave website
(www.greysave.org)! Youíll find pages and pages of new information
for potential adopters, current greyhound owners, and folks interested
in volunteering with GreySave. In fact, the site has been re-organized
around these three types of people.
On the top menu bar, ìhomeî always takes you back to the main page.
ìAbout usî tells who we are, our current projects, and how to contact
GreySave. The majority of the site is accessed via the next three
links: ìadopt,î ìlearn,î and ìhelp.î The first entry in the drop-down
menu under each of these links is an index of all entries in that
section, and includes pages not directly linked in the drop-down
menus. So be sure to click on the first link under adopt, learn,
and help to see everything thatís on the site!
ï ADOPT: The Last Lap This information is intended to help people
interested in greyhounds make the right decision, and to understand
the process we use to get greys and to match them with the right
home. Even those who already own greyhounds will find things of
interest here.
ï LEARN: Welcome to GreySave Greyhound Academy! We want to make
this the most helpful and informative greyhound site online, and
weíve made considerable progress in that direction already. The
LEARN section offers advice on how to care for and train your greyhound,
work with behavioral problems, identify health issues, and prevent/find
lost greyhounds.
ï HELP: Learn how you can help GreySave save greys! The possibilities
are endless! We have lots of opportunities for you to help, from
writing a check to working on the front lines. Our job wonít be
done until there are no more greyhounds in need of homes (which
isnít likely to happen any time soon), so we can ALWAYS use new
volunteers!
We will continue to expand the GreySave website with news, stories
and great information, so check back often. Weíre making it easy
for you to stay up-to-date ó the main page summarizes recent changes
so that you donít have to hunt around for them.
Jim Jeffers is currently maintaining the site. If you have suggestions
for expanding the site, photos youíd like to share (especially if
they illustrate a concept in one of the articles), or corrections,
send them to Jim at jim@greysave.org.
Mensa + Greyhounds = Brilliant!
By Sandy Hightower
When a friend suggested that I attend a Mensa gathering to speak
about greyhounds, I thought to myself Ö well, maybe a bunch of people
who have the top 2% IQ scores in the world would make good greyhound
adopters. They might think logically about what kind of pet would
best fit into their lifestyle and realize that greyhounds were an
excellent choice. Sounded promising, so I said OK.
My friend quickly got me signed up as a speaker at the annual Mensa
event which lasts three days. The event includes game playing, social
dinners, and many speakers on topics so varied that even the topic
of greyhounds fit in well on the agenda.
Bonnie Jeffers showed up with her hounds to help me, and we started
promptly at 9:00am with a PowerPoint presentation packed with greyhound
pictures. As crowds go, this one was terrific! There was question
after intelligent question and they even laughed at my jokes! People
who had become bored in other sessions wandered in after we started
and they stayed with us. When the audience filled out feedback forms
on the presentation, the response was very positive, so we hope
to be invited back again next year.
While a Mensa convention certainly wasnít one of the first places
I would think of for spreading the word on greyhounds, it certainly
worked! We have received some good follow-up interest in adoption
from this event. Keep your ears open for alternative places and
events to make greyhound presentations and hold Meet & Greets.
They don't have to be dog-related events. If you want a copy of
the PowerPoint presentation for an event, email me at greysandy@sbcglobal.net.
A Greyhound Goes to Solvang
by Bandit Jarvis-January
Mom seems all excited today. Sheís been talking about ìSolvangî
for two weeks. I wonder what Solvang is - I hope it has something
to do with food. Sheís packing suitcases and says one of them is
for me. Thatís goofy. But sheís putting in my food and toys and
coats and dress-up collars (do I have to wear those to eat ìSolvang?î).
Maybe I really will need a suitcase of my own.
Oh, good, now weíre going for a ride in the car! I
get to look out and put my nose on the window and go in circles.
Iím getting tired, so I guess Iíll take a nap. Gee, how long have
we been traveling? I see the ocean and green hills and vineyards
Ö and a sign that mom points to and says, ìSolvang.î It turns out
Solvang isnít something to eat after all, but a place with beautiful
buildings and cute shops and ‚ ostriches?? I guess I wonít chase
them.
Finally! Weíre at the hotel and I can get out and stretch my legs.
Theyíre really long, you know. Oh, look! There are four greyhounds!
And two more and five more. And more and more! What a great place
Solvang is! Dogs that look just like me. I think I recognize some
of them. Mom is talking a mile a minute and Iím getting acquainted
with the guys in the only way dogs can.
We drop off the luggage and my bed in the room and go for a walk
around Solvang. There are greyhounds everywhere! I have to investigate
every tree, bush and fire hydrant just to see whoís been here. Solvang
must love greyhounds, because weíre everywhere ‚ down the street,
up the street, across the street, in the shops, in hotel rooms and
even on some restaurant patios. Some of us wear elaborate coats
and fancy collars and are all decked out. Itís been a long time
since Iíve seen so many greyhounds in one place. It must have been
a long time for the humans too, because all the cars slow down and
stare at us. People on the street ask about us and say weíre pretty
and so well behaved. Of course we are. Duh, weíre greyhounds!
Thereís Biscuit, my foster sister, with her new mom and dad. She
seems really happy and theyíre ecstatic too. Iím so glad she found
such a good home.
My mom takes me everywhere with her at Solvang. We go to lectures
and pizza parties and auctions, but I mostly sleep through those.
While she is shopping, I socialize with everyone ‚ dogs, humans,
kids. What a great place!
Since there is no doggie door or regular routine, whenever I have
to go out to do my business, I get a mini-walk. At night and in
the morning, I go to a place called The Secret Garden. Itís pretty
there with paths, trees, bushes, a little pond and benches. I get
to play a little and, most importantly, I get to pick just the right
spot to do my thing (which my mom faithfully cleans up).
We get a little break in the shopping and our humans take us over
to a big grassy area next to the Mission. This is a good spot to
roll on grass and rest. Everyone is standing around talking when
a man in a long dress comes out and stands in the middle of the
crowd. I donít know what heís saying, but all the humans are listening
and seem impressed. Then I line up with the others. My mom says
my name and this guy throws water on my head! OK, he sprinkled water
on my head, but it was startling nonetheless. I have to say, though,
I feel blessed and kind of peaceful now. I wonder what that was
all aboutÖ
On Saturday, I get a treat! All the greyhounds are taken over to
a school and we get to run a race with a lure and everything. Some
dogs run by themselves and, boy, do they show off. I was pulling
for that old dog that went so slow but ran with the heart of a true
racer. I get to run with some other dogs and come in last ‚ just
like I did on the real racetrack in Caliente! My mom doesnít mind
though and I donít either, because she hugs me just the same as
if I were the fastest dog in the world.
On Sunday morning, we line up and parade through town. What an impressive
sight to see the greyhounds, as beautiful as we all are, stretching
for blocks. Our moms and dads are so proud. Everyone wants to take
our picture and pet us. We like the petting part best!
Itís time to go home. Iím sorry to leave Solvang and my greyhound
friends, because it is so much fun and I love being around other
greyhounds. I hope I get to do it again. In the meantime, I think
Iíll sleep for two days.
Foster Tails: Biscuit to the
Rescue
 by
Steffenie Jarvis-January
I had spent a very busy day at work and came home
to more chores around the house. In addition, I had to take care
of the two foster greyhounds plus my own greyhound and my ìlittleî
Lab. When all that was done, I decided I deserved a nice, luxurious,
relaxing bubble bath. It was almost bedtime and I could steal a
few moments for myself.
I had eased myself into the hot water and, just as I was feeling
the tension leaving me, I glanced into the bedroom. Biscuit (formerly
Pisces), the newest foster dog, was staring intently at the floor.
Oh, well, foster dogs do odd things sometimes. Back to my bath.
Yes, this was a good idea. I looked into the bedroom again. Biscuit
had her ears straight up and every inch of her body was on ìalert.î
I looked at the carpet where she was staring. There was nothing
there. My Lab, who was the best hunter in the neighborhood, was
sitting nearby about to fall asleep. That convinced me it must be
nothing.
Biscuit started to lower her head for a better look and then snapped
it back like something dangerous threatened her. Then she started
to circle. I tried to crane my neck to see, but the carpet was very
dark and I couldnít see Ö uh, oh, there WAS something on the carpet!
Something light brown. Biscuit lunged at it. Did it just move? Was
it a ÖÖÖÖÖ.mouse??!
I panicked. Hot bubble bath forgotten, I leaped out of the bathtub,
grabbed the towel, but didnít dry myself because there was a ìthing!î
in my bedroom. Water and soap splashed everywhere. I ran into the
bedroom. Biscuit got even more excited. And there is was! Biscuit
captured it! Biscuit had rescued me from ... a leaf. A dried up
leaf.
I guess I didnít deserve the relaxing bath after all. I cleaned
up the water and disposed of The Leaf. By then I was too tired,
and, frankly, too scared to find out what prank Biscuit might think
up next. I went to bed assured that I wouldnít be attacked by any
killer leaves and with the knowledge that I would be awakened in
the morning by the loving nuzzle of a cold nose that belonged to
an appreciative ‚ even though misguided ‚ foster greyhound.
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