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See the Events Calendar for our monthly Meet and Greet events and for more details on the special events below. 4/20-22 America's Family Pet Expo 4/21 GreySave Spa Day in Pasadena 5/19 GreySave Race to the Park! Picnic Search GreySave Navigating this site from a touch-screen device
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Support GreySave when you shop at Amazon by clicking below. How this works. (866) Grey-Save 866-473-9728 |
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The Loss of Jake, Our "Forever Great" The following story about the accidental poisoning of a dog due to the misapplication of snail bait is unfortunately all too true. If you love your grey you should take this sad message to heart and discuss the topic with anyone who has access to your greyhound children. By Cathy Kiburtz, GreySave board member Attack of the slugs When I hired him a couple of months before, we discussed greyhound safety issues including the gate and not using anything dangerous in the backyard or near the dogs. He also knew that the prior gardeners were not even allowed in the back yard unsupervised. When I left for work on that Monday morning, I left the snail pellet box visible in the garage. It never occurred to me that from such a simple act, a terrible sequence of events that would unfold. Jake joins the family
Over the next year and a half, Jake blossomed into the most wonderful and loving dog. There was something very different about him. He seemed like an old and wise soul. He was a free spirit and always happy. He loved to play with his stuffed animals and he often toted a piece of firewood like a cigar (see photo above). Besides being an astute observer of all activities, he was a master and stealthy counter-surfer.
Tragedy We still can’t believe that this happened after we had carefully hired a gardener we believed to be professional and experienced. All we know now is that this was a senseless loss of a beautiful, healthy and loving animal companion and it all happened because a gardener thought he knew better than the manufacturer who put those dire warnings on the box. When I called the gardener that night, he said he was very sorry that this happened and apologized for our loss, but also said he'd been using snail killer pellets in yards with dogs for years with no ill effects. A lesson learned We want to let everyone know that no matter how vigilant you are, things can and do happen. Before this happens to your beloved companion, take some time to talk to your gardener and go through your houses and garage. Get rid of the dangerous chemicals safely at the next community toxic cleanup day. Take a minute and think about what is more important to you--a few chewed up plants or petting your beautiful greyhound? Today I wish I had that I had been given that choice. |
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The story began in early spring when our new gardener said we had
slugs eating the Lamb’s Ears in the front yard; he asked that
I get some snail killer pellets. I dutifully bought some and very
carefully stored the unopened box where the greyhounds and my rascally
beagle could not get to it. When the gardener asked me to get the
bait, I confirmed with him that it was for the front yard only.
Jake
had picked me out at the Pokemon-themed Retirement Day in August
2002. He was just 2 years old and very frightened. I will always
remember how he stared at me over his muzzle with those sweet, piercing
eyes that called to me. I felt a strange attraction to him and just
needed to take Jake, then called Rapidash, home with me. Jake was
the first and only foster that I knew was a “foster to adopt”
on the very first day I met him. I spent weeks gently pursuing him
around the yard as we played a game of hide-and-seek before every
walk because he was too shy to come to come to the leash. Slowly,
and with much love and patience, he finally decided we were OK and
accepted us as his human companions. 
He
was able to steal food, like marinating chicken breasts, right out
of the bowl and off the counter without either the cook or the beagle
noticing. Jake always was watching and curious about anything that
changed in his yard, so it is no surprise that those little brown
snail pellets would look like something to check out. In some ways,
it was probably Jake acute awareness of his surroundings that made
him the tragic victim of what was to happen next.
Needless
to say, he is no longer our gardener; there will never be another
gardener trusted to be in our back yard. However, none of that helps
in the least to take the sting out of the horrible pain Jake went
through in his last hours or the loss we feel today, and will continue
to live with for a long time. Those of us who loved Jake during
his short life and were with him in his horrible death will never
forget what happened.