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May/June, 2004
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| Hello Greyhound Lovers! | |
| A BELATED HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL GREYHOUND MOMS. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL OF THE GREYHOUND DADS OUT THERE. |
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Summertime!
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| Summer is here and our Greys are spending more time outside. They love to run and romp. To me, the best time is watching my Greyhounds running free and happy. Along with summer comes vacations. If you need a babysitter for your Greyhound(s), let us know. In your request, be sure to put the date you leave and the date you will return. Also, include where you live. Remember, our organization goes from Fresno to the Oregon border. A brief description of your Grey's temperament and if it is cat safe, child safe etc., its likes and dislikes and a picture if possible. The more information, the better. When you leave your dog with its "sitter," you will want to include where you are going, how to get in touch with you and your Grey's veterinarian's name and number. We all want to have a carefree vacation and this is the best way to insure that you will. |
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| Be Prepared | |
| While on the subject of making plans, have you thought about what will happen to your Greyhound(s) if anything happens to you? One of our adopters went in to the hospital recently and had made no provisions for his Greys. We had to scramble to take care of them. We still have not been able to contact his family as we have no information. No one can predict the future, but it is best to be prepared. Several of us have made arrangements with each other for our Greys. If you have someone who can take them at a moment's notice, have this in writing in a prominent place in your home with the person's name and phone number. A book with emergency contact numbers by the phone would be helpful. Included in this book should be numbers for your family in case they need to be contacted. There will be more information on the web site about estate planning and such. Be prepared. | |
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| Need a Houseguest? | |
| We have a Greyhound that needs long term fostering. His name is Brutus. He is a big, friendly boy. He knows how to use a dog door and he loves a wading pool. His left front foot gives him trouble sometimes. He enjoys being with people and gets along very well with other Greyhounds. If you are interested, please contact me or call me at 408-749-0899. | |
| Picnic Time! | |
| Mark your calendars. We have a date for the picnic. The third annual GACA/GPA-NorCal picnic will be August 28th at Hellyer Park in San Jose. We have the Veladrome picnic area this year. It is very shaded with lots of trees. Plan on a full day of fun and games. If you are interested in being on the picnic committee, please contact either Sherrlyn Lancaster (408-448-0807) or me (408-749-0899). | |
| Event Roundup | |
| We have several show & tells coming up: The next is the Campbell Highland Games on June 26th at the Campbell Community Center at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Winchester Boulevard. This is the second year we've participated and it is lots of fun. They have a parade that we get to be in. There will be plaid scarves for all the Greyhounds. Let me know if you wish to participate. There is an entry fee of $12 on the day of the games. It is well worth it for all the activities. We have three set up for July so far. On July 10th and 11th, we will be back at San Juan Bautista, weather permitting. If it is too hot, we have to cancel because of the Greys. This is their annual craft fair. Lots of good shopping at the fair. There is usually lots of action at our booth. At the April show & tell in San Juan Bautista, two little girls came up and put a lot of change in our "Couch Potato Fund" jar. Their mother informed us that they save a part of their allowance every month to give to the "doggies." It made our day and the event. On July 17th, we will be at the new Pet Food Express on Stevens Creek next to Safeway by Laurence Expressway. The hours are from 11:30 to 4. The people at this store are very friendly and knowledgeable. It should be lots of fun. On July 31st, we will be at For Other Living Things in Sunnyvale at the corner of Mary and Fremont. This is a wonderful place to shop for your Grey as Anita has lots of fun and interesting treats and items for all. The hours are from 11 - 4. If any of you are interested in setting up a show & tell in your area, it is very easy to do. Contact the place where you want the event like your local pet store. Tell them we are a non-profit Greyhound Rescue group. Then, when you have a date, let me know so I can e-mail you our flier. It is in Word and double sided. Also, when you let me know, I will see to it that your event gets put on our web site. If you would just like to have a copy of our flier so that you can print them up and hand them out when you walk your Grey, let me know and I can e-mail it to you. Also, be sure to check our web site for upcoming events. |
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| Check The Web Site | |
| Speaking of the web site, if you haven't looked at it lately, you should. It's www.greyhoundadoptioncalifornia.com and it is very informative. Also, Jennifer has put up pictures of the Greys that are available for adoption. If you are thinking of getting another Greyhound, be sure to check out our latest group. They are, except for Snoop, the "brindles." Reports coming in from the fosters are very good. Also, there is a link to Amazon.com on the web site under the "questions" section. The new third edition of Cynthia Brannigan's book is available with a percentage of the sale going to us when you order it through this link. We are listed in the third edition under adoption groups. | |
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| New Adoptions | |
| We have ten Greyhounds who went off to their new "forever homes." Tim Shortnacy adopted Kate. Tim was used to his mini Schnauzers. Imagine his surprise when he realized that Kate could surf his counters. The first time he left her, she ate a loaf of bread. He forgot about those "tall legs." Ken & Sheila Smith and sons Lance and Jason adopted Speedo (Spido). Ken calls him "Speed Bump" after tripping over him and he didn't move. They have been to several romps at Hellyer Dog Park and you hear them calling "come here Bump." Darren & Christine Robinson have adopted Quincy (Ike's Hike). They flunked fostering. After a rocky start, Jax, their first Greyhound, and Quincy are now doing just fine together. It's a male thing... Gerry & Jan Gasber adopted Gabby (Boom Booms Eve). Scott & I went to the Greyhound Picnic in Sacramento not long after Jan & Gerry adopted Gabby. We were standing in line waiting for food and, much to our surprise, they were right in front of us. Little Gabby came right to me. She remembered Scott and I from her trip up from Tucson. They don't forget... Linda Knight adopted Erica as a companion to Carly. Linda has a history with the Greyhound breed and is now one of our fosters. She is currently fostering Kid's Venus. Aila Dawe adopted Sara (Diane), a beautiful 11 year old white with brindle patches female. Aila recently lost her Elqui to cancer and wanted to adopt an older female. This was truly an example of Greyhound rescue groups working together. I contacted Freddie Sainz of Operation Greyhound to see if they had any older Greys. They had just received Sara (Diane) and we worked out quite an amazing Greyhound train to get her to Aila. It consisted of five separate transfers. Thank you to all who participated. Tim Burns & Bonnie Cooper and twins Liane and Michaela adopted Hula (TV Hula Honey). Hula was a perfect match for them as they make several trips to Hawaii each year which they love. She fits right in. Eric & Khristi Elwess adopted Tivo (TV Matt). Eric and Khristi were able to get a sneak preview of Matt at his retirement party. They were the ones who picked him up and took him to Fresno to go to his foster. He was ready for them in a week. Now their friends all want Greyhounds. Greyt! Roger & Heidi Blankenship adopted Ari (Figs Concho Cabana). Ari now lives in beautiful Monterey and is doing very well adjusting to his new life. Denise Shephard adopted Agatha (Mortal Power). Agatha is doing very well in her new forever home in San Francisco. Thank you all for giving a retired racing Greyhound a wonderful, loving home. |
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| You Say It's Your Birthday! | |
| May - Rufus Buffalo, Yogi, Jubilee, Charley, Casper, Milton, Gus, Dawn, Darby, Tetley, Ginger, Stella, Shady, Cherries, Polly, Morocco, Savvy, Bubba and Ari. June - Monte, Matti, Callie, Autumn, Derby, KC, Phoebe L., Bejeon, Bambi, Stearman, Peter, Farley, Marshall, Blitzen, Hula, and Snoop. Hope you all have/had a woofin good day! |
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| Conquering Separation Anxiety | |
| Kim Larsen & Ed Burton adopted Cairo in October of 2002. Cairo suffered from separation anxiety and was not responding to the traditional training. Kim sent the following about his progression to a happy, secure Greyhound who can now be left alone:
It took over a year, but we finally helped Cairo get over his separation anxiety. At first all we could do was crate him whenever we left the house because he could not stand to be left alone for even a few minutes. Over time, we saw a gradual change in him as he became less depressed and realized we really were going to keep him (he had been given back by his first adopter, and then was fostered for awhile, so he didn't know who his family was). Eventually he started urinating in his crate when we left him alone, which let us know he had become more stressed to be crated than left out in the house! Meantime, I had read up on separation anxiety and submissive dogs, which helped us develop a plan. One night, we quietly left the house for an hour without making any fuss. When we got back home, Cairo was very excited to see us but we ignored him until he settled down. We checked the house - everything was fine. From then on, no more separation anxiety disasters - what a relief! |
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| Safety Reminder | |
| Now that the weather is heating up, here are a few tips on keeping your Greys safe. Never leave them in the car during the summer. We have all heard the horror stories about babies. The same can happen to our Greys. Also, watch out for hot tar when walking. It can burn the pads on their paws. On really hot days, a few ice cubes in their water is fun and cooling for them. Also, a cool wet towel wrapped around them can cool them down fast if they are panting. Many of our Greys love the kiddie wading pools. The hard plastic ones are best. Also, 4th of July is almost upon us. This is a very stressful holiday for all dogs and cats. What we do is close all the windows and doors and put the TV on at a higher volume than normal. Not too loud, but enough to drown out the booms from the fireworks. It helps a little. We also use Rescue Remedy for our Scottie and Shadow who are more terrified than the others. | |
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| War Effort | |
| Dick and Delene Dunne's daughter Lauren is stationed in Iraq. She told us about what is needed over there. She mentioned things the locals could use: toothbrushes, tooth paste, plain t-shirts (all sizes) and plain baseball caps, (no slogans or advertising). Toys for the kids would be nice too. You can send these items to Lauren and she will see that they get distributed. Her address is: PFC Dunne Lauren 425 Civil Affairs BN (226 MEDLOG) FDT APO AE 09342 Operation Iraqi Freedom Lauren also told us about SPC Sergio Ojeda. He is in his early 20's and has NO family. He was an orphan in Mexico. Because he has no relatives, he never gets letters or packages. We thought it would be REALLY nice if everyone could at least send a letter or card to him, (a package would be great with snacks and goodies). His address is: SPC Sergio Ojeda 226 MEDLOG CELL Camp Babylon/Iraq APO, AE 09332 Operation Iraqi Freedom |
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| Fosters! | |
| We are still looking for more fosters for the Tucson Greyhounds that we are bringing up. Remember, every one we adopt out, we save. Also, if you haven't attended a show & tell yet, they are fun to do. We would love to see you there. Have a "greyt" summer! |
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