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Help save a greyhound!

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Logan Sapphire

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I got this email from a friend who will be fostering a greyhound though this effort. They will arrange for transportation and medical costs, if needed.

So sad and makes me boiling mad
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Read below and go here http://www.greyhoundgang.com/ Maybe we can or know somebody who can help.
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500 Greyhounds at a Connecticut Dog Racing Track are scheduled to be put down on May 15th, in one and a half weeks, due to the track being closed down. The track is giving rescues very little time to save as many as they can. If anyone you know would be willing to foster one of these amazing dogs or is interested in adopted a Greyhound, please read and forward the below email about the situation. Transports to other parts of the country are being arranged, and medical expenses will be covered for foster homes.
The greyhound track in Plainfield, CT voted on April 26th that they would
discontinue greyhound racing. Unfortunately - and heartbreakingly - they''ve
also decided that rescuers have only two weeks to get the dogs out, and any
dogs remaining at the track on May 14th will be euthanized. This is a
monumental task because there are at least 500 dogs currently at the track.
These are all young, healthy dogs, 2-4 years of age, who would make great
family pets.
Why is the track doing this? Greyhound racing is a business and because the
track is no longer profitable, they''re getting out. To us, dogs are cherished
companions. To the greyhound racing industry, dogs are expendable commodities
to be disposed of in whatever way is least expensive and most convenient when
they aren''t making money.
We''ve committed to saving as many dogs as we possibly can in the next two
weeks. We''ll be working with an experienced greyhound r! escuer who has been
placing retired greyhounds for many years. She will be going to the track and
bringing us dogs. As soon as we have more room, we''ll do it again. We will
repeat as many times as we can before May 14th. After May 14th, there will be
no dogs left alive at the track.
In order to save as many dogs as we can, we are going to try something we''ve
never done before; sending as many as possible out into foster care by May
14th. Every time we send a dog into an adoptive home or a foster home, we can
take another dog off the track. We will take the fostered dogs back into the
Dakin Animal Shelter for adoption over the next few months as spaces open up
for them - as long as they''re off the track by May 14th, they''ll be safe.

How can you help?


a.. Adopt a greyhound They''re wonderful dogs - gentle, quiet, sweet, and
graceful. The ones we''ll be getting will be good companions with other dogs and
with ca! ts. Surprisingly, they''re couch potatoes. They do need to be in a fenc ed
area or leash walked; they aren''t dogs to let run loose. For information on
what it''s like to take a greyhound home, visit C. To find
out what greys we have available for adoption, call us at 413-548-9898 or visit
our dog adoption page.
b.. Foster a greyhound If we can send greys into foster care and out of our
Shelter, we can pull more from the track before May 14. We''ll get them back
into the Shelter over the next few months. We will provide all their medical
care and a crate to make their transition easier. You provide your time & love
and together we will give them a new life! For information on what it''s like to
take a greyhound home, visit www.greyhoundgang.com. If you can help, or are
interested in more information, contact us at 413-548-9898.
c.. Donate money. We are going to need extra funds to help these dogs. We''ll
be buying crates and other supplies as well as paying all their medical bills.
You can s! end a check to: Dakin Animal Shelter, 163 Montague Road, Leverett MA
01054, or donate online. Please mark your donation "Save the Greys".
d.. Donate a large dog crate. We need these to send with the dogs going into
foster care.
e.. Spread the word! The more people who know about this tragedy, the more
help the dogs will get.
Many of you have seen greyhounds in the community - they''re lovely, gentle
dogs. When we started working with greyhounds, we discovered that there are a
lot of misconceptions about them.
a.. Greys are not hyper - they''re actually couch potatoes!
b.. They love to run - for about 5 minutes - in a safe, fenced area.
c.. Greys spend most of their day snoozing and adore soft sleeping places and
all the comforts in life.
d.. They are actually very good dogs for apartments or small homes because of
their low activity level.
e.. They are very clean dogs, and in some ways are very catlike in their cleanliness and love of comfort.
f.. Most greyhounds - includin g all the ones we''ll be getting - can live with
other dogs and cats, once they''ve been introduced, and actually love living
with other animals.
g.. They rarely bark and shed little.
h.. In their life on the track, they live in crates for 22 hours per day, so
most things in the ''real world'' are a surprise to them.
i.. They''ve never seen simple things such as: slippery floors (wood, tile);
stairs; television; windows; cats; dogs who are not greyhounds!
j.. They generally housebreak very easily because they''re completely crate
trained (they aren''t housebroken because they''ve never been in a house, so they
have to learn what a house is!).
k.. They walk very, very politely on leash - they learn that at the track.
l.. Greyhounds are very good companions for homes with gentle children
because of their own gentle nature.
This is a tragedy of enormous proportions, and we''ve decided to throw
everything we''ve got into doing as! much as we can. It''s easy to get overwhelmed
thinking about the scope of the problem - and do nothing. If we instead work
together as a community, we CAN make a difference. The Dakin Animal Shelter has
always relied upon our community for our support, and we''re counting on you
now. With your help, we WILL make a difference
 
They truly are beautiful and loving dogs. Friends of ours have adopted several greyhounds through similar curcumstances. I hope more can be saved.

DiamondLil
 
i know much about the horse racing industry, but nothing about dog racing. i am wondering, if you know, who owns the dogs? does the track house, train and race them?
 
Belle- I don''t know who owns the dogs, but let me ask around. I''ll get back to you.
 
From what my friend who is fostering understands, the track owns most of the dogs. They''re willing to release them to rescue, but any not claimed by the 15th are due to be euthanized.
 
I live in CT and this has been on the news for a while now. Last report I heard (which was several days ago) was that the track promised to stay open (not racing, but open with staff) to take care of the dogs until they were all rescued. And I know Gov. Rell sent the track a letter telling them of their responsibility to make sure these dogs go to rescue operations and are not put down.

But gosh I really hope that this deadline isn''t true because that is just horrible!!
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thanks for the updates!
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Good to hear
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We have a greyhound, she is the sweetest most beautiful creature on earth...Winnie is a great dog and her background is so sad....I recommend this wonderful pets to anyone who wants a peaceful, loving friend!

winnie12345.jpg
 
What a beautiful girl you have there! I just LOVE sighthounds (dogs are my first love besides horses and diamonds!) but as you can tell by my avatar, the breed I show and love don''t really mix...But a good friend of mine has whippets and chihuahuas and doesn''t have a problem with them as long as they are kept seperated...Good to hear that the track is taking responsibility for the dogs they have encouraged others to produce and will give these dogs a chance-I swear we will have one once we have room for two very-different breeds of dogs!
 
Jessesgirl - your dog looks so beautiful and happy! So nice to hear about an adoption success story. I hope this new group of greyhounds are able to find loving homes soon.
 
A family I once babysat for as a teenager had adopted a ex-racing greyhound, and she was just the sweetest thing. She NEVER barked unless it was an extraordinary situation, and she just loved to sit around and sleep. Though when she went outside, boy could she run!! But she would run around for a couple minutes and then just decide to rest again lol!
 
Logan, you should have them setup a PayPal donation account, it will be much faster than doing checks...and this timeline is VERY SHORT for mailing checks esp across the US.

My neighbors have a retired racing greyhound, Lily. She is very quiet and mellow, does not like to play or be around other dogs. They said this was a byproduct of her having been around so many dogs for her first 2 years and in such an intense situation. So, she prefers people....loves to be petted...apparently is a huge couch potato. Very mellow dog and always looks kind of half sleepy or unhappy...it's an odd look...hehee.

They just had a new baby and apparently she is fabulous with the new baby and very accepting. She also sheds like mad (when you pet her huge puffs of fur come off!), and is somewhat prone to having problems with her legs, aka last year she was scratched by the cat and got an abcess inside her leg that took months to heal and just 2 months ago she was running in the park and sprained her ankle. The owners thought it was because her leg bones are just so thin and can be precarious in the wrong surroundings, aka grass with some dips.

She's a very sweet dog though...I will pass this information onto them in case they know friends who can assist or any organizations that can help.
 
oh nevermind, i totally read over the part about donating online!

you can donate online by going to the url in LS's post, (www.greyhoundgang.com) and then clicking on the left to HELP and then finding donations...i just used it and it seems to work!! in the comments i also noted that the donation was for the greyhounds at the closing track since there were a bunch of donation 'options' on where the money could go but it did not have that particular listing.

good luck with all efforts!!
 
A friend of mine volunteers for the local greyhound rescue and has nothing but positive stories about adopted greyhounds...I have been working on my husband for adopted dog #3 and he has resisted but I''d take a greyhound in a minute.

Any dog can have problems. I know many people who have purebred dogs from breeders and it''s one thing after the next with the dog....no matter what, each animal is an individual and you have to approach the situation with an open mind and open heart, although breed tendencies are good to be aware of (a good example is when I wanted a beagle years ago when we were in our apartment, and the lady from beagle rescue told me that beagles are yelpers and it would not be a good idea to have one in an apt. with no yard).

Thanks for the info--I''ll make a donation. My husband is starting a new job soon and he probably won''t budge on the 3rd dog thing now for at least 6 months (just in time for Christmas.
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Thanks for the information Logan Sapphire, I will be happy to make a donation. As with any dog, pure bread or not there can be problems. There are many people around here that have adopted grey hounds and have found them to be very sweet and loving. I wish more people would adopt.Usually rescue dogs have that certain something that they know they have been rescued , and will give you all the love and devotion that they have to you.
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my other neighbor just babysat her neighbors 7 month old puppy dog who is some sort of burly mix...anyhow her dogs are two rescue small under 30lb dogs so this dog was just pulling her all over the place in the park!! she even fell on her butt and broke two nails after he ran after a bird and ripped the leash out of her hand!

after that week she told me she was definitely a 'small dog person'...i could not agree more!! i couldn't imagine having a huge dog...after even holding roscoe's leash for 5 minutes and feeling the weight on the other end and not being able to just reach down and pick him up....small dogs all the way for me.
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i love visiting and petting the larger dogs, but in the end it's priceless for me to be able to just pick up P and walk home.

so jennifer, make sure you can handle all three esp if the new dog is going to be a big one! i think you'd find they are pretty different than the smaller breeds. and if you plan to walk them...ay carumba...i felt so bad for my friend watching her struggle down the park lane from our kitchen window when i would catch glimpses of her. all the dogs were going in different directions!
 
not to rain on the parade but when in ireland, i saw a rescued greyhound take down a full grown sheep.

the family was from england and had brought the dog along for vacation. i had hitched a ride with them up the hill to an ancient historic site. when everyone got out of the car, they unleashed the dog. the dog was up and gone in seconds and the sheep dead with a broken neck. i bring this up because the dog was wonderful with the children and even me as a complete stranger. if you adopt a dog that has been trained to do what greyhounds do, please be careful if you have other pets, livestock, or live in a part of the country where livestock roams.

i''d love to adopt one as i think they have wonderful attributes, but with 8 cats, its just no feasible.

peace, movie zombie
 
Thanks everyone for being so generous and kind-hearted! Pricescopers are the best!!!
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I think the most important thing to be gleaned from all of the posts is that when adopting an animal--any animal--you have to be very ready to handle the responsibility--and to do the work it takes to care for the animal and give him/her a chance.

I posted the story in my WW thread but suffice it to say that the 2 months after we adopted Elmo were a living hell. I remember calling the rescue lady crying and saying we''d have to bring him back, that I couldn''t handle him. I''ll never forget what she said--she said that I needed to give him a real chance and if I didn''t, I''d miss out on a lifetime with a wonderful companion. Boy was she right.
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Anyway, I learned form that experience that adopting a dog could be utterly uneventful and seamless--like my lumpy Freddy was--or a period of intense effort, focus and love. You don''t know what you''re going to get so be ready to make the effort either way.
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style="WIDTH: 100.2%; HEIGHT: 59px">Date: 5/7/2005 7
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9:42 PM
Author: kaleigh
I wish more people would adopt.Usually rescue dogs have that certain something that they know they have been rescued , and will give you all the love and devotion that they have to you.
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This "certain something" is so true!
 
Date: 5/7/2005 10:45:50 PM
Author: Jennifer5973
I think the most important thing to be gleaned from all of the posts is that when adopting an animal--any animal--you have to be very ready to handle the responsibility--and to do the work it takes to care for the animal and give him/her a chance.

I posted the story in my WW thread but suffice it to say that the 2 months after we adopted Elmo were a living hell. I remember calling the rescue lady crying and saying we''d have to bring him back, that I couldn''t handle him. I''ll never forget what she said--she said that I needed to give him a real chance and if I didn''t, I''d miss out on a lifetime with a wonderful companion. Boy was she right.
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Anyway, I learned form that experience that adopting a dog could be utterly uneventful and seamless--like my lumpy Freddy was--or a period of intense effort, focus and love. You don''t know what you''re going to get so be ready to make the effort either way.
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This is so true. When we rescued my our late Standard, she came with TONS of baggage. Some dogs just require more effort than others.

I wish I could help take in one of these majestic creatures. Sadly, I am allergic to most dogs including Greyhounds. But, I have heard of several success stories. They may indeed be fine with cats. Dogs understand that the cats are *your* chattel. Mine are pretty disgusting together with the love fest that goes on. Yesterday, one of our cats was hot on the trail of a copperhead (HUGE one at that). We were afraid to get close. I tried shaking the friskies, bring out the canned food. The cat stayed focused on the copperhead. I finally took out my female on a leash & the cat was happy to go for a walk with us - diverting disaster.

I hope people will open their hearts. As noted, rescue dogs have a certain love.
 
Logan, I want to send an email out to my contact list...

On the greyhoundgang website it does not note anywhere they are assisting the CT track...and this article:
http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_2709444 notes that the Greyhound Pets of America (http://www.greyhoundpets.org/) is assisting as well...can they donate there as well?

I just want to be sure that I give the right information in my email, can you confirm that the GreyhoundGang site IS accepting donations specifically for the CT dogs?
 
Mara- I don''t know at the moment, but I''ll find out and get back to you.
 
Got a call this afternoon from the Greyhound Gang..they are NOT taking donations for the CT track apparently...she left me a vm and I have yet to call back but she said she would give me a url for the CT donations when I did return the call.

So just an FYI...do not use the GreyhoundGang link to donate for the CT dogs...
 
I too talked to Greyhound Gang and they recommended that I look into www.greyhound.org, which is a rescue group in Mass., close to the track. I did go to that site and didn''t see where to make donations, but I didn''t look closely. I also called the local animal shelter, and their voice msg provided an update. Apparently, as was said before, the deadline for euthanasia was lifted and the dogs are a much less of a risk of being killed. There are between 800-1000 dogs that need to be fostered or adopted (so many
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I''ve emailed greyhound.org and will post when I hear back.
 
Thanks for the update and keep us posted. It''s so sad.
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This is the email I received from Greyhound.org in MA:

Greyhound Friends has been placing greyhounds from Plainfield for many years.........we are currently working harder than ever to take the dogs in at our shelter and get them ready for adoption.
Greyhound Friends is a 501(c)3.........we depend on donations........if you would like to make a donation please send it to Greyhound Friends, 167 Saddle Hill Rd., Hopkinton, Mass. 01748. If you would like to have it used to specifically help the dogs from Plainfield please make a notation on your check.
Thank you.
Louise Coleman
www.greyhound.org
 
I love adopted dogs. My first boston terrier William Bear was a resuced dog. I went in with someone else and no desire for a dog. When I got him I knew he was sick he had been beaten several times and they found him washed up on a lake shore. He was only able to survive six months with me but during that time I loved him very much and took him with me everywhere (even class at times) when the vet told me it was time to let him go it broke my heart and still makes me cry to think about it. However I can say that every dog we have taken from the pound has known how much they were loved and were all very sweet. My latest dog (Ave in my avitar) was breeder dog however becuase she was a present and everyone knew I couldnt handle the heart break of losing another Boston Terrier. If any of you live in NJ and would like a dog please consider the Seeing Eye dog rejects. These are slightly older dogs (about 18-mth2yrs) who are very well trianed but just didnt quite make the cut off. Also and I know this is touchy but never buy a dog from a maul pet store they are stored in tiny cages and not given enough exercise or love. Dogs are pack animals and require lots of love, if anyone out there needs blind afection and warmth on a daily basis, someone who will always agree with you that they other guy is a rotten driver or an idiot, and has the time to properly attend to the dog in return then a dog can be a great companion. Dont forget older dogs need homes too!
 
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