HOUND HAPPENINGS!

Health and Nutrition - Nail Trimming

2012-02-08T13:31:00.001-08:00

Do your hound’s nails look like this??? What is wrong with this picture? Did you know that overgrown nails can be hazardous to your hound’s health? Overgrown nails may cause your hound’s toes to splay. This can adversely affect his gait, and can actually cause many other serious medical problems. The nails force the dog to rock back on his foot and carry his rear legs much farther forward under his body. Many times dogs get injured while running in their yards and some of those injuries can be attributed to the dog over-compensating because of overgrown nails. Neglecting regular nail trimming and maintenance may even lead to early arthritis, crippling, and broken bones. (Remember, greyhounds have more delicate bones than other breeds of dogs.)

The main reason people do not keep up with regular nail trimming is because they are afraid that they might hurt their dog. People shy away from trimming with hand clippers because they can remove too much nail (causing pain and bleeding), not enough nail, or cause the nail to splinter and have rough edges. These sharp edges can scratch your skin and snag your carpeting and clothing. But neglecting nails is even more hurtful in the long run. Long sharp nails are more likely to get caught on things which can rip the nail from the dog's foot. This will result in a lot of needless pain for the dog and pain in your wallet. Having to take a dog to a groomer often enough to keep the nails trimmed can be expensive and time consuming. The best option would be to learn how to do the trimming and keep practicing until you feel comfortable.

Usually, during the warmer months, long walks on sidewalks and asphalt can trim nails down a bit. However, in the colder months, when the dogs are not out walking as much, nails can often get out of control if they are not trimmed regularly.

Some people cannot get their hound to be quiet and still long enough to do any nail trimming. Here’s where patience and persistence pays off. When we try to calm our hounds by crooning and petting, we inadvertently send the message that it’s OK to panic and be difficult. The best way to handle squirmy and whining dog is to take charge and clip one or two nails at a time (as quickly and safely as possible) and then praise the dog for being good. Keep this up until you can do all of the nails on one paw, then move on to the next. You might even want to start by doing one or two nails a day and only remove the very tip of the nail. That way you are working too quickly for the dog to react. You can always perfect your clipping once your dog gets comfortable with being touched. Remember, if you allow your hound to control the situation, your dog will never be willing to cooperate and nail trimming time will be a job that will always be dreaded (by dog and person).

If your dog’s nails have been neglected over a long period of time, they may seem very long even after they have been cut. That might be because the quicks have been allowed to become overgrown too. The quicks are the vein inside the toenails and the part that bleeds if you cut the nail too short. You can solve this problem. The quicks can be made to recede over time by cutting the nails frequently over the course of a month. Then, once you have gotten the quicks to recede, it will be easy to keep the nails short all the time. If you noticed when you adopted your greyhound, they most likely had very short nails! That’s because they are kept very short at the track for racing. The quicks have receded way back in the nail from frequent trimming. This is actually the way your dog’s nails should look all the time for optimum health.

How short should your hound’s nails be? A good rule of thumb is that the nails should not touch the floor when the dog is standing (see photo above). If you hear clicking when the dog walks you need to get the nails shorter. Although it sounds like a daunting job, if you clip often over the course of a month, you can get your dog’s nails short enough that you can do regular trimming without much effort after that.

If all else fails and you just do not want to use the nail clippers, you might want to try a grinder. These small battery motorized tools can be bought at most pet stores or hardware stores (a dremel tool). The tool has an attachment that looks like sandpaper that is actually a stone. It will grind the nail down much like the way we file our own nails. This is relatively painless and many dogs don’t seem to mind the sound because the tools operate quietly.

If you choose to try one of these tools, just remember to use short strokes on each nail, work slowly, and keep the nails from heating up. You do not want to set the grinder down on one nail for too long. It will burn! Also, most dogs won’t react as badly if you hit the quick doing the light short strokes as you can monitor your progress better. This is a great option for dogs that have black nails. There are a lot of sources on line that provide good instructions for grinding.

If all else fails and you have a “screamer” that will not allow you to touch his/her paws (some greyhounds actually HATE having their feet touched), then a groomer might be your best bet. Pet stores like Petsmart and Petco are inexpensive and the groomers there work very efficiently. If you take your hound for a nail trim, remember to take a copy of his/her rabies certificate which is required in most grooming establishments. They will keep it on file for you. Considering the cost of vet bills stemming from poor nail care, this may be the best money you spend on your dog!

Event - New Meet and Greet Venue

2012-01-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

It's a new year and we have yet another NEW meet and greet venue! The greyt folks at Hearty Pet Retail Store, located at the Premium Outlet Mall in Hagerstown, invited our organization to host a monthly meet and greet event at their store!

Our first meet and greet event is scheduled for Saturday, January 28. Our volunteers and available hounds will be at the store to introduce the customers to greyhounds and to answer questions about adoptions.

We are looking forward to this event. Not only have we been welcomed into the store, but the owners will be donating a goodie bag to ALL of the newly adopted hounds in the coming year! We are very excited and touched by this generosity.

Please come out and visit us and our hounds. The store is located at the Premium Outlet Mall, Prime Outlets Boulevard, Hagerstown, Maryland. We will be there between noon and 2 p.m. See you there!

Thanks Regal Hound Designs!

2012-01-24T07:19:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Kelly at Regal Hound Designs for her donation of sixty sets of martingale collars and leashes for our hounds! Kelly has been donating collars and leashes to our group since we were established. All newly adopted hounds go home with a collar and leash made by Kelly.

We are blessed to have such a greyt friend who has worked with us for years by supporting our efforts. We know the amount of work and cost this has been for Kelly. She also supports her local animal rescue groups as well as another greyhound adoption group.

Kelly makes and sells wonderful collars and leashes at very reasonable prices. Many of our adopters shop in Kelly's store and are regular customers. You can see Kelly's merchandise by clicking on the title of this post.

Big rooos to Kelly - a very special person!!!!

Rainbow Bridge - And You Jose (Josie)

2012-01-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

November 28, 1999 - January 13, 2012

We are sad to report that another precious greyhound went to the Rainbow Bridge. We got this email from Diane and George (who adopted senior brood mom Desi from our organization):

Yesterday we helped Josie cross the Rainbow Bridge. We only had her for a very short ten months, she was an unexpected return after being in a home for seven years. In November we found out that she had a "something suspicious" on her cervical spine (C3). The pain was being managed well until a few days ago.

Josie started limping on her left rear leg. Back for more X-rays. We found out that she had arthritis in a previously dislocated toe, no sign of bone cancer in her leg. Sadly, we found out that she had a large mass around her liver and spleen that had already displaced other visceral organs.

Josie crossed the bridge lying on her favorite pillow, with her Mommy & Daddy gently holding her and telling her how very much she is loved, and that Vera, Angel, Sally, Cohen, and Bashful are waiting for her.

We have no doubt that Josie was in the most loving home and only knew the people who gave her the best home for the time she had left.

Diane and George are special people because they only adopt senior greyhounds. They know that their time with their hounds may be limited. But they open their hearts to give those dogs the best home and love in the time they have left. They are our special angels who keep our Craiger's List an important part of our work.

Rest is sweet peace Josie.

Event - New Meet and Greet Today!

2012-01-14T05:16:00.001-08:00

Join us today for a brand new meet and greet event at the Valu Pet store in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania! We have been invited by the staff at the store to hold a meet and greet there to introduce customers to our organization and discuss adoption. We plan to be on hand from noon to 2 p.m. Our volunteers and hounds will be available to answer questions and to discuss our adoption procedure.

For more details, check out our Calendar of Events on our web site or click on the title of this post for the store web site (for directions to the store).

This will be the first of a monthly event so mark your calendars if you live in the area. We'd love to see you!

Sponsorhip for FFGR, Inc.

2012-01-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce that Hearty Pets is teaming up with Precise Pet Products to sponsor our organization! FFGR, Inc. and Hearty Pets are both based in Boonsboro, Maryland. Hearty Pets is an on line pet food store that sells great products for all pets. In October, they expanded their business and opened a retail store located at the Prime Outlets in Hagerstown.

Recently, they contacted our organization about hosting a meet and greet event at their retail store. We were happy with the invitation and are excited to set up a monthly meet and greet event at the store on the fourth Saturday of each month. In addition to inviting us to the store for an event, the folks at Hearty Pets will be sending home, with each hound that we place, a goodie bag filled with all kinds of surprises!

When the representatives for Precise Pet Products learned about our group coming to the Hearty Pets store, they offered to have Precise sponsor our group. Starting this month, all of our hounds in foster care will be supplied with Precise Holistic dog food while in foster care. In addition, each hound going into a home will get a bag of the food.

We are grateful to Hearty Pets and Precise Pet Products for this wonderful offer and are looking forward to a greyt new year thanks to our wonderful benefactors!

New Year - New Meet and Greet Venues!

2012-01-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

Big News! We are very fortunate to have been invited to host meet and greet events at TWO new locations! Starting this month, we will be hosting a monthly meet and greet event at the expanded Pet Valu store in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Our event will be held the second Saturday of each month from noon until 2:00 p.m.

We have also been invited to conduct a meet and greet event at the new Hearty Pet Retail store located at the Prime Outlets in Hagerstown, Maryland. This meet and greet event will be monthly - the fourth Saturday of each month - from noon until 2:00 p.m.

As always, our volunteers and hounds will be available to talk to the public about greyhound adoption. When possible, an available hound (or more) will be at these events to meet people.

We are happy to have these additional events to add to our Calendar of Events. For more information on each event and to get information on locations, please check our Calendar of Events. Come on out and visit us too!

Adopter's New Year's Check List

2012-01-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

Since the new year has arrived, we thought it would be a good idea to make up a check list of things that would help you get through the year and make sure your hound is safe, healthy, and happy.

_____Always be vigilant and look for signs that your hound is not feeling well. Consider a medical reason for sudden behavior changes first.

_____Use heartworm/flea and tick preventative; add a reminder to your calendar monthly so you don’t forget.

_____Check gate latches daily; place a sign on gates warning contractors or visitors to keep gates closed. Lock gates that are not used daily.

_____Check fence lines for holes and depressions where a hound can crawl or slip through. Make repairs.

_____Check all doors to make sure they close correctly or don’t fly open accidentally. Add a baby gate to doors where a hound can jump out accidentally (i.e., screened doors) when you come and go.

_____Check the yard often to make sure nothing harmful has been dropped or thrown in it that your hound could eat.

_____Make sure your hound does not get too cold or hot outdoors. Be watchful for signs of distress when you are outdoors with your hound.

_____Wash and change water in water bowls frequently and make sure there is always a fresh supply of clean water available.

_____When changing your hound’s food, make sure it’s done slowly and wait an entire month before changing his/her diet again.

_____Check vaccination records and make sure all are up to date; add the date the shots are due on your calendar so that you can make an appointment to see your vet.

_____Make sure that your hound’s teeth are clean; brush teeth often or have their teeth cleaned once a year; check for bad breath which might indicate dental problems.

_____Check collars monthly for wear and tear and loose hardware. Replace worn collars.

_____At all times, keep your own ID tag as well as the FFGR, Inc. ID tag on your hound(s).

_____Inspect leashes often and replace leashes that have slits in them or are fraying.

_____Make sure no tags are on the D-ring that tightens the collar. Use a tag collar or place tags elsewhere where they can’t tighten the collar if they get caught in anything.

_____Check weekly to ensure the collar is adjusted to fit snuggly. Test by bringing the collar up to behind the ears. Pull D-ring to tighten collar. You should be able to place two fingers inside the loop at the dog’s neck.

_____Inspect all toys often and throw away any that are torn. Keep fiberfill from beds and toys away from your hound so it can’t be ingested.

_____When repairing plush toys, use only upholstery or breakable thread; don’t use nylon or polyester thread that, when swallowed, can be caught in the digestive tract.

_____Throw away all rubber toys that can be easily chewed up into small pieces and swallowed.

_____Regularly inspect bones and rawhides; throw away all small and old pieces; replace with new ones.

_____Keep your hound’s nails clipped; don’t allow them to get so long that your hound has a hard time walking. Adhere to a schedule for nail clipping.

_____Check ears monthly to make sure they are clean; watch for scratching and pawing at the ears and head shaking (sign of infection).

_____Check constantly to make sure that any cleaning products, medications, etc. are high up on shelves and out of the way of your hound. Keep counters clear of same.

_____Put together a contingency plan NOW for boarding your hounds, etc. in case an emergency comes up and you have to leave your home immediately.

_____Consider NOW what would happen to your hound(s) in case you get sick, die, have an accident, lose your home, etc. Give the information to someone you trust.

_____Love your hounds as they love you!!!!!!

Rainbow Bridge - M's Free Power (Irish)

2011-12-21T04:47:00.000-08:00

June 26, 2004 - December 19, 2011

We sadly report the loss of another beloved greyhound. We received notice from Danielle and Keith Duggan that M's Free Power (Irish) lost a battle with an undiagnosed illness. She was only seven years old. Here is the report we received:

Just wanted to give you word that Irish (M's Free Power) passed away this morning. We had to put her down because of an explained, continuous high fever (104). It was a difficult decision because they couldn't find the source of it, no tick bourne illness, no cancer, no pnuemonia. Her white blood cells and platelets were extremely low on Tuesday, but she seemed to be on the mend by Saturday. Overall, she got weaker and thinner in the past two weeks, and stopped eating... I am of course, heartbroken, because she was so young, only seven and the fact that it made the decision harder because they couldn't find the cause.

Danielle and Keith adopted Irish several years ago after she had been returned to our group with a host of behavior problems (reported by her previous adopter). Dan fostered Irish for awhile and none of us could detect any kind of problem whatsoever. She was a happy and well adjusted dog that got caught up in her human's problems.

Danielle and her family visited Irish at a meet and greet and it only took that one meeting to decide that they wanted to adopt her. They already had adopted a greyhound from us so they added Irish to their pack. Irish fit in perfectly with this young family. She was fine with the kids and never had any problems.

We know that losing a greyhound is difficult but the loss of Irish during the holiday season and from an undiagnosed illness makes it that much more difficult. We know that Irish had the very best home where she was greatly loved and appreciated. We thank the Duggans for giving Irish the chance she deserved.

Run free sweet girl.

Grant Received

2011-12-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

A special thank you to The Pedigree Foundation for the generous grant given to Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. to help dogs find loving homes. Our grant will be used to help our Craiger's List greyhounds find the homes they deserve.

To learn more about the Pedigree Foundation Grants, click on the title of this post.

A Dog's Last Will and Testament

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

Before humans die, they write their last will and testament and give their home and all they have to those they leave behind. If, with my paws I could do the same, this is what I’d give:

To a poor and lonely stray I’d give my happy home, my bowl, my cozy bed, my soft pillows and all my toys;

The lap, which I loved so much, and the tender loving hands;

The hand that stroked my fur and the sweet voice which called my name.

I’d will to the sad and scared shelter dog the place I had in my human’s loving heart of which there seemed no bounds.

So when I die, please do not say, “I will never have a pet again for the loss and pain is more than I can stand.” Instead, go find an unloved dog. One whose life has held no joy or hope and give my place to him.

This is the only thing I can give – the love I left behind.

This is my inheritance; my Last Will and Testament.

We hope that you will consider giving another deserving greyhound a special home this holiday season!

Behavior and Training - Outdoor Cat Warning

2011-12-06T08:26:00.001-08:00

For those who have cats, nothing is more gratifying than to watch our hounds and cats get along so well together in the house. But, in spite of how well greyhounds and cats can and do get along together in a home, there is one exception to that rule - that is when a cat and a dog are outside together. We tell people that even the most cat friendly dog can be totally different with a cat outdoors. Here is a warning from one of our adopters who recently had a tragic experience. Although this is hard to read, it illustrates what we say. Please take this as a warning not to allow your cats and dogs outside together. You do not want to experience what Mindy experienced:

I got the following sad email from one of our long time adopters yesterday. She asked me to make sure to warn people about their cats. I will also add this to our news blog. I've copied the email as she wrote it:

I just wanted to let you know that my greyhound, Wylie, killed my cat this morning. Wylie and the cat have been living together now for years-with no apparent problem... Until this morning.

This morning, I let three of the dogs out, as usual-and the cat must have slipped out the door at the same time. She was never an outdoor cat, but has, in the last few days, been venturing outside for about five minutes, and then coming back in.
When I opened the door, I didn't stand where I normally do, and was behind the door- and didn't see that the cat had gotten out too. About ten seconds later, I heard an awful fight - the cat was screaming. I ran outside, and watched her take her last breath on this earth. It was devastating. There was only blood coming from her mouth, so I'm hoping it was a quick neck break. I can only wish peace to her... She was almost 14. Not exactly how I wanted her to "go", but at least it was quick.

Please tell the people in the group to make sure they aren't leaving their outside cats in the yard when their greys are out.

Wylie lived comfortably with this cat for years...inside - with no issues. Outside though, all bets are off, and the prey instinct kicks in. Wylie didn't mean it, I am not mad at him. I just wanted to see if you would pass this info along to the group members, so they can be diligent in seeing that their cats are indoors, safe - before they let the dogs out.

I am heartbroken. I have lost one cat to kidney failure, one snuck out and ran away, and now this. All in two months! I don't want anybody to see what I witnessed today. Make sure they know that, even though greys and cats can live in harmony in the house, does not mean they will be the same outside. Once that prey drive kicks in, there's no stopping it!

I am so thankful he "finished" the job, and it wasn't too bloody. I would have lost it if I would've had to see her suffer further, because she suffered a horrible death and I feel like its my fault for not watching more closely. Wylie was only doing what Greta have been bred to do for thousands of years... It was HUMAN error that cost me the life of my cat.

I just wanted to let you know.

Mindy Dicken

New Way to Help FFGR, Inc.!

2011-11-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

We have a new way for you to help our organization! We met Bob and Arline at Greyhounds Rock recently. They are vendors and we spent the weekend with them vending next to one another. We all had a good time!

Bob and Arline own Kreative K-9 Fashions. Their merchandise is GREYT! They are partnering with our group and are offering to donate 10% of every on line sale they make to us! They also offer one day specials that save you lots of money on purchases! We will be announcing those as they make the offers.

Just click on the title of this post to go to their site. We hope to see Bob and Arline again in the spring at Greyhounds in Gettysburg. We thank them for supporting our group!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2011-11-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

We would like to wish all of our Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. family a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving! When we count our blessings, we are grateful beyond words for the wonderful people who are a part of our family. We are especially grateful this year for the exceptional volunteers who have made all the difference in how our group works. Your continued support and hours spent working on behalf of the hounds has made us what we are. We feel that 2011 has been our banner year, what we have worked for all along. Thanks to everyone who made this possible.

Thanks to all of those adopters who understand the commitment to their dogs and for loving and caring for them. You give us the strength and desire to keep going.

Enjoy your day!

Holiday Reminder - Open Doors!

2011-11-23T04:58:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are upon us, we think it's a good opportunity to call attention to the fact that this is the time of year when we experience the most calls about loose dogs. With a little planning and thinking ahead, you can enjoy that turkey and spend time with your family and not have to take time out of your holidays to look for a lost dog. Make sure all doors are closed properly when guests come to your home. Also, it's important to remind guests to be aware of the fact that a greyhound lives in the house. It seems as though every holiday we get calls about dogs escaping out of doors when they have accidentally been left open or they get through open doors when guests arrive and take off their coats at the door. It only takes a small opening in a door for a greyhound to get through because of their thin bodies.

Start to plan now for what you will do to keep your holidays happy and your hound safe. When we had our four greyhounds years ago, we worked with them all and trained them to "wait" at the door until we said "let's go." Everyone understood the commands and listened well. At the time we didn't have a fenced in yard so we couldn't afford to have our dogs get loose where we live in a rural area and on the side of a mountian. But now that we have so many dogs here, that kind of training is hard to do and many of the dogs are not here long enough to train. We do practice the "wait" command at the door before it's opened so we cut down on the chaos involved with a lot of dogs running out the door at the same time. We also back that up with the word "easy". No one goes outside until everyone is settled down and there is no bouncing around or whining.

Start now to think of what you can do to prevent your hound from accidentally getting out of a door. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Use a baby gate at the door and keep it propped up until you have your hound(s) secure. Then you can take the gate down, let guests in and then put the gate back in place. This will also work if you have a porch or deck that guests access to get to your front door. Place a gate across the porch/deck opening so that if your hound does get out of the door, he/she can only go so far.

2. Keep a leash next to the door and when guests arrive, leash your hound. This gets hard to do if you have lots of guests and lots of hounds!

3. Put an extra latch on your door so that you will have to go through more work to get a door open. This is a good reminder that you have to do something with your hound!

4. Make a sign for your door that warns guests that you have a greyhound inside the house and to be very careful when opening the door. Keep the door locked so that you have to answer it and guests can't walk in on their own.

4. To be perfectly safe, crate or baby gate your hound in another room while guests are arriving. Some people will even kennel their dog during large family gatherings; although not possible for some, it does guarantee that the greyhound will be safe.

5. Review the Lost Dog link we have posted on the Greytlinks page of our web site. You can print one Lost Dog flyer with your hound's photo and your phone number. Keep it handy and hope you will never have to use it. Keep all important phone numbers handy as well in case your hound escapes. It will get you help that much faster having the important information out in case you need it.

We hope that none of our hounds get out the door this holiday period; we hope that everyone will have a safe and happy holiday season and not have to feel the panic of searching for a beloved hound that escaped out of a door.
.

November is Adopt A Senior Pet Month!

2011-11-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

November Is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month

Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. and Petfinder.com are celebrating November as Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month.

"Think of a pet that is already trained and doesn't chew or scratch everything in sight -- a pet who will love you unconditionally," said Kim Saunders, Petfinder.com's Vice President of Shelter Outreach and Public Relations. "That's what you get when you adopt a senior pet."

Some people worry that a senior pet comes with problems, but according to Hazel Blumberg-McKee of Tallahassee, FL, there are no disadvantages. "In most cases they've had a home and they want one again." She adopted eight-and-a-half-year old Sadie, and has never regretted it. "An older animal is easier to deal with. And Sadie is still playful. She plays fetch and gallops all over the place."

At animal shelters and rescue groups everywhere, there are loving, healthy senior pets like Sadie, looking for that one special home to cherish them for the rest of their life, and they don't ask for much: just a warm place to sleep, good meals and plenty of love.

During Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month, take the opportunity to get acquainted with the older pets available at FFGR, Inc. During the month of November, for any senior that is adopted to a qualified adopter, our organization will donate $175 to the Morris Animal Foundation (for cancer research) in that pet's honor.

Please check out the seniors on Craiger's List that are waiting for their forever homes! Just click on the title of this post to go to Craiger's List.

Rainbow Bridge - R and A Yellow (Murray)

2011-11-02T02:59:00.000-07:00

We are so sorry to report that our FFGR, Inc. family has lost yet another greyhound. We got notice from Marilyn and Ned Wright that their greyhound Murray lost his battle with lymphoma in July. He was nine years old. He was diagnosed with lymphoma back in March and at that time Marilyn contacted us to tell us about the diagnosis. There was little they could do at the time except treat the pain and give him the best life for the time he had left. That time came in July. Marilyn and Ned adopted Murray in September 2006. At that time they had another greyhound named Bailey. They told us that they also lost Bailey in July.

We often ran into Ned and Marilyn on our travels around Boonsboro and Middletown. They live in Middletown, a short drive from us. They always talked about how much they loved their hounds. It is always difficult to face the loss of a beloved hound, let alone two within a short period of time. But we know that Ned and Marilyn loved their greyhounds and they both had a wonderful and loving home.

Rest in sweet peace Murray (and Bailey).

Support Us - Petsmart Sale!

2011-10-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

Shop PetSmart.com this holiday season and save on our best gifts for your best buddies!

Save 20% on all Dog Beds at PetSmart.com!
Save 15% on ES Nylabone Dog and Cat Toys at PetSmart.com!
Save $1 on Canyon Creek Ranch dog Treats at PetSmart.com!

Start Your Holiday Shopping Early with a PetSmart Giftcard! Buy one now at PetSmart.com!

Give a gift that saves homeless pets: Shop Chance & Lucky plush toys at PetSmart.com. In addition, a portion of all purchases made through the link above will go to Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. Get some great sales and donate to the hounds at the same time!

Rainbow Bridge - FF Love Letter (Scout)

2011-10-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

August 11, 2006 - September 23, 2011

We've always found it difficult to make Rainbow Bridge announcements, but this one is exceptionally hard. We are heartbroken to report that Jeanne and Steve Lloyd had to put their sweet girl Scout down. Steve and Jeanne had taken Scout and Halima for a pleasant Sunday drive to an apple orchard. They all enjoyed the day. When they got home Scout would not move to jump out of the car. Steve lifted her out and she could not walk. They took her to the emergency vet and the vet told them that she likely had serious disk problems that would result in a bad prognosis for the future. In addition, she had several areas of bruising/blood along her stomach and mid section that might have also indicated another problem.

It's always hard to lose a dog but these are the circumstances that give us pause. Scout was only five years old. We think the world of Jeanne and Steve; they have been wonderful adopters and active volunteers in our group since they adopted their first greyhound Halima years ago. They truly cherish their dogs.

Needless to say, Steve and Jeanne are beyond devastated. We thank them both for giving Scout the chance at a wonderful life, even though it was cut so short.

Run free sweet Scout; you are loved and will always be remembered.

Rainbow Bridge - AB Benedict Joe (Benny)

2011-10-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

September 22, 2003 - October 18, 2011

We are sad to report that yet another wonderful greyhound has succumbed to osteo. We got the word from Holly and Mike Miller that their beloved Benny was lost to bone cancer that involved his leg. The cancer was pervasive and painful; they decided to let Benny go since it had progressed to restricting his life. This was a hard decision to make, but they made it in Benny's best interest.

Holly and Mike and their children adopted Benny in early 2008. They are a young family with young children and they had no fenced in yard. What would normally have been an adoption application that would have been turned down, Holly and Mike seemed to be very responsible and they convinced us that they would take good care of any greyhound they adopted. They not only took wonderful care of Benny, but they serve as the example of why we still process adoption applications on a case by case basis. Benny would have missed a wonderful home and we would have missed knowing such great people had we not given them a chance.

Benny was loved dearly by his family. He was a very laid back and easy going greyhound that loved the attention and he got along famously with the children. He had a wonderful home, although it was not for as long as we all would have liked.

We thank Holly and Mike for their love and devotion to a very special hound. Although Benny will be greatly missed by many, we are grateful that he had a chance to be so happy.

Godspeed Benny.

Help FFGR, Inc. - Special Sale!

2011-10-20T11:08:00.001-07:00

Want to help FFGR, Inc.? Save up to 75% at Petsmart during their annual Halloween Sale! Save up to 75% on all Halloween costumes, Toys & Treats! Offer Valid between October 20 and October 31. All you have to do is go to the above link and anything you buy on line will help us as we will automatically get a percentage of the sale.

Happy Halloween!

Rainbow Bridge - Lobble (Fitzgerald)

2011-10-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

May 5, 2003 - October 12, 2011

We are so sad to report that Kip and J.D. (long time adopters and volunteers) lost their beloved greyhound, Fitzgerald, yesterday. We had been communicating recently with them as they wanted to adopt Merlot, one of our available brood seniors. We had made plans to take Merlot to them Thursday. Wednesday evening, they had a vet appointment for Fitz to check on a limp he had developed lately. Fitz had corns in the past and Kip and J.D. thought that he had another corn. However, the vet visit resulted in a diagnosis of bone cancer. Fitz had also lost weight so that in addition to the x-rays revealed that the cancer had invaded other organs of the body. It was devastating news for both Kip and J.D.

They struggled with the ramifications of the diagnosis and just what they would do with this news. After a lot of soul searching and talking, they decided that it was in Fitz's best interest to let him go. They did not want to risk him breaking the leg or having him live in pain. They made the appointment with their vet.

Yesterday they gave Fitz the entire day. They took him for a short walk, a car ride (which he loved!), gave him his favorite food and treats, etc. They and their two other hounds accompanied Fitz to the vet where they all spent their last minutes together saying goodbye. Fitz passed peacefully to the bridge surrounded by everyone we knew.

This was a hard and painful decision but they felt that this was in Fitz's best interest not to allow him to become sicker and feel any more pain.

Kip and J.D. adopted Fitzgerald in 2006. He was more than a pet; he was a true member of the family. Fitz was quite the character - a wonderful sweetheart of a dog that loved everyone and was loved by everyone who met him. He had a long nose with an overbite and teeth that showed, giving him a permanent smile. But he smiled at everyone because he love everyone. He was a wonderful meet and greet dog and a great embassadog for greyhound adoption.

We know that Fitz will be greatly missed by his family. But we also know that he had the best home. Fitz was eight years old in May of this year.

Rest in peace sweet boy; you were greatly loved.

Rainbow Bridge - Ballet's Baby (Baby)

2011-10-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

October 28, 1998 - October 10, 2011

We are sad to report that one of our adopters lost a beloved hound. We got an email from Chris Ankrum last night informing us that Baby had passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. Recently she was not able to eat well and kept getting sicker and sicker. Baby and Jack (Baby's long time companion) were Craiger's List dogs after we took them in from a group in Pennsylvania that asked for help. At the time Baby was eleven years old. She would have been thirteen years old at the end of this month.

I'll never forget the trip to pick her and Jack up (around September 2009). I was shocked at their appearance. At the time the woman who had met me with them was brushing tons of hair off Baby. It was all over the parking lot. We loaded both dogs into my van along with several boxes of their belongings. It took me less than a minute to learn that both dogs had very rotten teeth and were very dirty.

I had to drive home with the windows open. When I got them home the first thing I did was bathe them. I looked over their meager and filthy belongings and tearfully threw every single thing out. I can only imagine what their lives must have been like for so long. Baby lost another ton of hair in the week after her bath but smelled better; her fur got soft and smooth. I made vet appointments for them as they had no vet records and had not had vaccinations for over three years. Both dogs had dentals. They both lost multiple teeth. But with each day they looked better and I know they began to feel better getting those rotten teeth out.

Baby was such a sweetheart, quiet and submissive. She was never any trouble at all here. We placed them on Craiger's List. They spent some time here and it was a pleasure having them as our guests. But Chris Ankrum and his wife, Quinn, who at the time lived in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, spotted them on Craiger's List and asked to meet them. Chris brought his other greyhound, Phinn, with him and together they decided to adopt Jack and Baby.

Chris always kept in touch with us about Baby and Jack and even after they moved to Texas. It's with a sad heart that we report that they lost Baby. But the small amount of their lives that Chris and his wife devoted to Baby comprised a huge and wonderful part of her life. Her best years, we're sure, were with Chris and Quinn. They are our heroes.

Rest in peace beautiful Baby; you were greatly loved.

News - Milestone for FFGR, Inc.

2011-10-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of our adopters and volunteers! We've now reached a milestone! We have placed 400 greyhounds since we established our group six years ago! Now, on to the next milestone!!!

The Race Video - September

2011-10-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our many supporters and adopters, our video, The Race, was one of the top five videos (out of 41 other greyhound adoption organizations) watched during the month of September! This is the second month in a row. The video is located at the bottom of our Craiger's List web page. We hope more people will access Craiger's List and look at all the wonderful dogs that are looking for forever homes! See our video below!

Health and Medical - Finding a Veterinarian

2011-09-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

The following article was written by one of our adopters, Helen Coleman. We hope that it will be helpful:

Most of us that have been greyhound owners for years know how frustrating it can be to find a greyhound-savvy vet that will LISTEN to what you, as the owner, have to say about your dog’s problems and your observations. Recent threads on some of the forums encouraged me to share some insight into this subject. Here are some of the rules that I live by which have been compounded over many years of dealing with vets that say "Oh, I know greyhounds, I vetted them in college." The truth of that statement is - they used greyhounds as the examples and test dogs for the students to practice their various skills. Because greyhounds are mostly docile and compliant, they make great dogs to use as "subjects". This does NOT mean that every vet that went to college KNOWS greyhounds and their health issues.

When you search for a new greyhound-savvy vet, referrals from other greyhound owners or your adoption group representatives are your best resources. Everyone likes their vet for different reasons. Not every vet will match every owner’s expectations. As an example – One vet I know is a fantastic orthopedic vet and a remarkably caring person. He has better than average diagnostic skills but his specialty (and they all have their areas) is orthopedics. He will spend time digging to find out what the problem is and go the extra mile to diagnose an ailment. Another vet is a diagnostician extraordinaire but his bedside manner is a wee bit lacking. If you can understand that he is more concerned about your dog than your feelings, he may be the vet for you. Both of these vets are excellent greyhound vets and have many years of experience in vetting and doing surgery on the greyhounds. Our local personal vet has been vetting greyhounds for over twenty years and loves them as a breed and is very knowledgeable about their particular issues. However, she is very quick to refer you to a specialist if it is out of the ordinary realm of her knowledge. All of these people "listen" when you tell them what is wrong with your dog. They will ask you lots of questions about behavior, habits, normal daily routine and out of the ordinary things that your dog does.

When you adopt your dog, you are given a set of paperwork in your adoption packet that provides details about particular medical idiosyncrasies specific to the greyhound. When I take a new dog to any vet, I always take along a set of this paperwork and hand it to the vet. After all these years, my vets give me a look but my response is this - “I am required to give this to you by the adoption group. As part of the contract I signed, I am to provide this to you to be certain that you understand everything that is different about the greyhound. This info is updated constantly with new and important info that you may find useful. Please read this, otherwise, I am in violation of my adoption contract." You will be amazed at how many vets will then give the paperwork at least a once over. That is the start of your relationship with your vet. Make it very clear that you as the owner are planning on being an integral part of any care and treatment they plan to administer to your greyhound. If the vet you visit has a problem with this idea, then you need to find another vet who will understand your decision to be involved. Veterinarians are human; they are not gods. Sometimes, they need to be reminded that they are our employees when we visit them, not the other way around. If you start off on the right understanding with your vet, chances are your relationship will be a rewarding one for all concerned. It may take a few visits to different vets to find the right one for you and your pet. In the end, it will be well worth the effort for your greyhound.

When your greyhound is having a problem and your vet will not/does not return your call or does not seem to want to talk to you about the issues, by all means seek another opinion or search for a new vet. Your dog’s health is the most important thing to you and it should be to whatever vet you choose as well.

Event - Middletown Heritage Festival

2011-09-21T07:18:00.001-07:00

We are very excited to have been invited to be a vendor and participant at the Middletown Heritage Festival in Middletown, Maryland. Each year the town of Middletown holds a large well attended festival to celebrate the town's history. Our organization will be on hand for the celebration for the first time. We are looking forward to having our greyhounds present to meet and greet the public as well as to talk to people about greyhound adoption. This promises to be a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about greyhounds! Join us and thousands of others for this special event!

We also have received a GREYT donation from the Hollow Creek Golf Course. They have donated two rounds of golf (and use of cart) for use any day Monday through Thursday. This package is valid until December 2013! We will be raffling this package off at the festival. If you love golf (or know someone who does), we are selling the tickets for $1 each or $5 for six. Contact Hettie at 301-416-2028 if you want to purchase tickets for this raffle (if you cannot make it to the festival). Remember, Christmas is just around the corner and this package may make a great gift for that golfer in your family!

We hope to see you at the festival! For more details about this event, click on the title of this post.

Event - GPA Maryland Picnic

2011-09-19T12:56:00.001-07:00

Our organization was invited to vend at the annual Greyhound Pets of America, Maryland Chapter, Saturday, September 17. Although the day was a bit on the drizzly side, the crowds were plentiful and there was a wonderful festive atmosphere!

For the second year we set up our tent and sold our inventory to lots of nice people. The favorite of the day was the fleece Raven hound coat! We could have sold a LOT of those! Everyone also liked our assortment of unique greyhound figurines, vintage one-of-a-kind jewelry and, of course, our concrete garden statues! We also raffled off a vintage racing silk from the Pueblo, Colorado Race Track that is now closed. That was a popular raffle item.

We are grateful for being given the opportunity to vend at this event and each year we meet and make new friends and see our old friends. We all enjoyed meeting all the beautiful hounds. We saw a few "adopt me" jackets come off the dogs as the dogs got a home!

Thanks again to the greyt folks at GPA Maryland for this opporunity!! Rooooos to you all!

Rainbow Bridge - Flying Alysheba (Sheba)

2011-09-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

March 1, 2000 - September 18, 2011

It's with great sadness that we report the loss of a wonderful senior girl, Sheba. Sheba was a wonderful eleven year old greyhound that had been returned to another group when her owner could no longer care for her. We offered to bring her to Maryland (along with her companion Shadow) and find her a home via Craiger's List. Isaac and Jeff read their story and description on line and asked if they could meet both dogs. They brought their two hounds (Azalea and Grant) out for a visit and it didn't take long to know that this would be one greyt family of hounds! We were thrilled that Sheba found her truly forever home - and it couldn't have been more perfect. Sheba was the diva of the family, always in the middle of everything.

Isaac reported that Sheba started going downhill late last week and her symptoms seemed to indicate a possible pinched nerve in the neck. However, she never got any better and kept declining. The vet doesn't know for sure what exactly caused her death, but she passed on to the Rainbow Bridge early Sunday morning.

We fostered Sheba for awhile until she went to her forever home with Isaac and Jeff. She was such a sweet senior girl and was gentle and loving. Although we were sad that she and her companion Shadow lost their long time home, she got the very best home with Isaac and Jeff who doted on her (and Shadow)and loved her greatly.

She will be missed by many in our group who met her. Last year she and Shadow were at our FFGR, Inc. party at Dewey Beach. We think that Sheba was a lucky girl to have such a wonderful and loving home at the time of her life when she needed it the most. We are grateful to Isaac and Jeff for giving her the home she had. They are truly special people.

Run free baby girl. You were so loved.

Yard Sale Recap

2011-09-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

No one would have guessed, when it was suggested back in the early part of the summer that we hold a yard sale to earn funds for our hounds, that it would be such a huge success. Yard sales are "iffy" fund raisers. A lot depends on the weather, the types of items that are being sold and how many people show up to buy things.

But our fundraising yard sales can be described as a GREYT success! We know why. First, so many people where involved in this project that the work was minimal and very easy. So many people donated so many items that it took a large car hauling trailer to hold them all! And the donations kept coming. All donations were extremely nice, clean and items that almost anyone would want to buy. People really came through with wonderful donations that were way better than expected.

Next, everyone joined in to publicize the sale and organize items for sale. The organization was spot on in every aspect. By the day of the sale, all items were organized into groups that made it easy for shoppers to see. So many volunteers turned out to help that no one had that much work to do.

We found that people were more willing to purchase items and pay more (as a donation) to help out when they knew that the sale was to benefit a non-profit. Many people did not purchase anything but gave a donation anyway.

Items that were left over from the first sale were packed away and organized. For the second sale (during Boonsboro Days) all items were very easily unwrapped and set up. The second sale provided a means for us to sell what little was remaining from the first sale and it worked like a charm. People again were generous and not only bought to help our organization and the hounds, but many again made donations willingly.

At the end of this project we ended up making close to $2,500 and had so little left that we will sell that on Ebay. It involved very little work which made this a wonderful project. Therefore, nothing has gone to waste.

We know that this project would not have been as successful without the help of all our volunteers. We thank everyone for making this fund raiser such a huge success. Everyone had so much fun that we are talking about another yard sale next year!

Rainbow Bridge - Ricky

2011-09-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

We received a sad email from Lynne and George Yourick recently. They informed us that Ricky, their beloved greyhound, lost his battle with osteo. Ricky is a dog that Bill and I fostered for a very long time back when we were working for a group that no longer is in business.

Ricky came into our house right off the hauler with two other dogs in early 2002. All three came here and got the usual treatment. All were kept outside and brought in one at a time to be bathed and cleaned up. That is because they were all crawling with fleas and were filthy coming straight from the kennels. That was the norm back then.

Ricky had terrible flea dermatitis and had open sores and scabs all over him. He was missing a lot of hair. He was so thin. Bill and I remember that day as it was sad to see dogs in such awful condition. Ricky stayed with us for at least a couple of months as that was when the group we were working for started to go downhill and did not do as many meet and greet events or adoptions.

Ricky accompanied me on a regular basis to my new part time retirement job working in an antique mall. He loved being there and the customers loved visiting with him. Over the months that he lived with us he filled in nicely and his coat began to shine (in addition to his beautiful eyes). We were worried that Ricky would never find his forever home (he was not cat safe) but figured that, if he didn't, he could stay with us.

But Lynne and George came along and met Ricky and that was it. They fell in love with him and the rest is history. Later Lynne and George adopted another greyhound from our new group (WVs Zagnut) and he recently lost his battle with cancer.

Shorty after Zagnut went to the bridge, Ricky was also diagnosed with osteo (in early August). Lynne and George decided to go with pain management because of Ricky's age. He was twelve in April.

We know that Ricky took awhile to find his forever home. But that is because he was waiting for Lynne and George to come along. He could not have gotten a better home.

Ricky has always been close to our hearts because he was here with us so long. We share in the grief of his loss. But we are gratified that Ricky had such a good home with two people who truly gave him all that any greyhound should have and deserves.

Run free Ricky and know that you were loved greatly.

Rainbow Bridge - Chessie

2011-09-12T03:56:00.000-07:00

We are sorry to report that one of our adopters and volunteers has lost her beloved greyhound to cancer. Although Chessie was not adopted through our group, she was ever so much a part of our FFGR, Inc. extended family. We received the following email about Chessie from Anne Celeste (and Helen Coleman) recently:

It never ceases to amaze me how the loss of one animal can leave such a huge hole in a home. It is with sad heart, that I must report the loss of our dear Chessie Belle (8 year old)brindle female that left us for the Rainbow Bridge 11:30 p.m. Sunday evening. Chessie fractured her hip in a freak accident at home. While the hip was repairable, the cause was not…Osteosarcoma. There was no warning, few signs (none attributable to osteo), and the shock has left us dazed and heartbroken.

When Chessie first came to us she was fearful of being touched or restricted in any way. You could admire her from afar but to hold her close or even be petted was torture to her. We loved her on her terms until one day out of the blue, Chessie came over demanding to get her share of affection! We were thrilled to say the least. Over the years, Chessie and Jetta Sue (our other greyhound)formed an alliance, a sisterhood of sorts. They could read each other’s thoughts and with one glance, would begin a charge to the back yard as though words had been spoken. If one of them went to the door, the other would magically appear a few seconds later from a different part of the house. A secret language, we had only begun to understand.

Chessie had lots of love pent up inside of her and recently she began to share it with her family and friends. Unka Bill was her savior and he always saw that she got a tidbit or two from meals. Her signals were very vague, when she came to you, you might think she wanted to be petted but in truth she was telling you she needed to go outside. Undemanding, loving, gentle, and always smiling, only begin to describe this special girl.

It near broke my heart to hold her magnificent head in my lap, communicating to her through my hands the love we shared, as she gently slipped away to begin her next journey. Please join me in wishing Chessie Belle a swift and safe journey to the Bridge.

Chessie Belle, you take with you the most valuable thing I own, THE PIECE OF MY HEART THAT BELONGS ONLY TO YOU. Fly free our sweet darling. We shall meet again when all things have been made equal and we both trod the paths at the Rainbow Bridge. Parting is such a sorrow but the loving and knowing you sweetens the bitterness of our loss.

Run free sweet Chessie; you were greatly loved.

The Race Video

2011-09-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our many supporters and adopters, our video, The Race, was one of the top five videos (out of 41 other organizations) watched during the month of August! The video is located at the bottom of our Craiger's List web page. We hope more people will access Craiger's List and look at all the wonderful dogs that are looking for forever homes! See our video below!

Help FFGR, Inc. This Labor Day Holiday!

2011-09-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

This holiday weekend, you can discover huge savings at the PetSmart Labor Day Sale! Save 50% on select items during the Petsmart Labor Day Sale and a portion of your purchases will go to our organization. Just click on the banner below and you will automatically go to our Petsmart Affiliate link where you can order on line and save money as well! You do not need to do anything and you will not receive any messages. The link is exclusively ours and the sales will automatically be added to our account.

The sale ends September 5 so don't delay!! Thanks for your support!

Mister - A Real Hound Hero!

2011-09-01T03:36:00.000-07:00

The following is a story written by Dee Stevenson about her senior hound Mister. Dee adopted Mister last fall after being returned to our group through no fault of his own. Everyone loves Mister and we are all happy that he found such a wonderful home with someone who appreciates what a greyt dog he is. But the bond between Mister and Dee was proven recently when Mister warned Dee of a potential house fire. (Dee also recently adopted King, another sweet senior hound.) This is a heartwarming story that proves what we already know about these wonderful dogs:

I have a story to share with all of you about my boy, Mister.
I'll need to give you a bit of back ground so you can fully understand the order of events that took place just this past Sunday morning. I have my boyz, Mister and King on a schedule due to working. We get up around 5:00 am so we can all go for a nice walk that usually last about 45 minutes. When we return home, I make them breakfast. They're always hungry after their morning walk. Afterward, they curl up on their beds and sleep while I get ready for work. Before I leave, the last thing I do is take them around the block one more time. When we get back home, I give them each a treat (because they are such good boyz), a big ole hug and a kiss goodbye. Then I'm off to the office.

No Matter how hard I try to get them to understand weekends are good for sleeping in just a bit.They don't seem to care. I've even tried to get them to understand the difference between the words "work day" and "mommy day"... During the week when I get up I say "Good morning handsome boyz. Today's a work day and mommy has to go to work". On weekends I get up and say "Good morning my handsome boyz, today's a mommy day and we get to spend the day together". They wag their tails just the same everyday regardless of what I say. Oh well, I guess I can't have it all... Back to the reason for this story.

This past Sunday morning as we all know, it was dark, dreary and raining because of the huricane. It would have been a great day to sleep in, at least until 7 or 8:00. But that wasn't going to happen at my house. Mister decided he was ready for his walk at 4:45 and wasn't willing to postpone it at all. After throwing on a pair of jeans and t-shirt the boyz and I went walking. When we got home, I dried them off from the rain and made their breakfast. Since I was up, I thought I would get started on my weekend chores. I had poured myself a glass of ice tea which emptied the pitcher so I filled a large pan with water and put the tea bags in to brew. Then I put in a load of laundry. After having the house closed up for most of the summer due to the heat, I thought it would be a great day to open a few windows to let some fresh air in. I even put small window fan in the dinning room window drawing air out to help pull the fresh air in the other windows. I decided to work on some homework so I went to the den where I opened my laptop and logged into my class. By this time the boyz were both sound asleep on their beds. King was on his back with all 4 legs going in all four directions, his mouth open and his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. Mister was stretched out on his side with his head totally off his bed, his mouth was open and he was actually snoring a bit.

After working for a while my eyes began to get very heavy so I laid my head back and drifted off to sleep. Although I didn't actually wake up, I heard Mister jump up from his bed and run to the kitchen. In my half waken state, I simply figued he heard Molly or Waggs (my shih tzu's) and went to see what they were doing. But in just a matter of seconds he was back in the den staring at me and making a strange noise. Without opening my eyes I told him to be a good boy and go back to his nap. He left the den and just a few seconds later he was back again. This time he pushed his entire head under my arm and started pulling on it. I finally opened my eyes and told him to stop because he was going to cause me to drop my laptop off my lap. He was relentless and for the first time totally ignored my instuction. The tone of my voice became more firm and again I told him it wasn't time to go out yet, we had not been back from the first walk long enough for his coat to fully dry. As my voice became more firm, so did he! He then started hitting me with his front paw. Needless to say, this caught me by surprise. I removed the laptop from my lap and stood to see what was bothering him. When I stood, I could smell something burning. I immediately thought the fan motor had overheated due to the wind blowing against it. I went to the dinning room, which was filled with smoke and turned off the fan. But the smoke was not coming from there. Something was burning somewhere in my house and the smoke was bellowing out of my kitchen! When I got there, the large pan I had filled with water and tea bags had boiled dry and was now on fire. I grabbed it, tossed it in the sink and turned on the water. I couldn't believe I had forgotten all about it being on the stove. Through all of this, my Mister NEVER left my side. He was against my legs the entire time like he was making sure he protected me. Needless to say I hugged and kissed him as I thanked him from the bottom of my heart.

Because the fan was in the dinning window, it was pulling the smoke out the window enough to keep it from coming out to my den. If not for Mister, I could have continued to sleep and I could have lost my entire kitchen or worse...

Through it all... my cutie boy King never woke. As a matter of fact he was in the same position when I returned to the den as he was when I left...bless his heart.

Needless to say.. I'm very proud of my boy Mister... he's my HERO!
I'm so blessed to have both my boyz in my life.

Events - Get Ready for September!

2011-08-31T11:50:00.001-07:00

If you wanted to attend our events in August but couldn't for one reason or another, then you may want to check out our Calendar of Events for September! We not only have our regularly scheduled meet and greet events listed on our calendar, but we have a number of new events that you might want to check out. We will update this news blog prior to each event with all the details. However, if you want to mark your calendars for the month, just click on the title of this post that will take you directly to our events calendar.

We thank all of our many volunteers for working so willingly and hard on behalf of our hounds! You just don't talk the talk, you walk the walk!

Life at a Greyhound Track

2011-08-26T04:16:00.001-07:00

If you have never been to a greyhound track and wonder what your adopted retired racer's life was like we have some great information for you! We constantly talk to potential adopters about how well trained a greyhound is when it is racing. These wonderful athletes are familiar with routine and know what to expect. They are amazing creatures; therefore, we need to honor their past as well as enjoy them as pets. We are now asking those who apply to adopt from our organization to watch a slide show on what life was like at the track. We think that this will help people to understand their dogs when they go into their new homes. We have also added the link to the slide show on our Greytlinks page of our web site and will include it on other pages of our web site as well for people researching the breed before adoption.

We hope that you enjoy this show and learn something from it. You can access the link to the slide show by clicking on the title of this post.

Event - K-9's in the Vines

2011-08-21T04:43:00.000-07:00

The Animal Welfare League of Frederick County has invited our organization to participate in their fund raising event - K-9's in the Vines, Sunday, August 21, from 1:00 p.m. until 5 p.m.. Register at the door and it will entitle you to wine tastings, door prizes, a silent auction, dog games and activities, savings on purchases of wines, live music and lots of fun! In addition, a professional pet photographer will be available to photograph your favorite pet.

Our volunteers will be available to talk to people about greyhound adoption. We will have greyhounds available to meet. Come out and have fun with us and help the AWLFC!!

Linganore Winecellars is located at 13601 Glissans Mill Road, Mount Airy, Maryland.

Event - Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A

2011-08-16T16:06:00.001-07:00

Come catch the FFGR, Inc. spirit! Our group will be participating in Chick-fil-A's Spirit Night. It's an opportunity presented to us by Chick-fil-A to help non-profit organizations like ours earn money (and have fun in the process!).

We will be at the Chick-fil-A (at 1005 Foxcroft Avenue) in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Saturday evening (August 20) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. During that time, anyone coming into the restaurant and presenting a coupon for our group when they eat will help us. Chick-fil-A will donate 20% of the proceeds to our group!

The folks at Chick-fil-A have been really supportive and helpful. They gave us 500 leaflets with coupons to hand out. Ashley Lake, who has been in charge of this event, has been handing out hundreds to businesses in the Martinsburg area with great success! She has been on the go for weeks now! We have been handing out the leaflets at our meet and greet event as well. We have handed out almost all of the leaflets!

Our volunteers are also permitted to be at the restaurant and we are also permitted to have our greyhounds there! One of our volunteers will be wearing the Chick-fil-A cow costume and he will be waving at people as they come in to eat (and hopefully convincing people out on the street to come in as well!).

We will be able to talk to customers about greyhound adoption if they approach our table. If you would like to come and help out our group but don't have a coupon, please come and stop at our table. We will have extra coupons for those who request one. We will also have coupons available at our regularly scheduled meet and greet at the Martinsburg Petsmart. Stop in on Saturday, August 20, between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. We hope to hand out many more coupons there as well.

For more information, go to our web site Calendar of events. Come on by and catch the spirit!!

Event - Yard Sale Success!

2011-08-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all of our GREYT volunteers, adopters, friends, family members, supporters and the public, our yard sale was a wonderful success!

For weeks we collected items to sell at the yard sale and we made sure that we advertised it well. By the day of the sale, we had collected enough items to fill an entire trailer! The sale was held at the home of Jo and CL Long and they pulled out all the stops to make sure everything was done well. Jo and CL not only donated the use of their entire back yard and property along a very well traveled road, but they gave us full run of the property to store all the yard sale items prior to the sale. They provided us with the trailer and gave all of our volunteers access to it so sale items could be dropped off any time. The also brought out the grill and made all of the volunteers lunch. Thanks to another generous neighbor, another flat bed trailer was made available to display sale items.

The tables for our sale were loaned to us by the wonderful folks at the Frederick County Humane Society; they have been a true supporter of our organization from the beginning. The tables all came in handy when we started setting our merchandise as they filled up quickly1

The yard was perfect for nearly 20 hounds that visited to run in and they all had a blast! We also had a delivery of two new hounds from Florida. We were so busy the day of the yard sale that several volunteers (who live some distance from us) helped bring our hounds to us. Thanks to Connie and Steve who picked them up in Ashland, VA (in the middle of the night no less), and to John and Mary who met them in Fredericksburg, VA and brought them up to our location. We are so grateful for this help, especially considering that these volunteers live so far away and were happy to drive long distances to help out the hounds.

There are so many volunteers who went out of their way to help out and donate so much to our sale. Thanks to all who donated so much. We also thank those who paid for the advertising, who made signs, who worked the day of the sale, etc. Everyone played a huge part in making this yard sale such a success.

In spite of a questionable weather forecast, the storms and rain hit all around us but not on us! At the end of the day we made $1,750, WAY more than we ever anticipated!

We are looking forward to our next events! ROOOOOOS to all of our wonderful volunteers!!!!

Event - Multi Family Yard Sale!

2011-08-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a "REALLY BIG" yard sale! Our volunteers have been collecting items for several weeks and we have to say that we now have enough to call this yard sale extraordinary! We have all been filling a large hauling trailer to the brim! And we are still collecting more!

Our yard sale will be held at the home of Jo and CL Long at 6794 Stonewall Court West
Adamstown, Maryland. The yard sale will run from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 13.

This is a major fund raiser for our group. It will also be a chance for people and hounds to get together. Jo and CL have a beautifully landscaped yard (nearly three acres of level grass!) that hounds will LOVE! We will have a number of x-pens and resting places under trees for all hounds that wish to come along with their adopters while the sale is going on.

Jo and CL live along a major route in Maryland and lots of traffic will be available to lure in to buy, buy, buy.

Unlike other typical yard sales, there will be a huge assortment of new items as well as collectibles. Here is a partial list of items that are available for sale:

New lawn mower
Two new in the box child's mountain bikes (one for a girl and one for a boy)
Wedgewood place settings
Chinese porcelain place settings complete with salt and pepper, butter dish and numerous serving pieces
Large Boyds Bear collection
Many new and slightly used tools in boxes
Antique farm related items
Antique Tools
Furniture (like new)
Dog crates
Many like new small kitchen appliances (all work)
Electronics (all work)
Portable soft sided dog crate (new)
Tommy the Train play table
Books
Many video tapes and CDs (children's)
New curtains, towels
Many many new dog related items

If you would like to donate any items to the yard sale, it's not too late! Just call Jo at 301-874-5911 and you can make arrangements to drop items off at the trailer. Some of our items will be priced, but most will be available to buy for whatever donation one wants to give. If you want to donate items the day of the sale, please bring them by.

All sales benefit Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. Come out and have a good time, meet our hounds and get a GREYT bargain!

Event - New Meet and Greet

2011-08-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Dogs and Company, located in Columbia, Maryland is a specialty store that focuses on the health and nutrition of pets. They also advocate for the adoption of pets; therefore, they invited our organization to host a special meet and greet in their store to talk about greyhound adoption! We will be at the store Saturday, August 6, from noon until 2:00 p.m. You can look for us near the Canine Cafe.

Our volunteers will be present (along with adopted and available greyhounds)to visit with customers and talk about what great pets greyhounds make. In addition to several adopted hounds, three of our greyhounds looking for a home will be with our volunteers. Sid, Misty and Bart (or Bishop) will be available for people to meet. You can get more information on all of our available dogs by going to the Featured Dogs page of our web site. You can get information on Dogs and Company as well as the address and directions by clicking on the title of this post. Come out and visit us at this special event!

Rainbow Bridge - Quiet Laurie (Rose)

2011-08-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

December 29, 2007 - July 23, 2011

We at FFGR, Inc. are devastated to report that a very young greyhound was lost recently to an unknown cause. Rose was only three years old. She got sick and within a day or two she was gone. She collapsed in her family's home and the vet could not revive her. Jamie and Brian Nichter adopted Rose in January of this year.

Jamie and her family have another greyhound and Rose was the second hound they adopted from our group. Their children (and the rest of the family) are very sad and upset.

Rose was a gorgeous blue brindle girl that loved everyone. In fact, when we placed her on our Available Dogs page, we got numerous inquiries about her and a lot of people wanted to adopt her. Jamie contacted us about adopting a second greyhound but never asked for a certain dog. They asked us to find them a dog that would fit into their family. We thought that they deserved to have Rose because she was so special.

We always are sad to learn of a greyhound passing on to the Rainbow Bridge but we are especially saddened to learn of such a young dog losing her life so soon.

We know that Rose got the chance for a wonderful and most loving home. She was truly a lucky dog. Even though her time with the Nichters was cut off way too short, Rose had the home that we at FFGR, Inc. always hope for when we place a greyhound.

Run free sweet Rose; you have lots of friends at the Bridge.

Events - Special Upcoming Events!

2011-07-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who follow our News Blog, we want you to know that we have some GREYT special events coming up in August! We will be posting about all of these events as we get closer to each one, but we wanted to let you know that there are a lot of opportunities to get together with FFGR, Inc. and have some fun (that is, outside of our regularly scheduled meet and greet events). All of these events are already posted on our Calendar of Events for August; if you are interested in attending any/all, you can get more information (along with specific addresses and site links) by going to each event's listing.

Saturday, August 6: We will be hosting a very special meet and greet event. The folks at Dogs and Company in Columbia, Maryland, invited us to come in with our hounds and talk to their customers about greyhound adoption. We will have a number of volunteers at this event in addition to most of our hounds looking for homes. This event will start at noon. Stop by to say hello and meet our hounds. This promises to be a very exciting event since we have a lot of volunteers coming and the store employees and manager has been awesome about advocating on our behalf!

Saturday, August 13: Our organization is having a HUGE FFGR, Inc. family yard sale at the home of Jo and CL Long in Adamstown, Maryland. All of our volunteers have been collecting items to sell for some time; we have almost filled a whole trailer! The yard sale starts a 9 a.m. and will run until 5 p.m. Jo and CL have a three-acre, fenced-in property; this nice yard will be available for all volunteers to bring their hounds to have a good time while we make money for the hounds. If you want to be involved or have items to sell, please call Jo at 301-874-5911. They can make arrangements to have you drop off to the trailer any time. The more we have the more we will sell. We hope that you will come by and see what we have and say hello! As always, all that we sell goes directly to helping the hounds!!

Saturday, August 20: Join FFGR, Inc. at a fun event and another fund raising opportunity! Our volunteers will be at the Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant in Martinsburg, West Virginia for Spirit Night! Come to Chick-fil-A and eat dinner between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and 20% of the sales will be donated to FFGR, Inc.! We will have a number of volunteers at this event along with information about our greyhounds. We will be able to speak with people about greyhound adoption. In addition, one of our volunteers will be wearing the Chick-fil-A cow costume to help bring people into the restaurant! This event promises to be a LOT of fun! Come out and have dinner with us and earn money for the hounds at the same time!

Keep checking back for more information as we get closer to the date of each event. Be sure to mark your calendars and help us get through the "dog days of summer!"

Focus on Fosters - Maggie

2011-07-23T14:50:00.001-07:00

We love senior dogs!!! And Maggie is a very special senior dog (she will be nine years old August 2). She ran in to some bad luck when her adopters moved into a small town house and could not take her with them. She had been in her home for over five years when suddenly she found herself without a home!

When Maggie came in to our program, she was quite upset as any uprooted dog would be. It took her awhile to relax but when she did, she turned into one of the funniest greyhounds ever! Maggie was used to being the only dog in her house; therefore, when she suddenly found herself surrounded by other dogs in her foster home, she had quite a shock! However, it didn't take her long to decide that this arrangement was quite suitable and even more fun!

Maggie has a very outgoing and happy personality. She has to be in the middle of everything. She certainly knows who she is and is very happy with that! She can walk into a room and light it up. She gets along with all of the other dogs in her foster home, although at times she can get a little snarky if someone invades what she considers her space. It's very short lived; she may grumble a little and get up, turn around, find her spot again and before you know it, everything is just fine.

We enjoy having Maggie here. She brings a lot of laughter and smiles. She loves going outside and heads right up the stairs in the yard to look down on the other dogs. It's as if she is telling everyone that she is the queen!

We decided that, if Maggie was a human being, she would belong to the Red Hat Society! She is a diva in her own right and does just what she pleases. Fortunately for everyone, it includes making everyone laugh out loud.

Maggie is totally up to date on all of her shots. She has all of her teeth (Yay!) and her recent senior blood panel came back just perfect. She is supposed to be cat safe, but we have not done any testing.

We love Maggie and we hope that some special person will notice her and give her that real "forever" home she so deserves. She is on Craiger's List on our web site.

Special Needs Hounds Available Now

2011-07-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

In 2008, our organization established Craiger's List . Craiger's List is named in honor of a very special greyhound that graced our lives for a wonderful, but all-to-brief, period of time. Craiger died of lymphoma shortly after his third birthday. He touched us deeply and permanently. We wanted others to know how giving a special dog a home can be so rewarding. Craiger will always be in our hearts and we hoped that by giving other special needs and/or overlooked dogs a chance for a loving home, that we would honor Craiger's life. We work with other groups, adoption kennels, racing kennels, farms and even people who cannot keep their special needs hounds. These dogs are placed on Craiger's List and we look for forever homes for them. All people adopting a greyhound from Craiger's List are experienced greyhound adopters and make a lifelong commitment to the hound they adopt.

Although we have worked hard and have found homes for hundreds of greyhounds since our group was established, we have had our most satifisying experience finding homes for the hounds we placed on Craiger's List. We have always felt that the "overlooked" dogs also deserved a chance. Therefore, in 2009, we enhanced our mission to work hard on behalf of these deserving animals and concentrated more on finding homes for those left behind. There are many people who can talk about how fulfilling their adoption of special needs hounds has been and we have met many wonderful people in the process who understand that the best dogs are sometimes the ones that get overlooked.

When Craiger's List dogs are placed, the ENTIRE adoption fee is sent as a donation directly to the Morris Animal Foundation, Greyhound Project, which researches cancer. To date our group has found homes for 55 greyhounds from the list and donated $9,525 to the Morris Animal Foundation on behalf of cancer research!!!!!

You can click on the title of this post if you want to see the greyhounds that we currently have available for adoption. If you are interested in any of these special hounds, please fill out our adoption application and note the name of the dog that you would like to adopt. We will contact you to discuss your application. These are all wonderful dogs and they deserve special homes. We require that all potential adopters be knowledgeable about dogs in general and greyhounds specifically. In some cases, we will provide additional incentives for adoption, but that will be disclosed at the time the adoption is approved. Please give one of these special hounds a chance. We guarantee that you will be rewarded beyond your greatest expectations!! Please note: ALL Craiger's List dogs are fostered before being placed.

Rainbow Bridge - She Didit Herway (Emmy)

2011-07-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

January 19, 2002 - May 19, 2011

We are sorry to report that one of our adopters has lost her beloved greyhound. Emmy was diagnosed with a fast-growing and inoperable mass in her abdomen that ended up cutting off her colon and bladder from being able to eliminate waste. She was painlessly euthanized May 19, 2011 after weeks of tests and meds to help.

Meisha Krutar adopted Emmy in September of 2006. Although Meisha is in the military, she always found a way to have Emmy with her no matter where she went. They were constant companions; therefore, Emmy's death has had a big impact on Meisha.

We are sorry that Emmy is gone, but we know that she had the most loving home with a caring and responsible adopter. Meisha is an example of why we do what we do.

Run with the angels sweet girl.

Safety - Fouth of July

2011-06-30T07:57:00.001-07:00

The fireworks are coming! According to veterinarians, this is the worst holiday of the year for dogs. Adoption groups see many more reports of runaway dogs than at any other time of the year. Here are some helpful hints:

Check all gates to make sure they are shut and locked. Install self closers on gates to make sure they close properly.

Leash walk dogs inside a fenced in yard until the holiday is over. Even inside a fenced in yard, loud noises can cause a hound to jump and they might clear a fence. A terrified dog can dig, jump or even squeeze out of a small area.

If you have to leash walk, try to schedule the walk when it is less likely that you will encounter the loud noises. Minimize the slack on the leash and keep the hound closer in case he/she panics (keep the hound within grabbing distance).

Supervise during turn outs. Do not leave a hound outside by itself.

Check all collars for wear and tear and make sure your ID tag is on and up to date with accurate phone numbers.

Keep your hound inside as much as possible and cut down on the number of outside breaks.

Under NO circumstances, take your hound to picnics or outdoor events where there are fireworks. Do not assume anything!

Joey wishes everyone a safe and accident free July 4th holiday!

Sum-Sum-Summertime!!!!

2011-06-23T07:49:00.001-07:00

Events - New Meet and Greet Location!

2011-06-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Big News! We have a brand New meet and greet event! Come visit with our volunteers and meet our greyhounds at the Germantown Petco in Germantown, Maryland. We will on hand June 25 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. This is a new venue and we plan to be at this store every fourth Saturday of each month. Thanks to Megan Karwan for volunteering to host this new event. The Petco manager and employees are happy to have us join them because we are the only greyhound adoption group that will be using the store for a meet and greet.

If you would like to come out and visit us, the address is 12960 Middlebrook Road #520A, Germantown, Maryland. You can access more information about the location by going to the Petco web site.

Please come out and visit with us and say hello. Our hounds will be glad to see you!

Commentary - Thinking Ahead

2011-06-20T03:54:00.000-07:00

When we receive applications to adopt a greyhound, we often find that many people want to adopt a greyhound because "the time is right" for them. If you have adopted a greyhound (whether it's from our group or anywhere else), have you thought of what would happen to your hound if something happened to you?

We have, on occasion, experienced the loss of an adopter and the greyhound has been left without a family or caretaker. Like other groups, we take all of the hounds back that we have adopted if the need arises. But we may not always be around to be the safety net for dogs that have been left behind and we may not be able to help if the family members do not know to contact us to take the dog back.

If you have not thought about who would take your hound(s) if something happens to you, then now is the time!

Here are some suggestions that will help you plan for emergencies and family crises that should help your dogs in the event that you can't care for them any longer:

Most car accidents happen close to home. What would happen if you were in an accident and could not speak? Who would know that you have pets at home? Keep a card in your wallet stating that you have pets at home along with phone numbers of someone who could be contacted. Make sure that person is willing to take care of your pets in the event that you are hospitalized. We also suggest that you keep this same information in the glove box of your car. That way someone has to see it.

If you are on a trip and have an accident and your dogs are being boarded, make sure you carry this information as well. Tell a neighbor or friend who can make arrangments to get your pets out of the kennel in the event that you cannot make it home as planned.

If you have a will, make sure that it mentions your pets and make sure that someone has been appointed as their guardian until they can be placed with a group or other adopter. This will prevent your pets from being taken to a shelter. By all means, make family members aware of the fact that you want your pets cared for in the event of your death. When a death occurs in a family, people often are too grief stricken to make rational decisions regarding pets. They can end up in a shelter or given away to someone who will take them without regard for their well being. Don't allow this to happen to your hound!

Prepare an information sheet about all of your pets and keep it posted on your refrigerator or bulletin board in your kitchen. Make sure all of your pets are listed by name and include information such as type and amount of food they eat, any medications they take, names and phone numbers of veterinarians, names and phone numbers of friends/family members who are willing to take your pets in the event of an emergency.

You can access a document that we posted on the Greytlinks page of our web site to help you prepare for emergencies. Look for "Emergency Planning" under Greyhound Help Links. We thank Nevada Greyhounds Unlimited for giving us permission to use this document. You can also access it by clicking on the title of this post.

We all love our pets. We would never want anything bad to happen to them. But we often over look all the possibilities. Take these important steps so that you will have peace of mind that your pets will have a place to go in the event that you are no longer around to take care of them.

News - Congratulations Badal!

2011-06-20T03:27:00.001-07:00

Do greyhounds sit? Of course they do!! Badal had a lot of fun at the beach walking and taking a break by sitting in the sand! Congratulations, Badal, for making it into the summer issue of Celebrating Greyhounds Magazine! Badal was lovingly adopted by Mike and Mary Brown. Badal is an ambassador at two of our meet and greet events each month and everyone who meets him falls in love. Badal has a HUGE fan club and we are happy that he made it to the big time!!

Poem - The World's Need

2011-06-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

We found the following poem on a web site recently. Working in the animal adoption world is a tough job as anyone who's been there knows. We all get tired and worn out from having to deal with problems and issues that take us away from the mission we set off to accomplish. We have to keep remembering that it's about the greyhounds that we are trying to help. Sometimes just a simple poem can remind us of how important our work is. We would like to share this poem with our friends. We hope it inspires you like it does us.

The World’s Need

So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.

I am the voice of the voiceless:
Through me, their hearts shall speak;
Till the deaf world’s ear be made to hear
The cry of the wordless weak.

From lab, from cage and from forests,
From slaughterhouse stalls, come the wail
Of my tortured kin. They proclaim the sin
Of the mighty against the frail.

For love is the true religion,
And love is the law sublime;
And all that is wrought, where love is not
Will die at the touch of time.

Oh, shame on the mothers of mortals
Who have not stopped to teach
Of the sorrow that lies in an animal’s eyes,
The sorrow that has no speech.

The same Power formed the sparrow
That fashioned man – the King;
The God of the whole gave a living soul
To furred and to feathered thing.

And I am my brother’s keeper,
And I will fight his fight;
And speak the word for beast and bird
Till the world shall set things right.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)
American Poet

Summer Safety for Greyhounds

2011-06-09T03:10:00.001-07:00

The temperatures are soaring! The lazy days of summer are here! Now is the time to review some hot weather tips for our hounds. Summer is a season when people and pets can have fun together, but it is also when our pets have many injuries and heat related health problems. The following tips can help avoid many of the heat related problems.

We all know that heatstroke is dangerous for humans -- it is just as dangerous for animals. Learning the signs and symptoms of heatstroke may help you save your pet’s life. Animals react differently than humans to heatstroke. We sweat to cool ourselves; however, dogs only sweat through the pads of their feet. Dogs and cats can also cool themselves off by panting. The panting draws air over the moist membranes of the nose and tongue and cools by evaporation. However, panting only works for a short time. Prolonged panting can critically upset the metabolic system. The first symptoms you may notice could be laborious panting, drooling and a bright red tongue and gums. The tongue may be swollen and appear "foamy". The inside of the ears can also appear red, not pink. The animal may appear very hot to the touch. They may have "twitching" muscles and a dazed look. The animal may then collapse. You must take EMERGENCY ACTION at this time. To cool the animal off quickly, you wrap them in a towel soaked with tepid water--in severe cases (for example if your pet has actually collapsed) you can immerse the animal in a tub of cool (NOT COLD) water, put them under a cool shower or give a cool water rubdown immediately. Heatstroke can be fatal - cooling the animal down may help, but you should rush this animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Never leave your pet in a parked car - not even if you crack the windows or park in the shade - this is the number one cause of heatstroke in animals and causes a number of needless deaths each year. On a 70 degree day the interior temperature of your car can rise to above 150 degrees in just minutes.

You must always provide plenty of cool, clean and fresh water to all animals in hot weather. Refresh the water bowls often and watch that the bowls do not turn over.

Outdoor pets must have a shady area where they can cool off during the day. A gentle spray with the hose can provide quick relief from high temperatures. Many greyhound owners purchase a child's wading pool for their dogs in the summer. Greyhounds, of course, cannot be left outside in the summer because of their sensitivity to hot weather; however, when outside in the heat they love to play in the water. We know of a lot of greyhounds that just lay in the pool -- enjoying the cool water!

You should not encourage exercise during the hottest part of the day. This is another leading cause of heatstroke. Intense activity causes body heat to rise, therefore, take your dogs for walks in the early morning or late evening after things have cooled down. When you do have to take your dog out during the hot times, be very careful about walking them on hot pavement or sand. Their sensitive paws can burn easily. Remember pets can sunburn just as you can, especially short haired animals that have fair coats and light skin. Their exposure to the sun should be limited. Sunburn, as we all know, can be very painful, and in animals may lead to serious complications

Your hound may have more skin problems in warm weather. Allergies are more prevalent during spring and summer months. Common pet allergies include pollen, grass, weeds, and fleas. If your pet is scratching more than usual or has raw skin, call your veterinarian. He/she will be able to prescribe medication that will make your pet more comfortable. Daily brushing will help keep your pet's coat healthy and clean.

By all means, you and your greyhound should have fun this summer! Just remember these common- sense tips and enjoy your summer!!

Focus on Fosters - Desi

2011-06-03T07:29:00.001-07:00

Desi is a wonderful senior girl!!! She is nine years old and is one of the very best greyhounds our group has taken in. We have had Desi in our program since November 2010. She was born October 1, 2001 and she weighs approximately 70 pounds.

We took Desi in from a Florida farm when her owners decided that she deserved a life in retirement after being a brood mom. She had a number of puppies that are either currently racing or have been adopted after their racing careers ended. Desi was a great racer herself as well.

We can't brag on Desi enough! She is just the perfect dog. She settled in to her foster home in record time and has been no trouble since her arrival. In fact, she is such a good dog that we sometimes have to remind ourselves that she is here! She is not demanding in the least; has a load of self confidence; gets along with all of the other dogs; loves taking walks; is perfect in the house; is low key and laid back to the maximum; loves to eat!; and, she is beautiful!

We do not understand why Desi has not found her forever home yet. We love her and feel that she is a treasure waiting for someone to discover her. Perhaps because she is not cat safe she has been over looked. But surely there must be a home for her where having a cat safe dog is not important.

Desi is such a great dog that we are sure she could be an only dog and be contented to be at home while her adopters work all day. She goes into her crate perfectly when she needs to be crated but can certainly live without one. This attribute is something special to us as she is a dog that is flexible in all respects.

After working so hard to earn a living racing and then producing new racers for her owners, Desi certainly has earned her right to her own home for the rest of her life.

Desi is on our Craiger's List and her adoption fee will be donated to the Morris Animal Foundation for cancer research if she finds her forever home.

Desi's racing name is Finaldestination. Will her final destination be your couch! Please give Desi a chance. You will NOT be sorry.

Call us for more information on Desi.

The Danger of Open Gates

2011-05-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

It’s time for another reminder for all of our adopters to watch for open gates. In the past two weeks, we’ve had two incidents where hounds have escaped through a gate that was left open or not properly latched.

In one instance, the open gate led to a hound escaping and running in a neighborhood for several hours. Someone called animal control and they came out and took the hound in. At some point the dog had lost its collar and tags or the collar and tags were removed by children in the neighborhood. The employees at the shelter called a local adoption group and those people emailed all of the groups in the area with the dog’s ear numbers and asked whose dog it was. We had to make a lot of phone calls and go through a lot of problems to get the dog back to its adopter. In the end the adopter had to pay $50 to spring his hound from the shelter and we had to spend the better part of an evening emailing back and forth to other groups that did not need to be involved.

Last week another dog got out of a gate that had not been latched properly. This was an upsetting call because the adopter lives near a very busy highway. But fortunately, a neighbor found the dog in his yard and called us. The dog had been wearing only our FFGR tag with our phone number on it. We were able to unite dog and adopter in this case within a few hours. When we spoke with the adopter about placing another tag on the dog, we were told that the dog was micro chipped. The person who found the dog did not want to call animal control and was happy that he had a phone number to call.

We realized that even though a dog is micro chipped, it’s a good idea to keep the micro chip tag on the collar as well as the FFGR identification tag. It’s still a good idea to add a tag with personal information on it. Even it people do pick up a micro chipped dog, they still may end up having to call animal control and having the whole process of getting a dog back home delayed. This could be avoided by using additional tags.

We know that with summer coming, we will undoubtedly get more calls about escaped dogs. Please do a fence inspection and make sure fencing is in good shape. Check all gate latches to make sure they work properly. Replace worn latches. Lock gates or at least put a carabineer through latch holes to secure them.

DON’T ASSUME ANYTHING! The majority of dogs escaping from open gates get out when the adopter opens the door to let their hound(s) out and sees all too late that the gate is open. Make sure all gates are closed before letting dogs out. This will only take one moment but might save a dog’s life.

We hope that all of our hounds stay safe!

Responsible Pet Ownership

2011-05-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

Ten Commandments for a Responsible Pet Owner as dictated by the pet

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments. But I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, and yet I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too will grow old.

10. On the difficult journey, on the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there. Because I love you so.

Wanted - Foster Homes!!!!

2011-05-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

We constantly get offers of help. "What can I do?" "Just call if you need me." If you want to help Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. in the most important way, why not try fostering? We have the typical problems that ALL organizations have..........people will foster only to fall in love with the greyhound and then they adopt it making it impossible to foster again! This is good for the greyhound, but it always leaves us without enough foster homes.

Many people do not want to foster because they think that they won't be able to give up the greyhound once it comes into their house. But why not try it? If you have never fostered, try it one time. Your one time fostering experience will not only help our organization greatly, but it will help get one greyhound ready for it's forever home. What can be more important than that?

If we all help one dog at a time, we can make a huge impact and help many dogs. Please call us if you feel that you would like to try it. Fostering will cost you nothing but time. We take care of all of the dog's needs. All you need to do is take care of your foster dog like you would take care of your own.

Please consider helping just once. You will not regret it!!!

Event - Walk-n-Wag

2011-05-19T06:18:00.001-07:00

For the 17th year, Frederick County Humane Society will be hosting it's annual Walk-n-Wag in Baker Park, Frederick. For the seventh year we will be participating in this special event! This is one of our favorite events!! This is a major fund raiser for FCHS. There will be lots of vendors, rescue groups, informational programs and lots of activities for you and your dog. We encourage all of our adopters to register for this event and come out and have fun! We will have three available greyhounds to meet; all are looking for their forever homes. Come out and visit us and our hounds. Let us tell you about greyhounds and what great pets they make.For more information and to register, click on the title of this post. See you there!

Rainbow Bridge - B's Morgan Adams (Morgan)

2011-05-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

May 1, 1996 - May 13, 2011

Once in awhile a very special greyhound enters our lives. Morgan came to us in March of 2010 after being in a home for many years. Her owner had a run of bad luck and Morgan was placed in an adoption kennel for several months. The people who ran the kennel were concerned for her well being because of her age and negotiated with the owner to give Morgan up for a real home. We were happy to bring Morgan into our lives and give her a home for however long she needed it.

We never expected that Morgan would be one of the greatest blessings we ever received in our lives. When we got her to our home, we knew that she may not live very long but we were committed to giving her the best and most loving home possible. But when she arrived she turned our lives into a most wonderful adventure and it lasted a little over a year. We had anticipated a few weeks to months. But it was our good fortune to have her in our lives for so long.

To say she was special was an understatment! She was a huge presence with her bubbly personality and good natured attitude. She was such a "can do" dog! And she was funny! We laughed at her antics all the time.

She never gave over to another dog and they all respected her and gave her plenty of space. She always got the bed she wanted, the space she needed and the attention she demanded. She knew what she wanted and had a way of letting us all know exactly what she wanted! We could read every expression on her face and in her eyes.

In spite of her ailing health as she aged, she never slowed down and found a way to adjust to everything. She had a tail wag and a kiss for everyone all the time. Never have we been around a dog with so much spirit and vigor. She could turn the worst day into something to laugh about.

Getting up in the morning was always wonderful as Morgan was there with her kisses and a wagging tail to greet us.

We will miss Morgan more than words can say. In spite of the fact that we only had her a short time, we would never have missed having her in our lives for anything. There is a huge empty hole in our hearts that will never be filled.

Rest in peace sweet Morgan knowing that here on this earth you have made many friends and were deeply, deeply loved.

Event - Grapehounds Virginia

2011-05-09T03:31:00.001-07:00

Come visit us for the second year at this great regional event this weekend (May 13 through 15)! This is a big event where greyhound adopters and the general public are invited to visit several wineries. Part of the activities will include wine tasting; vendors selling greyhound related items will also be on hand. This is going to be a wonderful opportunity for greyhound owners who want to enjoy northern Virginia wineries in the spring. FFGR, Inc. is a participating sponsor and will receive part of the proceeds for our organization. Our group will also be vending to earn money to help our hounds. Particpating hotels in the area are waiving pet fees and offering group rates. Keep watching our web site and this event notice for more information!

Welcome on Friday
Like last year, there will be a welcome event at a Leesburg area winery on Friday evening where vendors, adoption groups and attendees will get to relax in one place and socialize with hors d'oeuvres, wine and refreshments, renewing old relationships and making new ones.

Special this year is the fact that the welcome event in Leesburg will be hosted by the owners of North Gate Vineyard, Mark and Vicki Fedor. Mark and Vicki are the proud owners of their own greyhound.

The Main Event on Saturday
The main event on Saturday will be at Lost Creek Winery, just north of Leesburg. Lost Creek Winery is a spacious venue and will feature:

•large greyhound vendor tents for indoor shopping,
•music provided by Cindy McConnell on acoustic guitar,
•wine tasting at Lost Creek and several other wineries,
•plenty of space to hang out and socialize,
•doggie babysitting for some local exploration,
•food available from Uncle Moe's Soul Food.

The Weekend Continues!
Sunday activities will be at the spectacular Barrel Oak Winery near Delaplane, Virginia, with views of the nearby foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

For more information on this GREYT event, click on the title of this post. We hope to see you all there!

Event - Bark in the Park

2011-05-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

For the first time, our group will be participating in this event!

Enjoy a fantastic afternoon with your furry, four-legged friend, at the Frederick County Parks and Recreation annual Bark in the Park. Our group will be present to discuss greyhounds and what great pets they make! We will have greyhounds looking for their forever homes; come on out and meet them! We will also be vending and we have lots of great items for your dogs (any breed!)! Your pooch will have an opportunity to run free in one of our off-leash areas, test and sharpen his or her skills on the agility course, participate in doggie contests, and make new friends. Bark in the Park also provides great opportunities for families to adopt a dog, learn different training techniques, sample dog-related products, and visit exhibit booths. This event is sure to be a dog-gone good time! Beat the rush by pre-registering now or you can register on site the day of the event. Dog owners must bring a collar, leash, and proof of rabies vaccination for entry. Limit 2 dogs per owner.

For information on this event, click on the title of this post. Hope to see you there!

Utica District Park
10200 Old Frederick Road
Frederick, Maryland

Event - Greyhounds in Gettysburg!

2011-04-25T04:00:00.001-07:00

Join Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. for the thirteenth annual Greyhounds in Gettysburg! If you have never attended this greyt event, please consider it this year. If you are looking for a fun event to enjoy with your hound(s) you will not want to miss this event.

Two and a half days of activities are planned beginning at noon on Friday, April 29 and running to noon on Sunday, May 1. Approximately 40 vendors will be available on Friday and Saturday to sell greyhound related merchandise. Our organization will be vending this year for the third year. Come and see all the great merchandise! This event is truly a shopper's paradise. Special activities for the whole family run thoughout the day and into the night as well. This has become one the of most popular events on the east coast in recent years and it gets larger each year.

When you are not participating in greyhound related activities, you have all of historic Gettysburg and surrounding countryside open to you. Gettysburg was the pivotal battle in the Civil War. You can visit the battlefield, museums and the historic town to discover more about this historic battle and the men that fought here.

On Site Registration will be available on site at the GIG Information Tent at Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg, Friday, April 29, 2011 and Saturday, April 30, 2011.

For more information about this event, please click on the title of this post and it will take you to the GIG web site. We hope to see you there!!!

Rainbow Bridge - Kludge Code (Ladybug)

2011-04-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2003 - April 18, 2011

We are sad to report that another beloved greyhound has passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. Ladybug was diagnosed with kidney cancer that made her very sick quickly.

Charlie and Shirley Gill adopted Ladybug from us in September 2007. Shirley and Charlie are senior citizens and Shirley is often confined to a wheelchair. Ladybug was a sweet and laid back girl that was perfect for this couple.

Two years ago, Shirley and Charlie brought Ladybug to our Christmas Parade at the Country Club Mall in Cumberland. Ladybug walked along side Shirley's wheelchair and won the crowds of people over. She was just a wonderful companion for them. She seemed to be as happy as a dog could be with Charlie and Shirley and every time we spoke with them they made sure to tell us how much they loved Ladybug.

Everyone in the neighborhood loved Ladybug and the delivery people always came with treats for her. She loved coming out on the porch and greeting everyone. She seemed to have brought a whole community of people together.

We know that the Gills are devastated over the loss of a relatively young greyhound. But we know that Ladybug had a wonderful home where she was loved so much. That is all any greyhound deserves.

Run free sweet girl.

Another Way to Help FFGR, Inc.

2011-04-20T13:40:00.001-07:00

Dog Supplies - Cat Supplies - Pet Blog

Rainbow Bridge - Dutch Monsta (Diego)

2011-04-12T08:55:00.001-07:00

September 18, 2004 - April 9, 2011

We are sad to report that another one of our adopters has lost her beloved greyhound to bone cancer. Diego lost his battle April 9. He had been adopted by Paula Thompson in October of 2006. He would have been seven in September.

We got Diego from New Hampshire from an adoption kennel. When we took him, his care takers made us promise that we would only find him the very best home. He had a very badly broken leg that took a lot of time to heal and in the time that he was in the adoption kennel, everyone fell in love with him. He was a very exceptionally sweet dog.

When we placed him with Paula she had to promise to keep in touch with us so that we could reassure the people at the kennel in New Hampshire that he had a good home (as they wanted to know that he would be OK). She kept her promise.

Paula has been a very responsible adopter and has been a good volunteer for our group. She did many meet and greet events for us at the Hagerstown Petsmart. She has always kept in close contact with us and eventually adopted two other greyhounds from us.

We know for sure that Diego got the home his previous care takers had wanted for him. He was greatly cherished and will be greatly missed.

Run pain free sweet boy.

Save At Petsmart - Help FFGR, Inc.!

2011-04-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend only! Click on the link above and save up to 50% on some items and help FFGR, Inc. at the same time! Each sale brings a percentage of the proceeds to our group. Shop within this link and FFGR, Inc. will automatically benefit from what you buy!

Happy Shopping - and thanks for helping!!!

Event - Nature Fest

2011-04-06T17:10:00.001-07:00

FFGR, Inc. has been invited to a special event at the brand new Catoctin Creek Nature Center, located in Middletown, Maryland. The festivities take place Saturday, April 9, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

This is a family friendly event and there will be lots of fun activities and learning opportunities for everyone. The event is free. Scheduled for the event are:

Live Animals
Nature Exhibitors
New Nature Playground (Climbing Boulders & Hidden Fossils)
Nature Walks
Green Roof Tours
Food & Live Music
Nature Crafts & Games

We will be on hand to talk to visitors about greyhounds and adoption. This is a great opportunity for us and we are happy to have been invited. Our volunteers will be available the entire day to talk to people and of course, our hounds will be there to meet the public.

This promises to be a very exciting event. Come on our for a fun day and don't forget to stop over and greet the hounds! For more information, click on the title of this post.

APRIL - Adopt a Greyhound Month!

2011-03-30T04:08:00.001-07:00

BIG NEWS! Did you know that April is Adopt a Greyhound Month? Not only that, but we at Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. will be celebrating our sixth birthday! Thanks to the very hard work of our dedicated volunteers, our group has placed over 375 greyhounds into their forever homes. Our group does not focus on numbers but on quality of adoptions. That is why our return rate remains low. We are proud of our record because we are located in a more rural and less populated area where we need to travel to do our work and reach out to potential adopters. In our six years, we have received an award from the SPCA International as well as from Greythound Guardians for the work we do to find homes for dogs that are less adoptable.

In our six years, we have consistently tried to focus on giving all greyhounds a chance at a forever home. We take in all greyhounds no matter what the problem. We reach out to other groups to help find homes for the harder to place greyhounds. We believe in giving every greyhound a chance at a forever home and find many adopters who also understand the value in each and every dog.

With pending legislation in Florida which may result in the closing of several tracks along with the bad economy, our group has experienced more pressure to take more dogs and help find homes for those that are left behind.

Therefore, during the month of April, we will be offering a number of incentives for adopting a greyhound. The adoption fee will be waived for any Craiger's List dog during the month to a QUALIFIED adopter. However, our group will make a donation in the adopter's honor to the Morris Animal Foundation for cancer research. We will offer reduced adoption fees to adopters who have adopted a greyhound from our group previously. We will also offer a special "goody" bag to first time adopters in addition to the many free items we supply.

If you are interested in adopting a greyhound, please visit our web site and read about the greyhound breed. If you feel that a greyhound is the type of dog that you would like to adopt, then submit your application.

Rainbow Bridge - Anybody (Haley)

2011-03-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

January 18, 2000 - March 14, 2011

We are sorry to report that one of our Craiger's List dogs has passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. Haley was adopted by Chris and Amy Weaver who live in Waynesboro, PA.

Haley died during surgery to remove a very large tumor on her lung. Haley is one of six greyhounds that Amy and Chris have adopted; all of their greyhounds are like their children and are dearly loved.

Haley was on a farm in Kansas when we saw her photo. The owner was retiring and all of the dogs at his farm were being left with no place to go. Haley was a brood mom and a senior. We brought Haley here to Maryland and placed her on Craiger's List. Chris and Amy saw her and asked to adopt her.

Haley was eleven years old January 18. We know that, although she was a senior, Chris and Amy are very upset about losing one of their beloved hounds. They love greyhounds and have adopted two seniors in addition to the four younger dogs they adopted. The second dog they adopted from our group was also a Craiger's List dog. Hope was a very shy and fearful greyhound. But thanks to Chris and Amy's good care and patience, she has done wonderfully.

Chris and Amy have adopted two dogs from our group and have been wonderful volunteers. They have initiated meet and greets all over for us and have done many events as well. While we are sad that Chris and Amy have lost their beloved Haley, we know that she had a wonderful life and was greatly loved.

Rest in peace sweet Haley.

Spring Hints for Hounds

2011-03-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year when we will be spending more time outside and taking our Hounds out with us. There are several things to remember as you work your way towards spring:

DID YOU KNOW?

Toxic Mulch
That attractive red cocoa mulch everyone seems to be using can be toxic to your dog? It is made from the cocoa cut hull and contains the same ingredient (theobromline) that is in chocolate.

Bees/Wasps
Most bees and wasps can sting only once BUT the yellow jacket can sting many times before it loses its toxic venom? They can also nest in the ground over the winter and as hounds trot around the yard the pests come out of the ground in a swarm to attack. Always keep Benadryl on hand and give (2-3 tsps.) immediately BEFORE you rush the hound to the vet or ER Clinic. Even if you “overdose” your hound on Benadryl the only usual side effect is drowsiness. Urgency is needed if stung near face, eyes or mouth.

Tools
Gardening Tools can be DEADLY? We have all seen or heard the cartoon where someone steps on a rake handle and flips up and hits them in the face. Tools are just as dangerous to your hounds. A garden rake with thick iron tines can puncture delicate hound skin and even cause internal injuries if left with tines turned upward.

Wheel Barrow - use extreme caution when leaving a wheel barrow sitting in the upright position around your hound. Hounds know to race and avoid people in the yard (most do) but the handles of the wheel barrow are nearly invisible to a hound racing in the yard. A hound can impale itself on the handles and cause serious injury and even death from such impact.

Electric Cords/Tools are especially tricky around hounds. You never know when a hound might decide to take off running and suddenly get tangled up in the cord and injure itself terribly.

Fertilizer/Lime – most “chemically treated” items used in a garden or yard to promote plant or grass growth have toxic qualities that may poison your hound. Use extreme care when choosing a product to use in the yard where your hound is contained.

Flowers/Plants – Many ordinary looking flowers and plants are toxic if ingested by your hound. Please check the internet for a list of “plants toxic to pets”.

Lawn Ornaments/Decorations are a beautiful addition to any home. Use caution when selecting where to place these items. Try to keep them out of the area your hound is allowed to access. If you must use them, place them in ways that your hound will not run into after dark or on one of their famous yard circles.
Car Windows- We all love the sight of the wind whipping our hound’s ears back - the smile that appears on the face as all the scents of the world rush past those magnificent glands in their nose. BUT be aware that insects, dirt, stones and other objects may cost you a vet visit. Items whizzing by at even 40 mph can cause major damage to your hound’s sensitive eye tissue. A small opening of the window will allow the same excitement for your hound and be less likely to cost you $.

Water Hazards- Families with pools of all types need to take care during the warmer months.

In-ground pools present their own special set of dangers for hounds. Hounds have no way of knowing that the surface of the water will not support their weight. If you have an in-ground pool, be sure to take your hound into it and show them how/where to get out in an emergency. Most hounds can swim but they have no idea of pool navigation.

Above Ground pools are not quite as dangerous BUT do not fool yourself into a false sense of safety. Hounds have been known to climb ladders! Be sure that your pool ladder is secured in the closed position when leaving it unattended.

Wading Pools – Seem totally innocent….they can be dangerous as well to a hound. Water any warmer than tepid can cause a hound to faint away. While we do not recommend freezing cold water which could cause hypothermia, monitor the wading pool temp before allowing your hound access. NEVER allow a hound unsupervised access to any water container.

Hoses – while not presenting a danger for drowning CAN be harmful to your hound. Hoses lying in the sun can generate very HOT water for the first five minutes of use. Take care that you cool the hose water down before allowing your hound to drink or be used on your hound’s body.

Commentary - Mud and Poop, Oh My!

2011-03-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s that time of year again. We go from rain to ice to snow to thaw and back around again and again. And each time the weather changes, our yards look more like the face of the moon. And our hounds start behaving in ways that make us scratch our heads in puzzlement!

Paw wiping is just a part of having a dog and a muddy yard can always be fixed with a bale of hay and by reseeding in the spring. But what do you do when your hounds start eating POOP!!!

We get calls all the time at this time of year and we are never surprised. While experts disagree on the how and the why, we need to work on how to solve the problem.

Many people think it’s a behavior that goes back to ancient times. And when females give birth, they clean up after their pups. Most dogs keep their crates clean. Others say that poop is just digested food and why shouldn’t a dog be tempted? But either way, we humans believe it’s a nasty habit and it sometimes can make a dog sick or result in diarrhea.

There are products on the market that are supposed to discourage the behavior. These products claim, that if they are placed in a dog’s food, it will make the poop taste so bad that the dog will not eat it. It may work for some dogs, but not for others.

And it doesn’t help those dogs that also like to eat dirt! This is another problem that we get calls about too. There are even more theories about why dogs eat dirt, and we won’t go into them here (we risk putting ourselves to sleep!). And then there are the eaters of anything chewable like mulch, acorns, small branches, rocks, gravel, etc. These items can not only make a dog sick, but can cause blockages in the digestive system which can be life threatening.

We have found two almost “sure fire” ways to prevent opportunistic eating and it works every time. The first solution throws the problem right into the hands of the adopter. A clean yard will prevent a dog from eating anything you don’t want it to eat. And if you have multiple dogs, it helps even more because they won’t be tempted to eat each others’ feces.

Of course, the weather doesn’t always cooperate and it may take way too long to pick up every single rock, twig, etc. We highly recommend keeping feces cleaned up as often as possible because it not only cuts down on the eating, but it will keep dogs from walking through it and dragging it into the house.

The next best recommendation (and we use it here with every single dog) is to use the muzzle you are given when you adopt your greyhound. Of course, the muzzle alone won’t stop the eating because a dog can still get its tongue through the holes in the muzzle. However,you can buy a “stool cup”, a plastic cup that can be attached by zip ties, which fits on the inside of a large muzzle or on the outside of a small muzzle. The cup covers up the holes in the muzzle so the dog cannot get its tongue through it. These are very inexpensive and can solve a host of problems. Birdwell Enterprises, which makes these clever items, sells them for $3.50 each. A hound can breathe normally and go about its business but cannot get into anything (and that means anything) in your yard. The only work on your part is to remember to use the muzzle each time your dog goes out.

We are always looking for other clever ways to keep our hounds safe and happy so don't hesitate to let us know if you have an idea!

Meet and Greet Questions!

2011-03-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Catie LaRocca for producing this GREYT video of the typical questions and opinions that we often get during a meet and greet event with our greyhounds. Enjoy!!!

Here In This House

2011-02-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

We hope that every adopter who comes to our group will understand that we wish for all of our dogs to be loved and cared for....................

Here in this house...
I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out there'.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake, my world will not have changed.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness, and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.

Here in this house...
There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand, I can enjoy the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!

Here in this house...
I will never be a substitute for anything I am not.
I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves.
I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone's idea of who I should be.
I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher for blame.

Here in this house...
I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch... knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored.
If scared, I will be calmed.
If sad, I will be cheered.
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and known to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not cute enough.
My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought.
I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.

Here in this house...
I will belong.
I will be home.

(author unknown)

Rainbow Bridge - Romac (Rowan)

2011-02-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

July 26, 2002 - February 23, 2011

There are no words to speak to the pain we feel over losing Rowan. To us she was way too young. But she is gone from a brain tumor that took her vision and her spirit so quickly. She was only eight years old and we had hoped that she would have been with us many more years.

If it is possible to describe one dog as being perfect, Rowan came the closest of any dog we ever had. She was perfect in every single way to us; a little beauty queen. She NEVER did anything wrong. She was a wonderful dog that God had perfected and then threw away the mold.

She was my girl friend. I can't count how many meet and greets she did. I can't count the number of home visits she accompanied me on. I don't exaggerate when I say that we could have adopted her a hundred times over. I can't even count the number of times she visited the nursing homes making so many people smile. She saved lives because she was a blood donor for awhile. None of the dogs here could ever out run her. She ran with joy and abandon each time she went out in our field. If she was a human, she would be one that would have been recognized for the contribution she made to this world. She was truly a giver.

In the last couple of weeks we knew that something bad was happening. We now think that because she was so good, she never let us know how badly she felt. It took the neurologist to determine that her vision was gone in one eye. That is why she was so hesitant to walk across the floors she knew so well for so long.

I dreamt of Rowan last night. She ran toward me with that bounce and dog smile that reassured me that she is OK now. Although I selfishly want her back, she is gone. But Bill and I are so lucky to have found sweet Rowan and are honored that she was so willing to share her life with us.

Find Ajay Ro Ro. He's just a little ahead of you. I'm sure the angels are looking for their newest member.

Special Event - Bon Ton Community Day

2011-02-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

Support Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc.! Since 1999, the Bon-Ton family of stores has partnered with local community organizations just like ours to help raise over $80 million! Community Day is a great way for you to give back to your community by purchasing coupon booklets valued at over $200 for just $5 each! For $5 you will receive a $10 off coupon with minimal restrictions, a 30%* off early-bird coupon, a 20%* off shopping pass, bonus coupons and amazing web offers. Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. keeps 100% of the booklet price!

We are using the funds we raise to help bring retired racing greyhounds into our organization and find responsible and forever homes for them. Help us help them!

You can go shopping, get discounts on great merchandise and show your support for Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc..

Ready to purchase a coupon booklet and shop? Here's how:

Step 1: We'll be selling coupon booklets in the Bon-Ton store at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown all day Saturday, February 26 from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. You can drop in and visit us and get your coupon booklet. Then you can start shopping for great bargains immediately!

Step 2: Look fantastic and feel even better about helping Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc.!

Questions? If you would like to help our volunteers sell coupon booklets, please contact us! If you want to come by and buy a coupon booklet from us and shop, just look for our greyhounds! We will be at the various tables set up throughout the store (at all entrances)for our event.

Call Hettie Ballweber- Phone: 301-416-2028

Rainbow Bridge - UMR Sexy Shanny (Amelia)

2011-02-20T06:27:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2003 - February 17, 2011.

We are heartbroken to have to report this news. Kip Koontz and J.D. Hulse called us to inform us that their hound, Amelia, died during a routine dental. This is every adopter's nighmare. Kip and J.D. adopted Amelia in early 2006. She was the eighteenth dog our group had placed.

We've known Kip and J.D. for as long as we've had our group. They are not only great people and good adopters (they've adopted four greyhounds from us) but they have been active volunteers. Amelia was a seasoned meet and greet hound and was at many of our events over the years.

We spent many summer evenings with Amelia when we visited Kip and J.D. and we shared almost all of our Thanksgiving dinners together (along with neighbors and adopters Lisa and Randy who live down the street). We have fond memories of all of the hounds lying around the house or nosing their way around for attention, and Amelia was the "princess" in the group. When we visited Kip and J.D.'s house, we could plan on getting a lot of kisses from Amelia as she loved seeing us as much as we loved seeing her.

We apprecate the love and attention that Kip and J.D. gave Amelia. Amelia developed serious thyroid issues along with fears of loud noises and confusion. They never gave up on her. They did everything they could to make their home comfortable for her and to desensitize her to the noises she hated. She feared the noise from the early morning garbage truck making it's rounds and on several occasions jumped through a screened window. Fortunately, she ran to Liza's house each time so that Liza could comfort her and bring her home.

Needless to say, Kip and J.D. are devastated as well as all of us in our FFGR, Inc. family. Rest in peace sweet Amelia knowing that you have so many who love you.

Health and Nutrition - Pet Dental Health Month

2011-02-19T05:48:00.001-08:00

Did you know?...........February is National Pet Dental Health Month.

Does your hound have bad breath? Is the hair along the muzzle discolored and stiff (this is from bacteria)? Has your hound’s eating habits changed? Do you notice any pawing at the face?

Your hound may have dirty teeth! Check for tartar buildup on teeth, red and bleeding gums, and/or swollen gums and a reluctance to allow you to open the mouth. Retired racers often have dirty teeth. Some of it is genetic but often it is because the food at the racing kennels is soft and tarter builds up fast. Tartar is produced when mucus (called plaque) builds up and hardens on the teeth. If it is not removed through good dental care, once this tartar gets hardened and
established, it can only come off through a thorough professional (and expensive!) teeth cleaning by your veterinarian.

Most adoption group (ours included) have a newly retired greyhound’s teeth cleaned during the spay/neuter process (so the dog only has to be anesthetized once). Why is it important for your hound to have clean teeth? Did you know that oral disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem for pets? Poor dental care can result in periodontal disease which is severe and
irreversible. It causes red, bleeding and swollen gums, pain, and eventually can lead to tooth loss and severe infections. The gums have a rich blood supply and when an infection begins, it can easily be passed on to other parts of the body and make the hound seriously ill. It can also permanently damage the heart because the infection can lodge in the valves of the heart.

Prevention is the best medicine. Brushing your hound’s teeth once or twice weekly is the best preventative measure; there are lots of tooth pastes on the market for dogs. DO NOT use products designed for humans as they contain enzymes or other chemicals that might make your hound sick. There are also oral cleansing wipes, gels and sprays available if your hound objects too strongly to tooth brushing.

Feeding dry food and hard biscuits and bully sticks can also help break off tartar. Be careful of the dog treats you give a greyhound; some may cause more harm than good. Some people advocate using raw turkey necks and bones, but if your hound has a food allergy or sensitive stomach, you might want to consult with your vet before adding new foods to his/her diet. Watch those teeth! It could save your hound pain and you money!

If you would like to know how to brush your hound’s teeth, watch the video that we have provided. Just click on the title of this post.

Rainbow Bridge - BP CruisinwithAJ (Ajay)

2011-02-14T07:32:00.000-08:00

September 21, 2000 - February 10, 2011

We are heartbroken to report that we lost our wonderful greyhound Ajay. His illness came on so quickly and took him before we had a chance to accept it. Ajay will forever be in our hearts.

He was a special greyhound in so many ways. He was such a large presence in our lives and was not just the average greyhound. He was truly unique.

His loss will leave a HUGE hole in our hearts. Race with the wind our precious boy. You were so loved and will be so missed. Rest in peace with the angels; and wait for us.

Help Wanted! - Foster a Greyhound!

2011-02-12T07:00:00.001-08:00

Have you recently lost your greyhound and do not want to adopt again just yet? Do you love greyhounds but are not in the position to adopt? Do you want to do something to give back to the community and help make a difference? Then you might want to think about fostering a greyhound!

In today's economy, greyhound adoption organizations (as well as other animal adoption organizations) are having a more difficult time finding people who are willing to help. However, this does not stop the influx of hounds looking for homes. There is still a need to find homes for hounds and it is even more important now that more dogs are coming off the tracks.

If you have any experience with greyhounds and can help, we need YOU! Won't you consider taking in one greyhound this year to help find it a home? Almost all of our greyhounds have already been fostered and are used to being in a home. You will only need to care for the hound until we find it a home.

We will take care of ALL of the expenses as well as provide food, crate, preventatives, toys, etc. We require that you help profile the dog to make sure that we know what home would be best for it and we would require you to be accessible if we need to communicate with you.

Many people have told us that they cannot foster because they would want to keep the dog or would have a hard time giving it up. This is a common problem. In fact, in 2010, we lost twelve foster homes because the foster family adopted the dog. This is a GOOD a problem but it leaves us without the foster homes we need! Please consider taking in that one dog that will get a chance that it would not otherwise get.

You can read more about our foster program by clicking on the title of this post. All we are asking is for you to open your heart and give one dog a chance.

A Note From A Racing Kennel Owner.......

2011-02-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Whatever it is you think about racing, the adoption aspect needs to understand a very simple truth. Greyhounds are dogs, and dogs rely on routine. I'm HUGE about adoption, I want my dogs to go home, but the adoption faction really needs to recognize and utilize where the dogs have been and what they've known. What was safe for them, and what the routine was. It might make you cringe, and I don't care about that. The only important thing is getting my dogs home.

It may not be what you want for your pets, and that's ok. But life in the race kennel is structured for the safety of the dogs and for ease of handling so many at one time. If you, as an adopter, had to handle 62 dogs at once, it would be outside your ability. I'm not sneering at you, the work you do is immense, but this end is a little different from what you can do. What we have is a bunch of unmannerly brutes who want to chase the bunny…… 60 of 'em. We do it with one or two people in the kennel. We turn out and we feed and we weigh in and we school and we do it all with as much respect as we can give them. We love our dogs. We can tell you personalities all day long, because we LIVE them all day long. And any dog that goes into adoption has had us to care for them.

It was home. It was safe and it was familiar and it was a routine that he or she relied on to be happy.

I know that going home is a wonderful thing, and most of the adoption groups do a fine job. If you forget, for the merest moment, where they're from... you fail. And going home through a group that fails that way is going to be tough on the dog.

I want my dogs to be the very best they can be... on the track and at home when they get there. I can't teach them about stairs and mirrors and ceiling fans. We don't have them and those are for you to do.

Celebrate the whole dog. He has a history and it's important to him. It's who he is. He was safe in his routine, and has to LEARN yours. The way you teach it is who you are, and frankly it matters to me.

Because they were mine, and they were home with me. Safe with me.

~Breeze.

Focus on Fosters - Kyle

2011-02-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Kyle came into our group over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. He has been looking for his forever home since then. We have had Kyle in our foster home for nearly two months and we think that he is a WONDERFUL greyhound! He is also a VERY handsome dog too, with his sweet eyes and long nose!

We think that it’s taken longer for Kyle to find his forever home because of his age. He turned seven on November 23 of 2010. In addition, Kyle is not cat safe. He may be trainable to the experienced adopter, but we think that he would probably be better off in a home without cats.

Kyle is a hidden treasure. You cannot get a better dog than him. He is so well behaved, low key, quiet, cooperative, loving, easy going, engaged, sweet natured – on and on and on. We will never run out of good words about Kyle.

Kyle had a dental when he came in to our group and he lost seventeen teeth. Therefore, he is limited in his ability to chew on bones, etc., but his tooth loss does not impact him at all. He can still find enjoyment in chewing on bones and bully sticks; it just takes a little longer. He has no trouble eating his kibble. With good dental care, the rest of his teeth should last him the rest of his life.

He loves taking walks on the leash and is one of the best dogs in our foster home to walk. He loves his crate and never objects to being in it. But he is perfect without it. We think he would make a great only dog or he could go into a home with other dogs and be fine as well. He is confident and doesn’t mind changes or upsets – he rolls with the flow.

We would love to find Kyle his forever home. Anyone who adopts him will certainly be getting a wonderful dog. We suggest to anyone considering Kyle as a possible dog for their home and who might be worried about the “age thing”, please be mindful that youth does not always guarantee that a dog will be with you longer. Dogs die when fate dictates. We all are sad and mourn the loss of a wonderful friend. To have a dog means that we will eventually lose them. However, nothing good is lost without pain. These older dogs are so much more settled and secure and have so much to give. Kyle would make a good dog for a first time adopter.

Please think seriously about giving Kyle a chance. Anyone adopting him will not regret it at all.

Rainbow Bridge - Simon Time

2011-01-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

Simon is gone. He died shortly after surgery in Florida; he was in surgery to be neutered. He was scheduled to come up to our group as soon as we planned the next transport.

Simon was Alaska's littermate (one of our Available Dogs) and just as sweet as Alaska. Simon was three years old December 1, 2010.

Dear Simon,
We never met you but we loved you all the same.
You never reached your forever home but your reached our hearts.
You will never feel any pain or suffering, you will only know love and peace.
We never met you but you are in our hearts all the same.
RIP Sweetie Pie, you were loved..

Lost Greyhound (Barbie) Update

2011-01-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

Barbie has been found! Someone recognized a greyhound on the loose and reported it; it as Barbie. It took Skip and Dotty and some family members a few hours to locate her and then work to get her to come to them. One family member sat on the ground and held up a treat. That got her close enough. We are all so happy that, after exactly six days on the loose in the coldest temperatures of the year, she was able to get back to her home.

She is heading to the vet to be checked. She is very thin and tired and has some bleeding from scrapes. We are all hopeful that the time outside did no irreparable harm.

We are thankful to so many in the area where Skip and Dotty live who helped out the entire time she was missing. No one gave up. It was a tireless effort, but it paid off. We continue to pray for Barbie and that she gets back to normal very soon!!

Lost Greyhound - Barbie

2011-01-23T06:26:00.001-08:00

We are posting this notice in our News Blog because we hope that someone might read this and know someone who can help.

On Wednesday, January 19,someone opened the gate to Skip and Dotty Johnson's back yard and let three of their hounds out. Skip and Dotty were able to get two back, but have not been able to find Barbie. It is going on four days now since Barbie went missing and no one has reported a reliable sighting of her.

Skip and Dotty used to live in Boonsboro and volunteered regularly for our group. A couple of years ago they moved to Coal Township, Pennsylvania, which is located around the area of Shamokin, Pennsylvania.

They have done everything correctly. Since they were volunteers for our group, they knew exactly what to do and made sure that everyone in the area was properly notified. Since they live in a small township, everyone knows them and their dogs.

In addition, the other greyhound adoption groups in the surrounding areas were notified and some of their volunteers have been aiding in the search. They have posted many leaflets and given them out to everyone they meet.

If you know of anyone who lives in that area of Pennsylvania, we'd appreciate it if you would call or email them. If you have a Facebook account, please post this information for freinds that you might have who live in that area. Hundreds of people have been notified through Facebook and other social media as well as greyhound forums.

Please contact us and we will pass on the information to Skip and Dotty. Although there have been no sightings, we are still hopeful that Barbie can be found.

Barbie is friendly and outgoing and is wearing identification tags. She knows her neighborhood because she gets walked often.

Please keep Barbie in your thoughts.

Event - Fundraiser (Bon Ton Community Day)

2011-01-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

Support Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc.! Since 1999, the Bon-Ton family of stores has partnered with local community organizations just like ours to help raise over $80 million! Community Day is a great way for you to give back to your community by purchasing coupon booklets valued at over $200 for just $5 each! For $5 you will receive a $10 off coupon with minimal restrictions, a 30%* off early-bird coupon, a 20%* off shopping pass, bonus coupons and amazing web offers. Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc. keeps 100% of the booklet price!

We are using the funds we raise to help bring retired racing greyhounds into our organization and find responsible and forever homes for them. Help us help them!

You can go shopping, get discounts on great merchandise and show your support for Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc..

Ready to purchase a booklet? Here's how:

Step 1: We'll be selling booklets in the Bon-Ton store at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown on Friday January 28th from 10:00 a.m. - Noon. Or, go online to www.communitydayevent.com and click on the "Participating Organizations" link. We are listed in the drop-down menu as Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc.. Once you're on our Community Day Homepage, you can contact us to purchase coupon booklets for just $5 each, good toward great looks at the Bon-Ton family of stores.

Step 2: Shop the One Day Community Day Sale on Saturday February 26, 2011 at any participating store and use your coupons for sensational merchandise at great prices.

Step 3: Look fantastic and feel even better about helping Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc.!

Questions? Do you want coupon booklets to sell? Please contact us!
Name: Hettie Ballweber Phone: 301-416-2028

New Video on Utube for FFGR, Inc.

2011-01-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that our organization has a wonderful new way to advertise our mission! We are now on Utube! We were fortunate enough to meet two very talented students at Towson State University who were taking a class in Electronic Media and Film. Under the direction of their professor, Dr. Dave Reiss, Ryan Pew and Joe Freeman worked very hard and spent many hours with our volunteers and greyhounds to produce a spectacular 6 minute wide screen high definition video that highlights the work we do to find homes for our greyhounds.

We are very touched that Ryan and Joe were so dedicated to producing just the perfect video; they came back to visit us and filmed us sometimes doing even the most mundane part of our work. They wanted to capture the whole world of greyhound adoption on film. We think it was to our benefit that they were so detail oriented and diligent about producing a great product.

We have posted our video on the home page of our web site and we hope that it will give people interested in adopting a greyhound a sense of how we work and how we fulfull our mission.

Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers for being so willing to speak on behalf of the greyhounds!

Here is our video:

Events - New Meet and Greet Venue

2011-01-16T14:16:00.001-08:00

It's NEW! We are proud to announce that our group will be holding meet and greet events at a brand new location! We have been invited to the Pet Valu in Annapolis, Maryland to talk to customers and interested visitors about greyhound adoption. Our first meet and greet event is scheduled for Saturday, February 5, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. We hope that this event will bring more potential adopters.

Thanks to Helen Coleman and Anne Celeste who will be hosting this new event. You can plan to meet one of their greyhounds (or more!). They will be glad to answer questions about the breed and talk about greyhound adoption.

If you live in the Annapolis area and want to help our or want to come in to talk about greyhound adoption, you can contact Helen through our web site calendar of events.

The address of our new location is:

Pet Valu
Bay Forest Center
940 Bay Ridge Road
Annapolis, MD 21403

You can get more information on the store by clicking on the title of this post.

Winter Safety for Your Hound

2011-01-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s that time of year again. We go from rain to ice to snow to thaw and back around again and again. With colder temperatures, everything freezes and thaws; and then there is the ever present threat snow!

Don't forget your hound's safety during these times of changing temperatures. Snow is beautiful and our hounds all seem to love it! Some run like the wind in the yard or do hops and circles on the leash when they walk. While the snow is not generally dangerous, the temperature variations between day and night can cause freezing of the top layer of snow. This thin layer of ice can act like knife blades on the delicate skin on the legs and paw pads. Check before giving your hounds freedom to run in the yard.

If you leash walk, be careful of road salt that is used liberally to melt the snow and ice off the roads. It can cause irritation of the paw pads. Also, a greyhound licking salt off its paws can get sick. Stick to safe areas that have not been treated to walk your hound.

Don't forget to use a coat or wrap in freezing temperatures. Our rule here is "if it's cold enough for us to put on a coat, it's time to get out the greyhounds' coats too." If your hound is the type to get down to business in the yard right away, a coat is probably not necessary. But if you have to leash walk or if you want to take a longer walk with your hound, get out the coat and use it.

And each time the weather changes, our yards look more like the face of the moon. And our hounds start behaving in ways that make us scratch our heads in puzzlement!

Paw wiping is just a part of having a dog and a muddy yard can always be fixed with a bale of hay and by reseeding in the spring. But what do you do when your hounds start eating POOP!!!

We get calls all the time at this time of year and we are never surprised. While experts disagree on the how and the why, we need to work on solving the problem.

Many people think it’s a behavior that goes back to ancient times. And when females give birth, they clean up after their pups. Most dogs keep their crates clean. Others say that poop is just digested food and why shouldn’t a dog be tempted, especially if it's frozen? But either way, we humans believe it’s a nasty habit and it sometimes can make a dog sick or result in diarrhea.

There are products on the market that are supposed to discourage the behavior. These products claim that, if they are placed in a dog’s food, it will make the poop taste so bad that the dog will not eat it. It may work for some dogs, but not for others.

And it doesn’t help those dogs that also like to eat dirt! This is another problem that we get calls about too. There are even more theories about why dogs eat dirt, and we won’t go into them here (we risk putting ourselves to sleep!). And then there are the eaters of anything chewable like mulch, acorns, small branches, rocks, gravel, etc. These items can not only make a dog sick, but can cause blockages in the digestive system which can be life threatening.

We have found two almost “sure fire” ways to prevent opportunistic eating and it works every time. The first solution throws the problem right into the hands of the adopter. A clean yard will prevent a dog from eating anything you don’t want it to eat. And if you have multiple dogs, it helps even more because they won’t be tempted to eat each others’ feces.

Of course, the weather doesn’t always cooperate and it may take way too long to pick up every single rock, twig, etc. We highly recommend keeping feces cleaned up as often as possible because it not only cuts down on the eating, but it will keep dogs from walking through it and dragging it into the house.

The next best recommendation (and we use it here with every single dog) is to use the muzzle you are given when you adopt your greyhound. Of course, the muzzle alone won’t stop the eating because a dog can still get its tongue through the holes in the muzzle, but you can buy a “stool cup”, a plastic cup that can be attached by zip ties, which fits on the inside of a large muzzle or on the outside of a small muzzle. The cup covers up the holes in the muzzle so the dog cannot get its tongue through it. These are very inexpensive and can solve a host of problems. Birdwell Enterprises, which makes these clever items, sells them for $3.50 each. A hound can breathe normally and go about its business but cannot get into anything (and that means anything) in your yard. The only work on your part is to remember to use the muzzle each time your dog goes out.

We hope your hound stays safe and warm until the flowers bloom in the spring!

Rainbow Bridge - Pepsi

2011-01-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

It's with great sadness that we have to report that Connie Brown had to send Pepsi to the Rainbow Bridge. Pepsi had been diagnosed with bone cancer at the end of October. It was a blow to all of us as Pepsi had been through so much and had found such a wonderful home.

For those who don't know Pepsi's story, he was dropped in a shelter in May of last year along with his lab friend, Buddy. We got the call about Pepsi and Buddy and we went to the shelter and got them both out. Buddy had liver cancer and did not live but we managed to get him into a lab rescue and with loving people who spent time with him during his last hours. Pepsi was not in good shape. He needed vaccinations and his mouth was quite a mess. He had a twisted foot that caused him to walk with a limp. And he was eleven years old. He had been taken to the shelter by the husband of his owner who had died. She had taken him from a farm as a puppy. He had not been tatooed.

We took care of getting Pepsi well. He lost all but eleven teeth during a dental. But he was quite a dog! We loved him immediately as he had such a wonderful spirit and was so funny. We placed him on Craiger's List after he got a little better, but we didn't expect to find him a home very soon. Who would want an eleven year old greyhound that was not tatooed, had a twisted foot, and hardly any teeth? Connie Brown! Connie saw Pepsi's photo on Craiger's List and read about him and she submitted an application to adopt him.

We could not have asked for a better home for Pepsi. From the moment Connie took Pepsi home, he was greatly loved and showered with attention, food, toys, many collars, coats and anything else that Connie might think he needed! She truly loved him. She called or emailed me at least once a week and we laughed at his many exploits (like how Connie could not figure out how her foster dogs were getting out of their crates until she found that Pepsi had learned how to unlatch them!). He was always doing something funny.

We had fun at Dewey Beach in October when Connie stopped by our vending area many times to show us all the wonderful things she had bought for Pepsi. We also saw her and Pepsi at the GPA picnic in late October.

At the end of October he started limping and a vet visit revealed that he had bone cancer. It was unbelieveable that now that Pepsi had found such a wonderful home that his time would be cut short. Connie decided to do pain management for Pepsi and watched him very carefully.

He did so well over the last two months that we often wondered together if Pepsi had been mis-diagnosed. He had good days and less good days but never bad days. But it all finally came to an end the last two days when it was clear that things were changing. Connie held Pepsi in her arms as she let him go to the bridge.

I will miss Pepsi more than words can say. I am so grateful to Connie for keeping him in my life. I made a friend that I will miss talking to about a wonderful greyhound that we shared.

But we know that Pepsi had a wonderful life and even much more than we could have ever hoped for. We are grateful to Connie and thank her for giving Pepsi the home he deserved. Run free sweet boy; your fan club is waiting at the bridge. And you will never be forgotten in the hearts and minds of those who knew you here on earth.

Poem "Snow Buddy"

2011-01-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

Snow Buddy

Snow is falling, oh what glee!
I’ll take my snow buddy out with me.

Outside I call to my Ruby!
Bolting cheerfully she meets me!

On with the plaid coat
Slide on the fleece snood

Preparation for play
A must I say

Leaps and bounds, front paws to the ground
Haunches upward to the sky

Twisting, turning to and fro
Circle tracks all in the snow

Strutting up and down the street
Wagging her tail at strangers she meets

Burying her nose deep in the snow
To sniff the smells on the ground below

Looking at me she doesn’t know
That on her nose there’s a puff of snow

Her demeanor fills me with such delight
Joy and happiness floods my soul

My snow buddy is so sweet
She prances around my soiled feet

Skipping the steps up to the porch
She runs and jumps with a flying leap

Back inside she waits for me
I’ll slip her a biscuit a special treat

She slides back to her blanketed bed
To dream of her adventures in her head

Till next time when she hears the word
Outside snow buddy, just you and me!

Written By: Ashley Lake
Inspired By: Ruby (at the Bridge)

Event - Greyhounds in Gettysburg

2011-01-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

If you are a new adopter, or even if you have adopted your hounds years ago, you may be interested in a large event that takes place very close to us! Greyhounds in Gettyburg takes place the last weekend in April and has become one of the largest events on the east coast. There are lots of activities planned and a vendor area where you can buy just about anything for your hound. Registration is now open for this event. Just click on the title of this post to get to the GIG web site where you can register. What is special about this event is that our group will be vending there for the third year in a row! We will post more information as time goes on but we wanted to let you know about this event so you can plan for it. Here is the information posted by the Greyhounds in Gettysburg Planning Committee:

Happy New Year and good news to all GIG fans. REGISTRATION IS NOW
OPEN FOR GREYHOUNDS IN GETTYSBURG 2011 ! ! ! !

We are planning a great event for you this year and we want you to be
a part of it. We have great seminars, vendors and dinners planned
for you, and will also be bringing back some of our favorite events.
Here is a bit of what we have planned so far:

We have a new special raffle prize to offer that has been donated by
Kathy Hoynes-Goree, known for her work under the name of Greyhound
Studies. This is a one of a kind art piece that has been commissioned
for GIG only. Kathy has also been one of our loyal vendors for many
years, so you may already be familiar with her work. Her website is
listed on our vendor page so go see for yourself how talented she is.
We will be showing this work in progress on the GIG website. Don’t
miss the opportunity to be the owner of this beautiful custom work of
art.

We have a great new shirt design created by Kent Roberts of
Caricatures By Kent Roberts that we are previewing on the website.
He has really outdone himself with this one. Be sure to order one (or
more) when you register.

There is a new twist to the barbeque dinner on Saturday night this
year. Our sponsor, ARC of Adams County, will be offering us a CHOICE
of either ribs OR chicken. All you have to do is make your selection
when you register. So keep a sharp eye out and make your preference
known.

We are really looking forward to 2011, so come one come all, and be a
part of the fun this year. Give yourself the “Dogcation” you and
yours have been needing. See old friends and make new ones. Be sure
to tell your friends that we are up and running once again in case
they don’t receive our emails. We don’t want anyone to miss out. And
remember, this is the annual fundraiser for Triangle Greyhound
Society. It is the means by which we are able to raise the funds that
we use to help adoption groups in North Carolina and beyond. So help
us help the hounds, and have a good time doing it. What more can you
ask for??

New Year's Resolutions for Our Hounds

2011-01-01T04:14:00.000-08:00

Now that the new year has arrived, we thought it would be a good idea to make up a check list of things that would help you get through the coming year and make sure your hound is safe, healthy, and happy.

_____Always be vigilant and look for signs that your hound is not feeling well. Consider a medical reason for sudden behavior changes first.

_____Use heartworm/flea and tick preventative; add a reminder to your calendar monthly so you don’t forget.

_____Check gate latches daily; place a sign on gates warning contractors or visitors to keep gates closed. Lock gates that are not used daily.

_____Check fence lines for holes and depressions where a hound can crawl or slip through. Make repairs.

_____Check all doors to make sure they close correctly or don’t fly open accidentally. Add a baby gate to doors where a hound can jump out accidentally (i.e., screened doors) when you come and go.

_____Check the yard often to make sure nothing harmful has been dropped or thrown in it that your hound could eat.

_____Make sure your hound does not get too cold or hot outdoors. Be watchful for signs of distress when you are outdoors with your hound.

_____Wash and change water in water bowls frequently and make sure there is always a fresh supply of clean water available.

_____When changing your hound’s food, make sure it’s done slowly and wait an entire month before changing his/her diet again.

_____Check vaccination records and make sure all are up to date; add the date the shots are due on your calendar so that you can make an appointment to see your vet.

_____Make sure that your hound’s teeth are clean; brush teeth often or have their teeth cleaned once a year; check for bad breath which might indicate dental problems.

_____Check collars monthly for wear and tear and loose hardware. Replace worn collars.

_____At all times, keep your own ID tag as well as the FFGR, Inc. ID tag on your hound(s).

_____Inspect leashes often and replace leashes that have slits in them or are fraying.

_____Make sure no tags are on the D-ring that tightens the collar. Use a tag collar or place tags elsewhere where they can’t tighten the collar if they get caught in anything.

_____Check weekly to ensure the collar is adjusted to fit snuggly. Test by bringing the collar up to behind the ears. Pull D-ring to tighten collar. You should be able to place two fingers inside the loop at the dog’s neck.

_____Inspect all toys often and throw away any that are torn. Keep fiberfill from beds and toys away from your hound so it can’t be ingested.

_____When repairing plush toys, use only upholstery or breakable thread; don’t use nylon or polyester thread that, when swallowed, can be caught in the digestive tract.

_____Throw away all rubber toys that can be easily chewed up into small pieces and swallowed.

_____Regularly inspect bones and rawhides; throw away all small and old pieces; replace with new ones.

_____Keep your hound’s nails clipped; don’t allow them to get so long that your hound has a hard time walking. Adhere to a schedule for nail clipping.

_____Check ears monthly to make sure they are clean; watch for scratching and pawing at the ears and head shaking (sign of infection).

_____Check constantly to make sure that any cleaning products, medications, etc. are high up on shelves and out of the way of your hound. Keep counters clear of same.

_____Put together a contingency plan NOW for boarding your hounds, etc. in case an emergency comes up and you have to leave your home immediately.

_____Consider NOW what would happen to your hound(s) in case you get sick, die, have an accident, lose your home, etc. Give the information to someone you trust or contact our group for help.

_____Love your hounds as they love you!!!!!!

Rainbow Bridge - Iruska Leo (Leo)

2010-12-30T15:40:00.001-08:00

July 21, 2004 - December 14, 2010

We are heartbroken to report that yet another FFGR, Inc. greyhound has been sent to the Rainbow Bridge. We got the following email yesterday from Leo's adopter, Mary Anne Golling:

It’s with a heavy heart that I must inform you that Leo is now waiting for me this side of the rainbow bridge.

We do not know exactly what happened – but Leo ended up with fractures in his neck and back after taking a tumble running his “track” in the yard. He was unable to stand or move his back legs.

After several days in the emergency veterinarian hospital, he was unable to eat or drink, stand or move anything beyond his neck/head.

After a long night, he was failing rapidly. I made the decision to let him go as I could not bear to see him in pain and so heavily medicated; he went to the Rainbow Bridge with dignity and peace.

When the foot prints on my heart are not so heavy, I may find room in my heart for another grey.

Mary Anne

We placed Leo with Mary Anne and her husband back in June of 2006. Leo was a little guy - only 58 pounds - and very shy! This was in the early days when we took applications, processed them and then we ordered the greyhound and people waited for "their" greyhound to come in. They came and met "their" greyhound and after a week in foster care, they took them home.

When Leo arrived for the Gollings, we saw a very small and frightened greyhound! What a sweet boy! I immediately took to Leo, this shy and tiny black boy. I worried that Mary Anne might not like him or not want a dog that was so shy. At the time I decided that we would keep him if he didn't work for Mary Anne. But she walked in, took one look at Leo, and was thrilled at meeting her new greyhound! Mary Anne saw what we saw in him. She took him home and loved loved loved him. They live near the railroad tracks at Point of Rocks and Leo was so afraid of the trains! It took a very long time to get him used to those awful scarey noises. But there were never any complaints from Mary Anne. She worked with him and eventually he got used to his surroundings and became a very outgoing and friendly dog. I got to see Mary Anne and Leo many times over the years and each time Mary Anne remarked about what a great boy he was. And Leo always looked like one very happy boy!

Leo was six years old last July. We know that he got the very best home possible and, although his time with Mary Anne and her family was way too short, Leo had people who truly loved and appreciated him for what he was. That's all the we hope for when we place a greyhound in a home.

Rest in peace sweet Leo.

It's Not to Late to Help!!!

2010-12-26T07:36:00.001-08:00

Now that the holidays are winding down, it's not too late to get those last of the year tax breaks! There is still time to donate to Fast Friends Greyhound Rescue, Inc.!! Our organization depends on donations to help us get retired racing greyhounds into their forever homes. Since the adoption fees we charge do not come close to covering the cost of each greyhound coming into our program (and the market does not support our increasing our adoption fees), we depend on generous people to help us meet our goals.

Just go to our web site home page and you will see the "donate" button at the bottom of the page. You can make your donation via Paypal or credit card. Also, if you check out our Support Us page, there are a number of other ways that you can help. Our address is on our web site if you would like to send a check. We appreciate every donation, no matter how small; it all adds up in the end!

We ALWAYS send out donation receipts immediately and can even email them if you need the receipt before the end of the year.

Help us help the hounds! We appreciate the support!!

On Christmas Morning

2010-12-25T04:46:00.000-08:00

I wish

For every dog
searching trash cans for breakfast,
a filled bowl with his name printed in bright letters.

For every dog
who slept fitfully last night, chained to a frozen yard,
a person snoring gently nearby.

For every shelter dog,
spending Christmas morning in a soiled run,
a forever home,
filled with sounds and smells of family.

For every "Christmas" puppy
given today,
a tolerant, caring owner
who will lovingly stay with you
as you grow into a real dog.

For every ailing pet,
enough money for your owner
to pay the bills to make you well.

For every lost dog,
a clear, safe road, and well marked path,
to lead you home.

For every dog at the Bridge,
a moment when you know that you
are remembered today,
missed again,
and loved forever.

Author Unknown

Merry Christmas to Our FFGR Family and Friends

2010-12-24T14:00:00.001-08:00

We wish all of our FFGR, Inc. family, our friends and supporters a blessed Christmas. We thank you for all the work you have done to support our hounds. It's really all about the greyhounds! When we put their well being first, we will never go wrong. May all the good that you've done for them come back to you ten fold.

Focus on Fosters - Jewel

2010-12-20T06:03:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa:

I thought it might be a good idea to write to you because perhaps you can give me the very best Christmas present ever! I’ve been in my foster home for six months now and am waiting for that special person to take me home forever. Don’t get me wrong; it’s very nice here and mom and dad love me very much. But I know that there is some special person out there who will love me in a special way. Maybe someone will notice me (who has been looking for a dog like me) and the two of us will be brought together. I don’t expect to celebrate Christmas in my new home; I just want someone to know I’m here and available.

My name is Fuzzy’s Jewel and mom says that “Jewel” is a perfect name as that is what I am (I think that’s good?)! I am eight years old (will be nine years old in February). I was a good racer at one time (until I broke my leg) and then I was a brood mom. Some of my pups are still racing!

I was on the farm when my owner decided to go out of business and then I moved into my foster home. When I first got here I was scared! It took a long time for me to understand that I was in a good place. But here I am, at home in the routine and bustle that I’ve learned to enjoy.

I’m a really beautiful dark brindle girl (or at least my foster mom and dad kept telling me) and they also use the words “good girl” a lot around me! I am very healthy and really no trouble at all. I am very low key and sleep a lot. I also know the inside/outside routine and have that down pat.

I like the other greyhounds here but I really would not mind being the only dog. And I’m so good and confident now that I could be left alone in my home while someone works. Unfortunately, I don’t like the kitties and small dogs. I just never got used to thinking of them as anything but dinner! Mom and dad think that it’s taken so long for my forever home to come along because of that, but I just can’t seem to change.

I LOVE routine! Dad takes me for walks all the time and the neighbors like me a lot! I like visiting with them too. One day contractors left a part of the fence open and I got out. I took myself for a walk down the street on my regular route and said hi to all the neighbors. Then I turned around and came back to the gate for mom to let me in! Boy, was she glad to see me; she even cried! That was when she used the words “good girl” a lot!

Mom said that I am on Craiger’s List and if someone adopts me, my adoption fee will go to help cancer research. Mom also says that the nicest people adopt the Craiger’s List dogs. I’m not sure what all that means but I think it’s a good thing.

Thanks for reading my request Santa. I hope that this will help me find my forever home. Whoever adopts me will really get a JEWEL of a dog.

Thanks Santa!

Jewel

Rainbow Bridge - Craigie Jet (Jet)

2010-12-16T12:58:00.001-08:00

Craigie Jet - January 9, 2004 - November 23, 2010

We got a call from Brenda Morrison yesterday. She finally was able to talk about losing her precious Jetty. Brenda adopted Jet from our group in early 2008. He had a wonderful home with Brenda and her mother. But Jet got sick last month and Brenda took him back and forth to the vet to try to find out what was making him feel so badly. The bottom line is that he went in for the last time on November 23 and was diagnosed with an autoimmune mediated deficiency. Brenda went to see him for the last time and let him go to the Rainbow Bridge in her arms.

Brenda was not expecting this. Jet was only six years old. We have to say it again but we loved this dog! He was a wonderful, good natured and happy black boy that was the biggest smiler of all the greyhounds we've ever seen! He showed every tooth in his mouth when you talked to him! We've known Brenda for a very long time. She has adopted six dogs from our group over the years and had greyhounds before when we were working for another group back in 2000. We know that Brenda is one of the "good" adopters who loves her animals and takes such good care of them that we'd leave every one of our dogs with her if we had to leave them with somebody.

She lives right down the road from us and we get to visit her often and spend some time with her four other greyhounds. We always looked forward to Jetty's wonderful smile. We'd be sitting at the table talking to Brenda and glance over at Jetty and he'd give me this big smile! He died way too young but we do know that Brenda took care of him and loved him like no other human could.

Brenda was so heartbroken that she could not talk about this and finally decided to call and let us know. We surely shared some tears together.

Rest in peace dear Jetty; we will miss you so much. But we know that you were in the best hands and are now in a good place. Watch out for all of the other FFGR hounds that have gone before you. Too many and way too young.

Rainbow Bridge - Oceana Boy (Silver)

2010-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

July 7, 2004 - December 6, 2010

Another wonderful greyhound has left for the bridge too soon. We got a call from Lynda Kundrat telling us that they lost Silver. No one could have expected such a piece of news. Lynda sent us the following email:

We lost Silver too quick. Joe is absolutely heart broken. He loved Silver so much. Silver was his dog from the time he first laid eyes on him. We want you to know we did everything we could for him. He and Angel had just been to the vet the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for a check-up, shots and their teeth cleaned. There was no sign of any thing wrong with Silver. There was a growth on his intestines, sometime Sunday it tore open and waste began to leak into his body. He was great Sunday morning, Joe had taken both of them to the dog park and Silver was fine. Sunday afternoon he started throwing up. He was panting and you could tell he was in pain. We took him to the Emergency Vet about 8:00 PM. They took X-rays and they could see the tumor but not all the leakage. They kept him over night to monitor him, give him pain meds and fluids. This morning we took Silver to our vet, they have a sonogram machine. Dr. Rupert couldn't see too much more than a lot of fluid and the growth. He drew some fluid from Silver's belly. He told us there was a lot of infection and he suggested we do surgery to see what was going on. When they opened him he was too full fluid and infection and he couldn't save him. He sewed him back up and we decided to just let him go rather than come out of the anesthesia. Joe and I held him, released him to the Lord, and he went peacefully. We are still in shock.

All of us in our group know Silver well. It took a very long time to find him his forever home. We don't know why so many people met him and then decided to adopt a different greyhound. We loved Silver and thought he might just be staying at our house. But fate would have it that Silver was waiting for his family to come along.

Joe and Lynda loved and cherished Silver more than anyone. They knew what a treasure he was. Silver and Joe traveled everywhere together. Anyone meeting them could see the connection between Joe and Silver!

As heartbreaking as this for so many of us, we take comfort in knowing that Silver could not have had a better home.

Rest in peace sweet Silver; we will all be together at the bridge one day.