Safety - Fouth of July

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!!!!

Events - New Meet and Greet Location!

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

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!

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

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

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

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.