needlenosenews a publication of Greyhound Adoption of Greater Cincinnati www.cincigreyhounds.org november 2014 | vol. 55 Find us on: november 2014 1 From the president ... Greyhound Adoption of Greater Cincinnati, Inc. P.O. Box 54578 Cincinnati, OH 45254-0578 (513) 624-7040 Formed in 2002, GAGC’s mission is to strive for the best quality placements. We focus on being small and doing things right. We recognize that we cannot save all the greyhounds in the world, but we can make a difference to the ones we touch. needlenosenews staff: GAGC President: Brenda Pennix Editor: Kathy Evans Designer: Michelle Padilla GAGC officers: Brenda Pennix, President Rob Johnson, Vice President Kathy Evans, Secretary Mary Schrecker, Treasurer Adoption Representatives Brenda Pennix Kathy Evans Heather Gilstrap GAGC Webmaster: Mike Knellinger Adopting a retired racer: $225 ... Having a friend for life: Priceless! GAGC President Brenda Pennix at Mountain Hounds in Gatlinburg with two of her hounds, Crissy and Bernie. GAGC Family and Friends, 2014 has been a greyt year for GAGC. As of Nov. 5, 78 dogs have found their forever homes. We get greyt dogs and it takes all of us to find greyt homes for them. I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. We’ve had lots of highs and some lows mixed in. Event season is over (except for Meet and Greets) and I was so happy to see a lot of you attending. We schedule a lot of events to educate people about the breed, but also to make it a fun time for GAGC hounds to meet again, since they love seeing their old racing friends! Kathy and Michelle have created another professional looking newsletter with good information, so be sure to take time to read it and see how busy we have been. Your support at events and fundraisers always amazes me, and we cannot continue to get dogs off the track without your help. I want to thank all of you but especially Kathy, our officers, board of november 2014 directors, M&G reps, foster families and key members for making this organization a huge success. Other rescues come and go and we all should be proud of 13 years of success. If you would like to support GAGC with an end-of-year donation, we would really appreciate it. In this issue ... Greyt Health & Safety . . . . . . . . 3 Greyt Goods & Services . . . . . . 8 GAGC News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Recent Events & Outreach . . . . 8 Dog Runs, Fosters & Adoptions 10 Condolences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Tributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Support GAGC . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Support Our Supporters . . . . 21 On the cover: Bluebell was adopted on Aug. 17 by GAGC treasurer Mary S. 2 Greyt Health & Safety The dangers of ingested Gorilla Glue — by Carol and Spark Editor’s note: One of our families’ greyhounds nearly died after swallowing Gorilla Glue. When ingested, the glue expands from moisture and can form a mass in the stomach and intestines. If you have this product in your home, please keep it secured away from your pets. Gorilla glue by Gorilla Glue Company Walmart.com. Licensed under Fair use of copyrighted material in the context of Gorilla Glue via Wikipedia . Bioflow Magnetic Collar from www.ecomagnets.com I’m sending you this information to share with all our greyt parents. While at work on Sept. 11, our three greyhounds opened our pantry door and got a small bottle of Gorilla Glue (which was in a plastic bag) on an upper shelf. Two of our three dogs chewed the bottle of glue. On Friday, we were at the vet with those two dogs getting X-rays. Kayla had no blockage; however Kyro had massive blockage. From there we went directly to MedVet – Kyro had an ultrasound and then went into surgery that afternoon. They took out his stomach, opened it up and surgically removed the glue. They took out his intestines, checked for blockage, and then put everything back in. They attached his stomach to inside his cavity to prevent any shifting and bloat. We were able to bring Kyro home on Sept. 13, with a huge incision and many staples in his belly as well as four prescriptions. With Kyro not being able to do steps, we have stayed downstairs and slept on the couch for two weeks. He had to be walked on a leash to go outside (vs. running in the yard) and also has worn a cone to prevent any damage he might do to his belly. Kyro has gone from almost 100 pounds to 86 pounds. Needless to say, this has been extremely expensive. The november 2014 carpet (along with dog beds) in our family has been ruined with glue throughout the room. However; compared to the vet bills, this will be an inexpensive cost! At the end of the day, we are so very blessed that Kyro even survived! Kyro’s staples have been removed and he is now on the road to recovery. It has been a very long couple of weeks for all. We’d like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers which have meant so very much to our family. We wanted to share this info with all our Greyt parents – to hopefully prevent anyone else going through this nightmare. After researching, dogs are VERY attracted to Gorilla Glue. When ingested, Gorilla Glue expands with moisture and then forms a solid mass. Bioflow Magnetic Dog Collar Melanie B. wrote us about the Bioflow Magnetic Collar that she heard about from a holistic vet. She had people who used them with really nice results for their dogs and horses. They are relatively inexpensive, and Melanie felt they were worth a try. House training your dog or puppy — from the ASPCA You’ve brought a new dog into your home—congratulations! Now comes your first dog-training challenge: house training. House training is not an exact science— there’s no sure-fire formula or timetable that will work for every dog. The important thing is to make it a positive experience. Here are a few tips to help you through it. Do: Supervise your dog. Limit the dog’s 3 Don’t: Rub her face in it. In addition to this action making your dog fear you, she’s incapable of making the connection that it’s the act of soiling indoors you object to—to her, you just really hate pee and poop. If she thinks that the waste itself is what you dislike, she’ll only get sneakier about hiding it from you. Are sighthounds really dogs? — Couto Vet Consultants, The Greyhound Health Initiative™ run of the house to the one or two rooms where you are able to see her at all times. Dogs usually show “pre-pottying” behavior such as sniffing, circling and walking with stiff back legs; all signs that you should get her to the potty area ASAP! As the training begins to take hold, you can slowly enlarge her territory. Don’t: Yell at a dog for a mess she made earlier. If you catch her in the act, it’s okay to startle her by clapping or making a noise (hopefully this will stop her long enough for you to whisk her outside). But a dog will not learn anything by being scolded for a past accident, even one a few minutes old. Just clean it up and soldier on. Do: Offer big praise when she gets it right. Whether your goal is for your dog to eliminate on pee pads indoors or to do it outside, you have to really throw a party for her when she succeeds. Lavish her with praise, affection and some yummy treats! november 2014 The dog was domesticated approximately 14,000 years ago. Due to both natural and human selection, there are now over 400 morphologically distinct breeds; these breeds are included within groups (per the American Kennel Club). The AKC Hound group is composed of over 25 breeds, and includes the sighthounds, dogs that pursue their prey by keeping it in sight. All sighthounds have similar phenotype; they are slender, dolichocephalic, agile, and fast. There are over 15 recognized breeds in this group, including the Afghan Hound, Azawakh, Borzoi, Chart Polski, Galgo Español, Greyhound, Hortaya Borzaya, Irish Wolfhound, Italian Greyhound, Magyar Agar, Saluki, Scottish Deerhound, Sloughi, Whippet, and Rajapalayam. Although one tends to think of sighthounds as “sprinters”, several of the breeds are indeed “endurance” runners (e.g.; Galgo Español). There are fossil records and paintings of sighthound-looking dogs dating back to 7,000-6,000 BC. In other words, this group has evolved quite tightly during several thousand years. Recent genetic work suggests that Greyhounds have unique genomic features that are different from those in other breeds. Anybody who has owned or worked with Greyhound patients knows how different they are from 4 dogs of other breeds. Most sighthounds share similar biological features. It is estimated that over 200,000 Greyhounds live in homes as pets in the US and Canada, compared to 35,000 Greyhounds in racetracks. In the past few years, private Greyhound adoptions ranged from 15,000 to 18,000/year; there is also a large ongoing effort of Galgo and Irish Greyhound adoptions in Europe. Images courtesy of www.CoutoVetConsultants.com. Therefore, it is important to recognize the physiological peculiarities of this breed. From the hematologic standpoint, these athletic dogs have more red blood cells than other dogs; hence, higher packed cell volume (PCV) and hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, and whole blood viscosity than other dogs. A healthy Greyhound has a HCT of 50-63%, something than in a dog of any other breed will result in a presumptive diagnosis of polycythemia or erythrocytosis. The white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (WBCs that fight bacteria), and platelet (blood cells that start blood clotting) counts are lower in Greyhounds than in other breeds. Most normal Greyhounds have WBC of 3-5X109/L, with neutrophil counts as low as 1.8X109/L; a typical platelet count in a healthy Greyhound is 80-120 X109/L2. In addition, Greyhound eosinophils (cell involved in allergic and parasitic reactions) lack the characteristic orange granules seen in all other breeds (top); the granules do not stain, thus resulting in the appearance of cytoplasmic vacuoles. These “vacuolated cells with bilobed nuclei” (bottom) can frequently be confused with toxic bands (a sign of severe inflammation/infection). The serum biochemical profiles in Greyhounds also have values that are typically outside the reference rage for dogs. november 2014 Mainly, the serum creatinine (marker of kidney function) concentrations are high (1-2.2 mg/dL), and the total serum protein (5-6 gm/dL) and globulin (1.8-2.5 gm/dL) concentrations are lower than in other dogs; low serum acute phase protein concentrations account for the lower globulin concentration. Depending on the instrument used, other values may also be outside the reference range for dogs. We recently demonstrated that serum calcium (both total and ionized) and magnesium are lower than in noGreyhound dogs. The results of venous or arterial blood gas analysis and cooximetry in Greyhounds also yields results outside the reference range for dogs. Greyhounds also have unique blood types; between 50 and 70% of the Greyhounds are “universal” blood donors (negative for DEA 1.1, 1.2, and 7), compared to <20% for most other breeds. When using only the typing card for DEA 1.1, 87% of Greyhounds would qualify as blood donors, compared to <40% for other dog breeds. It has been well known for years that Greyhounds have lower serum thyroxine (T4) (thyroid hormone) concentrations than non-Greyhound dogs; in the early days, the low T4 concentration was attributed to various coexisting disorders (stress, testosterone administration, racing, etc). However, the low T4 concentrations are present in young, pre-training Greyhounds, and they persist into adulthood, independently of whether they race or not. Most normal Greyhounds (>90%) have T4 values below the reference range for the breed, and are commonly diagnosed as “hypothyroid”7. A variable proportion of Greyhounds (10-30%) also have lower free T4 (fT4) concentrations than non-Greyhounds. 5 in a high vertebral heart score (VHS), and an erroneous diagnosis of cardiomegaly on radiographs. Greyhounds also have higher concentrations of serum troponin I and proBNP (biomarkers of heart disease) than other dogs; they are frequently in the range of a dog with cardiomyopathy. However, all these Greyhounds have normal TSH concentrations and are therefore NOT HYPOTHYROID. A recent study used thyroid scintigraphy to demonstrate that Greyhounds with low serum T4 are actually euthyroid. From the cardiovascular standpoint, normal Greyhounds typically have a 1-2/6 left-sided basilar systolic murmur (abnormal heart sound caused by turbulent blood flow or swirling) that irradiates into the carotid artery (bruit); this murmur is louder when the dog is excited and has higher sympathetic tone. The murmur is due to the fact that they have a very large left ventricle (cardiac chamber that pumps blood to the body), needed to pump highly viscous blood though the contracting muscles during exercise. However, the diameter of the aortic annulus (“exit door” of the left ventricle) is similar to that in dogs of equivalent size, thus resulting in a murmur of functional aortic stenosis due to high aortic velocity. The larger left ventricle in Greyhounds results november 2014 Greyhounds and other sighthounds (except Irish Wolfhounds) also have high blood pressure. In the 60s, several medical research institutions kept Greyhounds as a model for systemic hypertension in people. A normal Greyhound may have systolic BP of >160 mmHg upon presentation to a veterinary hospital. Greyhounds have a “white coat effect” on BP; normal Greyhounds have systolic BPs in the 160 mmHg range in the hospital, but only 120 mmHg at home. Anybody who uses medication in a Greyhound knows that in this breed, “Life is like a box of chocolates”; in other words, you “never know what you are going to get”. Recent research has shown that Greyhounds do not metabolize drugs as other dogs do. The concentration of hepatic cytochrome P-450 enzymes (CYP) is significantly lower than in other breeds, thus accounting for erratic metabolism of some drugs when polypharmacy is used. For example, a therapeutic dose of propofol in a Greyhound results in anesthesia that lasts minutes; if the dog is receiving a “CYP drug” (drug that “ties up” this enzymatic system), such a chloramphenicol, the same dose of propofol will result in anesthesia lasting several hours. In my experience, a good example of this is the administration of acepromazine. If a Greyhound receives a therapeutic dose of acepromazine (0.05-0.1 mg/kg) for premedication, anesthesia recovery may take as long as 8-12 hours; I use a total dose of 0.5 mg for a 30-kg Greyhound. In 6 addition to the relative CYP deficiency, Greyhounds also have high glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and volume of distribution, and may have differences in intestinal drug absorption. Pet Food Recalls PEDIGREE Adult Complete Nutrition Limited Recall Due to Metal Fragments At PEDIGREE, we care about all dogs and their safety and well-being is extremely important to us, and to our mission - to make a Better World for Pets. For that reason, we have announced the extension of a previous voluntary recall of PEDIGREE Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food products due to the possible presence of a foreign material. The FDA periodically updates their web site with new pet food recalls. Don’t take a chance with your pet’s health. Please go to the following site to check the safety of your pet’s food, please click this link. Pete and Patsy Cline. Cora shared the following story: “I thought we were going to make it, but Pete pushed Patsy into the pool this morning. She was behaving badly and Pete bumped her in. Pete had a grin on his face, but there is always karma. As he proceeded to go poopy, in the middle of his morning ritual the sprinkler system went on full force. They are both toweled down and Bob and I can’t keep from laughing! Thanks to Theresa F. who shared the following: “Have you heard about WoofTrax, an app that donates to groups when you walk your dog?” GAGC has started the process to be listed as one of the charities on the walking app. Thanks also to Mel who sent in details as well. Newsletter photos or articles needed If you have good photos of your hounds, send them in as we might use them for the newsletter. Send them to Kathy at [email protected] or Brenda at [email protected]. Pet-friendly lodging From our members Cora and Bob are huge supporters of GAGC and parents to greyhounds Big november 2014 Looking for pet-friendly lodging when you go on vacation? The following website lists lodgings that accept both you and your dogs: www.petswelcome.com. 7 Greyt goods & services Collars, food tubs and belly bands Thanks to all of you who have returned your unwanted black collar sets to GAGC to reuse for future adoptions. Recycling these collar sets helps GAGC save money. If you no longer need yours, please return it to Brenda, Kathy or Heather, or take it to any M&G and the rep will turn them in for reuse. If you still have a white tub or white and blue tub that were filled with foster food, please get them back to Brenda or Kathy. We refill them with foster food for the new dogs coming to town. Our supply of tubs is dwindling, so please check your garage or wherever you may have left the tubs and return them soon. 2015 GAGC calendars The new calendars are in and are terrific! Brenda and Kathy have them available for sale. They are $12 each, or the price drops to $10 each if you get five or more. Please let us know if you want some. Thanks to Angie for all her work preparing the calendars and to Mike for printing them for GAGC. Did we loan you a belly band when you adopted your male greyhound? If you still have it, please wash it if needed and return it to Brenda, Kathy or Heather. We like to keep a supply on hand so that we’ll have some available for future loans. Items for sale Did you know that GAGC keeps a variety of greyhound items available for sale? We usually have an assortment of dog coats, fancy collars and leads, tag bags, muzzles in assorted colors, and “stool covers” if your greyhound likes to graze when he’s outside, as well as some sweatshirts and t-shirts in several designs for our dogs’ humans. Contact Brenda or Kathy about the availability of colors and sizes for any of these items. november 2014 8 GAGC News Calling for more M&G reps We’ve been holding monthly Meet-andGreets at local PetSmart stores for years, and we appreciate those of you who attend with your greyhounds to spread the word about this breed. Now the PetCo organization is asking us to hold M&Gs at some of their locations as well, especially in the Fairfield and Montgomery areas. Taylor Ann Wallace was born on Aug. 11. Would you be willing to commit to attend a M&G on a regularly monthly basis as a representative of GAGC, or possibly as a substitute for those regular reps who are unable to attend? We are so grateful to those of you who already attend but we could use some more help. Please contact Brenda or Kathy if you would like to be a rep or a sub. Even if you don’t want to take on a formal role, please feel free to join us! Yankee Candle sale Axle with some of his accolades. Thanks to all who participated in the Yankee Candle fundraiser. We had $2,304 in direct sales plus several online orders. Since GAGC earns 40 percent of what we sell, we made nearly $1,000! We appreciate Heather taking the lead on this again. Congratulations We send our congratulations to Sherri and Dave. They welcomed a new granddaughter to the family: Taylor Ann Wallace born Aug. 11 at 10:15 p.m.; weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces; 20.5 inches long. From Sherri: “Love her to pieces!” This photo of Jetta and Mo will be published in Celebrating Greyhounds. their non-greyhound Axle. Trudy shared that Axle recently earned his first sheep herding title at the HWASC Stockdog trial in Muncie, Indiana. This is particularly significant because Axle was a hardto-control, fearful pup when Trudy and Lindo first rescued him. Thanks to their dedication to him, Axle has come a long way. Next he will be moving up to more difficult obstacles with sheep and learning to herd ducks. Kudos all around. We are so proud of Sandy K.! Her picture of kitty Jetta and greyhound Mo is going to be published in an upcoming issue of Celebrating Greyhounds magazine. Webmaster We’ve had lots of adoptions lately which means we’ve been keeping Mike very busy. We’ve barely sent them his way when he has them posted on the website already. Thanks for your terrific support, Mike! Dog Transport On Sept. 28, Kathy and Keith were part of a multi-state group to transport three greyhound mixes from the Preble County Humane Society in Eaton, Ohio, to the Nittany Kennel near Port Matilda, Penn. We had the first leg, picking up the three boys at the shelter early in the morning and meeting the next person in South Vienna, Ohio. The transport went off without a hitch, with the three dogs arriving in Pennsylvania by about 6 p.m. Thanks to Keith for helping out! GAGC sends our heartfelt congratulations to Jess and Tim on their marriage in Gatlinburg on Sept. 13. Jess and Tim regularly foster new dogs for us. Congratulations to Trudy, Lindo and november 2014 9 Recent events & outreach Pleasant Ridge Library talk Sandy, John, Brenda and their hounds at the Pleasant Ridge Library. John, Sandy and Brenda attended this library in mid-August to do a talk on retired racing greyhounds. Brenda did a PowerPoint demonstration and the dogs got lots of petting and hugs. Mo, Ferris, Crissy, Ellie and Sally were the hits of the day. At least 20 people attended to learn why greyhounds are so greyt! Charlene Bandurraga-Hole, Children’s Librarian, wrote the following to Brenda: “Thank you and your friends very much for presenting such an interesting and worthwhile program! We all learned a lot about greyhounds and the need to adopt retired racing ones. I’m impressed that your organization is able to adopt so many each year! Best wishes, and many thanks again.” Riverside Ice Cream Social Shopping for GAGC merchandise at Fall Fun Day on Sept. 21. On Sept. 13, Kathy gave a talk at the Riverside Historical Society’s annual ice cream social with two of her greyhounds — Dave and Zack. In addition, John came with Aries; and Becky, Matt and Aviana brought females Nimby and Winona. It got a little chilly in the shade but the day stayed dry. Dave was not happy about the steps to the stage when it was time for Kathy to talk, but he eventually made it up there and both her boys did well. Becky said her girl Winona wanted to be on stage too! It was a crowded, noisy event but all our greyhounds handled it well. Mandy’s Dog-O-Mat M&G Mandy’s Dog-O-Mat Meet & Greet in West Chester grows every year. Mandy and her friends put on a greyt event on Sept. 13; the weather was perfect and she had a good turn out! She and her husband put forth a lot of effort to make their event so successful. Thanks to several of our families for attending: Brenda, Sandy, Heather, Peggy, Alan, Leslie, Mel and Jon. Thanks also to Ron, Jason and Karen for setting up. The stars of the day were our hounds who made a greyt impression on all who attended: Luna, Vickie, Ninja, Bernie, Crissy, Mo, Ferris, Furby, Dora, Odin, Lilly and Mira. Mandy made a huge surprise donation after the event. We appreciate her continued support! GAGC Fall Fun Day We had a great day at our first ever Fall Fun Day on Sept. 21. The weather stayed dry, we had a huge crowd including over 90 GAGC families and over 200 greyhounds, and there were four adoptions! Of the four adoptions, two were expected but two were a complete surprise! Tatiana, Bluebelle, Jax and Chorty all went home. Calendar sales, the raffle and silent auction, and our sellables all brought in funds to carry us through the winter months. The feedback from a lot of our families was that a fall event is something we should do again. Our annual picnic november 2014 10 on Memorial Day weekend keeps some families from attending because of other commitments around the holiday. Thanks to everyone who joined us to support GAGC. From Brenda: “Heather, Kathy and I were thrilled to see so many new families in attendance and to see the familiar faces of those families where we’ve placed greyhounds over the years. Silent auction goodies at the Fall Fun Day. I’m going to try to thank those who put forth extra effort today, please accept my apologies now if I forget to mention your names. Thanks to those who came early to set up and those who stayed to pack it up! We have an amazing group of people. Jake and Steve hauled all the stuff down and back, set up and spent the day helping others. My Ron and Jon placed tents and coordinated the area. Thanks to Garion, Karen and Jason for helping with the foster dog x-pen; they were coming and going all day. The raffle and silent auction were hugely successful; thanks to those who donated items (and thanks to Bob and Laura for making it so nice). The money earned will definitely help with our winter expenses. Pizza sales went over very well. Thanks to Bob and Cora for donating all the pizza, and to Mel and Jon who handled the sales. Our product sellables flew off the shelf, thanks to Heather, Mary, Megan, Angie, Sandee and several others who helped. The Paw Prints project was fun (thanks Robin), and the calendars were awesome (thanks to Mike for printing and Angie for coordinating). We have extras if anyone wants to purchase one. Thanks to Jess and Tim for setting up the cornhole game. Thanks to Farrell and Tina from County Animal Hospital for offering nail trims. Thanks to Bernie from State Farm for giving out free snow cones. Thanks to Heather for making the frosty paws; the pups really enjoyed them. Thanks to Cindy and Terri of Animal Communication & Wellness Services who are always a hit.” Silent auction winners are: • Wooden greyhound bust with martingale collar and Greyhound print: Peggy Corrigan • Cincinnati Heart Mini-Marathon poster and Distressed greyhound portrait: Angie Blume • Woof Wine Bottle Basket and autographed book: Leslie Schrager • VW Volkswagen cooler and Greyhound jean jacket: Tracy Mattingly • Montrachet and Galante Wine Basket: november 2014 11 Getting some greyhound puppy love in West Virginia. Looking at turkey necks at Iron’s Fruit Farm. Sandee Coats-Haan • Custom watercolor portrait and Fleece blanket and black iron greyhound: Heather Gilstrap • One-night stay at Great Wolf Lodge: Bob and Cora Fiehrer • Greyhound coat, collar, leash and treats: Melanie Beckemeyer • Dog toy basket: Matthew Bailey • Meeting of the Two Racers photo: Sharon Palatcli Liberty Township Fall Festival On Oct. 4 at the Liberty Township Fall Festival, all we can say was it was COLD and windy. Both the dogs and the people were miserable so we left early. Sorry if we missed you! Thanks to Ron and Jon who held the tent from blowing away until Jason and Karen brought weights! Thanks Jon, Mel, Karen and Jason for setting up. Thanks to Kathy for staying the entire time with Brenda, Mel and Jon, Sandy, and Sandy’s daughter and son-inlaw, Julianne and Dale. They all participated and showed off the pups and helped put away our tent and sellables. Jean and Bob stopped by for their calendar too. The november 2014 cold pups who were wearing their coats and donation jackets were Crissy, Bernie, Zack, Auggie, Mo and Ferris. Mo and Ferris won a prize in the pet parade! Iron’s Fruit Farm M&G Our special Meet and Greet at Iron’s Fruit Farm on Oct. 5 was much more pleasant than our event the day before. It was a great day and we’re glad so many of our GAGC adopters showed up. We counted more than 20 families in attendance, which is great for a one-day special event. The dogs were fascinated by the fire engine, the crowds, the kids, the other visiting dogs; as well as the resident goats, burros, emu, pigs, and turkey. Fun times! This was Kim and Icon’s anniversary. Kim met and fell in love with greyhounds at this event last year! West Virginia Farm visit From Brenda: Wow! We had a greyt time in West Virginia visiting the track, the track adoption kennel and a greyhound farm! We got to see day-old puppies, so cute! We saw other greyhounds ranging in age from 6 weeks to almost 2 years (those dogs will be heading to training school soon). We had 12 cars following us up the side of the hill to the farm. The kennel manager greeted us and showed us all around. I think our new families really appreciated the freedom they had getting in and out of the dog runs! Some were more adventurous than others. All 75 dogs were glad to get the extra attention our families and kids gave them. So hard to leave them, but I promised each one that someday I will come back and find them their forever home. We all fell in love with Zinnia who was available for adoption, but tested not cat friendly. Well, Doug, Sara and their daughter Emily offered to foster until her forever home was found. 12 We brought back five gorgeous dogs: Jax Hester, Go On Holden, Cookie Cookster, Round Punch and WV’s Zinnia. We try to visit the farm once a year so watch for an invitation if you want to join us next year. Iron’s Fruit Farm — Take 2 It was cold and windy with the occasional sprinkle, but we still had a few folks come out to Lebanon for Iron’s Fruit Farm family event on Oct. 18. Thanks to Kathy, PJ, Peggy, Lauren and Mark, and Pam and Don; plus their pups Zack, Dave, Hal, Dora, Furby, husky Kojak, Chancey and Chloe. Blanchester Fall Festival Keeping warm at the Blanchester Fall Festival. The Blanchester Fall Festival on Oct. 18 was a nice event, but again we ran into cold weather, so attendance was way down. Thanks to Jason and Heather who helped Ron and Brenda set up. Jamie and Stephanie came with Maverick and Sandy came with her boys, Mo and Ferris. Bella, Brenda’s new dog, made an appearance at her first event, and she was very interested in the sheep and chickens that were there. Crissy showed her how to get attention and how to represent GAGC. Heather’s Lexi was there too showing both Pennix girls how to enjoy the atten- tion. The pet parade had six greyhounds and four other dogs. Congratulations to Maverick who came in third place winning a Kroger gift card! Paw Jogger’s Rescue Run The Paw Joggers event at Sharon Woods on Oct. 19 started out cold but warmed up nicely, perfect for a 5k run or walk or a 2k walk. Marianne and James set up around 7 a.m. Their greyhounds Connie and Nat walked in the event and drew a lot of attention. Lots of people stopped by the GAGC booth to ask questions, love on and admire the dogs, and a few even received kisses from the always affectionate Connie. As usual, the GAGC greyhounds were greyt ambassadors for the breed. Winners for the walks and run earned medals, but most folks seemed to be in it for the exercise, time with their pups, and to benefit local animal welfare charities. A large portion of each registration fee could be designated as a donation to the organization of the person’s choice, and a pool of money raised through a raffle and sale of extra shirts, etc., will be divided among the rescue groups, including GAGC. HOWL event The HOWL event on Oct. 26 was a lot of fun! Gorgeous fall day with lots of sun! It was fun seeing so many other breeds dressed up getting treats from a dozen different groups, people treats too, lots of kids. Big thanks to Marianne and James who donated our treats. We had about eight GAGC families attend who enjoyed the walk around the lake. Good to see a couple of our new families participating! Thanks to Tracy who stayed most of the day with Brenda. Ron set up and packed up. Mel and Jon came early to help, too! november 2014 13 Dog runs, fosters & adoptions Dog runs Aug. 23 was another Alabama dog run. Ron and Brenda picked up five gorgeous, sweet, laid-back pups. There were four females: Flying Royal Fire (Fire), Braska Harley, ZE’s Chorty and Stormin J Alyce (Joyce); and one male: Carolina Hard. All the dogs tested cat-friendly thanks to Ripple, Joe and Holly’s cat. Kathy, Joe and Holly, PJ, Ron and Brenda bathed the dogs before their foster families picked them up; they enjoyed the special attention they received! Thanks to foster families Joe and Holly, PJ, Jeff and Carol, Tim and Jess, and Colleen. Hardcore Heath is all smiles during his drive to Cincinnati from West Virginia. Brenda and Kathy went all the way to West Virginia on Sept. 10 to pick up females Mac’s Bluebelle and GF Tatiana and males Hardcore Heath and MH Manny Pina. All the dogs were still intact, so Heath tried to do some rockin’ and rollin’ with Tatiana on the drive home and she was not pleased! Manny chilled the whole way home, while Bluebelle, who was in a leg cast, just tried to stay out of everyone’s way. Nice group of dogs! Sept. 18 at 3 a.m., Brenda got a call from the dog hauler from Alabama that he was crossing the Ohio River and heading her way, giving her time to throw on some clothes and head to our usual pick up location. Brenda and the hauler drove in at almost exactly the same moment. We’ve got this timing thing down. The hauler was heading to Michigan and only had room for one dog for us this time. Brenda picked up female Jax Gilda and Andrea and Ben will foster her. Ron took a nice ride to Jackson on Sept. 24 picking up three dogs from the track kennel. He brought back Kiowa Manny’s Boy, CTW Moonshiner and CET Mickey Mouse who was a former brood. Manny was in two homes and was returned through no fault of his, so GAGC will now find him a forever home. Mickey Mouse had one litter of puppies and needs a home to call her own. Moonshiner, called Shiner is gorgeous and so tiny. Ron said the ride was very nice back to County Animal Hospital where the dogs were be vetted and moved into foster homes. The Oct. 4 dog run was uneventful, which is always a good thing. The hauler from Alabama was right on time and arrived at a decent hour for a change. Ron and Brenda met Kathy and Sandy at Mandy’s Dog-O-Mat where the newbies got a good bath and had their creepy crawlies removed. Then they went back to Brenda’s where they were all fed and waited for their foster moms to pick them up. We got four more greyt dogs: boys (and littermates) OK Slam and OK Speed and girls SD Pinky and Pat C Ollie. The dog run on Oct. 12 was the farm trip to West Virginia. Thanks to Jeff and Carol, november 2014 14 Karen and Jason, Jean and Bob, Doug and Sarah, and Robin and Chris for opening up their homes to help transition these dogs to the good life! We brought back five really nice dogs: males Go On Holden and Round Punch, and girls WV’s Zinnia, Cookie Cookster and Jax Hester. After we returned to West Chester, we met at Mandy’s Dog-O-Mat to bathe the new pups. Thanks to Sandee, Kathy, Liz, Barnie, Karen, Jason, Doug, Ron and Brenda who washed off the sand and dirt. From there, Kathy took the girls and Brenda and Ron took the boys to County Animal Hospital where they will be spayed or neutered and ready for their foster homes. Foster homes needed Getting baths after arriving in Cincinnati from Alabama. Our biggest challenge in finding homes for the retired racing greyhounds is finding foster families to help with the dogs’ transition into their forever homes. Would you like to be a part of the process? We provide food, medications, and guidance. In addition, our foster families are in the running for a monthly drawing to win a bag of Nature’s Select donated by Alan and Leslie. Can we add you to the list? Foster a greyhound, get in the drawing for a bag of Nature’s Select! Alan and Leslie, our Nature’s Select distributors, are now donating a 30 pound bag of Nature’s Select every month to support our fostering program. Everyone who has fostered that month will be in contention to win the bag of food. Here are our recent winners: August: Tracy M, foster mom to SE’s Joe Sumpton September: Erin and Josh, foster family to GF Tatiana October: PJ, foster mom to Pat C Ollie november 2014 Foster Families We are so appreciative of our foster families. They give us the option of having multiple dogs readily available for new applicants to meet and adopt. Thanks to: Alice and KC: Easi Graham (Max) Andrea and Ben: Jax Gilda Brenda and Ron: JSK Bluebell, Mac’s Bluebelle Carol and Jeff: Stormin J Alyce, Jax Hester Colleen: Carolina Hard Erin and Josh: GF Tatiana Heather and Jason: CTW Moonshiner Holly, Joe, Riley and Cleo: JSK Bluebell, ZE’s Chorty Jean and Bob: Cookie Cookster Jess and Tim: Braska Harley Karen and Jason: Vickie Vicster, Kiowa Manny’s Boy, OK Speed, Round Punch Kathy: SE’s Joe Sumpton, Go On Rammer, MH Manny Pina Megan and Garion: WV’s Neptune Megan and Kevin: Go On Rammer Michele C.: WV’s Wharton, Go On Rammer, SD Pinky PJ: Flying Royal Fire, ZE’s Chorty, Pat C Ollie Robin and Chris: Go On Holden Sarah and Doug: WV’s Zinnia Stephanie and Jamie: CET Mickey Mouse Tracy M.: SE’s Joe Sumpton, Hardcore Heath Current Foster Dogs Are you ready for another greyhound? We have the following dog available, but more are coming soon: Jax Hester: 2-year-old brindle female Please contact Brenda, Kathy or Heather if you are interested in adding a dog to your family. 15 Recent adoptions It’s all sweet dreams for Tatiana (now Hazel), adopted on Sept. 21. Pinky, adopted on Nov. 1, is clearly settling in well at her new home. JSK Bluebell: Aug. 17 to Mary and her mom Joyce of Nashville, Tenn. SE’s Joe Sumpton (Joey): Aug. 19 to Lauren and Ryan of Fairborn Carolina Hard (Hardy): Aug. 29 to Valerie of Blue Ash Vickie Vicster: Aug. 30 to Karen, Jason, Chelsey, Olivia and Austen of Trenton Flying Royalfire (Trudy): Aug. 30 to Susan and Terry of Dayton WV’s Wharton: Aug. 31 to Ellen, John and Vince of Sharonville Go On Rammer: Sept. 13 to Kay, Jonathan and Heather of Nicholasville, Ky. Mac’s Bluebelle (Bella): Sept. 21 to Brenda and Ron of Liberty Township ZE’s Chorty (Zoey): Sept. 21 to Tal and Steve of Indian Hill Jax Gilda (Jax): Sept. 21 to Andrea, Ben, Reese and Remy of West Chester GH Tatiana (Hazel): Sept. 21 to JaCol and George of Vandalia Stormin J Alyce (Lexie): Sept. 22 to Renee and Alan of Beavercreek MH Manny Pina (Manny): Sept. 24 to Claire, Clyde and Sam of Sharonville WV’s Neptune: Sept. 26 to Paige and Jayson of Blue Ash Kiowa Manny’s Boy: Sept. 28 to David and Suzy of Gahanna CTW Moonshiner (Moonshine): Oct. 4 to Mark and Christina of Anderson OK Slam (Slam): Oct. 6 to Frede and Juergen of Cincinnati CET Mickey Mouse (Mickey): Oct. 7 to Susan and Barry of Wyoming OK Speed: Oct. 10 to Mylynda and Steven of Franklin Cookie Cookster: Oct. 15 to Jean and Bob of Cincinnati Braska Harley (Harley): Oct. 20 to Bev of Saylor Park WV’s Zinnia (Zinny): Oct. 24 to Annelise, Ron, Ronnie and Ann of Fairfield Township Hardcore Heath (Sven): Oct. 25 to Rob and Lindsay of Lebanon Easi Graham (Max): Oct. 28 to Alice and KC of Cincinnati Round Punch (Punch): Oct. 31 to Aaron of Beavercreek SD Pinky: Nov. 1 to Mary, Robert, AnnaBella and Amelia of Walton, Ky. Go On Holden: Nov. 2 to Amy, Chris, Davis, John and Kate of West Chester Pat C Ollie: Nov. 5 to Andrew of Cincinnati Pet Sitters Do you need a pet sitter for your greys while you’re out of town? Brenda has a list of GAGC members willing to pet sit, but we’re also looking for more willing folks, in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas. Let Brenda or Kathy know if you’re interested. november 2014 16 Our Condolences Editor’s Note: very time we lose one of our greyhounds, GAGC makes a donation in that dog’s name to the Department of Veterinary Clinical Services at Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. GAGC hopes that someday soon, researchers can determine why so many greyhounds are struck down prematurely by cancer and other causes. We were very sorry to hear of another loss for new adopters Camille and Don. Camille’s father died in August at the age of 97. We send them our deepest sympathy. Illustration courtesy of Elspeth Rose / www.barkerandpaws.com. Andrea and Ben had to say goodbye to their girl Haley on Aug. 28. She was having great difficulty walking and was not the Haley that they knew. Their vet suspected a brain tumor was the cause of her deterioration. From Andrea: “She was my first greyhound and she made me fall in love with the breed. My heart is broken and my house quiet, but I know she is at peace and at the Rainbow Bridge with my sweet Flyer. I’m going to miss my girl.” Bob and Jean had to let their girl Kelly go on Sept. 20. She had difficulty walking recently and radiology showed what appeared to be cancer forming in her spine. We are so sorry for their loss. They were very attached to Kelly. We were very sorry to hear that Amy and Scott lost their greyhound girl Sloopy on Sept. 20. She passed away in her sleep, most likely from a stroke. They adopted Sloopy as a 7-month-old puppy, and she was a puppy to the end! She loved to sit next to you on the couch and “talk” to you and give kisses. Her best friend was Maggie, a yellow lab her age. The two of them romped and played like puppies to the end. Sloopy will be missed. Also in late September, Joann T. had to say goodbye to her girl Lea Jupiter. Lea had started to limp, and a visit to the vet revealed dreaded bone cancer. Joann had to have Lea put down at only 7 years old. We send her our heartfelt condolences. Our sincere sympathy goes to Bev E. She is a long time member of GAGC and her daughter has adopted from us in the past as well. We learned in early October that Bev’s husband passed away this summer from lung cancer. She also had to deal with the loss of her female lab mix Lucy to a brain tumor. We are sorry to hear of both these losses. It’s been a rough few months for Vanessa and Dave. They lost their beloved Bubba in July, and then on Oct. 9 they had to put their girl India down. India had been gradually going downhill and all signs indicated a brain tumor was the cause of her health problems. She went peacefully at the age of november 2014 17 13. Vanessa helped GAGC rescue India who was being offered for sale via a PetFinder ad, and then Vanessa adopted her. India had a great life with Vanessa and Dave and we are so sorry for their loss. We send our sincere condolences to Sandy K. whose cat Jetta died in mid-October from old age issues. We were sorry to hear the news from Kelly that her boy Burnsey recently passed away at age 13 from old age problems. She adopted Burnsey as a rehome in 2007 so they had a lot of good years together. SPECIAL NOTE: If your beloved greyhound goes to Rainbow Bridge and you would like to share a tribute about him or her, please forward a picture if desired and your memorial statement to us and we’ll enter it in an upcoming newsletter. High-resolution photos are best. Tributes from our readers Remembering Haley — from Ben and Andrea Ben and Andrea lost their very first greyhound, Haley, in late August. Haley made them fall in love with the breed. She walked with Andrea daily, spent months in bed with her when she was on bed rest, stood watch over their infant daughters, loved to sunbathe and bask in the pool. Her favorite job of all was training the many GAGC foster dogs that came through her door. She will be greatly missed. Nitetrain Nellie: July 31, 2002 – May 8, 2014 — from PJ Nellie came to me in the fall of 2009, when I was down to one female, Summer, and three boys. Summer liked tormenting them but was obviously lonely for a girl buddy. I put out the word that I would like a rehome female about 7 years old, and two days later I got a call that one was being returned. When I heard her name was Nellie I said, “I’ll take her! That was my great grandmother’s name.” She was white with thick hair, soft as a bunny, and never met a stranger. She loved to go in the car, and especially loved meet and greets. She was a pro at getting donations and would stand in front of someone and stare until she got a donation. Often she gave kisses in return. Top to bottom: Haley and Nellie. She loved back scritches and would dance up and down while you scratched. She felt that meals were to be savored, not wolfed down. She was positive that any company that came was there to see her and her alone. She was nice to fosters and got along with every dog she met. She loved being outside in any weather and I am glad her last winter was nice and snowy, because she loved the snow. My favorite memory of her is when she was asleep, her tongue would stick out the front of her mouth because she was missing all her front teeth. She slowed down a lot last spring and I suspected she had something going on. When her good buddy Mars died, I think she just gave up. Ten days later she was gone too. I miss them both; they had a lot of fun together, and livened up our household. Rest in peace, fluffy girl! november 2014 18 Support GAGC! How can YOU support GAGC? GAGC can always use your support. Here’s how you can help! Go Krogering! Do you shop at Kroger? The Kroger Reward program is one of GAGC’s most reliable fundraisers. Our rewards are based on your use of your Kroger Plus card instead of a gift card. We receive a $200 donation from Kroger each time our group achieves $5,000 in total purchases. We use these donations primarily to cover vetting expenses for new or rehomed greyhounds. Be sure to link your Kroger Plus card to GAGC and always use it at checkout. Thanks to all of you who are active in using your rewards cards. Our supporters (96 households) who shopped at Kroger between May 1 and July 31 contributed to our $1,560.39 total reward. Did you renew your participation in the Kroger Rewards program for 2014? Here’s how: Take a moment and re-link GAGC’s ID# to your Kroger Plus card. Go to www. krogercommunityrewards.com, have your Kroger plus card, and sign in. If you are new to this program just hit the sign up today button. If you are just renewing, go to My Account. Update and confirm your information. GAGC’s ID# is 80372 Greyhound Adoption of Greater Cincinnati. This does not affect your Kroger fuel points. Do a Meet-and-Greet Bring your greyhounds to a GAGC Meetand-Greet to introduce others to this wonderful breed. They are on Sundays at november 2014 the following Petsmart locations (times are on our website): • 1st Sunday of the month: Milford • 2nd Sunday: Beavercreek (in the Dayton area) and Tri-County • 3rd Sunday: West Chester and Centerville (Dayton) • 4th Sunday: Mason Special M&G: The AMC Theatre in West Chester is allowing GAGC to hold a special M&G once a month. If you would like to participate, contact Brenda who will schedule a time for you to attend. Thanks for your support! One of the reasons GAGC has experienced so much success is due to the support we receive from our families and friends. Month after month, you help us out in many ways, and we so appreciate all of our donors. Thank you! General gifts to GAGC AmazonSmile Foundation Karen and Jason B. Larry B. and Grapehound Wine Tour Inc. T. Beale Marjorie C. Peggy C. and Jason P. Cora and Bob F. Ed and Amy F. Jason G./ Employer match Edye L. Melody M. Claire P. Clyde and Claire P. Honey and Dale R. Barb S. Barb and Bill S. Marianne S. Renee and Alan T. Mandy W. 19 Gifts in memory of ... Duke Angie B. Fave Angie B. Josh Dragosavic Brad B. Doyle & Linda B. Jane & Ronald B. Rosemary C. & Carrie R. Martha & Glen F. Brenda G. Steve H. Patricia K. Bob & Cheryl L. Lance S. Michael S. Sandra & Robin W. Gifts in-kind Edye L. Jodie Joyce & Walter Marianne Our New Foster Dog Sponsors Zack models one of Theresa’s crocheted snoods. We recently started a new program encouraging our members to sponsor one of our foster dogs for $20. The sponsorship fees will go toward the cost of food and monthly medications for these greyhounds. The sponsors have their names on the website on the listing for the dog, plus we’ll include it here. This is a nice way to support our foster program without actually bringing a grey into your home. Thanks to all! Our latest sponsors are: Peggy, Jason, Furby and Dora: Braska Harley, GF Tatiana Sandy, Ferris and Mo: CET Mickey Mouse Joyce and Walter: Kiowa Manny’s Boy Marianne, James, Connie, Nat and Dan: Braska Harley, Stormin J Alyce, Pat C Ollie, SD Pinky, OK Slam, Round Punch, Jax Hester, Go On Holden Cora: WV’s Neptune Fiona and Bluebell: CET Mickey Mouse, Hardcore Heath, CTW Moonshiner Melissa R.: Pat C Ollie, SD Pinky, Regall Eddy Mel, Jon, Lily and Odin: Pat C Ollie, SD Pinky, OK Speed Amanda, Kaladin and Scarlett: Cookie Cookster Thank you We want to thank two of our talented members for their recent contributions of hand-crafted goods. Theresa F. made crocheted snoods for cold-weather wear and Lynn W. made belly bands for our newlyacquired male dogs. Thanks! We are so very grateful to Jon and Mel for coordinating the Rusty Ball Concert. 50 percent of ticket sales will come back to GAGC as a donation! november 2014 20 Support our supporters! www.cincigreyhounds.org needlenosenews a publication of Greyhound Adoption of Greater Cincinnati, Inc. march 2007 vol. xiv masthead 1 march 2007 vol. xiv masthead 2 www.cincigreyhounds.org needlenosenews a publication of Greyhound Adoption of Greater Cincinnati, Inc. ‘Bye for now! Look for the next NeedleNoseNews in early 2015. Ahhh roo roo roo! november 2014 21
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