[Artemisia] Helping Greyhounds....

Tue May 3 22:16:40 CDT 2005

Retrieved from a different list. I thought I would post this because of the love
some folks here have for these great beasts.

Godwin
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Got off another list, please forward:

500 Dogs to Die! (posted 5/1/05 http://www.dakinshelter.org)
The greyhound track in Plainfield, CT voted on April 26th that they 
would discontinue greyhound racing. Unfortunately - and heartbreakingly 
- they've also decided that rescuers have only two weeks to get the 
dogs out, and any dogs remaining at the track on May 14th will be 
euthanized. This is a monumental task because there are at least 500 
dogs currently at the track.

These are all young, healthy dogs, 2-4 years of age, who would make 
great  family pets. Why is the track doing this? Greyhound racing is a 
business and because the track is no longer profitable, they're getting 
out. To us, dogs are cherished companions. To the greyhound racing 
industry, dogs are expendable commodities to  be disposed of in 
whatever way is least expensive and most convenient when they  aren't 
making money.

We've committed to saving as many dogs as we possibly can in the next 
two weeks. We'll be working with an experienced greyhound rescuer who 
has been placing retired greyhounds for many years. She will be going 
to the track and bringing us dogs. As soon as we have more room, we'll 
do it again. We will repeat as many times as we can before May 14th. 
After May 14th, there will be no dogs left alive at the track.
In order to save as many dogs as we can, we are going to try something 
we've
never done before; sending as many as possible out into foster care by 
May 14th.  Every time we send a dog into an adoptive home or a foster 
home, we can take  another dog off the track. We will take the fostered 
dogs back into the Dakin Animal Shelter for adoption over the next few 
months as spaces open up for  them - as long as they're off the track 
by May 14th, they'll be safe.

How can you help?
     *   Adopt a greyhound They're wonderful dogs - gentle, quiet,   
sweet, and graceful. The ones we'll be getting will be good companions 
with other dogs and with cats. Surprisingly, they're couch potatoes. 
They do need  to be in a fenced area or leash walked; they aren't dogs 
to let run loose.

For information on what it's like to take a greyhound home, visit
<http://www.greyhoundgang.com> (http://www.greyhoundgang.com/) . To 
find out  what greys we have available for adoption, call us at 
413-548-9898 or visit  our _dog adoption page_ 
(http://www.dakinshelter.org/dogs.html) .

*   Foster a greyhound If we can send greys into foster care and  out 
of our Shelter, we can pull more from the track before May 14. We'll 
get them back into the Shelter over the next few months. We will 
provide all their medical care and a crate to make their transition 
easier. You provide your time & love and together we will give them a 
new life! For information on what it's like to take a greyhound home, 
visit <http://www.greyhoundgang.com> (http://www.greyhoundgang.com/) . 
If you can  help, or are interested in more information, contact us at 
413-548-9898.

*   Donate money. We are going to need extra funds to help these dogs. 
We'll be buying crates and other supplies as well as paying all their 
medical bills.
You can send a check to:
Dakin Animal Shelter, 163 Montague  Road,
Leverett MA 01054, or _donate online_
(http://www.dakinshelter.org/support.html) .

Please mark  your donation "Save the Greys".
     *   Donate a large dog crate. We need these to send with the dogs 
going into foster care.
     *   Spread the word! The more people who know about this  tragedy, 
the more help the dogs will get.
Many of you have seen greyhounds in the community - they're lovely, 
gentle dogs. When we started working with greyhounds, we discovered 
that there are a lot of misconceptions about them.
     *   Greys are not hyper - they're actually couch potatoes!
     *   They love to run - for about 5 minutes - in a safe, fenced area.
     *   Greys spend most of their day snoozing and adore soft sleeping 
places and all the comforts in life.
     *   They are actually very good dogs for apartments or small homes 
because of their low activity level.
     *   They are very clean dogs, and in some ways are very catlike in 
their cleanliness and love of comfort.
     *   Most greyhounds - including all the ones we'll be getting - can 
live with other dogs and cats, once they've been introduced, and 
actually love living with other animals.
     *   They rarely bark and shed little.
     *   In their life on the track, they live in crates for 22 hours 
per day, so  most things in the 'real world' are a surprise to them.
     *   They've never seen simple things such as: slippery floors 
(wood, tile); stairs; television; windows; cats; dogs who are not 
greyhounds!
     *   They generally housebreak very easily because they're 
completely crate  trained (they aren't housebroken because they've 
never been in
a house, so they have to learn what a house is!).
     *   They walk very, very politely on leash - they learn that at the 
track.
     *   Greyhounds are very good companions for homes with gentle 
children because of their own gentle nature. This is a tragedy of 
enormous  proportions, and we've decided to throw everything we've got 
into doing as much  as we can. It's easy to get
overwhelmed thinking about the scope of the problem  - and do nothing.

If we instead work together as a community, we CAN make a  difference. 
The Dakin Animal Shelter has always relied upon our community for  our 
support, and we're counting on you now. With your help, we WILL make a  
difference.