[Moo] Fwd: [horseandhound] Greyhounds for adoption

[Laura Barrett]

 Forwarded from Horse & Hound, FYI. 
     YiS, 
      Alienor

--- Simone de Barjavel <simonedebarjavel at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> To: horseandhound at yahoogroups.com
> From: Simone de Barjavel
> <simonedebarjavel at yahoo.com>
> Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 14:39:17 -0700 (PDT)
> Subject: [horseandhound] Greyhounds for adoption
> 
> This was posted on the Atlantia list by Sharon
> Gordon
> <gordonse at one.net>
> 
> Got off another list, please forward, especially to
> any and all SCA lists
> interested in coursing in any kingdom.
> 
> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Naturally, our own irrational demands  strike us as
> having the force of needs, while other people's
> needs strike us as capricious indulgences." 
> 
> Daphne Merkin
> 
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Love Conquers All