THAT’S THE POINT

By Carole Oglesbee

It was almost a year ago that Mike Bushnell, one of our San Diego volunteers, called to see if we would like to participate in a new event.  Being game for any new adventure, we said sure.  Mike has been associated for several years with a wonderful veterinarian, Dr. Kevin May, in the San Diego area.  Dr. May specializes in large animals and is associated with The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.  The IVAS has a seminar every year during which interested veterinarians learn the fine art and science of acupuncture and other alternative healing methods.  Every third year the IVAS seminar is held in the San Diego area with Dr. May heading up the activities. 

During the clinic section of the seminar, the students are required to locate acupuncture points and require animals to be used as models.  The Needle Nose Crew participated in a total of ten sessions that started in October of last year and ended with the students’ final test in March of this year.  Each session required fourteen to sixteen models and lasted from three to four hours. 

Except for using just one model during the first sessions for an actual acupuncture treatment, the models were used by the students just to identify the various location points.  Our greyhounds truly made marvelous models for the IVAS students.  Of course, they were gentle and quiet.  They loved all the soft handling and intense attention.  Last but not least, with such low body fat and no hair to speak of, it was extremely easy for the students to locate everything needed.  Our greys were a hit with all the students and on the whole behaved as impeccably as we all knew they would.  It was also a remarkable experience for our human members who participated.  Many learned much about the art and science of acupuncture and have since taken some of their greys in for treatment, not to mention started treatment themselves. 

In appreciation for the supply of clinic models, the IVAS generously makes a donation to the group who participates in their seminar each year.  We discussed what to do with the donation before beginning the seminar and decided it would be a great idea to donate the funds to each of the groups from which the models were originally adopted.  By the end of all the sessions the IVAS very generously donated $1250 to the Needle Nose Crew.  In addition, the Needle Nose Crew decided to match the IVAS’s funds, bringing the total for distribution to $2500.  Within the next few weeks we will very happily be mailing checks or providing much needed supplies to the Greyhound Adoption League, Hemopet-Pet/Life-Line, Greyhound Connection, Retired Racers, Operation Greyhound, Maryland Greyhound Rescue, Greyhound Adoption Center and Greyhound Pets of America. 

We cannot thank Dr. May and the IVAS enough for allowing us the opportunity to participate in this year’s seminar.  It was a wonderful learning experience and a terrific way to raise much-needed funds for various greyhound adoption groups.  We also thank all of our human and greyhound volunteers who participated.  It was a different, educational and interesting event.  

Finally, our thanks go to Mike Bushnell for offering this opportunity to the Needle Nose Crew.  It is one we shall all remember, and hopefully will be able to help out again in three years when the IVAS seminar returns to Southern California .

THANK YOU

By Kevin May, DVM

El Cajon Valley Veterinary Hospital

I just wanted to write to Mike Bushnell and the rest of the Needle Nose Group.  Over the years it has been a pleasure and ease to work with you.  You are group of people that not only love your dogs and what you do with them, but you carry a certain amount of pride and it shows.  You also are a very generous group of people that are willing to come share your dogs with another group who is trying to teach other veterinarians how to do acupuncture not only on greyhounds but all breeds of dog.  You are an exceptional group of people.  Lastly I must say you are a very professional group of people.  You are well organized and that shows as well.  You make my job (every 3 years) as local coordinator for the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (I.V.A.S.) Basic Veterinary Acupuncture Course a breeze.  Thank you so much for all that you and your group do for us!

TRAVEL RESOURCES

By Jane Olin

Since our greyhound Dow loves to be with his people and loves to ride in the car, he makes the perfect traveling companion.  Whether for short trips or longer excursions, he is always ready to go along.  It is becoming more and more common for people to travel with their dogs and there are many resources to help people with pets find destinations that are pet-friendly.  One of my favorites is the book The California Dog Lover’s Companion, 3^rd Edition by Maria Goodavage.  She and her dog, Joe, have traveled across California identifying and rating (one to four paws) hotels, restaurants, parks and other attractions for people and dogs.  For example, Dow really enjoyed visiting Mono Lake National Forest Scenic Area, which allows dogs all over the park and is also pretty cool for people, too.  This is a great book to keep in the car to review as you go along.  For more active greys, consider Favorite Dog Hikes in and around Los Angeles by Wynne Benti.  It has descriptions of hikes of various degrees of difficulty in Los Angeles County and tips for keeping your dog healthy and happy on hikes.  The internet also has some good services.  The one I like best is www.dogfriendly.com.  It has nationwide listing of hotels, attractions in various cities, dog travel gear and books; and it’s FREE!  They “focus on listing places that welcome ALL well-behaved dogs regardless of size.”  I used this site to find a bed and breakfast cottage in Lake Tahoe that had a huge fenced in yard and was close to everything.  This is also where I found a B&B in Idyllwild where we first met the Idyllhounds.

Another popular site is www.traveldog.com.  This website is very complete, but requires a small fee and offers discounts and other services.  I hate to pay for stuff so I haven’t used this one much.  A new resource I just found while waiting for baggage at the Orange County airport is the magazine Fido Friendly; they also have a web site www.fidofriendly.com where you read more about the magazine.

If you are passing through the OC airport pick up a free copy at the information desk.

In addition to recommending destinations, all of these references offer tips to make traveling with your grey enjoyable and worry free.  

CAMPING OUT

By Sandy Huse

One of our favorite things to do is to go camping; mostly just car camping, but with tents and sleeping on the ground, not that sissy “RV-ing”.  When we got our first greyhound, we weren’t sure that primitive outings were going to work:  Skelly was not fond of any activities that didn’t involve at least several hours daily on a sofa.  And let’s admit that their lack of fat and fur can make for some challenges to the outdoor life. 

Our first problem was the issue of how to keep him lassoed in camp.  We had read about hounds hitting the end of a tether and actually breaking their necks.  We devised a system of a fleece-covered harness with a bungee cord lead attached.  This allowed him about a 20-foot diameter to meander about the area, and particularly free access to the chicken breasts on the picnic table.  He was very happy.

Next on the list were fashion accessories.  This included daywear and evening attire.  If the weather was hot, he had the ever-popular wet tee shirt.  The shirt also came with the added
entertainment value of his jumping about with “helicopter tail” as he hated wearing the thing.  But it kept him comfortable.  At night, Skelly would sport a snuggly jacket for warmth and extra padding from the ground.  Additionally, we bought a set of “Cool Paws” boots for hiking and protection from heat and abrasion.  If the weather wasn’t hot, he would carry a doggie pack with snacks both human and hound. 

Sleeping accommodations were our last important consideration.  We tried having Skelly sleep in the tent vestibule, but it was usually too cold even with extra blankets.  So, we were a very cozy family with two humans, a greyhound, and a border collie crammed into the tent… thanks for the spacious floor plan, North Face!  He loved burrowing under the down-filled bags.  As a matter of fact, on our last trip with Skelly, he got tired of us sitting around the fire, and he put himself to bed in the tent.  Apparently, we weren’t making the s’mores quickly enough to suit his taste.

We lost Skelly to leukemia last spring, but we have two camping neophytes that will be getting their first experiences this summer.  We have a lot of fun and the dogs really enjoy being there with us.  See you outside!

	K.C. & Toni Schaff for their loss of Shara
	Larry & Linda Brown for their loss of marvelous Brandy
	Janie Ulrich for her loss of wonderful Miss Sasha
	John & Kindra Willey for their loss of Judy