|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Vol 8 Issue 12 |
Greyhounds Love Easter Bunnies! |
April 2004 |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
SUMMER PICNIC TIME By Amanda Williams The grass is growing greener, the sky shines with a beautiful bright blue holding tiny puffs of clouds, the heat begins to set in…..and three annual greyhound picnics are about to take place! Summer brings to us a tail-waggin’ good time with our fellow four legged and two legged pals. Here’s where you can catch all the fun this summer: Join in on the joys of life and howl a little with your greyhounds at Greyhound Adoption Center’s annual "Woofstock 2004" picnic. This fantastic get-together is on Saturday, June 5th, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at the Canine Sports Center located in El Cajon. Your beloved greyhounds will have a blast meeting other greyhounds and you’ll have a greyt time chatting with other greyhound lovers. For directions or more information, please call: 877-478-8364, or visit them online at: http://www.greyhoundog.org. On your marks! Get set! Go! Ok, so you can’t outrun your greyhound to Greyhound Pets of America’s wonderful 9th annual Picnic in the Park, but you can take a stroll with them through the beautiful La Habra Heights Park, on Saturday, June 5th, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. So get out for some fresh air, and plenty of shopping for all kinds of greyhound related goodies. For directions or more information, please call: 562- 694-3519, or visit them online at: http://www.fastfriends.org. Make your greyhound a star! Submit your them into the "longest tail" or the "oldest greyhound" contest at Operation Greyhound’s annual greyhound picnic on Sunday, June 13th, from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM at O’Neil Lake, located on the Camp Pendleton Marine base. There will be loads of contests for your greyhounds, delicious food, and amazing greyhound merchandise to purchase. So bring your greyhounds and the family for an adventurous day at this greyhound picnic. For directions or more information, please call: 619-588-6611, or visit them online at: http://www.operationgreyhound.com. Don’t forget the essentials needed when attending these great picnics. Some suggestions would be to bring comfortable folding chairs, ex-pens and blankets for your greyhounds to take a break, and, of course, money for the amazing raffles, auctions and beautiful greyhound souvenirs. There will be plenty of food, beverages, merchandise, and entertainment for you, your family, and your greyhounds to have a spectacular time at these annual picnics. And last, but not least, always remember to keep your greyhound on a lead, for we all know that keeping up with them when they decide to take a jog is nearly impossible. So make a list, check it twice, cross off the day on your calendar, and pile into the car to head for the most fun you’ll have this summer! JUDGMENT
DAY By
Monica Monier I owe my gratitude to many who helped me through the process of seeing a beloved pet cross the rainbow bridge. One of the first people I reached out to was Carole Oglesbee, whose kind heart helped me get through tough days and her guidance and wisdom allowed me to gain my composure (at least during our phone conversations). She assured me that it is okay to grieve in a way that works for me. And what works for me is to open up my heart to another dog who needs love. So, off to Hemopet we went in search of giving more love. |
|
Hemopet
has been on my “must visit” list ever since I adopted our first
ex-racer through Southern California Greyhound Adoption League two years
ago. I thought visiting
Hemopet would be difficult. To
see grey after grey who have never lived beyond the wires of their cage
is heartbreaking. But,
ironically, visiting Hemopet is uplifting as well.
Like all of us who adopt a grey, we really just want to give them
a life that all living creatures deserve upon entering this world.
And to try, one dog at a time, to make up for what the human
species can do to those less dominant.
And
looking into their round, beautiful eyes and seeing their “against all
odds” spirit is humbling. I
wanted to bow down to them and ask them how they do it.
How do they keep on keeping on?
I
assume many would tell me this is all they have known.
Some may even look at me quizzically and ask me what I mean.
Others know exactly what I mean.
Some may say that hope endures and love conquers all…for them I
say “Right On.” And
thankfully to humans like Carole, Joy Moss, Betty De La Rosa, and all
devoted to the plight of greys, this is just the right attitude and
thankfully it is the truth. Hope
and love will endure. So,
before long, I was shown a number of greys who might be a good fit for
our family. I felt
uncomfortable putting them through a “judgment day”.
Haven’t they been through enough in their life?
What if they had a headache that day or just weren’t feeling up
to par? But soon I was
humbled again (as only dogs can do) when some of them made it clear that
it was not I who was doing the judging.
I
wanted to give the dogs a good indication of what living with us is all
about. No false pretenses,
just here we are, for better or worse.
So, initially I tried to get my two toddlers to run around and
interact with the dogs. I
failed. I tried to get
Dipstick (my 12 year old Whippet) and Axle (my Grey) to interact.
I failed. As Axle
stood staring at the car and Dipstick stayed glued to my side, the
Hemopet greys were perplexed. Axle,
in his nonchalant way, did not win any votes to spearhead a “welcome
committee”. And I think
they thought Dipstick was playing “possum”…and what a good job he
did. And
then my boys went up and above the call of duty…. melt down hour set
in. So, the lucky two dogs
who were “finalists” got to see first hand what living with 2
toddlers is all about. They
both rose to the glory of all the noise and screeching, and both stayed
when even my own two dogs retreated to a corner.
One sweet girl kept wagging her tail through it all…which, I
have to say, is more than any human was doing at the time.
Out
came the dog balls and the boys took them, fought over them, threw them,
fought over them, bounced them, fought over them…she didn’t care. When
the boys discovered the hose, sending my dogs for cover…she didn’t
care. When
Axle and Dipstick wanted to go (can you guess why?), she seemed to say,
“Hey, are we having fun yet?” As
my agitation over melt down hour grew, she seemed to say, “Don’t
worry Mom, they’re just being boys.”
She didn’t even plug her ears when the boys blared the car
horn. She
seemed to think everything was great, life was great, and we were great.
She is the one we picked. She
is the one who won our hearts (I have no doubt she will win the hearts
of Dipstick and Axle). She
is the one who will think our home is the best home.
Her
name is Penelope. |
|
ROSIE By Sheila Finch "Ol' Turnover," they called her at the track, or maybe it was "Ol' Turnout." Neither name recognized the sweet dignity of this little red brindle. Her real name came to me on the trip down to get her, before I'd even met her: Rosie. And when I saw her I knew that was the right name. My eighteen-month old granddaughter, who was just beginning to talk, called her "Ro-Ro," and flung her arms about Rosie's neck whenever we visited. Rosie has always been very patient with little children who seem drawn to her. But take her to the dog park and remove the leash and she becomes a whirlwind of activity, stirring all the dogs up to run with her. One young black mutt has a crush on Rosie; they race up and down together, shoulders touching, big smiles on their faces. "Miss Rose," the dog's owner called her one day, and that suits her too. It's rather like the fairy tale where you have to know the magical being's true name to receive the boon. Maybe at the track, they didn't know how much love she had to give, or they might have given her a gentler name. I'm glad they didn't or I might not have had the chance to bring my best friend home. FAWN, DRIFTER, MIKEY, AJAX, CIDER AND CRACKLE By Colleen Summerfield Fawn - tiny but mighty with big ears and big round eyes, my #1 girl does look like a deer in the headlights when her ears are at attention. Drifter - found wandering in the high desert, half-starved, this little boy is definitely a high plains drifter- watch out Clint! Mikey - formerly called Frank, or sometimes Frankie. This name was a poor fit for this goofy young red fawn boy. Mikey fit much better, Mikey likes it too! Ajax - my little aspiring boss has many nicknames, some of which can't be mentioned here but perhaps Napoleon fits this little dictator the best. Cider and Crackle - two other dogs that will always be in my heart had names that were similar to their race names. Cider's kennel name was Rider from her race name TCB Rider and Crackle was very similar to his race name Rapidio Cracker.
|
||||||||||||||
