Many, many thanks to all of you who volunteered your time at the Needle Nose Crew booth during the recent America's Family Pet Expo.  We had a very successful third year at the Orange County Fairgrounds.  Once again, this venue is turning out to be marvelous for our Crew with over 80,000 visitors attending during the three days of the event. This year we tried out a new idea by having a free drawing with a beautiful David French print as our prize.  We are happy to announce Barbara Sannasardo of Simi Valley our winner.  Thanks to everyone who filled out an entry for our drawing and joined in the fun.

As most of you know, Linda and Larry Brown are now settling into their new home in Trinidad, Colorado.  For those of you who have questions about your greyhounds and/or would just like to stay in touch with Linda, here are her contact numbers once again.  The home phone number is 719 845-0578 and the cell phone will continue to be 805 279-8873.  As of May 8th, Linda’s new e-mail address will be greyspirit@msn.com. Linda would love to hear from each and every one of her friends, adopters and co-rescuers alike.  Please give her a call or e-mail her when you have a moment. 

Just as Retired Racers is closing their Southern California location and heading off to the wilds of Colorado, we are fortunate to have a new group form in order to help rescue and place beloved greyhounds into loving homes.  The new group is an extension of Greyhound Adoption League of Tucson, Arizona and will be run by Bob Smith and Barbara Davenport of Fillmore.  Bob has written an introductory article that you find below.  For all of you in the northern and northwestern area of Los Angeles County along with the Ventura and Santa Barbara areas, please feel free to contact the new GAL group.  They are in search of volunteers and foster homes to help get their fledging group up and running.  Barbara and Bob can be reached by mail at P.O. Box 1079, Fillmore, CA 93016-1079.  Their phone number is 805 797-7706 and their e-mail is visualculture@sbcglobal.net.   The Needle Nose Crew certainly welcomes the new group and wishes all associated with them the very best in establishing a successful greyhound rescue and adoption group. 

GREYHOUND ADOPTION LEAGUE – VENTURA/SANTA BARBARA

By Bob Smith

My wife, Barbara Davenport, and I have formed a new adoption group, supported by Greyhound Adoption League of Tucson, Arizona to serve Ventura County and Santa Barbara. GAL-Ventura/Santa Barbara received our first three available greys, Sky, Monopoly and Prairie, on March 20th.  For the first three days they were housed in crates, but with gradual socialization with our own five dogs (two greyhounds) they were running about the house within a week.  Our home is on a two-acre parcel north of Fillmore.  There is just enough grass for the dogs to get up to full speed, which they are truly enjoying.

We have already started doing events and shows.  All greyhound owners are invited to join the GAL-Ventura/Santa Barbara team at the Big Dog Parade in Santa Barbara on June 5, and there will be a GAL-Ventura/Santa Barbara booth at the Humane League’s Pet Expo in Ventura on Sunday, July 18th.  

We will be at the Ventura Pet Barn the second Sunday of each month from 12:00-3:00, and at Petropolis in Camarillo the third Saturday from 10:00-2:00. The Ventura Pet Barn is located at 3004 Telegraph Road.  Petropolis is located at 5800 Santa Rosa Road in Camarillo. More locations will be added in the near future.

Our home will most likely continue to be the GAL drop-off point for greyhounds destined for northern California.  Volunteers are needed when the trailer arrives from Tucson, in addition to staffing events and shows.  And of course foster homes, foster homes and more foster homes will enable us to take in and adopt out more dogs. Initially we will be housing up to four foster dogs in our home, but are working on plans for a permanent kennel and office, as well. For further information, call Barbara at 805-797-7706.

Thanks to the Needle Nose Crew volunteers for being so welcoming, and for helping spread the word.

P.S. from your Editor - Two of the first three greys have already been adopted.  And two more greys were flown in from GAL-Tucson via Wings for Greyhounds during the first weekend of May.

CYNICS REVIEW

By Sheila Finch

Those of us who love our greys wish we could rescue every single one of these beautiful dogs, no way to choose between them. Right? So how about a play that makes us choose–not to save but to kill dogs?

Cynics, written and produced by Patrick Day and Ted Williams, and performed at The Cast Theatre in LA's Theatre District, asks us to imagine a race track and puts the fate of eight greyhounds in our hands; one by one we must vote to eliminate them. The dogs (played by actors using only the minimum of props and costumes to make us believe in them) deliver a series of pleas that their lives be spared. That these monologues are funny, and only canine in the very broadest manner, in no way diminishes our sense of what we're being asked to do. And if we're too busy laughing to think deeply, the vision of a whining "dog" being dragged off by "Death" and the sound of a gunshot offstage brings the message starkly home. "I couldn't do it!" you say? The genius of this highly original play is that we are caught up in the dramatic situation and made to face the fact that even we greyhound rescuers are not immune to rationalization. "She's irritating," I found myself thinking, or "He's too manipulative!" And so I voted to eliminate them. At the play's end, I felt sobered and guilty, as if I had been laughing in the wrong places; I knew I had been given a very special experience.

Cynics has to be a labor of love for these actors, many of whom we recognize from movies and TV. There wasn't a bad performance from any of them. As Ebert and Roepper might say, "Two thumbs up!"

LADY VERDA

By Gerry Lawton

Last summer I went to Hemopet with my son while he was going through the process of picking out a greyhound to adopt. While in the large play area with a lot of greys, Verda came over and rested her head on my leg. She didn’t leave me the whole time I was there.

Later I told my husband, Rex, about Verda – what a sweet lady she was. He said, "If you want her, go for it." On our visits to see Verda, Rex always called her Lady, and it really fit.

She is my sweet little Lady - except when she steals Scotty’s toys to tease him!

NAMES

By Rex Lawton

You asked about nicknames for my Grey. I’ll submit some of his, if I may, But these are just a few, Cause every day earns one that’s new.

My Grey’s name is Scotty.

He can find the darnedest spots to potty,

On a walk if I stop too long to talk to you,

This clown will surely pee on my shoe,

So I call him Little Squirt for sure.

To take a nap on our couch, I’ve found

Is time for him to clown around.

He’s found a way to snuggle in and snore.

When he stretches out, I’m on the floor,

So I call him Bouncer, sometimes more.

But what really gets to me,

Is the silly grin of his you see.

For this guy has no class,

When he decides to pass some gas.

I call him Stinker for that offensive blast.

Now don’t get me wrong my friend.

I write this note just to send,

A thought or two on naming your Grey.

But in public, just be careful what you say!

SCARLETT

By Anna Haddock

The house was feeling awfully dog-less months after we lost our first grey, so we headed to Hemopet. We were looking for the opposite of our beloved Outlaw, a big brindle boy. Walking along the kennels, we spotted her… a petite, very shy, fawn girl. She needed to be coaxed from the back of the kennel. Her name was Hip Hop. We knew she was the one, but we weren’t too crazy about her name. My husband wanted to name her Scar, because of the scars on her sides and nose. NO WAY! She was way too feminine to be called that. The family finally decided to call her Cassidy. Hanging around the "Love Shack" two days before bringing her home, it hit! Scarlett!! It fits her perfectly. Five months later, we brought Felix home to join her. He has shown a personality that I would never have thought possible. He makes us laugh every single day. He loves Scarlett – she allows him to worship her. She rules him with an iron paw – and he loves it!

WEDNESDAY WALKS

Remember, the Needle Nose Crew meets every Wednesday during daylight savings time for our walk around the lake.  We meet in the Coco's parking lot at Lake and Barranca in Irvine at 6PM.  We are usually finished with our walk between 7PM to 7:30PM.  You just need to bring your greys and, of course, pick-up bags. See everyone there!

Maggie McCurry & Mark Pettijohn for their loss of Frankie