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VoI 10, issue 1 |
May, 2005 |
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TALK THE BARK ON TALK RADIOBy Monica Monier
What do you get when you cross a greyt lover with a greyt talker? A greyt owner and their beloved grey(s)… And all of us greyt owners know, there is no limit to how long and how frequently we are lured into expounding on the inexhaustible virtues of our beloved greys. So, when “Talk Radio” knocked on my door, I answered. Lured by seductive images of millions of “wanna-be greyt owners” held captive by my every word, fingers scrambling over keyboards to punch out the Needle Nose Crew web-site, lines forming outside every adoption location and screams of “Black is In” echoing throughout every cage, I eagerly awaited the day of the microphone. My preparation leading up to the Greyt day was just as fun as my impending fame and fortune. Did you know that in Ancient Arabian culture, the birth of a litter of greyhounds was considered only slightly less important than the birth of an owner’s own son? Did you know that our beloved greys appear in the works of both Chaucer and Shakespeare? Did you know that General Custer coursed his greyhounds the night before the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876? Did you know that the first US racetrack was in Emeryville, California in 1919? There is such a wonderful story to tell about our beloved greys. We have the single most successful adoption story of our time to tell. In 1989, 38,000 greys were registered race dogs and only 1,500 were adopted. By 2004, 26,000 greys were registered race dogs and 18,000 were adopted. This success story is the result of people, just like us, who tell their friends, who tell their friends, who tell their friends…and so goes the lure of the couch potato. And when we can’t stop at one…we become a greyt lover and a greyt talker. And our story is not over. Each year we still need homes for approximately 20,000 greys looking for a couch. And we still uncover unscrupulous owners or breeders who treat life and death equally. In 2001, an Iowa breeder was charged with collecting 350 greys for “adoption” but then sold them to medical research labs. In 2002, they charged a kennel owner with over breeding to try and create the “superdog”, having put to death thousands of greyhounds over a decade with a single shot to the head. But luckily, good outweighs the bad and the number of the abused and the abusers are dwindling. Our tail is not sad…it is wagging and full of life. It is a tail that needs to be wagged louder and longer and with all the compassion we have for our “potato chips.” It is a tail that people want to hear. They are fascinated by our dogs who, pound for pound, are 10 times faster than a thoroughbred racehorse. They marvel at the athleticism that the racing industry spends millions to perfect. A greyhound is truly a “flying dog” as they are in the air 75% of the time in a full run. And they become the wings beneath many of our feet when we welcome them into our homes.So, if “Talk Radio” or Oprah or anyone who has access to the airwaves knocks on your door…Answer It (or call Carole)! I can’t promise fame and fortune (I’m still waiting to put down my poop bags to pick up a pen for an eagerly awaited autograph and paw print), but I can promise that it is fun, gratifying and well worth it. For even if just one greyhound benefits from our talks, that has made all the difference to that lucky one. |
Note from your Editor...I asked Monica where she got her statistics... Some of the sources I used were: Greyhound Racing Assoc of America, American Greyhound Council, Greyhound Network News, Greyhound Race Tracks and Handicapping Data, Greyhound Racing Sucks, and MSN newsclips that covered the arrests of some abusive kennel owners. What I was trying to accomplish was to research facts from an "unbiased" perspective. Each site is clearly "for" or "against" racing, but by comparing data, I used the data that remained consistent on both the pro and anti web-sites. LICORICE vs PREDNISONEBy Linda Brown Licorice is a greyt herb for so many reasons. First, Licorice can be taken long term with no toxic side effects. This herb stimulates the body's production of cortisone and aldosterone, thus making it the perfect natural alternative to prednisone. Licorice's main ingredient is glycyrrhizin, an anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anti-allergic property. This makes Licorice good for controlling allergies, mild respiratory problems, and mild to moderate arthritis. Standardized dosage (referenced on the bottle) is safe for your hound as well as yourself. Give the herb 3 to 4 days to get in the system before expecting results. Caution: Licorice will increase blood pressure so if you have UNTREATED high blood pressure, do not take this herb. Licorice in HIGH DOSES (which you will not be doing anyway) will sap your body of potassium and that can be dangerous. Stay with the designated dosage. The National Cancer Institute is investigating triterpenoids, compounds found in the licorice root, for their ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. I will update this investigation as I get the information. Remember, herbs should never be substituted for a veterinarians' prescribed medication(s) for serious diseases. Western medicine is derived from herbs and formulated for treating resistant and serious maladies. However, herbs are absolutely priceless for preventing and treating mild to moderate disorders. Additionally, there are some of you that have had great success in using herbs to treat your pets' osteoscarcoma rather than exposing them to chemotherapy. That is for another article. Feel free to e-mail me at greyspirit@earthlink.net with any questions, concerns or results (positive or negative) or call me at 719-845-0578 anytime.
Carlos & Drifter A CALL FOR ASSISTANCE Those of us who keep the Needle Nose Crew up and running are truly blessed with a wonderful group of volunteers. With very few exceptions, we have folks who help with our shows, contribute articles to our newsletter, offer services for our needs and support our efforts with financial donations. Our costs are limited to our literature, the occasional announcement flyer, show booth fees, and our newsletter. With the donations we receive and the greyhound items sold, we have been very fortunate to be very self sufficient. Come join our Wednesday night Walk Around the Lake. We meet at Lake and Barranca in the Coco's parking lot in Irvine at 6PM. Our walk takes about an hour. Everyone is welcome.
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Our greatest expense is, of course, our newsletter. With the increase in expenses over the last year, we find ourselves in an awkward position. For only the second time in our 10-1/2 years we must ask for your monetary help. With each household’s newsletter costing approximately $4.00 each year, and with over 900 addresses on our mailing list, we must cover about $3,500.00 worth of expenses in order to bring you the Needle Nose Notes. Please consider making a nominal donation to the Needle Nose Crew to help us continue our promotion efforts and to provide you with a newsletter that keeps you in touch with our greyhound world. We thank all of you for your support and truly hope that it will be at least another six years before we find ourselves asking for financial assistance. THE SWIMMING PARTY By Kindra Willey John and I were asked to consider adopting Georgie, a high-energy white and brindle boy. So we put Molly (the family Princess from Retired Racers) in the car and went to Irvine to meet Georgie at his Southern California Greyhound Adoption League foster home. Of course, he was loaded into the car to travel back down to his new home with us. On our way, we were dropping off a new foster to Denaire and Vic Walker, and they invited us to sit on the patio with them while the dogs stretched their legs. The next thing we knew, Georgie took a flying leap into the swimming pool! He was doing pretty well, swimming gamely to the shallow end as we called him, when Molly jumped in. We still don’t know if Molly thought Georgie was getting too much attention or if it just looked like fun, but once she got in the pool, it wasn’t fun any more. Her swimming skills weren’t on Georgie’s level, and she was floundering. Being an over-protective mom, I didn’t wait to see if she would catch on; instead, I went, clothes and all, into the pool after her. (I still maintain that I saved her life while everyone else was standing on the side laughing.) After we got both dogs (and me) out of the pool and the laughter died to a few guffaws, Denaire went into the house. As she came back out, walking toward me saying, “Here’s a towel,” John took it out of her hand with a “thank you,” and proceeded to dry Molly off! When I objected, standing there in still dripping shorts and shirt, he continued toweling Molly off, saying “But she’s wet. You’ll dry okay, but she might catch cold.” And he thinks I’m over-protective!!
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Submit an article for publication. Send your story and pictures to: Editor, Needle Nose Notes 4857 Royce Road, Irvine, CA 92612 or, e-mail to: |
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Contributions and donations are always welcome. Please send to: Needle Nose Crew P.O. Box 3012, Laguna Hills, CA 92654-3012 for more information e-mail to:
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