wag tales - We Adopt Greyhounds, Inc.
Transcription
wag tales - We Adopt Greyhounds, Inc.
WE ADOPT GREYHOUNDS, INC A Non-Profit Greyhound Adoption Group Established September 1992 WAG TALES Winter 2014/2015 In This Issue Happy Holidays from WAG ……………1 Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year from We Adopt Greyhounds!! 2014 Games and Gathering …………...1 Prison Program Updates ……………….2 Prison Program Lecture Series ……...3 Greyhound “Tails” …………………………5 Saying Goodbye to Paul Botticello ….8 WAG Upcoming Events …………….......9 Ways to Help ………………………………..9 Adopt Me! …………………………………..10 2015 Membership Form ……………...15 Renew your membership here: Membership Form Donate via Paypal here: Donate to WAG Contact Us Address: P. O. Box 1114 Glastonbury, CT 06033 Phone: 860-845-7196 For questions or a copy of the BOD meeting minutes please email: [email protected] Find us online: WeAdoptGreyhounds.org Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/WeAdoptGreyhounds 2014 Games and Gathering & Chili Cook –Off Thank you everyone who came or contributed in any way to this year’s Games and Gathering! Together we raised over $3,000 making this year our most successful gathering to date! On September 13th, WAG friends, families, and hounds braved the clouds and the rain to come together for our annual fundraiser and reunion at Northwest Park. Of course no Gathering would be complete without the “Hound Games” with favorites like the “Baldest Butt” or the “Hot Dog Eating Contest”. The pups enjoyed being the center of attention – and of course the prize bones and hot dogs! WAG TALES Different this year was the addition of a Chili CookOff featuring more than a dozen different entries – complete with all the mix-ins and cornbread you could ask for! And who could forget about all of the delicious desserts that were donated as well! Thank you to all of our vendors who were able to join us as well – Classy Couch Potatoes, Grammies Jammies, Cindy's Comfort Blankets Linda and Ron Evans, Greyhound Glass, Baker's Dozen Treats, and David Tuskowski – we couldn’t have done it without you! Save the Date!! We will be holding this year’s Games and Gathering on September 12, 2015 We hope to see you all there! If you’d like to volunteer or participate as a vendor, please email [email protected] Raffle Baskets and Silent Auction Items are needed. Start thinking of a fun item or basket you can donate. It doesn't have to be dog related. For 2015 we will also be adding to our Chili cook off with a potential dessert and dog biscuit cook-offs are on the list so far. Do you know a few restaurants that would like the challenge of competing against each other by donating their time or food? Connecticut Prison Program – Graduation and New Class On December 20th, WAG volunteers and members of the Corrigan-Radgowski Prison Program attended the graduation of the 6th class of greyhounds who have come through the CT Prison Program. Jasmine, Zoe, Dash, and Brady showed everyone how much they h ad learned in the 10 weeks they had spent with the handlers. Extra special was Brady’s return for graduation as he had left the program early due to an illness. Even with the time away, Brady performed his commands with handler Geno flawlessly. The handlers all took a few minutes to speak about their experiences and their thoughts on the program and what they’ve learned through time. Below is handler Geno’s speech. As I reflect on my time in this program, I feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment in the job we have done as trainers. WE were going over all the dogs the other day, talking about where they are and how they are doing. We realized out of 26 hounds that came through these gates, all but a special few have found their forever homes. They all leave special memories behind we can laugh and talk about forever. The same way these hounds find a way home, us trainers are looking for our way home too. We leave the same memories behind, good memories of good times and good deeds. I guess what I am trying to say is even though this is just a place where we both are just trying to find our way home, this WAG program is a room where these hounds and these men come together -both searching for the same thing. And together they bond and learn and find their way home. I hope these dogs can see, as I do amongst my peers, that they help us just as much as we help them. Everyone that is part of this 2|Page WAG TALES WAG program should be proud of this bridge they’ve build -- a bridge for man and hound to find their way home together. Thank you all. After some coffee and cake we all said our goodbyes and the pups left for their new lives as couch potatoes! On January 24th we welcomed four more beautiful greyhounds. RWC Little LuLu -- Sophia RWC Little Big Man -- Bud RWC Fabulous -- Daisy RWC Wannabereal -- Amber As part of the ongoing education for the handlers and the volunteers, Johanna Lewis, Operations Director for WAG and overseer for the CT Prison Program, has expanded the program to also feature a series of Guest Speakers. …our program has evolved to be even better than we had hoped. We have given the inmate handlers the tools they need to train, and they have done a fantastic job. Because they are so advanced and I have taught them as much as I can, I wanted to bring in guest lecturers to provide enrichment for the handlers. For the incoming class, Johanna coordinated a very important guest speaker for our handlers and volunteers: Dr. Stephanie Borns-Weil of the Tufts University Animal Behavior Clinic and one of her students will be touring our program and lecturing our inmate handlers on Saturday, February 7th. Dr. Stephanie is one of the foremost authorities on dog behavior in the WORLD. Linda Anthes, volunteer and WAG board member provided wonderful and detailed recaps following many of the lectures. We’d like to share what we learned with the WAG family. December 6th – Fred Fulchino – Greyhound breeding, racing, the hall-of-fame, hauling For more information on the CT Prison program, please reach out to [email protected] Connecticut Prison Program – Lecture Series The Connecticut Prison Greyhound Program warmly welcomed Fred Fulchino, Vice President of the National Greyhound Association. The exclusive interview was with our very own Connecticut owner of EA's Itzaboy who was inducted into the Greyhound Hall of Fame this past October. Freddy was the highlight of the morning as he mingled with the handlers out in the play-yard and settled down with us for a long winter's chat about greyhound racing. If you 3|Page WAG TALES don't know about Freddy in the racing circuit, then 'you're not anyone who knows about greyhound racing'. A very prepared set of questions from Kareem kept all of us so very interested. From the life of a greyhound on a 'farm' to Freddy's thoughts on greyhound racing and gambling, his life experiences as a 'leadout' and now 'farmer', his views on the future of greyhound racing and the breed itself..... we wished we had more time to talk with him. Freddy explained in detail how a day at the races goes for the hounds, did a live demonstration of how a trainer can assess a hound's fitness-forracing, talked about next-day-after-the-race rest and recovery, and being your own unofficial Veterinarian. We talked about NGA Auctions and the best racetracks. And, the role that the NGA plays. a few of which are: keeping racetracks true to the industry standards, reviewing complaints against trainers, watching state legislation regarding greyhound racing, and discussing the role of the NGA to individuals and groups. November 23rd – Stoddard Melhado and Donna Nelson-Duey – International Rescue The Connecticut Prison Greyhound Program welcomed two very special guest speakers, Stoddard Melhado of Greyhound Friends and Donna Nelson-Duey who is involved in international greyhound rescue visited. Greyhound Friends is a non-profit rescue organization based in Hopkinton, MA and has its own on-site kennel. (www.greyhound.org). Stoddard and Donna explained that they are both involved in international educational conferences which are organized by Greyhound Friends. Donna's adopted greyhound, Domino, came to visit too he was rescued in Ireland. Donna travels several times a year to Ireland as part of her job and has the opportunity to speak and work with the public about the humane treatment of greyhounds, starting rescue groups, and greyhound adoption. In Ireland, greyhounds are used as both racing and hunting dogs and are often seen being walked on the streets with their muzzles on. So, they are assumed to be vicious dogs and are abandoned or destroyed once their racing/hunting career is over. Ireland is also a large exporter of greyhounds to Spain. The Spaniards also use their own Galgos, 'Spanish Greyhounds', for hunting and I'm sure you've heard of their tragic end when the hunting season is over. Argentina is another greyhound hunting county and the international conferences help to try to better the plight of the dogs here. Scandinavia and Italy are more in-tune with greyhound rescue and greyhounds as pets. As an interesting aside, Donna pointed out that the greyhounds do look slightly different in each country and pointed to Domino's not-as-longnose as an example. A very interesting lecture for the handlers and visiting volunteers. August 8th – Mike McCann – The Greyhound Project and the Greyhound Amber Alert On Thursday, we welcomed Mike McCann, founder of the nationwide Greyhound Project, as our guest speaker. But, before it was classroom time, the handlers brought the hounds out to the play yard to show Mike the skills they and the new hounds are excelling at in just a few weeks of time. Mike was extremely impressed with what he saw and thanked the handlers profusely. Back in the classroom he told us that the greyhound is one of the most difficult dogs to train because of their instinct to chase/hunt down game. It's in their genes. 'Recall' is the most important skill that you need to master and apply when a dog has bolted out of your door and become lost. Then we learned about Mike and the Greyhound Project as well as the Amber Alert. 4|Page WAG TALES Mike told us about the trials and tribulations of his first greyhound (a hoot!) and how he soon realized the need for spreading information to the public about greyhound adoption. That was how the Greyhound Project, a volunteer organization, was born. Most interesting was Mike's mention that the Greyhound Project promotes greyhound adoption with posters at major airports and designates the month of April as 'Adopt A Greyhound' month. Did you know that a white greyhound puppy which Johanna once had was a Greyhound Project poster dog at airports? It's true. The Amber Alert? It's a way to communicate to others via flyers, the internet, etc. that your hound is lost. Mike is the expert on finding lost greyhounds and spoke about his past and upcoming travels to catch lost hounds. We learned about all the things you need to do and don't do when trying to catch a lost hound, and about Mike's almost-sure-fire methods that only professionals should attempt and why. What an interesting educational morning. Also, one of Fred Fulchino's mama hounds is expecting a litter of puppies any day now and he has asked the handlers to give them names. An honor, indeed. August 1st - Dr Anna Wolfe – Veterinary and Chiropractic Information It was a 'day-in-Vet-school' for the handlers and volunteers on Thursday with a mini-lecture by Dr. Anna Wolfe who volunteers her Veterinary skills and time for WAG. Should I say 'full 1 1/2 hour lecture, demonstration, and Q & A with note taking'? You bet. Dr. Anna, who is certified in animal chiropractic, came to visit us wearing her Vet scrubs and toting along her canine skeleton and tools of the trade. So, it was down to business as she explained what animal chiropractic is, the importance of a healthy nervous system, the spine, and some anatomy. And, that limited or abnormal movement of the joints of the spine affect the nervous system. A gentle quick 'push' to the out-of-alignment area can restore normal movement. The nervous system then benefits so much that the body can work at performing at its best. A hip higher than the other, neck bent predominately downward or upward, awkward gait, or even incorrect bending of the wrist could indicate that an animal could benefit from an 'adjustment'. Dr. Anna evaluated Holyfield by watching, touching, and bending his body. Using the canine skeleton, she showed us where she was in Holyfield's evaluation and where he would be adjusted if he had something misaligned. There weren't any actual adjustments made to Holyfield, though, he was simply the demo dog. Guess what? Dr. Anna's examination uncovered that Holyfield has impaired eyesight. We don't know how much but it may be the cause of his growling at people and most likely why he bumps into things. We'll take a further look at his situation and let you know about different techniques for working with him. The buzz around town is that the handlers and volunteers want more guest speakers. And, please have the recent ones return to tell us more! Let's do the chant.... Johanna and more guest speakers, Johanna and more guest speakers. Greyhound “Tails” We love hearing from our friends and families! Do you have a funny story or pictures to share? Or do you have update on your hound(s)? We’d love to feature your stories, funny pictures, or tributes in our newsletter! Please reach out to [email protected] with your stories and pictures. 5|Page WAG TALES Stream Dear WAG: I just wanted to send you guys some pictures so you can see how well Stream is doing. She's turned into quite the silly girl in the past few months. She loves to roll around in the grass and "going swimming" in the lake aka walking in the water and drinking as much of it as possible. She's encountered swans, geese, and even turtles in the backyard. I am so happy that I was matched with her and I couldn't be more grateful that you guys brought her into my life. She is such a blessing and I live for those tail wags when I come home from work. One of these days I will be able to make it to the hound walks so you can see how well she is doing! Thank you so much! Submitted by Kimberly Dout Candy Corn She is getting along with the cat perfectly. The cat has no interest in playing with her (much to Stream's chagrin), but they happily lounge around together at night. Stream also loves to carry her stuffed animals around and toss them in the air! Candy Corn joined our family 2 weeks ago and already has everyone wrapped around her paw. At 4 months old, she's making friends wherever 6|Page WAG TALES we go. "I've never seen a greyhound puppy before!" Seniors Rocky, Vinny, and Mona tolerate her tigger bouncing remarkably well. And of course our skin kids Joey, Jake and John can't get enough of her (as long as they can steer clear of that mouthful of razor sharp teeth!) Submitted by Laura Brady Laura participated and won an auction WAG held to name Candy Corn. Laura also then adopted the adorable puppy! Jumbo I walk my 3 dogs daily—Jumbo (greyhound) and 2 jack Russell terriers. I thought I had a good grip on the leashes but….a rabbit suddenly raced across my yard. Rus, my male jack, pulled the leash from my grip and took off after the rabbit. Jumbo DID NOT even pull on the leash as a rabbit and a jack Russell raced down the street! I guess Jumbo feels his rabbit chasing days are over! LOL p.s. my jack Russell returned about 45 minutes later when he was good and ready! Submitted by Kandy Howland Thankfully, in between bouts of manic play, she shows her true colors as a greyhound and curls up next to us for long, leisurely naps! We love our sweet Candy. Thanks, WAG, for helping to bring her into our lives. 7|Page WAG TALES Saying Goodbye to a WAG Friend – Paul Botticello 1917-2014 By Stephanie Brandon and Bea Maslowski Paul Botticello was WAG’s first kennel manager. His principles about dogs, life and the human heart were influential in WAG’s original vision. “God damned dogs!” Paul would yell down the cellar stairs at the wailing greyhounds in his basement, but like those gentle creatures in his care, Paul Botticello, first generation Italian American, was all bark and no bite. Bea and I met Paul in ’87 when we got our first greyhounds. Over the next 24 years we came to know Paul very well as frequent assistants at early turn-out on Saturday. Paul could be abrupt and was a man of few words, but he always told the truth or said nothing. “What about that dog in the end crate?” Paul: “Oh he’s a crate wetter; I’m trying to work on him before I send him to a home. I think it’s ‘cause that dog in the next crate is always lifting his leg at the one in the corner.” He knew each dog as an individual: this one gets an extra scoop—he’s too thin; no not that much for him— he’s put on weight since he’s been here. Another one he’d recall needed heartworm meds that day. And they were pretty much all his to Paul, even the bitches. Occasionally, though, he’d point down and say, “This one’s a little sweetie, she’ll go quick.” The little females who did engage him and whom he called “she” had a special place for their crates near the stairs where it was extra warm. One day over coffee Paul said, “Thank god for them dogs; if I didn’t have ‘em, I might not get up in the morning.” Winter, summer, spring and fall, Paul turned those dogs out, fed them and cleaned up after them – by himself. Paul also played favorites among the dogs, though he’d never admit it. Take Spot who, according to Paul, was his granddaughter Eri’s dog. Right. Paul asked Eri to name him and he became the kennel king Spot. I can say it now. Spot was the ugliest greyhound I’ve ever seen, well I guess he was cute in his own way and was certainly good natured, but he was an incurable crate wetter. Spot was soon the spoiled dog Paul always warned against when he told us, “They’ll take advantage of you if you let them.” Spot never got over crate wetting, so Paul cut a hole through the basement wall, hung a couple of blankets over it and Spot had his own doggiedoor. Within a year, Spot grew so chubby that he resembled the sleek, narrow cut of the greyhound not at all. Spot also had free run of the kennel after feeding and turn out. No, Spot was never spoiled. Paul may not have gone to college, but his instincts were extremely sharp and discerning. He taught Bea and me about the earth and nature. There were, of course, the dogs, but there were also the garden and his brother’s farm. Paul told us that he began the garden behind the kennels to fight odors, but that was merely a ruse. What he really wanted to do was teach young Eri how things grow: sunflowers, peppers, and, of course, tomatoes. His brother owns a big farm, a business, with two stands, one in Manchester near the community college. How Paul loved to work the fields, picking tomatoes. His brother found cherry tomatoes inefficient to grow—too labor intensive to pick. Paul picked them, though. Paul wasted nothing. Paul’s labors were invariably gifts for others. In summer and fall, no one left their home without a bag of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions. He loved produce so much that for a time, he even had a small stand in his front yard. After a rainy summer week, Evelyn would say, “He’s driving me crazy; he hasn’t been to the farm for days. He’ll be better when he gets pickin’ again.” Paul was as clear about and in tune with the land and its 8|Page WAG TALES creatures as any man can be. He was intuitive, not a trait everyone saw in him; and gentle, another quality he sometimes hid. The word “hero” is badly abused these days. Everyone’s a hero on the nightly news: one or two a day. Paul was not famous or infamous. He belonged to a large family and possessed many “dog” friends. Bea and I considered ourselves among his closest “dog” friends. For us he was a hero, not on the battle field, though he acquitted himself nicely in WWII, not on the police or fire squad. Paul was, however, a man who stood up proudly to whatever life tossed at him, often quietly saying, “It don’t matter. It’ll be ok.” Paul was very OK. Events Calendar May 30, 2015 -- WAG Tag Sale, Bristol, CT Ways to Help! If you are someone who loves event planning and fund raising, we need you! Also, as an all-volunteer organization, we are always looking for volunteers! If you’d like to participate in any of our events or meet & greets, we’d love to have you! Are you a vendor that would like to be a part of our gatherings and other events? Please send us an email with information about your business! Do you have any ideas for silent auction items or raffle items? Would you like to contribute on to our events? Please reach out to us at [email protected]. Themed Monthly Hound Walks February 15, 2015 -- ‘Be My Valentine’: Main Street, Glastonbury, CT – 1:30 – 3:00 PM March 15, 2015 -- ‘Everyone Is Irish’: MDC; West Hartford, CT April 2015 -- ‘April Showers Bring May Flowers’: Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, Southington, CT May 2015 -- Sunday Afternoon At The Movies’: MDC, West Hartford, CT WAG Events March 22, 2015 - Radio 104.1 Chase Away Hunger & Pet Adoption Fair, Jorgensen Center For The Prfming Arts, Storrs, CT May 2, 2015 -- Paws In The Park, South Windsor, CT May 2015 -- Deming-Young Farm Foundation Tag Sale/WAG M&G, Newington, CT We are always looking for coats, beds, and other dog supplies for our fosters and for the dogs in our prison program. If you have any supplies you no longer need, please consider a donation to WAG. We also are looking for non-animal donations (furniture, household items, etc) to be used in our TAG sales. Monetary donations in any amount are always welcome, needed and appreciated, and there are several different ways to contribute. We are happy to accept cash, checks, and credit card gifts in person or by mail. We have set up a PayPal button at our website www.weadoptgreyhounds.org should you be more comfortable contributing that way. If you are doing estate planning, please consider naming We Adopt Greyhounds, Inc as a beneficiary of your will or trust. In recent years, a substantial part of our funding has come from estates. Because of this, we have been able to help many older, special need, or injured dogs as well as start our Connecticut Prison Program. Do you use eBay? You can help our group just by using Ebay! Here’s how: 9|Page WAG TALES Sell your unwanted items on eBay and donate 10-100% of the final sale price to WAG. You’ll get a tax deduction and a credit on your basic eBay selling fees and we will get a donation. Buy items listed on eBay to benefit WAG. Give at checkout, too. Each eBay user can customize the organizations that appear to them in Give At Checkout. Users can create a list of nonprofits they care about through the "My Favorite Nonprofit" feature. Those nonprofits will then be featured at checkout instead of ones that eBay selects. Each buyer will have the opportunity to add a $1 donation (or more) to their favorite nonprofit from this list whenever they shop. Get started today by visiting our dedicated page on http://givingworks.ebay.com/charityauctions/charity/we-adopt-greyhounds-inc/22973 Adopt Me! Bo-Peep Racing name: RWC Littlebopeep DOB: Nov. 2, 2012 Age: 2 Sex: Female Alexis Little Joe Racing name: RWC Little Joe DOB: Nov. 2, 2012 Age: 2 Sex: Male Racing name: None DOB: Jul. 8, 2013 Age: 1 Sex: Female. 10 | P a g e WAG TALES Ian by love and affection then food. She does have an eagerness to make her human happy . Her tail is always wagging. She will be an amazing addition to any fun loving home. Daisy Racing name: Flat Out Ian DOB: Dec. 21, 2010 Age: 4 Sex: Male Cats: No Small dogs: No Kids: Yes Just celebrated his 4th birthday. He is a little guy, just 60 pounds, who loves to be petted Zoe Racing name: RWC Fabulous DOB: May 20, 2012 Age: 2 Sex: Female Cats: Yes Small dogs: Yes Kids: Yes Fabulous is littermate to Brady (Flawless). This little girl’s tail never stops wagging and she gives kisses. She is very laid back at only 2 years old, good with cats and small dogs. Racing name: Chorine DOB: Jan. 21, 2011 Age: 3 Sex: Female Cats: No Small dogs: No Kids: Yes Zoe is a beautiful 3 year old brindle. She loves attention and loves to be pet. Seems to have a playful energy about her. She is more motivated 11 | P a g e WAG TALES Flash Racing name: CG’s Blow Torch DOB: Jun 25, 2011 Age: 3 Sex: Male Cats: No Small dogs: No Kids: Yes He’s a very friendly, velcro pup! Anywhere I go he is like my shadow.. Very lovable and gives me an awesome greeting when we wake up in the morning. House broken and has mastered the stairs. A little crazy about toys and tears them to shreds, so not too much except the indestructible bones. Also likes to fetch! Slick He’s on the right. Racing name: CTW LickitySplit DOB: Jun. 8, 2012 Age: 2 Sex: Male Slick is a sweet 2 year old boy who is very low key for his age. He gets along very well with the other greyhounds in his home. He is housebroken and has great leash manners. If you talk to him in a puppy voice, he wags his tail. Slick loves to go for walks, but prefers to go in the company of another greyhound. If you are looking to add to your greyhound family, he is your guy. He is not cat friendly. Design Good on leash but still has a great prey drive. Please consider this boy for your home, you won’t be disappointed! Racing name: Miss Design DOB: July 7, 2007 12 | P a g e WAG TALES Age: 7 Sex: Female Cats: no Small dogs: Yes Kids: Yes Leo Kids: Yes Linus is a gorgeous black boy who is a graduate of our prison program. If you want an active dog who loves to play and jog with you, he is your man. He gets along well with other dogs of his size, but does show interest in small dogs and cats. He has a huge repertoire of commands and tricks that he will perform with great enthusiasm. He speaks (from whisper to bark), prays, plays dead, shakes, high fives and many more. He has had beginning agility training, and would excel at agility or flyball. He would be fine in a home with older children, but is a little too exuberant for small kids Flyer Racing name: UMR Nosey Bill DOB: Jun. 25 2012 Age: 2 Sex: Male Cats: No Small dogs: No Kids: No Leo has to be an only dog. Linus Racing name:Cowboy Tradition DOB: Apr. 10 2011 Age: 3 Sex: Male Cats: No Small dogs: No Racing name: RWC High Flyer DOB: Feb. 16, 2012 Age: 2 Sex: Male Cats: Yes Small dogs: Yes Kids: Yes 13 | P a g e WAG TALES Flyer is such a wonderful dog. Although he is special needs due to his occasional seizures, he’s currently on medications and doing great! Luckily, this does not at all deter him from being the 2 year old pup that he is! He’s slowly learning it’s ok to play and run around with his foster sister. Highly treat motivated, he is attempting to learn what “wait” means (though he doesn’t like to do it, haha!). Flyer is small dog and cat friendly, though he still does like tormenting the kitty in the house! (it may or may not be all his fault though since the kitty brings it on herself really…) Flyer also does great with his greyhound foster sister. They even sleep together on the same bed! Flyer is the sweetest boy and with his adorable brown eyes Indy Racing name: Hallo Sweet Indy DOB: Mar. 1, 2012 Age: 2 Sex: Male Cats: Yes Soft and so puppy-like! Really adorable Racing name: DKC What DOB: Feb 2013 Age: 1 Sex: Male Cats: Yes Small dogs: Yes Kids: No Holyfield. Is a one year old special needs boy. He had an accident as a puppy, which left him with one ear and blind in one eye, but that just adds to his charming good looks. He is a very smart enthusiastic boy who learns very quickly; he knows sit, down, stay, wait and how to play dead. He loves car rides and walks, has great leash manners and is housebroken. Holyfield needs to go to a home with a woman or women only. When he meets men in a social situation such as meet and greets or on walks, he is fine, but in a home situation he becomes protective of the women. He is cat and small dog friendly. Everyone who meets him immediately falls in love Holyfield (Hogan) 14 | P a g e WAG TALES 2015 Membership Form You can also pay online via Paypal here 15 | P a g e