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We had 6 adoptions in October and
brought in 7 dogs to enter the TGIE program from Birmingham, Alabama as well as 3 lurchers.
This makes our year-to-date totals 93 brought into AG, 13 hauled for other groups, and 102 adoptions.
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Amendment 13 in Florida
As many of you are probably aware by now, the voters in Florida this week passed an amendment to their constitution prohibiting wagering live greyhound in their state racing by the end of 2020. There are currently 11 active tracks running live greyhound races in Florida, more tracks than all the other states combined (2 in West Virginia and 1 each in Texas, Iowa, Arkansas, and Alabama).
The numbers of dogs affected by these closings are currently hard to determine. We are seeing reports of 8,000 dogs currently at the race tracks with another 7,000 dogs at the breeding farms and in training. These numbers would seem to be relatively accurate, but there is currently no timeline for track closures that we have been made aware of. And, with the decision at the polls still sinking in, it may be a week or two before we start to see any solid information.
What we do know at this time is that there will be a massive flow of dogs out of Florida in the next two years and we will need all hands on deck to make sure there is room at the inn for each and every dog.
Or, maybe you've been thinking about adding a new hound to your household. Again, there's no better time than the present. Just fill out and submit the Adoption Application at
https://www.americangreyhound.org/adoption-application/ You'll hear from our adoption Coordinators shortly.
Or, maybe you haven't the room for another dog (I know people like that) but you'd still like to help. We can use all the volunteers we can get our hands on. Give us a shout out by submitting a contact at
https://www.americangreyhound.org/contact-us/ Mention your interest in volunteering you'll hear back shortly.
And, of course, moving these numbers of dogs and preparing them for adoption requires a lot of the green stuff. Each and every dog we find a home for costs us almost $400, above the adoption fee, to make them medically fit to go into a new adoptive home. With the thousands of dogs in need of help, there's no telling how many of these displaced creatures will find their home through American Greyhound, but we know we must be prepared, financially, to provide the proper care for each one of them. To help us assure those needs will be met, help us out with a tax-deductible donation at
https://www.americangreyhound.org/donate/ Your generosity will assure a wonderful retirement for a deserving pup.
Please watch our website, Facebook page and further emails as we'll pass the information along as it becomes available.
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Was Your Pup Trained By TGIE?
For the past 7 years, American Greyhound has been partnering with The Greyhound Inmate Experience, TGIE, to help prepare our dogs for retirement. Likewise, those same dogs which receive such wonderful care and training return the favor by providing a much needed ray of sunshine in the lives of their handlers. It is a program that has proven to be win-win for all parties, not just the greyhounds.
Every 10 weeks a new class of hounds enters the prison. But, with the arrival of the new class comes the bittersweet realization that the dog they've loved, cared for, cleaned up after, trained, and then loved some more, will be leaving them, and most likely there is little chance that they'll ever see that dog again. And, while the new arrivals help soften the blow, a little part of each dog remains with each inmate-handler forever.
For those of you who have adopted one of these wonderful dogs, there is a way you can help that handler through the loss of his dog. You can provide feedback to Gaye Ann Weaver, who with her husband Ron, run the TGIE program. Nothing brightens the day of the handlers more than hearing the good news that the dog they trained is doing well and is loved by their adoptive family.
We've not done as good a job passing along this information as we should have and have certainly disappointed some of the guys hoping for a letter about their dog.
Provide your feedback to Gaye Ann at
tgie@adoptagreyhound.org They love to hear a description of how your pup is doing, how they are loved by your family and how happy you are to have them be a part of your family. You can also include photos (but be cautious to avoid any face shots of anyone in the shots and this sort of thing is not allowed in the prison).
Gaye will print your letter and photos and deliver them to the program the next time she is there. And, you're likely to get a response from the handler who trained your pup as well, (there is a very low turnover in the program and there is a good chance that the handler who trained your pup is still involved with the program).
If you've adopted a TGIE pup I sure hope you'll take the time to send a photo and a note letting them know how they're doing. I know that I have been delinquent in sending them anything about my girl Mabel, but I'm going to do it tonight!
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Beyond the Racetrack
In addition to racing greyhounds, American Greyhound opens our foster homes to "the underdogs" of racing. These dogs are often referred to as lurchers. Lurchers are the offspring of a sight hound mixed with a scent hound, terrier, or herding breed. They are primarily hunting dogs and are also used in field trials that can include treeing and even swimming. Once hunting season is over or the lurchers have finished their careers due to injury, age, or any other reason, the lurchers find themselves needing adoption groups to step in with the help of the American Lurcher Project. It's becoming that time of year that many lurchers are finding themselves in need of a place to go. American Greyhound takes great pride in expanding our scope beyond that of the traditional race track and welcoming lurchers into our organization with open arms. This month, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the lurchers that are currently up for adoption and will be posted on our website soon. Two of the hounds (noted with the hearts) are heartworm positive and will need extensive treatment before they are available for adoption. The three girls Mitzi is the mother to Mindy and Mae. We feel honored to be able to help this sweet mama hound and her pups! If you'd like more information about lurchers or would like more information about opening your home to foster or adopt one, contact me at
foster@americangreyhound.org or 219-395-4432.
Nicole Graves
Foster Coordinator
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Calling All Polar Bears
Oh my gourd! It's almost Thanksgiving and American Greyhound needs you to sign up to take its 12th Annual Polar Bear Plunge. 100% of every dollar raised goes directly to helping American Greyhound
help greyhounds find their forever homes. YOU can make a HUGE difference to these noble hounds by clicking here to register for this year's plunge! If you don't, you might find yourself stuck at the kiddie table!
Our annual plunge will feature three divisions of plungers:
- Polar Bears: This is the traditional division in which a plunger head is entirely submersed in the icy cold water of Lake Michigan.
- Penguins: This division will showcase the plunging talents of our volunteers who want to participate but can't quite make themselves go all the way under.
- Warm Walruses: This division will feature our virtual plungers who would rather plunge into their warm wooly blankets.
Participants who raise at least $25 in donations from friends, family and co-workers get the privilege of receiving a commemorative Polar Plunge long sleeve t-shirt and entrance into our fabulous After Splash Bash, plus the chance to win additional prizes.
Click here
to register and we'll see you at North Avenue Beach on New Year's Day 2019!
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Greyt Readers
Champaign Greyt Readers is off to an amazing start this fall! The Champaign Public Library is very supportive and sets up the room with tables filled with dog-themed books for the children to read. In its first month, 86 patrons visited during the event! If you live in the Champaign/Urbana area, we hope you can join us for the November event! For more information, please contact Sarah Laufenberg at
sarah@americangreyhound.org
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