Dear Greyhound Friends,

“Greyhound people are the best!”  We hear this all the time.  It’s true, of course, and GFNJ members surpass “the best.”  In addition to welcoming more than 260 greyhounds into their homes each year, GFNJ adopters are charitable with their time, their love, and their financial support.  Nearly 30 years of commitment has placed GFNJ in the awe-inspiring position of being one of the most successful adoption organizations on the east coast.  This achievement is both humbling and inspiring, and brings with it special responsibilities which allows us the ability to reach out. At this year’s Annual Meeting on March 23^rd, the GFNJ Board of Trustees voted unanimously to amend the by-laws to allow us to offer occasional aid to other greyhound groups around the globe and take the opportunity to help a few special non-greyhounds in need of immediate aid. 

As the Board continues its enduring and principal commitment to greyhounds throughout the United States, we are delighted that our success has allowed us to reach out to new avenues of commitment and the ability to help others.  We made our first donation of $10,000 in September 2013 to the Sunburst Kennel in Pensacola, Florida.  The Sunburst Project is a joint effort with the Greyhound Alliance and GPA Emerald Coast to house as many greyhounds as possible from Florida tracks before their transport to adoption groups, such as GFNJ.  The Sunburst Kennel is the primary source of our greyhounds and we felt a responsibility to help to support the greyhounds waiting in this holding kennel. The Director of The Greyhound Alliance has since sent us a letter stating “…in helping us work in harmony with all adoption groups to achieve our common goal of helping these wonderful animals…”  That sums up our sentiments and we are happy that we are able to help on the home front.

In the spirit of helping hounds in need internationally, GFNJ Board of Directors recently sent $10,000 to Galgo Rescue International Network (GRIN).  They will distribute the funds among four shelters in Spain;  Baas Galgo, which has a large number of hounds in their shelter in Madrid, Scooby Medina, Association Argos, and Galgos Del Sol in Murcia. What a gratifying and yet humbling feeling to be able to help so many Galgos in Spain. We are also looking into Ireland and Argentina where greyhounds are in dire need of help. We were sent another note of acknowledgement from GRIN--they stated “it will provide incredible relief for the organizations in Spain.”  Our dedicated donors, volunteers, and adopter base make this aid possible. GFNJ has accountability to care for as many hounds as possible.  We take this responsibility very seriously— to our supporters and to the many souls still needing our help.  As I have said many times, I am honored to be a part of this stellar organization, which has grown into a strong family and then a network. We are proud to expand globally and still be able to collaborate locally.  We are strongly committed to having every adopter feel as though they have had a personal touch in their experience with our organization. Because when you adopt from us, you join our family, ever growing in numbers and strength. And like most families we enjoy coming together for reunions. We do reunions in a big way- annually. At events like our 2 picnics and our craft show held every fall.  At these events, I always see familiar faces!

In addition to our local efforts, we have new additions to our board! We are happy to welcome three board members—one is no stranger, she was one of the very first board members, and gave me my start with greyhounds—we are thrilled that Donna Patt agreed to return to the board.  We also welcome Carolann Abbate and Charlotte Bradley.  Three amazing people that will assist GFNJ in helping dogs that need us. We also congratulate Patty Comerford who was elected to the position of Secretary of the Board!

Unfortunately, our family suffered a loss this year. Our beloved Board member and friend, Terryl Jackson.  She was truly an
advocate for the hounds and thought of Greyhound Friends as her second family.  We will all miss her smiling face, kind nature,
and I will always have fond memories of her deviled eggs; but Terryl’s legacy lives on. GFNJ was named as a beneficiary of her
estate.  We are most grateful for this amazing gesture and look to honor her memory.

As always, we look to help as many hounds as possible in the coming months and years and I look forward to continuing to
helping lead the way for GFNJ.

Warm regards,

Featured Foster Parent Spotlight - Bonnie Carson

When I adopted my first greyhound years ago, little did I know the wonderful adventure of passion upon which I was about to embark.  As I learned more about greyhounds I grew even more amazed by the love, trust and calm, gentle nature of these graceful creatures.

So it wasn't much of a leap to immense gratitude for the wonderful people who worked so hard to bring me my greatest joys, the four clowns with whom we were now sharing our life and home.  I wanted to 'pay it forward' to make it possible for others to also have what I had been given.  More importantly, I want to see the day when the greyhounds that come to adoption groups are all in forever homes.

The best way I could imagine with my current working life schedule was to foster greyhounds as others had fostered mine, making it all possible to bring it all together.  I reached out to GFNJ via email to volunteer and was welcomed with open arms.  Turns out, good foster homes are always needed. Information, guidance and support is provided as needed to assure success and a commitment of just a little time is all required.  All the rest, we were already doing with our four.  It couldn't have been simpler.

I was of the belief that I would be teaching them to transition from track to family pets.  This is surely part of my experience so far, helping them discover life in homes such as glass is actually solid and hard floors can be slippery, counters and tables are not for jumping upon, furniture not for their use; you know, all the obvious things we usually teach to puppies.  For this, of course, I receive endless smiles, kisses, hugs and LOTS of laughs. 

But far more importantly and of immense surprise is how much I am learning from them, each a far better teacher than I.

 - With her fears and shyness, Phoebe (Turbo Mimosa) has taught me the endless rewards of patience.

- By her gentle nature, Rolo (Go Bon Pure Silk) has taught me the rewards of unquestioned trust.

- As a result of her amazing enthusiasm, Seiji (Kups Amy's Gold) showed me the ability to be excited in the most simple moments of my day.

- By pure coincidence and impeccable timing, Sharky (Kelso's Loanshark) is teaching me to smile through the sadness of loss, his, the family, who could not take him with them to Japan when duty called; mine the loss of one of our family, Sista (Texas' Freedom), who lost her valiant fight this week, joining her friends and family members over the Bridge.

So, yes, when I am asked why I foster, it has become to learn the many things these amazing animals have to pass on and share without hesitation.  Each will possess a small piece of my heart and I will forever retain their messages to all of us.  If you are thinking about becoming a foster of greyhounds, don't hesitate.  My fosters have each given me an opportunity to grow as a person and makes it possible to come one step closer to the day every retired racer will find his/her forever family and live a life of well-deserved fulfillment.

~ Greyhound Adoption Expo & Puppy Farm Tour ~ 3rd Annual Linda A. Jensen Memorial Picnic
Linda Jensen was  a true unsung hero in the greyhound community.  This year will be the third Expo since her passing, and it will be a time to reflect on her impact in adoption as well as celebrate the retired racing greyhound.  Join us for a day of greyhound fun in the country! There will be vendors, raffles, auctions, food fun and greyhounds, so what more of a reason do you need? This is a great opportunity for adopters to see a working greyhound farm.

Saturday, June 28th 2014, 11 am to 3:00 pm (Rain Date Sunday, June 29th)
283 Orchard Hill Road, Pomfret Center, CT  ~ www.greyhoundadoptionexpo.com/

Rusty Boy By Alice Brown

Ripped from the bosom of family,

Ushered into an unknown realm without

Security or knowledge of occurrence.

Tasting the bitterness of loss

Your family mourns and misses their

Boy whose spirit rose above the rest.

Only one could be you, irrepressible

Yearning for heavenly freedom.

GFNJ Annual Spring Picnic

Sunday, June 1st 11:00 am to 3:00 pm ~ Rain or Shine

Duke Island Park, Old York Road, Bridgewater, NJ

Spend The Day With Other Adopters & their Wonderful Greyhounds!

Pot Luck Lunch ~ Great Vendors ~ Exciting Raffle

Adoptable Greyhounds ~ Including Prison Foster Dogs – Available to Pre-approved Applicants

  We’ll collect Pro Plan Weight Circles ~ Used Cell Phones/iPads/iPods ~ Coke Rewards ~

Used medications, gently used coats & collars for Spanish Galgos & our Prison Foster Dogs

        How about volunteering for set up & break down for the picnic? Contact Ellen at redreeper@aol.com       

Bring a chair for yourself & a blanket for your Greyhound!

Tips for Getting your Foster Adopted using Photos and Facebook by Marybeth Kayne

When I was asked to write an article about how I take such nice photos and use social media to get my fosters adopted, I thought to myself. “Geez, I'm not an expert”. I just point and shoot and then post them. But after more thought, I realized, that even though I am not a professional photographer, I am a graphic artist by trade and have worked in advertising for almost 30 years. So I am going to try to give you some easy to follow tips about taking photos and posting them on social media to promote your fosters or your own gorgeous pets.

Lighting: One of the main things you want to think about is lighting. I take most of my best photos either indoors in natural sunlight during the morning or outside in the afternoon. If I do use my flash on my camera, I always make sure the red eye elimination light is turned on, so the dogs don't end up with ‘evil eyes’.

Background: Another thing I take into consideration is the background, including both color and shapes. My tastes favor bright colors, so I will put a black greyhound against a bright red blanket and it really pops. Also be careful there isn't anything weird in the background. For example, trees through a window. It can look like they have unwanted horns coming out of their head.

Tricks and Treats: One of my tricks is to hold dog treats in my hand to make them really stare at me. You can control where they are staring by moving the treat around. I will also use high pitched sounds, like a squeaky toy or just my voice simulating a high squeak. It works great to get those head tilt photos. Peanut butter is fun to use too. I will give the foster some to eat and click away. You can get some fun tongue shots that way. And toys. If you have a foster who loves to play or toss toys, give them a toy and click away. You never know what you might end up with.

Point of View: You want to also consider your angles. What I mean by that is sometimes I will get up on a chair and look down or sometimes
I lie down on the floor to be looking up at them. 

Be Prepared: Many times I've seen the perfect picture, only to have to get up, reach for the camera,  then turn it on and by that time, I've disturbed the dog and the “perfect” photo is gone. So keep that camera handy and near you at all times.

Close-Ups: Who doesn't love close-ups? I love close-ups, but sometimes it's nice to show the full body of the dog. So I will take close-ups and then readjust the shot so I then include the body and shape of the dog too. You don't know if you have the perfect shot until it's loaded on the computer.

Technology: I do tend to take a lot of photos in a series, but with digital photography, it's so easy to go through them and only keep the ones you want. Here is the equipment I use: Nikon D50 Camera with a 28-80mm lens; MacBook Pro; iPhoto (to load up the photos) and Photoshop to color correct them if needed. I always use my camera in Automatic Mode, Auto Focus, Auto Exposure.

Facebook: When I write a post about my foster, I write from my heart. I try to honestly say how they are doing. I do focus on their positive traits. But if I have had problems with them, in any way, I will post about it, such as peeing in the house or chewing on furniture. I write as if I were speaking to a friend and I try to use adjectives that express the dog's personalities.  Sometimes I post from the viewpoint of the dog. For example, if I have a gorgeous face shot of a dog staring at me, I will post “Good morning foster mommy!” When I finally get to speak with a potential adopter, I can get into the finer details of the dog. But, as in all advertising, you want to “hook” the person and reel them in. I guess I use the photos as the hook and my words or posts as my reel.

To conclude, I'd just like to say that in my opinion, I think Greyhounds are one of the best kept secrets of the dog world.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me at marybeth.kayne@gmail.com. Woofs and hugs.

Heatstroke in Greyhounds  Reprinted from GreySave

Dogs do not sweat as do humans. They dissipate heat by panting. The more they pant, the harder their bodies work. This stress on the circulatory and respiratory systems can bring on heatstroke.

Look for the following signs of heatstroke:

• Heavy panting
• Red gums and/or tongue
• Thick saliva
• Dizziness
• Vomiting, diarrhea
• Shock

Fortunately, you can prevent heatstroke in your greyhound:

• Don't travel with your dog on hot days unless you make sure he stays cool (and never leave him alone in the car).
• Make sure when you leave home with your pet that you bring plenty of water and find a cool place for them to rest.  Shady spots under a covering can disappear as the sun moves across the sky. 

Should heatstroke occur to your dog, take the following steps AND get your dog to a veterinarian immediately.

Move the animal to a cool place and attempt to bring his temperature down quickly to prevent possible brain damage.  This can be done most effectively using a garden hose. Beginning at the base of his neck, slowly run the water down his back to the tail, then work it down under the belly and across his feet. If that is not possible, apply cold washcloths or cold packs to the dog’s head, neck, and paw pads.

Get the dog to a veterinarian immediately.

Warning! 
DO NOT immerse a dog who is suffering from heatstroke in cold water.  When body temperature is high enough to cause heatstroke, such a dramatic change in temperature can send a dog into shock.

One of GFNJ’s collaborations that we are proud to be a part of is NorthStar VETS. 

Many of our adopted greyhounds have become blood donors at NorthStar Vets.  We thank the owners and their dogs that have committed to this great cause.  Greyhounds are the very best donors and one unit of blood can save 2 - 4 lives.  It's a wonderful feeling to "pay it forward".  Our greyhounds have a permanent home and now they are saving lives.  A win for everyone!  If you are interested in having your greyhound screened to be a donor, contact Maria Lutz at flutz11331@aol.com or 732-521-8330.

Greyhound Friends of NJ Greyt Annual Garage Sale - July 12 & 13

Once again this year GFNJ will be having an annual garage sale in Belleville, NJ at the home of Ellen  Ganopoulos.  All proceeds from the event are donated to GFNJ and your donations of new/used household items, surplus goods, bric-a-brac and what-nots are welcomed! 

Items can be dropped off between July 5th and July 11th and volunteers, as well as shoppers, are needed for this event. Drop off starts on July 5th and items can be dropped off anytime in the yard if the weather is nice, call ahead to drop off if the weather is rainy. 

Sale will be held on July 12th & 13th (rain date July 19th & 20th)  Saturday 9am - 5pm  ~  Sunday 9am - 3pm 

Please contact Ellen at redreeper@aol.com or (201) 925-3815 for information or talk about dropping off items.

GARAGE SALE TIPS from Ellen...                                                          

Having a garage sale is not only a great way to raise funds for GFNJ but also introduce greyhound adoption locally.

Advertise the event on your local Patch and on Craigslist keeping in mind the first 5 hours of the sale are the busiest. Also hang flyers up in local supermarkets, etc. You can also drop "items wanted" flyers in your neighbors mailboxes. Make sure to advertise at least a month beforehand so people have time to gather their items. Let GFNJ know as soon as you have a date set for the event so they can let people know.

Collect for the event a week ahead of time if you have room to store the sale items. Setting up takes time and the more volunteers on hand  the faster it goes.

Have a plan for your unsold items. Our unsold items either are donated to another garage sale or go to the Goodwill. Keep in mind not all resale organization take all items.

Don't forget to have lots of singles and quarters for change. Setting up a greyhound adoption with a donation jar can be a plus for folks who want to contribute and support the event but didn't find anything they want to buy. Make sure to post signs stating that the money from all sales is donated directly to GFNJ and it is a charity garage sale.

Save the date for the GFNJ Craft Show!

       Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 ~ 9:00 am to 5:00 pm 
      Sunday, November 23rd, 2014 ~ 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

The Westfield Armory, 500 Rahway Avenue, Westfield, NJ  07090

                 If you would like vendor information, please contact Patty at patty.comerford@gmail.com                          
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Ellen at redreeper@aol.com

As of 4/15/14 the GFNJ Adoption Fee will increase from $235 to $260.  

This is due to transportation expenses as well as medical care increases.

NEW and ONGOING FUNDRAISING

RECYCLE

Cell Phones, iPads, iPods

Adopter Carolann Abbate helps GFNJ by collecting old cell phones, iPads and iPods.  Please go to the GFNJ website for more info on how to contact Carolann. and where to send the old devices.

WoofTrax

Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of
your eligible AmazonSmile purchases
to Greyhound Friends of New Jersey.

AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same   products, same prices,
same Amazon Prime benefits.

Support Greyhound Friends of
New Jersey by starting your shopping
at smile.amazon.com

My Coke Rewards

Customers enter codes from specially marked packages of Coca-Cola products into a website. These codes are converted into virtual "points" which can in turn be redeemed for various prizes.

Go to GFNJ.org for
more info.

WoofTrax donates money for  every mile you walk !  Download the app on your Android or iPhone!

After downloading the app onto your phone, take the phone with you when you walk. Press the “start” button and the app keeps track of all your walks. For every mile you walk, a donation is made to the animal group of your choice.

Special thanks to 2 Hound Auctions for running a wonderful and successful on-line Auction for GFNJ! 

If you’d like to help GFNJ save money by receiving your newsletter through email only, or need to update your correct  email or home address,

please notify Patty Comerford at patty.comerford@gmail.com with changes.

Join our social network pack on Facebook & Twitter!

Don’t Forget to Renew Your Annual Membership!

Become a GFNJ Member or Renew your Membership Today

Your membership dues go for the care of the greyhounds

 Please mail your check, payable to Greyhound Friends of New Jersey, Inc. with this form to:

(Please Print Your Form Clearly or use an Address Label)

Greyhound Friends of New Jersey, Inc., P.O. Box 4416, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-0669.

Name ________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________

Phone __________________________ Email Address _________________________________

Amount Enclosed $________________

□ $25 donation - members receive a GFNJ license plate holder

□ $50 donation - members receive a GFNJ T-shirt

□ $100 donation - members receive a GFNJ sweatshirt

□ No thanks, I don’t want a premium — please use the entire donation to help the greyhounds

     T-shirt/sweatshirt size: □ S □ M □ L □ XL