Dear Greyhound Friends,

Well, we made it through the winter of 2014!  Like the postal service, neither snow nor rain could keep GFNJ from helping greyhounds - though they often seemed to arrive in gloom of night.  We have happily welcomed approximately 160 dogs to New Jersey since our Fall newsletter.

We could not adopt all of these wonderful pets without the ongoing dedication of our volunteers.  While the country celebrates National Greyhound Month in April, our dedicated helpers get the word out every day with an average of more than 30 public events every month to introduce greyhounds to possible adopters.  Hundreds of people participated in the 2014 18^th Annual Pet & Craft Expo and next year is already booked at the Westfield Armory – November 14^th & 15^th.   Next month, May 31^st, we’ll meet in Duke Island Park for our Spring picnic.  Please mark your calendars for these two events.

Of course, the answer to the question, “Where would we be without our volunteer fosters,” is too frightening to really think about.  Having fostered many greyhounds through the years, I know the challenges: a night or two of interrupted sleep, a couple of possible accidents, chewed furniture if we aren’t watching, timid dogs, and crate training.  However, the rewards far outweigh these challenges, which are usually short lived. When your foster dog relaxes and “roaches”, gives you a big smile, a little “kiss”, or happily participates in a Meet &Greet, you feel a swell of satisfaction and pride.  And so, I again ask that you consider contacting Patty Comerford, our Foster Home Coordinator or me to discuss being a foster and joining our Foster Team.

Another area where we work tirelessly is in our relationship with tracks and trainers.  We cultivate and maintain partnerships with them to affect a smooth transition from racer to pet.  Recently, while visiting Jacksonville, GFNJ Vice President, Maria Lutz was able to visit a greyhound farm.  Maria handed out official GFNJ kisses and was allowed to play with 3-month-old puppies and enjoy older dogs during a turnout session.  There’s been no report on who enjoyed the visit more.

You will also see details in this newsletter about the annual Linda Jensen Memorial Picnic on June 13^th at Fred Fulchino’s greyhound puppy farm in Pomfret, Connecticut.  Linda was a personal friend but also a friend to all racing greyhounds and facilitated their retirement into adoption groups like GFNJ.

I know you will enjoy the information inside and I look forward to seeing you soon.  Thank you for all you do for greyhounds. Sincerely, Linda

This picture was taken at Lester Raines Kennel with Maria Lutz.                The trainer and breeder of the pups is Mike Gerard and the dogs race at Orange Park Kennel Club in Orange Park, Florida.

Featured Foster Parent Spotlight - Jacqueline Howard & Al Cavallo

How did you become involved with fostering greyhounds?               

We adopted our first greyhound in 2000.  Soon after, we had our first child; our second baby came four years later.  And in 2008, we became acquainted with GFNJ and adopted our second greyhound. It was then that we became friends with Terryl Jackson, then a Board member and our new adoptee’s foster mom. She often talked to us about fostering; once our youngest son turned seven, we felt our kids were old enough and we were ready. 

We foster for several reasons.  The top three are that: It’s an excellent way to teach our kids about giving back and helping others. For every one we foster, GFNJ can welcome another greyhound retiree. We truly enjoy the company of greyhounds and all that comes with showing a new retiree the ropes of home life.  While Terryl is no longer with us, we consider our role as fosters to be part of her legacy. Terryl was instrumental in getting us involved and we’ll always be grateful to her for that.

How many greyhounds have you fostered?           

Since we began fostering two years ago, we’ve hosted close to 40 greyhounds. Sometimes, we have two at a time. We love and remember each and every one of them. 

What is the best part about fostering greyhounds?

There are so many incredible things about fostering.  For one, we always have an additional one or two greyhounds in the house (we have two of our own). Teaching a greyhound about house living and watching them come into their own is exhilarating. They make us very proud. And that moment when you hand the leash over to an adopter – wow!  While our hearts are sad to say good-bye, that feeling is overshadowed by the pure joy and happiness of the adopter getting his/her new family member and knowing that a greyhound is now loved by a person or people he/she will call family. 

What is a negative about fostering?

Saying good-bye is the hardest (see above).  People often remark to us that they could never give up a foster dog.  But we don’t look at it that way.  When we take on the responsibility of a foster, we go into it with the mindset that we are privileged caretakers, advocates, and guides for the dog.  Saying good-bye is hard – but it means we’ve done our job and that, because of the part we played (along with many others), a retired racer is ready to move on to the next chapter. And it’s going to be beautiful.

What advice would you give to people thinking about fostering a greyhound in the future?   

Follow all of GFNJ’s foster rules.  For example, don’t allow a foster on your furniture even if, like my greyhounds, yours are allowed.  Always muzzle all dogs when they are loose in a fenced-in area.  We actually go a step beyond and muzzle everyone inside, too.  The foster rules are posted on GFNJ.org.

Expose your foster to the public. Aside from being a confidence builder and off-the-track acclimation, it’s promotion for GFNJ and the foster’s chance of being adopted. Attend Meet & Greets with your foster; take him/her to the kennel for Adoption Days, etc. Also, by exposing your foster to different settings, you can better assess his/her personality and likes/dislikes, which lends itself to successful placement.

Provide GFNJ with a detailed assessment for your foster’s web page.  So many adopters of our fosters have said that our fosters’ web page write-ups are what attracted them. The more details, the better.  This also helps GFNJ to find the perfect home to match your foster up with.

Always be honest about your foster. While a dog with perfect house manners has a better chance of being adopted than one who may have a behavior issue, a dog advertised as an angel when he/she has much to work on often ends up in the dog being returned. This isn’t good for the dog, GFNJ, or the adopters. If your foster ends up not being good with cats, say so.  If he/she doesn’t have potty training down, speak up. Then work with GFNJ on correcting whatever issues there may be.

If you have kids, be sure they are “dog trained” before taking on a foster.  And make sure your kids understand what fostering is and why you’re doing it. It’s important that they know that the foster is preparing for his/her forever home and will one day leave. And give your kids credit – most understand this. Mine do – and I’m very proud of them.

Utilize Facebook.  About once a week, post a photo and update on GFNJ’s Facebook page about how your foster is doing or any strides he/she has made. 

Give your foster space.  A great piece of advice I got from Heidi Gehret was to “ignore” a new foster for a few days, aside from feeding and walks. By that, she meant don’t fawn over the dog; instead, give him/her space.  Your world is totally foreign to your foster and you are a stranger. Let the foster take it all in. Once he/she is settled, lay the hugs and kisses on.

Enjoy it!  Fostering is highly rewarding. Vicariously experiencing a foster’s achievements is really something special, as is having a front row seat at the foster getting a home of his/her very own.

Day in the Life of a Racing Greyhound by Kate D’Arcy

6.30am: Rise and shine. I get to wake up to all of my caretakers letting us out. I go outside in a group 15 boys, and we hang out outside for about 30 minutes.  We sniff, smell and take care of nature's call. We have 3 different pens that we get to go into ... and more sniffing and smelling take place. At 7am I come back inside.

7am - 8am: my caretakers are cooking rice and pasta in the kitchen. This will go in our dinner once it’s cooled. My caretakers start cleaning all of our kennels. Some dogs get to leave the kennel and go exercising.

8am: I get to go back outside with my group of 15 friends, while my caretakers clean my kennel, check my shredded paper bed, change my water and sweep up my bed area. I spend 30 minutes outside, relaxing and sniffing ... and going through each of the 3 different pens. At 8.30am, I come back in.

8.45am: I get weighed and my weight is recorded in a kennel log. My caretakers groom me, check my feet, check my nails and my ears, and then brush me with a grooming glove. I got back into my kennel and nap till dinner time.

9-10am: Dinner time! I get a 1/2lb meat ball with some vitamins and vanilla Ensure on top. Yum! Because I got a 1/2 "snack" that means I am racing today!!!

10am: I go back outside with my group of 15 buddies and we take care of nature's call, do a little sniffing, watch some of the other's kennel staff and just lounge around for 30 minutes, getting to go into each of the 3 pens attached to our kennel.

10.30am: I go back inside to the kennel. When we come back inside, my caretakers sweep, mop and clean the kennel, so it’s all clean and comfortable.

11am - 11.30am: I hear leads clinking!!!!!! Woohoo. I am going racing!!!! My caretakers put a lead on me, and I go walking with 2 of my buddies. We walk from the kennel to the racetrack ... we pass the grassy area with trees, and we sniff and take care of nature's call ... and if we are really lucky, we will see a squirrel!! We love watching the squirrel run up the trees! We walk to paddock area of the track, and get weighed. I have to be within 1.5lbs of my set-weight or I won't be allowed to race. I am 84.5lbs, the clerk of the scale records my weight and my caretaker brings me to the racing kennels. A track employee takes me and puts me into kennels, where I will stay until it’s time to race.

1.30pm: Track leadouts come and get me! They put my leash on, and we go and walk outside in the warm up area. A lady in a lab coat follows me as I take care of nature's call, and my sample goes into a plastic container and a label gets put on it. The track vet is there watching us walk, and making sure that we are all okay. Then we get to go to the Paddock area, where the Paddock supervisor will check my weight and then put on my racing blanket. The Paddock Judge comes and checks my ear tattoo (to make sure I am the correct dog), and then he checks that my racing blanket fits correctly.

2pm: I walk onto the racetrack wearing the green blanket of post #4. I am pulling at the leash, and the leadout walks me onto the track for the post parade. We walk in front of the spectators, and I catch a glimpse of the tote board... I am 5/1 to win my race. The leadouts walk us to the starting boxes, and we wait for about 5 minutes. I get loaded into the starting box, and I can hear the lure coming towards the start.... the boxes open and I am in 3rd place. I close ground on the greyhounds racing in front of me, and when I turn into the homestretch I accelerate and leave the field behind me! I won! I won! I am so excited. The lure stops at the pick-up, and we all stand there wagging our tails, so excited! The leadout puts my leash back on, and I walk off the track to my caretaker.

2.15pm: My caretaker brings me to the cool down area, and I get my feet cleaned and cooled off, and then I get to walk through the cool-down tank ... it’s a cool water tank that we can walk through to cool down on a hot day. I walk back to the kennel with my caretaker, and when we get there they clean my face, feet, and wash my eyes. I go back into my kennel and drink some water. I nap for an hour or two. When I am all cooled down, I get my dinner!!! Meat, kibble, rice, pasta and some vitamin supplements. Yum! Then about 4pm, I go back outside for a few minutes to take care of nature's call. I come back inside and get a couple of milk bone cookies!!! Yeah!

5.30pm: my caretakers come and let me out with my 15 buddies. We spend about 30 minutes outside.

7.30pm: the night races start, and my caretakers are in the kennel taking care of other racers.

8.30 - 10pm: my caretakers come and let me outside with my 15 buddies. We are outside for about 30-45 minutes. We get to go through the 3 different pens, and sniff, smell, lounge and hang-out.

11pm: my caretakers wash dishes, sweep, mop and tidy up the kennel. They leave about 11.30pm and the radio is left on for us with some easy-listening music. We sleep and dream. I have water if I am thirsty, and a nice bed   of shredded paper. I dream of winning races!

Can’t We All Just Play In The Sandbox Together?
Teaching the children and the dogs in your house how to love each other the right way
by Lauren Pszczola

There’s no other way to say this to you. This article will start with a blunt force apology for the lie you’ve been believing.  Are you ready?  The four legged creature who has stolen your couch, your heart, and most of your floor space is not human.  No I’m sorry they aren’t human and while they may appear to be in nature they are not.  They have their own genetic canine behaviors that are not human- like at all.   But here’s the good news. They can most certainly be best friends with every member of your house including your children.

We’ve all seen the pictures, babies nestled in the legs of a dog.  The toddler straddling the dog like a pony, and of course the infamous “tail grab” or “ear lift”.  Then we’ve all read or heard the following; “it happened out of nowhere- the dog bit my son!  I was in the other room and all of a sudden I hear the dog growl!  My dog never growls!  My daughter is now scared of the dog.”

As you welcome your dog into your home with your children and grandchildren of all ages there are two things you need to know to have a successful life together:

Respect each other’s space

Living together requires rules

Dogs and children need successful boundaries within the home to live and visit together to avoid what could be a dangerous situation.  Often the behavior of a dog’s reaction is due to the behavior of the human involved.  Not the other way around.  You must make yourself aware of the cues your dog gives you. Dogs sense energy of humans.  It’s an undeniable amazing quality about a dog that allows them to know when you are excited, upset or even sick before you even do.  It’s the excessive excitement often found in children of ALL ages, when they see a dog that can trigger a dominant, fearful and/or aggressive canine behavior.  This aggression is the dog letting you know “hey I’m not OK with the ear tugging”; “I’m NOT ok with all these people big and small in my face”; or “I’m afraid and unsure.”

My boys grew up with their treasured greyhound.  We had foster greyhounds come and go and never a problem with the children and their friends.  Because my children learned from the start respecting the space and the rules.  As the adults in the house, we never left the children out of sight with the dog when they were toddlers.  Your dog is not a babysitter nor a full time playmate.  Our grey choose that being a Matchbox Car ramp was acceptable to him ONLY if he decided to plop himself down in the middle of the action.  That was him saying to us, ”OK play with me.”  He was NOT ok even with his tail being touched or his feet being touched no matter how much, we the adults worked with him.  The same rules you teach your children should be the same for guests in your home.  It was a simple rule that applies to all humans and canines “Treat others as you would like to be treated”.

So what can you do?  What are the rules?

Infants:  Don’t leave your infants unattended with your dog even for a picture. Make sure that there is an adult holding the baby in the picture or with a hand laid on the baby.  Photoshop can take that hand out of the picture. But it tells your canine companion that you are there taking care of the baby.  No need to worry, you as the human “got this”.  Because naturally your loyal companion will want to “help and protect” in their canine way.

Toddlers:  Toddlers are naturally curious energetic beings who love to pull tails, noses, ears and even help you feed the dog.  They love to give a great big hug.  Suggestions:  “Doggy likes to be petted here (top of head)”.  Demonstrate to your toddler the appropriate non head banging way to pet your dog.   Ask if you can give doggy a hug or a kiss.  And demonstrate the appropriate ways to hug and kiss your canine.   Again, in case you missed it.  Attentiveness to your dog and children too are imperative.  When doggy is sleeping we “shhh and let him sleep”.  Doggy’s toys are doggies and not yours.  Never allow your young children to hang on your dog.  These excessive body pressures are inappropriate contact and interaction.  Modeling calm and appropriate behavior with your children on how to interact with your dog is a valuable life lesson.

Middle-aged children:  Before you even bring your dog home, it’s ok to put rules in place.  Allowing your older children to have supervised walking of your dog (remember greyhounds are VERY strong), feeding, and more overt care roles will help them to understand the behavior and needs of your greyhound.   Giving some supervised responsibility and communicating with older children to not bother the dog while eating or in its bed is easier to do than with younger children.

If your dog is showing aggressive tendencies during interaction with children it is best to remove the children from the room immediately to shift the dog’s sense of energies and focus.  Allow your dog the space it needs to refocus and allow reproach in a different way or in a different room.  If you are consistently having issues please reach out to Greyhound Friends of NJ for behavior and training techniques immediately for everyone’s safety.  Your dog can be your families’ best friend with love, patience, respect and rules.

Save the Date!!!

~ 2015 Greyhound Adoption Expo ~    2015 Greyhound Adoption Expo & Puppy Farm Tour          4th Annual Linda A. Jensen Memorial Picnic

Saturday, June 13th 2015 11 am to 3pm (rain or shine)            283 Orchard Hill Road, Pomfret Center, CT

Linda Jensen was  a true unsung hero in the greyhound community.  This year will be the fourth 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.

www.greyhoundadoptionexpo.com 

GFNJ's Annual Fall Picnic/Greyhound Planet Day

Sunday, September 20, 2015
Pineland Country Kennel, Tabernacle, NJ

Greyhound Planet Day is a time chosen each year to honor the Greyhound and its relatives (Galgos, lurchers, etc.) throughout the world. The purpose of this international event is to raise the public's awareness of the wonder and magic of Greyhounds as pets, educate others on the current status of hounds around the world and to honor those Greyhounds who have left us already.

 
19th Annual GFNJ Pet & Craft Expo!

Saturday, November 14, 2015 ~ 10 am to 4 pm

Sunday, November 15, 2015 ~ 10 am to 4 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

Matching  Funds  Many companies want to support the causes that their employees care about, so they set up charitable giving programs through which they match employee donations to eligible nonprofits. Matching gift programs are offered by many companies, ranging from Fortune 500 corporations, such as Coca-Cola, to start-ups, like LinkedIn.

An example of a matching gift in action would be a donor, who works for Bank of America, who donates $250 to an eligible 501(c)(3) organization (i.e. a nonprofit). The donor then submits the proper matching gift forms to his employer's HR department or through an exclusive employee portal. Bank of America receives the request and matches the donation 1:1 by writing a check for $250 to the same nonprofit. The $250 check written by Bank of America is the matching gift, and it's an example of how corporate giving can provide a major boost to any fundraising campaign.

Does your company offer Matching Funds?  Time to look into it—it’s a great way to help GFNJ!

Can I crash at your house for awhile??? 

GFNJ needs foster homes for our greyhounds – if you have love to give you will get much in return!

To talk about fostering, contact Linda at lelyman7@verizon.net or Patty at patty.comerford@gmail.com

IMPORTANT REMINDER! Having the proper tags on your dogs is imperative!  All dogs should have a GFNJ round tag and a tag that says “If I’m loose, I’m lost—please contact (phone number)”.  If you’ve lost your GFNJ tag, please contact Linda Lyman to have a replacement sent to you—732-356-4370

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.

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.

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 $________________

□ $50 donation - members receive a GFNJ license plate holder

□ $100 donation - members receive a GFNJ T-shirt      T-shirt size: □ S □ M □ L □ XL

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