Dear Greyhound Friends,
Spring is a time to look ahead, and there are many exciting events planned for the warm season. Before we celebrate the flowers though, I want to let you know that 269 of our favorite friends found their forever homes in 2007 and we welcome them and their loving families. Oddly enough, there wasn’t an ugly one in the bunch! They came from Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida. We took six 11-month-old babies; four Florida greyhounds that ended up in a kill shelter in South Jersey rather than rescue as intended; and Jain’t It Chip — a nearly blind dog who was returned to the track by another rescue when his condition was discovered. Chip is adopted and living the good life. GFNJ continues to distinguish itself as THE rescue that will help not only every greyhound in need but more and more frequently, new owners from other groups that receive no follow-up support after adoption. It’s unfortunate they don’t come to us when beginning the adoption process.
At the Annual Meeting in February, four new Board members were unanimously elected. I’d like to thank them for their many contributions in the past as well as their continued commitment to GFNJ. They are: Ellen Ganopoulos of Belleville, New Jersey; Jane Lehmbeck of Highland Lakes, New Jersey; Nancy Bowden of Warwick, New York; and Heidi Gehret of Glassboro, New Jersey. Ellen works tirelessly hosting Meet & Greets to introduce the public to our greys, Jane and Nancy have practically made the Warwick New York area a suburb of New Jersey, providing wonderful visibility for GFNJ, and Heidi is behaviorist extraordinaire, helping with problems via phone and home visits and taking many new dogs as fosters to work on specific issues.
The Kennel Search Committee has been busy researching affordable properties and a bid has been made on a kennel. We won’t close until we have town approval and we are currently jumping through all the necessary hoops with our fingers crossed. I hope that we’ll have good news in the near future. In the meantime, we continue to board the greyhounds at Hay Hill Kennel which is now under the management of new owners.
In November we mailed our first Kennel Drive Appeal and the reply was wonderfully gratifying. More than 250 of you generously donated over $34,000 in response to an anonymous $10,000 matching grant. Kennel contributions continue to arrive and this will be an important ongoing project as we proceed with kennel plans. (That’s a plug for those tax refunds you don’t know where to spend!) I also want to thank the Natalie W. Furniss Charitable Trust for awarding us a $3,000 grant to be used in costs related to securing a kennel.
In addition to the kennel donations, I want to thank our ever-growing number of creative volunteers who continually look for new fundraising opportunities to help rescue more greys. It’s always “all about the dogs”, but not one greyhound has arrived with a trust fund. I’ve asked Maria Lutz to coordinate the many projects and invite you to contact her if there’s a function you’re interested in undertaking. Her number is on the website.
In December we met Robert Falcone, Program Manager for Pet Products Research & Development for Church & Dwight Co., Inc. This is the fourth year that The Church & Dwight Employee Giving Fund, facilitated by adopter and volunteer Terryl Jackson, has awarded a grant to GFNJ. Mr. Falcone presented a check for $8000, designated to the Foster Program at Mountainview Youth Facility in Annandale, New Jersey. His personal interest in the rescue work we do is gratifying and we greatly appreciate the partnership with Church & Dwight.
I hope to see you and your loveable greyhound(s) at the picnic at Duke Island Park on May 18th as well as the many Meet & Greets and fundraisers taking place throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Beautiful weather is here — let’s get out and enjoy! Happy Summer!
Linda Lyman
President
O — K — L — A — H — O — M — A
OKLAHOMA! YEA!
D’s Ma Barker is 10 years old and one of five greys who arrived from an Oklahoma dog farm in early April. The farm was sold and at least 24 dogs were left behind. You can see the conditions from the picture — not much shelter and a lot of dirt. We’re so happy they’ve come to New Jersey to meet their forever families.
Please Join Our Email List
GFNJ often sends out email alerts notifying members of upcoming events, important information and overall news. If you would like to join, please send your name, county of residence and email address to Patty atpatty.comerford@yahoo.com.
Greyhound Friends of NJ Announces its First
Annual Greyhound Gala!
We are very excited about our First Annual Greyhound Gala to be held this Spring. The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 14th and will be held at Concordia at Monroe, conveniently located in Central New Jersey, just minutes off Exit 8A of the NJ Turnpike. Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit our ongoing Kennel Fund, which will provide for a greyhound sanctuary for our dogs as they transition from race track to loving homes.
The evening promises to be a fun-filled event. A cost of $50 per person includes a buffet dinner, wine, beer, soda and entertainment. We are thrilled to have the Magician and Illusionist Great Scott join us at our party. Great Scott has made four appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and two appearances on The Conan O'Brien Show. He has also appeared at Caesar's in Atlantic City and performed at corporate events in New Jersey for Merck Pharmaceutical and Johnson & Johnson, among others. His is a show you don’t want to miss! We are still searching for a DJ so if anyone has a recommendation, please let us know.
A highlight of the night will be an amazing raffle. Items already donated include Gift Cards, Restaurant Gift Certificates, Jewelry, Prints, Greyhound items and much more! All raffle prizes will be valued at $100 or more. If anyone wishes to contribute to our raffle, please contact Maria Lutz at 732-521-8330 or flutz11331@aol.com.
Come out with your fellow greyhound lovers and have a wonderful evening with us. Details on this event can be found on our website www.greyhoundfriendsnj.org. If you wish to reserve a ticket for the Gala, Maria is happy to do so for you. See you there!
Greyhounds Wrapped in Love and Generosity
We want to thank a couple of very special people who have been looking out for our greyhounds. When preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Harrison Dunayer wrote to friends and relatives on behalf of Greyhound Friends of New Jersey as a mitzvah project. He wrote of his own greyhound, Emmy - how important she is to his family and the need to raise funds for rescued greyhounds. Because of his beautiful letter, GFNJ received many contributions in Harrison’s honor.
Ghitana Dickerson has no pets but shares office space with a GFNJ volunteer and hears many stories of the plight of racing greyhounds. An accomplished quilter, Ghitana worked for months making a special quilt to help raise funds for GFNJ. A raffle is currently underway and the winning ticket will be drawn at the spring picnic. Please look on the website for raffle information and forms to download.
We are so grateful to Harrison and Ghitana for sharing themselves and their talents with Greyhound Friends of New Jersey. They are both very special Friends indeed!
Bowling for Greyhounds
Having fun made for a perfect game as more than 80 bowlers turned out for the March 30th Bowling for Greyhounds at Majestic Lanes in Hopelawn, New Jersey. Marie and Sam Micovic joined granddaughter Erica Hutton on a family team and Jake Tunison and Noah Murphy teamed up to help the greys by knocking down pins. If you missed this outing don’t worry — thisis too much fun not to do again so another one is already in the works.
Summertime Precaution
Summertime and the livin’ is easy…So true, but with increased outdoor activities come increased risks to your greyhounds. The single most common cause of a greyhound getting lost is a gate left open by someone -- a lawn worker, a construction worker, a meter reader, etc. The bottom line is that the terrifying event occurs, your beloved “couch potato” is running loose, and the helpless feeling can be overwhelming. The worst call we get is from a hysterical owner telling us that their greyhound is gone, which sets into motion a series of phone calls to local volunteers to help look for the dog, flood the neighborhood with fliers, and provide moral support. With luck and hard work, the greyhound is found quickly -- safe and sound. It is very important to keep identification tags on your greyhound AT ALL TIMES. We get a number of calls from people who have found a greyhound with no tags. Please call us at 732-356-4370 if you need a GFNJ tag and we will gladly send you one.
“Make mine a triple…” 
By Nancy Waddell
There are plenty of things in this life that one of is often more than enough. Toothaches, warts, mortgages, foundation garments. (Bet you have your own thoughts on this, right?) But not Greyhounds!
We all know that retired racing Greyhounds make wonderful pets. We baby-sit each other’s Greys, give scritches and talk silly to someone else’s dogs at Meet n’ Greets and picnics, and admit it, we sometimes covet our neighbor’s dog. But there are still Greyhound parents out there who (GASP!) have only one hound. In the vaguest of my memories, I remember a time when Dick and I had only one.
Kelvin didn’t keep his Only Dog status for long. Before a year was out, Dashie joined us, and then Tessie hopped into our lives and if you’re old enough to remember, Suzi, who lived to be 20 years old, put the polish on our then permanent Greyhound family. Over the course of those early years, we also had the pleasure and privilege of successfully fostering 13 Lady Greys who all found their own forever homes with wonderful people.
Back then, every time we thought about adding a Grey to our family, we had to face these questions. Will it be double (or triple) the cost — for the vet, food, beds, toys and leashes? How can two of us handle three (or four) dogs? What if they fight or don’t like each other? What if they like each other too much and ignore us? Do we have to feed the older ones different food than we feed the young ones? Where’s everybody going to sleep? Just think of picking up ALL that poop! Worthwhile questions, but as a new one settled into our home, those questions were stilled.
During those early years, many non-Greyhound folk would question our sanity. “Four dogs!?!”, they’d exclaim. “Guess you don’t get out much.” Or “I know where your tax refund goes.” Or even the occasional “Eeeeeewwwww.” And over the course of the years, we found we didn’t need those people in our lives; that more and more we enjoyed the company of other Greyhound parents. Now, non-Greyhound folks who get to know our dogs and spend time with them say things like, “Can we take the dogs for a walk?” “Will you bring Sugar to our Brownie meeting so the girls can meet a real life ‘race dog’?” “I just stopped by to see Smudgie (or Sugie or JT).”
In no time, those questions that had seemed so tough, those same questions that made us pause, the ones that underscored the early doubts about our emotional, financial and marital stability in regard to housing more than one Greyhound, those earth-shattering interrogatories were stilled. Gone, never to be asked again. Let’s face it -- three Greyhounds are easier than one teenager.
We’re 14 years older than when we adopted Kel, our first Greyhound. Our original four, Kel, Dash (DS Flyn Lo), Tessie (Tempered Tess) and Suzi are now together at the Rainbow Bridge and we miss them, mourn them, remember them and celebrate them daily through our Greys Sugar (Y KNOT SUGAR), Smudgie (Andugar) and JT (Jethro Tull).
When a Greyhound has become a part of your life, then leaves, as sadly it must, one thing is for certain. There is always another one who needs you, who will fill your life and organize your days, who will make you laugh and cry and yell and sing. We know that each Greyhound is different; yet, each trustingly gives its individual self to us and from each, we are gifted with its uniqueness and its love. No friends, you don’t have to ask me more than once, ‘cause my answer’s going to be, “Make mine a triple!
Zronia “Amanda”
This 10-year-old lady has the appearance and demeanor of a five-year-old. She has a gorgeous sleek coat, quite different from her fuzzy coat that she needed as a brood in Oklahoma. She is a happy, loving lady who brings joy to her foster’s heart. She would make a wonderful addition to a family that does not have small animals.
Sassy’s Gunner
Described by his foster as “one of GFNJ’s best kept secrets”, this four-year-old boy loves to snuggle and is friendly and mellow. He is living with a cat and another greyhound. He does have some separation issues that are nicely managed with the aid of some medication that allows him to relax and to enjoy life. He needs the companionship of another greyhound to help him to feel secure. Won’t you consider adding this handsome and loving boy to your family?
Emerald Penguin
Penguin is a handsome, friendly boy who just turned two years old. He loves people and affection. As a graduate of the Prison Program, Penguin walks nicely on the lead and sits. He would do best without cats.
Fuzzy Bruiser
Fuzzy is a three-year-old boy who has blossomed in foster care. He is fearful of men and will do best living with a woman. Once comfortable, he is playful, loving and very happy. He’ll need a fenced yard. Fuzzy is cat tolerant with supervision and has lived with other breeds quite happily.
Schroder Style
Schroder is a gorgeous Prison Program graduate who just turned two years old in April. This big, sweet, calm boy is slightly timid at first but it is apparent he wants to be social as he approaches to be petted. He is cat tolerant with supervision. Please consider giving Schroder a forever home.
EASY FUNDRAISER
“Greyt Snacks” By Deb Casagrande
After adopting Jax (WW’s Bank on It) and Reba (Jax Tutti Tonga) in 2007, I wanted to find a way to help raise money for Greyhound Friends. That is when I started my “Greyt Snacks” at work.
I started out with just $10 (my donation) and a friend’s BJ Wholesale Club card. I bought a box of 30 candy bars for $9.99 and sold them at $1.00 a piece — a $20 profit for GFNJ! I then bought breakfast bars, peanuts, cookies and crackers and priced them from $.50 - $1.00. The beauty of this ongoing fundraiser is that it can be worked into my usual shopping routine and easily monitored.
I now average approximately $100 per month from my 22 co-workers and we all feel wonderful that the dogs are getting an additional $1,200 a year this easily!
Recycling
Sue Schrock and Jody Arthur have collected and recycled hundreds of ink cartridges and cell phones that have helped GFNJ. They have done a magnificent job and have raised more than $2,500. Our recycling contact is NO longer processing ink cartridges so we ask you to bring only your old cell phones to the picnic on May 18th at Duke Island Park. We want to thank Sue and Jodi for all the years of packing those cartridges and cell phones.
Heavenly Summer!
Your Greyhound, the New York Finger Lakes, and Wine
The Grapehound Wine Tour, July 24-27, offers you a chance to vacation with your greys, visit New York’s lovely Finger Lakes, tour 16 of the region’s best wineries AND benefit Greyhound Friends of New Jersey. As this year’s partner, GFNJ is hoping to see all of you, your friends and families participate at this fun, four-day fest. Come for all or part of the weekend! Hotel rooms are discounted, pet fees are waived and you receive access to all participating vineyards for one $25 wine tour ticket. Not a wine drinker? There will be plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, and designated driver tickets are $5 less.
These highlights don’t even include the beautiful scenery or the kisses you’ll get from taking your greyhound with you!
Thursday evening chicken barbecue at Montezuma Winery (chicken hot dogs for the hounds!)
Friday afternoon King Ferry and Long Point wineries welcome new arrivals; a 5:00 p.m. “Meet the Organizers” event at Knapp winery with hors d’oeuvres and more wine tasting. A concert on the lawn and under the stars from 7-10 PM at Buttonwood Grove Winery.
Saturday -- more wine tasting at fourteen wineries throughout the day and an ice cream social and raffle at Cayuga Ridge Winery late in the afternoon.
Sunday we meet at 9AM before the breathtaking 215 ft. Taughannock Falls, where a professional photographer will take a portrait of you and your hounds. Then there’s a brunch at Americana in the morning, more wine tasting throughout the day, and even another concert to close out the day at Americana Vineyards.
Don’t just Save the Date! REGISTER NOW! For a complete schedule and to register, please visit www.grapehounds.com.
My Pal Pardo
Pardo is such a nice boy with a happy and loving personality. He is young, having just turn two years old in April. He would do best with another greyhound. He is in foster care with a cat and a greyhound and has learned the joys of family life. This handsome brindle boy would make a great addition to a greyt family.
Kelso
Kelso is an extremely happy dog -- his tail never stops wagging! This gorgeous black and white boy will be nine years young in May and is doing very well in his foster home. He recently attended a Meet & Greet and did great with the attention, kids and small animals. If you're looking for a happy boy, Kelso is the one!
Thirty Years of Blarney!
By
Ellen Ganopoulos
More than 60 greyhounds and 50 of their people friends were on hand to delight the crowds at the Parade in Morristown, New Jersey on March 15th. As usual the dogs were a magnificent sight, decked out in their finest green attire to pay tribute to the Irish holiday. The parade, which draws more than 50,000 spectators, is one of the largest in the state. The challenge was to keep up with the parade march pace, yet still take time to allow the crowd to pet and admire the dogs - there was no shortage of outstretched hands as the dogs walked by. The luck of the Irish was with us as the skies cleared just in time for the event. Tom Walek provided corned beef sandwiches and Peggy Martling brought coffee cake to enjoy while we waited for the parade to start, making the event even more enjoyable.
A wonderful video of the event and our "March on Morristown" can be viewed on You Tube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkeZpOAO48g&feature=email, compliments of Mickey Westenberger.
“My Coke Rewards”
Ellen Ganopoulos is spearheading the “My Coke Rewards” program for GFNJ. Please collect bottle caps from the following products and bring them to the picnic: Barq's, Coke Classic, Coke Zero, Dasani, Diet Coke, Fanta, Fresca, Minute Maid, Nestea, POWERade, Pibb Xtra, Sprite, and VAULT.
Please help GFNJ by donating:
Bedding, towels, used crates, stuffed toys, weight circles from Pro Plan dog food, greyhound coats (new and used) for foster dogs, safety collars (new and used) for foster/kennel dogs and training treats for prison dogs.
Our dream of owning our own kennel is well on its way to coming true. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our kennel fund today.
Special thanks to Gino Nuzzo, owner of Image Makers Instant Printing in Wayne, New Jersey, for printing and folding the Greyhound Friends newsletter at a wonderful reduced rate. Please keep Gino in mind if you have any printing needs; he can be reached at 973-633-1771.
Moved? Please let us know of any address or telephone number changes so we can keep our records up to date.
SAVE YOUR PRO PLAN WEIGHT CIRCLES
Weight circles from Pro Plan dog food bags help us pay our veterinary bills and buy food for the dogs in our prison foster program. Please cut the circles from the side of the bag and send to Greyhound Friends of NJ.
Greyhound Friends of New Jersey, Inc. Membership Application
Greyhound Friends of NJ Membership Dues go for the care of the greyhounds. For an annual donation of $25 or more, members will receive a newsletter subscription and member decal; for $50 or more members will receive a newsletter subscription, decal and T-shirt; for the generous gift of $100, members will receive a newsletter subscription, decal and sweatshirt. Write your check today, payable to Greyhound Friends of NJ, Inc. and mail it with this form to:
Greyhound Friends of NJ., Inc., P.O. Box 4416, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-0669.
Yes, I want to help Greyhound Friends of NJ care for the greyhounds.
Name___________________________________ Phone ___________________
Address ___________________________________________________________
Email Address _____________________________________
Amount Enclosed $______ T-shirt/sweatshirt size (M,L,XL) _______
_____ I don’t want a premium; please use the entire donation to help the greyhounds.
