Articles from July 2011



Rachel is our calendar girl!

MSGAO was named among adoption organizations whose dogs will appear in the 2012 Celebrating Greyhounds wall calendar. And of course we should have known it was none other than Greyhound photographer par excellence Rachel Hogue whose pictures will be appearing. Congratulations Rachel! Check out her capabilities by clicking on the link to the left.

Retired? Not These Greyhounds!

Retirement isn’t for all former racers. Click on the image to learn about our working dogs!

Memorial Race Honors Chris Chance

The $1,000 Chris Chance Memorial Feature, run July 23 at Southland Gaming and Racing, was won by Easi Chicken. This stakes race honors the late Mr. Chance, who was deeply involved as a volunteer in Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option, along with his wife Marsha, before his untimely passing in his mid-40s. The race is run at Southland as an annual remembrance of all Chris Chance’s contributions to the greyhound adoption program. Marsha is third from the right in the accompanying picture. More photos of the action, which was dominated by the girls, can be viewed at this link.

Life at a Greyhound Track – Behind the Scenes

I finally finished a project today that I’ve been working on for quite some time, and I want to share it with my greyhound family.

This is a collection of images I’ve taken from 2006 on. I’ve designed this set as an educational tool for greyhound people (much like myself) who have an interest in what their dog’s life was like before retirement. Not everyone gets to go behind the scenes at the racetrack, and there’s a lot to learn. So many things from track life will explain the funny quirks and behaviors in our retired greyhounds. I’ve done my best to represent things as accurately as possible, and I plan to continue updating the set in the future. Enjoy, and please share!

- Rachel Hogue

[click the image to view the set]

Celebrating Greyhounds in Kentucky!

Greyhounds were celebrated at the Greyhounds of Shamrock’s Festival of the Bluegrass in Louisville, Kentucky. Check out images from the event!

Support Greyhound Adoption!

Here's a message we can all get behind!

Vicki Cohen, MSGAO director, spotted this decal at Greyhounds of Shamrock’s Festival of the Bluegrass in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s a three-day extravaganza focused on retired racers. Click here to learn more about the group that sponsors the annual event.

Congratulations to Our Latest Adopters!

Click on the image to view the latest happy hounds who have found their forever homes!

Greyhound Fun in Nashville

GPA Nashville will be raising funds the fun way with a Greyhound Picnic Sept. 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Centennial Park Large-Events Pavilion in Nashville, of course!


The goal of the event is to rebuild the Broken-Legged Dog Fund. GPA Nashville hopes to raise $4,000, the cost of rehabilitating two track-injured dogs.

Team Spirit is the theme for this year’s picnic, so wear your favorite team’s colors and have some fun.

If you want to volunteer to help out at the event, contact Kim Tormey ([email protected]).  You’ll get a free T-shirt for your time!

 

Settling in Nicely with Jezepel

We are sharing the story of Jezepel’s recent integration into a new home so it may enlighten the adoption-curious and bring back fond memories of the early days for those with long-settled greyhounds.

Jazz loves her crate!

The recently adopted Jezepel, now nicknamed Jazz, is settling in nicely, report adopters Scott and Maria Macintire. The first week she was really quiet and reserved, then this past weekend her personality started to show.

She’s done very well in the house. “We have a crate the same size as the one at the kennel and we leave the door open all day and only close it when we leave or sleep. She loves her crate and has all her squeaky toys and pillows inside,” Scott and Marie report.

Jazz just learned to climb stairs. By no means is she graceful, but she is learning that taking it slow is the key to not sliding. She still needs to master the trip down. She stands at the top staring, drooling and shaking. The Macintires have to help her down most times. If Jazz is really nervous, then she must be carried.

On the culinary side, she currently is dining on Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice, which she absolutely loves.

Jazz has developed nervousness about going through the doorway to the backyard. The Macintires believe it’s because it leads to two steps she must go down, but that seems to be passing day by day. When she gets outside she does very well.

She visited the veterinarian because of a limp in her front right leg. The vet suggested glucosamine and thinks it may just be an old racing injury. The Macintires took the wise step of having a microchip placed and registering her on line. (Note: A local adoption group offers low-cost microchipping services, often at Hollywood Feed).

Jazz enjoys her new adventures.

Jazz has visited the dog park at Shelby Farms twice. “The first day she stayed at my side and just seemed to watch everything happen.” Then she caught a glimpse of a small dog chasing a ball. That sight prompted her first attempted run since joining the Macintires. Jazz was on a short leash and did not get very far.

The next day, as a reward for going up the stairs, they went to the park again. Scott reports, “She trotted with me on the trails and then we went to the water’s edge” where Jazz was greeted by several dogs including a few small dogs and a Bull Mastiff. She warmed up to them quickly, watching them play as if she was a child at a new school.

Jazz watched intently, trying to figure out what the other dogs were doing, trying to learn as she watched but still to shy to approach them. A medium-size doberman ran up to her, as if inviting Jazz to join the fun.

It wasn’t too long before Jazz started to wade into the water, human in tow, to join her new pals. It’s official: Jazz likes the water and can swim. “She, well `we,’ played with the other dogs for almost an hour in the water. She was reluctant to leave,” Scott says.

Jazz is ready to race soccer-playing kids.

Jazz has done very well with the whole family and has had no problems with their schedule. “All my son’s friends, being soccer players, want to`race’ her” to see who’s faster. We all know who will win!” Scott says.

“Jazz has been so sweet and we are very happy we adopted her. We have received many `thank yous’ from other dog owners for `rescuing’ her. We make sure we tell them where she came from and where they, too, can adopt a Grey. Thanks again for our new family member.”

Scott and Maria Macintire

 

New Dogs Available!

Some new dogs have been added to the “available for adoption” link. Check them out! But don’t worry that the ones who have been there for a while are not good candidates for pet-hood. Sometimes it just takes a while for the right chemistry to happen.

Speaking from experience, our first grey was lucky to come home with us just a short time after he was available. Our second — who was available the same time as our first — just had to wait patiently until we came to our senses and decided to get a companion for Dog 1. His patience paid off and we’ve now had more than two years of joy as a two-dog household.