Home Stretch January - July 2009 Volume 14, Issue 1

Greyhound Pets of America - Minnesota

Inside this Issue

• Got tags?

• New billboard ad

• Hounds of the months

• First FDA approved cancer treatment for dogs

• In memoriam

GreyFest 2009 — Are you ready for a GREYT time?Barb Gates Schaben, GreyFest Coordinator

GreyFest is a yearly celebration to honor our hounds and raise money to help retired racers find homes.

When? Saturday, June 20, 2009 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Raffle 2:30 p.m.

Why Should You Go? • Greyhounds! There will be A LOT of them.

All sizes, all colors ‑ all lovable.

• It's our biggest fundraiser of the year!

• Help raise money to help other retired

racers find homes. All proceeds benefit

retired racers!

• A chance to socialize.

• See old friends and make new ones.

• Shopping! T‑shirts, collars, jewelry, art…

we've got vendors from around the country

selling greyhound‑related goodies.

• Contests and prizes! Best costume, youngest

dog, shortest male, tallest female, fastest peanut butter licker, Speed Alley

(weather‑permitting) and more!

• Photo opportunities! We have a photographer ready to take pictures of your

hound racing down Speed Alley.

• Food and drink.

• The raffle! We have AWESOME raffle items.

• Greyhounds! Did we mention lots and lots of greyhounds?!

Need another reason? Because it's a GREYT time! Want more information?Please see www.gpa‑mn.org or call 763.785.4000.

Want more information? See page 8 for much, much more!

Where? Spooner Park, Little Canada, MN—Directions & map inside

Got Tags? In March, a hound named Sonya escaped from her home of less than 18 hours and spent a few days wandering St. Paul. It was frightening, not only for Sonya and her new adoptive family, but also for the plethora of volunteers who organized walks to look for her, posted notices on chat boards, e‑mail, and generally fretted over of her absence.

Sonya was lucky because the weather was unseasonably warm and, although the Hamline‑Midway neighborhood along Snelling Avenue is very busy, she stayed out of the way of traffic, trains and other potential dangers in the area. But what made Sonya even luckier was the fact that she was wearing a collar with ID tags that included her family’s contact information so she could be quickly and easily reunited with her fam-ily. After two days of wandering, Sonya found her way to a business in Energy Park. A kind man found her at the front door and immediately called the telephone number listed on her ID tag. Sonya was quickly and happily reunited with her family.

Quick, easy identification Dog tags can offer people lots of information about your pet in the event that they are lost and wandering out there alone. The first thing people think of when they notice a dog that looks lost or unattended is to check their dog tags.

Although micro‑chipping has grown in popularity, it’s not a fail‑safe method for quickly reconnecting a lost dog with its family. The micro‑chip not only has to be found and read with the proper equipment (not all chips are universal), but it also must work properly to safely return the dog to its family. By comparison, the simplicity and im-mediacy of the information provided by a collar tag is unrivaled. There are few hassles involved when the dog’s name, and his human’s phone number is written in plain view

for anyone to see.

It is so important for your hound to wear their tags at all times, not just while on a walk or other excursion. You never know when they may find an unexpected gap in the fence, escape from the house through an open door, or are accidentally let out of your yard by a neighborhood child.

Personally, I appreciate hearing the jingle of tags on my hounds. When they are wan-dering around the house it helps me keep an ear out and realize when there’s a trouble‑making hound doing something she shouldn’t be doing. But for those of you who prefer to be without the jingling, there are embroidered collars which can be custom-ized with name, phone number, etc. Many online vendors, including Petco.com and Drs. Foster & Smith, offer this alternative, quiet ID option.

Make it personalWhen you adopt a hound from GPA, you are provided with a tag that includes the national GPA 800 number. This number connects callers to the local chapter of GPA based on the number they are calling from, and rings to a cell phone carried by our GPA‑MN secretary. However, the best way to increase the likelihood that you will be quickly reunited with your hound is to include your personal information on a second tag. Continued on page 3

The Home StretchGPA—Minnesota’sMission Statement

Greyhound Pets of America—Minnesota is the Minnesota chapter of a national non‑profit, all volunteer organization dedi-cated to finding loving, respon-sible homes for retired racing greyhounds and also younger greyhounds that haven’t been successful at the various tracksthroughout the country. We also take great pride in educating the public that retired racers make excellent, loving pets.

The Home Stretch is the publica-tion of the Minnesota Chapter of Greyhound Pets of America. Entire contents are Copyright ©2009 Greyhound Pets of America—Minnesota. Reproduc-tion or quotation strictly prohib-ited without written consent of the publisher. All rights reserved. GPA‑MN reserves the right to edit or withhold all articles or advertisements submitted for publication. GPA‑MN does not necessarily endorse any product advertised in this newsletter.

Any questions concerning content or distribution should be directed to Jen Cottew at:Newsletter@gpa‑mn.org or jencottew@hotmail.com.

Or mail to:GPA‑MN NewsletterP.O. Box 49183Minneapolis, MN 55449

Newsletter CommitteeJen CottewBarb Gates SchabenWendie JohnsonSylvia KresalEd MallNicole MiddlecampSusan Spiller

Got Tags? continued Here is a recommendation for the information to include on the ID tag.

Update as neededIf you already keep ID tags on your hound, take a moment to make sure the in-formation is legible. Age and wear can make the information rub away or become caked with dirt, making the data unreadable. It’s also possible the tag may have fallen off (gasp!). It’s good to get into the habit of taking a moment to check your hound’s tags at regular intervals. Pick an event to trigger you to double‑check your hound’s safety, for example, when you give them heartworm preventative each month.

While we always hope for the best, sometimes the unthinkable can happen and your dog will get loose. It is best to be preapred for the unthinkable.

Best information to include: • Hound name • Primary cell phone number

Volume 13, Issue 1

Board members’ contact information

The board wants to be accessibleto the chapter members. Please contact us with concerns, ques-tions, suggestions, or to get in-volved. Below are the e‑mail addressesfor all the board members and the committee each chairs. If interested in getting involved with a specific committee, contact that board member directly.

Barb Gates Schaben - President, Greyfest Coordinator bgates@cuningham.com Lisa Quast - Vice President, Media/PR lquast@memsi.com

Mark Downey - Treasurer, Merchandise mark@nervecenter.net

Susan Spiller - Secretary spillgirl555@yahoo.com

Paula Docken pdocken@travelers.com

Ed Mall - Newsletter coach2_2@hotmail.com

Nicole Middlecamp - Foster Coordinator Nicole.Middlecamp@target.com

Pete Opitz - Fundraising pete_opitz@hotmail.com

Lori Rasmussen - Special events ourmustang@comcast.net

Adoption Coordinators: Luana Ball ‑ luanaball@yahoo.com Teri Petrin ‑ xracinggreys@msn.com

Meet-n-Greet Coordinator:Sylvia Kresal, nskresal@comcast.net

Promoting GPA-MN in a New Way By Susan Spiller

I had an idea to promote GPA‑MN on a billboard – seemed like a good idea to me until I started checking costs and realized that it was very expensive. Then I found a company (Clear Channel) that has a special program for non‑profit organizations, like our orga-nization. They charge $150 for the artwork and $200 for the installation. The advertis-ing fee is FREEEE!! Most of the other companies were between $900 and $2,600 per month plus an artwork fee and installation fee.

At first I thought this was too good to be true – but it is true. The only catch is we do not have any say as to which one of their billboards in the Metro it will be posted; and we can not tell them when we want it to be posted. I guess that is a fair trade‑off. The application was sent in and we were accepted for this special program. I knew how I wanted the billboard to look, so I sent their art department a mock up and then we fine tuned it from there. The above photo is how it will look. I am hoping that it will get a lot of attention and bring in some more interest in adopting our magnificent Grey-hounds. I will send out an email to the “list” when I find out when it is going up and exactly where. The billboard is about 22’ x 10’ and will be up for about one month. And yes, this is our smiley brindle boy – Barska.

Other optional information:• Owner name• Secondary cell or home phone number• Home address

KIBA WYLIE - Our June Hound of the Monthby Morgan WylieHound of the Month? You must be talking about my super‑sweet girl, Kiba!

Growing up in a very dog‑centric family and liv-ing near the greyhound tracks in eastern Wash-ington, my mom often spoke of the wonderful retired racers that needed homes and her plans to adopt. But every time we decided there was room for another dog, invariably another four‑legged hard luck case would show up on our doorstep and earn a place on our couch. Our furry friends were invaluable members of our family. It just didn't work out that a greyhound numbered among the border collies, german shepherds, toy poodles and other pound puppies we took in. So when I struck out on my own and decided it was time to start my own furry family, my thoughts immediately turned to retired racing greyhounds. I spent 9 months researching greyhounds, going to meet and greets, talking with vets and other owners, deciding on names, picking out toys and beds, building a My First Hound grooming supply... friends jokingly refer to this as my "pregnancy." And so it was! I was ready to be the best Single‑Parent‑Greyhound‑Soccer‑Mom ever. When I met my sweet girl, she was a little bundle of nerves, but I fell in love right away. I felt my heart pitter‑pattering somewhere around my toes and I couldn't wait to take her home. Nose to nose, I gave her a smile and said, "So nice to meet you, Kiba," us-ing the Japanese name I'd chosen for her. I loved taking care of her for those first few months when everything was new in our home and still a bit scary. She loved toting her stuffy toys from the bed to the couch and back again. Chinese take‑out night was our favorite: mine for the sweet and sour chicken, hers for the tasty rice and occasional for-tune cookie. She loved to snooze curled up behind my knees while we watched movies. Kiba quickly took charge of the neighborhood, and I've been proud to serve as the presi-dent of her Loring Park Fan Club for three years. She knows exactly which local shops and mail carriers keep a supply of biscuits on reserve for her. The squirrels in the park all give her a wide berth, and rightfully so. She's cute, and she knows it, and there's al-

ways a spring in her step when someone compliments her lovely fur and fauxhawk. She terrorizes her cat buddy, Ray Charles, by running laps around the house and showing so little consideration for his nap time. And despite my husband's nickname for her ‑ The Dinner Plate Devil ‑ I've found the two of them curled up on the couch together more than once! Kiba‑chan wa daisuki desu! (I love you, Kiba sweetie!) Love,Momma

Recent adoptionsArcher

Pat Williams

Bootsie George & Diane Martin

Jenna Mary & Benedict Ho

Bogey Ronald & Mary Ellen Couture

Tommy Lori & Dan Rasmussen

Whiskey Ed & Alice Mall

Sneakers Jason & Teri Petrin

Feenix Joe Sundberg & Harmony Green

Jack Beth Ignaut

Balthier Chauntae Ruppe, Steven Nichols

Haley Todd & Susan Zukowski

Maddie Amber Windschitl

Harley Ronald & Mary Ellen Couture

Tater Terri Wheeldon

Cadfael Michael Horrigan

Wellington Leah Dvorak & Cory Dingels

Honey Jeff & & Andrea Nelsen

BulletRisa & Chris Kerslake

ZigsCara White & Rob Curtis

HoneyNan & Harvey Carpenter

LoveyMarla & Jeremy Burke

O Ya DasherKaren Hawkinson

O Ya Louis MarieJulie Jeatran

Sammy Ball – Our July Hound of the MonthBy Luana Ball

I’ll never forget the day I first met my Sammy – also known as Sammerstein and SammerHammer. It was August 13, 2001 (my birthday) and I was with a caravan of GPA‑MN foster people traveling to St. Croix Meadows track in Hudson, WI. We were picking up some of the last hounds waiting patiently, as the track had recently closed. I remember following an employee into the kennel area where she pointed to various kennels indicating the hounds we were to take. I opened the kennel clos-est to me and saw the most beautiful hound curled up in the back of the crate.

His face was half black and half white and he had the sweetest big brown eyes. I think it was love at first sight ... though I was only intending on fostering him!

After processing the hounds my friend Jodi Brunner and I loaded our fosters into her van. We were half way home when I looked to the back of her van and found that Sammy had made himself quite comfortable on the back bench seat – all stretched out the length of it and uhmmmm ... showing us he was ‘all boy’! He could have been Playhound of the month! We laughed out loud at that one!

My Minnie girl, who was 8 at the time, was surprisingly accepting of Sammy. I only had a few fosters at that point and she gener-ally ignored most of them. Sammy was different though. It didn’t take long for Sammy to wrap his paw around my heart and I chose to adopt him.

Some of my most treasured memories are of Sammy and my father. They first met a few months after I brought him home and they were instant buddies! My dad adored my Minnie girl but there was a very special connection between Sammy and my Dad. When my Dad would visit they were inseparable. One evening while my Dad was visiting me Sammy crawled up on his lap while on the couch and just snuggled in with him. It couldn’t have been very comfortable for either of them but they didn’t mind … they were together! My dad passed away a few months later but those memories of Sammy and Dad live on in my heart.

Sammerstein will be 10 years old this coming September. He’s been a goofy ‘dufus’ hound all of his life! His ears flop forward when he’s in his silly mood, he eats his Kibble one piece at a time which can take all day if I let him, he loves huge stuffed animals and going in circles under the bed covers and always lands with his head across my feet which is how we fall asleep. In the warm months he loves nothing better than a snooze in the sun in the middle of the yard ‑‑‑ followed by a good dig in the dirt to cool down or a soak in the kiddie pool!

Here’s wishing you many more lovely summers my dear Sammy boy!

GreyFest 2009: Directions & ParkingSpooner Park is at 351 Eli Road in Little Canada, about 10 minutes north of Saint Paul, 0.3 miles from 35E and the Little Canada Road exit.

From the south:Go north on 35E. Exit on Little Canada Road.Turn right at the top of the exit. Take a quick left onto Centerville Road. Go about 1 block.Turn right onto Eli Road. Park is 1/2 block on the right.

From the north:Go south on 35E. Exit on Little Canada Road.Turn left at the top of the exit. Go over 35E. Turn left onto Centerville Road. Go about 1 block. Turn right onto Eli Road. Park is 1/2 block on the right.

ParkingThere is a lot at the shelter. Lots of on‑street parking and a school parking lot next to the park.

Are you coming to GreyFest from out of town and don’t want to drive home after a fun‑filled day of excitement and activities? The hotels listed here are pet‑friendly and are within a few miles of Spooner Park. This is only a short list ‑ there are many other hotels in the Minneapolis‑Saint Paul area that are pet friendly which can be found by searching the internet or calling the hotel directly. Please note: in some cases there may be a nominal, non‑refundable pet charge.

• Best Western Kelly Inn (Saint Paul) 161 St Anthony Ave, St Paul 651‑227‑8711 • Red Roof Inn 1806 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury 651‑738‑7160 • Best Western White Bear Country Inn 4940 Highway 61 North, White Bear Lake 651‑429‑5393 • Super 8 1125 Red Fox Rd, Arden Hills, 651‑484‑6557

Hound-friendly Accommodations

4 things you don't want to forget to bring to GreyFest

1. Address labels! Save yourself time and bring address labels to put on the raffle tickets ‑ then you won't have to write your name a zillion times.

2. Credit cards! GPA‑MN will accept credit cards at GreyFest this year. We will accept credit cards for tickets and at the GPA booth ‑ where you will find super greyt merchandise, and more tickets. GPA‑MN also will accept cash and checks.

3. Old cell phones! GPA‑MN will recycle your old phones for you. Convenient for you, and better yet ‑ it benefits GPA‑MN!

4. A smile! We want to take a group photo this year (more details to follow)... if it works out we could incorporate it into the next calendar!

Ready for a little friendly competition?

Contests include:

• Best pet trick

• Best costume

• Fastest peanut butter

licker

• Softest hair

• Shiny hiney

GreyFest - tips, contests, directions and more!

Heal-a-Hound Fundraising Dinner On Saturday, April 26 GPA‑MN hosted the third annual Heal‑a‑Hound Fundraising Dinner and Silent Auction. Held at DeGidio’s Restaurant in Saint Paul, the evening featured a silent auction and cocktail hour followed by an all‑you‑can‑eat buffet of DeGidio’s best Italian fare.

We raised just over $2,400 for the Heal‑a‑Hound fund! We will use that money to bring in hounds needing special medical attention

‑ hounds that would otherwise be very difficult or impossible for us to help because of the extraordinary costs. Thanks to everyone who participated in the dinner and silent auction, as well as those who donated to the event. You made a big difference in the lives of some very lucky greyhounds.

GPA-MN Resources

As an organization, we takegreat pride in giving our members access to informationopen forums where they canask questions, make commentsand just talk about greyhounds.

GPA—MN’s E-mail listTo subscribe to the GPA-MN E-Mail CorrespondenceList and automaticallyreceive a digital copy of theHome Stretch go to:www.gpa-mn.org/mailman/listinfo/list_gpa-mn.org

GPA—MN’s Home StretchTo request a digital copy ofthe newsletter only that youcan read on your computerscreen or print to read latergo to: http://gpa-mn.org/mail-man/listinfo/gpa-mnnewsletter_gpa-mn.org

To request that a paper copyof the newsletter be mailedto your home please sendyour name and address toinfo@gpa-mn.org or leave thisinformation on the GPA-MNphone line which is 763-785-4000.

GPA—MN’s Web siteVisit our Web site to learnabout special events, volunteeropportunities, greyhoundsavailable for adoption and help-ful links.www.gpa-mn.org

PETFINDER.COMPetfinder.com is where wekeep information and picturesof all our greyhounds that areavailable for adoption. Visit www.petfinder.com and under the breed category, select greyhound.

Donations to GPA-Minnesota • Land O’ Lakes Kennel Show attendees • George and Diane Martin • Petco Foundation • Voyagers K9 Apparel • Jennifer Lindberg in honor of Jeff Nelson • Judith Triplett in honor of Ellie • Various Meet & Greet attendees • Mark Downey • Pet Expo attendees • United Way, to match a previous donation from Shari S. Gray • Elizabeth Germon & James Ignaut • Emily Parsons in memory of Patch (Cottew) • Susan Timmerman, in honor of Mark Downey • Christine Sanguinet, in honor of Barbara Gates Schaben • Chili’s, for the coupon drive that directed funds to GPA-MN • Mary McGeheran, in honor of Christine Sanguinet • Nancy and Brad Perlich, in honor of Cassie’s birthday • Trina Johnson • Victoria Jones, Heal-A-Hound donation • Anonymous cash donation made at Heal-a-Hound dinner

In MemoriamJoe came to me in August of 2003. Joe was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to be put down March 3rd. He was the most loving and gentle creature I have ever known. Life won't be the same without him. - Michael Marchand

Rainbow Bridge Boone – Barb Lund

Harley – Karen HawkinsonToby – Liz and Greg HendricksPatch – Jen and John CottewTJ – John and Jodi Brunner

Greyhound Pets ofAmerica - Minnesota

P.O. Box 49183Minneapolis, MN 55449763‑785‑4000

newsletter@gpa‑mn.orgwww.gpa‑mn.org

PETCO Stores — throughout the Twin Cities,

St. Cloud and Rochester

PETCO Foundation

PetSmart Charities Spay & Neuter Grant

Pet Expo—Mankato, MN 507‑625‑2505

Brooklyn Park Animal Hospital 763‑566‑6000

Cottage Grove Animal Hospital 651‑768‑0200

Maplewood Pet Care Clinic, P.A. 651‑770‑8373

Alta Veterinary 612‑285‑6550

Chanhassen Vet Clinic 952‑934‑8862

Blaine Area Pet Hospital 763‑754‑2131

Lupient Chevrolet of Bloomington

952‑884‑3333

Chuck & Don’s Pet Food Outlet

612‑926‑8161

Speed EZ Printing 763‑545‑1707

Fast Frame 612‑924‑9213

Barnes & Noble

Urbanimal 612‑879‑0709

WorkAbilities 763‑541‑1844

Papa’s Pizza & Pasta

GoodSearch.com

Solid Gold Northland

Voyagers K9 Apparel

National Greyhound Association

Rescue Pet Store

Minneapolis Kennel Club

Special thanksGPA‑MN would like to thank the following businesses and organizations for

their support and financial aid:

Special Events

Mark your calendar and check out gpa‑mn.org for details.

Saturday, June 13Spring Art Party

Webber Park, Minneapolis

Saturday, June 20GreyFest

Spooner Park, Little Canada

Saturday, July 11Maple Grove Days

Sunday, July 26Dog Days of Summer

Burnsville