The Greyzette June-July 2014 - Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada

June - July 2014
GREYHOUND PETS OF ATLANTIC CANADA
PRESENTS…
Upcoming Events
Every
Saturday
PetSmart Meet &
Greet 1-3pm
Every
Wednesday
GPAC NS Walking
Group 7pm
June 14
Antigonish Meet &
Greet
July 6
Grey’t Family Fun
Day (GPNL)
August 24
Dog Days of
Summer & Memorial
Service
Memorial Service
NEW to Dog Days: Reverend
Dianne Hill will be conducting a
memorial service in honour of
those greyhounds who have
crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
This service will take place on
August 24 before Dog Days
officially kicks off.
If you have greyhound you wish
to honour at the service please
email Kathleen Higgins at
k_higgins@me.com with a brief
write up and photo of your
greyhound. This will be
published in the service
bulletin.
The Return of the
Newsletter !
We hope that you enjoy this fresh new edition of the
Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada newsletter which is being
rebranded as ‘The Greyzette’ The purpose of this newsletter is
to keep GPAC’ers far and wide, in the loop with what is current
in our community. Inside you will find information regarding
upcoming events, hound days, training tips, volunteer updates
and much, much more!
Follow Those Hounds!
@GPACgreyhounds
Greyhound Pets of
Atlantic Canada
Page 1
Training Tips & Tricks
by Sandra Walsh
Volunteer of the Month:
Janice Duggan
Janice Duggan has been
Volunteering at the Greyhound
Kennel in her hometown of
Musquodoboit Harbour for about
7 years. She has remained a
constant and faithful volunteer
over the years doing four or five
shifts a week, taking care of the
dogs and the kennel. Janice also
has a large presence when it
comes to Hound Day Weekends
and providing Vet Transportation
during the spay and neuter
operations. She is an emergency
contact to fill in on storm days,
cancelled shifts, participates in
the kennel volunteer orientations
and supports the greyhounds
and her friends in many ways. The kennel would be lost without
her dedication and willingness to
be there most every weekday
morning. She has become a
wonderful friend to many of our
volunteers
Congratulations on adopting your greyhound! Now is the
beginning of your “getting to know each other” phase. One of the
best ways to begin the bonding process is through training. Training is a fun and stimulating process that you and your dog will
both enjoy. When training your greyhound it is important to not
overdo it. Train only one behaviour at a time and only work for 5
to 10 minutes at a time. You can do several sessions a day but
keep them short so he doesn’t lose interest.
!
One of the best ways to train your greyhound is through the use of
a clicker. Clicker training is easy to do and uses positive
reinforcement. The clicker is used to mark the wanted or asked for
behaviour and is immediately followed by a reward (treat). The
timing must be exact, meaning that the minute you get the
response you asked for, you must click and treat. In training we
always use what are called “A” level treats. Something soft and
squishy and highly palatable. Ie; bits of hotdog, cheese or mini
marshmallows, etc.
To get started you will first “load the clicker”. To do this take about
10 small pieces or your treat and feed them to your pup one at a
time. As he/she takes a treat you immediately click. Now you have
their attention.
An easy game to start with is the Name Game. Stand with your
dog on your side and when he is looking away or distracted call
his name only once. Now you wait. The moment he looks at you
click and treat. Use lots of praise. If you have someone helping
you, have them make noises to distract the dog. You are now on
your way to teaching your pup to respond to its name!
Another fun lesson is called “Watch Me” This is a great tool for
when you need your pup to focus on you. First begin with loading
the clicker. Use about 5 pieces of you’re A level treat. Let the pup
sniff it, say watch me (only once) and slowly bring the treat to your
nose and hold it between your eyes. When your pup makes eye
contact count to one and click and treat. You will eventually
lengthen the time so he is watching you for several seconds before
you click and treat. This is a great exercise for a pup who may be
easily distracted on walks by oncoming dogs or cats.
Page 2
Training Tips & Tricks
…continued from page 2
!
Aside from training there are a few games you can play that will help
with the bonding process. If you have a fenced yard, pups love a
good game of hide and seek. Have one person hold and distract the
pup while you go and hide. Once hidden call the pup and wait for
him to find you. When he does lavish praise and make it fun.
Mikaela & Canada’s
Top-Secret Treat
Recipe
I hope you will enjoy working and teaching your pup new things. Make it fun and stimulating and your new family member will amaze
you with just how much they love to learn.
A Typical Kennel Volunteer Shift
by Lisa & Jim Simpson
All is quiet as we let ourselves into the kennel. The hounds, who have
been anticipating our arrival, start to greet us with barks, yelps, yips
and within seconds it’s a full blown symphony. This is the start of our
kennel shift!
We begin by walking around the kennel to see if there are any special
instructions posted on the doors, for example; sore foot (no walks), no
stuffies or toys in the yard, etc… Then we will read over the notes
recorded in the binder by whoever did the previous shifts to see if
there are any further instructions or chores to take care of.
Of course all of this has to be quickly done as there are anywhere from
5 to 25 greyhounds who are demanding to get outdoors and attend
to their business. The rest of the shift breaks down like this; Get the
dogs muzzled and in the appropriate yard so they can relieve
themselves. How many hounds you let out at a time depends on if you
have extra help to be outside monitoring them. While the crates are
empty of dogs then you must rush from crate to crate checking to see
if the shredded paper is dry or if more is needed. Also, the dogs enjoy
having their beds fluffed up (or that’s what they tell me). Remove
empty food bowls, wash them for later and change or top up water
dishes. By this time the dogs will start coming back in to their
respective places and getting settled. You think this is the end of the
shift? Not even close! Now the real fun starts!
2 cups whole
wheat flour
1 tbsp
baking
powder
1 cup
peanut
butter
1 cup
milk
!
Preheat oven to 375
In a bowl, combine flour and
baking powder.
In another bowl, mix peanut
butter and milk, then add to dry
ingredients and mix well.
Place dough on a lightly floured
surface and knead. Roll dough
to 1/4 inch thickness and use a
cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
Bake for 20 minutes on a
greased baking sheet until
lightly brown. Cool on a rack,
then store in an airtight
container.
*Watch carefully—cookies tend
to burn easily.
Page 3
The Orkin Report: I’m
Writing a Book !
This is BMT Orkin Man reporting
from Summerville, Nova Scotia.
Some of you may know me from
my occasional reports appearing
on the GPAC Facebook page. I
generally write about my exciting
life on the farm with Jim and
Karen and two other greyhounds
known as The Old Guy
(Habenero, who is almost 10) and
the Big White Guy (Mobi, who is
7). My latest news flash is… I am
writing a BOOK! The working
title at this point is “Living Life
Large: Wisdom from BMT Orkin
Man.” Isn’t that cool? It will
feature some of my most popular
Facebook posts from the past,
photos of my own lovely self and
some of my buddies, as well as
Orkin-advice on how to best live
life to the fullest.
Know what’s even cooler than the
fact that I am writing a book? I
am going to donate the proceeds
to GPAC! We hope to have it
ready for purchase in time for
Christmas shopping, so don’t
forget to put my book on your list
of must-have Christmas gifts for
2014! This is BMT Orkin Man
signing off and pondering the
wisdom of the universe. Actually,
I am just pondering my next
meal. One wouldn’t want to plan
too far in advance.
A Typical Kennel Volunteer Shift
…continued from page 3
Depending on the weather situation, it’s individual play-time or
walk-time! It’s our goal to give every greyhound there one on one
special time. Some prefer walks or tearing around the yard with a
toy, while others will take shameless advantage of free snuggles,
hugs and sweet-talks. I prefer the latter.
At the end of the shift, ideally there will be a lot of happy, sleepy
hounds ready to snooze until the next shift appears. As we finish
up with sweeping the floor, filling water buckets outside, removing
full poop buckets (least glamorous job), recording in the scribbler
all that was done and slipping the dogs a small treat.
On a personal note, we have the Saturday morning shift and quite
possibly the very best shift to have. Why you ask? Well, we get to
witness the love stories unfolding right before our eyes. Soul
mates are often found Saturday mornings in Musquodoboit
Harbour, as that is when potential adopters are coming in for the
orientation.
So, we leave the kennel tired, dirty and with the taste of something
questionable in our mouths from over-excited flailing paws but we
also come away with our hearts full and our spirits full of joy. Pretty
fine way to begin the day in my opinion!
“That Moment When…” will be a recurring comic included in every new
edition of the Greyzette. Illustrated by Kathleen Higgins, the purpose of
this comic is to bring a little humour to our newsletter that is inspired by
the daily events we observe when we grace our homes with the presence
of a Greyhound.
Page 4
HoundMart
Sale
Till June 28, 2014
Dollar Days Sale
Pigs Ears—$1
Beef Hooves—$1
Beef Ribs—$1
Steer Pizzles—$1
Beef Chew Sticks—$1
Duck Chew Sticks—$1
Deer Chew Sticks—$1
FREE POOP BAG ROLL AND DISPENSER
WITH $10 PURCHASE (1 per customer)
A new crop of collars has just
arrived—lots of girl colors
1.5” and 1”
Come and See Us at The Kennel
343 West Petpeswick Road
Check out our on-line store on Facebook
(search Hound Mart GPAC Kennel Store)
100% of all HoundMart proceeds
go directly to care for greyhounds awaiting adoption.
Page 5
GPAC & The Galgo Connection
by Sandra Deakin
One year ago this week I sat glued to my computer screen waiting and hoping to see pictures from Diane
Ward and Lydia Best who were at Scooby Medina in Spain picking up my new little Spanish galgo boy for
me, DaVinci, along with his paddock mate Miss Virginia and Tin Tin for Terry Goodyear who is now known to
us as Fenix. Let me back track to November of 2012 when I was browsing the Scooby Medina Facebook
page and all of a sudden I sat bolt upright when I saw a name Eva Andrews- Canadian contact! I had known
about the plight of the galgos in Spain for many years but always thought there is was sadly nothing I could
do from Canada......was I ever mistaken. A quick email to Eva and then a phone call. Yes she could help me
bring a dog from Spain to Canada and would be happy to do so if I made a formal application and went
through the approval process. One of the first questions was if I was affiliated with a greyhound group in
Canada who could provide a third party adoption contract as a safety net for the dog. Well of course yes I
was so the next phone call was to Jeanette Reynolds who when I told her my plan, paused only for a second
to digest what I had just said, and quickly followed that up with "I want to hear more about this." I sent her
the photos off my boy and explained what Eva had told me she said of course she would be happy to do a
third party adoption and the rest so they say is history!
May 5th of last year myself, Jeanette and Janice Bourgogne drove to Maine to pick up the "three amigos"
who had arrived two days earlier and started the first "galgo train" from JFK New York with Susan McFadden
Ligotti and Marlane Bernardo. Since that faithful day and the hard work and support of so many people
following after the three amigos has been Jorge (Ray), Morana, Ettore (Oliver), Terrance, Zenia, Fenix, Bali,
Anabel, Castor and Robin all now proud Canadian citizens and members of GPAC.
Never did I think this little uniquely colored little black and white galgo who was scared of his own shadow
and who carries the scars physically and mentally of his short life in Spain could ignite such a passion in me. I promised myself to do all I could possibly do to help these poor lost souls and to educate people about
the horrific and barbaric customs that exist in Spain with the hunting dogs and the incredible group of
people who work tirelessly with great personal sacrifice to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome them to North
America and Europe they are truly angels each and every one of them.
On May 5th of this year, ironically my DaVinci's first gotcha day, four of us will board the plane in Montreal
and head to Malaga Spain. My travel companions , we dubbed the Canadian invasion. I truly believe that in
order to better understand what the organizations in Spain face day to day and to see first hand the
situations in Spain, we need to do it in person and hopefully will then be better equipped to help bring
these wonderful souls to Canada and rehome them into loving forever homes. At the same time we will be
flight patrons for four more lucky galgos Caroleena, Poppy, Miss Allie and Eva and GPAC's first official
podenco adoption Elle to our fearless leader Jeanette Reynolds. We will spend most of the week visiting
and volunteering at Charlotte Del Rios 112 Carlota Galgos. Charlotte has a smaller organization that sees
many of the hard core cases from different areas of Spain and the notorious Badajoz Kill Station. We have
also been invited to visited Galgos En Familia also in Malaga and if we can mange it to Murcia to visit with
Tina and Kyle at Galgos Des Sols and Beverly Farmer Podencos. I think we are all anxious to see everything
fist hand but will also have to prepare ourselves mentally to digest all we will learn and see in Spain. We will
keep in touch with fellow GPACers through the GPAC Galgo and Podenco Facebook page.....what a journey
and an adventure this will be and I could not ask to share it with three more remarkable friends.
There will be little time to rest when we return May 13th as May 18th will see the arrival of galgos Zurich and
Jazar from TSV Galgo Friends in Germany direct to Halifax, Dallas and Ray the podencos who arrive into JFK
May 26th, Arizona June 1st, little Enya July 1st and Marco, Leela and two empty not yet reserved spots on
July 22nd with flight patron Tania Schmitt. If anyone is counting that will be 28 galgo and podenco Canadian
Page 6
GPAC & The Galgo Connection
…continued from page 6
July 22nd with flight patron Tania Schmitt. If anyone is counting that
will be 28 galgo and podenco Canadian citizens in just 14 months!
There are so many dedicated people who have made this possible I
want to say thank you to each and every one of you from the bottom
of my heart. To Jeanette Reynolds whose heart knows no boundaries
and to the people in Spain on the front lines every day you are all such
an inspiration.
This is the photo of my boy DaVinci who started it all for me and I am
so glad he did. If you are interested in adopting a galgo or podenco
or providing a foster home to them during their transition please
contact Jeanette Reynolds and get the process started. If you see a
dog that is of particular interest to you please get in touch with me I
will do all I can to get information about them. Each home here in
Canada provides a spot for another galgo or podenco to enter into an
organization who can literally save their lives. Let our Spanish adventure begin!
Sandra’s Galgo, DaVinci, showing off his wonderful Galgo smile !
!
Tick-Talk
by Brenda Rose
There has been a lot of
discussion recently about the
prevalence of ticks in our region
and the diseases they carry. In
the last few weeks I’ve heard
from quite a few people who
seem to think there’s an easier
way to remove a tick than
tweezing it off, and it’s because
of these worrisome stories that
perhaps it’s time for more ‘tick
talk’.
To begin with, there’s only one
way to safely and effectively
remove a tick from your dog or
cat (or yourself, for that matter),
and that is to use tweezers to
grasp the tick right where it has
attached itself to your pet (or
you). It’s like tweezing
eyelashes – grab the hair too far
back and all that happens is the
hair shaft snaps off, and a tick,
even without its body attached,
can still release toxins into your
pet for several hours after it’s
dead.
But what is even more
worrisome is the number of
alternate tick removal ideas that
seem to be going around on
the internet, things like holding
a hot match to the tick to make
it let go. Or applying salt to the
tick as if it’s a leech, or rubbing
it with a gasoline-soaked rag, or
nail polish remover. Frankly, I
can’t think of a better way to
traumatize an animal.
Dallas (pictured left) and Ray (pictured right) are two Podencos who have
recently arrived from Spain. Ray is currently up for adoption.
Page 7
!
Adventures In Fostering
by Samantha Braham
Happy Birthday !
Joaquin
Goldberg (AB Goldberg)
Arturo
Daisy (Nitro TB Lailah)
Todd (Toddle On)
Parker (Nitro Chester)
Ginger Fox
Jackson (Boc’s Sandblast)
Piper
Gretel
Jericho (Home Guard)
Bella (Rogue Appolonia)
Hondo (Tapco Hondo)
Bruiser (Nitro Bruiser)
Wylie (Wild Aspirations)
Swifty Shifty
Jack’s Stanley
Libby (Bob’s Lisby)
Bandit (Capital City)
Charlie (Mizzou)
Kiya Bishop (M’s Full Value)
Vince (Braska Viking)
Ashlynn (J’s Ashlynn)
Kirby (KB’s Kirby)
Sheikh
Hurricane Canada (Canada)
Ginger (Gem)
Pearl (American)
JD (Ajos Dark Whiskey)
Pahking
Myla (Xtreme Bullet)
Lewis (Lentini Invisible)
Dega (DND Firecat)
Danica (DND Nordic)
Harper (Acora)
Kenton (Kenton Kicker)
Solo (Stetson)
Finnegan (Great Alexander)
Dooley (Holiday Resort)
Chloe (Gable Jazz Mint)
Thistle (KB’s Tailor Maid)
Hogan (Crystal Batman)
Kitty Baker (Crazy Eyes)
Izzy (Bohemian Darlene)
Oslo (Anselmo’s Rage)
Sable (Hallo Cuisine)
Arno (daVinci)
Dexter (Grand Hustle)
Rocky
Tia (Fuzzy Class Act)
Deno
June 1st
June 1st
June 2nd
June 4th
June 6th
June 6th
June 6th
June 6h
June 7th
June 8th
June 9th
June 9th
June 11th
June 12th
June 14th
June 14th
June 14th
June 14th
June 15th
June 16th
June 18th
June 18th
June 19th
June 19th
June 19th
June 20th
June 20th
June 20th
June 21st
June 21st
June 24th
June 24th
June 25th
June 25th
June 26th
June 26th
June 29th
June 30th
(In June)
July 1st
July 2nd
July 12th
July 16th
July 17th
July 18th
July 18th
July 20th
July 22nd
July 25th
July 28th
(In July)
Congratulations to all Hounds
who had a birthday during this
issue! You can redeem your free
Tartar Buster at Hound Mart!
The experiences of fostering are many.
There is the pee and the poop - usually indoors with view to move outdoors.
Feeding time is fun too. This usually structured event can quickly turn into a
free for all frenzy with yelps, barks and growls of protest. Hurt feelings and
pouting from the permanent residents of the household are often the result.
Then there is bedtime. I have learnt that it can be just so much easier to sleep
on the floor next to the new foster to make them feel secure and safe and
mostly to stop them from crying through the nights. Only to be woken up
numerous times by one of my own gang staring down at me with a “hey Mumwhat are you doing here” look. Or as in the case of Ianeah a “would you mind
removing your head from my bed-it is my bed-NOT your pillow”.
I have learned to navigate our 13deck stairs into the backyard in the middle of
the night and to walk around in circles with a leashed dog encouraging them
to go peepee and poopie-that’s a good boy. If the neighbours didn’t think I
was cracked before...they do now.
Having failed two fosters in the past-admittedly somewhat on purpose-I go
into this telling myself I will not fall in love with this dog. He has a wonderful
home to go to. So really I am pet sitting. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Fast forward to the day of his departure. With a heavy heart we sit waiting for
the moment he has to board his flight. Then the dreaded moment, one last
hug and kiss. One last I love you. His crate is lifted in the Van that will drive him
to his plane. His little face looking at us out the back window. Don’t worry he
will be fine, we will take good care of him, they tell us. And that is the end of
me. The tears start and won’t stop. I dread going home to what will seem like
an empty house without him.
So why, my friends ask me, would you put yourself through that.
Because fostering is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. To
watch these dogs learn and adapt a little more every day. To see their
confidence grow as they realize they will never be hurt, cold or hungry again.
There will always be a comfy warm bed to sleep in, toys to play with and lots
and lots of treats to be had. And love, lots and lots of love.
Our foster boy has been gone several days now. We get daily updates from
his wonderful home. He is doing great. Do you think he misses us, Jeff asked
me this morning. No, I tell him, I don’t think he misses us. I think he just
realizes he is finally home-forever home. And I am so proud of him.
So when is our next foster coming? We can’t wait to do it all over again
Page 8
Greyhound Pets - NL
!
Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada - Newfoundland Branch has been affiliated with GPAC since it's inception
over 15 years ago. Newfoundland is far away from Nova Scotia, resulting in special considerations as it relates
to logistics and costs. We have operated very independently as a result, and in 2013 we took steps to change
our operating structure to allow us to operate in a manner than is more conducive to the reality of adopting
greyhounds into Newfoundland.
Our newly incorporated registered charity is Greyhound Pets - NL Inc, complete with our own branding,
including our new logo which we are very proud of! Many may wonder how our new operating structure
impacts our relationship with GPAC. Although
we are now a separate entity, we still work very
closely with GPAC and we support the
greyhounds that arrive from the US to find
homes in Atlantic Canada. Legally, we are
different, but our goals remain the same… to
find loving homes for retired racing
greyhounds.
Gaylene Humby, President of
Greyhound Pets - NL
Page 9
Another Summer,
Another Hound Day!
by Sean Higgins
This year’s most recent Hound
Day was on Saturday, June 7th,
and boy what a day remember!
In total we had 30 dogs; 19
males and 11 females. For me,
this was my second hound day
and my wife Kathleen’s first! This
was a particularly exciting day for
us both, as our pre-adopt
Kentucky Angel (our first
greyhound, Kentucky Harold’s,
half-sister) was on the load
awaiting to choose us.
When the dogs arrived and were
let out of the hauler one by one
by our hauler extraordinaire,
Freddie Fulchino, one thing
become glaringly obvious: This
load of dogs looked amazing!
All grey’s were in tip top
condition and happy as could be,
especially considering their long
trek to retirement! To the right of
this column you will find portraits
of several of the beautiful retirees
who are still at the kennel
awaiting adoption…
… So, what are you waiting for!?
Kentucky Angel, Sean & Kathleen’s
newly adopted greyhound from Cal
Holland Kennel.
Page 10