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September 17, 2007
Ex-Racing Greyhounds, need your help, your love, and homes!
Friend of Nature's Corner Magazine, Carol Becker, President
God's Greyts Greyhound Group, Inc. has sent us information of great importance for all dog lovers! Please take a moment with your hot coffee, and read this article filled with facts, and links to help. More Greyhound links at end of article, don't miss them! ~sue
Breezin Rylee is a cat friendly greyhound that needs a lot of activity. She's full of fun and wants to PLAY! If you're looking for a jogging partner, Rylee is ready to go!
Dear Dog Lover,
New laws recently passed in Florida and other states have caused a serious situation for racing greyhounds. Prior to these laws being enacted, gambling casinos on site at greyhound race tracks were not allowed to operate poker rooms or simulcast betting unless live greyhound racing was taking place. Now, the new laws do not require live racing for the (more profitable) other types of gambling to be offered to the public.
Consequently, dog tracks are quickly discontinuing live racing, either seasonally or completely. The temporary closing of the Melbourne FL track and permanent closing of the track in Tampa have left hundreds of retired racers languishing in adoption kennels, waiting for someone to taken them in. The dogs that were fast enough runners to be sent to another functioning dog track are overcrowding the kennels at those tracks and the retired dogs that have been there waiting for an adoption group to claim them are vying for limited kennel space. These retired wanna-be-pets are at risk of losing the small cages that that they live in. Dog tracks all over the country are being scheduled to close and the situation is only going to get worse...
Finding permanent homes for ex-racing greyhounds is a constant challenge and concern. There are simply more dogs than there are adopters and there are greyhounds at risk everywhere. No one wants to see these beautiful creatures being put down when their only crime was not running fast enough. Man created this problem and it is up to us to fix it.
Retired greyhounds make fantastic house pets. Contrary to some peoples' misconceptions, greyhounds do not need to run or have lots of space. They like small spaces and all they need are regular walks for exercise, just like any other dog. There are a few important guidelines to observe when adopting a greyhound. One is that they can never be let off leash unless in a completely fenced in area and the other is that they cannot live outdoors or be left out for long periods of time.
If you are interested in fostering, adopting or otherwise assisting ex-racing greyhounds, we hope that you will contact your nearest greyhound adoption/rescue group. You can find one by searching here:
http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/directory/list.cfm
Click on your state and then narrow the search to your city or town. The group nearest you will be happy to provide information concerning retired greyhounds and how you can help.
For those in the central Florida area, we encourage you contact the following groups:
http://www.godsgreyts.com/ (God's Greyts, Orlando)
http://www.floridagreyhounds.com/index.html (GPACF Melbourne)
http://www.greyhoundpetsdaytona.org/ (GPA Daytona)
http://www.goldcoastgreyhounds.com/ (Gold Coast Greyhounds, Clearwater)
With 15 dog tracks in Florida (more than any other state), many Florida greyhounds are being sent to adoption groups in other parts of the country. Transporting greyhounds is a very costly, but necessary undertaking for us and an ongoing process.
God's Greyts is a not-for-profit rescue group working tirelessly to move greyhounds from race kennels in central Florida, to the vet for vaccines, dentals, spay and neutering and into loving homes.
If you wish to assist us financially to accomplish this, your donation, no matter how small, would be a huge help to us and you can do so securely by Paypal using the email address godsgreyts@mac.com. Simply go to Paypal and choose "send money". Paste in godsgreyts@mac.com in the TO: Box on the right side of your screen. Your gift would be greatly appreciated.
(you may also donate right from Carol's site! link below. Please be generous and tell her Nature's Corner BLOG sent you! =) ~sue)
Or, you may send a check to:
God's Greyts
7259 Hiawassee Oak Dr.
Orlando FL 32818
If you'd like more information on retired greyhounds, please write to us and we can email you a brief handbook.
Thank you,
Carol Becker
President
God's Greyts Greyhound Group, Inc.
http://www.godsgreyts.com/
godsgreyts@mac.com
Posted by sue at September 17, 2007 10:01 AM