[ SHOWGSD-L ] 500 dogs will be put to death...
- From: Peggy <pmick@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 20:09:46 -0400
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Leigh Grady
Executive Director
Animal Shelter Inc. of Sterling
17 Laurelwood Road
Sterling MA 01564
978 422 8585 shelter
978 563 1039 fax
www.sterlingshelter.org
500 Dogs to Die! (posted 5/1/05)
The greyhound track in Plainfield, CT voted on April 26th that they
would discontinue greyhound racing. Unfortunately - and heartbreakingly
- they've also decided that rescuers have only two weeks to get the dogs
out, and any dogs remaining at the track on May 14th will be euthanized.
This is a monumental task because there are at least 500 dogs currently
at the track. These are all young, healthy dogs, 2-4 years of age, who
would make great family pets.
Why is the track doing this? Greyhound racing is a business and because
the track is no longer profitable, they're getting out. To us, dogs are
cherished companions. To the greyhound racing industry, dogs are
expendable commodities to be disposed of in whatever way is least
expensive and most convenient when they aren't making money.
We've committed to saving as many dogs as we possibly can in the next
two weeks. We'll be working with an experienced greyhound rescuer who
has been placing retired greyhounds for many years. She will be going to
the track and bringing us dogs. As soon as we have more room, we'll do
it again.
We will repeat as many times as we can before May 14th. After May 14th,
there will be no dogs left alive at the track.
In order to save as many dogs as we can, we are going to try something
we've never done before; sending as many as possible out into foster
care by May 14th. Every time we send a dog into an adoptive home or a
foster home, we can take another dog off the track. We will take the
fostered dogs back into the Dakin Animal Shelter for adoption over the
next few months as spaces open up for them - as long as they're off the
track by May 14th, they'll be safe.
How can you help?
a.. Adopt a greyhound They're wonderful dogs - gentle, quiet, sweet, and
graceful. The ones we'll be getting will be good companions with other
dogs and with cats. Surprisingly, they're couch potatoes. They do need
to be in a fenced area or leash walked; they aren't dogs to let run
loose. For information on what it's like to take a greyhound home, visit
www.greyhoundgang.com. To find out what greys we have available for
adoption, call us at 413-548-9898 or visit our dog adoption page.
b.. Foster a greyhound If we can send greys into foster care and out of
our Shelter, we can pull more from the track before May 14. We'll get
them back into the Shelter over the next few months. We will provide
all their medical care and a crate to make their transition easier. You
provide your time & love and together we will give them a new life! For
information on
what it's like to take a greyhound home, visit www.greyhoundgang.com. If
you can help, or are interested in more information, contact us at
413-548-9898.
c.. Donate money. We are going to need extra funds to help these dogs.
We'll be buying crates and other supplies as well as paying all their
medical bills. You can send a check to:
Dakin Animal Shelter, 163 Montague Road, Leverett MA 01054, or donate
online. Please mark your donation "Save the Greys".
d.. Donate a large dog crate. We need these to send with the dogs going
into foster care.
e.. Spread the word! The more people who know about this tragedy, the
more help the dogs will get.
Many of you have seen greyhounds in the community - they're lovely,
gentle dogs. When we started working with greyhounds, we discovered that
there are a lot of misconceptions about them.
a.. Greys are not hyper - they're actually couch potatoes!
b.. They love to run - for about 5 minutes - in a safe, fenced area.
c.. Greys spend most of their day snoozing and adore soft sleeping
places and all the comforts in life.
d.. They are actually very good dogs for apartments or small homes
because of their low activity level.
e.. They are very clean dogs, and in some ways are very catlike in their
cleanliness and love of comfort.
f.. Most greyhounds - including all the ones we'll be getting - can live
with other dogs and cats, once they've been introduced, and actually
love living with other animals.
g.. They rarely bark and shed little.
h.. In their life on the track, they live in crates for 22 hours per
day, so most things in the 'real world' are a surprise to them.
i.. They've never seen simple things such as: slippery floors (wood,
tile); stairs; television; windows; cats; dogs who are not greyhounds!
j.. They generally housebreak very easily because they're completely
crate trained (they aren't housebroken because they've never been in a
house, so they have to learn what a house is!).
k.. They walk very, very politely on leash - they learn that at the track.
l.. Greyhounds are very good companions for homes with gentle children
because of their own gentle nature.
This is a tragedy of enormous proportions, and we've decided to throw
everything we've got into doing as much as we can. It's easy to get
overwhelmed thinking about the scope of the problem - and do nothing.
If we instead work together as a community, we CAN make a difference.
The Dakin Animal Shelter has always relied upon our community for our
support, and we're counting on you now. With your help, we WILL make a
difference.
Leigh Grady
Executive Director
Animal Shelter Inc. of Sterling
17 Laurelwood Road
Sterling MA 01564
978 422 8585 shelter
978 563 1039 fax
www.sterlingshelter.org
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