It's A Girl!

After 7 months of fostering Star is Rising, we've decided to adopt her! Star is a quirky girly-girl, and a real sweetie-pie. She's a big 75-lb. girl, and we suspect is not all greyhound -- she's just too atypical. Star is very vocal, loves to jump into and lay in the water and in the driveway and mud. I think she'd be greyt for camping! And, she loves to sniff and smell everything and everyone very thoroughly. Silly girl!

Please Rescue A Greyhound NOW! Foster or Adopt a Greyhound! Dairyland Track Closing.

'm sure you have all been following the story with the Dairyland track. Although it is a very happy occasion when a track closes permanently, this one is coming with a very sad ending for many dogs. Starting on 1/1/2010, the kennel owners will be responsible for moving all dogs and they will not be paid to do it. They will have to provide food and staff until all dogs are gone which must completed by 2/5/2010. NO adoption groups are allowed on the premises after 12/31.

Dogs that are not removed by the end of the year will probably be shipped to Mexico or sent back to the farms to be euthanized (if they are lucky).

I know the holidays are suppose to be a joyous time, but for many families, this economy is making this a very difficult time. People are unemployed, salaries have been cut and more and more families are having a hard time making ends meet. This is the worst time for all of this to happen at Dairyland.

Regap is a rescue organization and this is what we do. We take dogs that are at risk of being destroyed or worse. I can't think of a better example than these Diaryland dogs. I would not ask for your help if it wasn't absolutely necessary. This is an emergency situation. We need to pull together every resource we have to get out as many dogs as possible.

Regap volunteers are the hardest working in greyhound rescue. Your generosity is unmatched. Our foster homes are always full and every single volunteers gives their heart and soul everyday for these dogs. I really wish I didn't have to ask for just a little bit more at this time. If you can open your home for just a few weeks during this holiday to help save one of these greyhounds, PLEASE contact Jennifer at Jen4greyrescue@yahoo.ca as soon as possible.

We are on a very tight time frame here and only have a few weeks to move all those dogs. It has been a few years since we have had an emergency like this one and we need every person to spread the word on what is happening and how these dogs are being treated. We need every person to go the extra mile this time because we are certain that dogs that are not moved will be killed or worse. That is a fact.

If you know of a boarding kennel that still has space available for the holidays, please contact Suzanne atxmerlin@prodigy.net.

And thank you to all who have already stepped forward to help with this emergency. Thank you in advance to those of you who are going to. We really need you at a time like this!!

My sincere thoughts and wishes to all of you!

Leslie Forys

Founder

Rescue Wisconsin Dairyland Park Greyhounds! Foster a Greyhound!

Wisconsin's Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack is scheduled to close at the end of 2009. This fact has been known for a while. 


Now, in a vindictive move by the track-, kennel-, and dog-owners, the dogs have been abandoned. PLEASE, help save a greyhound -- even if you can only foster a dog temporarily. There are a list of Michigan greyhound rescues in this blog's sidebar; I happen to volunteer with Michigan ReGAP (Rescued Greyhounds As Pets).


Following is the notice that I received this morning from MI ReGAP:


Neither the State of Wisconsin Division of Gaming, nor Dairyland Greyhound
Park have or will take responsibility or assist in the placement of pets at
Dairyland. Roy Berger, of DGP corporate management, stated that their
"contract with the State of Wisconsin terminates at midnight on 12/31/09;
{they} have no further responsibility or obligation." The Division of Gaming
today stated that it is the responsibility of DGP.

The dogs have no protection - they have been abandoned. Please go to the
website www.greyhoundalliance.org <http://ce.org/> where we will post
updates to the now upon us crisis.

If any groups can take dogs in the next 3 weeks, please let us know asap -
we will try to get every dog out of Dairyland that we can; we have been
denied access to the compound to cat test dogs, so that information is not
available.

Time is running out for the hounds

HOW CAN YOU HELP THESE DOGS? EITHER ADOPT OR FOSTER OR HELP SPREAD THE
WORD TO THOSE THAT WILL.
If you are able to foster a dog please contact Jennifer at
jen4greyrescue@yahoo.ca
If you are interested in adopting please visit our website at
www.rescuedgreyhounds.org and submit an application.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

For speaking for those that cannot -
MI REGAP 

TigerLily Finds Her Forever Home

Dana (TigerLily) comfy with a new toy in her new home.

Our foster greyhound TigerLily (racing name Stormy Dana, aka Shanna) was adopted this past weekend by a wonderful family. We will miss her big floppy ears and her incredibly long waggy tail, and her gentle demeanor.

Last Sunday we heard from Michigan ReGAP that a family was interested in meeting Dana, so we called them on Monday and set up a time for them to meet Dana on Tuesday.

MP and wife PP and 9 year old son RP stopped by our house last Tuesday evening to visit with Dana for close to an hour. We talked about her - and them - and then went outside to play with her, then AR and Quasar went for a walk around the neighborhood with Dana and the family. It was a wonderful visit, and I must say that I was impressed by the family. Dana is their first dog, but they've been looking for well over 6 months, and have been researching the breed, and were just very conscientious that the adoption was the right thing for all concerned -- dog and human.

We liked the family and they liked Dana, so paperwork was taken care of, and on Saturday the P family stopped by to pick up Dana and take her home. We packed some treats, her blankie, and a few toys she'd come to like, as well as her vet and racing records, gave her a kiss and said goodbye. We were a little teary-eyed.

Dana has moved pretty far north of here (there's still snow), but she's with a wonderful and loving family in a very big home, with four acres (!) to romp, and a little boy with lots of love. We should all be so lucky!

We wish all the best for Dana and her Forever Family.

Introducing TigerLily

A day or two before New Year's I received an email from ReGAP, asking if AR and I could take in a foster dog. I responded that I thought we couldn't unless it was a real emergency, and then it would have to be a female (still a few dominance issues with Quasar). Well, ReGAP responded that it was indeed an emergency.

This past Sunday, there was a kennel closure at the Dairyland Racetrack in Wisconsin. About 16 dogs were transported from the track to the Michigan Welcome Center at the Indiana state line, and the dogs were distributed to several rescue groups. ReGAP took 5 of the dogs and their great volunteers drove (about a 6-hour round trip, and in an ice storm!) that day to pick them up and bring them back here, where they were treated to baths and grooming by Dapper Dog Wash.

AR instantly fell for a sweet brindle girl, one of two females. She came home with us. Her track name is RJ's Stormy Dana, but the workers on the track called her Shana (and it was inscribed on her muzzle). So for a few days we called her Shana or Dana.

She's a sweetheart, with thick fur (really unusual) that is gold with tiger-stripes. So on Wednesday, AR says "We should call her TigerLily." O.K. Then yesterday, the dear hubby says "We could call her Lily." O.K.

See where this is going?

This is a photo of TigerLily & Quasar yesterday in the snow. That's me in the background, dressed to slum (or for the cold).
AR was holding the camera and called them.

Here are Quasar and TigerLily with their Wiggly-Giggly ball.

Here's Quasar reasserting his maleness, in a playful way.
Lucky that TigerLily is mellow, and is being vetted next week.

TigerLily is a sweetie. She's taken a few days to figure out what toys are for and what a treat is. She's very affectionate. And she has thick fur and feels very soft. Perhaps we should call her "Fluffy." She's taught herself how to climb up and down stairs, and knows how to jump into a car (we still have to lift Quasar). She loves her crate.

Dana/Shana/TigerLily is a good girl, and will make some family a loving pet - though it will be a couple of weeks before she's fully "assessed" and put up on the ReGAP site.

In the meantime, she's one of our family.