I wuv you

This is a picture taken by Ashley for her journalism class last semester. I think it is such a sweet picture of Cher. I love that dog!

All's well with the dogs. We had a number of rough nights with Arwen because of the fireworks on New Year's Eve and the following 3 or 4 nights. Both she and Sabatini slept in the closet together. Now that everything is calm again the dogs are back to sleeping in their regular spots at night.

Hey, it finally turned cold. I can't believe it. I've been wanting cold weather, but then this morning, I'm thinking, I hate walking the dogs in the cold! But actually, we all bundled up and it wasn't bad since there is no wind today.

Here is an informative post from Pam Davis on the Greyhound list. It's sad to think that even with adoption groups out there, still 2 of 3 greyhounds at JCKC are put down. Clearly, adoption groups alone aren't the answer...

"It's been a long time since I posted on GH-L... I've been here since the very beginning, but don't post much...I've only seen parts of this discussion, so please excuse me if I don't speak directly to what has been discussed.

I'm just responding to the reference to the JCKC dogs. I'm the one "on the scene" at JCKC. John's group does take most of their dogs from JCKC. Our group is a "sister" of their group. They helped us get the program started down here and have given us tremendous support.

Our little group maintains a holding kennel in the JCKC track compound. We move a LOT of dogs to groups in other states.Let me say first that I would NEVER criticize Cara, nor anybody else, for helping dogs in need, wherever those dogs happen to be. The Guam situation is heartbreaking. I wish there was something I could do to help! Each and every one of us has to make our own choices about how/when/where to help.But, what John says is true. We have dogs right here in the US in every bit as much danger as those Guam dogs. JCKC is a low-end track (the lowest of the low) and our little group can't begin to handle all the dogs that NEED to go into adoption here.

Yes, we still see the kill trucks. Yes, we still see many, many broken-leg dogs euthanized. Yes, the kennel conditions are horrible.

On the up-side, the kennel folks here really do TRY to work with us. Right now, they are holding many, many dogs, hoping we can take them in the next couple of weeks. They are asking me every day, "How many will you be able to take this week?"

I don't want to write a book, so I'll give you a few images of what we deal with:

For every dog we take into our adoption program, at least two die. Yes, the "kill trucks" do exist.

Unaltered dogs are still handed "over the fence" to anybody who wanders into the kennel compound and asks for a dog. Dogs with broken legs are euthanized immediately after the race. The trainer holds the garbage bag. The vet shoots in the juice. The dog falls into the garbage bag. This happens right outside on the concrete, with the smokers on the poker room porch watching it all happen. The kennels are infested with fleas/ticks/ rats. The roofs all leak. Each kennel has one tiny turnout, so dogs must be turned out in "shifts". The turnouts all flood when it rains. The gates blow down and dogs escape on a regular basis. There is no perimeter fencing. There is no guard. There are no alarms. If there's a fire, the dogs will all die. (Our A/C blew up a few weeks ago. Thankfully, somebody was there when it happened!)Half the kennels were without air conditioning for many days last summer. (This is FLORIDA!)In the past few months, we've had dog food, carpets, supplies and gasoline stolen from the adoption kennel/truck.

Last week, we got a dog into the adoption kennel who had recently been an 'A' racer. The trainer who brought him over didn't say anything about any health problem. He was shaking his head and pawing at his face, so we took him to the vet immediately and learned he had a tumor more than 6 inches long in his mouth! The poor dog had been trying to run when he couldn't breathe/eat/ drink! He hadn't been seen by a vet. We spent several hundred dollars diagnosing the problem, then immediately euthanized him. The poor dog had been suffering for MONTHS!

On the "up side", we have a kennel full with 52 "safe" doggies 365 days a year. In the past 60 days, we've moved nearly 100 of those doggies into homes or to other adoption groups. We have a dog truck that works (thanks to Team Greyhound of Ohio) and we paid off our HUGE vet bill last week (thanks to GPA-Richmond and a BUNCH of other helpers).

Okay, so I did write a book...But, now y'all know... And, JCKC isn't the only track with these problems. Many, many hugs to both John AND Cara who have done SO much to help the JCKC hounds... and to ALL the others who help us day after day, week after week, year after year...Pam"