[MR] 500 Greyhounds available before May 14

[Sarah Toich]

 Yes Plainfield is closing but NO DOGS WILL DIE.  The state is making
sure
that all dogs will be put into adoption and will extend the time
necessary
to do so with NO time limit.
There will be updates to the situation posted by those in the know
here....http://greyhoundtails.com/index.php/weblog/plainfield_track_updates/

Please post my response wherever you saw the original posting about the
dogs
dying.

And yes, please do consider adopting a greyhound, they make wonderful
pets!
Failenn MacFergus
owned by two retired racing greyhounds Bailey and Mr. Murphy



> Got off another list, please forward, especially to any and all SCA lists
> interested in coursing in any kingdom.
> 
> 500 Dogs to Die! (posted 5/1/05 http://www.dakinshelter.org)
> 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?
>      *   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
> <http://www.greyhoundgang.com> (http://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_
> (http://www.dakinshelter.org/dogs.html) .
> 
> *   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 <http://www.greyhoundgang.com> (http://www.greyhoundgang.com/) .
> If you can  help, or are interested in more information, contact us at
> 413-548-9898.
> 
> *   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_
> (http://www.dakinshelter.org/support.html) .
> 
> Please mark  your donation "Save the Greys".
>      *   Donate a large dog crate. We need these to send with the dogs
> going into foster care.
>      *   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.
>      *   Greys are not hyper - they're actually couch potatoes!
>      *   They love to run - for about 5 minutes - in a safe, fenced area.
>      *   Greys spend most of their day snoozing and adore soft sleeping
> places and all the comforts in life.
>      *   They are actually very good dogs for apartments or small homes
> because of their low activity level.
>      *   They are very clean dogs, and in some ways are very catlike in
> their cleanliness and love of comfort.
>      *   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.
>      *   They rarely bark and shed little.
>      *   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.
>      *   They've never seen simple things such as: slippery floors
> (wood, tile); stairs; television; windows; cats; dogs who are not
> greyhounds!
>      *   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!).
>      *   They walk very, very politely on leash - they learn that at the
> track.
>      *   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.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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