News and Tidbits | Shop till you drop Fostering and Info | The Rest of the Story A Big Shout Out To... Winter 2007 The year 2007 has come to a close and there are many people to thank for giving GPA/MD the needed support to survive - our amazing volunteers who work so hard and to all who have made monetary donations. Because of you we have been able to continue for the past 22 years. Our reason for "being" is to find good homes for Greyhounds. Unfortunately, there are always more Greyhounds than there are families to adopt them. Adoptions generally are still down compared to previous years. Because of this, two years ago we began bringing in extra dogs and boarding them. The good news is that this was very successful - these 40 dogs did find good homes. We were able to get them out of an unsafe situation, put them in a safe haven, and before long they were adopted. The bad news is we might not be able to continue this in 2008. Boarding expenses plus vetting when necessary has taken a toll on our finances. Not being able to help more Greyhounds saddens us. In addition, we remain committed to taking in seniors and any others whose families can no longer care for them. We need more foster families and if you can help please give us a call. We have raised our adoption fee from $195 to $225, our fund raising efforts continue, but we need additional financial support. The need to bring in more Greyhounds is urgent and we are asking you for further help. Whatever you are able to give will benefit this important effort. Saving Greyhounds is a worthy investment. Another important issue to discuss is the safety of our Greyhounds after they go into homes. We work hard getting these dogs to this point. If families ignore our advice, given many years of experience, these dogs are in danger. The number of dogs getting our of houses and yards is alarming - occurring with other rescue groups as well. Our latest issue of our newsletter, The Homestretch, addresses this issue and others regarding the safety of our Greyhounds. A special thank you goes out to all who adopted a Greyhound. And to those who have had to say good bye to your furry family member(s), we share in your sadness. They can never be replaced but there are many others like them who would love the opportunity to have a meaningful life. Wishing all of you peace and happiness in 2008.

News and Tidbits   (Back to top)

Needs...Big and Small

Although many of our dogs are in foster homes, we are always looking for new foster families to give temporary housing, love and guidance to other homeless greys while they await their forever homes. Please contact Sarah Gutter if you can help. Sarah can be reached at (717) 993-5083 or razzigdog@aol.com

Since our foster homes are full, dogs are boarded at kennels and vet offices until good homes were found. Foster homes are in great need. We will pay for food and vet expenses if needed. When seasonal tracks close and when hundreds of dogs at Florida tracks need help, the plea we receive is urgent.

Your donations and the funds we raise are for one purpose only - to help Greyhounds. We want to continue to offer a safe haven for these dogs but we need your help. In 2006 our medical and boarding expenses were over $40,000. This amount includes ongoing care for many dogs that came to us when owners could no longer keep them - mostly seniors. Pepper, 10 years old, needed 22 teeth extracted as well as the removal of a malignant thyroid tumor. Sasha, 12, had 31 teeth extracted, Bambi came to us needing dental plus a serious wound requiring sutures and drains. Shadow arrived with a swollen/painful toe that eventually had to be amputated. Tommy, 8, required an ultrasound/x-rays and many blood tests for chest/leg fluid due to an intestinal leak. Dear Zeus, at 12, was underweight, dehydrated, weak, had chronic vomiting and he walked sideways in pain. Extensive tests showed megaesophagus, neurological and back/neck problems. Tommy and Zeus are no longer with us but they were lovingly cared for by Sarah and Dave Gutter, Liz Hibner and David Throne.

Your contributions are greatly appreciated and we thank you for your support.

Name Tags

If you would like an engraved GPA/MD., Inc. personalized name tag to wear at meet-and-greets and other events, contact Copyquik at 1-800-296-3296 and give invoice number 288709. The badges are 2x4 heavy plastic with two colors and the cost is $12.00 per tag. Check our credit card is accepted. Many thanks to Wayne Bartholow and Angie Summers for working on this and for paying the set-up fee for our logo!

In Remembrance

Our member, Robin Melnick, lost her husband, Brian, this past June. Brian, who had been ill for several years, was instrumental in establishing the Montgomery Youth Hockey Program. A scholarship fund in Brian's memory is now in place that will benefit children who cannot otherwise afford to play ice hockey. He always felt fairness was essential to all players in the league. Our sincere condolences to Robin and sons, Andrew and Gregory.

We are also saddened by the recent passing of our member Gerrie Bischoff. Gerrie was quite enthusiastic about finding forever homes for Greyhounds. With her lovely fawn grey Witchie, they did monthly meet-and-greets at the Ellicott City Petco. Gerrie was involved with the MD Therapeutic Horse Association, was a Civitan and worked for The Associated Jewish Community. Gerrie had her own business, the Insurance Advisory Center. Our sincere condolences to her beloved husband Dave, and other family members.

Greyhounds...In Care of Another

If you are leaving your Greyhound in the care of someone while you are traveling, please make sure that in addition to leaving personal and emergency contact phone numbers, the person in charge of your dog has the care manual we give to each adoptive family, "Loving and Understanding Your Greyhound". Contact us at 800-600-8607 if you need an extra copy.

Crate Corner

Do you have a crate that you wish to sell or donate? Chris and Diane Defeo can help you make the connection. They can be reached at 410-256-9033.

Food For Our Fosters

We have registered with Canidae in a program to receive free food for our foster dogs. If you are using Canidae you can help! Please send the bar codes and receipt of purchase on any bag of Canidae dog food or Snap Biscuits to: GPA/MD, Inc., P.O. Box 42103, Baltimore, MD, 21284-2103. To find out more about Canidae visit their web site at http://www.canidae.com.

Our Available Hounds & Area Events

Check out some of our available hounds! If you're interested in upcoming events to benefit the Greyhounds, see our events page online.

Greymail

Greymail is an electronic newsletter published to keep GPA/MD members (and others) informed about what is going on within the GPA/MD family and the Greyhound community at large. If you or someone you know would like to received Greymail please send an email to razzigdog@aol.com.

Shop till you drop   (Back to top)

The GPA Boutique

For all your Greyhound needs! Collar & Leash Sets, Dog Coats, Feed Bowl Sets and heavy weight custom order Sweatshirts with the GPA Logo. For prices, styles and availability contact Walt Clayton at 410-628-1690.  We're now on the web!  Visit the boutique online at http://www.gpa-md.com/Store/store.html

Fostering and Other Info    (Back to top)

Fostering Greyhounds

Interested in fostering one of our wonderful dogs? Contact Foster Coordinator Sarah Gutter at 717-993-5083 or email razzigdog@aol.com

Moved? Changed your phone number? Lost your GPA/MD tag?

Please remember to keep your contact information up to date with GPA/MD. Please update your contact information or check to see that our records are current by calling 1-800-600-8607. We would also like to be notified of your Greyhound is deceased.

A Big Shout Out To...    (Back to top)

Jim Driver, a retired professional dog groomer who has made a generous offer to come to your home, trim your dog's nails and donate the $15.00 fee to GPA/MD. You can contact Jim at (443) 791-0906 or jdogman@comcast.net

Dr. Beth Rodney and the entire staff at the Fallston Veterinary Clinic for providing excellent care for our Greyhounds, at discount, and for understanding our efforts and giving us the support we need to continue.

Laura Lippman, author of the riveting novel "To the Power of Three" that was presented on stage by the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, Ohio, for donating the proceeds of ticket sales, $1,800, to GPA/MD.

Dr. Bill Benson and his staff at Advanced Veterinary Complex in Reisterstown, MD for their help with the hounds. (410) 833-0500

To everyone who, in their own special way, helps the Greyhounds!

The Rest of the Story   (Back to top)

A warm welcome to all our new GPA members! You've got a friend for life, and your GPA is here for you! If you've got questions, we got answers.

United Way Donations - A big thank you to all of our United Way contributors! Anyone can now contribute to GPA/MD. Our agency number is #1087099.

GPA/MD is an all volunteer organization with 501c3 tax status, and many of its functions depend on the generous support from people like you. If you would like to make a tax deductible financial contribution to this wonderful Greyhound effort, please make checks payable to GPA/MD Inc. and mail to:

GPA/MD Inc.
P.O. Box 42103
Baltimore, MD 21284-2103






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