James River Greyhounds

Change is in the air!

2010-06-01T20:08:00.003-04:00

As you can see, we have made some major changes over the last few days! We have decided to go in a new direction and change our name to James River Greyhounds. We expect greyt things over the next few months. You can still find us on the web at www.jamesrivergreyhounds.org or email us at jrg@jamesrivergreyhounds.org.
Rest assured, our mission hasn't changed. We are still working hard to place retired racing greyhounds from Florida in their forever homes! We will continue to have our normal meet and greets and local events. We have just chosen to go in this new and exciting direction! We hope to see you and your hounds in the future! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. If you have adopted from us in the past, your emergency line and support group still exists. If you would like to adopt from us in the future, please contact us soon!

Above all else, hug your hounds!
Sincerely,
James River Greyhounds Board of Directors

9 arrive for 2010

2010-01-24T09:22:00.006-05:00

*Breaking news** GPA-Richmond has a new forum! Visit our website www.greyhoundsvirginia.com and click on the Forum link at the top! Join us!**
GPA-Richmond welcomed 9 newly retired greyhounds this weekend. A lot of volunteers gave up their Saturday morning to get them cleaned up and off to their new homes! Thanks to all who helped!

All the hounds got a good scrubbing ..

and a buff dry..

then they waited in line for a pedicure..some more patiently than others!

So who did we get?
Sniper- Adopted!

M's Lucky Shine -adoption pending

Scattered Out - Adopted

Yo Squirt- Adoption Pending

Doc's Windchaser - Adoption Pending

Alkay Kiowa Gale- Adoption Pending

Regall Port Ogee- Available- cat tolerant

Holland Spotlight- Available- cat tolerant

Miss India - Adopted
*no Picture*

Thanks to all who showed up to help and to everyone who is fostering these lovely hounds.
If you are interested in adoption, visit our website www.greyhoundsvirginia.com and we look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events!

A Sunny Saturday in the Commonwealth

2009-12-12T21:12:00.006-05:00

It was a busy day for GPA members as we took advantage of a sunny Saturday in Virginia.

First up was a greyt walk around Colonial Williamsburg for the last Holiday Market of the season. It was a little chilly out but that didn’t stop the hounds from enjoying the scenery and showing everyone out and about what great pets greyhounds make!

Sammy stops to check out the Colonial architechture

Meeting & Greeting

Group Photo Op

Later on that afternoon, a gaggle of greyhounds could be found at Stony Point Fashion Park for our monthly gathering there.

Cali, Dana, Jewel, & Jackson are ready for some Holiday window shopping!

Dinah & her little whippet brother are bundled up for the walk

This mall has gone to the dogs!

Hamming it up for the camera

Yes, these events are as fun as they look! Whether you have a greyhound and are in the area or perhaps you are interested in adoption and want to come out to learn more, we hope that you will join us! Check out our calendar at http://greyhoundsvirginia.com/events.htm to see where we’ll be!

GPA Picnic Festivities

2009-10-26T19:10:00.003-04:00

Well, it was a long time coming but we were finally able to have a rain free day for our picnic/membership meeting. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the days festivities with us and of course a huge thank you to Chip & Deane Morris who once again graciously offered up the use of their greyt property for the days festivities.

The day was tons of fun for everyone in attendance- a costume contest, radar run, fun run, games, shopping, memorial ceremony, socializing, and of course eating were just a few highlights of the day.

Pictures are worth a thousand words so we hope you enjoy the sights below. Thanks again to everyone who made the day a success! We look forward to seeing you all out and about at events in the future!

group photo opportunity!

enjoying the company of friends and some beautiful fall foliage

Cali & Henry are clearly not interested in anything President Mark Lane has to say

The hounds enjoy a good fun run

Others opt for the more intense radar run! How fast can you go?!?!

Since it is the halloween season, a costume contest seemed only fitting

Here we have a gallant knight with his pretty princesses

our spookiest competitor... Becky, a devil skeleton

Other greyt attendees

At the end of the day there were a lot of pooped out puppers!

It was sad to say goodbye but we know the next greyt event is right around the corner! Hope to see you and your hounds there!

New Arrivials

2009-09-26T13:53:00.003-04:00

GPA-Richmond welcomed 5 new hounds this past weekend. Three were adopted but the other two are settling in to with their foster families.

Bob's Rob Lea- a 3 year old cat tolerant male. he is doing great in his foster home! He loves to play with the other hounds, is very inquisitive and loves to be touching someone at all times. He is very gentle and should do well in all situations.
BBR Gitsum is a 4 year old cat tolerant female who is super sweet and does great with children. She had a small accident on the way up from Florida and has an injury to both front paws, but as soon as that is healed she will be as good as new!
We also have Jet in foster care who is a 10 year old not cat tolerant male. He is doing great in his foster home. he has a history of seizures but is on medication to help with this issue. He is a very sweet boy. If you have room in your heart and home to adopt a senior, please let us know.If you are interested in these or any other hound, please email fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com or adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com
And join us at the Metro Space Gallery on October 2nd! there is an artist who paints greyhounds and we have been asked to attend to show off our wonderful hounds! Check the website www.greyhoundsvirginia.com for more information.

How can you resist?

2009-08-23T13:32:00.002-04:00

Meet Jet! He is 10 years old and he needs someone to open up their heart and their home for him.

Jet is not cat tolerant but does well with small dogs. He has a few special needs but we know his forever home is out there! He is a very special boy who would love a home with other greyhounds. His friends seem to keep his spirits up and make him feel like a puppy again!

If you are interested in Jet or have any questions, feel free to email fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com or adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com

And if Jet is not a great match for you but you are still interested in adoption, we have some other greyt hounds in foster care and there are plenty in Florida just waiting for you!

check out our available hounds or put in an application so we can start finding the perfect match.

May Yard Sale and Dog Haul

2009-05-17T13:50:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, GPA-Richmond had to cancel our picnic this spring. But don't worry, the fall membership meeting will be a fantastic event! So stay tuned for more information!
But this past Saturday, a group of GPA-Richmond volunteers gathered to put on our first annual yard sale! Members donated tons of great stuff! And after a morning of selling, we turned a great profit to help bring more greyhounds up from Florida. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and/or donated items!
It was a long day for people and dogs, but it was worth it!

GPA-Richmond also received four newly retired hounds this weekend. All four went straight in to their forever home!
Taking the Lead-
Judy Lee Walker
Dodge
Cruiser
Check our our available hounds on the website for more information about our current fosters. And don't forget to check the events calender often! We have great events all summer long for you and your hound!

Easter on Parade 2009

2009-04-13T17:08:00.005-04:00

GPA Richmond participated in Richmond's annual Easter on Parade on Monument Ave. The weather was beautiful and the turn out was unprecedented.
GPA-Richmond's booth GPA-Richmond sponsors and runs the Pet Bonnet Contest every year. The emcees show the contestants and announce the winners.And as always, local merchants came through and donated wonderful gift baskets for our winnersBut lest we not forget our wonderful hounds who showed up in full costume
All things great and small, young and old enjoyed this event!
We still have a few hounds in foster care, so check out our website for more information. And don't forget our annual picnic is coming up on May 3rd. Please email events@greyhoundsvirginia.com for more information.

March haul

2009-03-29T11:06:00.003-04:00

GPA Richmond received 4 newly retired greyhounds on Saturday. A group of volunteers met at Crittertown to give them a good bath and send them on their way!
Maria decides the whole bath situation is tiring and takes a seatTim shows us his special profile..the overbite is very cuteSo who did we get?
Thetis Tim went to his forever home"Mom, is he ours to keep?"Still Jacey-who will go to her forever home this weekend!www.Maria- a 3 year old cat safe female who is very fuzzy and a little shy. She is very small and very cute!JG Bacardi- a 4 year old female who would be best without cats but is a very sweet and laid back boy.
We also have
JG Climatic- available- She is a 3 year old female who loves to give kisses. She is very sweet, very small and very loving!If you would like more information on any of the greyhounds above, please email fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com or adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fill out an application.
Don't forget to check GPA-Richmond new and improved website! We hope to see you at the upcoming Easter On Parade or our annual Picnic.

Pet Expo 2009

2009-02-22T09:02:00.002-05:00

GPA-Richmond has launched a new website! Please check it out!
On Saturday, many GPA-Richmond volunteers and greyhounds turned out at the Henrico Humane Society's Pet Expo! It is always a great event for the greyhounds.
We set up tables with all the merchandise.Payday Jumper enjoyed the event even more as his new family picked him up that afternoon!Sammy watches the people and dogs pass by.Callie Kay (available) had a great time at her first event!Throughout the day, everyone wanted to be the princess. Dolly started it off as queen for the moment.Then Smokey wanted a turn
And then it just got weird..Dinah and Cleo take a break Dana, Dinah and Cali show everyone how laid back and lazy greyhounds truly are!
Thanks to everyone who came out to help spread the word about retired racing greyhounds. GPA-Richmond will be planning another haul soon so if you are interested in adoption, please fill out an application soon. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com. The next big event is Easter on Parade on April 12 from 1Pm-5PM on Monument Ave. Check out our new events page for more information.

A Bar Kit "Kit"

2009-02-02T14:08:00.003-05:00

GPA-Richmond lost a member of our family last week.

A Bar Kit
15 May 2000 - 29 Jan 2009

A tribute from her owner/mother Joyce Miller:
"Kit was my first greyhound. I contacted Gil to ask him if he thought a greyhound could do dog dancing--and he said Kit would be perfect because she was young and playful. When I went to Richmond to pick her up--I couldn't have agreed more!

She did have a great life! I took her on many vacations with me and to a lot of workshops and seminars on dog dancing. She danced at a number of schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. She was one of only a few greyhounds who did dog dancing. She was on TV once; in a couple of parades and was Miss November 2007 in a greyhound rescue calendar. I painted a painting for the front of our Christmas card every year--and she was my model. She lived a very full life and was never bored--maybe she even did more than a lot of people do! I feel very fortunate to have had her as long as I did. She brought so much joy to me. Not just with all these public events where she was an ambassador for greyhounds everywhere--but just walking her on the beach in search of sea glass; or sitting with her quietly on the couch. I will miss her.

I know she is dancing now on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge--waiting for me with Daisy, Willow and Miz Betsy Rose, my other dogs who have passed."

GPA-Richmond's Board of Directors, volunteers and adopters send their deepest sympathies to Joyce and her family.

January haul

2009-01-13T11:07:00.006-05:00

On January 12, 2009, a handful of GPA-Richmond volunteers braved the cold and played hookie from work to welcome 4 new hounds!And as usual, they are given a good scrubbing at Crittertown bath house.

We have quite a few hounds in foster care at this time!
Arriving on this haul were:
KNC Blue Ice- 3 year old cat safe femaleSkiddy Wigwam- 3 year old not cat safe femaleHome Front- 4 year old cat safe female
Pal's Gangster-4 1/2 year old cat safe maleWe also have the following available hounds:

Sol Hugo- 4 year old laid back cat safe male. Very loving Kay Firewater- a 4 year old happy and inquisitive male who doesn't prefer to live with cats

MKM By The Bay -2 1/2 year old cat safe female who would prefer to be with another greyhound. She is very loving and sweet.

If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting a retired racing greyhounds, please email adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com

Or go online and fill out an application at our website!

Please join us at the upcoming Pet Expo sponsored by Henrico Humane Society on February 21st at the Showplace in Mechanicsville.

Lil Ally 12/22/98-12/16/08

2008-12-20T11:05:00.003-05:00

GPA-Richmond lost one of it's own this week. Lil Ally was loved by all who met her.
Her owner/mother, Nerice, said it best:
"There will never be another dog quite like Ally. She was so incredibly special. She loved to be loved and to give love- She always wanted to be in my lap or in my arms, despite the fact that she was no small girl. I remember the day we picked her out at PRH- she was supposed to be my parents dog and while I knew I would love her, I just never foresaw how much she would come to mean to me and how much of my heart she would be taking with her when she left this world. The longer I had her the more she wormed her way in my heart until it was completely hers.

Nothing I can write will ever be able to truly capture the love I felt and still feel for my amazing girl. She touched so many, was a great ambassa-dog for greyhound adoption, and is already missed more than I can even begin to describe."

*GPA-Richmond wants to honor all greyhounds lost throughout the year. They are all special. Please email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com with pictures/bios if you would like a tribute.

November haul

2008-11-10T16:29:00.005-05:00

GPA-Richmond had 8 newly retired racing greyhounds arrive on November 9th. A large group of volunteers gathered at Crittertown Bath house on a Sunday evening to welcome this crew. A special thanks to Pam for bringing these hounds up for us!
The hounds arrive:and the bath process begins..
Four of the hounds went straight to their forever homes.
Okie Vickie Lamorge Queen BBr Quit Cryin MKM By the Bay
-no photo
GPA has 4 new dogs in the foster program!
The following dogs are available for adoption
Fleetwood- 3 year old cat safe male who is easy going and very sweet
Kay Firewater- 4 year old who is not safe around cats but his tail never stopped wagging the entire evening. He had a great personality and would be great with children
KL Hello Darlin - a 2 year old cat safe female KL Avery - a 2 1/2 year old male who is cat safe. He is very happy, loving and has a big personality that anyone would love!
If you are interested in any of these hounds, please email adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fill out an application! Feel free to come visit us at any of our events.

October festivals

2008-10-12T08:58:00.007-04:00

October was a busy month for festivals in the Richmond area. GPA-Richmond attended two events to spread the word about what great pets retired racing greyhounds make.
The Dog Days Festival in Ladysmith, VA was a great event with a lot of fun activities and games. GPA-Richmond had a tent and ran the 'bone hunt' game.The Bone Hunt game was a simple but entertaining game. Treats were scattered throughout the enclosure and the dogs had to find them without eating them. Once they touched the treat, the handler could put the treat in their bag. Whoever got the most treats won!
There were dogs of all shapes and sizes at the event
This one discovered our water bowls were meant for a 'taller' breed. Macy enjoys the breezeA few weekends later, GPA-Richmond attended the Blessed Sacrement Huguenot Academy Fall Festival in Powhatan. The weather was great and it was well attended

And finally, 20+ greyhounds and their owners came out to Stony Point mall on a BEAUTIFUL sunday afternoon for a group walk. We attracted a lot of attention and hopefully sparked some interest in greyhound adoption
Keep up with the upcoming greyhound events on our events page. If you are interested in adopting a retired racing greyhound, check out our website or email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com.

2008 Membership picnic and September haul

2008-09-29T18:30:00.005-04:00

On September 27th, GPA-Richmond received 4 hounds from JCKC. We did things a little differently this time and met a Hickory Hill Canine Rescue who graciously allowed us to use their bathing facilities. It was an early morning and volunteers gathered to greet (and feed) the new arrivals.
We got
Seco Almond Joy a 3 year old female who is going to her forever home this weekend!
Cmon Make Me a 3 year old cat safe female who is available
BB's Mastermind a 3 year old cat safe male who is loving, sweet and always happy!
And the fourth hound was none other than 6 month old Sammy..who is very much adopted and being spoiled as we speak.
On Sunday, GPA-Richmond had its annual Membership Meeting. This a great time for all members to gather for an official meeting to go over fiscal year spending/financial situations, to form committees for next fiscal year's activities and to elect next years Board of Directors. It is also a great time to shop and socialize.
Lin and Nerice man the registration table to make sure all renewing members got their goodie bags!
Nerice chats with Mark while he keeps up with merchandising
Dinah strikes a pose
Dana looks on
The meeting begins with about 50 members and their hounds presentAlways make time for shopping!The 2008-2009 Board of Directors and officers are:

Mark Lane- President (gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com)
Brian Shaunessey- Vice President
Deborah Messersmith- Secretary
Susie Canby- Treasurer
Katrina Stumpf- foster coordinator (fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com)
Sharon Letender- merchandise coordinator
Bob Brown- dog haul coordinator (doghaul@greyhoundsvirginia.com)
Karen Shea- events co-coordinator (events@greyhoundsvirginia.com)
Julie Singleton - events co-coordinator
Nerice Lochansky - events committee

Join us this weekend!

2008-09-24T11:32:00.002-04:00

Attention all GPA-Richmond adopters! Please join us Sunday September 28th at Harry G. Daniel Park in Chesterfield (near the intersection of 288 and Route 10 Iron bridge road) from 1-4 for our annual Membership meeting!
The meeting will start around 1:15 and we will discuss the treasurer's report for the past fiscal year as well as future financial goals. Additionally, the members will elect the Board of Director members for fiscal year 2008/2009. We will have merchanidise available so bring your checkbook! We will also be conducting a raffle for various items to be displayed at the meeting. Feel free to bring a picnic as well as your hounds! We will have a fun run following the meeting a local ball field.
If you aren't a member, you will have a chance to join as well so stop by and say hi!

questions: gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com

Labor Day Haul and September Events

2008-09-02T06:21:00.009-04:00

What a great Labor Day weekend for 6 lucky JCKC hounds! On Saturday, a great group of GPA Richmond volunteers greeted the newest members of our hound family. Volunteers fed, bathed, and spiffed up the hounds, and many of the dogs went straight to their forever homes!

Here are Bob's Edition and Ultraviolet just after arriving at CritterTown BathHouse.

It looks like Run The Table and Patmos became good friends along the long trip up from Florida.

Ultraviolet enjoys a meal before her bath.

FWD Star Gala has the prettiest ears!

Bob's Edition enjoys one of the Crittertown sofas.

Silver Go Go takes her turn on the sofa.

And now, our Labor Day roster!

Patmos and his new family.

Bob's Edition with her new mom.

Silver Go Go.

Star Gala.

Ultraviolet.

And here's Run The Table, who is available for adoption!

Also available for adoption, Odd Hunter.
If you are interested in these fosters or any retired racing greyhound please visit our website for more information.
Also, don't forget to join the greatest greyhound forum www.greyhoundsmakegreatpets.com If you are new to greyhounds, please peruse this forum to find valuable information from greyhound owners across the country and world! And if you are a GPA-Richmond member/adopter, keep up with Richmond events easily in our own forum found on www.greyhoundsmakegreatpets.com. Forgot the password? Email fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com

Finally, please join us for our annual GPA-Richmond membership meeting on September 28th at Iron Bridge park from 1-4PM . Email events@greyhoundsvirginia.com or gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com for more information.

A Big Day for Richmond GPA!

2008-07-26T16:44:00.009-04:00

Today was a very busy day for our GPA Richmond volunteers, as we hosted a Meet and Greet and welcomed 7 new dogs to Richmond!

First up... our second Meet & Greet at Ukrop's. This time we visited their Harbour Pointe location and we met so many wonderful people. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to ask about the hounds!

Meanwhile, on the other side of town... Another group of GPA Richmond volunteers helped to bathe and work adoptions for 7 newly retired dogs!

Now, please help us welcome the newest members of our GPA Richmond family!
FS Ghostly Spook

KF God Bless Me

M's Sweet Baxter

Tapmar Dazzle

Hazy Martini

JG Climatic

Kiowa Ambitions

If you'd like to join us at a future event, please check out our events page. For information about greyhounds available for adoption, please email us at adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com

Thank you visitors and volunteers!

What have GPA volunteers been up too?

2008-07-14T16:48:00.005-04:00

It has been a busy summer for GPA volunteers.
On July 12th, over 20 hounds paraded around Stony Point Fashion Park for our monthly walk! It was a sight to be seen!
The Shaunessey's debut their newest addition..BlackJack the greyhound puppy!
Diego gets a handler more his size!
Pictures of all the greyhounds!On Sunday, July 13th GPA had the monthly board meeting. All volunteers are welcome to attend any of these meetings! GPA is only as strong as it's members!! The Board of Directors for 2007/2008 were Mark Lane (president), Brian Shaunnessy (VP), Deborah Messersmith (Secretary), Gil Caldwell (Treasurer), Nerice Lochansky (events), Katrina Stumpf (fosters), Julie Shingleton (volunteers) and Tom McDonald.
During this meeting, we cleaned out the storage shed and added more shelves!
Look what the cat dragged in..Merchandise got organized and counted dinner was servedAnd finally..down to business. We are having our annual membership meeting on September 28th at Iron Bridge Park. All past members will be receiving a renewal form in the mail shortly! Please fill it out and renew your membership (you will get cool stuff for renewing!). Then attend the meeting on Sept. 28th and help elect in next year's Board of Directors and voice any concerns/issues/suggestions you may have! There will also be a silent auction!
Please check the events page for more information!
The next haul of retired racers will be arriving THIS weekend!! Stay tuned for photos from this event!
As always..fill out an application if you are interested in adoption or contact adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com for information on new or existing dogs for adoption!

Scooperbowl and New Arrivals!

2008-06-24T16:38:00.006-04:00

GPA-Richmond attended the Science Museum of Virginia's annual Scooperbowl on Saturday, June 21st. The dogs and humans got ice cream while letting everyone know how wonderful these hounds really are!

On Tuesday, June 24th a group of volunteers played hookie from work for a few hours to great 6 new greyhounds to Richmond.(And for everyone who knows Gil..No..this isn't Toby in the tub!)We received 6 beautiful hounds from JCKC

Bobby's Just Up a 4 year old male is adopted and ready for his new homeBlues and Royals is a 4 1/2 year old male who is also heading to his forever home!Over Reaction is a little 4 year old female who is adopted and loving retired life!

We also received 3 new arrivals who are looking for their forever home!!

Kelso's NormaJean is a 3 year old cat safe female who jumped out of the van smiling with her tail wagging! She is a happy, go-lucky girl who is in a foster home with small children and doing great!!

Zam Corbin is a handsome 5 year old cat safe male who is laid back and sweet. He will do great with small children!Guzon Bae is a striking 2 year old cat safe female who is playful and sweet with VERY distinct markings.

If you are interested in any of these fosters, email fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fill out an application! And don't forget to check out our events page and come out to see the hounds!

Woofstock 2008 and Belle island walk

2008-06-01T14:13:00.004-04:00

The Richmond Animal League held Woofstock 2008 at Innsbrook Pavilion on May 31st. GPA had a tent and many volunteers gathered to show off the hounds.
There were tons of vendors
Gil and Toby work the crowd
It was a VERY warm day. The neighboring group had graciously provided baby pools full of ice water. The greyhounds found this VERY inviting!
Lindley and Lulu try to tell Cali her turn is up!
Jackson relaxes a bit
Jello gets a two for one..Dolly wishes there was a pillow to make the edge a little softer
Cali enjoys the cold water
It is the cow dogs turn..Dana and Ally like to hang togetherHarry and Rusty Cali takes a turn on the agility course..a cookie got her to that point and then she bailed outThere were more dogs there than just greyhounds! We were beside the local Great Dane Rescue group. This beagle knows how to stay coolIt was a great event! Everyone was exhausted!On June 1st, some GPA adopters gathered a Richmond's Belle Island for a Sunday morning walk. Sasha, Jackson and Bella are ready to start the walk!Bella and her dad pose in front of the mighty James River

If you missed these events, check out GPA's event page and join us for the next one! You can also keep up with events by visiting www.greyhoundsmakegreatpets.com and click on GPA-Ricmond (email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com if you have forgotten the password) We have dogs arriving from Florida in a few weeks, so if you have thought of adopting a greyhound, please put in an application!

If you have any questions, email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com or adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com

Spring Picnic 2008

2008-05-05T08:49:00.006-04:00

After a lot of planning and hard work by many dedicated volunteers, GPA-Richmond pulled off its annual Spring Picnic at the home of Chip and Deanne Morris in Aylett! We had 100 plus attendees with more than 50 dogs, vendors, information tables and great food! For those that came out..THANK YOU and for those that missed it..make plans to attend next year!
Here are some photos from this great event!
Some of GPA's board members help set up early on Sunday morning
Photos from the event

The fun run area was a hit!

Everyone got involved in the games!At the end of the day, we had a Bell Ceremony for all our canine companions that had left us this past year. The Morris' had their family pet cemetary that made a great location for such a solemn event. At the end of the day..everyone with 2 and 4 legs was exhausted. A greyt time was had by all

The Board of Directors for GPA-Richmond sends out a Big Thank You to all the volunteers that helped make this event a huge success. And Thank you to all our adopters for giving a greyhound a forever home!

Please check out the post below for all our available hounds. We have many events coming up this month, so come out and help spread the word about our wonderful greyhounds!!

May 3rd haul

2008-05-03T16:25:00.007-04:00

GPA-Richmond received 7 dogs on May 3rd, 2008. As usual we gathered at Crittertown Bath house to bathe the new hounds.
The hounds arrive and get a quick meal

Then in to the tub! Frank..well..does a thorough job.
Matt meets his new little girl!
This one saved a few crumbs for later
The Arrighi's adopted Flying Unbridled as their first greyhound! Matt Richardson adopted Jello Shot Dot as his first greyhound! She is a beauty!Flying Incubus will be going to a home with another greyhound! She is such a lover!And we have four in foster care.
Launch Torpedo a 2 year old brindle female who is safe with kitties!Odd Hunter is a 4 year old male who is very sweet but shouldn't be in a home with cats.

SS Rio Eightball has the best ears!! He is a 3 year old male who is cat safe and is a big boy!Alkay Olbie is a 2 year old female who is cat safe and gorgeous!! GPA-Richmond still has a few fosters remaining from other hauls who are looking for their forever homes!!!

Sawyer ( Kite Rider) is a 3 year old boy who is a big time lover! He is very calm, housetrained and sweet as pie! He is not cat safe but does fine with small dogs. His foster family says he is a joy to have around and will make someone a great dog! Ernest (C Pie Face) was returned after a year in a home. He needs some work with the 'rules of the house' but he is a sweet boy who is cat safe and small dog safe. Knockout Rose is a 2 year old cat safe female. She is very loyal and has become very attached to her foster mom. She would do fine as an only dog but gets along great with others. She is very sweet and loving.Pa's Zeus is a 4 year old male who is very loving and sweet. He is 100% house trained and loves playing with his foster family. He should not be around small dogs or cats. Please check out our events page to come see any of these wonderful hounds or email fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com or gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com for more information.

Our annual spring picnic is May 4th, so check back in a week or so for more photos from this great event!

April 3rd dog haul

2008-04-04T11:05:00.004-04:00

GPA Richmond had 6 dogs arrive from JCKC on April 3,2008! Volunteers gathered at Crittertown bathhouse to greet the new hounds!!!
Gil gets in on the action by bathing Bandit!
Who knew batheing hounds could be so much fun??
So..who did we get?
Alkay Better Half who is in her forever home!
Perfect Crime is in his forever home with his new sister, Gracie!
Won and Only CJ will be heading to her forever home soon
And UMR Walter will be adopted next week!Knockout Rose is available for adoption! She is an 18 month old cat safe female. She is very confident, sweet and loving!Subzero Bandit is a 5 year old male who shouldn't live with kitties but is ultra sweet and easy goingAnd as always..check out the events page on the website and come out to meet/rub on the hounds!! If these or any greyhound strikes your fancy, fill out an application! Any questions, email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com

Easter on Parade on Monument Ave

2008-03-27T17:11:00.004-04:00

This time of year is very special in the Richmond area..it is time for the annual Easter on Parade on Monument Ave. The street closes down and everyone comes out to parade their Easter bonnets. And GPA-Richmond leads the Pet Bonnet contest every year to encourage people to dress up their pets..and boy do they ever!! It is always a great event!
Dogs of all shapes, colors and sizes come out to show off their Easter best..
These aren't dogs but they came out to enjoy the day anyway!

And the winner of the pet bonnet contest...
But this blog is all about the greyhounds.
small, medium and large..the Italian Greyhound, Whippet and greyhounds gather for a pow-wow

GPA-Richmond set up an amazing booth as always!

Jackson greets his fansKit poses in the adoption vestOur wonderful events coordinator, Nerice takes a break to pose with the houndsAnd the hats and outfits...Keep up with GPA-Richmond's events by visiting the website's events page! This is a busy time of year with lots of wondeful events to raise awareness for these wonderful hounds! And don't forget about the hounds in foster care waiting for their forever home. If you are interested, fill out an application or email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com for more information!

March haul

2008-03-16T12:26:00.003-04:00

On March 16th, GPA received 4 new hounds from JCKC. The hounds arrived bright and early! Susie and Deborah help give them their breakfast after a long trip from Florida
The let the batheing commence! The wonderful GPA volunteers came through again and all chipped in to get the hounds cleaned up and ready to go!
Cash get a good scrub down by the Cohen's
The only thing this tub is missing is the rubber duckie!!
So who did we get?
Cash a 3 year old male who is laid back, sweet and is great with kids! He is in foster care and available!
Husker Belle a 4 year old female who is great with kids and never stops wagging her tail! She is in foster care and available!
Pa's Zeus a 3 1/2 year old male who has a lot of energy! He is very loveable and available for adoption!
BD's Janie a 4 year old cat safe female who is very sweet and gentle. She is in foster care and available for adoption.
We still have two dogs in foster care from previous hauls waiting for their forever homes!
DZ Brush Country a 3 year old male. He is house trained, loves children, cat safe, very loving and wants to be center of attention.
Personal Passion a 3 year old female who is gentle and sweet. She is cat safe and would do great as an only dog!
If you are interested in these foster hounds, please email fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com or check out the updated list of adoptables. If you are thinking of adopting, fill out an application or email adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com
GPA will be at Easter on Parade on March 23 on Monument Ave in Richmond. We also have our annual spring picnic approaching on May 5th, 2008! If you need information on these or any other events email events@greyhoundsvirginia.com.

Message from Rory-National President

2008-03-08T09:14:00.003-05:00

Please read the following and if you can, donate using paypal to email address greyhoundadoptions@yahoo.com

All,I want to share an e-mail that I received this morning and I think this e-mail says it all. We, as an organization, need to help out our own. I think we all need to be aware of what a fellow GPA brother/sister is dealing with, and I believe we need to come together to support a fellow family member that is in need.I have asked GPA National to help with sending funds, but we are limited in our resources as well, and when our well is dry, its dry…so I am asking…no, begging, that if any of you have an extra few bucks that you could spare without risking your own operations, please consider one of our very needy chapters. At this time, I am not at liberty to state which chapter needs this assistance. We are currently working with the State Racing Commission, the NGA and AGC regarding the situation at this particular track and I don’t want to jeopardize those proceedings and discussions. I also know of 3 other chapters that deal with situations like this, and I know they could also use some support. You can send the money to GPA National if you want and mark it for this chapter, or mark it for the general fund to support our own. If you know of a chapter in need, then please send it straight to them. If you send in for general support, you have my promise that GPA National officers will get it to these chapters that need it most.I will be spending my day on the phone working to see what can be done, I can’t promise a miracle today, but I will keep working to see that a difference is made.Last year, we had a chapter that had to move 60 plus dogs from a track, not many of our chapters in the area stepped up to help a fellow brother/sister that was disheartening. I now more than ever want our organization to be the shining example, to be an organization where we take care of our own. We are bothers and sisters in this journey, so let’s set sail together and make for a brighter tomorrow.I’m more than committed to fight for you, to fight for our dogs. I thank you all for everything that you have done for this organization, I know that you have contributed to so many miracles, and I’m very humble as someone who does not contribute as much as you do to be able to represent each and every one of you.
Rory
**************************************************************************
**************
Rory,XXXX has convinced me that is okay to ask you for help, so here goes... I don't know that you want to share all this. Feel free to edit as you see fit!I constantly struggle to figure out how to best spend my time. The choice has always gone to the dogs. And, it is never, ever enough. I nearly lost my job over all of this. I finally realized work time has to be work time. So, my available time for dog-related matters has been somewhat reduced.I'll be happy to provide more detail, but here's the "short" version:I just paid our kennel helper, XXXX, the last $300 we had in our adoption group account.Next week, we need another $300 for him, $355 for dog food and $150 for insurance on the dog truck. We also have lined up sending 8 dogs to adoption groups at $70 per dog, but the hauler is willing to wait on his payment.We buy 20 bags of kibble at a time and it just went up to $17.75 per bag. That's $355 for two weeks.Our weekly expenses, just for feeding and turning out the dogs run right at $500. That doesn't count insurance/gas/maintenance on our old dog truck (we only use it to go to the vet and back), wormer, cleaning supplies, flea/tick stuff, vet bills, etc., etc. Hauling dogs to other groups has gone up to $70 per dog. So, we've been doing as much of that as we can ourselves, and paying the gas, etc. ourselves.Last year, the track was helping on a fairly regular basis (approximately $4,000 total for the year). Now, they are not providing anything. I asked for money twice since the first of the year and have received no response.We send out letters to the dog owners, asking them to help with their dogs' expenses. In past years, we have received about $50 per dog. Recently, we have been lucky to get $20 per dog. Our actual expenses are close to $150 per dog, not including any vet expenses. I've done a bang-up job, convincing the "good owners" not to send their dogs here. So, we mostly get dogs from owners who don't care what happens to their dogs.I'll admit, we've been robbing Peter to pay Paul... Our vets have been extremely kind. As a result, we now owe them nearly $5,000.I don't believe we can continue to operate the kennel at XXXX. It just isn't doable without support from the track.We need to pay off the vet bill and figure out a new, scaled-down mode of operation. I hate to say that. It just means more dogs will die. But, we have to be realistic. With all the track closings, and other tracks going back to seasonal operation, dogs are flooding into XXXX every week. At one point, we were taking approximately 50% of the "retiring" dogs here. Now, we MIGHT be taking 30%. In addtion to the dogs that actually show up on XXXX racing programs, there are many other dogs who come here simply to die. There are few outlets for killing dogs outside this area. The vet who used to kill dogs died recently, so there is nobody South of here willing to kill greyhounds en masse. They now haul them up here to have them killed. Some are killed by a vet. Others are going up into xxxx to be shot. I'm not making that up. I've heard it repeatedly from trusted sources in the racing world. This has become the latest "killing ground" for greyhounds. I have personally witnessed the kill truck being loaded three times in the last few months. The most recent experience was on the morning I had to euthanize my dear, sweet xxxx. I took him to the vet very early on a Thursday morning. On my way home from the vet's office, I stopped by the track to pick up some paperwork. I arrived just in time to see them loading up the kill truck. They weren't expecting to see me there and we had a cartoon-like moment of panic. But, there was nothing I could do. I just picked up the paperwork and left.The kennel folks at XXXX are not shy about telling me what is going on. I often get the "pleasure" of hearing how many dogs they killed this week. They are sad about it. They know I care and they unburden themselves to me. I know I've not done a good job of managing all of this. I got myself in over my head. Now, I have to figure out how to dig myself out of the mess I've made.
On the positive side, a couple thousand greyhounds have found homes.
XXXX
Statements in the post contain personal opinions and are made by Rory himself and do not reflect on management of this board, or organizations that Rory may be associated with, and may contain statements about expected future events and as such are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ. Rory undertakes no duty to update information contained in this post via this forum or in any other public disclosures at any time.Permission required from Rory S. Goree' in writing to redistribute in part or whole.Copyright Rory S. Goree' 2008

6 Hounds arrive on 2/26/08

2008-02-27T21:43:00.009-05:00

On Tuesday, February 26th, GPA received 6 new hounds! Deborah, Brian and Trina met Lynn to give the dog's a potty break after their long trip from JCKC in Florida
This one gets the prize for the biggest bladder!!!!
Then off the hounds are off to Crittertown Bath House for their spa treatment and pedicures! It was a brindle parade!
This little one decided the whole ordeal was just too tiring..it was easier to just sit while getting scrubbedHow can you resist such a face!!!!
Karen and Paula work to make them squeaky clean!
So who did we get?
Bob's Dorey - a 4 1/2 year old cat safe boy who has an adoption pending
DK's Brush Country - a 3 1/2 year old cat safe boy who is active and sweet! He is great with children and loves to roll around and play! He is available!
Kite Rider - a 3 year old cat safe male who is inquisitive and sweet. His tail never stops wagging and his foster homes reports he is a joy to have around! He is great with children and is available!

Personal Passion is a 3 1/2 year old cat safe female with an adoption pending.As Bell Tolls is a 4 year old cat safe female with an adoption pending
Selena is a 2 1/2 year old female who is not cat safe however she is fine with small dogs. She is a sweet, loving little girl who will require a very special home! She takes a while to warm up but once she does she has soo much love to give! She is a available.
A very special thank you to Lynn for driving these wonderful hounds from Florida to Virginia for us! As well as taking care of our special Selena while she recovered from her leg surgery. If you have interest or question in any of these hounds or in adopting a retired racing greyhound, email adoptions@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fill out an application!
Come by any of GPA-Richmond's events or email events@greyhoundsvirginia.com for more information.

Pet Expo 2008

2008-02-18T11:25:00.002-05:00

GPA-Richmond participated in Henrico Humane Society's Pet Expo on February 16th! The table was set up perfectly in anticipation of the crowds once the doors opened!
The first wave of volunteers poses in front of the table.
Once the doors opened, the hound worked their magic and showed everyone how wonderful they are!! It was a huge event with lots of interested people!

Ally and Dolly show us their cutest face!After all was said and done..the volunteers talked to lots of people and the events was a huge success. Of course, it was a big day for these couch potatoes!If you missed this great event, there will be plenty more so keep up with the events page and mark your calenders!
Another dog haul is set for February 26th at 4PM, so email doghaul@greyhoundsvirginia.com if you are interested in helping!
If you are interested in adopting a greyhound for the first time or if it is time to "chip" check out the available hounds or fill out an application..it will be updated after the haul with the new arrivals!!!

Greyhound gatherings!

2008-02-10T14:10:00.000-05:00

GPA volunteers have had quite a few greyhound gatherings this month! Adopting a greyhound can fill up your calender quickly with all sorts of fun activities!
On Sunday, February 10 a group gathered at the Hanover Dog Park for a playdate. They braved the insane winds (and forest fires!) to let the hounds play! The other dogs there really had a good time playing with everyone (especially the fawn pit bull!).
Savvy Racer even made a new friend! On Sunday, February 3, greyhounds gathered at a volunteers house for a some fun before the Super Bowl! On Saturday, February 9th, GPA met at Stony Point Fashion Park for the monthly meet and greet! The weather was beautiful and the hounds a great time! These are just some of the events GPA has each month! Check out the Greyhounds Make Great Pets forum to keep up with all the playdates and events!
On February 16th, GPA will be at the Henrico Humane Society's Pet Expo at the Showplace! If you have time to volunteer email events@greyhoundsvirginia.com or just stop by and say hi! GPA will also be getting another greyt group of hounds on February 23! Check the available hounds list for the new arrivals!
And as always, if you (or anyone you know) is interested in adoption, stop by the GPA Richmond website and fill out an application!!

January dog haul

2008-01-13T10:47:00.000-05:00

GPA-Richmond welcomed 3 hounds today from JCKC. We used a volunteer's house/tub to give them a good scrubbing! Amanda and Brian S. picked up the hounds from the hauler and brought them the rest of the way!

Jason and Brian A. "wash that track right out of their hair"!

Afterwards, two of the hounds say thank you to Brian A.!

After the bath, the two boys enjoy a spin around the yard!

So who was on this haul..

First is WJS Alfalfa who just turned 4! He is getting adopted by his forever family today! He was a crazy and sweet boy who knew how to make us laugh!

GPA added two dogs to the foster program from this haul.

KC Sitting on Go is a cat safe 2 1/2 year old boy who has the sweetest personality. Is this a

'take me home' face or what? He is also a smiler!

We also received Savvy Racer a 3 1/2 year old red female who is cat trainable and very loving! We also have HKF Dusk in the foster program waiting for her forever home. She is 4 years old with beautiful amber eyes! She is inquisitive, energetic and very loving.

We also have Sol Twister a 5 year old cat safe red fawn male. Pictures not available at this time. He loves kids, walks great on the leash, is laid back and very loving.

Please email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com or fosters@greyhoundsvirginia.com if you would like more information on these hounds. Or fill out an application to adopt one of these or any other retired racing greyhound! Look for more information on these hounds on our Petfinder site soon!

Also check out the events calender for upcoming greyhound gatherings! Spring is coming which means festival, parades and expos!

December dog haul and Williamsburg walk

2007-12-09T09:25:00.000-05:00

Five hounds arrived from JCKC on December 1st! Brian, Deborah and Amanda met the hauler off I-95 to pick them up and bring them to Crittertown for thier bath!

Amanda managed to snap a few shots of the ride to Crittertown. Jet Master enjoys his first view of Richmond while riding in Deborah's truck

Throttle Up prefers to relax and enjoy the ride!

I'm Worthwatchin enjoys her first bath by her new mommy!

Throttle Up's new mommy beams....her new baby has finally arrived!! Jet Master waits for his turn in the tub..his new family will be adopting him soon
Trina and Amanda help out by trimming nails and maybe having a little fun while doing it!
The Letender's can't keep their eyes off their new little girl, Im worthwatchin

Also in this haul, RJ's Greatful who was in foster care briefly before being snatched up by her forever family!Eric Whistler (aka Brady) remains in foster care waiting for his family to come along! He is 2 1/2 and his foster mom reports he is very sweet, loving and goofy! And handsome, too!On December 8th, some GPA members went to Colonial Williamsburg to walk along the holiday market. They pose with some Colonial Williamsburg localsGPA-Richmond wishes everyone a happy holiday season! As always, check out the events calender and join us for many greyt events! More hounds will be arriving in January, so be sure to fill out an application if you have thought of adding to your family!

Brady says Greyhounds Make Great Pets!!

2007 Membership picnic

2007-10-29T17:28:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, GPA-Richmond had their annual membership picnic. This is a time to socialize, elect/introduce the new board of directors, give away some free stuff and catch up on the year's successes!

We start with a brief meeting

This year's president, Mark hands last year's president, Gil a thank you gift for all his hard work!
And the socializing...

A greyhound wannabe...
And meet your new board of directors: left to right Julie Shingleton, Tom McDonald, Deborah Messersmith, Brian Shaunessy, Gil Caldwell, Katrina Stumpf, Mark Lane. Not pictured Nerice Lochansky

And of course a greyhound event would not be complete without hounds running wild!

Alex didn't think anyone was looking.....

No...you can't blame it on poo

No photographers were harmed in the shooting of these pictures! ;-)

We look forward to a greyt new year of adoptions and events!!!!!

Deja Vu

2007-10-27T16:36:00.000-04:00

You know where we are and what we are doing! Six more hounds arrived today! The rain stopped just in time for their arrival!
Are you my new Mommy?

Mark really gets in to his work!

Cruiser gets a brisk rub down!

Bobby Show is a shy little girl that is waiting for her forever home!

WS Free Fallin' will soon be known as Cruiser with his new family!
Wako Driven picked out his new family early!

Ebony Glow and her new family!

Hevener Jaguar is a handsome boy waiting for the perfect home to come along!
And his sister, Hevener Shumba is a beautiful little girl in foster care!

We are having our annual membership picnic tomorrow! Stay tuned for more greyt pictures! And as always check out our events page for meet and greets! And if you are interested in adoption fill out an application!

Wash..Rinse...Repeat!

2007-10-21T10:36:00.001-04:00

GPA received 6 wonderful hounds from JCKC on October 20th! As usual we met at Crittertown Bath House to give them a good scrubbing!
The hounds arrive early in the morning

Lin and Nerice work on Greta's Bam Bam

Brian helps Avalanche's new owners with his bath.

And the best part..the rub down!!!
Avalanche and his new family
HKF Dusk with her proud new mommy!

EDS Strong Echo and his new family
Sea Princess who is waiting for her new home!!!

JJ's Fickle Fate is with her foster family and ready for adoption!
And Greta's Bam Bam..his new family is arriving on the 21st!

Another group of hounds are arriving on October 27th! Please check our adoptables site for more pictures and information on any dogs in our foster program! Fill out an application today!!

*Pictures courtesy Katrina Stumpf

West Point Crab Carnival

2007-10-07T17:31:00.000-04:00

It is Crab season in Virginia!!! So GPA went to the West Point Crab Carnival to show off the hounds in the parade..and eat a few crabs!
Dana shows off her crab hat

Ceasar shows off his parade wig as well.. Everyone waiting for the parade to start..it was hot but luckily we were lined up in the shade.
Cali used this as an opportunity to show some cub scouts that greyhounds make great pets!
Finally, the parade begins!! Most everyone is out of town at the Dewey Beach greyhound event, but we braved the heat and got lots of attention!
Stay tuned for Dewey Beach pictures! And don't forget..GPA has a haul scheduled for this month so get in your application soon!!!

*photos courtesy Katrina Stumpf

Grey Pride

2007-10-01T10:37:00.000-04:00

GPA had a booth at this years Richmond Gay Pride Festival on Saturday the 29th.
Toby is very concerned about unwanted litters and free-roaming studs causing trouble. So he took it upon himself to promote protection as well as greyhound adoption as Miss Tabatha Mercedes Porsche Lexus Infiniti Carrington Rolls Bentley Escalaide Deville Bus. Toby was introduced to the stage led by his Entourage, Tyrone and Diego!
Once on stage, Toby did his best to promote how wonderful greyhounds are as well as making sure everyone understood the importance of safety during extracurricular activities.
After working his magic on stage, Toby joined all his greyhound friends at the booth to further promote greyhound adoption!
Toby greats his fans from his dressing room.
Trueman enjoys the weather and attention as well.
Tyrone and Diego get a chance to have some downtime after escorting their lady.
Dolly and Ally know how to work the crowds.
GPA has a wonderful display set up to raise money and increase awareness!
Ally reacts when someone asks if Toby was prettier than her..
Sable rests after a long day
Dolly can take no more..
GPA will be at the W est Point Crab Carnival on October 6th, at Dewey Beach's Reach the Beach on October 5-7th.
And another haul is scheduled within a few weeks, so please put in your application soon so we can hand pick your new fast friend!
*Photos courtesy Nerice Lochansky and Gil Caldwell

Dog Haul September 1st

2007-09-11T17:09:00.000-04:00

The volunteers of GPA-Richmond pulled off a wonderful haul of 15 beautiful hounds on September 1st. THey all came from Jefferson County Kennel Club (JCKC). The hauler arrived very early on Saturday morning
And the dogs started filing out after a long journey from Florida.
Then the dogs line up and get a CapStar for flea treatments
Jenny and Brian Alfano admittedly had their hands in every greyhounds mouth on this morning!
Here are a few pictures of the new arrivals waiting to be loaded up in volunteer's vehicles What a beautiful blue brindle!Then a short trip to Critter Town Bath House for the necessary grooming and pedicures. Critter Town is a wonderful location for this and we definitely thank the owner for allowing the greyhounds to invade his business!
The hounds arrive!!! Many anxious adopters await their new hounds!
They wait in line patiently for their turn. Every chips in to clean ears, clip nails, give out ID tags, fill out adoption paperwork, bathe dogs, etc.
Every tub is filled for about 2 hours of washing. The dogs definitely appreciated it
even though it doesn't look like it! Amanda and Katrina help Southern Loving (AVAILABLE) gets rid of all her dirt and starts to smell like baby powder!

Where's My Spice patiently waits in line for her turn
We even attracted a camera guy from NBC12 even though the piece got trumped by more pressing news from the weekend..it was still neat!

We still have hounds available in the foster program. Many of the 15 were adopted that day but not all! Visit the petfinder site to see all the great hounds GPA has available. And as always if you don't see anything you like, email gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com.

Here is Hevener's Apollo who is available for adoption. He is a sweet, goofy boy with a huge heart! And he is a beautiful blue fawn!
Southern Loving is also available. She is a very sweet and quiet girl who loves to give kisses!

RNC Dottie (available) has a lot of energy and a lot of love to give!
We also have Whytell Ditty a sweet brindle female available for adoption! And last but certainly not least is Steve's Friend J who is waiting for his perfect home!
Check the adoptable dog list often

And don't forget to check GPA-Richmond's upcoming events!
*Pictures courtesy of Amanda Hatcher, Nerice Lochansky and Katrina Stumpf

Changes!!!!

2007-09-11T15:39:00.000-04:00

Please keep checking back here often. We now have a fabulous volunteer who has taken over this part of our webpage and will be keeing this up to date.. She has done a wonderful job so far redecorating and will be posting pictures and lots of information in the coming weeks..

So for Now we are Under Construction!!!!

Ok... So its been almost a Year....

2007-03-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

Yes.. I realize I have been slack at updating the News section of our website.. So here goes... The past year has been amazing.. So many wonderful families now have beautiful greyhounds that have raced into their lives. Through the help of so many people, we were able to place 91 new Greyhounds into Loving homes last year. And this year, we are on a great start as well. Our members, volunteers and board really stepped up last year as I had surgery on my shoulder. Well.. I had three surgeries to be exact, but who's counting. I was limited in what I was allowed to do and everyone would yell at me if I started to do something wrong. You just gotta love em!!!!

This past February, we helped organize along with a couple other amazing folks, an auction to help the JCKC Hounds and some medical bills they had accumulated. This auction generated over $6000.00. WOW... What an amazing outpouring of support we had.. There were so many items donated to help a wonderful program and of course the wonderful people who volunteer their time to run it.

We were very honored to take part in the Capital Ale House "Community Chest Night" the first Thursday night in March. What an amazing way for a business to give back to the community. From the size of the crowds at both locations, we are sure this will be a successful fundraising event for us. Thanks to the folks at Capital Ale House for having us and we urge you to visit their locations on a Thursday night between 7 and closing when they give a portion of sales to the Community Chest Charity of the week.

Our plans for this year include Easter on Parade, Bon Air Victorian Days, our Annual Spring Picnic May 6th and many others... Please check our calendar often to see what is going on..

We receive new hounds each month and are always willing to special request a hound for you if you so desire.

All of our hounds are fully vetted before adoption. They have all of their shots up to date, have been wormed with Drontal Plus, Full Dental cleaning, spay/neutering, heartworm check and prevention. Our Adoption kit includes: All Medical Records, track records when available, Dental Kit, Compressed Rawhide Bone, stuffed toy, Matching Collar and 6 ft leash, Track Muzzle, a folder full of excellent resources to read as your new hound settles in your home, and the support of Richmond's First and oldest Retired Racing Greyhound Adoption Agency.

Remember that GPA Richmond serves the Greater Richmond and the Tidewater area of Virginia. We try to only place hounds within a 2 hour drive time from Richmond.

You may reach us at any time by emailing us at: gpa@greyhoundsvirginia.com

Take care and until next time please remember that "Greyhounds Make Great Pets".

Gil Caldwell, President

LOST DOG ALERT!!

2006-05-11T10:07:00.000-04:00

GPA - Richmond

On Saturday April 29th, one of our members hounds escaped while they were visiting their daughter in Manassas VA. She is a socially challenged little brindle girl named Gracie. There are people searching, printing and posting flyers in that area. We need more Foot Soldiers to help bring this girl home. As recent at last night we had a positive sighting of her. If you can help out in any way, please contact us so we can put you in touch with the people heading up this search..

Thanks.. Gil

GPA - Richmond

2006-03-31T22:22:00.000-05:00

April Showers???

On March 25th, we received 9 hounds. All of the hounds were already spoken for but we still had to bathe them and get them ready for their new families. Many thanks to our huge team of volunteers that pitched in to help out. This was another beautiful group of hounds and they did very well. Welcome to all of our new adopters as they join the GPA Family.

We are now processing applications for April, May and June hauls. There are a lot of hounds available at the tracks waiting to come this way..

We are once again participating in Easter on Parade. Dress up your hounds and come on out and participate in the Pet Bonnet Contest.

In May, we will be marching in the Bon Air Victorian Days Parade.. We welcome everyone to come out with their hounds as we walk up Buford Road. I would love to have a bunch of hounds walking with us to show how beautiful and wonderful our pets are..

Also on May 7th, we are having our Spring Picnic. This year there is a little change. The location is going to be at IronBridge Park in Chesterfield County. Please check our calendar for details on this and all of our events.

Thanks to everyone for all that you do to help these wonderful hounds..

February Already???

2006-02-01T21:13:00.000-05:00

Its hard to believe that another year is underway. We have another load of hounds arriving February 18th. Also that day we will be participating in the Pet Expo at the Showplace in Mechanicsville. Of course we can always use volunteers to come help out. Please email us if you have some time available that day to bring your hounds out and show them off at our booth. Newsletters have also been mailed out. If you don't receive yours, please let us know. We are still working on getting everyones addresses correct in our database. We are continuing to place 5 or more hounds per month thanks to our wonderful volunteers and great adopters. Once again we welcome everyone to sign up for the GPA Richmond Group email list. This list can help all of us as we travel the journey of being owned by Greyhounds. Feel free to post questions, ask for advice, exchange tips and even petsitting. Also please remember to check our calendar for events. If you have something that you would like for use to participate in, please let us know.

Updates!!!

2005-12-02T16:17:00.000-05:00

The last 6 hounds we received have already made their way into their new homes and we have 3 arriving tomorrow morning, plus 5 more on Weds morning. Of the 8 hounds, 5 have homes and the others will soon have a home of their own..

The GPA Board met this past month to elect officers and to also fill some additional vacant seats on the board. We are excited to have a board that is dedicated to finding homes for these hounds while working together to make a stronger organization.

Our Board is as follows:

Gil Caldwell, President
Mark Lane, Vice President
Beth Nilles, Treasurer
Bobbie Moore, Corresponding Secretary
Amy Rizzo, Recording Secretary
Tim Gray, Board Member
Tom McDonald, Board Member
Brian Shaunassey, Board Member

We recently established a message group for GPA Members. This will allow our members the opportunity to discuss their hounds with other Greyhound owners. It can be a very informative way to communicate with each other, share ideas, organize playgroups etc.
To Join, please send an email to the following email address:
GPARichmond-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
I process emails mainly in the evening so it will take a few hours to get a response but I will respond. I hope that this board will allow our members to communicate with each other to form a stronger Greyhound community.

In Closing, I am happy to include the following message from GPA National President, Rory Goree.

To: Greyhound Pets of America - Volunteers, Members, Adopters, Friends and Supporters.

As we approach this season, I want to express my gratitude for your efforts in finding homes for greyhounds and for your support. Every one of you has performed an outstanding job.

The adoption of each greyhound speaks volumes. This past year has been tremendous, even with the difficult times of track closures, and natural disasters, you managed to continue on with the mission of GPA in finding forever homes for greyhounds.

During the Christmas season many of us are running around wrapping up gifts and putting the finishing touches to our holiday decorations. In GPA, every day we are wrapping up adoptions and putting the finishing touch onto another successful adoption. I can't begin to express my heartfelt appreciation for each and every one of you.

Enjoy every minute with your family, friends and pets. I wish you a wonderful holiday season.

Rory

President - Greyhound Pets of America - National

Who Let the Dogs Out??

2005-11-10T15:23:00.000-05:00

Today was a very unusual day for us to receive dogs but since the haulers were heading north and we had our orders in, they arrived on a weekday. Arriving this morning about 9:30 were 6 beautiful hounds. They were ready to get off of the hauler right away. After walking them, we loaded them in the van and headed home to bathe & feed them and then get them settled in for the day. Two went home to their new adoptive homes to meet an existing greyhound waiting for them there. Another will go home tonight and two will go on Friday... As always it was wonderful working together with volunteers and members of our organization to find these dogs great homes.. And to our new adoptive families, welcome!!!

Negativity..

2005-11-07T16:57:00.000-05:00

Recently we keep hearing more and more negative press on all sorts of things and Greyhounds as well as GPA has had their share. I recently received the following email from National President Rory Goree and he had asked us to post on our websites which I am doing through here. Lets all try hard to keep things positive and look for good in the placement of the hounds that our group places. I don't want our chapter to be involved in this type of continuous bashing.

On a Positive note, this week, we are receiving 6 hounds that will be going into new homes and we are working on applications for a haul that takes place the first weekend in December.

And now a word from our National President.

IT'S TIME TO SPEAK OUT FOR GREYHOUND WELFARE, NOT WARFARE!

I have received dozens of e-mails over the past few weeks from many of the 10,000 dedicated GPA volunteers all over the country who are upset and angry over recent statements made by Ms. Paulsen of Greyhound Companions of New Mexico. Instead of working constructively alongside GPA to ensure that the greyhounds sent to Juarez are placed in loving U.S. homes when they retire, Ms. Paulsen has chosen to attack the GPA effort and personally vilify me and other GPA volunteers. This has outraged and offended not only our members, but also many other moderate adoption advocates.

Why has Ms. Paulsen decided to turn her back on the Juarez greyhounds? Apparently she and her organization no longer share the goals of GPA and the mainstream adoption community. Unbelievably, it appears that their new mission is to STOP GPA from working cooperatively with the Juarez track for the benefit of the greyhounds there. Greyhound Companions of New Mexico has now officially joined the handful of extreme organizations whose primary focus is not the welfare of greyhounds, but full-scale war with the greyhound racing and moderate adoption community. And Ms. Paulsen has resorted to deliberate lies and distortions as her weapons of choice in this pointless war. A case in point, Ms. Paulsen has used a person who was disciplined by GPA for alleged animal abuse as her character witness against GPA.

Recently Ms. Paulsen has changed her tune. She was stating we (GPA) would be sending dogs to Juarez. Now she is saying that by finding homes for the Juarez greyhounds we are endorsing greyhound racing. Ms. Paulsen - you have been adopting greyhounds for years so I guess you endorse greyhound racing.

We've set the record straight on many occasions, both on our website and in personal communications with many of you. For a full statement of the GPA position on Juarez, please feel free to visit our website, www.greyhoundpets.org. But our position isn't even the issue.

The real issue is that reasonable people ought to be able to disagree without engaging in vicious and malicious campaigns of "personal destruction." My friends and I believe it's time to speak out for greyhound welfare, not warfare. Let's set political issues and personal grudges aside, and get back to putting the greyhounds first.

We urge you to contact Judy Paulsen at info@gcnm.org, and ask her to stop her terrible attacks against GPA and the adoption volunteers trying to do the right thing for the Juarez dogs. When you send your message, please forward a copy to us at pres@greyhoundpets.org.

And remember-when we abuse the people who love greyhounds, speak honestly, will not put greyhounds at risk to further their own cause and work tirelessly on their behalf, it does as much harm as if we were abusing the dogs themselves.

Rory S. Goree'President - Greyhound Pets of America – The Greyhound Retirement Specialists

Another successful Picnic

2005-10-26T17:03:00.000-04:00

Our fall picnic went off without a hitch. What a beautiful day to spend at the park with all of our friends and hounds. We had wonderful food and entertainment as well as vendors and our Raffle. There were so many things donated this year. We had gift certificates from Broughton Kennels, Dog Services, items from Premier Pet Products, Southern States, FastJack Sportswear, Dog Walk Designs and others. We even had a DJ from "Tune in a Bucket" that kept festive music playing all afternoon. A Canine Freestyle demo was put on by Joyce Miller and friends from Merrimac Kennel Club in Hampton as well as fun games and contests... Thanks to everyone for making our picnic a success.

As a reminder, GPA Richmond has t-shirts as well as other merchandise for sale. We just received a new shipment of both short and long sleeve T-shirts in beautiful color and various sizes. Please email us if you are interested in purchasing one. Short Sleeve shirts are 15.00 and long sleeve are 20.00.

Please remember to listen to Voice America each Friday for "Greyhounds Make Great Pets". Your hosts are GPA National President Rory Goree, Kari Morrison Young, Kathy Hoynes and myself, Gil Caldwell. You can log onto the show at 2pm eastern time at www.voice.voiceamerica.com

Take care until next time...

Gil

It's Picnic Time!!

2005-10-11T11:37:00.000-04:00

Wow... We just got back in from Greyhounds Reach the Beach at Dewey Beach, DE and what a wonderful time everyone had. Of course it rained a good bit of the time, however it was still nice to see the hounds and friends from all over the world.

October 16th is our fall picnic. We are very excited about this event. We have several vendors lined up to attend and sell their Greyhound Merchandise(bring money), there will be a Canine Freestyle demonstration and of course fun and games. We also have a DJ attending to play the hits and even offer some Karaoke during the day. Hamburgers and Hot Dogs will be supplied by GPA/Richmond and all we ask is that you bring a side dish or dessert to share.

We received three beautiful hounds on October 1st from Melbourne and working on applications for another run towards the end of the month. With all of the tracks closing for the winter months, there are so many hounds waiting for new homes. This month, three large tracks up north will be closing for the season, pouring 600-800 dogs into the adoption system and then we have the southern tracks doing the same thing.

Would you like to help out?? GPA Richmond has many volunteer opportunities available. We need foster homes, volunteers to help with merchandising, helping to schedule events etc. Please email us if you can help out.

We recently established a message group for GPA Members. This will allow our members the opportunity to discuss their hounds with other Greyhound owners. It can be a very informative way to communicate with each other.
To Join, please send an email to the following email address:
GPARichmond-subscribe@yahoogroups.com I process emails mainly in the evening so it will take a few hours to get a response but I will respond. I hope that this board will allow our members to communicate with each other to form a stronger Greyhound community.

Once again, please remember the picnic set for October 16th from 11-3:30pm. Directions are located on our events calendar..

Take care and we will see you on Saturday..

Gil

More Dogs and the" Dog Flu"....

2005-09-29T15:35:00.000-04:00

First, we are excited that we have three hounds arriving Saturday Morning from Melbourne Florida. They will arrive between 2 and 4am. Two of the three have new homes already. Currently we have 2 females in foster and with the male on Saturday, that will make three foster hounds.

Many people have been sending me news articles, emails etc on the "Canine Flu". Friday September 30th on "Greyhounds Make Great Pets", we will have as our guest Dr Brad Fenwick to discuss this important matter. So please tune in to www.voice.voiceamerica.com at 2:00 Eastern time to hear it live. Also, I am posting the release that we have received regarding the Canine Flu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dr. Brad Fenwick, 540-231-6077; fenwick@vt.edu

CANINE FLU STORY OVERHYPED BY MEDIA, EXPERT SAYS

Blacksburg, VA (September 29, 2005)—An internationally recognized expert on infectious diseases in greyhounds says recent media reports of a canine flu epidemic have “greatly inflated the significance” of the scientific paper on which the reports were based.

Dr. Brad Fenwick, Vice President for Research and Professor of Infectious Disease Pathobiology at Virginia Tech, has specialized in the study of disease in racing greyhounds. In a letter to greyhound tracks and kennel operators, Fenwick said there is no scientific basis for the “hysterical tone” of recent media reports. Fenwick wrote the letter at the request of the American Greyhound Council (AGC), an organization formed by track and kennel operators to promote greyhound health and welfare.

“There is no killer dog flu crisis in greyhound racing,” Fenwick wrote, “or outside it, for that matter.”

The media reports were triggered by a research paper published in the current issue of Science Magazine suggesting that a respiratory disease observed in greyhounds at several tracks since 2004 is closely related to the equine flu virus. The paper also raised the possibility that the canine flu could be transmitted to humans because it had crossed species from horses to dogs.

Contagious respiratory diseases among dogs are nothing new, and Fenwick said this one appears no more serious than common kennel cough. The vast majority of greyhounds exposed to the canine flu recover completely, with many not even requiring treatment, he said. Evidence shows that most of the dogs that become infected with influenza do not show any symptoms. Where rare fatalities have occurred, they have been due to bacterial complications arising from failure to treat soon enough or with the correct antibiotics.

What disturbed him most about the media reports, Fenwick said, was the suggestion that this canine flu could be transmitted from dogs to humans and that greyhounds or the industry are somehow responsible for the outbreak. It is possible, he said, that this virus was circulating undetected in the pet dog population for some time and only became recognized when it caused problems in the greyhounds, since even a mild respiratory disease is of special concern in a canine athlete.

“There has never been a single recorded instance where the disease was transmitted from a horse to a human,” he noted, “so it is irresponsible in the extreme to suggest that this should be a cause for concern among the general public or pet dog owners.”

Fenwick advised industry members to take several steps to prevent the spread of any contagious diseases among greyhounds, including prompt consultation with qualified veterinarians, the use of appropriate antibiotics, more frequent checking and observation of dogs, extra cleaning and sanitation measures, and isolation of ill dogs away from healthy animals.

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I do hope this helps answer some questions and if you have any others please call into the show on Friday to discuss them with Dr Fenwick..

Until next time, Hug Those Hounds!!!

Gil

Dogs Everywhere!!!

2005-09-22T16:55:00.000-04:00

Things have continued to be quite busy lately. We recently received 6 hounds from Tallahassee and there are only two left to place in their homes. And we have 3 coming in from Melbourne on October 1st as well. Sometimes I think I am seeing double with all these dogs running around... But its so wonderful to see them in their new homes. All of the tracks are reporting heavy numbers of available hounds and of course we need more homes that can provide a home for a hound that is not cat safe. If you can provide one, please let us know because these hounds are often overlooked at the track.

I have also been participating weekly as a host on the Internet Radio Show, "Greyhounds Make Great Pets". You can log in Friday's at 2 pm to listen at www.voice.voiceamerica.com Or visit the Greyhounds Make Great Pets website for the archives of past shows. If there is a topic that you would love to have us discuss, email me and let me know as we are always looking for new ideas.

October 16th is our Fall Picnic. We are looking forward to seeing our friends and hounds as always. GPA Richmond will be providing Hamburgers and Hot Dogs with members providing dessert and side dishes. We also have various activities planned and even Vendors with lots of Greyhound Merchandise. I will explain more about the events as the date gets nearer.. Please consider joining us and be sure to email us if you are attending so we will have enough food.

Now is a great time to let a Greyhound Race into your heart and home. All you have to do is call!!

Until next time, please hug those hounds!!!!

September 6 2005

2005-09-06T20:37:00.000-04:00

Its been one month since my first blog and I apologize for not adding to this more often. This past weekend, we attended the National Greyhound Adoption Conference in Tampa Florida. What an informative and fun weekend. We were able to listen to some very infomative speakers, visit the tracks and watch a few races and even bring home an award.. Yes.. Thats right... GPA National had asked their chapters to update their websites and submit the new sites for a contest and our site won!!!! I have to congratulate Caroline who is our webdesigner for her hard work in getting the site up and running in time for us to enter the contest as well as putting together a fantastic site. Our Prize is a round trip airfare to our next conference.Our Senior Brood Mom Rosie has been adopted and is enjoying her new life in her forever home. We have also placed several new hounds and have a couple in foster care. Right now we have Flying Artist as well as Argus. We also have hounds coming in hopefully this coming weekend as well as at the end of the month. With the fuel costs as they are, haulers are being more cautious about making partial runs and need to have full carriers when they make a trip.We have also received word of three tracks closing for the season this fall. That will mean an additional 1000 dogs that will need to be placed. Right now every facility is flooded with hounds and of course we will need to help even more.During our Conference this past weekend, we held a special auction and took up a collection to help the hounds and adopters who have been devistated by this most recent storm. Through the generosity of so many, this fund grew quickly to around 4000 bucks to help out those in need.. There will be directions on GPA Nationals website where you can give towards this fund..Until next time, be sure to hug your hounds..Gil

GPA - Richmond

2005-08-08T22:45:00.000-04:00

GPA - Richmond

I am so happy to share the news of our New Website.. Thanks to our friend Caroline who did all of the design work!!!

This Blog feature will allow us to keep the site up to date and announce special things that are happening to our group and in the Greyhound world.. Please check here often for the latest and greatest news.

This coming weekend we will receive two special hounds from Melbourne Florida who will be going into a home together. One of these sisters, is blind in one eye but still gets around as if nothing was wrong. Their adoptive family is very excited to get them home.

We are trying to have shipments coming in on a two week basis and have several hounds in our foster homes at this time.. Please take a moment and consider providing a forever home for Rosie. Our senior Brood mom that we brought in last week.. She is 11.5yrs old but very spry and adjusting to home life very well. She takes short walks daily with her foster mom and has been picking up the habits of her foster sister. Providing a forever home for a senior like this, is an experience you will never forget.. Even at that age, they will race right into your heart..

Please feel free to email us anytime for more information or if you have comments..

Gil Caldwell, President, GPA/Richmond