Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers - January, 2019

The January, 2019 issue of Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhounds Lovers can be downloaded here.  Enjoy!

...and Happy New Year!

Oregon Greyhound Adoption (OGA) Ends Its Adoption Services

NOTE:  This is NOT GPA-NW ending its adoptions.  This was a different Greyhound adoption group based in Portland.  

In my brief experiences with OGA, I found them to be personable, professional and absolutely dedicated to placing retired Greyhounds in great homes.

-Barry

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From OGA's Facebook Page:

As of December 31st, 2018 Oregon Greyhound Adoption will cease to exist. The OGA website is gone. I'll leave Facebook up as long as everyone can get along. 

If you are ready to adopt a greyhound please contact GPA-NW. They could also use dedicated volunteers and foster homes.

Please also change your Amazon Smiles, Fred Meyer charitable donations and any others you may have indicating OGA to another non-profit.

If you are curious as to the "why", let's just say money!

Vicki Coombs

Ford unveils a noise-canceling kennel for anxious dogs

There’s no shortage of excessively fancy dog houses out there for pup lovers to lust over, but this new soundproof kennel from Ford makes us humans want to crawl into a doggie bed.

The automaker adapted its car soundproofing technology for the kennel, which is able to block out noises like fireworks (and, we assume, off-tune caroling). The angular dog house is built from layers of sound and vibration-deadening materials, including a soundproof ventilation layer, acoustic isolation panels, and a final layer of noise-canceling speakers.

Continue reading here

Seasons Greetings From the Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers!

Jester

Keith

Simon

From left: Seti, Cassi, Tom, Sky

FDA Alerts Pet Owners about Potentially Toxic Levels of Vitamin D in Several Dry Pet Foods

The Food and Drug Administration is warning pet owners that several brands of dry dog food contain too much vitamin D, which can be toxic in high amounts, increasing their risk of kidney failure.

The FDA said that dog food sourced from a single manufacturer, but sold by multiple brands, contained "excessive, potentially toxic levels of vitamin D." Recalls have been initiated for impacted food from Nutrisca, Natural Life Pet Products, Sunshine Mills, Inc., Kroger brand, and ELM dog foods.

Continue to the official FDA info here.

Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers - December, 2018 Issue

The December, 2018 issue of Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers can be downloaded here.  Enjoy!

Jingle Bell Walk - Saturday, December 15th - Eugene

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Walk...

When: Saturday, December 15th @ 1:00 PM Where: 5th Street Market in Eugene Let's meet at 5th Street Market for some walking and holiday cheer. Please bring your hounds wearing their festive holiday best and plan to walk through the downtown Eugene area. We will have jingle bells for each dog to wear. After the walk, we will gather back at 5th St. Market by the fountain.

Some December Birthdays!

Everest:  Born 12/23/09 - Age 9

Everest

Tamarin:  Born 12/18/11 - Age 7

Tamarin

Murray:  Born 12/9/10 - Age 8

Murray

Pictures With Santa/Springfield GPA-NW Adoption Event - Saturday, December 8th

Keith with Santa

This year, Greyhound Pet Adoption Northwest will be at the Springfield, Oregon Petco store at The Shoppes At Gateway for Pictures With Santa.  

This will also be a GPA-NW adoption event.

Date:  Saturday, December 8th
Time:  1PM - 4PM
Where:  Petco located at The Shoppes at Gateway, Springfield, OR

For just $9.95, we will snap a lovely 4” X 6” Keepsake Photo of your beloved pet. They make wonderful holiday cards!

This is a fundraiser for GPA Northwest.

November Greyhound Walk - Delta Ponds in Eugene

When: Sunday, November 11th @ 1:30

Where: Delta Ponds in Eugene

Let's walk at Delta Ponds! Meet at the paved
parking lot on Goodpasture Island Road in Eugene, across from
the Boulders. As usual, we'll walk regardless of weather
(unless it snows and Monica can't get down her hill)
so dress appropriately!

Link to map: https://goo.gl/maps/aExFsj57e7T2

New York Times: Thousands of Greyhounds May Need Homes as Florida Bans Racing

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Animal activists have been trying for years to put an end to greyhound racing in Florida, one of the country’s most popular spots to watch dogs chase mechanical rabbits round and round a track. In their view, the greyhounds were mistreated, subjected to harsh living conditions, then retired with broken bones.

On Tuesday, voters overwhelmingly backed a measure that set greyhound lovers scrambling in a new direction: finding new homes for thousands of dogs with no clear future.

Amendment 13, which proposed banning racing by the end of 2020 and hardened the battle lines between greyhound track owners and animal advocates, passed with 69 percent of the vote.

Continue reading here

Florida Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Greyhound Racing Ban

On November 6, an overwhelming majority of Floridians voted yes on Amendment 13, effectively ending commercial Greyhound racing in the state.

Florida is currently home to 11 of the 17 Greyhound racetracks in the United States. But, following a historic election in which 69% of voters chose to ban wagering on Greyhound racing, the state will become the 41st in the nation to close their tracks for good.

Continue reading here

Consumers Are "Humanizing" Their Pets and Paying the Premium Prices

From public radio's "Marketplace:"

We love our pets — and love to spend money on them. Last year Americans spent nearly $70 billion on all things related to our animal companions — some $30 billion of that on food alone, according to the American Pet Products Association. And not just any food. Companies are cashing in on foodie trends in pet food.

Continue reading or listen to Marketplace podcast here

Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers - November, 2018

The November, 2018 issue of Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers can be downloaded here.   Enjoy!

How Does Your Dog Food Rate?

Here's a GREYT website featuring unbiased dog food reviews.  The reviews are comprehensive and detailed, resulting in a 1-5 star rating for virtually every brand of dog food.  How does YOUR pooch's food rate?  

Check out Dogfoodadvisor.com and see yourself!

Nuff said....

Travels With Keith - Fall Colors in the Willamette Valley

Keith

On a sunny, beautiful Fall day this week, Guy suggested we take a short road trip to have a look at the Fall colors.  After I reminded Guy to grab his camera, I hopped into the car and off we went, north on highway 99 to Sarah Helmick State Recreation Area, which is about 15 miles north of Corvallis, just west of highway 99.  Watch for the State Park sign.

Willamette River in
Independence

Luckiamute River at Helmick Park

Keith - Amphitheater in Independence



Helmick Park

This is the second park we’ve visited that is along the Luckiamute River (the other one was Luckiamute Landing).  There are paved, level trails throughout the park, as well as paths that meander just above the river.  There are a lot of large maple trees that provide a lot of shade if you come here on a warm summer day. 

There are two large picnic areas (electricity, water, restrooms provided) that can be reserved for groups of up to 150.  There are also a bunch of other picnic tables scattered throughout the park. 

This is a beautiful little park, easy to walk around and usually not crowded.   There is a fee if you reserve one of the large picnic areas.  Apart from that, this is a day use park with no fees.

Here is a link for more information:



http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=98

After we left Helmick State Recreation Area, we meandered up to Independence, a quaint small town on the Willamette River.  We wandered up and down the streets and Guy took some more photos, including one of me in the amphitheater area of the downtown park.

A Couple Of October Birthdays!

Adele:  Born October 2, 2012.  Age 6

Adele

Foxfire:  Born October 16, 2012.   Age 6

Foxfire

Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers - October, 2018

The October, 2018 issue of Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers can be downloaded  here.  Enjoy!

What to Feed a Dog With Diarrhea or Other Stomach Issues

Wondering what to feed a dog with diarrhea or other stomach issues like gas or vomiting? An acute case of diarrhea or other tummy troubles might be alleviated at home by feeding your dog these foods. 


Continue reading here

GPA-NW "Meet A Retired Racer" Event @ Animal Crackers in Corvallis - Saturday, October 6th

Greyhound Pet Adoption-Northwest will be at  Animal Crackers Pet Supply
in Corvallis on Saturday, October 6th, from 11AM-1PM along with some wonderful retired racing Greyhounds for you to meet.

Representatives from GPA-NW will be on hand to answer questions about Greyhounds and/or Greyhound adoption.

Stop by, meet the pooches and say hi to their people!

Animal Crackers is located at 949 NW Kings Blvd in Corvallis.

Bi-Mart Now Sells A High-Quality Dog Food

9/19/2018 Update:  WinCo is also selling all four varieties of Supreme Source food at a very good price.

Bi-Mart stocks Supreme Source Dog Food, which is a very good grain-free food.  So far, I've seen the Turkey Meal and Salmon Meal varieties at the Corvallis store.  Supreme Source also makes a grain-free Lamb Meal food. 

This is good news if you have been feeding the Merrick brand of food to your pooch.  Merrick was recently acquired by Purina, which is never good news.  However, evidently some folks who had been with Merrick branched off and are now manufacturing Supreme Source, which explains why their bag looks just a bit like the Merrick bag.  When I first saw the Supreme Source bags on the Bi-Mart shelves, I mistook them for Merrick.  Glad I took a closer look, as the food is fairly priced ($27 for a 22# bag) and has received good reviews at DogFoodAdvisor.com

My pooch, Keith, has taste-tested the Salmon Meal recipe and loves it.  Here he is chilling out after sampling his latest food...

Greyhounds in The Walk to Defeat ALS - Sunday, September 16th

Please help us honor the memory of our good friend Mary Lou Finigan at the 2018 Walk to Defeat ALS.

Join Mary Lou's Greyhound Roos, a group of walkers with their Greyhounds on the fundraising memorial walk.

When:  Sunday, September 16th

Where:  RiverBend Annex, 123 International Way, Springfield, Oregon

 

Registration is free! The event starts at 11 AM.

The walk begins at noon.

Help us bring awareness and raise funds to find treatments and a cure for this horrible disease.

 
Dogs Welcome!

To register and donate please go to:

http://web.alsa.org/site/TR?team_id=371041&fr_id=13199&pg=team

 

For more information, contact Monica:

 

podarke@comcast.net

It's A Good Bet Dog Racing Will End In Florida - Washington Post

The Greyhound race has followed the same pattern for almost a century.  With a metallic screech the lure sets off, and eight dogs burst onto the track in chase.  A half-minute later, the explosion of speed leaves a trail of sand, cigarette butts and torn betting slips in its wake, to be repeated across a hot afternoon.

But soon it may be extinct.

Continue reading here

August Birthday: Ava!

Ava is four years old today, August 6th.  Happy Birthday Ava!

Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers - August, 2018 Issue

Happy Summer everyone!  The August, 2018 issue of Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers can be downloaded here.  Enjoy!

GPA-NW "Meet A Retired Racer" Event @ Animal Crackers in Corvallis - Saturday, August 11th

Greyhound Pet Adoption-Northwest will be at Animal Crackers Pet Supply in Corvallis on Saturday, August 11th, from 11AM-1PM along with some wonderful retired racing Greyhounds for you to meet.

Representatives from GPA-NW will be on hand to answer questions about Greyhounds and/or Greyhound adoption.

Stop by, meet the pooches and say hi to their people!

Animal Crackers is located at 949 NW Kings Blvd in Corvallis.

Yep....Another July Parade: The EUG Parade 2018

THE EUG PARADE 2018   Eugene’s Animal-Friendly, Human-Powered Parade and Pet Promenade

When: Sunday July 29th @ 9:30 Where: Monroe Park (Monroe & West 10th) Please join us at the end of the month as we march in THE EUG PARADE 2018. We will meet at Monroe park. Please wear a hat, any kind you wish, and we will provide matching bandanas for the dogs to wear. The theme for this year's parade is Human Powered Conveyances and the theme for our group is Greyhound Powered! More information will be sent later in the month. If you have any questions, please contact greythappenings@gmail.com

A Shout-Out From The Corvallis Gazette-Times + Parade Photos

(Photos courtesy of Eric Merchant & Kym Fleming)

From the Corvallis Gazette-Times:

For nearly three decades now, Corvallis has celebrated the nation’s founding with what just might be the nation’s most loosely organized parade.
 

 

As it does every year on Independence Day, the Fabulous, Fantastic, Anyone Can Join Fourth of July Parade formed up on Southwest Eighth Street next to Central Park on Wednesday morning and lurched into motion sometime around 10 a.m., more by consensus than in response to any direct instruction.

 

Continue reading here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Ways to Calm Your Dog During Fireworks

For parents of dogs that fear loud, unknown noises, a booming crack or the startling burst of fireworks in the distance can mean hours of heartache and helplessness trying to comfort our terrified four-legged family member.

 

If your dog becomes nervous, fearful, or panicked during loud events like thunderstorms or fireworks, there are a few things you can do to help him remain calm.

Continue reading here

Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers - July 2018 Issue

The July 2018 issue of Greyt Happenings For Willamette Valley Greyhound Lovers can be downloaded here.  Enjoy and we'll see you at the Corvallis parade!

Corvallis All-American, Fabulous, Fantastic, Anyone-Can-Join Fourth of July Parade

Once again it’s time for the All-American, Fabulous, Fantastic, Anyone-Can-Join Fourth of July Parade, which starts 10:00 a.m. and originates at Central Park in downtown Corvallis….on Wednesday, July 4th, of course!

 

 

All greyhounds/sight hounds and their families are invited to assemble at 9:30 a.m. at the Corvallis Arts Center, located in Central Park  in downtown Corvallis (the same location as previous years). If tradition continues, the route will proceed east along Monroe Avenue from Eighth Street to First Street, then south along First Street to Adams Avenue, then west one block to Second Street, where it continues south to the skate park. This year, those of us with dogs are asked to line up behind those not walking their pets.

Bring water for your pooches, dress ’em up in red, white & blue and be prepared for lots of “ooooohs” and “ahhhhs” as we walk the parade route. Dashes to the sidelines for lots of pets and hugs (for the greys, of course!) are encouraged!

The parade takes about 30-45 minutes to complete.

Those of you who have taken part in this parade in past years know how much fun this parade can be, as the Greyhounds have been one of the most popular participants!

This is a GREYT opportunity to promote Greyhound adoption and share the joy of having a Greyhound as a member of the family.

If you have questions about the parade, feel free to email me at greyhoundude@comcast.net

See you there!

Barry Bottger

Corvallis Arts Center location/map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/”/corvallis+arts+center/@44.5642435,-123.3360849,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c040eab24d4a25:0x2d1a6f7c1dcb752a!2m2!1d-123.2660451!2d44.5642649?hl=en