• Make sure your dog is wearing a collar and identification at all times.
• Keep your dog back from the door when you go to open it – preferably in another room.
• Always double check that gates, doors, and other openings are shut tight before you let your dog out.
• If you have a spook, please consider using a harness for walks, in addition to a collar. A great spook harness is available through www.majesticcollars.com.
• While walking your greyhound, be sure to hang on tightly to the leash – slip the handle around your wrist and then wrap the leash around your wrist a few times.
• Remember to put a coat on your greyhound when walking in cold weather – they have little body fat to keep them warm.
• If you walk on roads that have been sanded and salted, please wipe their feet when you bring them back into your house. Sand and salt can be painful to your greyhound.

We have heard in past months that many people who are not actively involved in greyhound rescue believe that there is no further need to help greyhounds since racing has ended in MA (and New England). Nothing could be further from the truth! Our work is far from done. This will be one of our key areas of communication in the coming year.

Currently there are many greyhounds in other states (an especially large number in Florida due to all the low-end tracks in that area). With the state regulations affecting the transport of greyhounds (and other breeds of dogs as well) into Massachusetts, the transport of these needy greyhounds to us is expensive and complicated.  We continue to work hard on all the details of the getting some of these greyhounds to us and we are participating in upcoming hauls of greyhounds to this area. It all takes a huge amount of time and money - but we need to do this for the greyhounds. 

What can you do to help?  Please pass the word that greyhounds still need our help and care. Feel free to refer any questions directly to us.  And remember that your donations are more important than ever. The cost of the hauls, the isolation of the dogs when they arrive, and their care all add up and your donations will help us defray those costs.

As many of you may know, Greyhound Friends has opened the Second Chances Thrift Shop as a way to be supportive to our community and as a way to raise funds for Greyhound Friends.  The Shop is doing very well - there are lots of great items for sale and new items are arriving all the time! Please stop by to say hello and browse the merchandise - you might find something very special - and any purchase that you make goes to help support Greyhound Friends.  The shop is located at 6 West Central Street, Natick, MA

To donate items or to volunteer to work a few hours at the Shop, contact Louise at ghfriend @ greyhound.org or 508-435-5969.

Second Chances Gift Shop has a website!  Check it out!   www.secondchancesthriftshop.com.