Donate dog food for foster dogs!

IAMS Large Breed Adult dog food

If you would like to help Hounds of the Heartland but aren't able to adopt or foster a greyhound, buy a bag of dog food to feed our foster dogs!

We are switching our foster dogs to the IAMS Large Breed Adult formula. It can be found at pet supply stores in a large green bag. (Pictured below) Your donation is tax deductible- just ask us for a receipt!



Does YOUR greyhound sleep in bed with you?

In September's blog poll we asked our readers if they allowed their greyhounds to sleep in bed with them... and the answer is... YES!! Somehow this doesn't surprise us!

A whopping 48% of our readers allow their greyhounds to sleep in bed with them! Only 36% don't allow them in the bed and 5% are open to the idea :)

Don't forget to vote on the next blog poll! How many Martingale collars do you own? In the lefthand column of the blog, as always :)

Speaking of Martingale Collars... leave a comment and tell us if you would be interested in a blog feature where you could browse and order martingale collars directly from Hounds of the Heartland. Ready, Set, Comment!

Can you spare a gently used collar and/or leash?

We are running short on gently used martingale collars & leashes for our foster dogs. If you have any that you no longer use, please donate them to Hounds of the Heartland. Bring them at any show & tell event or the Garage Sale this Saturday from 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM!


If you would like to purchase a brand new nylon collar + leash set for your greyhound, turn in their current gently used set for a reduced price of $13.00 on the new set! This month only! {they are regularly $15}

Thank you for your help!

Spotlight on Matador!

**Matador has been adopted!**

"DLT el Matador" has 33 races registered. He was 2nd at the 2009 Gulf Night of Stars XXII and 3rd at the 2009 Gulf TGA Texas Roundup. Offspring of Dodgem By Design and Secret Wish.  He was born July 2006 and is not cat safe. Matador is getting settled into his foster home and is learning the ins and outs of living the retired life!


Race History & Pedigree Info

Guess who's turning SIX??

IRIS is 6 years old today!!

Happy Birthday to Iris!!

Iris is our star radio personality and loves to do interviews with her best bud Ferris on The Spy. She also enjoys being very soft, loving everyone and being a total sweetheart.

Happy 6th Birthday to beautiful Iris!

Calling all volunteers!

Our Annual HOH Garage Sale is this Saturday, October 2nd at 8:00 AM. We still need volunteers to come help take money and organize that morning. We will have bagels, donuts & coffee for our volunteers... we promise to make it a greyt time! The garage sale will be held at 3837 NW 67th St. in Oklahoma City.

Remember, 100% of the money raised at this garage sale will pay for food, vetting & supplies for our foster greyhounds!

If you can donate a couple hours of your time to help raise money for our greyhounds, please contact Sharon at HOHokc@gmail.com - we will need volunteers in any shifts from 7:00am to about 2:00pm.

Thank you in advance for your help this year!

THANK YOU volunteers!

Thank you to all the volunteers who came to Duffner Park today to help with the HOH booth @ A Dog Walk in the Park. We couldn't do it without you all!

**Reminder** Norman Petsmart is cancelled this weekend

Our regularly scheduled show & tell event at the Norman Petsmart will be cancelled this Saturday. Stop by A Dog Walk in the Park from 9-12:30 to see us instead! Details in previous posts.

See you there!

Pet Rescue 911

This Sunday HOH foster families will be showing off their adoptable greyhounds at the Oklahoma State Fair in Barn #3- where the OVMA does live spay/neuter procedures and calf birthings. This program is all about educating the public about responsible pet ownership and the option to adopt!

Bring your family to the Oklahoma State Fair on Sunday Sept 26th, the LAST day of the fair and stop by to see our adoptable greyhounds and how beautiful they are!

Below is a map of the State Fairgrounds and our location in Barn #3.

[Click to Enlarge]

Follow up on the United Pathfinders Committee

We received the following message from the United Pathfinders Committee about track closings coming soon. If you are not familiar with this Committee, read our previous post: http://houndsoftheheartland.blogspot.com/2010/08/united-pathfinder-project.html 

We are wanting to get the word out TODAY about 700 greyhounds NOW available and needing adoption groups to take them. Ebro Greyhound Track closes this Saturday Sept. 25 and will leave a couple hundred greyhounds waiting for homes. The Pensacola track closes Oct. 31 and will need help with 200 greyhounds. The Daytona Beach Track Currently has 250 hounds waiting for homes and 40 have broken legs. Daytona has no money for Frontline and Bordetella shots to ready dogs for transportation. They are also lacking funds for transportation. Due to many track closures the Daytona dogs have no where else to go. This number does not include all the other tracks that have ongoing greyhounds available for adoption. Then Dubuque Greyhound Park closes Oct. 23 and also there are many greyhounds on farms waiting for a place to go.

Hounds of the Heartland will continue to pull dogs from the Kennel in Tulsa to make room for dogs coming in from the closing tracks.


To donate to these efforts go to http://www.gpaec.com/ or http://www.greyhoundpetsdaytona.org/


If you have ever considered fostering a greyhound, the time is now! Contact us today to learn more about fostering and how you can help make room for the hundreds of dogs coming off these closed tracks.


If you are considering adopting a greyhound or if you already have one and may consider a second, check out Our Hounds {http://www.greyhoundpetsok.org/OurHounds.aspx} now! We are sure to have your new best friend waiting!

Get Your Licks on Route 66!

Thank you everyone who volunteered to help at this event!

Spotlight on Amber!

Amber is a true 2 year old with lots of curiosity and spunk! She is very interested in all the yummy smells in the house and is determined to find where they are coming from. She is working on housebreaking and does very well in the crate. She is great with the kids and would do best in a family as the only dog as she loves to get all the attention! Amber is a little stubborn and has a lot to learn from her very calm greyhound friends. Amber is not cat or small dog safe.

OSU-OKC Fall Harvest Celebration

HOH has been invited to the Annual OSU-OKC Fall Harvest Celebration and Agriculture Technologies Division Open House held on October 9th from 8:00am - 1:00pm.

The Celebration will take place during the weekly Saturday Farmers’ Market at the Horticulture Pavilion (400 N. Portland Ave., OKC), while the Open House will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Agriculture Resource Center.

We encourage everyone to BYOG {Bring Your Own Greyhound} to show off what greyt pets they make and educate people about the need for foster and adoptive homes for these adorable dogs.

Note: We will not hold our regularly scheduled Edmond Petsmart event on this today.

In Memory of Charlotte Stover



Charlotte enjoying a show & tell event at Petsmart



We are saddened to announce that one of our special volunteers, Charlotte Stover, passed away this weekend. She was such an important part of Hounds of the Heartland and we will all miss her presence and smile at our events.

There will be a Memorial service this Saturday, September 25th at Good Shepherd Anglican Church: 1000 N. Broadway, Edmond, OK at 2:00pm. Following that, next door in the church annex, there will be a celebration of Charlottes' life. Pizza, beer and soda will be served. The fellowship is expected to last until 3:30 or 4:00.

In lieu of flowers, donations to either Hounds of the Heartland or Hospice of Oklahoma County would be greatly appreciated by the family. Charlotte was such a great ambassador for our retired racing greyhounds and her memory will live on in all of us.

Please note the location of the service has been corrected to Edmond, OK.

Busy week ahead

We have a few special events coming up we'd like you to know about! We hope to see you there!

Tomorrow: Tuesday, September 21st
"Get Your Licks on Route 66"
2:00 - 7:00pm
Quail Springs Petsmart
2140 W. Memorial Rd

We encourage you to come by at 2:00 or on your way home from work to help us show off our greyhounds! Contact Sharon Huddleston at HOHokc@gmail.com with questions or to volunteer for the event.

Saturday, September 25th
OSU-OKC Farmers' Market
8:00 - 10:00am
400 N. Portland
Support local farmers by buying Oklahoma grown produce. Stop by with your greyhound to show shoppers what greyt pets they make, then head over to A Dog Walk in the Park afterwards!

Saturday, September 25th
"A Dog Walk in the Park"
9:00am - 3:00pm
Duffner Park
Southeast corner of Hefner & May Ave., OKC
We will have a booth for HOH. You are welcome to come with all your pets to enjoy this fun outdoor rescue event with different groups, vendors, activities and more! Entry is free to the public. http://www.thebellafoundation.org/images/dogwalkposter10.png

Sunday, September 26th
"Pet Rescue 911"
1:00 - 7:00pm
OK State Fairgrounds; Barn "3"
General fair admission required for non-registered volunteers
HOH foster families will be showing off their adoptable greyhounds in the barn where the OVMA does live spay/neuter procedures. This program is all about educating the public about responsible pet ownership and the option to adopt!

Please Note: The regularly scheduled Norman Petsmart Show & Tell is cancelled this weekend due to the special "Dog Walk in the Park" event.

Chloe to the Rescue

We’ve all heard stories of amazing dogs and how they have come to the rescue of their owners or family members. We are so happy to tell you about a greyhound that has saved a life.


Chloe, adopted and loved by Marge Penne, came to Marge’s rescue 3 months ago. Marge is a diabetic and takes medication for her diabetes. One day her blood sugar dropped dangerously low and she was asleep. If she didn’t wake up she would have gone in to a diabetic coma and died. Chloe sensed Marge’s crisis and began nudging Marge in order to wake her up. Her nudging wasn’t effective so she used her head literally and figuratively and began to ram Marge. Marge did awaken and groggily clued in to what was going on and had the presence of mind to take her blood sugar which was 39 (seriously low). She then drank some orange juice and called 911. The EMTs arrived quickly and were able to stabilize Marge. Chloe did ensure that each EMT attended to her Mom and when she was sure Marge was well taken care of she relaxed and did what greyhounds normally do best and went to sleep. Our kudos and blessings go out to and for Chloe and all of our greyhounds that have saved us all in one way or another.

Chloe the Greyhound

If you have a special story to share about how a greyhound has helped you, please send to EmilyHummel@GreyhoundPetsOK.org

Happy 6th Birthday Olive!!

Today is Miss Olive Flynn's 6th Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Olive!!
 

Crestwood Neighborhood Night Out

Tonight the nice people of the Crestwood Neighborhood in OKC invited us out to their annual gathering to educate about retired racing greyhounds and show off our adoptable dogs. We handed out flyers, listened to live music and enjoyed good food and great company (both humane and canine!) We took Lil' John the adoptable greyhound out to meet and greet the residents of Crestwood.

Thank you for having us, Crestwood folks! We had a blast!

Get Your Licks on Route 66!

For the second year, North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, and FIDO Friendly Magazine launch an incredible life-saving tour.


The 2nd Annual “Get Your Licks on Route 66” tour is a national pet adoption event, where the Animal League’s 33-foot Mobile Adoption Unit travels the entire length of historic Route 66, from Illinois to California on an extraordinary 4-week life-saving tour.

Stopping at partnering animal shelters in key cities along the route, the adoption tour raises national awareness of the plight of homeless pets, enhances shelter visibility and increases pet adoptions.

Hounds of the Heartland is one of only 5 rescue groups to be invited to participate at this event. We are thrilled for the chance to educate people about retired racing greyhound adoption and to show off our adoptable dogs. Stop by to fill out an application to adopt a greyhound OR bring your own greyhound to show off what greyt dogs they are!

Get Your Licks on Route 66:
Tuesday, September 21st
2:00pm – 7:00pm
Quail Springs Petsmart
2140 W. Memorial Rd
(Memorial Rd. & Penn. Ave, South of the Turnpike)

For additional details about the adoption drive visit http://www.animalleague.org/route66/route-66-the-cross-country-adoption-tour.html  

We encourage you to come by on your way home from work or anytime between 2-7pm to help Hounds of the Heartland show off our greyhounds! Contact Sharon Huddleston at HOHokc@gmail.com with questions about the event.

click to enlarge

Austin finds retirement!

Congratulations to Robert & Leesa! The Kniffens have found greyhound love. Austin is a very friendly and energetic boy who loves attention. We know that Austin will find many years of happiness in his new home. Hounds of the Heartland would like to thank Robert & Leesa for joining the gang and we congratulate you on your new family member!

If you are interested in greyhound adoption please visit our website at GreyhoundPetsOK.org. You can email us, check out our available fosters, or even fill out an application!

Upcoming Events & Cancellations

Remember to check out our Event Calendar for information about upcoming Show & Tell events! We have a busy couple of months ahead including A Dog Walk in the Park, The Oklahoma State Fair, HOH's Annual Garage Sale, LIVE on the Plaza, Petsmart, Ghost Runners' 5k... and the list goes on!


If you've ever wanted to become more involved in the process of finding homes for retired racing greyhounds, now is the time: all you have to do is show up! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Note: due to our busy schedule for September & October, the following 2 reguarly scheduled events will be cancelled:

Saturday, September 25th: Norman Petsmart Show & Tell
(Regularly 12:00-2:00)

Saturday, October 2nd: Paws Around Town Show & Tell
(Regularly 12:00-3:00)

The Cockroach isn't just a pest!

We all know our greyhounds are "special" - there are even special terms associated with some of the things greyhounds do. One of our favorites is "Cockroaching"

Sometimes called “roaching” or “the dead cockroach,” cockroaching is a typical position for a sleeping or relaxing greyhound when they lie upside down with 3 or more legs stuck straight up in the air. You think they couldn't possibly be comfortable in that position, but they are! Greyhounds really take their retirement seriously.  Rumor has it that we even have some greyhounds who will cockroach on command! Video submissions, anyone?

Send us your pics {or videos!} of your greyhound cockroaching and we will post them for a good laugh! EmilyHummel@GreyhoundPetsOK.org

Daisy Forcina models her infamous pose... again and again! 

YooHoo shows us her perfected Cockroach form!

Reba shows off her moves at the Dog Days of Summer

Iris demonstrates how you can support the cockroach with living room furniture!

Calvin can't help but smile doing what he loves best- being a couch potato!

LIVE on the Plaza 9.10.10

Thanks everyone who came out to make the September LIVE on the Plaza a huge success!

Spotlight on Lil' John!

**John has been adopted!**

John is a big handsome boy that is 3 1/2 years old and cat safe. He will come up to you to be petted, he is definitely a gentle and friendly boy! He is still very new to the group and is recovering from being neutered.

"Long Gone John" is the offspring of Maryville Rumble and Greys Bethpage. We already have an application on John {that's right, ladies!} but will continue to post pictures and personality updates!

::View Long Gone John's Pedigree Info::

HOH Adoption Fee

After very careful consideration, we have decided to raise our adoption fee by $25.00. Going forward our adoption fee will be $200.00. $150.00 of that is considered a tax-deductible donation! This slight increase will help offset the cost of ordering new uniquely engraved ID tags for our greyhounds as well as an additional month's heartworm pill for our adopters. Any pending adoptions or applications will not be subject to the new adoption fee.

The $200 adoption fee covers the Spay/Neuter procedure, vaccinations, dental cleaning, nail trimming, fecal & heartworm test, heartworm medication for an additional month, HOH issued ID tag and matching martingale collar & leash of your choice. Not to mention the great feeling you will have from rescuing a dog in need of a home rather than buying from a breeder!


We will still not make any profit on this adoption fee as we spend about $200 on vetting alone for our foster greyhounds. From that point on we use donation money to cover the cost of dog food, heartworm preventative and various other supply expenses for our foster families.
 
If you would like to help our foster dogs, we have an ongoing "Wish List" of items we can always use for our foster families. Check it out by clicking the "Wish List" tab below the blog banner!
 
Thank you all for your support!

Introducing the new "Home Again" Program!

Last week Hounds of the Heartland received a phone call from a frantic greyhound mom about a lost greyhound.   Fifteen minutes later we received a phone call from the man who found the greyhound and we were able to reunite mom and greyhound within the hour.  This is always our main goal.

Hounds of the Heartland has created the Home Again Program to decrease the amount of time it takes to recover a lost greyhound.  Currently we require that all adopters keep an HOH ID tag on their greyhounds at all times.  These tags are special in that they no longer have up to three or four phone numbers; we have one main number that can be reprogrammed to reach up to five different volunteers to begin locating the owner.  They also have a unique assigned number engraved that will allow us to match the lost greyhound with the owner.  HOH will have a record of all the assigned numbers to its' greyhound and owner.  

Going forward, every new greyhound adopted will receive an assigned ID tag.  If you have already adopted and would like to participate in the Home Again Program, we ask that you donate $5 to cover the cost of the new ID tag.  HOH will continue to keep track of your dogs' information should it ever become lost.  To sign up your greyhound(s) for the program please email TrishaWhitley@GreyhoundPetsOK.org and we will mail you your new tag!  All board members can assign tags at show and tell events as well.

LIVE on the Plaza- this Friday!

Could it really be time for LIVE on the Plaza again already? No complaints here! Our readers recently voted LIVE on the Plaza their favorite monthly HOH event! Come see why this Friday evening from 7:00 - 10:00 PM in OKC's Historical Plaza District.

We will be set up near the corner of 16th & Blackwelder in OKC - bring a lawn chair, a cool beverage & your greyhound(s)! Sit with the group or peruse through the many dog friendly shops & vendors showcasing local music and art! Your presence in any form is appreciated!

Experience local: Experience The Plaza District!
http://plazadistrict.wordpress.com/
http://plazadistrict.org/index.html

Read more about this Friday's event at http://plazadistrict.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/live-sept-2010/

Smiley enjoys a cool evening @ LIVE!

Zoe in her forever home!

We are thrilled that Zoe has found a family who will love her forever! Congratulations to the White family on their new family member!

Zoe enjoys Labor Day weekend with her new family @ Lake Eufala

New dogs this week!

After Labor Day weekend we only have 2 dogs available for adoption - WOW! Greyt job everyone!

As soon as a dog is adopted out we fill the spot with a dog waiting for a foster home. This Wednesday we will be bringing 3 new dogs available for adoption. Read a little bit about them and look forward to more pictures & personality updates!

Rx Amber

Brindle female, born 08/14/2008

This girl is not cat safe. Offspring of KNK Iowamyles and Rx Super Sonic. 

Long Gone John

Red male, born 04/13/2007
John is a friendly boy that is cat/small dog safe. Offspring of Maryville Rumble and Greys Bethpage. 

Greys Nightchill

Black female, born 09/26/2005

This beautiful girl has 15 races and is cat/small dog safe. Offspring of Trent Lee and Greys Orianna.   

Check back for Foster Spotlights and pictures of these beautiful new greys. They will be listed on our website {view our adoptables website} very soon!

Pics of the newbies on the ride home:

Date set for 2011 Greyhound Gala!

Mark your calendars for March 5, 2011. The 2nd Annual BIGGER and BETTER Greyhound Gala is coming!

This year we raised almost $1,200 at the Greyhound Gala and we plan to at least DOUBLE that amount next year! We will have twice as many door prizes & raffle items, a silent auction, cash bar, music, appreciation awards and much more! We will also show a video of all the greyhounds that were adopted in 2010. This year we are inviting our friends, families, coworkers, anyone who has an interest in learning more about Hounds of the Heartland and our mission of finding a home for every hound!

We need your help collecting items for door prizes, raffle drawing & the silent auction. Do you have an artistic talent that you could put to greyt use for HOH? Or do you work somewhere or know someone that could give us a donated item for the fundraiser? We are looking for gift cards, weekend getaways, gift baskets, etc... use your imagination! All donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to join a committee to help us scout out donations and plan our 2nd Annual Greyhound Gala, please contact us at EmilyHummel@GreyhoundPetsOK.org. We will have a meeting in November to discuss our plans and would LOVE to have you! We want this to be a fun event to raise money for the hounds and show our appreciation to our volunteers & foster families.

If you haven't already, please take a moment to watch last year's video from the Greyhound Gala. Because of our foster families & volunteers, each of these dogs has been given a second chance at life.


2009 Year in Review from Hounds of the Heartland on Vimeo.

Guess who's 6 today??

Happy Birthday to Downtown Style!!

Downtown will be partying with his greyt sister, Ebony, and 3 cat friends for his birthday. Maybe he will get a new collar! (ha-ha)




Have a greyt birthday, Downtown!

Celebrate Kickoff Weekend @ Paws Around Town!

Football season is here! And so is one of our favorite events: Paws Around Town! Come see us tomorrow, Saturday, September 4th at Paws Around Town in Northpark Mall from 12:00-3:00 pm. Bring your greyhound clad in their favorite team colors and show everyone why greyhounds make the best pets!

Paws Around Town has team jerseys for sale as well as TONS of other fun goodies for you and your pet. Come hold a leash and meet other greyhound lovers!

Seasonal Track Closings: Fall 2010

Per GPA's Fall Communique Newsletter: Ebro track in FL will close seasonally on Sept. 25, 2010 and reopen in May 2011. All greyhounds must be off the track compound by Nov. 1, 2010. Many believe there will be at least 150-200 greyhounds that will need to move into adoption groups. Pensacola Greyhound Track will close seasonally Oct. 31, 2010 and reopen in Feb. 2011. According to Ann Bollens who spoke with the trainer’s assn. rep there thinks it will be likely that 150 Pensacola greyhounds will need to be placed at the end of October.


As of Aug. 23, 2010 Ebro had a total of 136 greyhounds available and 104 ready to go right now! There are 66 females and 70 males. 32 more will be probably ready at the end of the season. 33 have been cat tested and there are 103 left to be cat tested.

While HOH may not receive these dogs specifically, we can make room for them by taking in more foster dogs from the kennel in Tulsa or surrounding areas who need to free up spots. If you've ever had an interest in fostering a greyhound, please contact us to learn more or access our website at http://www.greyhoundpetsok.org/FosterHomes.aspx - it's free and so rewarding! If you want to make a big difference in the lives of greyhounds in need- contact us today! Remember: there's always room for one more! :)

GreyhoundPetsOK@GreyhoundPetsOK.org

To our current foster homes: Thank you SO much from the bottom of our hound-loving hearts for being such an important part of our organization. YOU are the reason we are here!

YooHoo turns 9!

Today is YooHoo Canoe's 9th birthday!

Happy Birthday to Roo, Happy Birthday to Roo, Happy Birthday dear YooHoo, Happy Birthday to Roo!

Be sure to e-mail us pictures and tell us if your greyhound's birthday is coming up- Check those ear tattoos! GreyhoundPetsOK@GreyhoundPetsOK.org

Poll results are in!

Last month we asked you what your favorite monthly HOH show & tell event was. The winner is....{drumroll please...}...

LIVE on the Plaza!

LIVE on the Plaza is a monthly artwalk event which promotes emerging artistic talent in Oklahoma City. Plaza District businesses open their doors with monthly artists, live musicians and local film screenings. 

The Plaza District folks graciously allowed Hounds of the Heartland to be a part of LIVE on the Plaza on the 2nd Friday of each month. Because of LIVE, we have been able to reach more people in the OKC metro than we normally would have with our other Show & Tell events. Come see us this September 10th at LIVE on the Plaza and see what all the fuss is about! {Click on the Events tab above for more info!}

Coming in very close 2nd and 3rd place were Paws Around Town, Petsmart & The OSU-OKC Farmers' Market. All of these events are so very important to HOH and all the volunteers it takes to commit to monthly events are so oustanding and appreciated by all of us. We couldn't do it without our volunteers & friends at these venues who allow us to come each month and show off our greyhounds. Special thanks to the following Show & Tell leaders and Host venues:

Brad & Trisha Whitley
Jane Pace
Ri Teref-Ta
Sharon Huddleston
Candee Scott
Emily Hummel
Tristan Adler

Norman Petsmart
Edmond Petsmart
63rd & May Petsmart
Paws Around Town
OSU-OKC Farmers' Market
The Plaza District

If you are interested in becoming a Show & Tell leader and have a venue that has agreed to allow a monthly event- we'd love your input! Contact us at GreyhoundPetsOk@GreyhoundPetsOK.org with your idea. We are currently looking for indoor winter show & tell venues.

Remember to participate in September's Blog Poll on the left column of the blog!