GAF Blog
What we're rooing about lately
Although legislative victories were not coming this year, Florida greyhounds will benefit from a new ruling from the FL Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. Taking effect on 21 May will be the following requirements:
1. Greyhound trainers will be required to notify state regulators every time a dog dies on racetrack or kennel grounds...in writing and within 18 hours of the death.
2. Greyhound haulers must be licensed.
3. Trainers must maintain a "roster" identifying each dog by name, tattoo number, owner's name, trainer's name, dog's date of arrival and departure and the name & license number of the person transporting the dog.
4. Keeping more than one dog per racetrack cage is now prohibited.
5. Track officials will be required to complete a "weekly documented walk-through" of occupied greyhound kennels.
This is progress. This is added transparency which history has proven to be the most effective check on maltreatment. This is proof that the tide is turning and the industry is being forced to listen to people like all of us who care only for the welfare of these dogs that we love.
The re-dedication of Freedom's garden will take place this Sunday, March 24 at 1:00pm at Grey Haven.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the recent on-line auction for the newly created Father Al Dash Memorial Fund. A total of $7,786 was raised to help special needs hounds from the generosity of donors and winners.
You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Father Al Dash Memorial Fund anytime. All donations received will enable us to say yes the next time the phone rings with news of a greyhound who desperately needs help.
We would like to thank all the people who got up in the middle of the night and came to work at the pancake breakfast this past Saturday. You all did a GREAT job!
We raised a grand total of $974 to help greyhounds with special needs.
Thank you all so much for your dedication to GAF.
Jackie O'Hara
on behalf of The Villages Greyhound Club
The Villages Greyhound Club Presents Billie Thatcher, a concert to benefit the Father Al Dash Memorial Fund.
The concert will be held at the Savannah Center at 6:30pm on Saturday, March 16.
Tickets are $10 each. The event is BYOB. Coffee & baked goods will be available for sale. There will be a 50/50.
To purchase tickets please contact Enis at 352-751-4416, Jo Ann at 352-751-6908 or buy on-line now:
Download the event flyer to print or share.
We hope to see you there!
The Villages Greyhound Club will host a Pancake Breakfast at the Havana Country Club on Sunday, February 23 from 7am-10am.
The cost is $7 per person for All-You-Can Eat Pancakes, Coffee, Juice and Tea plus sausage (1st plate only).
For tickets please contact Carol Bellavia 352-753-6563 (anglia48@aol.com) or Enis Bissonette 352-751-4418 (eabis@thevillages.net). You may also purchase tickets on-line:
Download and print or share the event flyer.
We hope to see you there!
Our big, important on-line auction is weeks away! We are desperately in need of auction items that will make this event a huge success. With our focus on special needs dogs, we expect the vet bills to be high but this is the only way to be sure each greyhound has a chance to live a healthy, happy life with a loving family.
We hope that each of you will find a special item to donate to this important cause.
Pictures and descriptions can be emailed to both Diane Jackson djackson@snell-levin.com and me mvarnberg@embarqmail.com. The auction is scheduled to start on FEBRUARY 24, so, please....the sooner we can work on your donation, the happier the little auction elves will be. :)
Here's what we need from you:
- what the item is
- a detailed description
- photo(s)
- what you want the donated by line to say
Please consider donating the postage within the contiguous US and even Canada!
If you don't have an item to donate, please consider making a cash donation that will help us cover all fees involved with this auction.
All funds netted in this auction go into our Father Al Dash Memorial Fund for special needs dogs.....GAF is hoping to be able to help other groups with vet bills to be sure all greyhounds receive the medical care they deserve.
Questions? Contact me at the above e-mail address!
And thank you all in advance for your continuing support and love for greyhounds everywhere.
Marilyn Varnberg
Greyhound Adoptions of Florida
at the farm....Grey Haven
352-671-5333
mvarnberg@embarqmail.com
INTRODUCING THE FATHER AL DASH MEMORIAL FUND
The year 2012 was a very difficult one for me personally…..after losing my mother early in the year, I lost my good friend Father Al Dash and then was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Needless to say, a good part of the year was a bit of a blur.
I have known for a few years now that the time was coming when I would have to slow down, or at least change the way GAF was operating. It was time to do things “smarter” and “better” which would ease my physical load. Facing kidney surgery, I knew it was well past the time to start making those changes.
After much discussion and soul searching, it dawned on me that Father Al and I had always had long conversations about the special needs dogs that were such a big part of our lives. Every time he saw a new “kid” on the website he would call and ask about the medical issues, the emotional problems and we would talk long and hard about the right approach for that particular dog. Al supported GAF emotionally, spiritually and financially for many, many years. (Oh, how I miss hearing his voice!) What better way to continue the work that meant so much to GAF and Father Al than starting a fund in his memory!
I would like to introduce to you the Father Al Dash Memorial Fund which will support the medical care for any special needs greyhound, be it in our care or in another adoption group's care. This year our fund raising focus will be to add to this fund…..and to continue to make sure fewer and fewer dogs on farms and tracks fall through the cracks and not make it to an adoption group.
While I can no longer be hands on with a large number of dogs with time consuming medical needs, there are many groups here in Florida and in other parts of the country who have the manpower and desire to help these dogs, but do not have the funds for the initial veterinary care. We hope to raise enough money to help these groups start these very special greyhounds on the road to a long and happy and HEALTHY life.
What we do will totally depend on the amount of money we can raise. I hate saying no to any dog in need…as long as we have the funds, we are willing to work with groups who do not have the financial resources for a particular dog.
How we do this will evolve with experience, but I can tell you this: money raised for any "Father Al" dog will go directly to the veterinarian or veterinary hospital that is delivering the treatment. We have already helped in two cases in 2012; Lolly, a lovely brindle girl who needed a pacemaker and Fuzzy's Fresca, a darling little two year old who needed surgery to repair a broken leg.
Over the years I have watched the broken and the lame and the bruised and the scarred dog heal and walk away to a family who waited patiently for that particular dog. I could never watch that dog leave without shedding a few tears, but believe me, they were tears of joy and satisfaction…..I need to continue to feel that way.
We, all of us at GAF, have done so much to rescue, rehabilitate and place greyhounds. Our mission continues. But our primary focus now will be on seeking out those dogs who, with our help, will have the chance for a good life. The gifts you generously make will be put literally to saving lives that might otherwise be discarded. This honors Father Al's memory in the best way possible and this is a cause we can all be so very proud of.
Please, help us continue a project that was so important to Father Al and to greyhound lovers all over the country. Let’s do what we can, what we've always done, and ensure each dog has a chance and is never denied a healthy start in its journey into adoption.
Please e-mail me with any questions. I am excited about our new focus…and we can all be proud and satisfied that we will be filling a need that's largely gone unrecognized, but one that's existed as long as there have been greyhounds to save. And, a final word, while this project will take up much of our resources, we will still be available for adoption as we always have been. It has always been, and will always be, about the dogs.
Thank you my friends…with my love,
~Marilyn
