Solvang Greyhound Gathering 2010

6th annual West Coast Greyhound Gathering in Solvang, CAThe sixth annual West Coast Greyhound Gathering in Solvang California, was held Feb 19-21, 2010.  Organizer Terri Rogo and volunteers made it another memorable weekend with about 200 greyhounds and four galgos in attendance.  The town of Solvang once again rolled out the red carpet for this event and it is great to see all the greyhounds and their people enjoying a relaxing weekend of events, with old and new friends.  Even though the weather was not as perfect as the previous five years but it was good for dog walking, so the hounds enjoyed it!

GRIN was invited to show our 2010 update slide show presentation about the plight of the Galgos on Saturday morning, and board member, Telma Shaw, facilitated the presentation.  Wally Lacey another GRIN volunteer helped with her technical abilities to make the presentation run smoothly and volunteer Janet Nethery ran the information table.  There was a very good turn out and the information was well received.  Many people thanked us for bringing the plight of the Galgo to light and even suggested we tell Oprah about it!  People offered to donate medical supplies and volunteer at Scooby shelter in Medina del Campo, because they were touched by the reality of what is happening to the Galgos and Podencos in Spain.  A thank you also goes to Judy Greenfield for the first slide show we viewed and to Abby Christman and Wally Lacey for the 2010 updated presentation.  Also a thank you to all the vendors who donated to our cause and to Dawn of the Creation Station in Buellton for making coats for the galgos during the event as she has done for many years!

Click here to view "Galgo GRIN presentation_Solvang 2010"   (11 MB pdf file)

GRIN's mission statement includes reaching out to sighthounds worldwide, and thus we paid tribute to the Guam Greyhound Rescue of 2009 by showing Susan Netboy of Greyhound Protection Leauge's �The Guam Story.�  It was very beautiful and moving. It shows us all that �rescue has no borders� and that whether Galgo or Greyhound, when they are in trouble, there are angels all around the world helping them in amazing ways.

Back in April of 2009, during the Guam rescue, GRIN was touched by a very special Guam Greyhound named Red Fern Flyer (Fernie/Flyer) who had endured a painful injury in Guam. Fernie's canine tooth was lodged in his nasal cavity, most likely due to trauma, and no one knew it.  This horrible situation was discovered during a routine dental and immediately he got the veterinary care he needed and many GRIN donors and friends contributed to raise funds for this emergency.  Asa Barbani and Telma fostered him during his recovery.  Four months later, with no adoption in sight, Flyer was moved back to Homestretch Greyhounds care and fostered by Jean Smith, for another four months.  Jean brought Flyer to the Solvang gathering where Telma and Flyer reconnected after so many months.  Flyer remembered her and husband Mike and he wagged his tail every time he saw them.  During the event Telma took every opportunity to walk with Flyer and to talk to folks, and tell them his story.  The dream would be to find a home amongst all the Greyhound lovers!  The wonderful turn of events came at the Friday night Pizza Party when Flyer made a bee line to the front of the line of people waiting to enter, he went straight for Dave Gehr.  Telma introduced him to the Gehrs who had adopted their boy Sammy from Homestretch Greyhound and had been thinking of adding another hound to their pack! Imagine that!  They were touched by Flyer's story and the fact that after 10 months in foster care, Flyer was still waiting for his forever, must have tugged on their heart strings!  His luck turned that Friday afternoon, as he nuzzled right up to them, of course that did not help!  That evening, a year after being rescued from a horrible fate in Guam, Flyer began his new life with Polly and David Gehr and Greyhound friend Sammy.  Flyer, now renamed Fernie again, had found his forever home because he had come to Solvang Greyhound Gathering of 2010!!

Thanks to everyone for this amazing time in beautiful Solvang with so many wonderful hounds, Greys, Galgos, Borzois, Salukis, Harriers and mixes, each and every one is so special in their own way, we are the lucky ones to have them in our lives... See you next year in Solvang!

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