The Dogs
Our Meet & Greets are for the sole purpose of showcasing and highlighting the ex-racing Greyhound. Please respect our request to leave your other breed at home, including other sight hounds (Whippet, Italian Greyhound, Borzoi, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Saluki, etc.). Small dogs present potential hazards since many Greyhounds attending M&Gs are not cat or small dog friendly. Help us prevent potential harm to your small dogs and also enable us to highlight only the ex-racing Greyhound.
If your Greyhound is snarly, growly, barky, whiny or space aggressive, please leave it home!
Our Meet & Greet facilitators have the right to request any Greyhound that presents negative behavior to leave the event. Please respect our desire and intent to present the Greyhound positively to the public.
Be sure that your Greyhound is clean with nails trimmed and teeth cleaned. Your Greyhound must not have any open sores or wounds. They are our ambassadors and must present a positive picture to the public. We must also practice what we preach!
The Humans
As representatives of First State Greyhound Rescue, Inc., please be neat and cleanly attired. An article of clothing identifying you as a First State representative is preferred. Shirts are available for purchase with the First State logo on them. A name tag is also a great idea.
Meet & Greets are definitely family events! Kids are some of our best ambassadors, and learn important lessons in poise, public speaking and civic responsibility. Please be aware of your children at all times. Little ones especially need to understand that different dogs may react differently, and that they especially need to be careful with behaviors dogs might find threatening, such as stepping or tripping over them, or kissing them. Please consider bringing things to keep your kids busy so that you are able to concentrate on interacting with the public, and plan to leave if they become restless or tired.
Our Hosts
We are guests of the establishment you are visiting. Be aware of customers in the store who are there to shop...enable them to go about their business. Don't block the aisles or make their shopping difficult.
Please ensure that all accidents are cleaned up immediately and that you pick up your dog's excrement. We want to be invited back, let's ensure that we don't wear out our welcome.
The Event
Our Meet & Greets are opportunities to educate the public about Greyhounds. If you are conversing with another volunteer and a visitor approaches, please continue your discussion later. Always greet the public with a smile and offer the opportunity to meet and pet your Greyhound.
Answer questions factually and concisely. Do not embellish. If you do not know the answer to a question, please offer to find the answer for them. Please read the About Greyhounds page on the website for answers to common questions.
Available Greyhounds
Although foster dogs might be attending a M&G, their presence doesn't necessarily mean they are available for adoption...they may already be in consideration for an adoptive family, or may not suit the people who are inquiring. If you are speaking to a potential adopter who is interested in a specific Greyhound, never promise or imply that they may have that particular Greyhound; it may already be spoken for. Also, do not make arrangements for a potential adopter to meet a certain hound outside of a Meet & Greet environment. Have the person write the name of the Greyhound they are interested in on the application. All consideration will be taken to place that dog with the specific family. Another Greyhound may be better suited for them, that is our job to determine!
The Application Process
Please explain our application process and provide applications to those people who are genuinely interested in adopting. The process includes reference checks to a current veterinarian, previous veterinarian (if appropriate), personal friends, neighbor as well as a relative.
Instructions for submitting the application are provided on the Adopt Today page.
Highly recommended reading includes Lee Livingood's book, "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies." Recommend to adopters with children to read "Childproofing Your Dog," by Brian Kilcommons.
Our adoption process could take several weeks depending on the characteristics of the Greyhound the potential adopter requires and/or the hounds in foster care. We do not do overnight adoptions.
Our Adoption Fee/Inclusions
The adoption fee is $285. This fee includes spay or neuter, basic immunization, dental cleaning, heartworm test and one month of heartworm medication, fecal exam, de-worming, nail clipping as well as leash and collar set. The adoption fee also helps to offset transportation expenses. We maintain an emergency medical fund to rescue and assist Greyhounds with special veterinary needs or surgery. An Adoption Manual is included as well as continuing follow-up support after adoption.
Foster Homes
Our Greyhounds are placed in foster homes prior to adoption. Being in the foster environment enables the dog to acclimate itself to family living. All hounds will be "cat tested." About 60% of our adopters have cats in the home.
If you speak to someone who wants to foster, they must go through a similar application and reference check process as if they were adopting. Please visit the Greyhound Foster page for the foster application.
Suggestions for Meet & Greet Materials
Printouts of currently available dogs from the website
Current liability insurance information (Contact Janet Selman if you don't have this)
First State brochures, and cards of local representatives
Photographs of hounds in the home
Bring a bowl for water
Paper towels and cleaning solution for those unexpected "accidents" in the store
A dog bed or blanket
Dog treats
Cookies for humans ... tell parents their kids can have a cookie for a dollar donation! Be creative and spiffy up the table with a tablecloth or flowers
Copies of available books on Greyhounds
Copies of Celebrating Greyhounds magazine.
If you are the facilitator of the Meet & Greet make a point to thank the store manager for their time, effort and generosity to allow First State to visit their establishment.
Donations
Donations received from Meet &Greets are to be forwarded to:
First State Greyhound Rescue, Inc.
PO Box 67
Blandon, PA 19510
Please deposit cash received into your account and write a check to First State Greyhound Rescue, Inc.
Please make a notation of the date, location and facilitator of the event for our records.
Support and Supplies
Contact our Meet & Greet Coordinator at volunteer@firstgreys.org for all issues related to Meet & Greets, new venues, supplies and support, advertising a Meet & Greet on the website, or to make suggestions and comments. We're always looking for new places to show off our hounds!
Thank you for your support and interest in promoting the ex-racing Greyhound and for your time on behalf of First State Greyhound Rescue, Inc.
The following guidelines are provided to volunteers working at Meet & Greets on behalf of First State Greyhound Rescue, Inc. Any comments to improve this information will be gratefully appreciated. Comments can be made directly to the Meet & Greet coordinator.
In addition, these guidelines apply, in part, to adopters or other greyhound owners who want to visit a Meet & Greet with their adopted Greyhound.
If you want to represent First State Greyhound Rescue, Inc., please contact our Meet & Greet Coordinator: events@firstgreys.org
An advance phone call to the facilitator will ensure space is available to do so. Some venues have limitations on the number of Greyhounds at each event.
Saving One Greyhound at a time since 2000
First State Greyhound Rescue, Inc.