Spring 09 Be sure to check out:

• Volunteer Spotlight

• Kennel Kid Spotlight

• Yankee Fundraiser

• QCGA Calendar

• QCGA Alumni

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Page 2 GREYT TAILS

Volunteer Spotlight - Doris Ryan

This newsletter sponsored by:

Q: When and why did you decide to start volunteering? A: We had adopted our first greyhound, Nacho, in May of 2002 and just started getting interested in the different aspects of the kennel. It was addicting, and there was such a need for daytime volunteers.

Q: What is the best part of volunteering? A: Every day that I come in , one or more greyhounds will do something unexpected and hilarious. The best part to me is that--and seeing them go home! There have been a few incidents of late, where this group has pulled together and worked a miracle with dogs that have been in peril. Everybody has different skills they can bring to help these dogs. We pull all together and get the job done.

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering and hasn't yet? A: That they may feel comfortable coming and observing first. And there are lots of different tasks--something to suit everyone.

Q: What are your other hobbies and interests outside of the kennel? A: My number one hobby: Taco, Bashful and Attitude! I love fishing at my cabin. I also volunteer at Nahant Marsh, picking up and getting rid of invasive plant species.

Thank you Doris for all that you do!

Doris with QCGA resident Park

Doris Ryan is one of the many faithful and dedicated volunteers, putting in several hours a week to care for our precious greys. Doris has been a Greyt vol-unteer with QCGA over the past 6 years and has chosen the Monday morning shift as her regular day for volun-teering. She is always there with a bright smile on her face ready to take on any task to help these precious dogs. Doris has also helped out with other morning shifts when we are short handed. When a Meet and Greet is scheduled, Doris is one of the first to volunteer to show-off our kennel kids! Her enthusiasm and obvi-ous love for the greyhounds is very engaging to the pub-lic! In addition to helping at the kennel, Doris is a fantas-tic seamstress and helps sew bedding for the dogs. She is also very talented with making beautiful gift baskets that she donates to all of our fund raisers. We applaud Doris in a big way for all of the time and talent she so selflessly extends to our beloved fur kids!

• Echo - Barb Ott

• Twister - Mary Newswander

• Monty - Bill & Miriam Burrows

• Beluga - Nancy & Dan Jones

• Vic - Michelle & Richard Moeller

• Mandy - Cindy & Jim Kohlmann

• Bueford - Fred & Sandy Cook

• Emmie - Karen & Robert Kolwey

• Cairo(Comedy) - Andrew & Makenna Lary

• Sheena - QCGA (special thanks to the Blanches & Bradleys for provid-ing care to Sheena)

• Tina - Ted Leslie

• Mickey - Brenda Dewaele

• Cleveland - Abel Keppy

In Memory

Page 3 SPRING 09

Kennel Kid Spotlight—Soldier!

Soldier is getting to be a long-time resident and he desper-ately needs a home of his own. He is a beautiful brindle that is well-mannered and loves to snuggle. Please consider "springing" him out soon!

By Janet Stoefen To touch… their living, breathing souls To see… deeply into their soulful eyes To know… the beauty that flows from their hearts To feel… the outpouring of love that is offered to us with “no strings attached” To learn… the true meaning of unconditional love To love… life itself because they have taught us this lesson, we couldn’t have learned any other way To believe… in the power of their gentleness, their strength To have… compassion for all of their souls, young and old, big and little, perfect and imperfect To enrich… our lives more than we could have ever dreamed of And, in the end… to believe in the beauty of unconditional love and life, to gain more than I could have ever imagined… All because I rescued a greyhound.

This is dedicated to all of the greyhounds that have touched my heart, especially the imperfect ones like Peanuts, and to my greyt sister of the heart, Nancy Jones.

Heart and Soul

Race Name: Savage Soldier Birthdate: 06-16-2006 Parents: DK's Prime Time x Time To Speed

Page 4 GREYT TAILS

You KNOW where they GO! ROOsevelt Re-ROOuters are setting aside the dimes from their spare change for a whole year to help the ROOOO-ing hounds at QCGA (and the non-ROOers, too)! If you haven't started, it's NEVER too late! Last year's participants re-ROOuted almost $1700-- let's see if we can bust the $2,000 mark this year! It's nearly effortless--how many places can YOU put a Re-ROOuted ROOsevelt re-ceptacle?! On your desk at work or school, on your dresser, kitchen counter--wherever the spare change lands! Questions? Contact Lisa at (563) 508-6457 or LLBlechle13@msn.com. Thank ROO!

Yankee Candle Fundraiser Starting April 1st and ending April 28th we are holding a fundraising drive with Yan-kee Candle. Anything you buy from the 2009 Spring/Summer collection fundraising catalog, QCGA will get 40% of our sales. There are catalogs at the shelter if you would like to sell some candles to friends and family or if you just want to place an order you can by checking out the collection online at: www.yankeefundraising.com and then email me, Rochelle Buskirk, with your order at buskirk@mchsi.com. There is free shipping (all candles can be picked up at the shelter 2-4 weeks after the order is placed) and no tax. That will make shopping even more enjoyable! Yankee Can-dle is well known for quality products. Help out the hounds and get something nice for yourself or a friend!

Yankee Candle Sells: • Votives

• Jar candles

• Reed diffusers

• All-natural soy candles

• Car fresheners

• Outdoor mosquito candles

• Room spray

• Blooming flower bulbs

• Tomato & strawberry kits

• Seed mats including: pumpkin kits, butterfly kits, popcorn seed kits

• And a lot more!!!!

A Few Yankee Candle Scents: • Ocean Water

• Coconut Bay

• Mango Peach Salsa

• Vanilla Lime

• Black Cherry

• Fresh Cut Roses

• Lilac Blossoms

• Buttercream

• Chocolate Cupcake

• Root Beer Float

• Sparkling Lemon

• And many more!!!!

How to place your Yankee Candle Order: 1) Go to www.yankeefundraising.com 2) Click on the Spring 2009 catalogue 3) Email your order to: buskirk@mchsi.com by April 28th. 4) Pick up your order 2-4 weeks later at the kennel and pay no shipping!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Page 5 SPRING 09

QCGA Calendar

A guy goes into a store. When he walks in the door he sees a "Beware of Dog" sign on the door. He walks around the store to shop and he sees a greyhound asleep on a bed next to a wood stove. He continues to shop and when he gets ready to check out, he sees another sign on the cash register that says "Beware of Dog." The guy is curious and he asks the clerk, "Are these signs to warn us about that dog?" He points to the greyhound sleeping on the bed. The clerk says, "Yup." The customer says, "Well, that dog surely doesn't look like he would hurt anyone." The clerk replies, "You might trip over him."

Please support QCGA by promoting and participating in these Awareness, Fund-Raising, and “Just GREYT Fun” events!

M&G : A Meet & Greet is your opportunity to meet available greyhounds and/or adopted greyhounds and their owners! S&T : A Show & Tell is a short presentation with Q&A time for schools or service groups that, per the host’s re-quest, may or may not include greyhounds on-site. $$$ : A fund raising event. We operate 100% on donations and volunteered time; please consider giving regularly. JGF : “Just GREYt Fun” events, organized primarily to socialize with fellow greyhound lovers, with or without our greyhounds and other dogs.

If you would like to host a Meet & Greet or Show & Tell event, please contact Lisa Blechle at llblechle13@msn.com or (563) 508-6457. Please check our website often for newly-added dates and details. We look forward to meeting you soon! ________________________________________________________________ OUR CURRENT CALENDAR April 2009 $$$/JGF 26th, Sunday – Bowling Bash Benefit in memory of Tom Ryan, see front page for all the details! May 2009 M&G 1st – 3rd, Friday - Sunday – Spring Adopt-a-Thon @ PetSmart, Davenport. (Check the website for participating times.) This three-day event will include multiple animal welfare agencies and vendors. GREYT News: PetSmart Charities will make a $25 dona-tion to QCGA for each adoption that occurs from April 27th – May 3rd; details will be in your adoption package. M&G 2nd, Saturday – Freight House Farmer's Market, downtown Davenport, 8am – 1pm. We'll have adoptable dogs at the mar-ket, and will be doing a short presentation on the freight house platform stage at 10 am. Come learn all about the lives of racing grey-hounds and how YOU can be a part of their retirement! M&G It's a Farmer's Market Meet & Greet Blitz! We'll be at three of the Mississippi Valley Growers Associations’ market at the beginning of their season: 7th, Wednesday—2117 State St., Bettendorf, 2 pm – 6 pm. From State St., turn south on 23rd St. and come back behind the power station to the market. 11th, Monday—Trinity at Terrace Park, 4500 Utica Ridge Rd., Bettendorf, 3—6 pm in the front, south parking lot (sections G & H). 13th, Wednesday—Northpark Mall, 320 W. Kimberly Rd., Davenport, , 8 am—Noon in the east parking lot. We'll also be at the Northpark location for the Saturday market on September 5th. M&G/$$$ 16th, Saturday—River Pup, LeClaire, Iowa, 10:00 am—5:00 pm. Join us for our 2nd Meet&Greet at the River Pup bou-tique! Greyhounds from the shelter as well as owners and their adopted dogs will be on hand to answer your questions about adop-tion and volunteering. The event is part of LeClaire's May Market Days; shopowner Kelly is offering discounts to any greyhound owners as well as anyone who brings item donations for the greyhound shelter. Join us for a greyt spring day outing! June 2009 $$$/S&T 13th, Saturday—Charity Ball Toss @ River Bandits baseball game, Modern Woodman Park, (Davenport waterfront near the Centennial Bridge), game time is 6:00 pm. QCGA volunteers will be selling numbered tennis balls for $1 before and during the game—after the last out, targets are placed on the field for fans to toss their balls to win prizes! Come out and support the cause—the “extras” on that night include a bobblehead giveaway, fireworks and a concert after the game! September 2009 M&G 5th, Saturday—MVGA Farmers' Market, Northpark Mall, Davenport, in the northeast parking lot, 8 am-noon. $$$/JGF PENDING: 12th, Saturday??—QCGA Annual Reunion M&G/$$$ PENDING: 12th-20th, Sat-Sun?? or 19th-27th??—Greyhound Planet Week @ PETCO.

Did You Hear the One About?.....

Linda Perrigoue Donna Trotter B. A. Kelly Tom & Erin Toner Kris Garrison Bob & Rhonda Wolever Pat McPherson Barbara Ott Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library PetSmart Charities Doris Ryan Chet & Deb Brees Karen & Robert Kolwey Stanley Mizerny James Kron Sue & Gene Hamma Kevin & Lisa Blechle Marlene Metzger Pam Swanson Betty Barnes Julie Kay Williams Jamie Sharp Frank Weinstein Renee & Gary Ostrem Mary Timmerman Louise Schwan Brad & Kathy Boeckenstedt Thomas & Nancy Keith Paul & Eileen Fritz Herman & Joyce Grubbs Libby & Vince Honts Illowa BiState Combined Federal Campaign Tim Elliott John & Ann Wegener Dawn & Doug Templeton Kelly Ryan Robin Miessler-Kubanek Barton & Holly Hall Evelyn & Harold Hennings Heartland Greyhound Adoption Victory & Cynthia Carman Rich W K Juncker & Nancy Rawlings Valerie & Gerald Garrison

Rooooooooooo……..(thank you in Grey-speak)

We would like everyone to know that no donation goes unnoticed and all donations are very much appreciated. If we have missed anyone on the lists or sending a thank you—we apologize for that. All of your generosity past, present, and future help us to continue to find forever homes for the greys. So THANK YOU. And a big roo from the greys!

Page 6 SPRING 09

thank ▪ ful: adjective 1: conscious of benefit received 2: expressive of thanks 3: well pleased

John Johnson Deborah & Mark Schweibert Paul & Chere Fuessel Jennifer & Marvin Satterly Jay Rakus Travis & Joellen Ketelsen Debbie Marshall Doug & Peggy Collins Anne Myles Robert & Carole Hauman Chris & Janet Scott Gary & Connie Moore Mary Suzanne Parsons Juliette Schmidt John & Jacquelyn Ruefer-Albee Wayne & Dianne Geerts Newton Family Ken & Judy Franklin Chris & Gina Huch Bruce & Tracie Abkes M D & Sharon Palm Vickie LeCleir Mike Green Judy & Ronnie Carney Marie & James Foster Margaret & Scott Ames Ted Leslie Morris & Sandy Weller Rosemary Ward Catherine Guy Richard & Susan See River Bluffs Brian Smith Catherine Peterson Jessica Wood Gary Baish Gary & Sandra Cangelosi David Ungs Thomas Dean & Susan Prepe-jchal Sharon Merideth Wayne & Barbara Collins in honor of Lisa Blechle Sylvia Dean Cathy Howard & Virginia Sterne

Deb & Tim Heberling Paula Teel Dolores Flynn Paul & Elle Bowe Denise Duethman in honor of John Wessel Linda Vermeire Linda Jarrett Charles & Susan Berry Michael Naab & Kurt Stevens RiverPup LLC/Kelly Kruck Richard Nerstheimer Bill Coulter/CEI Drusilla Inram Fred & Margaret Lorenz Charles & Vicki Kelsey Marsha Husted in honor of Connie Husted Catherine & William Howard on behalf of Gertrude Sterne Nancy Newton Nancy Kerner on behalf of Juliette Schmidt Dwight & Patricia Quinn John & Vicki Seeck Jeffrey Lester Mari & David Watt Mr. & Mrs. Van Tosh on be-half of Cully Ford Jeff & Diana Tank Jennifer Smith & Charles McKinley Joseph Recker AVS, Inc. Michael Payne Arnold & Sydnee Gochanour Jeannette Tedell Mary Chapman Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino Stacy Junk Larry Voss James & Mary Hall Deb & Tim Fore Henry Kurzawski All Anonymous Donors

IN MEMORY OF....... Mike Payne - in Memory of Cecelia Beine Payne 1921-2009 Tim & Deb Heberling - in Memory of Cleveland Tim & Deb Heberling - in Memory of Dorothy Heberling Nancy Jones - in Memory of Lois Ulrich, loving grand-mother of Pammie, Hummie, Darby, Glow, Beth, Sweet & Beluga Brian & Deb Huch in Memory of Jason Carney Neal & Kara Blanche in Mem-ory of Sheena Lisa & Kevin Blechle in Mem-ory of Sheena Michelle Moeller in Memory of Vic Karon Anderson in Memory of Rosie & Rocket Gene & Sue Hamma in Memory of Dorothy Heberling Mary Young - in Memory of Mac Barbara Ott - in Memory of Echo Ott Pam Swanson - in Memory of Tac & Little Girl

QCGA Alumni - Now in their Forever Homes

SPRING 09 Page 7

Beauty

"Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love.... They depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog; It merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs, Your heart is very big" ----- Erica Jong

Endeavor

Joey

Moody

Chance

Ramsey & Patch

Please send pics of your QCGA Alum to: sarahusser@gmail.com We’d love to see them!

Current Kennel Needs

Available Dogs For the most complete list of available dogs, please go to our website: www.qcgreyhoundadoption.com. There you will find the newest arrivals and information as well as pictures of all our kennel kids.

9525 New Liberty Road Walcott, IA 52773

Quad Ci t ies Greyhound Adopt ion

Phone: 563-823-8900 www.qcgreyhoundadoption.com

See you @ The

Bowling Bash

April 26th!

“QCGA West” - Update By: Kristine Weiskircher

-Postage stamps -Paper towels -HE laundry detergent -Regular bleach -Tall kitchen bags -55 gallon Drum bags -Brooms -Toilet bowl cleaner -Dawn dishwashing liquid -Liquid hand soap refill -Industrial wall mount fan -Exterior night to day floodlight fixture for play yard -Solar powered exterior floodlight fixtures for play yard and garbage area -Large collapsible floor crates -Cash donations to purchase a veterinary large animal scale

QCGA-West has been up to our ears in educating the West population about the greyt benefits of adopting a retired racer. We have done Meet and Greets at the local Pet Co each month. In February we did a Meet and Greet on a week day to see what the turn out would be and it turned out to be greyt (even though there was not a lot of advertising)! We are all looking forward to spring weather so we can have another fun day at the Thornberry Off-Leash Dog Park in Iowa City. We are also planning to do several parades in the area. Remember, you don’t have to live in the Iowa City area to join in the Iowa City fun!

$uccess! A GREAT BIG thank you to everyone who contributed in the Spring challenge “Double Your Money”. Rumor has it, the anonymous donor was so thrilled with the outcome, there may be another challenge in the fall. Stay tuned!