*****UPDATE*****
This page contains an unusual turn of events for Pilot, my foster greyhound....
February,2001: Please meet Pilot, my current foster boy. He has been with my family for a few weeks now, and is ready for a permanent home with a loving family. Pilot's racing name was "Automatic Pilot" and he was retired down from Grade A. My "Pookie Boy" enjoys well-behaved children ages five and above. He is playful, VERY loving, gives kisses, LOVES HIS EARS RUBBED, and has the most expressive facial expressions I have ever seen! Many families with small animals have fallen in love with him, but he should be with someone who has dogs only, of medium stature and above. He is kennel-friendly, is fully potty-trained, and is very much eager to please his humans. He has a wonderful appetite (notice the newly turned over food bowl---he was just checking for morsels!!!) and loves playing with any of the squeakys in his toy basket. He nuzzles his family members and groans with contentment when interacting. He is by far the most expressive greyhound I have fostered. In fact, I sometimes forget he is of the "canine" persuasion as he seems more human-like in his mannerisms! He is very sensitive and learns quickly what you expect of him in your home.
It will be very difficult for my family to let him go. In fact, my 14 year old daughter took the above picture of him, and pleads with me daily to keep him forever! My husband has also grown very fond of him and has mentioned on more than one occasion that we should just keep him to ourselves!!! While each of us would love to do just that, we know that there are other new retirees who need foster homes......SOOOOOOO if you are in the Tampa Bay area and think my "Pookie Boy" would be perfect for your family, please either email me privately, or contact GPA LARGO for more information! (Just know that I will always want to maintain some contact with you, and absolutely LOVE emails, notes, pictures, etc. of my foster graduates !! : )
I love you POOKIE BOY!!!!
April,2001: PILOT HAS BEEN ADOPTED! I am proud to say that my "Pookie Boy" has found his forever home...OKAY, I CONFESS, AND NOW WALK THE GANGPLANK FOR FALLING IN LOVE WITH A FOSTER DOG AGAIN! However, my entire family is overjoyed that PILOT has now joined Charley and Jeno permanently in our "house of greys." BUT this does have a downside as well. Until we have added on to our home, my fostering has been put on hold. This was a gut wrenching decision for me, my husband, and my daughter. As foster home co-ordinator for my group I had a very tough time deciding what to do. There are so many greys waiting for a foster home. Ultimately, I had to follow MY innermost feelings and my FAMILY'S wishes and keep him as a permanent part of our lives. Just take a look at the pictures below, and you will see why PILOT captured our hearts....
I will be adding many more pictures of him to this site just as I have with the other greys "who have adopted me."
It is my sincerest wish that somewhere along the line, I have touched other people and convinced them to try fostering, and can only hope that other families who ALREADY own greys will consider fostering and not be deterred by my decision to adopt yet another grey. I must look at the fosters I have had over the many months and find peace in the fact that I have contributed to them finding their forever homes. Should YOU decide to give it a try, I can also only hope that entering a foster situation will enrich your lives as much as it has ours. Obviously, as you have explored my site you have become aware of the special bond that occurs between a foster family and the newly retired racer. The joy and satisfaction of helping even ONE greyhound find its forever home will follow you for a lifetime. And, if for some reason you find that special grey that touches you and your family's heart the way Pilot has touched ours, you will make the best decision for both your family and your foster dog. After all, the primary goal is to obtain a PERMANENT, loving home for all of the retired racers isn't it? ONLY you and your family know what will work for you...
NEVER FEAR, I will return to fostering just as soon as we can make our dream of expanding our home a reality!!! It's actually not that far in the future...
(Well, okay, I DO continue to foster when I can, such as in an emergency basis...) On 5/8/01, I took REX into my home for a short period of time. I guess I was the "interim FOSTER MOM" He has since moved into a foster home on a more permanent basis. He was with me for a few short days to see what his true personality is like. While not small animal friendly, Rex passes in ALL other categories!!! He fit into our home as if he had ALWAYS been here! In this type of "fostering," a family is willing to take in a greyhound for only a short period of time ( a few days up to a couple of weeks ) just to ease the transition or to provide temporary care until a more "permanent" foster family can be arranged. There are all types of ways to help your local chapter in FOSTERING!!!! Please check out the pictures below to see just how nicely REX adjusted to being in my home:
REX sleeping like a baby!
Denver came into my home in mid-June to become accustomed to homelife. He has an interesting story...A young boy who volunteers at the facility where we board our greys fell in love with Denver, as did his entire family upon meeting him! So, as of next week (6/23/01), this adorable boy will be placed into their home as an "FTA" (FOSTER-TO-ADOPT.) GPA LARGO uses "FTA'S" to assure that the chosen greyhound is perfect for a family who has children aged 10 or younger in their home. In our system, the foster family must strictly adhere to our foster home guidelines and rules, NO EXCEPTIONS!!!! This is done for a period of 30 days, and has helped our group more adequately match our greys with families who have children. Denver will be wonderful, I believe, with the excited new family!
As you can see, FOSTERING GREYHOUNDS IN YOUR HOME has many different venues.
UPDATE! 8/28/2002 Well, although our family had the intentions of only fostering on an emergency basis, the temptation was just too strong and we not only ADOPTED another special needs greyhound, but are still in the full time fostering business! The GPA/LARGO Star of the Month page has been pre-empted to keep a list of my foster greyhounds going! To keep it interesting, I will update the page as each one gets adopted. Please feel free to browse around and look at some of the greys who have, and will continue to touch my life....
(Home)
WANT A GREY IN TAMPA BAY???? Just point your mouse to a link below!
Click HERE for nearest GPA inTampa Bay, Florida greyhound adoptions!!!
Click HERE for the current GPA Largo STAR !
