How To Help Our Local Greyhound Adoption Agency.

Our Mission Statement:
Almost Heaven Greyhound Adoption was founded by racing people, is currently run and staffed by racing people, and is largely supported by people from within the racing community. However, AHGA's function as a group is not to promote racing. We love racing, but we love our dogs more and they will always come first.
Our threefold mission is:
1. To educate the general public about the availability
and suitability of retired racing Greyhounds as pets,
2. To find loving and qualified homes for Greyhounds
who are entrusted to us, and
3. To offer ongoing support to those who adopt
Greyhounds, whether from us or from other sources.

There are plenty of other things you can do to help Almost Heaven Greyhound Adoption whether or not you live in our area. Believe me, no contribution is too small and all are deeply appreciated! Join us! We need active (hard-working) local members from within a reasonable driving distance of Cross Lanes/Charleston WV. Jobs to be done include:
1. Publicity/public relations (ideas and/or footwork!)
2. Fund raising (more ideas and more footwork)
3. Dog grooming (brushing, clipping toenails, ear cleaning, bathing, etc.)
4. Socializing shy dogs
5. Occasional full scrub down of the kennel
6. Home visits of prospective adopter homes
FOSTER HOMES!!! We have a growing list of retired hounds waiting for space in the kennel or in foster care. Patronize our sponsors! All of them donate a portion of the sale when a customer makes an online purchase through one of our links. Donate! As soon as we complete the massive paperwork for our 501(C)3 we will be able to provide tax deductible receipts for donations. This is our "wish list":
CASH - this always runs short
Pedigree Proof of Purchase squares
Purina Weight Circles
Baled bedding paper - we go through 2-3 of these every week
Dogfood (good quality kibble)
Canned chicken broth
First aid supplies (vet wrap, antibiotic ointments, gauze pads, Imodium tablets, Ascriptin)
Cleaning supplies (laundry detergent [for kennel blankets], bleach, Pinesol, paper towels, etc.)
Gift items that can be raffled or sold on eBay
Adjustable martingale collars
Leashes
Kennel muzzles
Pyrethrin-based flea sprays or Advantage - during last summer's flea invasion we found that Advantage drops work best. We no longer use Frontline Top Spot.
Pre-paid phone cards for use by adoption reps contacting prospective adopters and dog owners. There are many things you can do to help retired racing Greyhounds even if you aren't able to adopt or foster one right now and don't live in our area.
Volunteer with an adoption group in your area. Nearly all of them are glad to have any help they can get. Volunteer tasks might include helping with "meet and greets" and booths, fund raising, publicity, etc. Or, if they have a kennel, you might walk dogs, help with feeding, bathing, etc., help check in incoming dogs, help clean the kennel. Or you might volunteer to help transport dogs to and from vet visits or from the track and to their new homes. The list of jobs needing to be done is endless.
Spread the word! This sounds like a very small thing to do, and it IS simple, but it's critically important. If you aren't already friends with any Greyhounds, try to make it a point to get to know a few so you can tell people from your own experience what wonderful, gentle and loving animals they are. It's amazing how much of the general public still think that Greyhounds are hyper, mean, etc. Others have just never considered adopting a Greyhound because they've never heard much about them. It's time to change that and word of mouth goes a long way. If you're unable to get out much, consider making craft items to donate to adoption groups for raffles and other fund raisers. Dig into your pocket! Nearly every adoption group in the country needs a lot more money than their adoption fees bring in. Adoption fees generally cover basic veterinary work and maybe a few incidentals. The costs of feed, transportation, publicity, phone calls, extra vet work for some dogs, and other expenses nearly always come from donations, fund raisers, or out of the group members' pockets. AHGA has joined two dogfood rebate programs. If we clip and send in Pedigree Proof of Purchase (POP) squares, or Purina weight circles, we receive rebates of at least 8¢ per pound. That's $4.00 for each 50 lb bag, but we'll happily take POP's and weight circles from smaller bags, too. If you feed any Pedigree dry product, or one of several Purina products (including Pro Plan, Purina One, Dog Chow, Puppy Chow and Hi Pro), please clip the POP or weight circle from the bags and send them to us. These things really add up. Between our house dogs and the kennel, we usually use 170-200 lbs of kibble every week. They have rebate requests ready to mail for over $200! That's going to help us a lot. So if you save up several POP's and/or weight circles you can make a nice contribution to AHGA without spending any money. Send them to the address below. Heck, they will even send you a SASE if you email them and ask for it. Just keep the envelope in a drawer and drop it in the mail when it's got several POP's in it. Then they will send you another one. So please, SAVE THOSE CIRCLES and POP'S FOR them! Cutting them out only takes about 15 seconds, but donates $$ to Almost Heaven.

Almost Heaven Greyhound Adoption
5340 Doc Bailey Rd
Cross Lanes WV 25313
www.almost-heaven.org