2012 Dog Wash

It’s that time of year again–time to get those stinky feet washed and nails trimmed, coats bathed and shaved, and teeth and ears cleaned!  The MSGAO Annual Dog Wash is one of our big fundraisers for the year, and we need your dirty greyhound(s) to show up for a spa day.  This is the day for cleaning that hound and enjoying a little fun yourself.

Many of you may be concerned about the recall of Diamond brand dog foods. This recall has been expanded and also includes Costco’s Kirkland brand, which as many of you know is used at the MSGAO kennel. The kennel’s supplies have been cleared as safe. We are providing the recall information so those of you who use the Costco food also can determine whether your pet’s food is affected. You also can find this information on the Friends of MSGAO Facebook page.

Recall Notice

May 4, 2012: Diamond Expands Voluntary Recall

UPDATED: CORRECT PRODUCTION CODE INFORMATION

Diamond Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Recall of Dry Pet Food Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination

Batches of the brands manufactured between December 9, 2011, and April 7, 2012 are affected

Consumer Contact: 866-918-8756

Diamond Pet Foods today announced that it is expanding a voluntary recall to include batches of nine brands of dry pet food formulas manufactured between December 9, 2011, and April 7, 2012 due to potential Salmonella contamination.

In April 2012, Diamond Pet Foods initiated three voluntary recalls of Diamond manufactured dry dog food. Although none of the additional products being recalled have tested positive for Salmonella, the company is pulling them from store shelves as a precaution. Diamond Pet Foods is coordinating efforts with federal and state health and regulatory agencies and decided to independently expand the recall to ensure the safety and well-being of customers and their pets.

The company stated: “We have taken corrective actions at our Gaston, S.C., facility and voluntarily expanded the recall out of concern for our customers and their pets.”

Brands included in the recall include:

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
Country Value
Diamond
Diamond Naturals
Premium Edge
Professional
4Health
Taste of the Wild

To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has a “2” or “3” in the ninth position AND an “X” in the 10th or 11th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012, through April 7, 2013.

The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states and Canada. Further distribution through other pet food channels may have occurred.

Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Maryland
Michigan
Mississippi
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Canada

The Kirkland Signature products included in the recall include:

Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Lamb, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013)
Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013)
Kirkland Signature Super Premium Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013)
Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken & Vegetables (Best Before December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013)
Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula (December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)
Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs (December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013)

To determine if their pet food is recalled, consumers should check the production code on their bag. If the code has both a “3” in the ni9th position AND an “X” in the 11th position, the product is affected by the recall. The best-before dates for the recalled products are December 9, 2012, through January 31, 2013.

The recall affects only products distributed in the following U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada.

Alabama
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
Canada
Puerto Rico

Diamond Pet Foods apologizes for any issues this may cause consumers and their pets. Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, or who would like replacement product or a refund, may contact Diamond Pet Foods via a toll free call at 1-866-918-8756, Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST. Consumers may also go to a special website, www.diamondpetrecall.com, for more information. The company is working with distributors and retailers to ensure all affected product is removed from shelves.

Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. People who believe they may have been exposed to Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who are more likely to be affected by Salmonella include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS and people receiving treatment for cancer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have received a limited number of reports of salmonellosis, the illness caused by Salmonella. Diamond is working with the CDC, but due to patient confidentiality, is not commenting further.

Save the date for the MSGAO Annual Dog Wash: Saturday, May 20 at the MSGAO kennel. Here is one greyhound who will challenge the clip artists’ skills (photo courtesy of Jeff Dewald)!

Ray Wong of GPA Nashville shared his photos of the recent Bark in the Park event. As the pictures show, a good time was had by all — especially the dogs! In the meantime, the event created some fine awareness about greyhound adoption in general and MSGAO in particular. Click on the image below for a larger view.

In case you are new to greyhound adoption, you may not know about the annual dog wash, which will happen May 20 at the MSGAO kennel, weather willing. It’s an opportunity to get your hound squeaky clean — fur, ears and teeth. Your hound also will be treated to a mani/pedi. Think of it as an outdoor spa experience!

An added benefit is the opportunity to get your dog a new fur-do, as in a summer shave. Experienced clipper artists will remove that winter coat so your pet will be more comfortable when the full heat of summer hits the south.

Prizes, food for humans and treats for the hounds also are part of this fun event. It’s also a chance to meet some of your fellow adopters before the big reunion in the fall.

Mark your calendar for a not-to-be-missed event! Details to come!

In case you are unsure whether adopting a greyhound is a good thing to do, we offer more testimony from people who have taken the plunge. These observations about life with a greyhound were provided by actual owners who posted on our Friends of Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option Facebook page. We’ll continue to share these testimonials in the future!

Sylvie spinning in circles like a helicopter propeller always makes me laugh. Dirt is flying around everywhere at the same time, too.
― Paula Pilgrim

Well, calm and peaceful Jammer is a different dog when it’s just him and me at home. When he needs to go out, he barks and growls and hits me and the door handle with his nose … he actually growls! But when I move closer to him, he looks away and lays down … lol! Brat!
― Ron T. Carlin

Valentine once picked up the portable phone outside while I went inside. Next thing I knew the phone was ringing. I picked up the phone inside and the caller ID said “other handset calling!” Couldn’t bawl her out because I was laughing too hard!!
― Sheryl Peltz

Please feel free to share your tales from the greyt life (or what you’re missing if you don’t have a greyhound) via our Facebook page (Friends of Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option).

Mid-South Greyhound Adoption Option will be headlining the Down to Earth Festival at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis on April 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Well, not really. We just think our dogs are so wonderful they should be the main attraction!

The Down to Earth Festival at Shelby Farms Park is the region’s premier Earth Day celebration, featuring live music, great food, a huge kids crafts and high-adventure zone and much more! Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested for parking.

Click on the link to learn more about the many activities offered. Down to Earth Festival

And make sure you drop by the MSGAO tent to pat some of the nicest retired professional athletes you’ll ever meet!

See you at Bark in the Park! Keep in mind the MSGAO kennel will not be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 14, while the event is happening at the Overton Park Shell. It will be open after the event wraps up.

… by adopting a retired racing greyhound. April is National Greyhound Adoption Month. Celebrate it by welcoming one (or more!) of these wonderful pets into your home and into your heart.

The deadline is looming to enter your dogs’ photos for an opportunity to be included in the 2013 Celebrating Greyhounds Calendar, just like one of Rachel Hogue’s did in 2012. There are wall and desk versions of the calendar, created as a way of providing a fund-raising product to adoption groups. Pictures need to be submitted by April 6.

The calendars feature adopted greyhounds from around the world and an abbreviated directory of greyhound adoption groups. Most calendars are sold through adoption groups, and all proceeds from the calendar benefit greyhound adoption groups and greyhound placement.

To submit a photo, please include your name and address, your dog’s name, and your adoption group’s name and location ON EACH PHOTO. The information should be printed on tape or a label before applying it to the back of the photo.

Prints of any size are acceptable. It is generally better not to try to enlarge a smaller print. The original is usually clearer and easier to work with.

Digital photos should be on a CD with individual printouts clearly marked with the photo name/number. Be sure your full name, address, your dog’s name, and your adoption group’s name and location is on EACH printout as well as the CD.

If you have photos that were taken by someone else, please obtain their written permission for us to use the photos. An email from the photographer is acceptable for this purpose. If the photo was taken at a nursing home or therapy program of some sort, please obtain permission from the program.

Photo selection is typically done by a group of volunteers in early April for the following year.

Send your best photos (each labeled) to:
The Greyhound Project, Inc.
Attn: Calendar photos
P.O. Box 5239
Framingham, MA 01701

Photos that are not used in the calendar are passed along to CG Magazine and may appear in a future issue.