President’s Message – July 2025

Hello from Minnesota. Many of you may recall last year we made a trip from Tucson to Minnesota with our brand new greyhound girl, Ever. Well, we did it again this year but with a few modifications.

Ever had her annual check-up in June and we ensured she had Heartgard Plus for those pesky Minnesota state birds, the mosquito. Always the excited road trip warrior she was eager to get on the road but not so excited once she got seatbelted in. It turns out to not be as comfy as roaching on the road when you have on a harness and a buckle on your side, but she survived.

We landed in western South Dakota for a day where she saw her first cows and corn up close and was unsure what type of dogs those were, but quickly resumed sniffing forth many smells at the camping resort. Soon we were loaded up and heading east and again that darn harness and buckle prevented some good car dreams.

We finally arrived in Minnesota before all the fireworks began and that was good timing. She doesn’t like being outside with the noise but is OK in the apartment as long as she doesn’t see the lights in the windows from the city fireworks display.

While the pavement is not as hot as in Tucson, we still have to pick our walk times due to the humidity. Ever likes the grass in front of the building and making our rounds through the neighborhood as once again the smells are amazing. Our buddy, Cooper the Springer Spaniel, was a welcome sight again this year as Ever loves to watch him run circles around his house in his yard. Once again, she just can’t figure out what kind of greyhound that is.

The take away from this trip is you always need to be prepared for anything. We used the harness last year as she was new and really didn’t know us or her own name. This year we added the seat belt for a little more peace of mind and with different wildlife and grass, we ensured that all her supplements and vaccinations were up to date. We also registered her and kept up to date with our former veterinarians just in case.  What’s the old adage, an ounce of prevention … well let’s not find out if we need the rest.

I hope you are having a wonderful summer, wherever you are, and look forward to seeing you later this summer. Hopefully, the return journey goes as smoothly as the trip up.

Jeanne Gacke is President of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption and can be reached at president@sagreys.org.