Writing To A Race Owner

[krissy]

I'm trying to compose a letter to the owner of a litter of dogs, of which I am interested in the possibility of pre-adopting one. But I'm not sure what to say or what I should say in order to maximize my chances of receiving a response. For those with more experience, particularly if you wrote to pre-adopt a dog, what did you say and what do you think helps to get a favourable outcome?

[gazehund]

I didn't write to Cracker's owner. She is a friend. All I did was ask for a dog and he is the dog I got.

 

I would keep your request short and to the point. Owners / trainers are generally pretty busy and receive quite a bit of correspondence daily. Also include a self addressed stamped envelope.

Good luck.

[Guest zombrie]

Could you call? I called both Mira and Doolin/Minerva's owners. Both were very nice people and happy to talk, and happy to give me permission to adopt Minerva when she retired

[krissy]

Could you call? I called both Mira and Doolin/Minerva's owners. Both were very nice people and happy to talk, and happy to give me permission to adopt Minerva when she retired

 

I guess I could call. The NGA did give me a phone number as well. I guess I just never really thought about that. I hate to think what my phone bill might end up being if he's a really nice guy who likes to talk about greyhounds though.... lol. I kind of like the idea though I have to say.

[Guest dizzyLu72]

I wrote a letter to Jacob's owner.. It was for a different purpose though - I was wanting to learn more about him since he was a bounce and I wasn't sure where info may have been lost changing hands. I included my email and phone number - he called me 2 days later and was very nice about the whole situation.

 

 

Good luck...I hope it works out for you.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

You got good advice. Most owners are happy to hear their hounds are, or will be, wanted and have good forever homes.

[Guest owenkennels]

I would love for someone to call me and want to preadopt one of my dogs. I think most people do. That being said who is it? Pm me the name if you want. Maybe I know them. Hope all goes well

[krissy]

I would love for someone to call me and want to preadopt one of my dogs. I think most people do. That being said who is it? Pm me the name if you want. Maybe I know them. Hope all goes well

 

I tried to PM you but I think maybe your inbox is full? Says you can't receive any new messages.

[Guest Blitzkrieg]

ive called 4 owners- 3 where great to deal with (Alan Piper, Harlyn Goebels and Green Smith).

1 brushed me off and told me to call SL's adoption center MSGAO which also brushed me off. (that was Ryan Farms).

ive also tried calling several time about one of Kirk Harlans hounds at Bluffs, but i can never get through.

[Guest RedTigerJazz]

Who is the owner? Maybe one of us on here knows him/her.

 

~Lisa~

[krissy]

Who is the owner? Maybe one of us on here knows him/her.

 

~Lisa~

 

Jeff Blair.

[Laur]

I wrote to the race/owners of two of my puppers.

I said who I was and the name of the dog I adopted, through which program and the name of my local group, my location etc.

I bragged up my pupper, briefly spoke about their life now, and how much they meant to me.

I added I thought they might like to know.

 

I recieved wonderful notes back.

One sent two 'baby pics' of my houndie with his 2 littermates when they were 6 months old and some details of his racing life.

The other note spoke about how GLAD they were to hear how she landed in retirement and sent a cheque to cover the blue slip paper.

 

Both notes touched me greatly.

[mychip1]

You got good advice. Most owners are happy to hear their hounds are, or will be, wanted and have good forever homes.

 

 

I dropped an email to JJ's owners when I adopted him asking if they had a pup picture (which she did not), but she emailed me back within a day, commented that she remembered him specifically - and describe his personality to a tee (I guess he was always like this... ). She actually was happy to hear that he was placed....

[RedHead]

Wow, I have always wanted to write to Teague's owners to get info, but I figured they probably had so many dogs and wouldn't really care. He was owned by an "inc." company, so I figured they wouldn't even remember him. It is nice to hear so many stories about owners taking the time to write and/or call.

Edited March 20, 2012 by RedHead

[dmdsmoxie]

Wow, I have always wanted to write to Teague's owners to get info, but I figured they probably had so many dogs and wouldn't really care. He was owned by an "inc." company, so I figured they wouldn't even remember him. It is nice to hear so many stories about owners taking the time to write and/or call.

 

If you don't write you will never know.

 

Many trainers, even 3,4,5 years after your dog left and hundreds of dogs have been in the kennel since, will remember your dog and some of them can even tell you which crate he/she was in.

 

Dick

[tornadosgirl]

I keep in touch with Finn's former owners. I have their phone number, but I usually email

them every month or so. They LOVE to hear about him and about our other grey, too.

You should call.

[snowjay]

I wrote to Cody's owner and it ended up with me adopting his mom, Pretty.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

I would say a phone call would be better then a letter.

That way you can chat away and ask all the questions you want.

 

Most of the time, dog owners/farmers/trainers/kennel people are pretty chatty when it comes to the dogs.

When I have to call a farmer I normally set aside at least 30 min. But then again I love to chat

 

I can tell you personally, I love getting emails, phone calls or letters from adopters who either own a pup that ran in our kennel or a pup that we owned.

I still chat with folks who adopted a few dogs out of a kennel I worked for 15 years ago

[GreytNut]

When I sent the blue slip to Argus's racing owner and didn't get it back after a couple of weeks, I decided to call... just once, didn't want to be a pest. Turned out the blue slip was sitting on her desk and she'd just forgotten it. She found it and said, "Ah, yes, Gable Republic. I remember him. I always knew he'd make a good pet." (She didn't need to add, Because he was a lousy racer!)

 

I sent a letter and photos to Raven's racing owner and got the blue slip back but no note. I hope they appreciated hearing that she got a home and was loved, but I suspect they were simply too busy to write back. I didn't take it personally.

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

I sent Mojo's blue papers to his owner and got a nice note back very quickly, but he didn't know much about Mojo. He told me that he was a kennel fav and which kennel he was with. I emailed them, but never received a response. When I sent the letter, I just gave a little background on how Mojo was doing and what a wonderful hound he is. One thing I read somewhere (probably here) is to never say that you 'rescued' the dog since that implies the dog needed rescuing. No need to start out on the wrong foot.

[greytpups]

i sent a note to Ben's owner, Karen Ferrell, with lots of pics I had taken of him telling her how much he was loved and what a greyt pet he was...no response. I was a little disappointed. I haven't tried to contact Brooke's owner, but I'd want to know why he sent her to JCKC.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Sometimes dogs get sent there without the owner's immediate knowledge or permission. I know at least one case where that happened!

[Guest starbuck]

I sent a letter to Starbuck's owner (Robert Hardison) two weeks ago and I still haven't heard anything. I'd call, but the NGA didn't release the owner's number. Still, I wrote up a nice form letter with all of my contact information and made sure that I enclosed a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). If anyone's interested in a copy of the letter that they can fill in themselves with their own info, let me know and I'll be happy to send one.

 

(I do sort of wish I'd thought to enclose a photo, though.)

[Maddiesmom]

I sent a note to Maddie's owner- James Douglas- along with the blue slip (and a self address envelope to make it easier for him) probably a year after I got her. In my letter I told him how much I loved having her in my life and that that she had SA because that she missed her kennel mates (as she is an only dog) and that she is a therapy dog. and I also asked how she got the racing Name "Doobiesurus." and why she retired and advised how I came up with her pet name "Madaket" aka Maddie. and what a great greyhound he raised. (My Dad LOVES to walk Maddie as she is so well behaved on the leash compared to my brother's golden doodle)

 

He wrote back that he was glad to hear she was in a great home, and that "SHE decided it was time to retire". He was happy to hear that she was a TD as his mother lives with them and he knows how much the dogs mean to her and give to her.. He advised that Doobie was a nickname for their son and that they "tagged that litter with saurus" I included some photos as well. I send them a Christmas card every year with a brief what has happened that year in our (I mean Maddie's life) We don't get anything in return and I don't expect to as they are running a business. and I just got photos made of Maddie and her brother "Johnasurus" (k/n/a Polo) taken at MH last year.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Maddiesmom

[greytpups]

I sent a note to Maddie's owner- James Douglas- along with the blue slip (and a self address envelope to make it easier for him) probably a year after I got her. In my letter I told him how much I loved having her in my life and that that she had SA because that she missed her kennel mates (as she is an only dog) and that she is a therapy dog. and I also asked how she got the racing Name "Doobiesurus." and why she retired and advised how I came up with her pet name "Madaket" aka Maddie. and what a great greyhound he raised. (My Dad LOVES to walk Maddie as she is so well behaved on the leash compared to my brother's golden doodle)

 

He wrote back that he was glad to hear she was in a great home, and that "SHE decided it was time to retire". He was happy to hear that she was a TD as his mother lives with them and he knows how much the dogs mean to her and give to her.. He advised that Doobie was a nickname for their son and that they "tagged that litter with saurus" I included some photos as well. I send them a Christmas card every year with a brief what has happened that year in our (I mean Maddie's life) We don't get anything in return and I don't expect to as they are running a business. and I just got photos made of Maddie and her brother "Johnasurus" (k/n/a Polo) taken at MH last year.

 

Darn, I have to admit I secretly hoped Ben and Maddie were littlemates. I always thought Doobiesurus was a nickname. Ben was born on May 5, 2002 and his racing weight was 64 lbs. same as Maddie. Other than that no other similarities except they both raced in FL. Unlike Maddie, Ben is very laid back ; he's not quite as silly