Hello neighbors, By now many of you have seen/met my husband, Sam, and myself and our two greyhounds, Paws and Pucker (and our mutt, Buzz). We've been core volunteers for *Steel City Greyhounds (SCG)*, a non-profit that places retired racing greyhounds into homes, for almost four years now (basically since we moved to Pittsburgh). We do meet-n-greets (Petco, Moochie & Co.), the Home and Garden Show (right around the corner!), Hounds on the Town (Shadyside), bath-a-thons (my personal record is 38 dogs in three hours), parades and we're a marathon charity and cheer-a-thon team (more on that below!). Needless to say we love every second of it. If you've ever spent five minutes with a greyhound, you know why we're so passionate about what we do! Their sweetness is overwhelming ;^) During our time as volunteers, we've literally helped hundreds of retired racers find homes, and SCG as an organization has placed over 600 dogs in the last 10 years. We're up to eight this year already, which is basically one a week - this is great number for us! We are 100% volunteer and no one gets paid a penny for what we do - all funds we raise go DIRECTLY to the dogs. SCG has TWO exciting events coming up that I would like to share with you, and both will help our organization raise vital funds that we use to bring the dogs to Pittsburgh (we do an eight-hour round-trip drive to the Tri-State Track in Charleston, WV to get the dogs), house them, feed them, spay/neuter them, give them a vet check and any medications they may need at the time they arrive. And I will tell you - quite a few of the dogs are not in the best shape when they first come to us (although they always turn around wonderfully)... *Friday, March 22, 6-9 p.m.: Photography exhibit at the 3G Gallery in downtown Pittsburgh* We are so excited to announce that *local photographer Harry Giglio *( http://www.harrygiglio.com/)* *volunteered his time to take some BEAUTIFUL photos of SCG dogs (Paws and Pucker included!). He did two sessions and his artwork will be on display and for sale at the *3G Gallery *as stated above. Here is a photo of Paws!: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=406924836047207&set=pb.131593003580393.-2207520000.1361822963&type=3&theater After learning about racing greyhounds and groups like SCG, Harry thought he could use his skills to help and we are so thankful. The photos will be large prints, matted and framed (and yes, they will be priced at the level of fine art) and Harry is generously donating 20% of all sales to our group. In addition, he'll be holding a raffle and will give 100% (!!!) of those funds to SCG. So, even if you can't afford a photo, you could come for a fun night out, see his amazing work and give $5, $10 or $20 in raffle tickets and maybe walk out with a photo as a bonus ;^) The poster for this event is attached and more details about RSVPing and location are noted there. Feel free to email or print the poster and distribute it as you see fit. * * *Pittsburgh Marathon Charity* For the FOURTH year in a row, SCG is a *Pittsburgh marathon charity team*and we're the reigning champs for *BEST cheer-a-thon team* in the second half of the course for THREE consecutive years! You really can't beat a bunch of sweet dogs to pet and people yelling at you like crazy at mile 18... And we'll be back this year! In order to be a marathon charity, we need to have at least 30 runners and raise at least $15,000 (yeah, it's a lot). So, there are a couple of options here: 1) If you want to *run in the marathon* in any capacity (5k, half- or full), you MUST designate a charity to run through, as the general registration for the marathon is now closed. We would be delighted if you chose us. Our fundraising requirement is generally $250/runner, but I can provide more details as needed. You get a goody bag, which includes a nice long-sleeved, wicking shirt (see "SCG Performance Running long sleeve black shirt" here: http://www.steelcitygreyhounds.org/store.htm), some organized team runs and a team dinner at Pino's for running with us (above and beyond the joy you've given the greyhounds, of course). 2) If you're not up for running, you can* donate to SCG *(which you can actually do at any time, but right now it will go directly toward meeting our marathon fundraising goal) securely through PayPal on the SCG website: http://www.steelcitygreyhounds.org/OurDogs.htm ("Donate" button is along left side of page). SO, now that I've finished my novel, if you have ANY questions about the events above OR about adopting a greyhound OR volunteering for our group in general, don't hesitate to email me. Thank you for all of the interest you, as a neighborhood, have shown in our dogs and we hope to see you at the gallery, or cheer for you at mile 18 or both! Meg N. St. Clair Street