Greyhounds in Gettysburg Conference

I just spent the last four days in the company of wonderful greyhound owners, beautiful dogs and dedicated volunteers at the Greyhounds in Gettysburg conference! Just wanted to say, “Thank You” to all for making me feel welcome!

I was attending the conference to share our Hound Care products that will be sold through Nittany Greyhounds eventually. Our three products, that you may have learned about on this website, include a salve for the dog’s paws; a soothing aloe vera shampoo bar; and a natural bug repellent. You can read about the products under the Greyhound category on my Welcome Page or you can find an overview of the products at https://marykisner.com/greyhounds-still-in-my-heart/.

I’d like to give you an overview…from my perspective…of the conference. I was not able to see or participate in all of it, because I was a vendor for the products, so I felt I should interact with folks that came my way and were interested in these products. However, since I did not have a dog with me (like many vendors did) I also did not participate in their outdoor activities or attend the various sessions that were focused on issues of interest to dog owners. I’m sure Nittany Greyhounds will post some summaries of these activities.

Events

A few of the events I did attend was the parade and picnic at a nearby Outlet Mall on the first day. I’m always amazed how well-behaved a large group of greyhounds can be. It was a beautiful day and owners and dogs had a chance to catch up with friends. Here are a few pictures:

Another event that was fun for owners and dogs was a Mexican-themed buffet and party. A band provided great music while we ate. I had a dog on the floor beside me, and another across the table. That one made me laugh! I’ll bet he thought if he stayed real still on the matching black tablecloth we might not notice his interest in the plates of food nearby! So cute!

Costume Contest

On Saturday, there was a costume contest. Owners and dogs that participated were dressed up and paraded around the Event Center. I got drafted to be a judge! Here are a few of the entries…with explanations as necessary:

Vendors

There were about 58 vendors at this conference. The focus for all of them was the greyhounds. Folks that could bake, sew, knit, craft with wood, take photographs, make jewelry, design t-shirts, etc. all geared their products to this audience. There was even an artist that worked with a 3D printer to make small statues customized to a specific dog. An amazing collection of crafts, products and services for the greyhounds and owners. Here are just a few pictures…there were so many I could make a scrapbook!

My display was positioned right in front of the various fences that were used by Nittany’s volunteers for their own dogs. I felt like I was overseeing a Doggy Day Care. It was great! These well-behaved dogs slept most of the time. Their owners were all wearing bright orange t-shirts, so if the dogs saw one going by they checked to see if it was their “person.” If not, they went back to sleep.

They were an attraction to visitors and dogs walking by…all wanted to know if they were available for adoption (absolutely not!). All visitors were greeted warmly and eagerly awaited a pat on the head.

Finally, one of the last dogs I saw was this one…kind of shocking! Apparently, the owner is a groomer and wanted to attract attention! I guess it worked, but I’m not sure how this full-size pink poodle fit into the conference! Go figure!

Guess I’d rather remember this family of greyhounds!

A very special weekend for me surrounded by greyhounds!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.