What a wonderful experience I had at the annual “Gathering of the Greys” also called the Greyhound Picnic, at the Nittany Greyhounds facility outside of State College! I learned several months ago that a bunch of greyhounds is called a Brace. I’m not sure how many folks attended but I know over 100 had signed up to come…most with their dogs!
I thought I had some idea of what to expect because I had hugged quite a few greyhounds over the years as I made coats for them. But one at a time was nothing compared to more than 75 dogs (all on leashes of course) at a gathering. It was amazing!
As they arrived a few at a time with their special humans, their calm personalities showed how well they fit in, in a variety of settings…waiting in lines, standing beside their humans as folks caught up with friends they hadn’t seen for a long time. The dogs checked each other out of course, but no barking or growls were heard. A few had muzzles on for general safety but I didn’t observe any issues among the crowd. I suspect any dogs that were uncomfortable in large groups might have stayed home.
Folks came with chairs, mats for the dogs and a casserole to share for lunch. Nittany Greyhounds provided the meat, drinks and a huge cake! It felt like any normal gathering of people at the beach…except each human had one or more dogs beside them. The field had some shade so of course folks set up their chairs and mats for the dogs in the shade.
I felt welcomed by owners and dogs alike. All owners were delighted with my interest in their companions. Any dog I put my hands on leaned into my touch and let me give them a scratch.
About noon everyone was encouraged to gather together around Bob Koch, the president of Nittany Greyhounds, for announcements and a prayer. At the end, one energetic person (who remains unidentified) let out a howl of, “ROOOO”. All the dogs responded with their unique sound of “ROOOOO”. It was wondrous!
Over the next hour or so folks went through the buffet line and enjoyed lunch with friends. A huge delicious cake was shared by all.
One event that I was not able to watch was the timed runs. The participating dogs were timed as they ran, one at a time, a 60-foot course. I had read that a greyhound could hit over 40 mph in just 6 strides. The fastest dog on this course was timed at 34 mph! Amazing! I had to chuckle when Toni shared that the slowest dog was just 16 mph…because he stopped to pee! Too funny!
Of course, the reason I was at this gathering in the first place was to share the products we had developed to help with specific greyhound issues…a healing salve for their paws, a healing soap for their sensitive skin and a bug repellent to keep the fleas and ticks away. (See my post from August 5, 2021 for more about the products…Greyhounds Still in my Heart.)
Feedback was generally positive with quite a few folks using the bug repellent spray on their dogs and the salve on various sores evident on their noses and skin. The soap was hard to test, but no one really requested to test it. A few did buy it anyway.
Once they realized they would be able to purchase the product at Nittany Greyhound’s store on Etsy, many decided to wait to order them when they got home. I could see why. Being a vendor at this event was certainly different from any other conference I had attended. All of the participants who stopped to look at stuff had at least one moving dog on a leash beside them while they tried to ask questions.
I did hear many great stories about the needs of the dogs, but trying to put a salve on the dogs’ paws while they were standing on the grass was out of the question. The Bug Repellent was easy to spray but they did not have an extra hand to rub it onto the dog’s fur. Everyone did comment that the spray smelled good and were glad to give it a try since they were going to be sitting around in the grassy field.
So, while we did not sell a lot of our products, I learned a lot about trying to be a vendor when each interested human had their hands full with one or more dogs moving around them.
Nittany Greyhounds is a dedicated group of greyhound owners that have the well-being of their dogs in mind as they deal with issues common to all dogs, and many issues specific to the breed. Marketing to this group will need to be creative and supported by word-of-mouth advertising. The internet Facebook group and Etsy store will be instrumental in getting the word out.
Thank you, Nittany Greyhounds, for letting me share a day with this “Brace” of greyhounds. It was wonderful!
Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net. Enjoy!
Nice work Mary!