Introduction

Hi my name is Julie Costello and I live in South Jersey. I have passion for many things, shoes, Ben & Jerry's, Heineken, my family and anything fuzzy and furry with 4 paws. To date, my pack includes a big boned, lazy cat (Lou), 2 needy greyhounds (Gina & Gabby), a self sufficient 11 months old baby (our 1st - Anthony) and a wonderful, supportive husband (Frank).

This blog was created by a nice gentleman, Steve, who wanted to help facilitate spreading the word about the plight of the galgo or Spanish Greyhound. Bringing glagos back the the USA is a beautiful feat, however, this alone will not solve the problem in Spain. Educating the public and raising awareness are the first steps towards the solution. I am lucky enough to be part of both, thanks to Steve creating this blog.... you see I am going to Spain and from this day forward I will be keeping a diary of my journey. Hopefully many of those who read it will pass it along in hopes to educate one more person about the devastation that is happening to the galgos in Spain.

My journey begins now.

Tonight is Sunday November 16th and I am leaving for Media Del Campo, Spain this Saturday, 11/22/08. I will be traveling with a wonderful gal from Virginia. We will return to US soil (good old JFK airport) on December 2nd. On our return trip I will have two foster galgos with me. Raspa who is heading to a foster home in update NY and my foster, name TBD. Sounds easy, right...??

I think so, however, at this point, I am an emotional basket case. I leave in less than a week and I do not even have my site cases out of the attic! I have started various shopping lists but need a list to remind me where my latest and greatest list is! Our foyer is overflowing with donations and our girls are going crazy trying to get to all the goodies. GAA www.greyhoundangelsadoption.com had their Holiday Shop this weekend and, as usual it was a huge success. Not only in terms of stuff for the kennel but for donations for the galgos as well. There were bags and bags of items: medications, preventative, coats, leashes, stuffies, first aid supplies, collars, money... it was truly amazing to me how supportive people can be in the time of need. In addition to those donations, I've received additional items all the way from Florida to Colorado. It just blows my mind. One kind soul included some euros and map of Spain! I told her it would be my honor to pass it along to the next person I meet fortunate enough to volunteer in Spain. I know this experience will change me forever.

So here I sit with a laundry list a mile long of things to do and I'm "playing on the computer" per my husband *lol* I tried to explain what a blog spot was and he's not getting it. I think by Wednesday after he sees each entry he will get the gist and change his tune.

Tomorrow's goal (Monday 11/17/08) --- cart my grandmom around to the hairdresser, bank and wherever she tells me, pick-up my muck boots at Zane's Western Apparel, get some Carhartt socks and thermals, look for handwarmers, buy a birthday gift for the father-in-law and stop at the in-laws to borrow their bathroom scale---need to preweigh everything so I know I am at 50lbs per suitcase. Oh yeah, then make turkey and stuffing with the trimmings so I can have a pseudo Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and in-laws before I leave. On that note... I better get off to bed. Finally.