Feature by Karissa Clark

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Features | Send mail to The Voice Greyhounds Find Homes After Retiring From Racing These two greyhounds belong to Carolyn Reeves. "One is never enough," she said. - Carolyn Reeves, photo Twenty sleek bodies race around the track, speeding along, low to the ground. Their goal: a fake rabbit set on the inside of the course. With their pointed bodies and long legs, these greyhounds were bred for racing. However, after four or five years of this kind of wear, they lose their focus and conditioning. When the dogs are retired from the track, greyhound enthusiasts such as Jessamine Van Hook are waiting to take them home. Ms. Van Hook said, "I knew about [greyhound adoption] since I've been going to the Portland dog show when I was little. Now that I'm finally done with school, I can have my own place and my own dog." Ms. Van Hook, who started pursuing the adoption process in June, 2004, teaches eighth grade during the school year. "It's so good," Cindy Muller, a volunteer with Greyhound Pets of America, said during the home, visit. "She's a teacher; so she [had] the summer planned to have plenty of time to bond with her greyhound." Ms. Van Hook visited the Multnomah Greyhound Park during one of the adoption days. After filling out paperwork and interacting with several of the greyhounds, Ms. Muller set up a date for a home visit. Like social workers, volunteers with Greyhound Pets of America want to actually see the home and the situation where the dog will be living. At the home visit, Ms. Muller told Ms. Van Hook specifics on how to care for her greyhound, from brushing it and doing its nails to getting its teeth cleaned every month. Ms. Van Hook also had to exhibit knowledge on how to walk the greyhounds and handle them outside. Ms. Muller inspected the apartment and pointed out dangerous places for the greyhound such as the door. Within a week, Ms. Van Hook was able to pick up her new greyhound, Burger King, from the kennels for $175. The Greyhound Pets of America Northwest chapter provided a collar, leash and King's practice muzzle from the track. Renamed Romeo, Van Hook's greyhound found adjusting to his new life a challenge. Greyhounds' lives have changed dramatically over the past centuries. Originally, they were used for hunting. Now tracks such as the Multnomah Greyhound Park in Gresham offer the greyhound races for gambling and entertainment. Because the greyhounds are only able to race for a few years, the dogs go up for adoption when they retire. The Northwest chapter of Greyhound Pets of America is the top-rated greyhound retirement program in the United States, with a 100 percent adoption rate. Greyhounds stay in the kennels, cared for by the track, until suitable homes are found for them. Mrs. Muller places the greyhounds into homes after a home inspection. "I've only had three out of 52 dogs returned that I placed," Muller said. The entire chapter is nonprofit and run by volunteers. "We have about 200 names on a list but mostly a core of 50 people," Carolyn Reeves, an organizer for the Greyhound Pets of America Northwest chapter, said. At the kennels in Gresham, volunteers walk the dogs three Saturdays a month. After their years of racing, retired greyhounds enjoy sleeping most of the day, but also look forward to their walks. "He has an amazing memory for where he saw a cat or a squirrel run," Ms. Van Hook said. "He loves to see people. From half a football field away, he will wag his tail as if to say, 'can we go see them?'" Good with children as well as with other dogs, Romeo likes to chase cats. On Fridays, Romeo accompanies Van Hook to school. "He loves Fridays," she said. "He loves being with people. Students always ask me if I'm feeding him enough, though. They notice that he has very little hair, and he's very bony with muscle." "They are a lot of responsibility," Mrs. Reeves said. "They like to be with their people." Greyhounds do best with a steady routine and extensive personal attention. "They need to go with you everywhere," Mrs. Reeves said. "I've traveled to Utah twice with them, and I'd rather travel with them than with people!" Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Cover Stories | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2004 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.