Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 18, 1993 TAG: 9307180225
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By NANCY SHULINS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Yet they have many other virtues, as thousands of Americans are discovering. Sensitive, smart and docile, they also make excellent pets. Thousands are available for adoption through dog tracks and rescue organizations across the country. Most are between 2 and 4 years old, and are available at nominal fees.
Like many people, Walter "Skip" Crane of Westport, Conn., always had thought of them as high-strung, hyper dogs requiring lots of exercise. Then he adopted Lady from a Plainfield, Conn., track.
Now he calls them "the most mellow of dogs." They're also among the most adaptable. Equally content in the city or the suburbs, some even co-exist with rabbits and cats. Another bonus: Greyhounds hardly shed. Crane was so pleased he went back for a second greyhound.
Retired racers do require special handling. Most have never seen stairs, mirrors or glass doors and need help getting acclimated. And they need to be leashed unless they're behind fences, because greyhounds are almost impossible to catch.
Because they have so little body fat, they're also sensitive to cold and heat and belong indoors except during playtime. Norwalk, Conn., veterinarian John Stramaglia dresses Faustus, his greyhound, in a hooded sweat shirt whenever the temperature dips below freezing. "He looks like a rapper," he says.
At 79 pounds, Faustus is big. Stramaglia's house is small. "But you get no sense of there being a big dog in the house," he says. "I've not had to change my living situation at all to accommodate him."
Greyhounds are available for adoption through the following organizations:
\ Susan Netboy
Greyhound Friends for Life
5 Ranch Road
Woodside, Calif. 94062
415-851-7812
\ Helen Banks
Second Chance for Greyhounds
10826 Dean St.
Bonita Springs, Fla. 33923
813-947-2365
\ Sally Allen
USA D.O.G.
P.O. Box 111
Camby, Ind. 46113-0111
317-244-0113
\ Cynthia Branigan
Make Peace With Animals Inc.
P.O. Box 488
New Hope, Pa. 18938
215-862-0605
\ Jacquie Schnepf
Regap of Waterloo
All Pets Animal Clinic
3257 W. Fourth St.
Waterloo, Iowa 50701
319-235-0842
\ Ann Tepper
Buffalo Greyhound Adoption
Rural Route 2, Box 95A
Hinsdale, N.H. 03451
603-336-5997
by CNB