Adopting a Greyhound: Life in the Fast Lane Can Be Downright Slow

Yesterday afternoon, I had another opportunity to hang at the Maine Greyhound Placement Service - this time to get some photos and video footage of their beautiful charges. When I was there last, the Canine Carnival had everyone hopping; this time, I had an opportunity to speak at length with Jess, a vet tech who interned with MGPS before recently coming on board as an official member of the organization. Since we're just finishing out the week spotlighting Maine Greyhound Placement's excellent work, this seemed a prime opportunity to share a few of the things I learned.

(1) Greyhounds require little exercise, preferring instead to spend the bulk of their time lounging. "They make great apartment dogs," Jess informed me. "They'll have bursts of energy when you first take them out, but they're okay with short walks everyday. The rest of the time, they'd rather just hang out on the couch."

(2) Unlike many big dogs, hip dysplasia is all but unheard of in greyhounds. Because of the way they are raised as pups - running in a straight line on the track, to prepare them for their racing future, - their hips form correctly and maintain good alignment throughout the course of their lives,

(3) Greyhounds live an average of twelve to fourteen years, giving them one of the longest life spans of any mid- to large- sized dog,

(4) Health problems for greyhounds are minimal, though their dental care is an issue and, like many large-breed dogs, they do have a higher risk of bone cancer than smaller dogs,

and...

(5) Another reason Greyhounds make great apartment dogs? They shed very little, and barking is a rarity.

So, if you're looking for a companion dog who's great with family and relatively low-maintenance, consider a great Grey. Need another reason to take one home? Check out Coda, a two-year-old Greyhound currently in residence at Maine Greyhound Placement, in action:

Rescue ME Monday: Maine Greyhound Placement Service

Each week at the Dogged Writer website, I'll be featuring a different animal rescue or animal welfare organization around the state of Maine. This week, I visited the Canine Carnival, held by the Maine Greyhound Placement Service on their 13-acre farm.

Though saddled with a spine-tingling history and allegedly haunted even now, the home of Maine Greyhound Placement Services is an unmistakably pleasant place to visit these days. MGPS is centrally located on a thirteen-acre farm in Augusta that is renowned throughout the state as the site of one of the bloodiest murders in Maine history (see the Haunted Hounds sidebar on the Rescue ME page for more details on the farm's history).

Today, however, the old farm has been infused with new life. Maine Greyhound Placement Services bought the place in 2003. Since that time, volunteers have been hard at work putting up fencing, creating large exercise pens, and renovating the old barn to make it habitable for the rescued greyhounds that MGPS pays to have shipped here from around the country, once the dogs are retired from the racing circuit. The rescue runs a gift shop (Tally Ho Gifts) from the barn, as well as a boarding facility to raise money to keep the extensive operation running. This past year, a major goal was realized when MGPS completed construction on their very own, on-site veterinary clinic, in order to take care of day-to-day medical needs and larger procedures like spaying and neutering for their charges.

On Saturday, October 2nd, MGPS opened their doors to the public for the Canine Carnival, a day-long event that volunteers hope will become an annual fundraiser. Agility and rally demonstrations, kennel tours, vendors, and a raffle were all offered under sunny skies and cool fall temperatures. As the day progressed, I had an opportunity to speak with volunteers and greyhound enthusiasts alike, to learn more about these long-legged, doe-eyed beauties.

One of the volunteers I spoke with at length was Norman Leclair and his dog Lewy, who used to race under the name PC Triple Cash. Lewy is now a therapy dog who spends a good portion of his week at area nursing homes, doing in-home visits for shut ins, and then typically does his part for his fellow greyhounds at Petco on Saturdays by wearing the MGPS red vest to raise money and awareness for the cause. Leclair is a white-haired gentleman with sparkling eyes and a deep laugh, who had no problem opening up to me about his history with, and love for, the breed. As games, activities, and chatter buzzed around us, Leclair told me that he'd known Lewy was meant for him because the dog arrived on his son's birthday - a son he had lost when the boy was only twenty-one.

"I knew as soon as I saw him that Lewy was sent to me from somebody pretty special," Leclair tells me. He smiles at the dog, lying peacefully at his feet while we chat. "People say all the time how lucky Lewy is that I saved him, but I didn't save him. He saved me."

Check out the new feature on the website, Rescue ME, for the full story on Maine Greyhound Placement Service, plus links, photos, and interviews.