Fast Friends: Breeders and rescuers race
to find homes for greyhounds

By Liz Balmaseda
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
© 2009 Palm Beach Post
Monday, April 20, 2009

Those who love and adopt greyhounds are quick to reveal the big, badly kept secret:

The greyhound, they say, is the 45-mile-an-hour couch potato of the dog world.

While it is speed on a track that cast this breed as a race dog, it is the race- track life that has spawned active adoption and rescue groups in South Florida and a greyhound-loving subculture in Palm Beach County.

It is a diverse subset with conflicting views on the greyhound-racing industry. But as National Greyhound Adoption Month reaches the final stretch of April, greyhound devotees can agree on at least one thing: These regal pooches make wonderful pets.

"They're very loving, very loyal, extremely thankful," says Sonia Stratemann, who runs Elite Greyhound Adoptions from her Loxahatchee farm. "They're social, and most of them are awesome with kids."

Her own 10 greyhounds share the family farm with eight horses, two cats, two cockatoos and a bunny.

"They're great with other animals. They're very adaptable. Most of the time, they can fit your lifestyle," says Stratemann.

Another local greyhound expert agrees.

"It takes them about two weeks to get oriented into a home. Usually, they've never been in a home before," says Alice Borchert, CEO of the Greyhound Adoption League of South Florida.

Like other local greyhound adoption groups, her 11-year-old agency re-homes racetrack dogs from local racing kennels. She says she finds many misconceptions about greyhounds among prospective adopters.

"Some people think they're vicious because they've seen them in muzzles at the track. But it's not true. They're gentle, gentle dogs. They don't have a vicious bone in their bodies," says Borchert. "If you're looking for a watch dog, you've got the wrong animal. Just about all they'll do is wag their tails."

Granted, it can be one mighty tail.

"When we do our home visits, we tell people to be careful about what they leave on their coffee tables. Candy dishes, forget it. When a greyhound wags his tail, everything flies off the table," says Borchert, who used to race greyhounds at the Palm Beach Kennel Club before she and her husband launched their adoption effort. To now, she's found homes for 425 greyhounds.

Wagging tail aside, these are not hyperactive dogs, say local adoption folks.

"They do need to be on a leash while outside on the street, though," says Stratemann of Elite.

That's because greyhounds are sighthounds, dogs that hunt not by scent but by sight and motion, prone to chase quickly moving objects.

That is not to say retired greyhounds are ready to race 24/7. "They're sprinters, not endurance dogs. They don't have that energy all day long," says Stratemann. "They go for about 30 seconds and then they're done, completely done. It's easy enough to give them the exercise they need by simply walking them."

Which brings us to another greyhound misconception, that they belong only with young, active owners. Local adoption experts say the dogs are equally at home with children as they are with retirees — it all depends on the temperament of the dog and the home setting.

Neat freaks may love the fact that greyhounds are considered to be extremely clean dogs, and nearly hypoallergenic.

"You don't have to bathe them too frequently," says Barbara Masi, president of the Florida Southeast Coast chapter of Greyhound Pets of America. "And they're very quiet dogs. They don't tend to bark too much."

Tall and elegant and weighing anywhere between 55 and 80 pounds, the greyhound is surprisingly hardy for its size, not prone to hip dysplasia as are some larger dogs. But it is their lean structure and fine coat that makes them more sensitive to cold, insecticide and even some anesthetics. Owners are encouraged to provide warm, cushiony beds for their greyhound companions.

If greyhounds are built to be treated like royalty it's probably because they were considered royalty once upon a time. A venerable breed, the greyhound was worshiped by the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt.

The breed traveled to ancient Greece and Rome, where they were equally revered and, it seems, raced for the first time. Centuries later, they were bred for coursing, the pursuit of quickly moving game prey, by the British.

Today's greyhound lovers find themselves sharing the fascination of the ancient noblemen, the Renaissance painters and the great English writers for the stately greyhound.

"They're really happy dogs," says Stratemann. "They spend every day just trying to please us."

5 reasons there's nothing grey about a greyhound!

Greyhounds are lean, sleek dogs with thin coats. Their low percentage of body fat can make them sensitive to cold and high heat. For this reason, they love sweaters in the winter and comfy, well-cushioned beds. Indoors, please.

Their thin coats often make them a good match for people with allergies. The coats also make them low-maintenance pets when it comes to grooming. In fact, they should not be bathed too often to allow natural oils to keep their coats luminous.

Greyhounds need about as much exercise as any large-breed dog, which means daily, on-leash walks.

Greyhounds are not gray. But there are some 'blue' greyhounds with a deep silvery coat.

Dogs that are bred to run professionally are often raced from the time they're 18 months old to about 4 years of age.