When Marjo and Melanie Roth lost their beloved German shepherd mix, Topaz, in 1996 to kidney disease, life changed drastically. Grieving the loss of Topaz, Marjo could not muster even a short walk without her canine friend and withdrew. Months went by when she finally asked a neighbour, the owner of a greyhound, if she could walk his dog. Marjo and "April" became fast friends and a bond developed over the year that they took their walks. It was then that Marjo knew she was ready to share her life with a dog again, and it was a greyhound she wanted to adopt. After researching the breed and speaking to numerous rescue groups, Shane became a part of the Roth family in 1997. Shane, a female retired racing greyhound from West Virginia, had spent three weeks in a foster home where she was evaluated on her compatibility with cats and other animals, introduced to stairs and house-training concepts. The Roths kept in touch with Shane's foster family and offered to help the group. Soon after that offer, the Roths were trained and charged with conducting home visits of potential greyhound adopters in the Toronto area. They spent several nights a week educating and providing potential adopters with resource material. Four years later, the Roths became two of the eight founding members of Greyhounds in Need of Adoption (GINA). GINA is a volunteer organization committed to the preservation of the retired racing Greyhound and dedicated to placing these dogs in responsible homes. Their goal is to expand public awareness to the qualities of these dogs and their transition into loving pets. GINA is run completely by volunteers and makes a conscience effort to match the retired racer with the best possible prospective adopter.
In order to continue their life-saving work and attempt to cover expenses the adoption fee for a retired greyhound is $400.00. This fee includes vaccines, worming, heartworm testing, spaying/neutering, teeth cleaning and tick testing. A leash and collar with I.D. tag are also provided.
To date, the small group have found homes for 31 retired greyhounds and offer the following information to anyone interested in sharing their life with a retired racing greyhound.
Greyhounds as Pets
· Greyhounds must be considered housedogs. They are comfortable where you are comfortable, in a heated or air-conditioned home. Greyhounds have delicate skin, a fine coat and lack body fat. They prefer a soft dog bed or comforter to lie on. They are quiet and cat-like in the house and despite their size take up very little room.
· Greyhounds are sight-hounds. This means that they hunt by sight. They could see a leaf, a tissue or a squirrel a half a mile away and accelerate to 40 mph in just a few short strides, and will only focus on whatever they have sighted. For this reason, they must always be on a leash unless in a secure fenced in area. Obedience lessons will not override 8000 years of instinct. Greyhounds are second only to the Cheetah in speed.
· Greyhounds are crate trained. While at the track they spend much of their time in crates. This practice is continued in the foster home with appropriate time frames. The crate offers the retired racer a familiar rest area and anyone wishing to adopt is required to provide one.
· Greyhounds have lived their entire lives with other dogs, and one of the biggest adjustments they have to make is becoming an "only child". Since they may initially suffer from separation anxiety, GINA suggests that people leave a radio or TV on when they go out and remind them to utilize the crate while they adapt to the change of environment.
· Not all greyhounds are good with cats or small animals. Some greyhounds are considered "keen" or "high prey". GINA evaluates each dog and assesses him or her with cats. Any dog that is chosen for a home with cats will have lived with a cat in a foster home and been thoroughly tested.
· Greyhounds typically have a very gentle nature, but they have never lived with small children. Children and dogs must always be under parental supervision. GINA will only place a dog with small children if the dog has lived in a foster home with small children.
· Greyhounds are not watchdogs. They are social by nature and most of them will not even bark when someone rings the doorbell.
· Greyhounds brought into GINA's rescue program range in age from 2 to 5 years and their life span is from 12 to 14 years.
· Retired racing greyhounds have not had experience or access to stairs and need to be housetrained. Marjo says, "If you think in terms of teaching a puppy new life situations and be patient, positive and directional the greyhound will learn very quickly. We never recommend using force or negative methods".
Wish list:
Foster and adoptive families
New members
Blankets and comforters
Food/pet toothpaste
Crates (dimensions must be 2ft. X 3f. X4ft.)
Toys ( soft plush and nylabones)
Fax machine
Scanner
Monetary donations
Anyone interested in GINA's mission can call Melanie or Marjo Roth at 416-429-5274 or e-mail them at greytbizz@aol.com
Visit GINA's website at: www.saveagrey.com
