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They may be a half-second slower than their kennelmates, but that doesn't stop them from being great pets, fanciers say.
By SHERYL KAY
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 23, 2002
LAND O'LAKES -- At 16 months old, Claribel Swick weighs in at 60 pounds and spends her nights in a toddler bed. The greyhound shares her quarters with four cats who like to cuddle.
The Carpenter's Run home they share with Myra and Ray Swick is a far cry from the breeding farm where Claribel was rescued last December.
"She wasn't fast enough to even make it to the race track," said Myra Swick, 27, a data analyst. "If they're not fast enough to race, there's no money in them, so they become an unwanted expense."
Claribel came to the Swicks through Greyhound Rescue and Adoptions of Tampa Bay (GREAT), a non-profit organization that rescues injured, retired and other unwanted greyhound race dogs.
The breed is ancient, dating back to Pharaonic Egypt. Bred for hunting, they became sleek sprinters, and are now thought to be the world's fastest canine, reaching speeds of 45 miles per hour.
Today there are 46 racetracks in 15 states, and Florida is home to more than a third of those. According to the Humane Society of the United States some 34,000 greyhound puppies are born every year to help fuel the racing industry.
On the other side of that equation, in 2000 alone, 19,000 were killed because they could not perform as race dogs.
"We get them as young as 18 months old, and often up to four and five years old, and even older," said Carol Chilton, vice president and foster dog coordinator for GREAT. "If a dog is just a fraction of a second slower than the No. 1 or the No. 2 dog, and it loses three times in a row, that's it -- it's finished racing."
The Swicks came to GREAT as foster parents, offering to care for Claribel temporarily until an adoptive home could be found.
"We just became very attached, so we decided to keep her," Swick said. "There's a real bond between the dogs and the foster parents, because our job is to show the dogs how to live in a home after living in a cage all of their lives. They learn so much from us, so it's hard to let them go."
Since last December, the Swicks have fostered three more dogs, and last weekend they adopted one of those three, Isabella.
"She was a brood mom, her mouth was so rotten she ended up losing 23 teeth, and she had no hair from her shoulders to her hind legs because they were treating her for fleas with malathion," Swick said. "We got real attached to her as well, so we decided to adopt her too."
Chilton said foster parents often adopt, so the organization is always looking for new foster parents, as well as those who will adopt outright.
The adoption process begins with a home visit by two GREAT volunteers and one pet greyhound. During the hour visit both parties are able to assess the likelihood of a good fit.
"They're checking us out, we're checking them out, and we're explaining the breed and the simple things involved in caring for a greyhound," Chilton said.
Although the dogs tend toward a mellow temperament, GREAT generally does not like to adopt them out to families with children under 6.
"The way the dogs have been raised, they are used to sleeping by themselves, in their crates, and some of them just don't want to be touched when they're sleeping," Chilton said. "After all, they look so cute when they're asleep, you just want to run up and hug them. And it's hard to convey to a 5-year-old not to do that."
After the home visit, GREAT follows up with calls to determine if apartment leases or deed restrictions might prohibit the adoption. When all concerns have been satisfied, the adoption is approved for a $150 fee that covers all the dog's current shots, and sterilization.
Last year GREAT adopted out 105 dogs throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Polk counties, up from 95 the previous year. To date, 77 dogs have found permanent homes this year. Should that rate continue, Chilton estimates 120 will be adopted by the end of this year.
"We are here to educate the public about the plight of the racing greyhounds," Chilton said.
"The majority of us love to do the work, but we'd rather not be doing it. And we'd all like to see that happen by the kennels reducing their breeding, or by the industry ceasing to exist."
-- For more information about GREAT, call 971-4732 or click on http://www.great-greyhound.org. You can contact Sheryl Kay at skreporter@hotmail.com.