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Sharing A Home with Greyhounds

© Judy A Tomlinson

In the two and a half years since I have entered the world of the greyhound-obsessed, my life has certainly changed! Our family has always had pets. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to help animals in need, but I was unable to help at SPCA or any shelter that was not a "no-kill" shelter. I can remember going to the SPCA in Tulsa, walking down the rows of pens with dogs in them, with tears running down my face. I knew it was ridiculous, but this was the way I had always been. I am a retired nurse, and have worked with many seriously ill people, children included - that I can handle. Unwanted and abused animals I cannot handle. This makes no sense to me, but I am in my 50s now and I do not see myself changing! For this reason, working with the retired, racing greyhounds is perfect for me. Of course, there are hard decisions to be made in any rescue or adoption group, but I see more happy endings than sad ones.

In our home at the present time are three greyhounds, one terrier mix, four cats, and two foster greyhounds. Whitney was our first Greyhound. When we adopted her, she was recovering from a serious injury - she looked pretty bad! Pete and I did not care what she looked like - once those soulful eyes looked into ours, we were hooked! She is our Alpha dog, and believe me, she lets everyone know it! After having Whitney for about a year, we fostered our first grey - Maria. We had her for a short time before she went to another foster home and we got Rosie. Rosie was very shy, was having problems learning not to go to the bathroom in the house, and was in general a difficult case. I knew these were the dogs I wanted to work with - the hard-to-place ones. During the time we had Rosie, we met and adopted Josh, a 94-pound brindle who is a sweetheart! After eight months of fostering Rosie, Pete and I realized that we loved her and could not let her go. So, now we had three greyhounds! Unbelievable! We have fostered others, and have fallen in love with all of them! Fostering has its ups and downs.

At the present we are fosteringRap and

Crystal. Please visit GPA/OK's web site to see other greys we have for adoption.. Rap is a six-year-old brindle. He is very shy, small children make him nervous, and he absolutely loves to cuddle! Crystal is a three-year-old white and brindle, and she has a very aloof personality when being shown at Petsmart. At home, it is a different story. She is playful, and my Velcro dog! She follows me everywhere! A real sweetie. Both Rap and Crystal are proving to be hard to place, but I am sure the right family will come along. I find that I am very particular with my foster dogs; if I feel that a family is not right for them, I will tell them. I'm sure some people think I am too particular, but once again, that is simply the way I am! I have found that fostering is one of the best parts of being active in greyhound adoption.

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