Cheyenne's Only Win on Video (Not a promotion for Greyhound Racing)

This was on Jan. 17th 2004.

Number Four

This is Tawny a.k.a. Dewey Razerslide. She is Cheyenne's real sister, her litter mate. We are very happy to have her. She arrived more by chance than planning. I have always tried to keep up with the litter mates of our girls. I've had successes and failures. I came across Tawny by accident. I was not on a mission, merely checking some new arrivals at the GPA Orlando website. When I saw her photo I knew she was a Dewey before I saw her name. After showing the wife, it was a no brainer we would try to get her here. I called Joan in Orlando, who loves to put siblings together, and she put her on hold for us. Next was that all important transport arrangement. We cleared the adoption with the group and she was added to a haul that was stopping in Wilson N.C. Tawny was one of eight dogs we were receiving that day. Along with another couple, we made the trip to North Carolina and picked them up. On December 30, 2006 she became number four. For a year and a half we had two, then nine months later we had four. I can honestly say that her addition balanced out the pack dynamics. The group settled in quickly. While Tawny is Cheyenne's sister, she shows her no special treatment. Cheyenne is the queen and lets everyone know it. They say that somewhere down the road siblings will reconnect. I'm not sure about that theory, but we have noted subtle changes. Cheyenne would only share the sofa with Brianna until recently. She now lets Tawny join her occasionally. Progress, maybe. Anyway, all is well for now.

Tawny's Mug shot (actually full body)

Number Three

This is Prissy a.k.a. Freeride Prissy. The only one whose name we did not change. I was the one pushing for the third grey. After much debate, I was making no progress. Cheyenne and Brianna were doing well together and the argument of "Don't upset the applecart" was winning. That all changed on Jan. 25, 2006. We were in Florida on business. Our group leader had asked us if we would mind going on a scouting mission in Orlando for our next haul. Since we were there we offered no objections.

She had arranged for us a little side trip to a racing compound. We had no idea what to expect. It wasn't till later we found out the true mission for this. With a prearranged tour of the facility, it quickly became apparent, there was no glamour in greyhound racing. I will not get into details here, other than to say, the smells and images are etched in our minds forever. This is where Prissy came into the picture. She was being housed in the, for lack of a better phrase, the kill area. Her time, along with 14 others was up. Prissy is a survivor. She caught the heart of my wife immediately. The others seemed resigned to their fate, but not Prissy. She was full of life. We scampered to make arrangements to get her in a safe area and promised to return. The haul scheduled for late February was moved up. Six days after meeting Prissy for the first time she was on her way to Virginia. The person who had fought for no more hounds made the haul herself with a friend. Prissy was born February 14, 2003. She would not have seen her third birthday. She is a true rescue.

Prissy does dance to the beat of a different drummer. She is every one's friend, needy, full of life. We call her the Greyhound Ambassador. While her story has a happy ending, the 14 pairs of eyes left behind haunt me still. Please do not tell her sisters, but she is our heart dog.

Prissy had no Mug shot, but here she is when we first met.

Number Two

This is Cheyenne a.k.a. Dewey Razersedge. She became number two only by a matter of three days. While waiting on approval of Brianna, my wife spotted her on the website and fell in love. Knowing greyhounds are pack animals and generally do better in pairs or more, we asked if we could adopt her also. Since we had the luxury of time before transport, and both were in the same kennel, they were put together to see if they were compatable. No issues arised. We got the approval and the waiting began. Hurricane season in Florida didn't cooperate. First came Fran.

Her arrival cause evacuation of the kennel. She passed with minimal damage. But Ivan had different ideas. He was almost a direct hit. The kennel suffered extensive water damage and dogs were scattered over central Florida. Five weeks had passed before transport was arranged.We got word that they would arrive on August 21, 2004. We did not know what to expect. Several moves, a couple of fosters, a 14 hour ride, all this over a five week period. What kind of shape would they be in? Then the greyhounds greatest asset manifested itself. Their ability to adapt to almost any situation. Brianna was a spook yes, but she did not appear stressed. Cheyenne, on the other hand, ran into the house, jumped up on the couch, and acted as if she had been there all her life. She assumed the pack leader role immediately and has not relinquished it. She is the head beatch.

Heres her Mug shot.

Number One

I'll start with the introductions. This is Brianna a.k.a. Bohemian Aglow. She is our spook girl. Bri arrived on August 21, 2004. She was quite withdrawn. Fearful of all humans both male and female. We thought at first she could only walk backwards. Each attempt to touch her ended up in that backward zigzag. Bri had mastered that move. It became apparent Bri would never be a leader. She had omega dog written all over her. After four months of work and coaxing a light must have gone off in her head. It was Christmas Eve, she jumped on the couch (she had never been on it) laid her head on my lap, and became a different dog.

Her basic traits of shyness and talking are still there, but she warms up to people quickly. Bri is our oldest. She has no interest in leading but she does expect a little respect from the pack.

Below is what I call her mug shot from GPA Orlando.

Where to Start

Our interest in Greyhounds started some 20 years ago. While still in it's infancy stages at that point, the seeds were planted for the future. I had met an individual who constantly rescued these elegant creatures and filled me with information as to their uniqueness. In those early years, we always had two or three dogs and was never able to make that leap into adoption. But the seeds had started to grow. As time past by, we one day found ourselves dog less. The kids were grown and gone as were the dogs.
Thinking this was a good scenario (no more being tied down) we figured a whole new world was open to us. It didn't take long for us to realize what that new world was. The seeds planted some 20 years ago had sprouted in our minds and took over our thought process. While the person responsible had passed on, the impact of our conversations had not. So it was off to what greyhound people call "Meet n' Greets". Places were greyhounds and their owners gather to spread the word about adoption.
This is where the net is casted and only the strong get away without being hooked. This may be the only instance where not getting hooked is a loss.
Once you are captured in the vortex of greyhound rescue and adoption you cannot escape. More than likely, you will not fight it. As you learn about racing greyhounds and the life they have led, the more consumed your life becomes. I hope to share some of my stories with you as well as my opinions about greyhound racing. I will also introduce you to our family of four hounds, hence the name 16 paws.