Post by CampWhippet on May 1, 2006 12:43:29 GMT -5
Woman races to greyhounds' rescue
By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com
A lifetime spent in a kennel is all many greyhounds know, but thanks to groups such as the Maritime Greyhound Adoption, some of the dogs go from living at a racetrack to a cosy home with loving families.
On May 13, more than 10 dogs will be brought from the United States and to Moncton. At least one of those dogs is coming to live in Fredericton.
"Despite what you might think, greyhound dogs are actually calm and lazy," said Carolyn Dipiero, a representative for the adoption program. "They make wonderful pets, and we're thrilled to help give these beautiful dogs a nice home."
Maritime Greyhound Adoption has operated out of Moncton by volunteers since its inception in 2003. To date, about five greyhounds have come to the Fredericton region.
Dipiero said she heard about the program when she decided to adopt a dog.
"Out of the blue, I read in the Daily Gleaner an ad about a meet-and-greet with greyhounds," she said. "When we saw how well-behaved the greyhounds were, we wanted one. We went through the adoption process and picked up Noah in the summer of 2004."
Dipiero runs a dog visitation program and is an obedience instructor with River Valley Health Obedience. She is an instructor at the SPCA and fosters dogs until they have homes. She has five dogs and is fostering two puppies.
"To say I'm a dog lover is probably an understatement," she said. "Now that I have been on the receiving end of greyhound adoption, I help clean and train the dogs at the organization's headquarters before they are given to their new families."
The adoption experience with Noah was so good that Dipiero and her husband adopted Greyce, a four-year-old greyhound, the following year.
"Greyce, whose racing name was BB's Booster, ran in 57 races before she retired. The nice thing about adopting these greyhounds is you can look up everything about their racing careers online," she said.
Not all of the greyhounds make it into racing, according to Dipiero, who said Noah never raced a day in his life.
"There are literally thousands upon thousands of greyhounds born in the racing industry, but not all of them make the cut," said Dipiero.
"Picture an aluminum building with rows and rows of kennels - that's basically where these dogs live. They can't race until they are at least two years old and mandatory retirement is at age five. This rescue is vital for those dogs."
Fredericton resident Natalie Neville never considered herself a dog lover. She said puppies take too much time and patience for her lifestyle.
"My husband wanted a dog so we looked into adopting a greyhound because we believe it's a really great cause - plus these dogs are past the puppy stage and are already trained," said Neville. "We adopted Quincy about five months ago."
The Nevilles had to fill out an application, have an in-home interview, travel to Moncton for a final interview and pay $300 for their dog.
Dipiero said it's a good deal for a purebred, healthy dog whose entire bloodline can be traced back hundreds of years.
The fee also includes neutering and spaying, vaccinations, heart worm preventative, a new leash and collar set, an identification tag, a handbook and training guide, transportation to Moncton and a two-hour training session with a certified canine behaviour therapist.
"These dogs are not abused. They have been bred to race and they love it," said Dipiero.
"But the misconception is that these dogs are high energy and need a lot of walking - that simply isn't true. They need no more exercise than an average dog. They get along great with cats and small animals and they are very playful and loving."
Neville said she can't believe how well Quincy has fit into her family. She likes him so much she's encouraging other people to look into greyhound adoption.
"It's not for everyone, but it's a wonderful cause and they are great dogs," she said. "The adoption process is so awesome that I'm going to help when this next load comes in on May 13."
Dipiero said anyone interested in adopting a greyhound can get one in this load if they apply right now.
"We have eight dogs being adopted and four being fostered until we have homes for them," she said.
More information can be found at the group's website at www.greyhoundadoption.ca or by calling 384-000.
There will be a greyhound meet-and-greet at the Barking Lot, 880 Hanwell Rd.
canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060429/DGEBRIEF/604290654
By JENNIFER DUNVILLE
dunville.jennifer@dailygleaner.com
A lifetime spent in a kennel is all many greyhounds know, but thanks to groups such as the Maritime Greyhound Adoption, some of the dogs go from living at a racetrack to a cosy home with loving families.
On May 13, more than 10 dogs will be brought from the United States and to Moncton. At least one of those dogs is coming to live in Fredericton.
"Despite what you might think, greyhound dogs are actually calm and lazy," said Carolyn Dipiero, a representative for the adoption program. "They make wonderful pets, and we're thrilled to help give these beautiful dogs a nice home."
Maritime Greyhound Adoption has operated out of Moncton by volunteers since its inception in 2003. To date, about five greyhounds have come to the Fredericton region.
Dipiero said she heard about the program when she decided to adopt a dog.
"Out of the blue, I read in the Daily Gleaner an ad about a meet-and-greet with greyhounds," she said. "When we saw how well-behaved the greyhounds were, we wanted one. We went through the adoption process and picked up Noah in the summer of 2004."
Dipiero runs a dog visitation program and is an obedience instructor with River Valley Health Obedience. She is an instructor at the SPCA and fosters dogs until they have homes. She has five dogs and is fostering two puppies.
"To say I'm a dog lover is probably an understatement," she said. "Now that I have been on the receiving end of greyhound adoption, I help clean and train the dogs at the organization's headquarters before they are given to their new families."
The adoption experience with Noah was so good that Dipiero and her husband adopted Greyce, a four-year-old greyhound, the following year.
"Greyce, whose racing name was BB's Booster, ran in 57 races before she retired. The nice thing about adopting these greyhounds is you can look up everything about their racing careers online," she said.
Not all of the greyhounds make it into racing, according to Dipiero, who said Noah never raced a day in his life.
"There are literally thousands upon thousands of greyhounds born in the racing industry, but not all of them make the cut," said Dipiero.
"Picture an aluminum building with rows and rows of kennels - that's basically where these dogs live. They can't race until they are at least two years old and mandatory retirement is at age five. This rescue is vital for those dogs."
Fredericton resident Natalie Neville never considered herself a dog lover. She said puppies take too much time and patience for her lifestyle.
"My husband wanted a dog so we looked into adopting a greyhound because we believe it's a really great cause - plus these dogs are past the puppy stage and are already trained," said Neville. "We adopted Quincy about five months ago."
The Nevilles had to fill out an application, have an in-home interview, travel to Moncton for a final interview and pay $300 for their dog.
Dipiero said it's a good deal for a purebred, healthy dog whose entire bloodline can be traced back hundreds of years.
The fee also includes neutering and spaying, vaccinations, heart worm preventative, a new leash and collar set, an identification tag, a handbook and training guide, transportation to Moncton and a two-hour training session with a certified canine behaviour therapist.
"These dogs are not abused. They have been bred to race and they love it," said Dipiero.
"But the misconception is that these dogs are high energy and need a lot of walking - that simply isn't true. They need no more exercise than an average dog. They get along great with cats and small animals and they are very playful and loving."
Neville said she can't believe how well Quincy has fit into her family. She likes him so much she's encouraging other people to look into greyhound adoption.
"It's not for everyone, but it's a wonderful cause and they are great dogs," she said. "The adoption process is so awesome that I'm going to help when this next load comes in on May 13."
Dipiero said anyone interested in adopting a greyhound can get one in this load if they apply right now.
"We have eight dogs being adopted and four being fostered until we have homes for them," she said.
More information can be found at the group's website at www.greyhoundadoption.ca or by calling 384-000.
There will be a greyhound meet-and-greet at the Barking Lot, 880 Hanwell Rd.
canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060429/DGEBRIEF/604290654
