The first time you see a graceful, calm, and, yes, skinny Greyhound, you are hooked! This is how it was for me. I will never forget seeing a couple and their three Greys standing in the 90* + heat waiting their turn at the local Rabies Clinic. All around them were loudly barking, nervous dogs and chaos, but their Greys stood quietly waiting their turns. I was in awe and this awe led me into the wonderful world of Retired Racing Greyhound Adoption.

Reuben was my first Greyhound - a quivering, quaking mess of a large, skinny boy. With love and good food, he quickly became quite the showman - loving to roo to Garth Brook's rendition of Happy Birthday for any and all crowds! Faelon and then Phoebe came my way and, before I knew it, I was volunteering for two area adoption groups, learning as much as I could about the adoption business.

I remember standing in an airport in St. Louis in front of a large poster urging Greyhound Adoptions and hearing a woman say, "I hear they are great dogs but the groups make you jump through too many hoops." That statement, coupled with some of my own experiences with adoptions, planted a seed for a dream. With the support of the two groups I had volunteered for, I soon felt I had a vision of how I would like adoptions to be done and that would also fill a need in the adoption world. My goal was to do adoptions based on common sense and with the emphasis on good people skills, designed to educate the public on good ownership. I felt that with the right education and support, more people would become wonderful Greyhound owners.

With more passion and excitement than experience, I started my own little adoption group with the hopes I would adopt out about 12 hounds a year. I was blessed with the friendship of the most devoted Greyhound Diva - Chris Makepeace of Seabrook Greyhound Park in NH. She taught me more than I ever could have imagined and sent me hand-picked dogs to insure my success! I have never worked harder - often 60-70 hours a week - but also never had more fun and fulfillment. I learned so much from so many along the way and hopefully imparted my love and excitement of the breed as well.

My mission was rewarded with nearly two hundred adoptions in two years; we were on the right track! My time spent at the helm of GEGR was life changing and will never be forgotten. I have met so many wonderful people and hounds along the way. My life has been enriched as much as the lives of the hounds we adopted into loving homes! Even though I have moved out of state now to begin a new chapter in my life's adventure, I will always treasure my time knee deep in the Greyhound adoption world. I am so very grateful to the most wonderful volunteers who have taken on the mission to continue the wonderful work of GEGR and have grown it even further and higher than I ever dreamed possible. I am a very fortunate woman!

Reuben, GEGR's First Spokesdog