oklahoma rescues

Early on Saturday, April 17th, 2004, four female greyhounds started their journey from Oklahoma to Illinois and Greyhounds Only. All four girls had been released to Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption in Oklahoma who answered GO’s call for cat tolerant females. Prior to entering the program with Halfway Home, two of the girls, Can Can and Daisy had been sitting on a boarding farm for over a year waiting for something to happen. Juliet was on her home farm after having been retired from racing 2 years ago with a broken hock and having been a brood mom. Tulia was biding her time on her home farm, due to an injury she received as a puppy. With the assistance of Greyhound Support in Kansas City, these four girls made the long journey from Oklahoma to join us here in northern Illinois.

These girls were placed on a converted Greyhound Bus (how appropriate) in Wichita, Kansas and the bus headed east. After several stops along the way the bus arrived in Tinley Park where GO volunteers Lee Tauriello, Shannon Hodge, Karel & Lou Munao, Julie tenBensel, and Steve Schifferl met the bus and gathered our four sweethearts together. After giving them a water and potty break the girls were placed in the volunteers vehicles for their journey to the kennel.

After a very long day (in excess of 12 hours traveling), the girls –none the worse for wear- arrived at the kennel where they were treated to a nail trim, ear cleaning, an inspection for ticks, and application of flea preventative, another potty break and dinner. When all of this was done the girls settled in and got comfy for the night. Little did they know that a short week later half of them would meet their forever families for the first time. Can Can and Julie were adopted 1 week after arriving at the kennel and were with their new families by mid-May. Daisy was adopted in May, and Tulia was adopted in late June.

Getting some water after their long journey on the greyhound bus - before making the 2 hour trip up to our boarding kennel in Wisconsin.

 

Lasso (aka Can Can) arriving in Tinley Park. She, along with Daisy, finished racing in approximately October, 2002 and were placed on a boarding farm in Kansas. Their owner, however, did not pay their boarding fees and they were then claimed by the farm, and then turned over to rescue.

 
Daisy, Lasso's companion at the boarding farm.

 
Before being released to Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption, Tulia, the youngest of all the hounds to arrive from Kansas, was on her home farm biding time as she would never race or even go to school. Tulia, you see, suffers from an injury that resulted of being stepped upon as a puppy. She had surgery in June of 2004 to remove the shattered toe that was the cause of her limp, and went to her new home in July 2005.

 

Juliet (left) and Daisy pose for Rich Hoynes, who was kind enough to photograph this wonderful event so that we may all remember our special arrivals.

 

Greyhounds Only would like to thank our fabulous volunteers for helping to bring these girls home...

Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption, for helping us find four very special girls!

And Greyhound Support in Kansas City, especially Kate, for being a lifeline many times for these beautiful hounds. In the spirit of willing hands helping waiting hounds - Greyhound Support in Kansas City really comes through time and time again by rescuing greyhounds, like these four girls, out of racing farms and kennels and transporting them to adoption groups across the United States. They also provide educational support and adoption services in the Kansas and Missouri Area.

 

Update May, 2005:

Since moving in with Catalina Salley and her new brother Tony in July of 2004, Tulia has blossomed into a beautiful, active greyhound. She recovered quickly from her June surgery, and now walks on all four legs 90 percent of the time. She generally runs on three legs - but it doesn't seem to slow her down any!. She participates in agility and flyball, and her greyhound colleagues sometimes have to struggle to keep up with her.