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GALT In The News
Of all the GALT!
Greyhound Adoption League is a new passion for Reinert family
By Arnold Wayne Jones
Feb 14, 2008 - 5:56:56 PM
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During the windstorms last month, the fences of John Reinert's neighbors blew over, allowing numerous dogs in the area to escape their confines. But it was no surprise to Reinert when many of the lost pets turned up on his doorstep.
"It seems like, between me and my partner, there's a sign over our house that says 'we welcome all pets,'" Reinert says.
But a more accurate sign might say simply "suckers." Because when it comes to taking in pets in need, that's exactly what Reinert and his partner Michael do.
Together since 2000, the couple has routinely taken in all manner of needy, four-legged foundlings. But it's just in the last two months that they ramped up their support, adopting or fostering four greyhounds since New Year's. And it's a decision they don't regret in the least.
"We had been talking about getting a greyhound when I came home from Iraq this summer," say Reinert, an electrical engineer who works on rebuilding embassies in the war-torn country. But when they heard about the need for greyhound adoption over Christmas, they decided to start early.
The need was driven in part by the closure of a dog track in San Antonio in December. That left many racers without homes. The Reinerts adopted their first greyhound, Logan, sight-unseen — they were simply moved by his story. Their outreach quickly progressed into an addiction.
"After we adopted Logan, we got into fostering," Reinert says. "We got Damsel a week after Logan. While we were picking her up, we saw a brindle named Whiskey. On Wednesday we delivered Damsel to her forever home and on Thursday we fostered Snoopy. A few weeks later, they asked if we could bring Snoopy down to the Dallas Boat Show and we adopted Whiskey while we were there."
All those are in addition to the five shelties, a Brittany spaniel and Australian Shepherd they have adopted over the years — as well as a 10-year-old human son, Jeremy.
Although they have adopted many abused and abandoned dogs over the years, this is the first time the Reinerts have concentrated on supporting one rescue group, the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas, or GALT.
"We were impressed by the thoroughness of the background check — they called our friends, our neighbors, our vet," making sure the dogs would be well-cared-for, Reinert says. "And GALT doesn't care if you're gay or straight, they just want people to look after these guys."
Many need attention. One of their adoptees was supposed to weight 70 lbs.; when they took over his care, he weighed an emaciated 52.
"These guys are so much fun, but Snoopy and Whiskey are so, so skinny — 15-18 lbs. underweight. You don't want to be able to see their ribs," Reinert says.
Those issues aside, he insists they are the easiest dogs in the world to care for.
"I was afraid they would require so much attention and be so high maintenance," he says. "But they are 45-mile-an-hour couch potatoes. They love riding in the car. And they are good in apartments because they don't require much room and don't need to walk more than a few time a week. They are not barkers — only when one of the others steps on their feet."
Reinert's now a man with a mission to get the word out about GALT's outreach and help others discover the joys of greyhound parenthood.
"These dogs are great for single guys, couples, families. Foster helps a whole lot more than adoption, even," he says. Because many have not been domesticated, everything in a common household is new to them. "They have never seen a ceiling fan, a mirror, a sliding-glass door," Reinert says. "One saw the flame in the fireplace and walked right up to it."
On Saturday, GALT is holding the seventh annual Greyt Athletes Dinner and Auction at the Park City Club to raise money for the many expenses associated with dog rescue.
"Damsel's broken leg cost over $1900 and GALT paid for that," Reinert says. And although he won't be able to make it to the dinner — Reinert's already back in Iraq — he'll still be able to check up on his canine children.
"In my position, I can check out the Web cam and see how they're doing," he says.
© Copyright by DallasVoice.com
Agencies try to place greyhounds from Corpus Christi track
Corpus racetrack closes, leaving dogs in need of homes
Friday, January 11, 2008
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
hyan@dallasnews.com
Susie McQuade was already scrambling to find permanent homes for about 65 retired race dogs when she realized the chase would get more intense.
After a greyhound racetrack in Corpus Christi closed last week, Ms. McQuade and several Texas adoption agencies began trying to place about 150 greyhounds into homes.
"Across the nation, there are a lot of track closings," said Ms. McQuade, co-founder of Addison-based Greyhound Adoption League of Texas Inc. "I'd say it's mainly a financial thing."
GALT has 17 greyhounds boarded at the Houn' House in Carrollton. The Corpus Christi dogs are housed in three kennels and their expenses are being paid for by the owners, the racetrack, and the Texas Greyhound Association.
Ms. McQuade, who said her organization is neither pro- nor anti-dog racing, said she's gone so far as to call similar agencies in Oklahoma and Missouri to see if they can help, even if it means taking in three or four dogs.
"It's the dogs that make us do what we do," said Ms. McQuade, an avid dog lover who owns four greyhounds. "I always say a greyhound as a companion pet is the best kept secret. Until you adopt one, you really don't understand."
Ms. McQuade said her work has been non-stop this racing season, which typically lasts from the end of November to the beginning of April. GALT is the sole adoption outlet for Valley Race Park in Harlingen and has found homes for its retired racers for years.
But at the beginning of this season, GALT received 12 injured dogs from Valley Race Park – many with broken legs.
"There were some problems with the track" involving pebbles and sand, said Milt Roth, assistant general manager of the race park. He said the track has been fixed and they have had no injuries recently.
Some critics say the adoption problem would not exist if greyhounds were not bred for profit.
Diane Whiteley, executive director of the Texas Greyhound Association, said while that may be true, some breeds wouldn't exist if they weren't bred for a certain purpose.
"If hunting didn't exist, we wouldn't have any Labrador retrievers," she said. "I think it gets down to such a basic argument with people – what is the function of a dog? If the function of a dog is to lay around all the time, then I think it's disrespectful to the dog."
Ms. Whiteley said the vast majority of breeders and racing enthusiasts are humane to the dogs.
Contrary to popular belief, people that adopt the greyhounds don't need a backyard the size of a race track nor boundless energy to keep up with them.
"They're called the 45-mph couch potato," Ms. McQuade said. "I'll take my dogs to the dog park and say, 'Run, run!' They make it around the perimeter one time, and that's it."
Experts say they are very docile, affectionate with humans, and quiet. They make good apartment dogs and shed very little because of their short hair.
But greyhounds don't make good watchdogs because they seldom bark and they treat strangers as nicely as they do their owner. They can't live outside because of their low body fat and thin coat, and they need to be on a leash because they love to chase and, obviously, can outrun their owner.
To adopt a greyhound from GALT, prospective families must give references and allow an organization member to visit the home.
"Once somebody has an approved adoption application, we work with them to find the right dog for their family," Ms. McQuade said.
Mr. Roth of Valley Race Park said it's not impossible to find homes for so many dogs if people are aware of the need.
"I closed a track in Wisconsin in May 2006," he said, adding that about 400 dogs found homes within four months. "To my knowledge, they're living happily ever after."
Greyhound Adoption League of Texas Inc. is trying to find homes for greyhounds from a Corpus Christi racetrack. The agency's adoption fee is $350 for dogs under 10 years old. The fee includes neutering or spaying, blood tests, a heartworm test, dental cleaning, and a greyhound collar, leash, and muzzle. Dogs over 10 years old can be adopted for $225. Call 972-503-4258 or visit www.galtx.org.
ABOUT GREYHOUNDS
Greyhounds often:
- are retiring racers, typically 2 to 5 years old
- live 12 to 14 years
- are about 2 to 2 ½ feet tall
- weigh about 50 to 85 pounds
- thrive on human companionship and love to be the center of attention
- are not used to cats, so extra time and patience may be required.
- shed very little because of short hair
- must be on a leash outside, as they can chase and run very quickly
- cannot be left outside because of low body fat and very thin coats
NBC Channel 4 Amarillo
SWAT Team Saves Dogs
GALT Helps Out
Adopted Greyhounds Have Much To Give
'40-Mile Per Hour Couch Potatoes' Great Pets
Monday, May 7, 2007
By Steve Zimmerman / McKinneyNews.net
steve.zimmerman@mckinneynews.net
Greyhounds are often referred to as "40-mile per hour couch potatoes." The reason is that once they retire, they no longer have much interest in running. That is the reason they make such great pets.
Just ask Linda Powell and Cheryl Bouve of McKinney. The women and their husbands enjoy their new pets immensely.
"Greyhounds are very adaptable," Bouve said. "That's what makes them so adoptable. They can adapt very quickly to any setting."
Leave them at home alone when you go to work and they will curl up and sleep all day. But once you get home, it is playtime, according to Bouve.
"Paris gets a little wild when we get home from work," she said. "She wants to go out and play and run a little in our backyard."
Powell has had her greyhound, Lee, a tall statuesque male, for just over four months. She said it was her husband who wanted to adopt a greyhound.
"He has been to Florida and seen them race several times," she said. "The best thing about adopting a greyhound is that you know you have given the dog a good home."
That was not always the case in the industry. Like horses, after they finished racing, if they were not top-level runners, they were destroyed. Many older trainers and owners feared if they gave their dog to someone, it might bite someone and then they could be sued.
Greyhounds are tattooed in their ears when they are young with numbers that tell the month and year they were born. Those numbers are then registered with the National Greyhound Association.
Greyhounds begin their racing careers at approximately two years and can run up to the age of 5 or 6. People who have seen greyhound racing are amazed at how gentle and docile these speed runners are when they come to a home to live.
"Lee sleeps most of the day and usually starts to get motivated about 4 p.m.," Powell said. "And then, he is ready for the evening's activity."
Lee is cat trained also, which was a big plus for Powell, who has two cats.
"He gets along with the cats great," she said. "He loves to chase birds and squirrels in the backyard and really loves anything that leaps."
Bouve had been around a greyhound before adopting Paris. Her parents are foster coordinators for the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas [GALT], a non-profit organization that places retired racing greyhounds all over Texas and the country in good homes. Before a greyhound can be adopted, the agency conducts a home study to help match the right greyhound with the right family.
"We actually got to babysit Paris while her foster family went on vacation," she said. "My husband David is not a dog person, but he fell in love with the greyhounds my parents had. Paris has trained him to be a dog person."
When Paris came to live with the Bouves, she would be put in a racing crate when they would leave for work, similar to the kennel she lived in on the track. She earned an interesting nickname during that period.
"We called her Houdini because she could get out of the crate by herself," Bouve said.
And Paris believes she is a lap dog.
"When I am sitting on the couch watching TV, she will get up on the couch and lay on me," Bouve said. "She weighs about 65 pounds, so she is a little heavy to have laying on you."
Asked if they would consider getting another greyhound, both Powell and Bouve said yes.
"But I think Paris likes being an only dog," Bouve said.
"I would recommend GALT to everyone," Powell said. "They take great care of the greyhounds. When we got Lee, he had his shots and had been neutered already."
Life After Racing
Greyhounds find home in Park Cities
Friday, May 4, 2007
By Kristiana Heap / PeopleNewspapers.com Park Cities
society@peoplenewspapers.com
Greyhounds have a reputation for speed, competitiveness, and hard lives off the racetrack; the last thing that comes to mind is a fireside companion, but that's where many people are wrong.
"They are the easiest dogs to get along with," Park Cities resident E. Ross said. "They're very docile dogs - great pets."
Ross should know. In January of 2004 he adopted Dasher, a former racing dog he found through the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas, known as GALT. In August of 2004, Ross adopted another greyhound named Spot, and in December of the same year, he completed the pack with a rescued greyhound named Zoe.
For a man who hadn't owned a pet since he was a teenager, going from zero to three dogs in a year should have been overwhelming, but adopting greyhounds had been a long time in the making for Ross.
Susie McQuade, who founded GALT along with her husband John in 2001, remembers meeting Ross almost a decade ago.
"He said, 'Some things are going to be changing in my life, and I'm a planner, but I'm going to be adopting a greyhound,'" Susie recalled. "Four years later he calls me [to adopt]."
But Ross had plans to own a greyhound long before he met the McQuades.
"I was on a job in Phoenix ... in the late '70s and they had a greyhound race track," Ross said. "I fell in love with them; it was exciting as could be. I just kept it in the back of my head for literally 30 years."
Since it began, GALT has adopted out more than a thousand dogs, many of which were taken from racing facilities after the dogs passed prime racing age or were injured.
"The plight of the racing greyhound," as John McQuade put it, is a sad one. Most of the 300 or so dogs adopted annually from GALT are from Texas; with three greyhound racing tracks in the state, John said Texas is second only to Florida in greyhound racing popularity. Unfortunately, these athletes are often discarded after their racing days are over.
"They are being euthanized by the thousands nationally," he said. "The racing industry is making a more concentrated effort to be a better partner in the adoption process, and that's helping, but we still need more homes, and more people need to be educated about the desirability of the greyhound as a pet."
"Truthfully, John and I have five greyhounds, and they are not as much trouble as a Westie and a Scottie that I had for years," Susie said. "They're 45 mile-an-hour couch potatoes."
Ross contends that people mistake greyhounds for active dogs that do poorly indoors.
"They don't need to run, per se, just because they were racers," he said. "Most of the time they're lying down."
Ross also said the dogs haven't changed his lifestyle much, other than "that unconditional love deal," and then there's the small issue of transportation.
"The dogs bought their own Suburban," he said. "They said they needed a bigger truck to run around in, so they got a Suburban for Christmas. If I hadn't had the dogs, I would not have bought a second vehicle."
The McQuades are hopeful that more volunteers like Ross will come along. GALT handles approximately 500 dogs a year, and many need foster homes to help socialize the dogs for adoption.
For now, Ross is happy with his three greyhounds.
"If I moved and had no space restrictions, I could easily have five or six of them," he said.
Athletes Raise Money for Greyhound Dogs
Rescue group hosts fundraiser at III Forks
Friday, May 4, 2007
By Krystal De Los Santos / PeopleNewspapers.com Bent Tree
benttree@peoplenewspapers.com
Last weekend, Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Tony Romo, Harlem Globetrotter Marques Haynes, former Dallas Star Craig Ludwig, former Dallas Cowboy Ryan Young, and Cowboys Sam Hurd and Miles Austin gathered at III Forks in Bent Tree to help the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas.
GALT hosted its sixth annual "Greyt" Athletes Dinner and Auction last Saturday, raising more than $20,000 to treat injured race dogs and place them in permanent homes after their careers have ended.
About 175 sports enthusiasts paid $125 each for the opportunity to mix with some of the area's top current and former athletes over dinner.
The event was timed to correspond with the end of the racing season, the time each year when GALT rescues dozens of retired dogs from Valley Race Park in Harlingen.
"There's quite a bit of cost associated with kennel fees and medical fees for broken limbs or other injuries," said Kristen Fields, one of the event organizers and a GALT volunteer. "This is a way for people to help without having to foster [or] make a large commitment of time or money."
The athletes' appearances and all the auction items are donated.
"It'' former athletes helping former athletes — these retired racing dogs," Fields said. "Who doesn't want to schmooze with their favorite athletes? They get to meet Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Stars, they get a good meal, and get to dress up for a fun evening and know the money is going back to the dogs."
Amy McCure petted two greyhound ambassadors at the reception before the Greyt Athletes Dinner. She said she came not to mingle with athletes, but to support a "Greyt" cause.
"We adopted a greyhound in November. We love him to death. He's been a great companion," she said. "So we highly support the cause and wanted to help in any way we can. We highly recommend anyone wanting to adopt a dog get one from GALT."
GALT founder and Bent Tree resident Susie McQuade brought one of the dogs to the dinner to show those in attendance one of the gentle-yet-aerodynamic animals they were helping.
"One of the biggest misconceptions is that they're hyper," she said.
This year, the group will help place 250 dogs in permanent homes. About 120 will come from the race track in Harlingen.
McQuade and her husband John, chairman of the board of directors for the group, started the rescue organization in 2001. It has since grown into a network with volunteers from across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
"I have a passion for greyhounds, and I'm lucky that my husband shares that passion," she said. "They're extremely gentle, extremely loyal. They're happy just to be with you. I think they're the best-kept secret of the pet world."
Raced-out greyhounds await new life in N. Texas
Carrollton kennel braces for surge as track season ends in Valley
Monday, April 23, 2007
By MISTY DEAN / The Dallas Morning News
mddean@dallasnews.com
The room smells of warm coconut as the dogs are bathed then rubbed dry in an assembly line of good will. The pampering continues as volunteers massage the sleek bodies of the retired racers, checking for ticks or lesions and clipping their nails.
"It's spa day. It's 'me' time for each greyhound," said John McQuade, a founding member and board chairman of the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas.
This is the adoption league's busiest time of the year. Valley Race Park's season ends in April, and 50 to 70 greyhounds have to be hauled from the Harlingen track, often in multiple trips and placed temporarily until they can be adopted.
"It's sometimes overwhelming getting that many dogs in at once. But things have a way of working out," said Susie McQuade, another founding adoption league member and Mr. McQuade's wife.
The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas has been working with the dog racing industry since 2001 to find permanent homes for retired greyhounds and those deemed unsuitable for the track.
Many of the dogs are kept at Houn' House Kennels Inc. in Carrollton. But as space becomes limited, the group seeks help from people willing to foster the greyhounds until the dogs can get a permanent home.
This season, some dogs were sent to adoption groups in Houston, San Antonio and Texarkana. This year, Mr. McQuade made two trips to California to deliver 32 dogs to adoption groups.
"We always have 60 to 70 greyhound dogs for adoption," said Mr. McQuade, who lives in Dallas. Whether they are strays, dogs given up by their owners or racetrack retirees, "we never say no to a greyhound in need."
The nonprofit group is supported mostly through donations and fundraisers and occasional small grants from the American Greyhound Council and the Texas Greyhound Association.
Members are gearing up for their biggest fundraiser of the year on Saturday in hopes of giving many more greyhounds a chance for a new life.
"They are graceful, affectionate and clean," Mr. McQuade said. "The biggest misconception people have is that they are hyper because they see them racing."
Greyhounds usually start racing when they are 16 to 18 months old. They stop racing after they are 3 to 5 years old, when they are deemed too old. But the breed's lifespan is 12 or more.
Dogs from the tracks are typically healthy, though it's not unusual to get six to nine dogs with broken legs during a racing season, Ms. McQuade said. One in the latest batch had to have a leg amputated.
The Texas Racing Commission said the state has some of the most stringent rules when it comes to racing greyhounds. The commission provides oversight and regulations at Texas' three racetracks, which are required to have an on-site veterinarian.
The sport was embraced by the U.S. in the early 1920s. Until adoption groups came along, thousands of greyhounds were killed each year when their racing careers ended.
Gary Guccione, executive director of the National Greyhound Association, the national registry for race dog owners, said more than 90 percent of dogs registered with the association are now being adopted or returned for breeding purposes. He also points to lower breeding numbers in the industry due to fewer dog tracks. The numbers of registered puppies bred to race in 2005 was nearly 30,000, compared with about 50,000 in the early 1990s.
Mr. Guccione estimates that the racing industry contributes about $2.2 million annually to adoption efforts.
"For the past 20 years, the main thrust of greyhound welfare is to advance greyhound adoption," Mr. Guccione said. "Our goal is to reach 100 percent adoption."
The Humane Society of the United States opposes dog racing and says that thousands of dogs are still being killed. President Wayne Pacelle said racetracks are under financial pressure to succeed, and the industry doesn't do a good enough job tracking greyhounds.
"They overbreed and flood the market with dogs," he said. "They are kept in small crates, don't get enough socialization, and incur injuries that result from racing. Once the animal is no longer useful to the industry, they discard them, even sell them to research groups."
Mr. McQuade has no problem with racing. He just doesn't want to see the animals euthanized when their careers are over.
Annually, the adoption league spends more than $130,000 to get the dogs spayed or neutered and to ensure they have a clean bill of health before being adopted. The adoption process involves an application and a home visit to find a good match.
"We focus on the dogs and put the dogs first," Ms. McQuade said. "They really are a true companion pet."
GALT Cover Girl
Sasha, formerly AC Galaxy Dawn, is CG Magazine's Spring 2007 Cover Girl! Congratulations to Sasha, her dad Rock Ross, and Carol Sahlfeld, photographer!
Fire chief races to dogs' rescue
Padden fell in love with greyhounds and saves them from tracks
Thursday,
June 17, 2004
By
SCOTT STAFFORD / The Dallas Morning News
Addison Fire Chief Noel Padden may spend his working life plotting the best strategy for saving people and property from flames, but during much of his off time, he is working to rescue greyhounds.
"He's been on the board and president ever since we started," said Suzie McQuade, a member of the board of the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas. "He has a wonderful enthusiasm, and does a lot of setting up for our 'greyhound underground railroad.' "
She said Chief Padden has been setting up the greyhound hauls for the last two years, "which is when we move from 40 to 60 dogs at a time from Harlingen to Idaho or Washington or out to California. He hires the hauler to move these dogs, and he writes a lot of our grant requests."
"I've always been an animal lover," Chief Padden said, "and this is just a great opportunity to help dogs that otherwise might not have the best future."
Chief Padden, said Ms. McQuade, was instrumental in negotiating with a greyhound racetrack in Harlingen to incorporate a kennel where the retired dogs can wait for rescue groups to fetch them and prepare them for adoption, rather than being put down.
"So now the trainers, when a dog is graded down or injured, have a place to leave the dogs where they can be retrieved and placed with a family," said Ms. McQuade.
He first became interested, he said, as a fire chief in Connecticut, where there was a greyhound rescuer down the street from the firehouse in Greenwich.
"We got talking to them, and we adopted our first greyhound and really fell in love with the breed," said Chief Padden.
After he adopted Stormy, with coloring similar to a deer's, he became interested in the cause. When he moved to Texas, he became active in Greyhound Adoption League of Texas.
He later adopted another greyhound, similar in color to Stormy, and his 2-year-old daughter named him Thunder.
It is a family passion, said Chief Padden, as his wife Teddy is also the treasurer of Greyhound Adoption League of Texas, and his daughter loves to play with her fast and furry chums. "They chase each other around the house and play with toys together."
The dogs are surprisingly well-mannered and friendly, he said.
"The dogs have been bred for thousands of years to run, and at the end of their careers, which most of the time is fairly short, they have to find someplace to go," he said. "You would think that because they are a racing breed, they would be hyper, but it's just the opposite. Sure they like to run, but they're just as happy to be sleeping or go for regular walks."
"Greyhounds, in their racing careers, are always around lots of other greyhounds, and they're used to being handled by lots of other people," said Chief Padden. "So when they are adopted, they adjust very well."
According to the American Greyhound Council, about 34,000 greyhounds were born in 2000, but only about 18,000 are adopted each year, and there are about 240 greyhound adoption agencies nationwide.
Few greyhounds are deemed fast enough to race, and when they do, said Chief Padden, they only race from ages 2 to 4 years old at the most. Then they are considered unwanted property to the dog-racing industry. It is at this point that rescue groups step in to prevent the euthanasia of the unwanted canine athletes.
Ms. McQuade said Chief Padden delivers rescued dogs to adopting families, arranges for the transport of rescued track dogs to adoption groups in other parts of Texas and the nation, and helps the group stay on top of the paperwork needed to be sure all the dogs have been properly prepared, medically and socially, for adoption. He also fosters about two dogs every year.
The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas adopted out 137 greyhounds during the last year. Overall, the organization has handled 318 dogs since its inception in 2001, Ms. McQuade said.
Chief Padden noted that he enjoys watching the trust building in the relationship between a new owner and a greyhound.
"You kind of open your heart and adopt a greyhound, and it takes about six to 12 months before they figure out that this is where they're going to stay, 'cause they're used to moving around," he said. "During that time, the dog almost completely changes their personality, and they come out of their shells and develop their own quirky personalities."
E-mail sstafford@dallasnews.com or call 972-418-9999, ext. 2004
GALT
in D Magazine June 2004 issue!
GALT is featured on page 54.
