news-record.com

There’s a saying that greyhounds can capture your heart.

The 50 or so volunteers who come each week to Greyhound Friends of N.C. in Oak Ridge would agree.

These volunteers come from Guilford County and beyond to help look after “greys” after their racing days are over and to participate in the rescue and adoption efforts offered by GFNC.

Kim Muller and her father, John, began volunteering with GFNC when she was a junior at Western Guilford High School.

This father-daughter team felt this was the perfect volunteer situation for them, as it gave them quality time to spend with each other and also to help an excellent organization.

Their duties consisted of letting dogs out for exercise, cleaning the kennels, providing water and food, and most of all, spending time with the greyhounds.

Kim turned this volunteer effort into her high school senior project.
She starts her freshman year in September at UNC-Wilmington, and since Greyhound Friends has a satellite operation in Wilmington, Kim will continue her volunteer efforts there. Her father will continue volunteering at the Oak Ridge facility.

Greyhound Friends of N.C.’s mission is to rescue retired, racing greyhounds, provide for their health and welfare, educate the public about the availability and desirability of greyhounds as pets, and to place them through adoption into loving homes.

Blanche Fedor, volunteer coordinator and kennel assistant for GFNC, fell in love with greyhounds when she moved here from New York in 1999. She thought the “greys” were beautiful, wonderful dogs and adopted one for herself, which she named Freebird.
Fedor now has a staff position, and her main job is to train and schedule volunteers to work at the kennel, caring for dogs and helping prospective adopters.

Volunteers are taught how to educate adopters about greyhounds and how to transition the dogs from the track/kennel to their new homes.

They also help keep the kennels clean and feed and exercise the dogs. Volunteers cover the weekend duty at GFNC from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. During this time, the kennel is open to prospective adopters to drop in to meet the greys and get information.

GFNC tries to keep at least 35 greys at the kennel, a workable total for employees and volunteers.

Greys are sent home to apartments, condos, townhomes and houses big and small, Fedor said. Because the dogs are accustomed to living in a crate from the time they leave the puppy farm until they leave the adoption kennel or go to a foster home, they do not require a great deal of space.

“Most greys are good with children,” Fedor said. “We just don’t recommend a shy or more active dog with small children.”

The expenses for greys are the same as with most well-cared-for larger dogs, such as better grades of food, yearly shots, heartworm pills and an occasional professional teeth cleaning.

“We are a no-kill kennel and will keep a dog until it is adopted,” Fedor said. Since 1994, GFNC has adopted/rescued approximately 4,500 dogs in North Carolina and surrounding states.

Most of the dogs at Greyhound Friends are brought in from the states with greyhound racing. GFNC gets most of its dogs from Florida and West Virginia. There are about a dozen race tracks in Florida.

Janet Debartolo adopted a greyhound named Tess, and together they enjoyed participating in greyhound therapy visits to see patients in nursing homes.

“Tess was not quite cut out for the visits, though, as she was always curious to see what was around the next corner or through the next door, rather than just being content to stand and lap up all the attention and the petting,” Debartolo said.

“Thanks to GFNC,” she said, “we had two wonderful greyhound companions and experienced the satisfaction of helping retired greys after their racing days were over.”

Linda Landry has been a volunteer for Greyhound Friends for 14 years and adopted her first grey, Crimson, in 1994. She described greyhounds as professional athletes, comics and companions.

“I was immediately spellbound with love for these gentle creatures,” she said. “Very quickly, I added three more to my home; Tarbaby, Bayou and Ladybug. They all lived to be 13 years old.

“Sunshine, adopted in 2006, rules hearts and home as 'diva,’ Landry said.

“I’m committed to finding homes for these former racing greyhounds,” Landry said. “Along with many other dedicated volunteers, we are able to support and educate the public on the availability and desirability of adopting a greyhound.”

John Muller said he wishes he and Kim had started volunteering with GFNC years earlier.

“It has been a very rewarding experience,” he said. “If anyone loves dogs and is interested in volunteer work, I would highly recommend Greyhound Friends.”

Visit the kennel Web site at www.greyhoundfriends.com. to find information on adopting, volunteering and the calendar of events. For information, contact Blanche Fedor at 601-7810 or e-mail greytvolunteer@earthlink.net.

To suggest a person or organization that has or is “Making a Difference” in Guilford County, contact Peggy Longmire by e-mail at rlongmire@triad.rr.com or call her at 288-9040.