Rescued greyhounds travel 7,000 miles await adoption

Rescued Greyhounds Travel 7,000 Miles, Await Adoption
POSTED: 10:15 pm EDT April 23, 2009
UPDATED: 11:14 pm EDT April 23, 2009

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- For 16 years, greyhounds born to run have found sanctuary in Chagrin Falls at Greyhound Adoption of Ohio.
In that time, nearly 2,000 dogs have come from tracks near and far to find new homes in Ohio.
But none have traveled as far as the latest arrivals, with an estimated journey of about 7,000 miles.
The journey started in Guam last November after a track there closed.
From there, several rescued greyhounds were flown to Los Angeles for veterinary treatment and then to Arizona to prepare them for adoption.
Six of them will now call Chagrin Falls home until they are adopted.
That the Guam greyhounds survived at all is nothing short of a miracle.
"The dogs lost in the jungle, found starving, found by the side of the road, hit by cars and they were very lucky that the Greyhound Protection League was there to help them," said Linda Perko, of Greyhound Adoption of Ohio.
Perko said, "When we started doing this 16 years ago, there were about 50,000 dogs a year born and about 50,000 destroyed."
Rescuers said adoption has helped save up to half of all greyhounds bred for racing.
"They make very loving pets. They get very attached to their owners. They're just great," Perko said.
Greyhound Adoption of Ohio will hold open houses this weekend and next if you are interested in adoption.
To learn more, go to www.greyhoundadoptionofoh.org.

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