Greyhound runs, but greyhound can't hide

Dusty in hiding
Dusty? Dusty? Has anyone seen Dusty?
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Dusty has four beds in the townhouse -- including one about 2 feet from where she is now. No matter: This is one of her favorite hideaways when I'm scampering around with the music blasting.

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Highlights

Gotcha, Speedy

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Speedy has landed. For the first time in his 8.5 years of life, the former Macau racer has a family he can call his own.

Dusty and I welcomed him into our Northwest Lauderhill townhouse around 5 p.m. Wednesday. We drove over to Friends of Greyhounds HQ mid-afternoon and made the adoption official.

We came home, unloaded from the Kia Koach, and immediately -- before even going into the townhouse -- went on a short walk up the block to visit our friend Inge, who always welcomes Dusty to her door with a handful of treats. Inge didn't disappoint -- but Dusty got most of the treats. Speedy got one or two but was entirely too distracted by all the new sights and sounds and smells to spend much time snacking.


Once we walked back to our home a few minutes later, Speedy's harness came off and the new belly band went on, to protect the furniture from any possible accidents.

Speedy immediately dashed off on a madcap tour of the ground floor of the townhouse, stopping to look and sniff a…
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FoG welcomes another guest

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The kennel population at Friends of Greyhounds has doubled with the arrival of 13-year-old Starsky, who arrived Wednesday by way of Delray Beach.

The way I understand the story, Starsky was given up by his adoptive mom to a vet's office in Palm Beach County. The vet sent the boy to a nearby animal shelter, which then contacted FoG. Michelle agreed to take in Starsky, who was driven to Sunrise by a representative of the Delray shelter.

Starsky is pretty skinny and has some dental issues. His back legs are shaky, and he's slow in standing up and walking. But he appears to be in good spirits, happy to interact with his kennel mate, Handsome, and his human friends. Michelle gave him a standard FoG meal of kibble, rice and canned food, and he happily ate it up. He tried to eat a Milk Bone biscuit but couldn't break it up. So Michelle broke it into tiny pieces for him, and he ate that eagerly.

The plan is to allow Starsky to get used to his new surroundings for a couple of days…
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Speedy's brand new world

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Speedy officially has been initiated.

The 8-year-old Macau import hasn't yet moved into his permanent home with Dusty and me. But he got a taste this morning of what his new life is going to be.

Dawn and her girls drove up this morning to meet us for a leash-walk outing at Plantation Heritage Park and got a chance to see Speedy take in all kinds of new sights and sounds and smells.

Speedy's having quite an awakening. Dusty and I got him out three times last week for a stroll around the block in Friends of Greyhounds' neighborhood in Sunrise. He remained in constant attention, total focus, during those walks. Dusty and I got quite a workout trying to contain him -- he pulled on that leash with everything he had to get to the next place as soon as he could. He wheezed and coughed practically the entire time -- the the martingale was choking him, he was pulling so hard. I was able to get him to slow down and stop pretty much on command, but he couldn't contain himself w…
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A Star is home; Yuki's orientation

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Winning Star is now Noel Star with a new home.

Star, who turned 8 years old the day after she arrived at the Friends of Greyhounds kennels three weeks ago, landed Wednesday in her family home in Hialeah with her new name. She was adopted by longtime FoG volunteer Andrea and her mom, Pat. She also has a canine sibling, Nico, a senior chihuahua mix who will help Star get adjusted to her new life as a domestic pet.

Star and Andrea met at Miami International Airport as Star was being loaded onto the FoG van shortly after her arrival from Macau. Star was the hound who rode loose in the back of the van with me tucked among the crates of the other four arrivals. I held onto Star's leash to steady her as she snuggled with Andrea, in the front passenger seat. Andrea decided during the ride that she wanted to adopt Star.

Star's new brother, Nico, has been with Andrea and Pat since Andrea found him as a stray on New Year's Eve 2010. He was welcomed as a permanent family member after …
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King, Speedy want a piece of your heart

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Speedy and Victory King are coming up on a month now since they arrived in South Florida from Macau. All their vet work is done, they've adjusted extremely well to life in the Friends of Greyhounds kennels -- and now they're eager to move on to the next stage of their lives.

These guys are among the sweetest and most eager to please greyhounds I've met since I started volunteering at FoG. No doubt each of these guys will be thrilled to find a permanent home and a family to call their own.

The two girls FoG adopted out last week -- Yukii and Noel -- had the same kind of disposition. Sonia at Elite Greyhound Adoptions has said the greyhounds she's imported from Macau are the same way. I've spent a bit of time with Speedy and King over the past few days and have gotten to know them a bit. So I can say with confidence that these two guys will be fantastic companions for anyone who wants to give them a home.

There are two caveats I should point out straightaway. Both o…
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