Greyhound Gang: Greyhound Gang Stories

Greyhound Gang
Stories

Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got Gathering in my tummy...
By Alice O'Hearn with Claudia Presto

Celebrating Greyhounds, Fall 2000

A Special Recipe
Assemble:
1 intrepid organizer
5,000 friendly residents
6 brave innkeepers
100 plus generous donors
15 awesome artisans
6 dancing greyhounds
1 fly ball champion

Blend in:
240 happy humans
220 rooing hounds

Mix at high speed with:
Races
Parade
Auctions
Hikes
Shopping
Tours
Talking
Laughing
Pooper scooping

Fold in, by hand, slowly:
Lots of greyhound love

Bake the mixture under the radiant sun of majestic Kanab for three days to make a memory to cherish forever.

Six years ago, Judy Dillon, Marsha Sherman and Pat Tyson cooked up the first weekend get-together for humans and their hounds. From those humble beginnings of 50 attendees, it has now become the infamous Dewey Beach, with over 1,000 participants. Those of us on the west coast desperately wanted to attend, but distance and finances made it nigh impossible. Until Claudia Presto, who refuses to enter a kitchen, except to eat, took up the gathering challenge.

"Have it and they will come," became her mantra. And come we did. With much anticipation, 240 humans and 220 eager hounds converged on Kanab, Utah, where The Greyhound Gang sponsored the Second Annual Greyhound Gathering. Kanab is between the glorious redrock country of Zion and Bryce National Parks.

Halise and Martha, drove 3,000 miles in over 4 days, in a 1996 Ford van with the sign "Kanab or Bust" on their window. The van, outfitted with a big bed and windows all around to please the three hounds, Betsy, JJ and Kate, kept the miles rolling, while Betsy continually told Halise when she wanted to stop and smell the roses, which was more often than her humans would have liked. Halise said, "The drive wasn't that long! Our dogs have been back and forth across the country a few times-they're old hands at traveling. Their pictures are probably in dozens of photo albums around the world. Everyone wants to take their picture! Stopping at rest areas across the country with three greyhounds sure gets you noticed. We spoke to a lot of folks about greyhound adoption and the pups helped get across the idea that they are fabulous pets". Martha liked the live auctions, and came home to Massachusetts with a "Crazy Greyhound Lady" shirt. Halise couldn't resist the artisans there, and the greys now have a new toy for every month.

Hiroko found it difficult to talk her husband George into partaking of the First Annual Greyhound Gathering. Not so with the second! In fact, they were so enthusiastic, they enticed eight other people from Washington State to go as well. George and Hiroko eagerly loaded up their RV with Ladi Di, Baby, Jake and Blackie, departing Sumner, Washington, at 4:00 a.m. Neither rain, nor wind, nor sleet nor hail could keep them from promoting Greyhound adoption at every rest stop during their 16-hour drive to Salt Lake City, Utah. The next day Mother Nature was more benevolent as they wound their way through Zion National Park. They even spotted a wild turkey basking (not basting) in their sun. George and Hiroko Gray stopped their caravan at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes for photo opportunities. "Something magical happened to Jake and Baby as their paws touched the sand and took in the vista that lay before them. It is as if they went back in time to the sands of Egypt to the time of the Pharaohs 5,000 years ago when they were the hounds of the desert," related George. Hiroko effervescently said that the best part of the Gathering was meeting people from other parts of the country who share her passion for Greyhound rescue.

Kathleen Gilley was most impressed with the event, "This was one well-prepared two-day event. Never have I seen such excellent documentation. One booklet was Events, Times and Details; the other was Participants and Gathering Guidelines. Every vendor, every silent auction item, and all participants' e-mail addresses were listed. You could pore over the list of goodies at dinner or before bed. You could look up who was there and what dogs they brought along,"

A spaghetti dinner was served al fresco for humans who were in town to run a 10K on Saturday. They provided not only spaghetti for the humans, but dishes of meatballs for the hounds who made it to Kanab that evening. Sukey Waldenberger reveled in the fact that everyone was a hound person, "I had three dogs with me, a lot to handle with standing in line to get food, arranging my blanket, and settling down. Every single time, someone offered to hold one or more of my dogs, and sometimes held them all the way through the meal! Cocoa cuddled quite happily with a woman from Washington for several hours, and I got an e-mail from her this week, asking how Cocoa was!"

Festivities formally (though there was nothing formal about this weekend) got under way when Mayor Alvey of Kanab opened the ceremonies with a brief welcome, as hounds and humans sat on green grass surrounded by old movie sets from Kanab's vibrant past at Frontier Movie Town. Mac and his humans, Morio and Johanna, sat in front of Josie Wales' hideaway. Although Mac, originally adopted out by Claudia and the Greyhound Gang, had eyes only for Claudia, who was on stage. "He just adores her," said Johanna, who adopted Mac, a very special needs boy because of his insecurities, two years ago; "He is a different dog now, and we just love him."

That refrain was heard throughout the Gathering, every minute of every day.

Mindy, at almost 15 one of the oldest, gamely made it to almost all the functions. Rebecca, her owner, quietly stated as she rubbed Mindy's nose, "I almost didn't take her, but she told me she wanted to go. I just want her last year to be her best; she's given me so many wonderful years."

Over 25 "golden greys," as Claudia affectionately refers to the senior hounds, attended the Gathering. And they were recognized at orientation by name, applause and boxes of treats. Cleo, almost 15 also, loved by Bethania Dougherty of New Mexico, shared grand dame honors with Mindy

Also recognized that first night was Kaibab, the cover boy of the Celebrating Greyhounds 2000 calendar. A big, happy-go-lucky brindle boy, adopted out by the Greyhound Gang, he jumped over everyone in his excitement at being there and being "the Cover Boy."

Kate Bressler (Angus - almost 13) from Gladstone, Missouri; and her friends from the Greyhound-L, Sue Burkhard (Thumper -11 and Niki - 10) from Benton Harbor, Michigan; and Amy Hanna from Iowa City, Iowa (Delilah -8 ) gathered in Kansas City, Missouri, where they rented an RV and drove to Kanab. They all agreed it was the only way to travel with their four-legged friends. At the RV Parks, they connected three ex-pens to make a front yard for their gang, allowing them to go in and out as they pleased.

Festivities began early on Saturday, when human racers took to the streets, and hound racers took to the grass to chase their humans down a stretch of grass at the Elementary School, while being clocked by a radar gun. Bear reached speeds of 38 mph while humans laughed themselves silly at each other as they attempted to run with their hounds. Seven-year-old Switcher, adopted by Carol Lawrence and Tom Cockle of Fieldbrook, California, had the second fastest clocked time. It was the highlight of Carol and Tom's 2,200-mile trip in a van made comfortable by the customized "Grey Condos" (carpeted cubicles with room to cockroach for each of the hounds, Chico, Carmine, Switcher, and Dream). A winner of the human 10K good naturedly pitted his prowess against a four-legged competitor and lost soundly despite his half-length head start. He may have lost, but he stands to win with his desire to now adopt a retired racer.

A group roo started off the parade, and the Greyhound Guild taught all the "wave," something they have perfected by doing the Renaissance Festival every year. To the tune of "You Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog, 240 humans and 220 hounds astounded the people of Kanab, as the closed main street had never seen this kind of action.

The recipe continued to blend, as everyone drove to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary's Angel's Landing, to partake in jaw-dropping scenery, and jaw-chewing lunch. Lady watched the Gilley Girl performance with disdain in her eyes. "She does all that and more at home," said Carla, her human companion. "We taped her once when we were gone, because we couldn't understand how the futon couches got to the floor. Well, this little 45 lb. girl can fly through the air with the greatest of ease." Lynda Adame (co-moderator of the Greyhound-List) gave an entertaining expression of her life with greyhounds.

Live auction items were coveted, like the zebra-striped, incredibly soft dog bed. "Coco deserves this bed, and I told her I'd bring her back something, since she couldn't come to the Gathering," her mom, Carol, said.

Afternoons were devoted to shopping, naps and Best Friends tours, depending on your preference. The beaded collars from Silk Road Collars adorned many of greyhounds at the Gathering. Henna tattoos and nail art adorned humans, while the dogs ogled collars and coats and food stands. John and Lynn Cupo, who flew in from New Jersey, took home one of everything. Kate Bressler, who has a collar fetish, bought three stunning new collars for Angus and two magnificent collars for Bo-Jack, the four-and-a-half-year-old boy she would adopt upon her return to Missouri. Cara Brockhoff exclaimed, "Claudia's expertise in scheduling events and vendor hours allowed great social interaction to take place. I even got to meet our own expert webmaster for the first time; it was wonderful to be able to give Phil Epler a personal hug for all he does for Northcoast Greyhound Support. Best of all was meeting Claudia in person!"

That evening the hounds and humans sporting their latest purchases trekked back to Angel's Landing. Dana Provost and her amazing greyhound, Stealth, gave a demonstration of the sport of flyball. Paul Lee, commentator for this event, explained the demonstration, as the two-footed and four-legged spectators gave Stealth a thunderous round of applause. Besides his national ranking in flyball, Stealth is a certified canine therapist and has brought much happiness to many a hospital patient over the past seven years.

A sumptuous cowboy dinner of beef brisket, barbecued chicken, and all the fixin's was served as everyone regaled each other with tales of their hounds. With our "little doggies" ready for the corral and our tummies overly happy we reluctantly departed the beautiful surroundings and great company to close another memorable day.

Sunday morning started early for the three winners of the sealed bid auction for a private plane flight over Bryce and Zion National Parks. Mike Carbon, with Mary and Minnie, flew in from San Jose, California, and generously offered a ride as a donation item to winners Roy Sharp, Andrew Matthews, and Barb Carhahan. "I would have paid hundreds more for that ride," enthused Barb, "It was incredible and such a treat." It was about the only thing that hounds couldn't attend.

Although several of our friends had to leave early, the party was not over. A two-mile hike surrounded by red rock and green sage, a nursing home visit, lots more shopping, and the final auctions were still to come. We returned to Angel's Landing for our final helping of pizza, friendship, pizza, comradery, pizza, Gilley's Girls, pizza, story telling, culminating in our gorging on gourmet ice cream bars and a blessing of the Greyhounds. We tried, but we couldn't do justice to the bounty of our host. Barbara Ayoub said it best, "Claudia Presto has done a great service to the greyhound community in her tireless work in saving these wonderful dogs through the Greyhound Gang and bringing Greyhound people together."

What began as a recipe for fun was coupled with the finest of ingredients, spiced by exciting activities, and molded by the love of both humans and hounds, culminated in the Second Annual Greyhound Gathering. "Seeing all these Greyhounds together, happily retired and so cherished by their people, is both joyful and inspiring. The Gathering helps to underscore what adoption efforts are all about," said Bev Doan of Greyhound Pets of America, Southern Nevada.

What will Chef Claudia have on the menu for the Third Annual Greyhound Gathering? Whatever it is, I will be making my reservation and hope you do too.

Author's Note: Kate Bressler is particularly grateful for the wonderful memories created at the Gathering. When she returned home, she received the sorrowful news that Angus had bone cancer and would not be with her much longer. Our prayers goes out to her.

About the Author: Alice O'Hearn, resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, Larry, and their two Greyhounds, Sierra (age five) (a certified therapy dog) and Riley (age four) (a therapy dog in training), adopted from the Greyhound Adoption Center in San Diego, and their Cockatiel, Spike.

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