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Greyhound Gang |
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Greyhound Gang |
Who will speak for the Greyhounds?
By Barbara Pyles
Southern Utah News, April 14, 1999
If anyone could be called a woman with a mission, it's Claudia Presto. She earned that recognition when she started placing ex-racing greyhounds in adoptive homes. "These dogs have souls that are beautiful, old and neglected. They deserve to be loved, and until the day I die I will own greyhounds and try and find good loving homes for others," she says.
It all started back in 1985, when Presto was vacationing in Vermont with her Afghan hound, Jezebel. One day she saw two white dogs with long thin faces. The dogs had lengthy powerful legs and a long and curved tail. She looked into their sweet, loving eyes and felt something tugging at her heart. The young woman was appalled when she found out that tens of thousands of greyhounds were being killed because they were not generating enough money for the people who owned and raced them. Presto wanted to make a difference. All she had to do was care.
She adopted Eliminator from the Connecticut track and for the next eight years she worked with Connecticut greyhound adoption groups. Her dream: having her own Greyhound Gang.
During this time the slender brunette lived the good life working for Corporate America. Then in 1993, she chucked her silk stockings, high-heel shoes and suits, sold her Volkswagen convertible and bought a Chevy V8 pickup with a camper shell. Towing a 16-ft. camper, she left the east coast with her new greyhound Slim -- Jezebel and Eliminator having left her for Doggie Heaven -- and headed out west to look for a better way of life.
As Presto traveled through southern Utah, she found the landscape breathtaking. The red rock cliffs cut a stark contrast to the concrete city she came from. As she neared Kanab, the jagged peaks of the vermilion cliffs welcomed her home. It's at this new home in Kanab where her greyhound gang went from a dream to reality.
In 1995, she incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt (501)(C)(3) organization with the mission of rescuing, rehabilitating and adopting out ex-racing greyhounds to loving hearts and homes. This labor of love (negative cash flow) occurs from her small home on two fenced acres in Kanab, Utah which she shares with her two greyhounds, Beauty and Winslow. She also cares for other greyhounds until she can find suitable homes for them.
"It is like brushing my teeth," she says. "It is something I just do every day. I buy a car so that it suits my dogs, I buy property so that it suits my dogs. I don't take pills, but I buy pills for my dogs. I will take the dogs to a doctor before I go." Presto took a minute to hug Beauty. "I have found the thing in my life that is my passion."
Centuries of breeding are still part of the greyhounds' demeanor. They are elegant, affectionate, loving companions, who ask nothing more than to be with you. They are smart, quiet couch potatoes who will unconditionally love your kids, other animals and you, she once wrote.
Just how does someone adopt one of her greyhounds? Well it's not easy! Her adoption process begins when she travels to Las Vegas and places an ad in the paper saying where she will be on a certain date. Several of her adopters bring their greyhounds. She brings her manuals and adoption applications. Presto is very particular when it comes to placing her greyhounds. She expects them to be a part of the family, and to have all the comforts of a loving home. She stresses that greyhounds should never be allowed out of a fenced area unless they are on a leash. Presto asks for references and checks up on everyone. "When people adopt a dog from me, they adopt me too. I call and follow up. I expect to see the dog. When the dogs are sick, I expect a phone call because I can help them," she says.
According to Presto there are more than 200 other independent groups in the country adopting out greyhounds. The groups adopted out about 15,000 dogs last year. However, thousands of greyhounds are still being euthanized.
Presto, who is hosting a Greyhound Gathering in Kanab on May 1- 2, expects about 150 rescued racing greyhounds along with their families. Festivities for the Greyhound Gathering will include a parade down Main Street on May 1 at 10:30 a.m. "It's a chance to see these regal, elegant, centuries-old dogs up close and personal," she says.
There will also be an art contest for elementary school children. All artwork will be displayed on Shilo Inn's lobby walls. Frontier Movie Town is opening up their facility for pictures and merriment. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is allowing use of Angel's Landing for lunches.
This compassionate woman ended the interview by saying: "I love being in Kanab. It's home. I very much appreciate how the town and Best Friends has embraced the Greyhound Gang."
There are financial problems associated with being a caregiver for greyhounds. Although Presto does receive donations, she spends thousands of dollars out of her own pocket for such things as food, vitamins, medical care, shelter, transportation and more.
Presto sheepishly said, "I've been praying for a generous person, who needs a tax write-off, to donate me a vehicle, or maybe a salesman to give me a really good deal! My wonderful vehicle has more than 200,000 miles on it and I don't know how much longer it will last."
Any donations for the Greyhound Gang should be sent to: Claudia Presto at P.O. Box 274. You can also call her at (435) 644-2903. Her e-mail address is claudia@greyhoundgang.com. Check her website at http://www.greyhoundgang.com.
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