Best Dog Ever

I just said goodbye to my 14 year-old Nick last week after 11 wonderful years with - as I told him all the time, the best dog ever. Nick - aka Mr. Snoop, Mr. Big, My Best Boy, Mr. Goofball, I could go on - added so much joy to my life, and I miss him like crazy. I thank you, Greyhound Friends for Nick, and for all you do for these wonderful dogs.

GFNC Rocks!

I adopted my first grey, Trevor, in 2004, and he was a love from the very first. The staff were so helpful in making sure he and my other dogs were compatible. Unfortunately, he developed seizures and eventually died, when they were uncontrollable. I had adopted another grey, Indy, before I lost Trevor, and Indy was at a loss without him. I went back to GFNC with Indy, so we could find another grey for our family. We needed a cat safe boy, since the other dogs at my house are small terriers. I had the choice of two, and without any real reason why, I chose the boy I now call Dasher. What a joy he is to all of us! He makes me laugh every day and he and Indy love running together in the backyard. Dasher lies upside down on the couch and you can only see his feet sticking up on the other side. They have both been to Mountain Hounds for two years now, and they love it. They especially love the fun runs where they can run full speed around the field. The treats are an extra pleasure, as they love the frozen "cakes", frosty paws, and any other goodies that get doled out. As long as I am able, I will have a greyhound or two and will always look for them at GFNC! Thank you for caring for these sweet furkids until adopters can come take them to their couches :-)

Molly Socks was a JOY from the word go!

Molly came back to GFNC at 12 1/2 yrs of age. Her return was one that was very hard for the previous owner but couldn't be helped. Rick & I picked her up and immediately fell in love. Molly was a grumpy old girl, who barked and snarled at the other dogs. (Who promtly ignored her.) She wanted breakfast/dinner ON TIME and would let you know if you were going too slow. We were told she was deaf but it may have been "selective hearing". She wanted loving and would stand in front of you until you petted her long enough to meet her need. Molly also had LP-laryngeal paralysis and only 2 1/2 months after she came to us she had two episodes within an hour. Her poor heart couldn't not take the stress and strain and we had to let her cross to the bridge. 2 1/2 months is such a short time. But I would do it all over again. For those short months Molly was a part of our family and loved us as much as we loved her. Her memory will always be with us and make us smile and our heart glow. Run free sweet Molly Socks! We will love you forever.

Our experience has been great!

Last October we lost our beloved 15 year old galgos, Carol. We miss her terribly, but by December we felt ready to bring another greyhound into our family. The day we visited the kennel, we saw a beautiful light brindle girl named "Rico's Katydid." She had sadly been surrendered that very day by her previous adoptive family due to a change in their work schedules. We were so taken by her sweet face and demeanor, but were a little unsure because she was already seven years old and due to our recent loss of an older grey,we thought we might be more comfortable with a younger dog. As always, it is so difficult trying to decide, so after seeing several wonderful dogs, we left to return home to try to make a decision. Well, you know where this is going....we couldn't stop thinking about how much harder it might be for "Katy" to be placed, so after driving 30 minutes back toward our home in Charlotte, we turned around,drove back to the kennel and decided to adopt her. What a great decision we made-she has been a wonderful addition to our family. We (and everyone else who meets her) absolutely love her and we can't imagine not having her in our lives! She runs and plays on our 10 acres with her two french bulldog brothers, Leo and Lloyd and is the total princess "reclining" on her plush dog beds around the house. We highly recommend adopting an older greyhound-our experience has been great!

Royal, now known as Aerial

We adopted Aerial two days after we lost our weimaraner, Scarlett, to cancer. We brought our other weim, Daisy, up to your center, to pick out her new sister, after meeting Debbie Hatley and her two greys at the pet store. Our Daisy had hid under the bed for two days after Scarlett died. When we brought her home, Aerial did not know how to walk up and down stairs and she was scared of the hardwood floors at first. Now she plays fetch in the backyard, goes for walks and wrestles with Daisy and loves to pick up blankets and rugs and carry them around the house. Aerial wakes us up in the mornings by sticking her cold nose under the blankets and smiling at us. She has brought a lot of happiness to a very sad house and Daisy has not been under the bed since we brought Aerial home. Thanks so much to the staff at your center for taking several hours to let Daisy pick out her sister and for educating us about how wonderful the breed is.

Remembering Sabaca

I adopted Conquistador, well he actually picked me, at GFNC in Febrauary or March of 2004. You may remember him as the white boy with the massive overbite. We lost him to kidney cancer yesterday. He was a wonderful addition to our family. He is actually responsible for me meeting my wife. He was amazing with our children even to the morning he passed away. He loved being a pillow to our one and two year old and never tired of their affection, no matter how they chose to show it. Boo was the third Greyhound I have adopted from GFNC. I am sure in a few months I will be setting up an appointment to find our next family addition. Thank you for the work you guys do for such wonderful creatures!

Nosey

Dear GFNC, I adopted "Nosey" Ready to Nose in the fall of 1999, and had a wonderful 13+ years with her. I renamed her Jolie because she was such a pretty girl. She was an inspiration and a true example of unconditional love. Jolie was with me through adventure, loss, and even marriage! Everyone who knew her loved her. After a rough past year of gradual decline in her senses and her mobility, she finally let us know she was ready to take flight. She passed peacefully with us at home on October 13, taking a huge chunk of my heart with her. Thank you for bringing us together. I will never forget her happy face, her beautiful grace, her stoic bravery, and her goofy lovableness.

Howler is my heart.

I'm Howler's foster mom and so grateful that I am part of this silly boy's life. He makes me laugh everyday. He's slowing down these days...after all, he's 12, but the love and silliness is still strong. Thank you for letting him be my best friend!

Easy

We adopted Easy in 1999 I think when we were living in Belmont, NC. I think her Greyhound Friends number was 2908. She died on September 28th at the age of 14 1/2. She was a very sweet girl who would take one bite out of one shoe from a pair. At our B&B one morning she decided to take a flying slide down our 12 ft. long dining room table. Everyone was grabbing for flying dishes as she slid by. She had trained squirrels not to mess with her. She had a good, long life and lots of experiences. We will miss her.

Larrybear

My precious Larrybear died today after a long and happy life. I'm so grateful he chose me for his forever home. He was 15 years old, a great big, fluffy brindle boy. He was the most affectionate guy and loved people. He loved his squeaky toys, his food, and being petted. He was the happiest thing on four legs. While I am broken hearted he's not here anymore, I celebrate his life today. They broke the mold when they made Larrybear. He was truly one of a kind.

Cheyenne, a kind soul.

RK's Cheyenne stole my heart as I first layed eyes on her at the Hound booth inside the Rennasianse Fair Charlotte. Three days later she called Mt Holly home. Mine was her third home after the tracks due to humane tragedies and no fault of her own, but got the two of us together as meant to be. She then survived a brutal pit bull attack to become famously loved by thousands of viewers tracking her recovery. Cheyenne was laid to rest following a Labor Day camping trip so she and I could say our farewells. Bone cancer is a monster and took the best soul of a friend any man could have. God created a master piece when Cheyenne was born on September 16, 2002. 3 years was just not long enough.

Hope Levy aka Geldrop's Gin is a wonderfully sweet companion.

I Adopted my greyhound in October of 2009. He was one of the most high energy and playful greys that I saw. But I knew i wanted him because he looked me in the eye and smiled!! He is a WONDERFUL companion and extremely loving. He did however have resource guarding issues which we overcame by my feeding him by hand for the first year that he was with me. He did beautifully in obedience training and has passed the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test. He is a HUGE comfort to me and I have quiet time with him each and every morning. Many evenings we watch TV together on the couch. He is my first dog because I always had cats in the past. I cannot even express what a joy he is and how much he has added to my life. Each day when I come home from work he is extremely excited to seeme and greets me with much wiggling and many different sounds then a shower of licks. I cannot igamine my life without him.

For the love of Lily

I have wanted a greyhound for years but didn't know how to go about looking for one. I met a wonderful GFNC volunteer at the dog park with her two greys and two italian greyhounds. She said come to the kennel and meet the dogs. I did just that. This began the obesseion. Additionally, I am now a volunteer at the kennel with turnout. What wonderful wonderful dogs! This is how I found my beautiful brown eyed girl, Lily. She fills my heart just looking at her. I couldn't have chosen a better dog. She is a joy to have! I love her more and more every day.

What a Joy!

My daughter and my son-in-law adopted a greyhound about 10 months ago. I get to take care of her when they are at work or away. So smart, so loving, Sooo.. spoiled :). What a "Joy" she is. We love her very much.

awesome organization

My brother adopted a greyhound years ago from GFNC and I went with him to pick her out. Robin was the most precious greyhound with such a sweet temperment and so polite. He had to put her down today - such a sad time - but we are already planning to go back and find another new baby to love!! Thank you for providing us with such a wonderful addition to our family for 8 years!!

Better than I had imagined.

In June of 2011, my 10 year old daughter and I brought 3 year old Reno home. I'd never had a big dog before, and was a little anxious. I read about greyhounds and tried to do as advised, especially preparing him for being home alone all day. We named him Coco, which has now become "Coco Loco". He is such a sweet boy. He was timid at first, but has come out of his shell. He now runs laps in the back yard several times a day, and happily lounges most of the time. He barks once when ready to come in, or when I'm a little late taking him on his nightly walk. He is very low maintenance and well-behaved. Beautiful brown eyes... such a joy.

Love Our Boy !!

When we first brought Goose home he was very timid and unsure of us. But now, after 6 months he is the definition of awesome. He has so much personality and has turned into the clown of the family! It has been a truly great experience that we recommend to anyone thinking of adopting a new family member.

Update on "Flame"

Hi, I adopted "Flame" (Mac's Flamingo) from GFNC on Saturday Feb 12th, 2011. She was a stunning beauty and such a special, sweet spirit. My dad (age 90) passed away the following Monday--Feb 14th (Valentines Day)and while still being "new" to each other Flame became my calming friend thru all the tears and heartache. Now, just a little over a year later I wanted to brag and let everyone know that Flame (and I) recently graduated from the sub-novice level obedience classes and will be taking our FINAL test for pet therapy certification on April 15th. She has overcome her fear of the slick floors and has been the class "star" on more than one occasion. When I first started my search for the 'perfect' hound it was with the intention of training her for pet therapy at my work, inpatient hospice care--but had no idea that her first 'therapy assignment' would be to help me heal my own broken heart. Thank you Greyhound Friends for your assistance and patience during that crazy time a year ago--but know she is indeed the "perfect hound". Love to everyone still looking for their "forever homes"-- ~debi~ & Flame P.S. Flame also has her own FaceBook page----Flame the Greyhound

Greyhound Friends of NC is a Quality Organization With a Straight Forward Adoption Process...

After just reading an article, "No Pet For You" Want to Adopt a dog or cat? Prepare for an Inquisition at the animal rescue... Wanted to commend your very friendly, selfless Kennel Managers (Wayne & Blanche) and numerous helpful volunteers. All of you made an extremely unintimidating and streamlined adoption process. Many thanks for our wonderful companion, "Doyle" (Mac's Doyle)...he blended right in to our life and household without the slightest problem at all. He seems to be very happy with us, as well. Keep up the beautiful work you do for animals and people, too! Angela

Our white angel now has her wings

In late February 2002, we were fortunate enough to adopt Luna from GFNC. We first saw her jumping right off a truck of greys brought up from Florida. She was hard to miss, being almost pure white except for brown ticked ears. As soon as we saw Lu, we said, "That's the grey we want!" Sadly, we had to help Luna cross The Bridge Wednesday night. She would have been 14 January first, but that was not to be. The poor thing had stopped eating and based on tests and examinations, plus her non-response to a cortisone shot given to try to goose her appetite, our vet concluded Luna had cancer. She was far too old to treat for a tumor anyway and she was weak from having lost a tremendous amount of weight so we decided to let her go. She was here at home with us and her two whippet sisters when she passed. Luna was as kind and gentle a creature as has ever walked this earth. All she wanted in the world was to be with my husband and I and the whippets. Long ago, I concluded she was actually an angel in a greyhound's body. Because Lu was white, she tended to attract a lot of attention, which she loved. When we walked her every evening, Luna just lived to meet new people who might pet her head! Though our family has been in deep grief for the past 46 hours, we know we were so lucky to have this extraordinary creature in our lives for so many years. Luna will be utterly irreplaceable. Our great room is so empty without her lying on her bed in front of the fireplace. Mary Cook

Pete and Dancer

To all of our greyhound friends, we wanted to say how much our lives were enhanced by our beloved Pete and Dancer. We were so fortunate to have them both in our lives for so long, teaching our children the importance of unconditional love. Pete passed in August at the age of 16 and Dancer soon followed at the age of 14, both of old age. They were a family, our family, and they lived life to the fullest. We miss our babies and encourage everyone to adapt a grey.

Don't overlook the dogs that seem aloof

We adopted Bullet 9 years ago from GFNC. He was 4 years old at the time and he is our very first greyhound. We had 3 cats at home so we had to find a grey that was cat-trainable, thus limiting our choices. At the time, there were only a very few dogs at the kennel that met that criteria. Bullet had been at the kennel for a while and his picture on the website was not a good one. He seemed a little aloof when we took him out and met him--I guess you could say he wasn't our first choice. I'm used to other dogs just jumping and loving on you--this was not the case with Bullet. I had my reservations, but at the same time, I had my mind up that we were going to adopt a greyhound that day! We had spent a lot of time researching and preparing--we were ready! He ran along the perimeter of the fence and just stopped...maybe eyeing a squirrel. My husband said, "He's the one--he looks regal & strong!" We brought him home and the rest is history! Over the months and years, we have seen him blossom into a loving and devoted companion, and is also perfectly behaved in every way! No counter surfing or separation anxiety--a perfect gentleman! My advice to anyone looking to adopt is please don't overlook those dogs that might not seem as warm or as eager or have been at the kennel a while. Each dog has their own personality that grows and develops within a loving family. At 13 years old, Bullet is a treasured part of our family and enjoying a wonderful life. We are truly blessed!

Cargo

I adopted Cargo (aka Lester) right after college, when I was living alone in my first apartment. He was 5, and had a rough go of it - off the track and to another rescue that was shut down for neglect. I was told he had over 200 ticks on him when he came to GFNC. He stayed at GFNC for about a year, and then I came looking and fell in love. We had an incredible 8 year ride, and as I frequently told my now-husband, the dog came first. We had a lot of jokes. "Where the car goes, the dog goes; cargo space for cargo" - other than my honeymoon (and I argued about that), I never took a vacation without him. Unfortunately, he crossed the rainbow bridge about 18 months ago. While it wasn't always an easy trip, I wouldn't have missed it for the world, and I would encourage anyone with room in their home and hearts to think about a greyhound. And GFNC was wonderful to work with on his adoption.

Seniors are Greyt

Sugar was a beautiful 12 yr old fawn girl who was brought to the kennel by her owner. The owner had to give her up due to personal circumstances. Sugar came to live with us and at 12 we thought we would be blessed to have her a year. Sugar had other plans and that little 45 lb girl put her whole heart into enjoying life and everyone and everything in it. She zoomed around the yard as if she were 5. As befitting a lady she wore her pearls every day. In 2011 at 15 yrs of age Sugar was the oldest greyhound at Sandy Paws and enjoyed all the attention and especially having her Daddy carry her around. After that trip she seemed to lose some of her zest and was diagnosed with lymphoma. Sugar joined the others at the bridge on May 3rd. We had her only three years but they were a grand three years. If you want to know the secret of the greyhound world it is that SENIORS ARE GREYT.

Ed Red a Greyt GFNC Adoption!

Hi Blanche and all at the kennel: Well, it's been two months now, and Red is letting his real personality shine through. He just loves to run and play in the back yard, and even though he is still a bit of a velcro hound, he is starting to not be so attached as he was at first. He loves to show off for us, rolling around squeking his toys and then flipping onto his back and looking at us and smiling. His puppyhood is showing now, and will for a few more months. We were sitting at the picnic table tonight, and he was laying in the grass, when all of a sudden he grabbed his rubber steak and took off running! He made about two laps of the area and dropped his steak, laid back down in almost the exact same spot and looked at us and smiled. Yepper, we picked a winner! Have a greyt weekend all, Rycharde

Remembering Max

Just a note to notify you of the recent loss of Max, aka Hasty Runner, whom we adopted at your facility. Max lived with us in Asheville for a couple of years before we relocated to Texas, near Austin. Max had quite a personality, and would eat almost anything...bluetooth headsets, eye glasses, rug gripper, remote controls, etc. One of those occassions resulted in surgery (a nylon stocking). But even that didn't seem to phase him. Max recovered very quickly and was soon back to his dog-self, playing, sleeping and lazing about. It was bone cancer that eventually took his life. He let out a yelp while playing one day and started limping. After a trip to the vet and a round of pain medicine, he seemed to do better. We thought it was probably a sprain, due to his athletic, high-energy playing. But when it happened again two more times, the vet did an X-ray and diagnosed the condition as bone cancer. Max's knee swelled to the size of a baseball during the next few weeks....it went downhill quickly. We did what we could to keep him comfortable, but he really began to struggle in the final days. We finally made the decision with our vet to put him to sleep. We wanted to let you know. It was a sad day for us, and we really miss him. Thanks for what you do to find homes for greys. Al and Paula Corley