NGAP National Greyhound Adoption Program Virginia Affiliate Serving the greater Hampton Roads area
About Us
Started in 1989, the Virginia Chapter of the National Greyhound Adoption Program has placed over 550 ex-racing Greyhounds with new, loving families. Thanks to the tireless dedication of the local director Gay Latimer, and her husband Sam, these wonderful animals now have their "forever" homes. Newly adopted Greyhounds are transported from our kennel in Philadelphia to the home of Sam and Gay where they meet their new families for the first time. Volunteers from Virginia Beach drive to Salisbury, Maryland to meet up with volunteers from the kennel to pick up the newly adopted dogs. Adoption day does not end the commitment or support network that our group provides. We are here 24/7 to answer questions or help out however we can. A recent example of this continued support is the case of Sporty, a 14 year-old Greyhound. Sporty's owner, an 86 year-old gentleman, called with an urgent need. Sporty had injured himself and was unable to walk. His owner, who lived alone, was unable to physically lift Sporty to get him to the emergency vet. Three of our volunteers, Mike, Brian and Cassie, immediately went to see what assistance they could offer. They were able to get Sporty out of the house and transported him to the emergency animal hospital where his owner met up with them. Several hours passed during which time the volunteers stayed with Sporty's owner while doctors evaluated Sporty's injuries. Sadly Sporty's injuries were too severe and he passed away. While this is a somewhat unique situation in that Sporty's owner had no one else to assist him, Sam and Gay Latimer as well as many other volunteers are part of the network here to support you after the adoption. The goal of our group is to place these wonderful dogs in their forever home and to support adopters afterwards.
Below is an excerpt from an article which appeared in the October 10, 1994 issue of the Virginian Pilot newspaper.
A GATHERING OF 56 GRATEFUL GREYHOUNDS Fifty-six of the luckiest hounds on the planet gathered Sunday afternoon at Woodstock Park for a picnic. They were greyhounds bred for racing that had proven too slow or too spooked to race, or that had slowed after a year or two at the tracks. Normally they would have been shot, clubbed, drowned or administered a lethal injection, or possibly sold to a science lab to serve as test subjects. Some 50,000 racing greyhounds are killed each year for the capital crime of being too slow, according to estimates by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Only one in 50 racing greyhounds lives to age 5, according to literature handed out at the picnic. By numerical comparison, bullfighting is tame, though in the ring the death is visible. The 56 greyhounds - Grinch, Zipper, Doofus, Argus, Zeus, Hillary, Dash, Mercury and others - were attending the fourth annual fall picnic of the Tidewater Chapter of the National Greyhound Adoption Program. The local chapter has placed 95 once-doomed greyhounds with Hampton Roads families since 1989. The national program, based in Philadelphia, has placed 1,600 racing greyhounds nationwide. One hundred sixty of the greyhounds' owners and guests signed a petition Sunday that said, ``We Support Senate Bill (NU)537. . . Ban Greyhound Racing in Virginia Forever!!!!!'' The bill is in a Virginia Senate committee, and the five exclamation marks indicate the fervor of the signers' opposition to greyhound racing. The Maine legislature last year banned greyhound racing. ``If we get horse racing,'' Teresa Smith of Norfolk said at the picnic, ``there definitely will be dog racing. These dogs are worth nothing to the people who race them.'' They would be a cheap way, she said, for horse-track owners to extend the betting season. Smith owns and operates Four on the Floor Pet Grooming in Norfolk. When an adopted greyhound arrives at the Norfolk International Airport, it is picked up by Sam and Gay Latimer of Virginia Beach, founders of the local greyhound-saving chapter, and taken directly to Smith's shop for a free bath and inspection. Last year she left her birthday dinner to bathe and groom three dogs that had just arrived. Having groomed all kinds of breeds, Smith says of the greyhound, ``It's the most gentle and kindest breed of dog of any I have ever seen.'' Also, she noted, greyhounds are quiet. Many dogs arrive underfed and bald in the rump and chest from lives spent mainly in small wire crates. For some dogs, the hair never grows back. Greyhounds are one of the oldest pure breeds. They are depicted in Egyptian sculptures 5,000 years old. The picnic was eerily silent for a gathering of dogs. Greyhounds rarely bark, say their owners, even when sirens sound. It's even rarer for a greyhound to sit. The position is uncomfortable for them, say their owners. Greyhounds have short velvet coats, pointed noses, large, expressive eyes, small ears, deep chests, waspish waists and muscular hips and thighs. They are running machines, capable of exceeding 40 mph. Most were white, black, fawn or brindle. At first glance, the fawn greyhounds resemble deer. Tom Sheehan of Portsmouth said people have asked if his fawn-colored greyhound, Redmond, is a deer. Harriet Golombek of Virginia Beach, who has adopted three greyhounds, said, ``They are the sweetest, most gentle, affectionate dogs that you could ever know. They are entirely devoted. They are couch potatoes. They have no body odor. They shed very little. They are laid back.'' Several people, while noting greyhounds' love of running, said they are happiest cuddling with their owners. Susan Stanley of Chesapeake, who adopted 4-year-old Champ, said her dog often rests his head in her lap. She said his look up at her seems to say, ``I am in heaven. This is OK. Don't ever move.'' At last fall's picnic, attended by 54 dogs, $2,100 was raised, partly from an auction of donated items. The money brought 60 dogs from Florida farms to the program's national headquarters in Philadelphia. At this year's picnic, $2,200 was raised for more adoptions. The program is nonprofit.
For more information on Greyhound adoption, please contact Gay Latimer at greyhoundsrus@cox.net