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Message From Our President – March 2024

Although I was not part of the organization when the tracks were open, I do know that while many things have changed, some drastically, over the past eight years, some things have also stayed the same and thankfully so. As you all know, we cannot do this mission without the dedication and support of all our volunteers and partners, and I would like to highlight one of them.

The decision to bring in dogs is based on many things, urgent needs such as Caliente, relinquished, injured, enough fosters and adopters. However, generally before making the decision to bring in any greyhounds, the first call made is to Wanda Abeyta at Lazy Grey Ranch to see if she can accommodate our request. The answer is always yes, and it doesn’t matter if it is one dog or 12. Wanda is such an integral part of our process, providing care, insight and stability for every dog that comes in contact with her.

Wanda is so much more than a wonderful boarder, she, as one person has said “knows more about the breed than anyone I’ve met, and she is always there when a greyhound needs help.” Others have said “When dogs are with her, she treats them like they are her dogs” and “Wanda is a greyhound whisperer.” I would echo all these sentiments.

When I was the adoption coordinator, I would routinely get updates on all the SA Greys dogs in her care that included information on their personalities, behaviors and what type of foster/adoption home they would best fit to start their journey to retirement. This was extremely beneficial, and I can say she was generally 100% accurate in her assessment.

Currently she is housing and working with Flint, one of our dogs who got off to a hard start upon his arrival in Tucson. When he returned to Tucson after his ordeal of running down the Ventura Freeway, he went into foster, and after a few weeks, he started displaying some behaviors that were concerning, so we asked if he could come to Lazy Grey for a reset and some work with Wanda and a trainer. In the first training session, the trainer was impressed with everything Wanda had suggested and implemented and is now working with SA Greys and Wanda to help this boy get into his forever home! This would not be possible if Wanda would not have said she would accommodate the trainer and SA Greys coming to her to work with the dog, but once again she said, “I will make it work!”

When asking people about Wanda, you will hear, “We are big fans of what Wanda has done for our dogs and for so many dogs over the years” and “Wanda does not search recognition, but she sure deserves it.”

I couldn’t agree more. We are so grateful for her and all she does for these hounds. Thank you, Wanda.

Jeanne Gacke is President of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption and can be reached at president@sagreys.org.