President’s Message – September 2025
Last month I talked about what goes into getting Aussie dogs to LA and then to Tucson, but that is not where the work stops. There are still a lot of steps getting them to either Lazy Grey Ranch or directly into foster, so here is more of the story.
Prior to the dogs arriving in Los Angeles, Operations Director Nancy Lynberg has already scheduled their intake exams with Briarcrest Veterinary Care Center for wellness checks, which includes a full blood panel along with urine and fecal tests in order to establish a baseline. We do this is for all the hounds we intake.
The Aussie and Irish hounds have already been spayed/neutered and have generally received a recent dental, but if dogs come from U.S. tracks or breeding farms, we have them vaccinated and scheduled for spay/neuter, microchip implant and a dental. All dogs are immediately equipped with a GPS tracker and a harness. Greyt Escape donates a new martingale collar, indoor tag collar and a leash.
Upon leaving Briarcrest, the hound has a to-go bag, which includes a two-month supply of Heartgard Plus, all their medical records, a cuddly toy and more. Hounds are picked up directly by their fosters who often sit in on the exam, too. As mentioned last month, Foster Coordinator Anne Lopez has all the foster volunteers lined up prior to the hounds arrival in Tucson and she is often present at the vet exams.
As a foster-based organization, we feel this is such a special process for the greyhounds. Our fosters are the crucial first step for dogs to begin to transition into pet life. Fosters also provide invaluable information that guides us in matching the dog to the best possible home. We cannot exist without you fosters!
When weather permits, fostered greyhounds might attend events to showcase and socialize them. Meetups, ice cream socials, and in Las Vegas, a coordinated walk gets the hounds out in the community.
Because we are very calculated on incoming dogs, we generally have adopters queued up based on their environment and experience. We do not have an application fee and will immediately reach out to schedule an interview. Once that is completed and we feel you would be a good candidate, a home visit is scheduled. If that goes well, you are placed on a waiting list. We adopt to single households as well as families with children, generally 7 years and older, but each is a case by case basis.
For me, one of the best things about this process is getting that dog into the perfect home and then seeing him/her at our many events like the BooRooUnion, Tucson Parade of Lights or meetups and on our Facebook page. We love when people share their photos and videos with us.
Yes, it does take a village and SA Greys is grateful for you – our members, donors, adopters, volunteers and followers to put all the pieces together for these beautiful greyhounds.
Jeanne Gacke is President of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption and can be reached at president@sagreys.org.