Friday, May 21, 2010

The greyhounds are coming!

The GUR (pronounced "grrrr" and standing for Greyhound Underground Railroad) pulled out of the Orlando, Florida station Thursday evening. On board is the dog that will eventually become our new pet. An amazing string of volunteers, each driving anywhere from 3 to 10 hours, has arranged a complicated series of meetings and hand-offs that will land the dogs in central New York sometime Saturday. Another week or two of 'foster care' will follow before they are united with their new families... hopefully by the end of the month.

This is Zelda (known as Superior Zelda at the track), the dog that has been selected for our family. She is almost 4 years old, weighs 59 pounds, and has raced 99 times, most recently on May 8. For the last couple of weeks, she's been in a Florida foster home learning about life as a family pet.

Our plan was to keep the dog's track name, unless it happened to be something totally unacceptable (like Frogg Togg, as one of them is called). I think Zelda will be just fine... it makes me want to reread FSF's Tender is the Night! We're very excited.



33 comments:

  1. Congratulations! What a great story. And I think that Zelda is a lovely name. Best wishes!

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  2. This is exciting, like Christmas in May. I hope Superior Zelda arrives safe and sound soon.

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  3. Wow! I'm amazed that people are volunteering to drive up to 10 hours to unite you. I hope Zelda settles in well :-)

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  4. She's beautiful and I just know that she'll fit right into your family!

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  5. I am so happy for you all, JoAnn:) I hope her trip is a good one and I look forward to getting to know her through Lakeside.

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  6. Congrats! And good for you for rescuing a dog! She looks like a sweetheart.

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  7. Congratulations! Yay! A rescue dog!!! I can't wait to hear all about her!

    Lezlie

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  8. Oh --- she is just beautiful! I know you can't wait to have her finally arrive and become a member of the family. She is a very lucky Greyhound :)

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  9. She is absolutely gorgeous, JoAnn! I am looking forward to hearing more about Zelda (love the name) once she arrives in her new forever home...hope you'll post lots of photos and stories! She has such a big, happy smile on her face...she must know she is going to a great home :)

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  10. How exciting and she is beautiful. I am always amazed by the volunteers who help with programs like this.

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  11. Hey, I could have jumped in and come up with Zelda! Doggy has a very sweet face, and is going to love swimming in the lake!

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  12. Zelda look gorgeous, and like a dog who's going to be a wonderful addition to your family. There are a couple of greyhound fosterers who live near us and they do a wonderful job.

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  13. JoAnn, she is a beauty. Wishing you and Zelda much happiness.

    My SIL Cavalier King Charles (puppy mill) rescue has been with her for almost (3) months now, and they are perfect for each other. He is a sweetie.

    Congrats!

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  14. Frances - I got to see some of the emails flying between the volunteers... what an amazing group!

    C.B. James - From what I can tell, the dogs are overnighting in Maryland. Final leg of the journey tomorrow.

    Jackie - I've been surprised by the dedicated group of volunteers. These people are all so passionate about greyhounds!

    Staci - I was so happy to see her picture! Really wanted a fawn-colored dog, but just specified female and let them find the right match.

    Book Psmith - We have been dogless for several years.. we're all busting with the excitement of finally having another dog!

    Amy - Thanks! I think she has the most wonderful expression on her face - we all fell in love with the picture. It's sad to think how many of these dogs are destroyed once their career is over.

    Lezlie - We can't wait to meet her! I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures and stories to follow...

    Molly - Thanks! We are so happy to be welcoming another dog into the family... at long last.

    Wendy - I thought the name was great, too! As soon as I heard it, I knew this was going to be a good match. Then we saw the photo and fell in love. Plenty of pictures will be coming...

    Carolsnotebook - The volunteers are all so passionate about these dogs - none of this would be possible without them!

    Sandy - I was thinking of you when they told me the dogs were coming from Orlando. Who knows, they could have been fostered in your neighborhood! We can't wait to meet her!

    Fleurfisher - I am in awe of what the foster 'parents' need to teach the dogs. They have never even seen stairs before, often bump into clear glass doors, etc.... so many things we take for granted!

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  15. Diane - Thanks. It's so sad to think about how many of these dogs would get destroyed if no homes are found... glad your SIL's rescue is working out so well. Hoping we are just as fortunate.

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  16. Aw, she's beautiful! And I love the name.

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  17. What a wonderful thing to do. She is beautiful and I hope she brings you lots of love and happiness.

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  18. She looks very sweet! I hope you'll enjoy her lots!

    BTW is that the view from you house on the main picture. I'm not jealous... no, no. OK who am I kidding? ;-)

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  19. Congratulations to you all! I'm sure she will be a wonderful addition to the family.

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  20. congratulations! Zelda looks very regal sitting there on those pillows!

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  21. She's beautiful! Zelda suits her. Congratulations.

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  22. She's beautiful! :-) Good luck! :-)

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  23. Nymeth - We love the name, too!

    Vivienne - Thank you. We can't wait to meet her.

    Leeswammes - Thanks for visiting! I'm sure we're going to love her. Yes, that's the view from our house...we live on a small lake.

    Gavin - Thanks so much!

    Booksnyc - I think she looks very regal and poised in that picture, too! We'll see...

    DS - Thank you. I'm glad she's coming with a name we all like.

    Marie - We can't wait to finally meet her!

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  24. Congratulations! Have you seen the blog Life With Dogs? One of their dogs is a greyhound named Nigel and he's absolutely adorable.

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  25. Zelda is an awesome name for a pup. Congrats!

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  26. E.L. Fay - No, I haven't seen that blog...but I'm heading over there now.

    Care - I love the name, too! Can't wait to finally meet her.

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  27. That's very interesting and exciting for you -- congratulations! She stopped racing at 99 races, not one more for 100?

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  28. Kim - I thought 99 was a really odd place to stop, too! She'll be arriving later today.

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  29. Congrats JoAnn! How awesome! She's beautiful!

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  30. Dar - Thanks! She just arrived this afternoon and we love her already. Still sending prayers Buddy's way...

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  31. Zelda is fortunate to be going to a good home especially since she raced 99 times. Her luck is just beginning now.

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  32. Karyn - Zelda finally arrived last week and is adjusting to her new life as a pet very well. She's such a sweet girl!

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  33. Looking forward to reading about Zelda's advetures!

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