BOTHELL – There’s a reason Dave Skoor of Everett calls greyhounds “the world’s fastest couch potatoes.”
They’re bred for speed, but spend most of their time sleeping. They can unleash bursts of energy but usually prefer to lie down and cuddle.
Greyhounds make for perfect pets, Skoor said.
“They’re wonderful dogs, so affectionate, and such gorgeous animals,” said Skoor, 52, who owns three of them. “Plus, you meet a lot of neighbors when you take them out for walks.”
Skoor and his wife are volunteers with a Woodinville-based nonprofit group called Greyhound Pets Inc. The group, founded in 1985, specializes in finding homes for retired racing greyhounds in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
More than 4,700 greyhounds have been placed in homes by the organization. Hundreds have gone to people in Snohomish County.
On Saturday, several volunteers and their greyhounds staffed an informational booth at Country Village in Bothell. Some people stopped for information about adopting the dogs. Others brought their children over to meet and pet the animals.
Kathy Thurman, 57, of Lake Stevens was among those who browsed the booth. Her oldest son once got a greyhound from a rescue organization similar to Greyhound Pets Inc.
“She was the most magnificent dog,” Thurman said. “Greyhounds are wonderful dogs.”
Many racing dogs have unusual upbringings, said Marchet Anschell, vice president of the organization’s north Puget Sound operations.
Greyhounds often race until the age of 5 and are usually kept in racing pens, Skoor said.
“Most athletes, human or dog, tend to have some arthritis as they get older, and some are retired because they’re injured,” Anschell said. “But it doesn’t hurt their quality for being a pet at all.”
To ensure the greyhounds are ready to live with families, the dogs are placed with foster families before they’re adopted out. They learn to socialize with people and other animals, as well as some simple things – such as how to navigate stairs – which they don’t typically learn during their racing days.
Greyhounds rarely forget what they learned on the racetrack, Skoor said. His dogs instinctively start running laps if he lets them off of their leashes in an open field.
Then they come back to him, ready for more relaxation, he said.
“They are so easygoing,” Skoor said. “That’s one of the greatest pulls toward having these dogs.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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