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We're pleased to have members of the
Conscience Allliance Club from North Fort Myers High School
help us out at area events.

Click here to read about their group.

Rudy's in the paper!!!

We've been working hard to find
homes for other greys this fall.
There have been lots of adopt-a-thons
...like this one in Port Charlotte.

We're pleased that the Charlotte Sun
found it worthy of coverage in the paper
on November 5, 2006!

Homeward Bound Greyhounds
was in the News Press as a new member of the
Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce. Joanne and Gail and several greys
attended the ribbon cutting, held at the
Cape Dog Bakery,
thanks to Lou and Anita Simmons.

Look for us at future Chamber events!

Betsy Haynes said although she and her husband already have a greyhound, they were in the market for another.

The Hayneses, who live on Marco Island, adopted Emmey from the Naples Humane Society. The couple went there to drop off recyclables, and Jim Haynes saw the young greyhound in the exercise yard.

Emmey was brought to the Humane Society by a family who previously had adopted her. When the family got a kitten, Emmey went packing, Jim Haynes said.

When he returned to the Humane Society a month later, Emmey was still there. It was meant to be, he said.

"I was still pining," Jim Haynes said.

45 MPH Couch Potatoes! Homeward Bound Greyhounds was featured by The Naples Daily News in the Sunday Neopolitan section 11/5/06. It was a GREYT four page spread! Click here to check it out!
	Rudy's in the paper!!! We've been working hard to find homes for other greys this fall. There have been lots of adopt-a-thons ...like this one in Port Charlotte. We're pleased that the Charlotte Sun found it worthy of coverage in the paper on November 5, 2006!
We are so pleased that volunteer Betty Libby has our greys involved in the pet therapy program at Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte. The Port Charlotte Herald thought the efforts were worthy of a little publicity, too!
	Homeward Bound Greyhounds was in the News Press as a new member of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce. Joanne and Gail and several greys attended the ribbon cutting, held at the Cape Dog Bakery, thanks to Lou and Anita Simmons. Look for us at future Chamber events!
HBG was thrilled to be invited to attend the 4th Annual Doggy Wash and Luau sponsored by the Lee County Humane Society on August 6, 2005. Everyone have a great time...human and canine alike! Zack was loungin'... ...Zap and Sahara were coolin' off... ...and Artie made it into the News Press!

Greyhound love Many retired racing dogs have found homes on Marco Island through Homeward Bound By MELANIE M. SIDWELL, Staff Writer November 5, 2003
When Jim Haynes met Emmey, it was love at first sight. And his wife didn't mind a bit. "I saw the hearts and arrows between them," said Betsy Haynes, referring to the first meeting of her husband and Emmey, a 3-year-old brindle greyhound with black and rust markings like a tiger. The couple attended the Halloween party at the Critter Cafe on Oct. 30 in support of the Homeward Bound Greyhound adoption program. Homeward Bound, a nonprofit organization, puts retired and rehabilitated greyhounds from the Naples/Fort Myers racing track together with people willing to love them. Program volunteers were on hand at the Critter Cafe with three greyhounds up for adoption, and owners who adopted their dogs through Homeward Bound came to talk about their experiences.	Jason Easterly/Staff Dan Jenkins, from left, George Farrell, Joanne Farrell and Sandy Kupka talk outside the Critter Cafe about the nature of greyhound breeds on Oct. 30 during the store’s Halloween costume contest for pets. The greyhound owners make up the group Homeward Bound, which tries to find homes for retired race greyhounds.
Betsy Haynes said although she and her husband already have a greyhound, they were in the market for another. The Hayneses, who live on Marco Island, adopted Emmey from the Naples Humane Society. The couple went there to drop off recyclables, and Jim Haynes saw the young greyhound in the exercise yard. Emmey was brought to the Humane Society by a family who previously had adopted her. When the family got a kitten, Emmey went packing, Jim Haynes said. When he returned to the Humane Society a month later, Emmey was still there. It was meant to be, he said. "I was still pining," Jim Haynes said.	Jason Easterly/Staff Marco Island resident Angel Lowry, 10, plays with Buddy, bottom, and Sophie, two of the three greyhounds available for adoption through Homeward Bound, as volunteer Dan Jenkins talks in the background.
And now they're pining again, and they hope Homeward Bound can help. The program has connected about 20 Marco residents with the elegant racing dogs since its inception, said founder Joanne Farrell. Joanne and George Farrell of Naples began Homeward Bound in 1999 after seeing a television news segment about race track greyhounds in need of homes after they are retired. Dogs are retired from the sport once they either reach six years of age (as mandated by state law) or if the dog isn't a winner at the races. "It really awakened us to the need to help so many dogs. There's just an endless supply," Joanne Farrell said. She estimated that the program places about 150 dogs in homes per year; some stay in Southwest Florida, while others are transported to a similar adoption program called Greyhounds in Love based in South Carolina. This year alone, she said, about 240 dogs have been adopted through Homeward Bound. The dogs range from 20 months to 6 years old, both genders and in all colors.	Jason Easterly/Staff Betsy Haynes talks to Baily, right, as Redford hangs out in the foreground on Oct. 30. Haynes has owned a greyhound for the past three years.
For an adoption fee of $225, program volunteers ready the dogs for placement, which includes spaying or neutering, teeth cleaning, all vaccinations and a general health inspection to ensure that a new owner receives a "healthy, happy dog," said volunteer Dan Jenkins of Naples. At the Critter Cafe, Jenkins was showing off Buddy, a gentle, chocolate-spotted greyhound up for adoption. "I love the breed; they need our help," he said. "If the trainers can't make money, these dogs are put down. We are trying to stem that tide." Adoptive greyhounds may seem aloof at first, Jenkins said. But the dogs warm up and reveal their true personalities once they feel comfortable in a home -- like any guest would. "Although they've been handled by a lot of people, they've never bonded with anyone," he said. From birth, these race dogs are kept in crates for 22 hours a day, he said. They are raised strictly for their quick speed and potential to win. But once they retire, the dogs just want to relax. For this reason, Joanne Farrell calls the breed "the 45-MPH couch potato." "That's what they are," she explained. "When their racing career is done, and when they get into a home, they curl up anyplace: on the couch, their own bed. They're not like other animals, who are kept up constantly." Jenkins, who has two adopted greyhounds, said the dogs are gentle and loving, but owners have to understand their specials needs. Greyhounds have little body fat and, therefore, cannot handle hot or cold temperatures, he said. They also at first shouldn't be around smaller animals, like kittens, because their instinct is to chase them. They're also susceptible to separation anxiety, can't swim and, even though they're larger in size, they make terrible watch dogs, Jenkins said. Owners should understand that greyhounds aren't "street smart" like most of their canine counterparts, Joanne Farrell said. "If they see something, whether it be a rabbit, squirrel, bird or paper in the wind, if it catches their attention and they are not on a leash ..., they have been known to run after this thing until they catch it," she said. "But they won't know how to find their way back; they have no homing instinct like other dogs. People have tried obedience school, but they never lose that original training (to chase). It could cost a greyhound its life." However, the benefits of adopting a greyhound outweigh the breed's idiosyncrasies, the Hayneses said. "They're like a tranquilizer on four legs. They're such a stress reliever," Betsy Haynes said. Ann Lowry of Marco Island is a new owner of Jeney, a pretty 2-year-old greyhound whose racing name was more fierce: Hammer. Lowry said she decided to adopt a greyhound after seeing the Hayneses' success with theirs. "This is our first dog in 30 years," Lowry said. "These dogs are low maintenance and just love to be loved." Greyhounds are a quiet breed with little shedding and little or no bark, and they can live up to 14 years. They also rarely get hip displacement, like other dogs, and have few health problems. "If they have any health problems, we take care of it before it's adopted," Jenkins said. "If a dog doesn't work out with a home, we'll take it back. We want to try and match the right dog with the right family." For more information about Homeward Bound, call 353-7335 or visit the Web site, www.homewardboundgreyhounds.com. Copyright 2003, Naples Daily News. All Rights Reserved.