Adoption group volunteers eagerly jumped out of bed to meet the hauler at 2 a.m. in an empty parking lot near Fort Collins. Six very thin female greyhounds bounded off the air-conditioned hauler, ready to stretch their legs after their long ride from Juarez, Mexico, back to Colorado.
After a quick walk and a drink, the girls were ready to jump back into the volunteers' cars. Three were on their way to their foster homes, three were returning to their original owners, who had their old beds, and their mother, waiting to greet them.
How did Colorado greyhounds end up taking a trip to Juarez, Mexico?
It probably sounded like a good idea at the time. In late 2004, kennel operators were asked to sell greyhounds that were unable to race in the United States to the track in Juarez. They said the dogs would be treated well, and there was a plan in place for the dogs to be adopted when they were finished running. 126 greyhounds, most of which were bred in or ran in Colorado or Arizona, went to the track in Mexico.
The only problem was, there was no adoption program in place. In the fall of 2005,
Pat Roberts, President of the El Paso chapter of Greyhound Pets of America (GPA), made contact with the track management. Through her efforts, and the efforts of the national president of GPA,
Rory Goree, GPA was able to secure an agreement with the track in Juarez that all of the greyhounds would be returned to the United States, through GPA, and adopted when their racing careers ended.
What they didn't know was the track would end racing in December 2005. Several weeks later, Pat learned that the track could no longer afford to feed the dogs, and GPA El Paso stepped up to make sure they were fed. Then came the call in April saying all 126 greyhounds were ready to leave the track. Greyhound adoption groups all over the country were elated to hear the dogs were coming home, but then began Pat's monumental task of finding groups for all of the dogs, having all of the dogs vet checked and their vaccines updated, and arranging for transportation.
Teddy Palmer from Halfway Home Greyhound Adoption in Oklahoma helped arrange transport for the first of the dogs to leave Juarez. Adoption groups in Colorado and Idaho received the first group in late May.
After her first trip to Juarez, Pat made it a point to visit the track as often as possible, and she got to know "
Nacho," the young man who took care of the dogs, very well.She said he took great pride in making sure the dogs were happy and healthy, but his job became almost impossible after the track closed. The dogs were very thin when Pat learned of their food shortage, but they soon started putting on weight. Nacho has not been paid by the track for many weeks, but he continues to take care of the dogs he has grown to love. Nacho and Pat both cried when the first load of dogs left.
About 70 dogs remain in Juarez, more hauls are in the works, and more will be coming to Colorado adoption programs in the future. This has been a very expensive undertaking for GPA. The El Paso chapter has already spent $1,300 for food for the dogs. They estimate the total cost for returning these dogs to adoption groups in the United States will be approximately $200 per dog.
While some of individuals who were responsible for sending the dogs to Mexico have made financial contributions to help GPA with this monumental undertaking that will cost over $25,000, we hope the many who have not will step up and help with these expenses.
We also hope that the Colorado Division of Racing will realize that their initial efforts to prevent these dogs from returning to Colorado were ill-spirited and very misguided, and they will remember that the welfare of the greyhounds is part of their mission.
We hope they will encourage the individuals responsible for sending the dogs to Mexico to be financially responsible for ensuring that they are now adopted.
If you are interested in adopting a greyhound, contact one of the Colorado adoption groups who have volunteered to take dogs from Juarez:
Rocky Mountain Greyhound Adoption
http://www.rmga.org
Colorado Greyhound Companions
http://www.coloradogreyhoundadoption.org
Friends of Retired Greyhounds
http://www.FORgreyhounds.org/