INDIANA GROUP SPREADS MESSAGE OF GREYHOUND ADOPTIONEVANSVILLE, Indiana -- Sleek, swift and eagle-eyed. That’s as much as most people know about greyhounds. And while that’s accurate, greyhound owners say the breed has much more to offer."They’re just very quiet, gentle and calm," said Sue Swinford, president of the Indiana Chapter of the Greyhound Pets of America and owner of three greyhounds. The group’s Evansville chapter held an Awareness Day, designed to inform people of the greyhound’s qualities and of a program that allows those interested to adopt them. Topping the list of characteristics pet owners appreciate about greyhounds is that they have short hair, shed little and have no strong odor, said Carey Stanley, Greyhound Pets of America’s Evansville representative. "They are so loving," said Paul Cundiff, another member who owns three of the dogs. "They want to be loved and they want to love back." "They’re really just a nice big family dog -- low maintenance," said Swinford. The group acquires the greyhounds from race tracks in 17 states around the country where greyhound racing is allowed. These dogs, whose racing careers are over, would otherwise be euthanized. The dogs are usually 2 to 5 years old, Swinford said. Greyhounds live to be 10 to 12. The group tries to match these greyhounds with people who want to adopt them as pets, Swinford said. Greyhounds have a long history. They were bred in ancient Egypt, where they were popular both as pets and hunters. They were popular in Persia, Rome and Greece and the ancient Arabs so admired them that they allowed the dogs to share their tents and ride on top of their camels. In the Middle ages, they served as hunting dogs and were linked with nobility. Greyhounds were originally imported to America in the late 1800s to control the jackrabbit, a crop destroyer. Later, they were bred for racing.
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