My name is Debra Hardman and I was recently elected as president by SA Greys members.  

My love affair began March 2015, when I first met a greyhound named Rebel, a strapping big brindle boy, who was being fostered by a dear friend. Next thing I know, I became a foster then a foster failure. The support I received from our volunteers was outstanding, from education about the breed to tips for making the transition from track life to pet life, as well as support when it came time to euthanize. I wanted to be part of a greyhound’s adoption journey and joining this organization has been one of the most rewarding things I have done.

The demand to adopt a greyhound is as strong as ever, however, U.S. availability has diminished. While we continue to welcome retired racers from Caliente, SA Greys decided to expand our mission to better the lives of ex-racing greyhounds from other countries and continents by securing loving and qualified forever homes, predominantly in Southern Arizona.

This direction has breathed new life into what we do. Our focus has shifted from being reactive to proactive by fundraising to cover huge transportation expenses and increasing our volunteer base to include temporary fosters. 

We will also publish an e-newsletter every other month as well as more frequent email blasts to improve communications.

We need your input on viable and proven fundraising ideas. If you have any suggestions or comments and would like to be a part of our new direction, please email president@sagreys.com.

Your support is greatly appreciated. I look forward to meeting you soon ...

Last but not least, I’d like to express my gratitude to Rudy Lopez, the previous president, for his leadership and commitment of time. Rudy continues to serve as a Board Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors; he and his wife Anne continue to volunteer in a variety of ways.

Debra Hardman is President of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption and can be reached at president@sagreys.com.

It began with a message on Instagram …

At the end of last year, we received an inquiry on Instagram from an Irish greyhound group that was looking for compatible adoption groups to rehome their Irish greyhounds. 

We did our own research on the group.  

The Flying Irish Greyhounds (FIG) is a small non-profit dedicated to rehoming retired Irish greyhounds. In 2014, they partnered with an American organization to begin placing greyhounds in the United States.

Ireland, the size of Indiana and with a population comparable to Alabama, has 16 dog tracks. There are more dogs exiting racing than available homes. Additionally, greyhounds are considered farm animals as opposed to family pets, which impacts their adoptability.

Our mission started by learning all the nuances of bringing dogs from overseas. Besides the customs process and paperwork, we needed to adhere to the USDA and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) guidelines for crate and bedding disposal and ensure the new arrivals were bathed within 24 hours of arrival. SA Greys coordinators worked on finding volunteers to assist with the necessary activities for when the dogs arrived, from uncrating and transporting the greyhounds from Phoenix to Tucson and to assist with Spa Day — bathing dogs in accordance with APHIS requirements.

We were ready to receive greyhounds on April 7 at Sky Harbor Airport when suddenly a week before arrival, American Airlines notified us that they were ceasing the transport of live animals because of temperatures rising over 85 degrees. Being tenacious, we found another international airport that would accept live animals, have cooler temperatures and work within the original arrangements. That airport — Los Angeles International Airport.

Five volunteers flew to LAX the day before to visit the American Airlines cargo facility and learn about the processing of dogs. Two large Sprinter vans were rented and padded with blankets and quilts the volunteers packed in checked baggage. Two more volunteers flew in the morning of April 7 to provide assistance along with three volunteers from the LA area. 

At 4 p.m. on April 7, 12 beautiful greyhounds were escorted via crates to the American Airlines cargo facility where joyful volunteers eagerly awaited to formally meet the first Irish greyhounds. Fáilte! (Welcome in Gaelic.)

We were amazed how alert and happy each greyhound was when they were finally uncrated. They were healthy and showed no signs of stress or dehydration. Each dog was walked and received plenty of love from us and the cargo facility employees while waiting for final customs clearance.

Shortly before 6:30 p.m., accompanied by six Board members and one husband (Debra and Brian Hardman; Anne and Rudy Lopez; Jeanne Gacke; Abrie Schroeder; and Ann Chihak Poff) the Irish hounds headed to Tucson. At 4 a.m. that Friday morning, Wanda Abeyta, owner of Lazy Grey Ranch, greeted us. She took each dog for another walk, then bedded them down before spa day baths commencing at 8:30 am.

Everyone who flew to LAX and had travel-related expenses, paid their own way and also paid for gas. SA Greys funds, a little more than $22,000 after adoption fees, were used exclusively to cover customs fees and transportation costs from Ireland to LAX. Dozens helped transport, at spa day and getting the greyhounds into forever homes wearing beautiful Celtic martingale and buckle collars with matching leashes made and donated by Michelle Caillet from Greyt Escape.    

None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for you, our members and the financial support received. So thank you kindly. SA Greys hopes to bring more Irish hounds to Tucson later in the year. Stay tuned ...

Pictures from the houndies arrival. Read one of the Irish greyhound's story below.

The SA Greys family is deeply saddened by the passing of longtime volunteer Jean Michaud.

Jean fostered many dogs. And in recent years, if you received a thank you card for your donation, it likely was sent by Jean. 

Jean could also often be found making bracelets at the beading bees of The Beading Divas. 

Her beloved hound, Sadie, has gone to live with a friend. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Hello beautiful Greyhound people,

I am 1 years old and started my life in Ireland. After running around a little bit, I got on an airplane for a long flight to Los Angeles to find my forever family. There, I was greeted by a group of very friendly people. I sat on the lap of a very nice lady for my van ride from Los Angeles to Tucson. 

After we arrived, I was driven to a big park where my forever family, Ron, Sherri and Baxter were waiting. I was delighted to see that Baxter was a greyhound, just like me! After a walk around the park, my forever family invited me to their home to see if I liked it. I knew that was a good sign. On the ride home, they named me Brenna. (Gaelic for raven-haired beauty.)

I loved my new home immediately and just wagged my tail and followed Baxter around to learn what to do. My family gave me a toy box full of stuffed animals that I empty out twice daily and throw all over the house. I go for sunrise walks in my neighborhood with my family. And I learn new things every day. 

Baxter loves me and he is the best big brother I could ever hope for. I know my humans love me by how they talk to me and how much attention they give me. I love them too even though they say things I don’t always understand. For instance, right now I think they must be testing different middle names for me. They call me Brenna “baby girl,” Brenna “tiny angel,”  Brenna “itty bitty one” and Brenna “sweetie pie.”  I have no idea which one they will decide on. 

Forever homes are such a happy place to be that my tail never stops wagging and Dad tells me if I wag it any more it might just fall off! Mom calls me a super model and takes my picture A LOT! Forever also means that greyhounds can earn treats. I love the treats so much that I’ve learned to “sit,” “wait,” “come here,” “lie down," and I’m working on “high five.”     

I hope all my greyhound friends find a kind forever family, soft beds and lots of treats. 

Bye for now!

~Brenna~

My husband, Curt, and I adopted Geordie (fka DeNiro), our first greyhound, in October 2019. We soon learned he had Separation Anxiety and that altered our lives immensely. Soon after his adoption I started to get more involved with SA Greys. I love to volunteer and what better way to incorporate my passion to help others with the ability to bring my houndie along, too. 

Soon we were in the midst of the pandemic (and there were no in-person events to volunteer) and I saw SA Greys post on their Facebook page about some hounds needing foster homes. We asked to foster Sophie since her birthday was our anniversary. From April 2020 to April 2021 we fostered six girls: Sophie, Plucky (now Penny), Koki, Tessa, Dorothy/Millie (now Juno) and Bohemia/Mia (now Bo). 

Fostering is a beautiful thing. Yes, it's heartbreaking, too. But loving these dogs and watching them blossom and grow is such a gift. I feel honored that we could open our home and our hearts and provide our stable pony as the best Pet Doggie Mentor and foster brother. Geordie showed these girls the ropes and all the benefits of being a pet doggie and Curt and I showed them love, patience and kindness.

I've kept in touch with many of the forever families of our foster girls. It's a joy to see the dogs continue to change and grow and develop their personalities.

We love our Geordie boy and all of the sweet girls who have lived with us in the temporary.

Do you and your houndies want to look sleek and stylish while driving around? Why not try to win the Ultimate Greyhound Transporter while supporting SA Greys?

Jim Click is giving away a 2022 Ford Maverick Lariat Hybrid as the Grand Prize in the 2022 iteration of the Jim Click Millions for Tucson Raffle! Second prize is two round-trip, first-class airline tickets to anywhere in the world and the third prize is $5,000.

100% of the proceeds from our sales of tickets goes straight to supporting our hounds! Tickets are $25 each, or $100 for a pack of five.

AmazonSmile

Did you know you can help SA Greys by shopping on Amazon?  If not already an AmazonSmile member, sign up at smile.amazon.com and select Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption as your favorite charity to start generating donations, at no cost to you. 

Fry's Food Stores

Link your Fry's card to SA Greys. Our organization number is YX170.

WoofTrax (dog walking app)

Take your houndie(s) for a walk with the WoofTrax app and help SA Greys earn donations. The more you walk, the greater the donation will be. 

IGive.com

iGive can help SA Greys every time you shop. Shop at your favorite stores and a percentage of what you spend can be donated to SA Greys (on average 3%).

Paint and Sip

SA Greys partnered with Inna Rohr, owner/artist of Hues’n’Booze for a fun night of painting. Inna presented two versions of a greyhound to paint. She provided templates for those who were a little intimidated. 

Inna gave group instruction for how to prepare the canvas and mix colors, then offered individual guidance as needed. She also donated $10 from each ticket sold for a total of $230.

Nervousness evaporated as our artistic confidence grew. We hope to have another painting party later in the year and look forward to you joining.

More pictures from that night's event.

Beading Divas Bracelet Sales

Many thanks to the Beading Divas for choosing SA Greys to be a fundraising partner selling their one-of-a-kind handcrafted bracelets during February and March. The honorary sales hounds worked their magic at Antigone Books and Foothills Happy Hour Market and Wanda Abeyta, also founder of Precious Time Dogs rescue, invited us to share her adoption table at Vista Feed & Supply.  

Sandy and Frank Bonham win the proverbial award for the most creative bracelet sales event. Gypsy, their 3-year-old greyhound, invited her favorite neighborhood people to share wine and shop for bracelets. Gypsy’s charm and wine acumen helped sell many bracelets that evening.

Best of all – we raised $4,900 from the sale of $20 bracelets plus donations and goodwill over February and March.

Arizona Gives

On April 5-6, more than $4.25 million was raised for 915 participating charities. SA Greys placed 55th in charities big and small. Out of 279 charities, we also placed fifth in the micro-organization category, raising a total of $12,450 from 125 donations, a little shy of our $15,000 goal but surpassed the donor goal by 25. We had the most donations during the April 5 and April 6 Power Hours and received a $2,000 bonus. Because of Mary Freeman’s dedication and leadership, we’ve won a bonus prize every year. This year she was assisted by Mark Westergaard and Ann Chihak Poff. 

Thank you for generously investing in SA Greys. 

We are honored to have placed the following greyhounds into their forever homes.

January

• Binx (fka Austy)
• Jed
• Lola
• Sweet Tea (fka Tia) 
• Presley

Run free over the Rainbow Bridge. You will be eternally loved and missed.

• Riley (fka Marigold/Maggie)
• Autumn (fka Ellie)
• Zara (fka WW Crystal Cruze) 

• Drummer

• Sophie (fka Crush)

• Kismet
• Lily (fka Trixie) 
• Wally (fka Waffles) 
• Juliet

• River
• Felix

If your SA Greys houndie crosses the bridge, please let us know by emailing communications@sagreys.com. Include stories and photos. We will post on Facebook and Instagram and run in the next newsletter and update our database. (If we have missed the passing of your beloved hound, please email communications@sagreys.com.)