About Greyhound Friends of New Jersey

Greyhound Friends of New Jersey is a direct descendent of Greyhound Friends of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, spawned with the adoption of a 3 1/2 year-old greyhound.

 When Barbara & Al Wicklund of Somerset County, NJ, adopted "Champ" just before Thanksgiving 1987, they were immediately enchanted with the ex-racer. They wanted others in our area to learn the joys of living with a greyhound. Their offer to help Louise Coleman expand her Hopkinton, MA adoption program to the New Jersey area took on a life of its own.

An early appearance on a Long Island Cablevision Pet Show generated a storm of requests for information, and the Wicklunds' earliest adoptions were done in that area. For the first five years, they found homes for a few dogs, but before they knew it their territory had expanded and rescued dogs were being shuttled down from Massachusetts to new homes in southern New York, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.

Greyhound Friends of NJ has mushroomed, and today requires the full-time attention of our new President Linda Lyman (Barbara and Al retired in February, 2006) and an active and dedicated corps of close to 100 volunteers throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Greyhounds still come to GFNJ from the Hopkinton kennel, directly from the New England tracks and, in times of crisis, from Florida, Georgia, Mexico or wherever greyhounds need help. GFNJ is an independent organization but still works cooperatively with the original Greyhound Friends of Massachusetts.

On arrival, all dogs are spayed or neutered, inoculated, and heartworm tested. The minimum adoption donation is $235.00. Generally, dogs are taken to a boarding kennel until they are adopted. Some dogs cannot go into homes immediately, often because of broken legs suffered during racing or other temporary physical problems. They go to nurturing foster homes until they are ready for permanent families of their own.

Ours is a non-profit organization so we rely on funds generated through adoptions, grants, donations, and fund-raising events throughout New Jersey. We hold two picnic-reunions a year, a holiday boutique and craft show, and an annual "fun match" staged in conjunction with two other breed rescue organizations. Regular "Meet and Greets" are held on Saturdays or Sundays in many areas where potential adopters can go to spend time with greyhounds and ask lots of questions. But these are only a few of the events held so please see our "Events" for times and locations of all our programs.

To GFNJ, finding homes for ex-racing greyhounds is a labor of love. Today, that devotion finds homes for more than 250 greyhounds each year. The Greyhound Friends philosophy: Accept those greyhounds in need of a safety net, regardless of gender, size, color or age. There is a home out there for every one of them; it's our job to find it.

The Racing Greyhound

The greyhound is the oldest domesticated breed of dog and was the once the pet, hunting dog, and friend of the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and the Medieval European Aristocracy. They were buried with their owners in Egypt, depicted in oil paintings of European nobles, and their ownership was restricted to the aristocracy in England. It is only recently that they have been used in the gambling world and destroyed when their careers were finished. Today, thousands of young, healthy dogs are killed annually because there are not enough homes for them.

Greyhounds begin their racing career at about 18 months and if they have not shown winning ability within their first 3 races, they are finished. In the United States they can be raced up to 5 years old, but most dogs coming off the track are 2-3 years old. They are used to living in large kennels with many other dogs and are not housetrained, although they have learned to go to the bathroom outside rather than in their cages. They usually housetrain easily using "crate training" (see information on accompanying page). They are the athletes of the dog world and are usually healthy although underweight by pet standards.

Greyhounds are sighthounds-they have been bred and trained to hunt using their eyesight, not their sense of smell. For this reason, they will chase small animals like squirrels and should never be allowed off their leash unless they are in a fully fenced area. They have no comprehension of cars or traffic and will run across a highway in pursuit of rabbits, etc. They are gentle and loving and usually bond with their new owners within the first 48 hours they are in a home. They have known only other greyhounds and will need time to adjust to other breeds of dogs, but usually can live with them happily. They love with their whole body and may rub up against you like a cat. They do not bite but may show affection like a wolf with mouth agape and gently grasping or by licking your hand. They rarely bark, and like to sleep up to 18 hours a day. They are used to a leash and love to walk but have never seen stairs and need to learn this new skill. They enjoy riding in cars and being close to you. Since they have short coats they need a coat in cold weather and should not have vigorous exercise when it is very hot. They are also extremely susceptible to toxic substances and cannot wear flea collars or be washed in harsh flea remedies. If you use lawn chemicals you should not adopt a greyhound since these chemicals are fatal to them.

Most greyhounds are gentle with children and can live with other dogs. Some greyhounds can live with cats and all the greyhounds that come through Greyhound Friends of N.J. are tested before being allowed in a home with a small animal. If you decide that a greyhound is for you we will ask that you fill out an application giving us information about your household.

Greyhound Friends of NJ's Board of Directors - 4/14/2013