Greyhound Pets of America to visit 2004 Home Show

by Maria Hoover

Inside Business Editor

mhoover@sbj.net

Among the home-improvement wares and the vendors at the 2004 Home Show will be what Tiffany Hammock calls "the perfect fit" for any living room. Specifically, Hammock is talking about greyhounds something she talks about fairly often as the director of public relations for the Springfield chapter of Greyhound Pets of America.

Hammock said this year is the first that the organization has been part of the Home Show.

The organization's booth is sponsored by Roland Shultz Construction, Hammock said. Shultz's wife, Elaine, is the president of Greyhound Pets of America-Springfield's board of directors.

There will be dogs at the show, Hammock said, but people won't be able to take dogs home from the show.

"There is an application that someone would fill out," Hammock said. For families with young children, there's also some required reading during the application process.

"I believe it's (a book) called Dog-proofing Your Child," Hammock said.

The dogs can run up to 45 miles per hour, Hammock said, but that's only for short periods of time. Still, she said, a fence is usually required.

"We generally come out and do a home study and make sure that they actually have a fence (and) if they have any dogs, that they're all well-cared for," Hammock said. "We generally tell people a fence is a requirement. Every once in a while, there can be that exception made, but because they can run 45 miles (per hour), and they are a sight hound if they see a rabbit, they're going to try to chase it."

Before the dogs are placed with new owners, the organization fosters them in homes in order to learn more about each dog's personality.

"They are very, very laid back. They are wonderful dogs. They generally do well with children. In the foster process, we do what we call kid-testing, so we make sure they're going to be safe for children before they ever go to a family with children," she said.

The adoption fee is $160 and that covers spaying or neutering, dental, bathing, shots, heartworm tests and preventive medications, a collar and a leash.

"Really, the only thing you have to do when you get the dog is feed it," she said.

Hammock said there's been a Greyhound Pets of America chapter in Springfield for about 12 years. The organization places between 70 and 80 dogs each year.

"We get a lot (of) dogs from breeders and farms in this area. The National Greyhound Association capital is in Abilene, Kansas, so there are quite a few around here," she said. "The closest track is in Kansas City, so we get some dogs off the track there."