RETIRED DOGS HAVE THEIR DAY; GREYHOUNDS LIVE AT A SLOWER PACE AFTER ADOPTION.(Local)

Byline: Nancy Buczek Staff writer

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CORRECTION: August 28, 2001

A picture Monday accompanying a story about a fund-raising event Sunday for retired greyhound racers could have misled readers. The picture showed a man attending the event who was carrying his 9-month-old son and his Italian greyhound. His greyhound was identified as a puppy; it was not. Moreover, it was not a retired greyhound racer. The Syracuse Area Greyhound Adoption organization, which sponsored the event, places retired greyhound racers over 2 years old with families whose children, if any, must be over 5 years old.

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It was a doggie reunion Sunday at the first Greyhounds on the Lake picnic fund-raiser at Onondaga Lake Park.

About 100 people and 60 greyhounds gathered at the Cold Springs picnic area. Syracuse Area Greyhound Adoption organized the event, which raised money that will go toward the cost of preparing the dogs for adoption. The group is planning to have the fund-raiser as an annual event. The organization raised about $2,100.

"It's just fun to bring everyone back together," said Bridget Lichtinger of Liverpool, the group's fund-raising director.

The dogs said hello to one another as dogs do - lots of nose-to-nose and head-to-tail sniffing, and there were kisses and hugs from their human counterparts. It was a time for old friends to get reacquainted as some of the dogs were reunited with the people who prepared them for adoption.

The group makes sure that a dog has all its vaccinations up to date, has been spayed or neutered, has been tested for heartworm and has had its teeth cleaned before it arrives at its new home, Lichtinger said. Each dog costs the group about $400 to prepare for adoption, she said. If it has any other medical conditions, such as a broken leg, the group will pay the costs associated with getting the dog treatment, she said.

The group charges a $240 adoption fee.

"More or less we lose money on our adoption fee," Lichtinger said.

The Syracuse group travels about once a month to the Plainfield Greyhound Park, a dog-racing track in Plainfield, Conn., where they pick up retired racers waiting for a home, said K.C. Lynch of Canastota, president of the nonprofit, volunteer group. It places about 35 to 40 dogs in homes annually, Lynch said. The group does home visits with families interested in adopting a greyhound to make sure the dogs and family members are well matched, she said.

"They've worked hard. We're looking for a family that's committed to the dog for the rest of the dog's life," said Dale Brachtenbach, who helps match the dogs and families.

Brachtenbach, of Watertown, volunteers to help profile the dogs, gauging their personalities; takes their pictures so the group can post them on the Internet; and fosters some of them before they go on to their new homes. The dogs have never been inside a house, and some things, such as stairs, are new to them. They have to learn how to go up and down, and they also have to be housebroken, Brachtenbach said.

He has four greyhounds of his own: Babs, whom he's had for six months; Gus, one year; Blu, about 18 months; and Ward, who was the first greyhound Brachtenbach adopted two years ago.

During a home visit, the group makes sure the home is suitable for a greyhound. There shouldn't be any children under the age of 5 because the dogs, which typically weigh between 60 and 70 pounds and stand between 2 and 3 feet tall, could accidentally bump into and knock over small children.

The home should also have a fenced-in area for the dog. If a greyhound isn't contained, it runs, Brachtenbach said. And greyhounds run fast. They can reach speeds of up to 45 mph in three seconds, according to the Syracuse adoption group.

"They don't look left and they don't look right and they don't slow down until they're tired," Brachtenbach said.

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PHOTO

Sangjin Kim/Contributing photographer

CALVIN ENGLISH of Cazenovia and his son Jonathan, 9 months, check out an airplane overhead Sunday at Onondaga Lake Park. They had brought their greyhound puppy, Juliet, to a fund-raiser for Syracuse Area Greyhound Adoption.