A great day for greyhounds
Photos by DEVIN HEILMAN/Press Trip, a 3-year-old, three-legged brindle greyhound, smiles as he stands with his human, Dave Geisert of Renton, Wash., during the 13th annual Greyhound Picnic at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds on Saturday. Trip came to a greyhound rescue with a withered leg, which was amputated on his first birthday. Geisert said missing one leg definitely does not slow this canine down.
Around 70 greyhounds and their people attended the 13th annual Greyhound Picnic at the fairgrounds Saturday. The event serves as a fundraiser and social time for the Greyhound Pets of America Greater Northwest Chapter. Art Johnson of Bayview brought five of his six greyhounds to the picnic, pictured here. From left: Perry, Crosley, Watson and Nellie.
DEVIN HEILMAN/Press Prince, 8, shows off his good side Saturday afternoon during the Greyhound Pets of America Greater Northwest Chapter's 13th annual Greyhound Picnic at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. Prince now lives an easy life of retirement after a full career of nearly 200 races.
DEVIN HEILMAN/Press This funny-looking greyhound is actually 5-month-old Belgian Malinois, Tonks, who enjoyed the Greyhound Picnic with her human, Carolyn Herrity, and her greyhound big brother, Eddie. Eddie was not amused by Tonks' antics and decided to take a nap at this time.
COEUR d’ALENE — A three-legged brindle greyhound named Trip happily hopped right up to people to introduce himself and make new friends at the Greyhound Picnic on Saturday.
"He's very agile, very fast," said Trip's human, Dave Geisert. "He tears up the back yard with ease."
Trip was 10 months old when he was brought to a pet rescue with a withered and injured front leg. Geisert, who was volunteering at the Renton, Wash., rescue at the time, was not expecting to expand his family right then, but Trip instantly won his heart.
"I became his foster parent, and it was about 20 minutes after that I decided, 'Ah, we're keeping him,'" Geisert said. "For his first birthday he got the leg chopped off, and three days later he was up and down the stairs no problem. A month later we had him out at an off-leash park and he was running around. People didn't realize he was a tripod until he stopped."
Geisert and his family came all the way from western Washington to attend the Greyhound Picnic at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, which was presented by the Greyhound Pets of America Greater Northwest chapter.
About 70 people and their greyhounds — with a couple adorable exceptions, including a Belgian Malinois pup — gathered beneath the grandstand for social time, auctions, contests and a barbecue. The day also featured adoptable greyhounds, photo opportunities, greyhound merchandise and a "radar romp," where a radar gun was used to clock the speeds of greyhounds that participated in a fun run.
Art Johnson of Bayview brought five of his six greyhounds to the picnic, each one friendly and sweet in temperament.
"They're good pets," he said. "They're a very mellow, sociable, easy-going breed."
The annual picnic serves as a fundraiser to support foster care of greyhounds retired from racing.
Greyhound Pets of America Greater Northwest is a nonprofit dedicated to finding these hounds happy homes. Chapter president Martha Frohboese said it's great how people will come from all over the region to attend this annual picnic.
"It feels good," she said. "It's our local fundraiser for the year, so it feels good people would do that. There's not too many breeds that people would do that for."
Info: www.gnwgreyhounds.org.