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Featured Member
Current Featured Member | Past Members | Member of the Year
Beginning March 2002, all members of GALT have the opportunity to be a Featured Member...either through your submission or chosen by GALT. Please send GALT a photo, either digital or a picture, of you and your hound(s), and it will be published on the web site.
We all love to hear about the antics of greyhounds, and we would certainly appreciate a paragraph or two relating to your respective hound(s). This is another one of those times when we can brag about our fur kids! You can email pictures to info@greyhoundadoptiontx.org or snail mail to P. O. Box 680, Addison, TX 75001-0680.
And now, GALT's current Featured Member:
The day Suzanne Cody came with her daughter, Melissa, to GALT's show at REI almost 3 years ago has indeed become a blessing to GALT. Every organization must have a solid foundation, and that is exactly where Suzanne has placed herself - as one of the pillars of GALT. There is absolutely nothing that she will not do for the greyhounds - and there is an array to choose from! Suzanne is always willing, and at a moment's notice, to go pick up or deliver a greyhound, or anything else that is asked of her. And she does it with such a loving spirit and willingness...just listening to her voice on the other end of the phone saying "Ms. Cody here - YES I can do that" - no matter what "that" is!
Suzanne and her husband Gary have had labs for many, many years. They have added two greyhounds to their family in the past 3 years - the first one, Fleet, really chose Suzanne, whom he absolutely adores! And we might as well say that Gabe did the same - and who wouldn't? Melissa wrote the following article which says it best about Suzanne and the Cody family.
The Cody
Greyhound Gang
By Melissa Cody
This is the story of how Fancy, Winston, Rosie, Fleet, Gabe and Patty, the foster, became the Cody Greyhound Gang.
It all began one day three years ago. I had just purchased my house and could not wait to add dogs to my family. I considered different breeds, but could not decide, so I tagged along on a visit with my mom and the family lab, Maggie, to see our favorite veterinarian, Dr. Jeff Ellis. I told Dr. Ellis I was looking for a dog. Dr. Ellis asked if I knew much about greyhounds. He believed greyhounds would be a good match for me and my lifestyle. I asked him to tell me more. He lauded their sweetness and laidback dispositions. I believe he termed them “45 mph couch potatoes”. I was almost sold, but wanted more information. Dr. Ellis said the magic words, “You need to speak with Susie McQuade. She is with GALT. Here is her card. Tell her I’ve known you longer than she’s known me.”
Obviously, as you all know, once I spoke with Susie, my fate as a greyhound mom was sealed. Susie quickly scheduled a visit to Dog Day Afternoon, so I could meet Kris Schuster and her foster boy, Winston. Winston was the tallest greyhound I had ever seen and was quite hairy with his yellowish fuzzy popcorn fur. Upon meeting Winston, my first thoughts were “Good Lord, he looks like a small pony with bad highlights.” Kris explained that the “popcorn” fur was due to Winston having been kept in an outside kennel and that it would fall out and his beautiful red fawn fur would appear. She sang Winston’s praises and once I looked into his sweet dark eyes and observed his gentle spirit, I was a goner. The decision was made and Winston was on his way to his forever home.
The search was now on for his sister. I had decided to get two, so they would have each other for company while I was at work. As Winston had not moved in yet, he and his foster mom came over to meet all the potential sister candidates. We met a number of greyhound girls and their foster moms, but one in particular, grabbed at my heartstrings. Her name is Fancy. My only concern was that she was so shy. While visiting with us, she had curled up next to the wall. I was assured she would come out of her shell and that she did. She now rules the roost. Fancy and Winston had been traveling companions when they were brought up from the tracks. They seemed to really like one another and Susie thought it would be wonderful if they could stay together. Of course, it was and they did. Fancy and Winston formally became brother and sister. We became a little family.
You would think I would have stopped there, but alas, I did not. It’s been said that greyhounds are like potato chips, you can’t have just one. Well, it appears that I could not stop at two, as I failed at fostering and ended up with three. I loved my two greyhounds so much that I wanted to foster. I successfully fostered Shayna, my first and my third, Dinero, but my second, Rosie, decided she liked what she saw and made herself at home. Rosie is a battle-worn stray with Ehrlichia and is quite the laziest grey I have ever had the opportunity to meet. She’s quite content to view life from the end of the couch, with her head propped on the armrest. As she has health issues, her adoption was questionable and the longer she stuck around, the more she entrenched herself into our family and our hearts. Rosie had found her forever home.
As my Mom, Suzanne, watched my greyhound family grow, she became interested and wanted to help, so she joined the action and became a foster mom. One day, while at a meet and greet, she had tagged along and we were all commenting on a very forlorn, depressed brindle boy, Fleet. He was lying listlessly on his quilt at REI and would not interact or even stand up. Fleet had been turned in by his family and needed a caring foster home. No foster homes were currently available and I thought of my Mom. She has a big heart and loves animals and I thought she would be perfect. Fleet was quickly dispatched home with Mom and he settled in easily with Mom and Dad and their two labs, Maggie and Madison. Fleet very cleverly figured out that life on the Cody canine front could not be beaten and he made the decision he was in his forever home.
Unfortunately, it took his humans a little longer to figure out Fleet was home. Fleet and mom attended several meet and greets, but Fleet was not having any of it and promptly put on a show of disinterest and disdain for anyone who was not Mom. Everyone commented that Fleet had made his choice. Mom gave in gracefully and Fleet had his wish. He was in his forever home.
Now that Mom had begun and failed fostering, of course, she tried again. Gabe, a beautiful black boy, on IR with a broken leg, joined the gang at Mom’s. It was very obvious during his recovery, that he was happy and quite content. He had picked out his corner of the couch and was home. He was adopted last December and it was very hard for Mom and Dad to let him go. (After Gabe was adopted, Mom did have one successful foster, Lily.) Gabe moved to Lubbock and proceeded to misbehave. Looking back, we believe it was Gabe’s way of saying, “It was nice visiting, but I don’t want to live here and I’m ready to go home.” In early March, the call came to pick up Gabe, and Mom and I drove to Seymour and brought Gabe home. Gabe settled right back in and formally joined the family in June, 2005.
My family has expanded again recently to include a foster and Patty is in residence. She’s on IR and is going through heartworm treatment. She’s made herself quite at home, as my kids are always glad to welcome a new member to the gang.
We are happy to say the greys and the labs all get along famously and love to visit and play. The grand greys love to stay with grandma when I am out of town. It has been a truly joyous experience to watch them run and play together and know they are safe, healthy and happy.
