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Porcia's Greyhound Retirement Home |
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The Greyhound Retirement Home Flying Kiowa Ray February 15, 1996 - August 26, 2005
Ray was diagnosed with bone cancer in April 2005 and passed away on August 26th. He was as great a dog as has ever lived and a superstar Therapy Dog who will be missed by countless people who's lives he touched. I learned more about tolerance, teamwork and appreciating life in four years with Ray than I had my entire life before he came along. Everyone who met Ray recognized immediately that there was something extraordinary about him; even something mystical. He never met a person he didn't like, regardless of their physical or emotional limitations. Ray and I were featured in and article about Therapy Dogs and hospice published in the Spring 2005 edition of Interactions; the Delta Society magazine. A copy of this article can be read by clicking here (reprinted with permission from the Delta Society). The remainder of this page remains as it did before Ray's death in hopes that you might get some sense of the joy he brought to our lives. We miss you terribly Ray-Ray. Vital Statistics
In retirement the rabbit chases YOU. Ray's Story We adopted Ray in January 2001 after inadvertently seeing his photo and biography on the Greyhound Pets of America Orlando website. Ray had languished in GPA's Greyhound rescue kennel for several months at that point, presumably because no one wanted to adopt him when so many healthy dogs were available. We were understandably apprehensive about adopting him as he was nearly five years old and had a very active case of Pannus in both eyes. We assumed that he would get along with our other Greyhound but had no idea how he might react to our Fox Terrier and we were clueless as to his general condition and personality.Our first meeting with Ray took place in the Delta Airlines cargo hangar at SeaTac airport the night he arrived from Orlando. He was so terribly thin that his hip bones looked as though they might break through the skin at any moment, he had an open bleeding cut on his leg and, as we discovered later, he was horribly infested with every worm know to science. Our first hint at Ray's unique personality came at that very moment. Even in his terrible condition and having just spent 16 hours traveling in a crate, he wanted to meet everyone present and gave each of us a few minutes of "leaning time". As it turns out, all of our worries were without foundation. Ray is a giant among Greyhounds (nearly 90 pounds) and has a heart to match. His special qualities are apparent even to strangers who meet him on the street. When we walk in public with all three dogs, everyone we meet is immediately drawn to Ray and he greets them all with his amazing smile. He may be the clumsiest dog in the history of the world, but now that we have Pet Insurance on him we can rest a bit easier.Ray's unique personality motivated us to train him to participate in Animal Assisted Therapy and Activities and in March 2003 he was certified by the Delta Society as a Therapy Dog. Since then, Ray has been making regular visits to patients at the Bailey Boushay House, Children's Hospital and Medical Center and several other healthcare facilities in the Seattle area. Our special thanks go to Christi of Healing Paws and Cathy and the crew at Family Dog Training Center for putting up with our antics and teaching us to work as a team.
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