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Former racing dogs have a fun day in the park with the people who cared enough to save them

By CLAIRE HUGHES, Staff writer, TIMES UNION
First published: Monday, October 28, 2002

COLONIE -- There are people in the Capital Region committed to rescuing greyhounds from death, and they usually see each other only in urgent situations -- like when they're meeting a truckload of dogs shipped here in desperate need of homes.

Sunday, they came together for fun at Upstate New York Greyhound Day at Colonie Town Park. Hundreds of people and even more greyhounds gathered at the park to share stories, get information and doggie treats, and strut in a canine parade.

"We always get together to take these dogs in, but we don't get together like this," said Doreen Nasser, a director of Greyhound Rescue of New York.

Greyhound Rescue is one of four Capital Region groups, each with a handful of active members, that work to find homes for greyhounds too old to race and not being used to breed. The dogs, which are as young as 2, would otherwise be put to death, group members said.

The other groups are Fast Track Greyhound Adoptions, Greyhounds As Companions and Homestretch Greyhound Placement Program.

Among the most sought-after people at the park was Pat Colistas, who started Greyhounds As Companions and the local greyhound rescue effort nine years ago. The 64-year-old, who lives in Clarksville, is boarding about 19 dogs and looking for homes for 14 of them.

Colistas, who always owned a dog or two, saw a television expose on greyhounds' post-racetrack fate about a decade ago and decided she wanted to take a few of the dogs in. She now travels to Spain and Ireland, where related species often are killed after a life of hunting, as well as working to find homes for greyhounds retired from tracks in Florida, Massachusetts or New Hampshire. There are no dog tracks in New York.

"This is my life, 24/7," Colistas said, her arms widening as if to embrace the people all around her. "It's like a cult," she said of the crowd's passion for the dogs. "It's a greyhound community."