The dog days of summer in Dewey Beach aren't quite over yet
It was more than a little bit hokey, but Hilary Webb's suggestion of a theme for this article, offered Saturday from behind the check-in counter at the Adams Ocean Front Motel, certainly summed up the situation.
"What are you going to call it -- 'Dewey Beach Has Gone to the Dogs?' "
It was the third and next-to-last day of the 14th annual Greyhounds Reach the Beach observance, and, indeed, it seemed that every other person here -- and, perhaps, every fourth person at Rehoboth Beach -- was leashed to at least one greyhound.
The loving relationship between owner and dog and, for that matter, dog and dog was on full display. As the pets encountered each other at one busy corner over 30 minutes or so, an observer detected not so much as a single growl offered in anger.
"They were born together, and they're always together at the track," said Stu Bossert, 60, of Columbus, Ohio, who rescued a couple of siblings -- Clay and Ellen, both 7 -- after their decidedly brief racing careers at a greyhound track in Wisconsin.
"They like to be with each other."
Greyhounds are sprinters, Bossert observed from a bench in front of Shaky's Grill on Del. 1, willing to go all-out in that burst toward the finish line. But once the race is over, he said, they typically look for a nice, quiet place to lie down. Greyhounds are not allowed to race after their 6th birthdays, but, just 2 years old at the time, Clay and Ellen became available for adoption after about two races apiece.
"Neither of them was any good, so [the track] pretty much put them up for adoption as soon as they saw them try to race," Bossert said. "They just weren't interested in it."
Greyhounds Reach the Beach was founded by three Philadelphia-area couples who originally were destined for a winter beach weekend at Ocean View. They posted word of their vacation on the Internet, and, as it turned out, 60 to 70 other greyhound fans showed up and overwhelmed the motel where they were staying.
The celebration was quickly moved to Atlantic Oceanside Motel in Dewey Beach, which welcomed all the participants and their dogs.
"It's like a reunion they've been having down here all these years," Kate Frey, 69, of Manasquan, N.J., said as she and her adopted pet, 8-year-old Eli, left a beach gathering of hundreds of dogs and their owners.
"They're here from all over the country. It's so beautiful to me to see so many dogs in the same place."
Sarah Norton of Framingham, Mass., said dozens among the country's 300 or so greyhound rescue organizations were among sponsors of the annual get-together. She's affiliated with The Greyhound Project Inc., which coordinates Greyhounds Reach the Beach, and acts as the observance's spokeswoman.
Over the first five years, Norton said, attendance doubled each year, topping out at about 3,000.
She expected about 1,200 participants this year, with the falloff attributed to other gatherings and economic conditions that prompted lots of last-minute cancellations.
"I came as a civilian the first year," said Norton, making her 10th visit to the Dewey Beach gathering.
"Coming down the New Jersey Turnpike, at every rest stop there were greyhounds. I was amazed."
Norton has adopted three greyhounds, including Dash, 7, who on Saturday passed the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizens Test with flying colors. She said the number of greyhound racing tracks around the country has dwindled in recent years, partly because of a proliferation of casinos and other gambling opportunities, but, still, about 30,000 greyhounds are adopted each year.
Back at Adams Ocean Front, greyhound owners had claimed all 23 of the motel's rooms. The motel manager, Cindy Reynolds, said that given the motel's proximity to the beach, it probably would be full any way, but greyhound owners typically beat everybody else to the punch.
"We're already booked for next year," she said.
Bossert and his wife, Donna, 60, were attending Greyhounds Reach the Beach for the third time.
They'll probably be back next year to encourage the adoption of exceedingly docile dogs that adore their owners and make good travel companions because of their inclination toward relaxation.
"We used to be Labrador fans, but not any more," Donna Bossert said.
source: delawareonline.com
