Rescued racing Greyhounds “First Sunday” guests

Rescued racing greyhound dogs and the airplane that flies them to safety were guests at the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula’s “First Sunday” event May 2nd at the Santa Paula Airport. Joining them was the newly formed Ventura County branch of the Greyhound Adoption League (GAL). GAL places some 600 to 800 greyhounds each year, most of them in California. The Ventura group expects to have a great deal of success placing greyhounds in the area.Wings for Greyhounds is a nonprofit organization founded by veteran pilot Maggie McCurry in 1996 when she discovered the dog racing industry routinely destroyed young and healthy greyhounds when they were no longer profitable. Arizona alone retires some 1,500 to 2,000 from its three tracks each year. McCurry began using her Italian-made twin engine airplane to fly the greyhounds from the groups who rescue them from the racetracks to adoption groups in California who place them in loving homes.Wings for Greyhounds’ effort to help the greyhound dogs is currently featured in three television shows in rotation on Animal Planet, “Wild Rescues,” “Amazing Tails” and “Pet Story,” and in the series “Dogs with Jobs” now running on the National Geographic channel. McCurry’s work has also been covered in numerous print articles including the February 2004 issue of Private Pilot Magazine.In 2002 McCurry undertook an 8,000-mile coast to coast flight to promote greyhound adoption. The Great Greyhound Goodwill Air Tour landed in 25 cities in 17 states in 24 days, picking up retired greyhounds from states where dog racing is legal to adoption groups in non-racing states. The entire flight was followed by CNN, and McCurry appeared on the CBS Early Show and Paula Zahn’s American Morning while in New York.