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Racing Greyhound Recovering in Irmo Home After Fall From Dog-Hauler Truck on Highway

Posted on: Thursday, 18 May 2006, 12:04 CDT

By Robin Cowie Nalepa, The State, Columbia, S.C.

May 18--Bad, Bad Mohoganywasn't a winner at the track. But her luck seems to be changing.

The 2-year-old racing greyhound survived a fall from a moving truck onto an interstate highway. She was rescued and is recovering from her injuries in a quiet home in Irmo.

"Something much worse could have happened in this situation," said Gretchen Dillon-Sauer, who works at the Columbia veterinary where the greyhound was treated. "This dog was lucky to be found."

On May 6, Mohogany and two other dogs from the Bad Boy Racing kennel were loaded into a compartment of a dog hauler at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club in Florida. The dogs and 27 others were being moved to a Belmont, N.H., track.

Chris Miller, of Greyhound Pets of America-Daytona Beach, said Mohogany and her companions were "no longer hitting the boards," which means they were not finishing races in top positions.

Sometime after midnight along a rural section of I-95 in South Carolina, the driver of the hauler was flashed down by motorists.

The hauler door had opened and dogs were missing.

The kennel owner was notified and called Miller. She then sent out a missing greyhound alert by Internet.

Greyhound Pets of America is a rescue and adoption organization with chapters across the country, including South Carolina.

That Sunday afternoon, Doug and Elizabeth Mayer of Chapin were driving home along I-95 from a weekend trip to Hilton Head. They saw a muzzled greyhound standing in the median.

The Mayers stopped and found the dog was injured. After much discussion, several north-to-south loops on the highway and a series of calls to authorities, they decided to put the dog in their car. The rescued black-and-orange was Mohogany.

Emergency medical care was arranged for the dog by Greyhound Pets of America-S.C. before the Mayers arrived in Columbia. The greyhound suffered from dehydration and extensive wounds, including scrapes and road rash, said Dillon-Sauer of S.C. Veterinary Emergency Care.

When Mohogany left the vet May 9, she went home with Liz Robson, a Greyhound Pets volunteer.

Robson, a retired nurse, watches the dog she calls "little one" for signs of infection. She fashions baby socks with the toes cut out to fit over the dog's scrapped hocks on her hind legs. She keeps the dog from pulling at her many stitches.

Mohogany is also watched over by Obie, Willie and Charmer -- Robson's three adopted greyhounds.

"The hard part for me will be when she gets adopted," Robson said.

Adoption is the likely next step. Miller expects the kennel that owns the lost dogs to release them to the adoption groups.

One of Mohogany's kennel mates, September Bride also was found. "Angel," as she has been dubbed, is in the care of Greyhound Lifesavers in Lexington.

A third greyhound, Sparks, has not been found, though the search continues.

Reach Nalepa at (803) 771-8654.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The State, Columbia, S.C.

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Source: The State (Columbia, S.C.)

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