Greyhound mystery Series

A Greyt Greyhound Rescue is the first Rachel Chance and Will Keller mystery. It features Rachel’s Greyhound Abby in a starring role and other Greyhounds in supporting roles. My goal is to write mysteries that appeal to anyone who likes to try to figure out whodunnit. My amateur sleuth Rachel does come from a family with a background in law enforcement, but she was a social worker not a cop and as she approached 40 decided to change careers and work for her father managing properties and selling houses. This gives her the flexibility to solve crimes.

Rachel had just about decided to live alone; well alone with her Greyhound Abby and fluffy gray cat Dancer. Then she met Will. He, like Rachel, was divorced and after some challenges, they decided to give a relationship a chance.

My wife Tammy and I have adopted retired racing Greyhounds for a number of years and their names and personality quirks are finding their way into these mysteries. I hope you enjoy reading about Greyhounds.

I had fun creating characters to help, or hinder, Rachel as she tries to solve the mystery before her friend is arrested. I especially enjoyed creating a character named Charley Thompson, a composite of some of my favorite teachers, who shares many facts about Greyhounds.

I hope you enjoy reading this mystery series.

Introduction to Greyhound Profiles

We have loved all the greyhounds we’ve adopted over the past twenty plus years. Each one has been unique although they shared some typical greyhound qualities such as being gentle, loving walks, and being couch potatoes.

If you’ve read my greyhound mysteries, you will no doubt see some familiar descriptions. Yes, I very intentionally have included details about our real greyhounds as I’ve described Rachel’s fictitious greyhounds. Although I’ve used the names of our greyhounds and their greyhound friends in all my mysteries, I’ve mixed and matched certain qualities and anecdotes, so the fictitious greyhounds don’t always totally match their real-life counterpart.

Below, you’ll find information about each of the greyhounds we have had the honor of adopting since 2002. I’ll begin with Abby and add our other greyhounds weekly starting on October 27, 2024.

Abby

Abby was our first greyhound. We adopted her in December 20002. She had been living with an 86-year-old man from Corpus Christi, Texas, but when he moved to Carmel, Indiana to live with his daughter, Abby needed a new home, and we were fortunate to be able to welcome Abby into our household.

We often refer to Abby as the “perfect” greyhound. Abby was sweet and gentle. She easily shared our house with three cats without drama. The first winter Abby lived with us, I had a ruptured tendon in my left knee, so Abby and I spent a lot of time bonding. Abby was a wonderful companion, and she came to love being on the couch in our living room.

A few months after she joined our household, we took her to a family reunion at a nearby park. We walked her on a beach and to our surprise, she pulled us toward the water and promptly sat down in it. That was our first indication that Abby loved water.

Abby also loved walks, especially walks with greyhound friends such as Gooch and later, with our second greyhound, Maggie. In addition, Abby loved to jump to show us she was happy. She reminded us of Tigger of Winnie the Pooh fame.

There was one harrowing incident in Abby’s life.  It was Father’s Day and early in the afternoon, we put Abby outside in our fenced yard, something that happened without incident multiple times a day. Not this day. We heard a commotion and when we went outside, Abby had a squirrel in her mouth. The squirrel had attacked her and she took issue. Unfortunately, the squirrel bit her so we made an emergency trip to the vet for shots, stitches and a cone so Abby wouldn’t lick her wound. We took the squirrel to the vet as well, but he did not survive the encounter. Abby recovered nicely, although she really hated that cone!

Abby was very social and enjoyed walks with her greyhound friends Gooch and Sybil. Abby was an only greyhound for about three years, before we adopted Maggie. Abby and Maggie immediately became attached and helped us understand that greyhounds love being around other greyhounds.

Maggie

We adopted Maggie in 2006. She was the only greyhound we adopted who never raced. She was part of a large number of greyhounds owned by racecar driver Tony Stewart, and we adopted her when Tony Stewart got out of the greyhound racing business.

Maggie was actually named Abby before she came to us, but since we already had an Abby at the time, we asked my daughters for help coming up with a name that sounded similar to Abby and Alyssa suggested Maggie. Maggie was a little girl. She was small for a greyhound and always skinny, despite being a very very good eater.

Maggie was called a “spook” when she came to us, meaning she was scared of people, however, she loved her foster mom, Teresa. Maggie blossomed during her years with us and became very social, loving activity, hanging out with other greyhounds, and going on rides in the SUV. She warmed up to the two of us right away but remained scared of other people.

Maggie got along well with our other greyhounds – first Abby for a year, then Molotov for six years, and finally with Zane for five years. In the beginning Maggie was afraid of our cats, but eventually she got along with them. Maggie also loved her comfort – as can be seen by the many pictures of her curled up in pillows at the head of one of our beds. She much preferred people beds to dog beds.

Anyone who knew our Maggie, remembers her well-earned reputation as a “girly girl.” She loved anything pink – pink collars, pink tummy warmers, and her very distinctive pink toenails. Yes, that’s right; Maggie loved sitting still as Tammy painted her toenails pink – unlike our tomboy Casey who would never sit still to have her toenails painted… pink or any other color. Maggie sometimes wore pearls and a pink sweater adorned with buttons and ribbons, knitted by a greyhound auntie.

Maggie loved to play with other greyhounds and loved her friend Tattoo. We called them twins even though they had different mothers. Maggie loved to load into an SUV with as many as three other greyhounds and head to a fenced-in yard to play – even in the snow! The two of them often ganged up, one of them barking in the face of another greyhound, the other ready to run. Eventually, another greyhound gave in and started to run and then the entire group was off to the races, running in an oval pattern even without a racetrack!

Molotov

We adopted Molotov in 2007. His racing name was Woke Up Late but as a foster, he was called simply Later. We brought our greyhound Maggie with us to visit several greyhounds at USA DOG in Carmel, Indiana. Molotov, a big black brindle male greyhound, decided living with us seemed like a grand idea. We named him Molotov after his famous ancestor.

 Things did not get off to a great start with Molotov. He decided he needed to mark his territory including places inside our house, even inside Tammy’s clothes closet. A lot. He also decided to hike his leg and christen the Christmas tree his first holiday season with us.

Fortunately, Molotov learned to do his business outside only and lived with us for six years. Molotov was our first male and was pretty laid back. He enjoyed hanging out with other greyhounds and participating in runs but wasn’t nearly as playful as Maggie. He was, though, a very loving greyhound and loved snuggling with his humans.

His ancestor was a famous racer, also called Molotov. The original Molotov was a brindle, born in 1994. He started racing in Abilene, Kansas in 1996. In his second race, he won by an amazing 15 lengths to set a new track record then in his fourth career start he won by 19 lengths, also setting a new track record. He kept winning and setting records until his sixth race when he suffered a career-ending injury. Molotov quickly became one of the most sought-after sires in the United States. He fathered more than 7,000 puppies by the time he died in 2006. Many of Molotov’s offspring were also outstanding racers. Three of them were named to All-American teams. Molotov was inducted into the Greyhound Hall of Fame in 2007.

Our Molotov had an amazing disposition. He was very calm and very sweet.  He loved hanging out with other greyhounds, especially going on rides with them. He liked hanging out with other greyhounds, especially with Maggie in our home and Tattoo and Gooch on Sunday mornings. Like his namesake, Molotov loved to run. One of his favorite things to do with other greyhounds was to run in an oval pattern in fenced-in areas. He also got along well with cats and dogs – all dogs not just greyhounds. We’re pretty sure he would have gotten along with any other animals, even the pesky squirrels in our back yard. Molotov especially loved people. He never missed an opportunity to snuggle with a human and was always appreciative of being petted.

Zane Grey

For all of our greyhounds except one, we traveled no further than Indianapolis, about an hour, to pick them up. Not Zane. To pick up Zane, we traveled all the way to Greenville, South Carolina. Here’s how it happened.

Our friends knew we were looking to adopt a companion for Maggie after Molotov passed away. A friend found a picture of Zane online and sent it to Tammy. It was definitely love at first sight. Tammy asked Don Levin from Team Greyhound Dayton, Ohio to help and he contacted the greyhound rescue group in South Carolina, paving the way so we could adopt Zane.

We arrived in Greenville, South Carolina after a nine-hour drive. It was after supper, but rather than go to the hotel, Tammy insisted that we meet Zane that night. She called the foster mom, and she agreed. The foster mom left us in her living room while she got Zane. She brought Zane into the room on lead. He looked at us shyly, staying close to his foster mom. Tammy said “Do you want to come home with us and knelt down. Zane immediately went to Tammy and shook his head yes. Then he buried his head in Tammy’s chest. We brought Maggie in from the SUV and introduced her to Zane. They got along just fine. Needless to say, we signed the adoption papers and Zane stayed with us in the hotel room before heading back to Indiana.

Zane’s racing name was Clever Purpose and we found a picture of him racing, the only greyhound we adopted for whom we have a racing picture. Even in his racing gear, you could tell he was really a sweetheart.

He always got along with other greyhounds and with our cats. He and Maggie hit it off right away and they were great companions. Zane loved loading into the car on Sunday mornings with Maggie, often picking up greyhounds Gooch and Tattoo along the way, and heading to Jan and Carol’s house where up to a dozen or more greyhounds would run and hang out every Sunday.

Zane liked to snuggle, and he especially liked being in Tammy’s lap. He much preferred a couch or a bed to a dog bed. Zane had an exceptionally pleasant personality. He loved living with us and always followed instructions.

Zane loved to travel with us and Maggie (later Casey) to North Carolina and enjoyed running on the beach. Then we began driving to Gulf Shores, Alabama every year and he loved that as well, both the trip and the running on the beach. Zane, along with Casey, even accompanied us to the closing when we bought a condo. They were with us our first night in the condo which we named Casey’s Condo.

Although he battled corns on his paws his entire life with us, he maintained his loving disposition. Of all our greyhounds, Zane may have been the best at being able to get along with everyone, human, greyhound, and cat.

Casey

We found out that a greyhound named Wrigley had been returned to an adoption organization and was back in foster care. Her racing name was Kangaroo Cris and her mother was Kangaroo Girl. We drove to Indianapolis to meet her on a chilly February evening. Her foster mom brought her out and she immediately put her paws on Tammy’s shoulders and started licking her face. Soon after, she was in the SUV helping us drive home as she put her paws on the console between us and looked out the windshield. She never responded to the name of Wrigley, so we named her Casey.

From the moment we met Casey, she was very social.  She loved meeting people and every time we approached another person on a walk, Casey saw it as an opportunity to meet another best friend. Casey also got along well with Zane, other greyhounds, and cats.

The first week Casey lived with us, we put her in a crate when we went to school as we have done with most of our greyhounds until they are acclimated to our house. However, Casey was not like our other greyhounds. She was an escape artist. She was somehow able to get out of a locked crate on multiple occasions. So, we decided to make the master bedroom her crate and keep her in that one room while we were at work. Once again, Casey had other plans.

One of the first days we tried leaving her in the bedroom, we got a call from the alarm company. Something had set off the alarm in the master bedroom and the Richmond Police Department had dispatched an officer. Apparently, Casey had jumped against a window or door with enough force to set off the alarm. Tammy arrived home to the sound of the alarm going off. She quickly went in through the garage and let Casey out and met the police officer at the front door. Tammy frantically put in the code to shut off the alarm. When she turned around, Casey had put her paws on the police officer’s shoulders and was trying to give him kisses. That was the day we decided to leave the entire house open for Casey. She was happy with that arrangement.

One thing she did not enjoy was dressing up. Every time Tammy tried to dress her in some of Maggie’s outfits or paint her toenails, she resisted. She was a real tomboy. She loved to play outside including rolling in the mud.

We called Casey our sous chef because she loved hanging out in the kitchen, sitting like a sphinx, just in case someone needed a taste tester. She was always quick to help out any time one of us dropped a bit of food. It would be in her mouth before we could even say anything. She was always aware when one of us went into the kitchen and would be close behind. We constantly had to look around to make sure we didn’t take a step back and trip over her!

Casey loved her treats including raw vegetables and bananas as well as the more conventional dog treats. As a matter of fact when she was in the mood for a treat, she would sometimes go to the front door letting us know she needed to go out. She would proceed to the front yard and squat, thus showing us her “fake potty” move. Casey did a very good job of training us to give her treats on demand. It was just one of her superpowers.

Casey really enjoyed running but not in an oval like other greyhounds. She ran in figure eights and that was very confusing to the other greyhounds. She would start and stop. Make sudden turns. Start in one direction then pivot and go another way. She often crashed into other greyhounds who were expecting her to keep running in an oval pattern.

Casey also enjoyed snuggling and hanging out on the couch with us. Although she always got in her eighteen hours a day of sleep, she made the most out of her waking hours. She was the only greyhound we adopted who wasn’t so much a couch potato – although like Maggie, she did enjoy napping on the canopy bed in our spare bedroom. It was a great place for Casey to look out the window and check out the activity in the neighborhood.

One of the things Casey loved best was going to the beach with us. She loved walking on the beach and loved taking long walks on the property so she could meet new people. Again, everyone she met on her walks was her best friend. Although we tried to break her of the habit, she nearly always tried to jump on people’s shoulders to greet them. We named our condo Casey’s Condo in her honor and cherish a painting of Casey on the beach that a friend painted for us based on a photograph we took.

Monroe

Monroe has been living with us since the summer of 2019. Every greyhound in his litter was named “something music” and his racing name was Heavenly Music. He was called a special case and the adopting agency said he had to go to someone with experience with greyhounds. He apparently had a stubborn streak and would sometimes plant his feet and refuse to move where the trainers wanted him to move in the kennel. We had both just retired and figured we had plenty of time to work with a greyhound who was a special case. Sure we did.

We got first-hand experience with his stubbornness pretty much immediately. On walks, he always has to be on the left of the human walking him. Always. When we take him for walks in the neighborhood, he goes the same way every time. He clearly has some OCD tendencies.

He was designated cat tolerable. No way. We tried him with cats when we first got him. It did not go well. Monroe also has a very consistent internal clock. He has to walk and eat on a schedule. His schedule. When it comes to walks or eating, he knows when it’s time and let’s us know when the time is near. Often when it’s an hour before dinner time, he finds Randy and stays close to him until it’s time to eat. He can sometimes stare at Randy for an hour, hoping Randy will relent and feed him early. Actually, if Randy moves a few minutes early, Monroe jumps up figuring the only possible reason for Randy to move would be to feed him.

We were concerned about Monroe’s tendency to bark at other dogs when he met them on walks and his extreme anxiety when he hears thunder or a loud noise. We took him to a vet specializing in behavior. The official diagnosis is anxiety. We tried training with special treats, but it didn’t work. However, Monroe is actually the perfect greyhound when it’s just the three of us, so Monroe has trained us to control his environment and we’re all doing just fine.

One thing we don’t have to worry about is Monroe’s appetite. Fortunately, Monroe enjoys food that is good for him. He loves vegetables and fruit. Carrots, green beans, carrots, zucchini, sweet potato, red raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries – and of course a daily banana.

The other side to Monroe’s appetite is that he is our first counter surfer. For seventeen years of adopting greyhounds, we never had to worry about one of them getting food off our counter. Until Monroe. He is tall enough that he can put his nose on the counter to sniff out food and if he sees something he likes…. Let’s just say that he has snatched some pretty tasty food during his time with us. Including some fresh radishes that I was really looking forward to eating.

Monroe loves to sunbathe on the balcony of our condo. Not for too long at a time though. He is very good at self-regulating. He also enjoys spending time in our backyard run in Indiana, but without expending too much energy. He is, after all, happily retired.

Wynter

We were scanning the Prison Greyhounds website and saw a cute female named Running Water was being fostered and needed a forever home as soon as possible. Tammy and I had been thinking Monroe might like having a sister in the house again so we decided to fill out the paperwork and see where it went. Turns out that the foster parents really needed to move her soon and agreed to bring her to visit us two days later.

Water (who is now Wynter) was immediately comfortable with Monroe and he with her. Wynter acclimated to the house and to us almost immediately. She found the toy box and soon had both toys she brought with her and toys from our toy box spread around the living room. She also very quickly found Tammy’s closet and took great pleasure in grabbing a slipper in her mouth and running into the living room with it. We’re looking forward to future adventures with Wynter…including Wynter finding her way into my new mysteries starting with Murder on Greyhound Beach and A Slow Race to Justice.