Thousands of retired racing greyhounds to visit Delaware Shore October 9th through 12th, 2008

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May 25, 2008 — From October 9th through 12th, thousands of greyhounds will visit Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for the 14th annual “Greyhounds Reach the Beach” weekend.

For attendees — who come from all over the country and even abroad — the weekend is equal parts education, networking, socializing, and enjoying the local flavors.

About a quarter of attendees travel
more than 500 miles to attend

Most attendees (65%) stay in hotel rooms,
and most of those hotel rooms are in Dewey Beach
November 2007 attendee survey by The Greyhound Project, Inc.

For area residents, the weekend offers an opportunity to meet some of these beautiful and gentle dogs. In fact, several curious visitors — having learned about the breed at Dewey Beach — have gone on to adopt greyhounds of their own.

Many of the area’s retail stores now allow the pets inside, and several businesses have begun extending their seasonal closings until after Columbus Day weekend. Dozens of hotels now allow the greyhounds, and most of their rooms are booked a year in advance.

Rick Shindeldecker, co-owner of Sharkey’s Grill in Dewey Beach, notes that Columbus Day weekend sales rival the busiest summer days. Shindeldecker allows greyhounds on the restaurant’s tented deck and lawn area, and he provides water bowls for the pups and a friendly greeting and free coffee to their owners.

Weekend events

Among the weekend’s activities are morning walks on the beach, educational seminars, an ice cream social, a blessing of the hounds, and a memorial service to remember greyhounds that have passed.

A popular destination throughout the weekend is the Greyhounds in Art original art show. This year’s show will feature acrylic, sculpture, jewelry, and more. There will be a reception with the artists from 6:30 to 9 Saturday evening, and further details on the artwork and artists is available at www.greyhoundsinart.com.

Canine Good Citizen testing is available and requires advance registration. Sunday brunch at the Ruddertowne Complex includes a raffle benefiting canine cancer research. This year’s brunch speaker is Katherine Helmke, owner of Winnie and Mia, the Greyhounds of Charlie Wilson's War.

The 2007 schedule of activities is posted here, and the 2008 schedule will be posted by August 1.

Shopping galore

Vendors will be located in various locations throughout Rehoboth and Dewey, and a map to their locations will be included in registration packets. Signs and banners will be located on storefronts, hotels, and condos along Route 1 in Dewey and Rehoboth, and several vendors will be concentrated in the Rehoboth Volunteer Fire Station and at the Best Western Hotel in Dewey.

For many of the non-profit groups at the event, the weekend is their largest annual fundraiser. This year’s event coincides with the annual Dewey-Rehoboth Sidewalk Sales, so it promises to be a great weekend for shopping in both communities.

More information

Information and registration is available at http://adopt-a-greyhound.org/dewey. Lodging information is available at http://beach-fun.com. Information on adopting a greyhound can be found at http://adopt-a-greyhound.org or by calling 800-366-1472 or 800-446-8637.

Taking a break on Dewey Beach
Click on photo for a high resolution version

(If you can identify this girl or the sand sculpture artist, please contact sarah@adopt-a-greyhound.org)

History of Greyhounds Reach the Beach
2007 Press Release
2007 Schedule of Events

About The Greyhound Project

The Greyhound Project, Inc., is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to promote the welfare and adoption of greyhounds by providing support and information to adoption organizations, adopters, and the public. In addition to coordinating Greyhounds Reach the Beach, The Project publishes Celebrating Greyhounds magazine and the Celebrating Greyhounds calendars (wall and desk editions) and provides a directory of worldwide adoption groups and other information on greyhound adoption on it's award-winning web site at adopt-a-greyhound.org.

More on The Greyhound Project