Lee-Collier greyhound adoption group 'desperate' for help

Taking care of up to 100 retired racing greyhounds daily at their Golden Gate Estates home in Collier County had become too much for Darlene and Mark Izzo.

As president of 45 MPH Couch Potato Greyhound Adoptions, a non-profit formed in the spring of 2014, Darlene was at her wit's end.

"We were going around the clock. We had five acres," she said, adding that her husband loves the dogs as well, but he's not well enough to continue. "We couldn't care for that many dogs."

In addition, the Izzos have run the operation mainly from the proceeds from their full-time jobs – $50,000 last year alone Darlene Izzo estimated – and a monthly $1,750 stipend from the Naples/Fort Myers Greyhound Track. “We can't do it anymore,” she said.

Mark Izzo's health issues and a lack of consistent help due to their remote location did not help and the Izzo's realized they had only one option: Sell the house and find somewhere for the dogs to be housed.

"It was too far for them to go to Golden Gate," Darlene Izzo said of those who would have liked to help more than they already did.

So, with the house sold and a Jan. 15 move-out date getting nearer, the issue became where and how to find a new place for the dogs

"We have no idea where we are going to live. The dogs come first," she said.

As of Monday, a solution was found in the guise of a retail strip storefront on Rail Head Boulevard in north Collier County where the dogs can be housed, fed, and placed into good homes. It's near the greyhound track in Bonita Springs.

Real estate agent Steve Hovland and landlord Nick Turner said they were glad to help.

"It's a need," Hovland said. Turner added: "The dogs don't bark and the neighbors don't mind."

By Monday afternoon greyhounds of all colors – brindle, tawny, black, white and what one volunteer called "cow" – were flowing into a cleared out storefront, placed into cages and being fed, watered, walked and soothed by a phalanx of caring volunteers.

And despite the gaggle of greyhounds resting along every available space it was quiet and calm – no barks, growls or whines – at least once the dogs got crated and petted and talked to.

Darlene Izzo's love of greyhounds and activity in adopting out retired racing dogs goes back decades. She wanted to adopt a dog, got waylaid by a friend with a greyhound, and fell in love with the sleek, speedy breed.

"There's not enough awareness to see how much love these dogs can give back," she said. "People don't realize how good a pet these dogs are."

During her tenure as president of 45 MPH she had dedicated herself to trying to place every retired greyhound she came across and said she has adopted out more than 1,000 greyhounds since becoming a non-profit.

As the official adoption agency for the greyhound track, Darlene Izzo and her group of about a dozen or so volunteers works with breeders, trainers and racing officials.

"We have had up to 100 dogs at the house at a time," she said. The new facility had 32 greyhounds Monday with about 20 more due in by the end of the week.

The move solved the space problem but brought a passel of other issues, concerns and needs.

While the track helps with a monthly stipend, Darlene Izzo said that costs for taking care of the dogs runs to $275 a month per dog, excluding any special medical costs.

"We're begging, begging, begging. We need an air conditioning unit, we need food, we need volunteers, we need adopters, we need help," she said, tears welling. "We are desperate for help."

Jill Spicer, a trainer from Iowa who works with the local track, stands in awe of Darlene Izzo.

"She does amazing work, she really does," she said. "She's actually building a kennel here."

Spicer said that strict state guidelines prevent the dogs that are retired from being put to sleep or otherwise being negatively disposed of, which necessitates someone like Darlene Izzo.

"We could not do this without Darlene," Spicer said. "Just to have someone to go to to give her our dogs. They are going to have a better home."

Spicer said the dogs run from about age 2 to 5 years.

Darlene Izzo said things started getting more crowded when the last greyhound racing track in Texas permanently closed in late summer and another track in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was closed by legislative mandate.

"Normally, we'd never have that many dogs in a season," she said. There have been so many dogs recently, she said, that she ended up shipping 60-plus greyhounds to adoption centers in New York and Canada.

There is a corps of dedicated dog lovers, some with their own greyhounds, who are volunteering at the Rail Head Boulevard facility.

Elizabeth Judge, who moved here from the Boston area this summer and has greyhounds of her own, helps because she loves the breed and believes in what Darlene is doing.

"They're just amazing animals," she said as she held on to the collars of a half-dozen of the dogs are they awaiting crating at the new facility.

Jim Fisher of Bonita Springs, another volunteer and de facto business manager for the organization, said not all those who help own the graceful dogs. "Some of us do, some of us don't," he said. "I just love dogs and I know these guys need help while we find them a proper home."

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Where to see adoptable greyhounds

The organization offers retired racing greyhounds for adoption. During the greyhound racing season (November through May), volunteers show adoptable greyhounds on Wednesdays and every weekend at the Naples/Fort Myers Greyhound Track, 10601 Bonita Beach Road SE, Bonita Springs, Fl. Adoption fee is $250 for a greyhound from the track and $375 for dogs who graduate from local prison training programs. 

For more on the group and to donate, visit  http://45mphcouchpotato.com/adopt-a-greyhound.html