Gutsy Pilot Flies 8,000 Miles For Retired Racing Dogs

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Thursday, 27 June 2002

Great Greyhound Goodwill Air Tour takes flight on July 1st.

Sixteen-year veteran pilot Maggie McCurry will take off in a small private plane on July 1 to begin an 8000 mile series of flights transporting retired racing greyhound dogs from racetracks, kennels and breeding farms to adoption groups all over the country. The greyhounds will be put up for adoption and placed in loving homes.

Dubbed "The Great Greyhound Goodwill Air Tour," Maggie's coast-to-coast trip will take her to 25 cities in 18 states and will take about 3 weeks to complete. The first leg will be with ex-racers from Tucson Greyhound Park who will be met in El Paso Texas by the Greyhound Adoption League. On July 9, two greyhounds will be delivered to the nation's oldest animal welfare organization, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in New York. Another exciting destination will be in Indianapolis, where Speedway owner Mari George ("Gentlemen, start your engines!") will meet the airplane for a "pit stop" photo opportunity. The Air Tour will end in Los Angeles with a final victory flight from Phoenix, AZ.

Maggie has been flying greyhounds from tracks to adoption groups in the southwestern United States since 1996 when she formed Wings For Greyhounds, Inc., a non profit organization, to provide airborne transportation services to the retired racing dogs.

"Many cities with racetracks cannot place all their retired greyhounds locally and rely very much on groups in outlying areas to locate families who will adopt them," says Maggie. "The airplane works very well for this; we can turn an 11-hour truck ride into an easy 3-hour flight for the dogs. And the pilots? 'We have fun!'"

"This tour couldn't come at a better time for the ASPCA," says ASPCA President and CEO Dr. Larry Hawk. "2002 marks the 10th anniversary that we have had our own greyhound rescue fund and adoption program. We will be waiting anxiously on the 9th of July for our special delivery!" The ASPCA program began in 1992 by administering and providing grants to groups solely dedicated to helping retired racing dogs.

Maggie's hope is that by undertaking this marathon flight she can raise much needed awareness about the wonderful temperament of these graceful creatures who desperately need homes when their racing days are over.

The tour is being sponsored by: the ASPCA, PetsMart Charities Inc., The Ark Trust, The National Greyhound Adoption Program and private donations. For more information on Wings For Greyhounds and The Great Greyhound Goodwill Air Tour, visit their website.

For more information, or to contact American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, see their website at: www.aspca.org