"It took 6 months for him to wag his tail and it took 8 months for him to learn to play with toys."

It was nowhere close to a speedy recovery for one former racing dog. Not long ago, he needed serious help, but now, he's giving it.

In July of 2005, 100 retired, greyhound racing dogs were rescued from a boarding facility on Tucson's south side.

Animal control found the dogs in a sorry state. They were covered in fleas and ticks, some had severe hair loss, red sores, scars, decaying teeth and many were extremely dehydrated and malnourished.

The dogs were locked up in cages so small they could barely move. They were in such bad shape that animal control had to set up a triage-center to treat them.

Now, 3 years later, one of those rescued dogs has been adopted by a woman who trained him to be a handi-dog. He's the first certified greyhound service dog in the country and he lives right here in Tucson.

Blueberry, the greyhound, began his road to recovery as soon as he was adopted and Saturday he was featured in a national magazine, proving to everyone that dogs can make a difference in anyone's life.

It's a greyhound alright, but he's a special one: the first certified greyhound service dog in the country.

Meet 6-year-old Blueberry, and his owner Maggie. She's disabled and he's her guide.

"He has taken me from disabled to enabled. He gives me the security to go any place and I trust him implicitly," Maggie said.

The story of Blueberry is sweeter than that he was rescued from this racetrack when he was just 3 years old.

He was put up for adoption and given a life most greyhounds would never have.

"I saw him and I thought, 'That's my boy!' Maggie said. "He only weighed 80. He was terrified of everybody and everything."

Now, he's way past that, taking Maggie everywhere from the opera to dinner. He picks up what she drops, opens the door and even pulls her laundry out of the dryer.

He's featured in this summer's Celebrating Greyhounds magazine, after saving Maggie's life when she had a stroke.

"I said would you and get help and he walked into the bathroom and pulled the help needed cord, then he came out unlocked this door walked down the hall and met the assisted living person," Maggie said.

He went along in the ambulance and even in to the emergency room.

She's OK now, and couldn't be happier to have him right by her side everywhere she goes.

Maggie said, "I was scared to go places. I was scared I would fall. I couldn't see. I was just one big scared cat. Now, there's no place I can't go, there's nothing I can't do."

For more information on Arizona Greyhound Rescue, call (520) 886-7411 or for information on how to train a dog to become a Handi-Dog call (520) 326-3412.

This was sent to me by Michelle

I will see if I can post the thread later

Wonderul story!!!

http://www.greyhoundfriendsforlife.org/Handi-Dog.htm

Hopefully you can open this thread there is a picture of him there and there might me more information

Our greyhounds are such special dogs. This just proves how really great they are.

Thanks Beryl.

Oh wow. How cool is that?

Any dog surviving a stay at Tuscon is worth making the news. And now that the fox is watching the hen house things aren't any better. But I suppose GPA got a nice check for installing the track GM as president of the chapter there. The track gets credibility while GPA loses it.

I heard a lot of bad things about Tuscon. I thought things where getting better.