Missing greyhound located Monday, three days after a crash

Nevada Daily Mail

A lone greyhound named Eddie was lost, cold and hungry for three days after it escaped from a transport kennel that overturned in an accident on icy roads on U.S. 71 on Friday; but he's back in touch with his owners, and if he's not already safe at The Woodlands, in Kansas City, Kan., he soon will be.

Initially, local folks -- including public safety officials -- believed that all of the dogs had been recovered, but a local resident spotted the creature on Monday. Also on Monday, the Daily Mail received a handful of pleas via e-mail from concerned citizens throughout the Midwest who'd heard about the incident, indicating that Eddie, a 14-month old greyhound, was still missing. "All greyhound folks around the country are extremely worried about the last guy missing," one e-mail said; but a later communication from the same person expressed joy and relief that he'd been found.

Nevada police said that a local resident, about a mile and a half from Nevada, had spotted Eddie on Friday. Thinking it may have belonged to a neighbor, Eddie's unnamed benefactor kept an eye on him to be sure the muzzled creature was OK, but did not attempt to remove the muzzle for fear the dog might be vicious. Greyhounds are not typically dangerous and are, as a rule, good-natured toward humans, according to greyhound rescue Web sites.

Greyhounds have little body fat and do not have a heavy, protective coat to help them stay warm, which heightening the concern for Eddie's welfare.

The dog was apparently on the loose for three days, wearing a red muzzle on its face, which meant he could easily have been unable to eat or drink until found; but Nevada police said that the person who had found it reported that it wasn't able to eat or drink "very well," indicating that it had likely been able to consume some food and water.

A remarkably similar crash occurred near Davenport, Iowa, about a week ago, in which a trailer carrying racing greyhounds ripped away from the vehicle hauling it and overturned, Thursday, Jan. 11; however, that crash carried much more serious consequences. According to reports in the Quad City Times, 30 dogs were reportedly in that trailer, behind a vehicle driven by 62-year-old Frances Evans, who died in the crash. Two passengers with him were not injured. Seven greyhounds escaped that crash and three were killed, reportedly struck by vehicles in the area of Interstate 80 where the wreck occurred.

One greyhound, named Anytime, wasn't caught until Friday, Jan. 12 -- the same day the trailer Eddie had been riding in overturned.