Donna Warstler of Langley describes the experience as love at first sight.

Eight years ago she and her son, Ryan, then 8, walked into a Lynnwood pet store during a greyhound Adopt-A-Thon sponsored by the rescue group, Greyhound Pets Inc. Among the handful of dogs milling around was a 4-year-old retired racer named Speedy that captured the Warstlers’ attention.

“Ryan and I gravitated to the fawn-colored dog immediately,” Warstler said. “There was something about the dog’s manner that was very appealing; a little different from the others. She looked at us with very large, soulful eyes and seemed to be saying, ‘Take me home with you.’

“She may have been the most shy of the group because she had just retired. She had been racing in Coeur d’Alene just two weeks earlier.”

Following an intensive interview process and $175 for all shots, spaying, and a dental checkup, the family welcomed Speedy to its household.

Before allowing someone to adopt a retired racing dog, Greyhound Pets representatives visit the prospective adopter’s home. As well as a fenced yard, adopters must have a “greyhound savvy” veterinarian as well as the ability to care for their new pet properly. If the match does not work out for any reason, the organization requires that the dog be returned to it for re-adoption.

After eight years, the Warstlers say theirs has been an excellent match. But for the the first month or so, there were a few adjustments.

“Male voices seemed to frighten her at first,” Warstler said.

So her husband, Gary, learned to speak in a softer, higher tone until the dog became accustomed to him.

Also, Warstler said, “Speedy didn’t know how to walk up and down stairs, or take treats from our hands.”

Speedy proved her name applied to her learning ability as well, and the educational period was just a matter of days.

“These dogs are very intelligent and really respond to love and affection,” Warstler said.

The adoption was the beginning of something beautiful, the Warstlers say. Speedy quickly fit into the family, which also includes 14-year-old Allison and three other dogs, all Jack Russell terriers.

“The four play together, sharing toys and chasing tails,” Warstler said.

In good weather they play outdoors in the Warstler’s large, fenced yard.

“Speedy prefers being in the warm house, curled up in the dog bed or following the kids around,” she said.

At a greyhound Adopt-A-Thon in Oak Harbor in January eight retired racing dogs found new homes.

Although greyhounds have been bred to run like the wind, they are perfectly content to be big lapdogs, and make great pets, according to Kathy Lee of Greyhound Pets Inc., which sponsored the event at Sunset Kennels in Oak Harbor.

The lean hounds have no body fat and are most content curled up in a warm house with their human companions, she said.

“We call them 40-mile-per-hour couch potatoes.”

The Idaho-based organization takes in dogs from tracks in Colorado and Arizona and places them with new owners.

Some of the dogs are too old to race, while others may have been injured or just didn’t have what it takes to be a racer. They range in age from 15 months to 13 years old.

One of the requirements of adoption is a large yard with a fence at least 5 feet high. There’s a reason.

“The main thing is, if you don’t let them off the leash you will have the best friend you could have. Let them off the leash and you won’t have one at all,” advised Roberta Oliviero of Oak Harbor, who has adopted three ex-racers in the past five years.

She had planned to take just one of the greyhounds home as a foster dog while its broken leg healed, an injury that forced it into an early retirement. She just couldn’t resist the others.

Running tendencies aside, Greyhound Pets says it is a misconception that greyhounds are hyperactive. In fact they are mild, gentle and quiet by nature. They tend not to bark much, and so don’t make good guard dogs, but they do make excellent companions. Running in a fenced yard and daily walks are all the exercise they need to be happy.

Although there are greyhound adoption groups around the world, Greyhound Pets Inc. works in the Northwest, from western Montana to northern Oregon and Alberta. It has placed almost 4,000 dogs since its inception in 1985.

The organization shows dogs every weekend at sites around the Northwest. For more information about greyhound adoption call Cathy Hanshaw at Sunset Kennels, Oak Harbor, 360-675-8487; the regional organization at 1-800-228-7794; visit www.greyhoundpetsinc.org.