Meet Kasey Cane - the Greyhound of Pleasant Valley, NY

I’m Bella!  And this is my "Gem of the Week" Feature!  This week’s "Gem" is Kasey Cane’s story.

Kasey Cane, originally named Hurricane when he was a professional Greyhound racer, lives in NY by way of Derby Lane in St Petersburg, FL. He’s as fast as lightening and smart as a whip. He’s part of an awesome pack and we’ll be telling all of their stories in the KC’s Labs GEM 4 part series.
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Here’s Kacey Cane’s story, as told by his human, Jennifer -
“I had lost my greyhound Bubba, unexpectedly and tragically in March of 2013. I always attend the yearly Greyhounds in Gettysburg gathering in April, and for the first time in about 8 years, I thought of not going. I decided to go, houndless. In the weeks leading up to the event, I found myself looking over the "adoptables" who would be at the event. I came across the picture of this skinny brindle hound in the snow, nose poking into the camera. It said his name was 'Hurricane'. Well, for some reason I kept looking at that picture!...

On the first day of the event, I walked into the convention hall early, ready to do some shopping and say hello to friends and hounds. I glanced to my left at two brindle hounds in an x-pen, and exclaimed, "Hey, that's Quick and that's Hurricane, from the website!" Well, poor Quick was body slammed out of the way by Hurricane, who let out a bark and a roo (a roo is a howl-yodel sound distinct to greyhounds) and put his paws up on the x-pen with such force that he almost knocked it over.

The adoption rep laughed and said, "Well, Quick has a family coming to meet him and possibly take him home today, but I think Hurricane wants you to know that he is available for love and that he is looking for a family of his own." She told me that he had been living at Roo Valley, which is a boarding and kennel facility run by Nittany Greyhounds for ex racers as they wait for new homes. She said that he was an absolute sweetheart and asked if I wanted to take him for a walk. I didn't have to be asked twice, and of course by then, he was already rubbing his muzzle against my hands and doing what is known as the "helicopter tail". We seemed to be a natural fit, and by the time I brought him back to the group (about two hours later), I think my mind was already made up. I left him in the x-pen and went off to do something else. When I returned a few hours later, there was a couple petting him and cooing over him. He was loving the attention from them, but then he caught sight of me. The roo, the helicopter tail, the whole nine! He abandoned those poor people in mid-pet and nearly knocked the pen over once again to get to me. I felt badly for the couple, but secretly, also happy that he had chosen me.

​I did obviously change his name to Kasey Cane from Hurricane! They had been calling him Cane for short, so it wasn't too far off of a transition. I wasn't too keen on Hurricane, and I like multiple syllable names for dogs. Kasey Kahne is a NASCAR driver, and it seemed fitting for a former racer. Funny thing is, he will glance at the TV when the announcers say his name during a race!”

Kacey Cane’s Biggest Fan as shared by human, Jennifer-
​“Other than myself, his 'brother', Joker. Joker is a black Lab mix who was adopted just a couple short months after Kasey was. Although Kasey wasn't too thrilled with squirmy puppy energy at first, as Joker grew and matured, so did their bond. Joker has always been in awe of Kasey it seems. He brings him toys as "offerings" and sets them down by Kasey.

Ten-week-old Joker would stumble around outside after Kasey and do everything he did; thanks to Kasey's desire to mark everything, Joker was potty trained in record time! Joker knows that Kasey is fearful of thunder, and will seek him out and lie with him during a storm. As Joker was recovering from TPLO surgery and I was leash walking him in our fenced yard, Kasey would walk slowly along with him, between myself and Joker's wounded leg, as if he was protecting him. The two are just best buddies. Kasey can be a bit territorial, and will growl if one of his other brothers comes too close if he is sleeping soundly or if he doesn't want to be disturbed- but never to Joker. The two will eat side by side, sleep back-to-back, rest heads on one another, lick the same ice cream cone... They are just the very best of friends!"

Kacey Cane’s Special Talents, as shared by human, Jennifer-
​“Kasey Cane is certified Therapy Dog with Therapy Dogs International! We visit a local nursing home on a regular basis. They have a very small number of residents, and Kasey has his routine and order that he must visit everyone in, and if I try to deviate from that, he will correct me by pulling me in the right direction! He loves the residents and will lie down with whomever will pet him the longest.”

A Kasey Cane Favorite Moment from human, Jennifer -
​“Kasey is obsessed with balls! He loves to play anytime, any where. I didn't realize just how much he loved them at first. I must have had him for just about a week or two, and he wasn't all that interested in stuffed toys just yet. I was making myself something to eat, and in the process, I dropped an orange out of the fridge. Well, that's all it took. Kasey saw it roll and into the kitchen he ran! That orange got picked up, tossed in the air, slammed down again, and then he ran off! It took me about 20 minutes to get it back from him. After I had my lunch, I took him out and we got him a bunch of KONG balls, and also some plush ones for inside- that's how we got him tossing stuffed animals around! To this day, his eyes still light up a bit if I toss an orange around a couple times!”

Kasey Cane’s Origins?
Nittany Greyhounds, State College, PA by way of the Greyhounds in Gettysburg annual event each April

If you have a dog whose story deserves to be told (um, all of ‘em!) then send it to me at [email protected].