On Wednesday, October 21, the students of BHS were gifted a visit from the Greyhound Rescue Organization. Greyhounds Seymour, Charlie, and Nefertiti were joyously welcomed into the school and followed into the courtyard by a parade of anxious teenagers. Dozens of lucky students and teachers got the opportunity to interact with the dogs and hear their stories. Both Charlie and Seymour were racing dogs, rescued and adopted after their careers ended. The popularity of dog racing has led to a staggering number of greyhounds left without homes once they are unable to compete. This, in turn, has led to the creation of more rescue organizations for greyhounds than there are for any other dog breed.

The greyhound handlers answered questions about their dogs while providing students with fun facts about the breed. Listeners learned that greyhounds have the ability to safely donate blood to any other breed of dog. Greyhounds are also a very old breed, so old that they are mentioned in the Bible and in several of Shakespeare’s plays. Two of the three greyhounds that visited BHS are registered therapy dogs, trained to help people who struggle with psychological disorders. Seymour’s handler, Iris, recounted Seymour’s experiences helping a teenage girl overcome selective mutism and comforting a woman with anxiety.

Senior Gina Aliberti described the event as “unique” and “overwhelmingly beautiful.”

In this reporter’s opinion, the only thing more than fun than playing with the dogs was seeing my classmates happier than I’ve ever seen them in school before.

Senior Allie Horemis, who hopes to someday own a greyhound, thought that it was “great to see so many people interested in the breed.”

The healing power of dog therapy has recently been utilized by colleges to relieve stress in students during midterms and finals. Perhaps the positive impact left by our furry visitors will encourage BHS to follow suit.