Published: June 26, 2008 12:28 pm            

Sweet as Honey

The author of the American Dog series can’t get over how lazy his dog is.

She’s so lazy owner Craig Pierce said it’s hard to believe Honey, a rescued greyhound, is actually one of the fastest dogs in the world.

“Greyhounds can reach 40-42 mph in two strides. A cheetah is the only animal that can run faster,” he told a crowd of more than 50 people.

Pierce and 3 1/2-year-old Honey visited Effingham Helen Matthes Library Tuesday afternoon, but the lines of children petting Honey didn’t seem to interfere with the 18 hours of sleep she usually gets a day.

“Usually when I do a show, I arrive as an author and leave as a dog handler. Really, I’m here to show her off,” he said.

But don’t let Honey’s sleepy demeanor fool you. Until eight months ago, she was actually a champion racer who won nine races and placed in the top three of 17 of her total 77 races.

Pierce of Genoa is a stay-at-home dad by day and a children’s and freelance author the rest of the time. He’s written four books in his American Dog series; the latest book came out in April. Now he travels around Illinois with Honey.

He read his story “A Greyhound’s Tale: Running for Glory, Walking for Home” to highlight the life of a racing greyhound.

Pierce’s story is about a champion greyhound named Gator who intentionally loses races so he can get adopted by a family and then highlights the transitional period he must go through to adjust to his non-racing life.

Honey’s racing name was Oh Yeah Honey. Her birthday and racing registration number are tattooed on the inside of her ears. While people might think being a champion athlete is a good way to live, the life of a racing greyhound outside the track isn’t so great.

“When greyhounds aren’t racing, they sleep in metal crates stacked two high with only old newspapers to lie on, only being allowed out four times a day,” he said.

Adoption can be a happy ending for racing greyhounds, who are usually retired when they are 3 years old.

But Pierce said the transition can be very strange for greyhounds, especially when they may never have encountered stairs, slippery floors or small children before.

“It would be like waking up one day and you have no idea who these people are and where you are. It would all be very strange,” he said.

For Honey, food was the issue.

“We brought her home on Thanksgiving Day. On the first day, we realized this was the first time she had smelled food that wasn’t for her. That was a hard lesson for her to learn,” Strange said.

While some people might think greyhounds are fierce because of the muzzles they wear while racing, they are actually quite timid.

“Greyhounds are the perfect big dog for someone who doesn’t like big dogs. They are very unobtrusive, quiet, lazy and gentle,” he said. Honey’s racing muzzle was her only possession at the time Pierce adopted her.

Pierce is looking forward to witnessing an unusual reunion this week as he picks up Honey’s brother, Oh Yeah Dusty, to foster him for a few days so he can adjust to home life before he is picked up by his adoptive family.

Pierce donated 10 percent of the proceeds from his books to the Effingham County Humane Society and donations of items for the humane society were the “admission price” to the event.

His visit was the first event of a week-long effort at the library to benefit the humane society. A pet adoption clinic will be held at the library from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

Pierce said he is currently working on a Christmas story for his American Dog series and another story about a border collie.

For more information, visit www.americandogtales.com.

Angie Faller can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or angie.faller@

effinghamdailynews.com.