From People's Heroes Among Us

FINDING HOMES FOR RETIRED GREYHOUNDS

Dennis Tyler, 64

Melbourne, Fla.

Dennis Tyler looks deep into the eyes of each greyhound needing a new life after retiring from Florida's busy racetracks and gets inspired all over again. "It's looking at all those faces," he says, "that drives me to keep doing this."

Since 1991, Tyler, a retired mechanic from Kennedy Space Center, has found adoptive homes for some 7,200 greyhounds who are no longer able to compete on the track. He pays veterinary bills, matches dogs with loving families and drives them to their new homes, mostly on the East Coast. New owner Sharon Bell of Rochester, N.Y., says 5-year-old Koa works magic with her 25-year-old daughter Danielle, who has special needs. "Dennis," she says, "is incredible." floridagreyhounds.com