Volunteer Spotlight: Rita Corcoran (and Joe!)
About Rita and Joe’s Greyhounds
Rita currently shares her home with Lurch, who joined the family after their last greyhound, Bean, passed away. Over the years, Rita and her husband, Joe, have also loved and fostered dozens of greyhounds.
How She Got Involved
Rita’s volunteering started in 2009, after CGA put out notices in local papers about the track closing in Lincoln, Rhode Island. CGA’s Nancy Javor came and met Rita and Joe at their home. At the time, they had two large black greyhounds, Mojo (adopted from WAG) and Nitro (a re-home from Regap). Rita and Joe were both working full-time with two school-age children — she still isn’t sure how they managed multiple dogs and everything else.
Why She Volunteers
Besides fostering, Rita serves as CGA’s events coordinator. “Hard work, but rewarding,” she says – and she credits an awesome board for pitching in at every event. Some of her favorite memories come from the monthly Meet & Greets CGA used to hold at a Petco in Clinton, including the time a fellow volunteer’s dog, Raven, was caught shoplifting treats from the bins when she thought no one was looking.
What She Wishes More People Knew
Although greyhounds can be among the most stubborn dogs, Rita says they’re also among the most resilient. Imagine leaving the track, being crated and transported, and then immediately going into a strange new home — and still greeting it all with love and trust.
Her Advice for New Adopters
Rita loves watching foster dogs come out of their shells. Dogs coming off the track have their own version of childhood firsts and milestones: the first time they respond to their name, the first time they hear a squeak toy, the first time they climb stairs on their own, and — her favorite — the first time they run free in an enclosed yard.
Dogs She’ll Never Forget
Rita’s first foster was Bo Line, a large brindle male. “He was so sweet and loved kissing everyone he met,” she says. Joe cried when Bo Line left for his forever home, so when the chance came to take him back as a re-home, they took it. He’d become a different dog by then, but they loved him just the same. When he later developed cancer, Rita reached out to his former owners so they could spend time with him.
Fun Memory
Rita and Joe used to joke that they only ever picked out one dog in their lives: Mojo. Every greyhound since had chosen them, not the other way around. That held true again when they met Lurch, who walked straight up to Joe and rested his head against him. “I thought, sold,” Rita says. “We joke to this day that he wanted a lurcher and got Lurch instead.” Lurch has brought a lightness to their home ever since — goofy, loving, and endlessly patient with every foster who comes through the door.
Rita is retired from the state and now works part-time as a therapist for UCFS in Norwich. She’s also the membership coordinator for Shoreline Chorale, a local singing group. When she’s not fostering or planning CGA events, you’ll find her in the garden or out on the boat. Her advice to anyone curious about volunteering: come to one of CGA’s events and meet the team. “I love meeting new people and helping them meet and understand this breed.”