Welcome to Nittany Greyhounds

"What Am I Going To Do Without Jo?" 

That was how I began my eulogy to Jo Hoy in 2010, during her funeral held here in the Nittany Greyhounds' property front yard. I think of her every Memorial Day, not because she passed on the holiday, but because she was one of the first female naval commanders in U.S. history. Her legacy is evident in that regard, but you may not know her legacy here at Nittany Greyhounds. 

We are 15 years here in Rooo Valley, and in 2008, when we bought this property, mainly because of Jo, nobody ever thought we would come this far or do this well. We had many doubters, including me, but Jo never doubted our ability to make this work or my ability to keep it going.

We were looking for a property that year, with five years of fundraising under our belts and a little money in the bank. Tom Cali, adopter and real estate agent, was helping us look, but nothing suited our needs. Then this place came on the market. We knew it was way out of our price range, but Jo was adamant that we needed to look at it, so we did. She could be very persuasive. I still didn't give it much thought because I didn't think we could afford it, not to mention the bidding war that was going on, but something extraordinary happened.

The owner of the property asked to meet with me. Everyone was skeptical, but I wanted to hear what she had to say. Andrea and I became fast friends, and she was excited about the property being purchased by a non-profit to turn it into the adoption hub she wanted. She is a breeder of Norwegian Elkhounds and, at that time, was the President of the NE Rescue. We were kindred spirits...and two planets aligned.

The third planet was Jo. She was determined for us to have this place, and she became our angel investor. 

Two adopters, a local banker and a lawyer, joined us, and the five of us conspired to get this property. In 2008, all of the planets aligned. 

Andrea stopped the bidding war and dropped the property's price so we could get it...everything came together. I had a business plan lined up so that the property would pay for itself. The mortgage fell into place (gulp), and we moved forward. It was beyond our dreams, and Jo was always there to back us up. We needed her money to help with up-front costs, but more importantly, I needed her mentorship. 

We began planning to board dogs beyond greys to help pay the bills; we had the idea to do a private dog park, and she had other ideas for revenue generation. Jo helped us with much-needed renovations to the kennel, fencing for the property and other improvements before we could open to the public. She was tough and exacting, and we spent many hours pouring over financials and planning documents. She believed, and she made me believe that anything was possible.

In 2009, Jo was diagnosed with bone cancer. I was devastated but promised her that I would carry on her legacy and dreams here in Rooo Valley. She asked me to take in Devan, her grey, which I did and kept her as my own until she passed. Jo died in 2010; we had her funeral here, and her flag flew here for a decade after her death. 

We are still going strong 15 years later, but we would never have gotten this dream without our Jo.

I think of her almost every day. A big wind chime on the property seems to speak to me whenever I walk by it. Her legacy lives on, and I'm proud to have known her. Rooo Valley would not exist without her determination, support, and mentoring. She was, and still is, my hero.