Don’t let a greyhound’s lean physique and impressive speed fool you.

“We call them 45-mph couch potatoes,” said Sheryl Clouse, local adoption coordinator and board member of the Greyhound Pets of America-Wisconsin. “They sleep 16 to 20 hours a day.”

Retired racers from the Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, Wis., will begin arriving in the La Crosse area as early as next week in search of a permanent home after the track, the last operating in Wisconsin, announced it will shut down Dec. 31.

It’s unclear how many of the hundreds of Dairyland greyhounds will be available for adoption locally, Clouse said.

“We’re going to take as many dogs here as we can find

good homes for,” Clouse said.

The greyhound’s reputation as a high-energy dog is a misconception, Clouse said.

“They’re one of the most lazy companion dogs you can have,” she said. “We kind of think of them as large cats.”

Greyhounds also are gentle, well-behaved dogs who get along well with other animals and rarely shed, Clouse said.

Greyhounds adopted through the nonprofit Greyhound Pets of America-Wisconsin are housetrained, spayed or neutered and current on all vaccinations. The dogs also have a microchip and heartworm protection. The adoption fee is $200.

Find adoption details and an application at gpawisconsin.com.

Adoption events are noon to 4 p.m. the second Saturday of each month at Petsmart in Onalaska and noon to 4 p.m. the fourth Sunday of every month at Petco in Onalaska.