Greyhound Racing's Closeout is Coming Soon

Greyhound racing's closeout is coming soon
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Fosters Daily Democrate
For many years greyhound racing has existed, and occasionally thrived, across the country. Greyhounds are an ancient breed and have lived with and hunted for humans for many centuries. Somewhere along the line, in the 17th century, we began to put one particularly fast greyhound against another to see which was the faster. Humans being humans, when the dogs were compared as to speed, people bet on the outcome. Voila! Greyhound racing began. While greyhounds were the property of very wealthy, eventually a few people saw the potential in opening the races to the unwashed masses, who also would bet on the outcomes. This eventually led to track racing as we know it today, with all its strengths and flaws.I have been to greyhound races in Ireland, where though breeding greyhounds for export is big business, the races themselves are basically unchanged over the past 200 years. Most of the dogs are brought to the track in the back seat of their owner's car, walked into the track, and raced before returning home at the end of the day. I remember a day near Limerick, when I stopped a man walking seven greyhounds along a country road. The dogs were lovely; beautifully constructed, sound and in wonderful condition. They were also quite happy to spend time with a silly American who asked too many questions, but understood just how to scratch ears. After a couple of hours of my peppering him with questions about the dogs and racing in Ireland, the owner invited me to the Limerick track the next day for a very important race. I had a wonderful day at the track, meeting many breeders and their dogs. Uniformly, each dog was healthy, sound, beautifully conditioned and clearly having a blast. They were excited to be able to race and clearly loved every minute of it. Just as at U.S. tracks, each dog was examined by a veterinarian immediately before and after their race.Some people who don't know very much about animals have decided that all racing of dogs is bad and cruel. If these people understood more about greyhounds they would know that the dogs absolutely love racing. No dog can be forced to run hard enough to race unless he really wants to run and win. But there are people who do not believe this, and they have been working for years to forcibly stop all racing in the U.S. They are beginning to succeed at blocking greyhound racing in some states, at least temporarily. The recent vote in Massachusetts is being investigated for illegalities and may be reversed.Decades ago, when a dog's racing career ended, many of them were disposed of as trash. Most were killed. Beginning in the late 50s, small groups, including many breeders and owners of racing dogs, formed to find off-track retirement homes for the dogs. Greyhound rescue became a popular concept, especially in geographic areas where a licensed track existed, as in New England. Given that greyhounds are delightful pets, rescue has been well accepted by the public. These groups have been able to provide many people with a companion and many greyhounds with permanent, loving homes. If you have given thought to taking a greyhound into your home, you might want to get the process started pretty soon. As tracks in New England begin to close permanently, the supply of available dogs may dry up. When that happens, you will have lost the opportunity to live with a dog that will being you joy every day.If you have never considered a greyhound pet, let me supply a few reasons for you to do so now. Greyhounds are beautiful athletes, and similar to Afghan Hounds and Saluki, can be described as "poetry in motion." They can be found in "any allowed hound color," which means just about any color or combination of colors you have ever seen in a dog. Their short hair requires nothing more than an occasional wipe-down, and shedding is minimal. They do require weekly nail clipping. Many greyhounds have teeth or gum problems, but regular dental care will help prevent this. Osteo-Sarcoma and bloat are concerns, as with many medium to large sized dogs.Their personalities are endearing and very laid back, unless they are running or chasing prey. Their prey drive is what makes them run as they do. It also means that some greyhounds should never be asked to live near small pets. They may chase, and if they do, there are precious few animals that can escape the tremendous Greyhound speed. They make great couch potatoes and tend to be quiet in the home. Mine rarely barked, were very responsive to training and affection, and just plain fun. They could also clean off the kitchen counter in the blink of an eye. Living with greyhounds quickly teaches you not to leave anything edible on a table or countertop and nothing fragile on a table top susceptible to that gently wagging tail. I have never known a greyhound who was not quick to learn and innately clever and intelligent. As a breed, they tend not to be argumentative or aggressive with other dogs. All in all, rescuing a greyhound will do more for you than for the dog. Just don't wait too long to find one, or the supply may disappear.

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