Many Greyhounds, the elite, graceful athletes of the dog world, will soon be in need of adoptive families as the Greyhound tracks wrap up the 2010 racing season.
According to the American Greyhound Council, upwards of 300 Greyhounds will be available for adoption from two tracks, the Ebro Greyhound Park and Pensacola Greyhound Track. Though the dogs have lived the life of a competitive racing athlete, they still make good companions.
According to Kathy Rakestraw, a volunteer with the Southeastern Greyhound Adoption/GPA Atlanta, the recently retired racing dogs are much like puppies, in adult bodies. The dogs are typically well-socialized, but many have not been exposed to common household items, such as stairs, televisions or hardwood floors. She does note that the dogs are intelligent, and that they tend to acclimate to these items quickly.
Greyhound rescue organizations, such as the Southeastern Greyhound Adoption/Greyhound Pets of America-Atlanta (SEGA), are always in need of foster homes for retired racing dogs. The foster homes provide a warm, safe environment for the dogs that are waiting for their forever families. The families also provide the dogs with an environment that enables them to familiarize themselves with the life of an indoor house dog.
According to Rakestraw, dogs that come in to SEGA go through a "spa" day before entering foster homes. The "spa" treatment includes a weigh-in, bath, removal of ticks, full vetting (including spay/neuter), paperwork processing and then photos are taken so that a profile can be made for the dogs' adoption.
Adoption events are typically held in public areas, such as farmer's markets, retail outlets, or festivals. Retails establishments such as Petco and Petsmart often host Greyhound adoption events.
There are many Greyhound rescue organizations across the nation. Many individuals work tirelessly to help find homes for these retired racing dogs in order to prevent them from being euthanized.
According to Rakestraw, many racing tracks have their own adoption centers, and they are committed to finding homes for the retired Greyhounds, but others are called "last stop tracks." Dogs with the misfortune of being at a "last stop track" are often given a very short period of time to be adopted if they are washed out or injured.
Rakestraw is hopeful that more people will become aware of Greyhounds, and the increased need for homes, especially in the Fall as the racing season comes to an end. To learn more about Greyhounds, and their versatility, please check out this blog created by a member of SEGA.
Individuals interested in learning more about adopting a Greyhound can visit Adopt-A-Greyhound. The agency is an excellent resource for information on the breed, as well as where interested adopters can locate a retired racing dog.
Many thanks to Kathy Rakestraw for sharing this information.
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Comments
IMO, dog racing needs to be stopped. There's no reason for it other than the greed of the people racing the dogs and the ignorance of the people who go to the races and bet on these dogs. My husband's son adopted a retired racing greyhound who lived to be 13 years old.
The breeders\owners dump them because they are no longer money maker$ they should be the ones taking these retired greyhounds. As long as rescues scramble to get these retired money makers adopted the breeders\owners will keep dumping these retired dogs.
Many breeders/owners DO work to place the dogs when they are done racing. Some of them take back and keep the dogs themselves. Believe it or not, there are some responsible breeders/owners. Many of them work with adoption groups to find them homes.
Greyhounds love to run. The rub comes when tracks and or trainers don't take care of the dogs. Yes, there are bad tracks and owners, but there are also "good", responsible ones as well. I for one loving having ex-racers in my life. They make wonderful companion dogs. If all greyhound racing stopped, this breed will likely cease to exist. That would be sad because that are wonderful companions. Let's get the word out about how great they are. Let's get them adopted out when they are finished racing. Let's push for the best treatment and care possible.
Simple
outlaw racing it is awful for the dogs
let humans get a life and do something else than this horrible activity?
let them bet on people racing NOT dogs
the people wont get put down if injured etc.
and will have normal lives outside of racing
unlike the poor dogs forced to do this
I HATE that these beautiful loyal dogs are raced for peoples' entertainment & greed!! Then they are just disposed (homeless????) Awful, just awful!!
I have 2 beautiful ones that were so traumatized... it's heartbreaking what humans do to an animals spirit!! Sure, they love to run, that's not an argument, but I take mine to big wide open spaces such as fields & let them run to their heart's content...
Greyhound racing is much like the pet owning community at large -- there are good people who take good care of their Greyhounds, and there are irresponsible people who don't, much the same as people who own pet dogs. It's simply illogical to condemn Greyhound racing while turning a blind eye to the sins of the pet owning community. Those who really know Greyhounds and have studied the breed know that racing has been good for the breed in maintaining its genetic diversity and athletic functionality, something that hobbyist breeders haven't been able to do very well. Racing has its problems just as the pet-owning community does, but racing has developed a very productive working partnership with the Greyhound adoption community, and together we are getting closer each year to 100% adoption. That's a win-win, both for the individual former racers and the Greyhound breed. Every dog breed should be so lucky.
Why is it that people do not recognize that there is abuse going on next door in your own neighborhood that exceeds what you think goes on in greyhound racing? Just because a dog (or cat) has a home does not mean they are not abused. Leaving one's pet outside 24/7 in any weather often without proper shelter or food is a crime that is committed every day. Listen to the barking in your neighborhood and realize these are so called pets that people stick outside and rarely interact with. Also don't forget the ones that are never spayed or neutered only to continue to the compound pet overpopulation problem. In greyhound racing there are good and bad people. However, they are at least fed everyday, kept in a climate controlled environment and provided with veterinary care and more often than not - found a home at the end of their career. The same cannot be said of many family pets. If you really want to know more about this beautiful breed visit a Meet & Greet held by your local adoption group, talk to the owners and see the dogs firsthand. You will be amazed at what you learn. Then, go to the shelter and see what's there and how they ended up there. Ever notice how you don't hear this outcry over horse racing??
Thank you for this informative article and letting others know how wonderful greyhounds are as pets.
Greyhound racing must end. Dogs are confined to small crates 20-22 hours a day. They are fed RAW 4-D meat from dead, dying, diseased, and downer animals. Many are shot up with anabolic steroids to prevent females from going into heat and it's not unusual for dogs to have cocaine in their system as there have been plenty of articles about it on the Web in the last few years or so.
Racing greyhounds break their legs and hocks, suffer cardiac arrest, run into the rail to be electrocuted. How many of your pet dogs have been electrocuted?
Currently there's an adoption group in Florida (Daytona) that has 40 broken leg dogs and 250 dogs that need to go into adoption groups. And that's from one track only. In Florida there are 13 dog tracks.
The cruelty of greyhound racing need not exist just so you and I can have a greyhound on our couch. Greyhounds will always be around as they will be bred as pets just like Corgis and Salukis.
I don't doubt that there are some good people in dog racing. I know a few myself. But dog racing is made up of indentured greyhounds who exist for one reason -- making money for their owners and trainers and dog tracks.
Currently there are only 7 states with live dog racing. Contact GREY2K USA dot org to help end this cruel sport.
Karyn Zoldan
Director - GREY2K USA
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