Adopting the Retired Racing Greyhound

This is an article of mine originally printed in the Mencinnatian, November 2005.

Shortly after moving from a two-bedroom condominium to a large, empty and old house, my wife began expressing her desire to get a dog. Being a cat person (or so I thought) at the time, I was skeptical that a dog would fit well into our household, and initially rejected the idea. Her hints and prodding eventually led me to begin doing research on different breeds. I stumbled upon the retired racing greyhounds purely by accident, and my heart instantly went out to them. The more I learned about the history and current plight of this breed, the more I knew that I would open my home to one of these beautiful hounds.

Animal anthropologists generally agree that the greyhound - type dog is one of the original canine breeds from which virtually all domestic dogs descend. They can be traced back over 8000 years to early cave drawings and decorative artifacts. The distinguishable modern greyhounds are descendants of an ancient identifiable breed that goes back to the Egyptians and Celts. The Egyptians worshipped greyhounds as a god and frequently showed them on murals in the tombs of kings. In old England "You could tell a gentleman by his horses and his greyhounds." Old paintings and tapestries showing hunting feasts frequently included greyhounds.

Legend has it that Cleopatra had coursing greyhounds, and they are the goddess Diana's hunting hounds. Modern history has been filled with famous greyhound owners including Frederick the Great, Prince Albert, and Generals Von Steuben and Custer.

The derivation of the term greyhound is unknown, but has nothing to do with color. One possibility is that it is from old English gre-hundr, meaning dog hunter or high order of rank. Over the centuries, greyhounds have traveled with explorers and generals, adorned the suites of kings and queens, appeared in fine art and literature, and been the focus of major industries in both Europe and the United States.

In the tenth century, King Howel of Wales declared that the penalty for killing a greyhound was the same as that of killing a person—death. But in the 21st century greyhounds in the racing world are prized for only one thing—speed. According to the Humane Society, in 2000, an estimated 19,000 greyhounds were killed. This includes 7,600 greyhound puppies who were farm culls, and another 11,400 "retirees" who were not rescued. Other greyhounds are either returned to breeding facilities to serve as breeding stock, or sent to foreign racetracks, sometimes in developing countries with appalling track conditions.

Greyhounds are at a disadvantage even before they are born. Tens of thousands of greyhounds are bred annually, many more than are needed to race, in an attempt to create the fastest dogs. The greyhounds are then "weeded out"—killed if they are at any time determined unable to become racetrack stars. As awareness of the plight of greyhounds grows, rescue groups have formed all over the country in an attempt to place unwanted greyhounds into loving homes.

We found our greyhound, Cindy, through the Team Greyhound Adoption of Ohio rescue organization. After reviewing our application, checking our references, and inspecting our home, their representative reviewed with us the available dogs, and which ones would be a good match. Several factors were considered in selecting our dog, such as our three cats, the fact that we do not have a fenced yard and the number of steep staircases in our house. Cindy was determined to be a perfect match, and we would be able to take her home as soon as she was “paroled” from Marysville State Prison.

Greyhounds require a period of adjustment when first leaving the racetrack. They have come in contact with few people other than their trainers, and have never experienced stairs, cats, or any other breeds of dogs. Team Greyhound Adoption of Ohio has a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Inmates are rewarded with the privilege and responsibility of caring for a dog for a three-month period. While the dogs are at the facility they will each have one handler and a helper whose job will be teaching the dogs general manners and basic obedience skills. The goal is that when the dogs leave the program they will know how to walk nicely on a lead and obey the basic commands of sit, down, stay and come. In addition, the dogs are gradually introduced to stairs, and shown how to climb and descend an entire staircase.

The adjustment period continues once the greyhound arrives at their new home. They are accustomed to their “home” being a 3x4 foot crate, and anything else being “outside.” They will quickly learn the distinction between indoors and outdoors, but one should be prepared for the occasional mistake in the first few weeks.

Greyhounds cannot be kept as outside pets because as sight hounds, they will run at the slightest movement and can easily lose their way. They should be walked as often as necessary as would be any other dog. A fenced area is ideal. At first, they know nothing except running and eating, so they need special considerations for glass doors, wood floors, steps, and other household adventures. They are like full-grown puppies, learning as they go along.

Cindy has been with us for four years now, and is a fully-integrated member of the family. Seeing my dog experience the joy of lying down on a big soft bed for the first time is one that I would not want to have missed.