Life After Racing... Part 1

By Leslie A. Wootten

Cause and Effect
If Christine Dorchak, President of Grey2K, admitted to a bucket list, her top pick would certainly be to see the end of live Greyhound racing in the USA. To be sure, her organization is devoting buckets, actually barrels, of time and money towards making this happen in the seven states where live racing currently exists. In a recent telephone conversation, I asked for her comments on life after Greyhound racing in the USA, but she made sure I understood such a notion was merely, and quite unfortunately, hypothetical at the present time. She exclaimed, “We have seen tracks close, but 23 tracks are still in existence.” She amplified her statement with the carefully worded remark, “We want to phase out commercial Greyhound racing nationwide.”

Christine Dorchak

When I inquired about NGA (U.S. registered) Greyhounds that could have gone into adoption that are instead showing up racing or breeding in countries such as Argentina, Chile, India, and Pakistan, she snapped, “I am not aware of that.” She added the caveat, “It would be an economic mistake for the host countries and a humane mistake for the Greyhounds.”

Such a response indicates that Dorchak’s organization is so myopically focused on lobbying to end racing that it is not paying attention to wide-ranging ripple effects. In 2008, Grey2K and its financial backers funded a biased blitz of a campaign to shut down racing via ballot initiative in Massachusetts. The effort was successful, and Greyhound racing ceased there at the end of 2009. Approximately 400 Greyhounds were relocated to adoptive homes or other racetracks.

Along with Massachusetts’ two track closures, seven other tracks ceased live racing during 2009 and 2010 (1 in Arizona, 3 in New Hampshire, 1 in Rhode Island, 1 in Texas, and 1 in Wisconsin). While many of the Greyhounds were adopted out as pets, many others transferred to tracks around the country, displacing Greyhounds that still had racing ability, but nowhere suitable to race. The displaced dogs had to be moved out, some into adoption programs even though they still had racing talent, some to lesser - and less desirable - racetracks, and some to race or breed in other countries, often without the owner’s express knowledge or consent.

It certainly would appear that Grey2K’s triumph in Massachussetts was a mutual triumph for South American Greyhound racing enthusiasts, as well. In response to information posted about the initiative’s passage on a forum about Greyhound racing in Chile, a remark was made that this could be very good for Chilenos to obtain excellent bloodlines at a much reduced price. A short time later on that thread, Sergio Cortella of “Hollydogs” posted that he had a “two-year old female ready to run” and space on a flight from Miami to Santiago.

Could it be that Greyhound racing, like so many other American-born venues, is simply going to disappear from our shores, that it is going to be shipped elsewhere for economic as well as political reasons? An illustrative image that Rory Goreé, President of Greyhound Pets of America, brings up when discussing the topic is a demolished Cannon towel plant in North Carolina that left 7,650 people unemployed. “You can still buy a Cannon towel,” Goreé said, “You just can’t buy one that was made in the USA.” Goreé, who has been an animal advocate all of his life, would be the first to exclaim that Greyhounds are not towels! They are live animals that deserve our protection. “Greyhound racing isn’t perfect,” he said, “But we have regional and national regulations in place. We have adoption groups to assure Greyhounds are transitioned into homes following their racing careers.”

Greyhounds at Racetrack in Chile

The crux of the matter is this. Greyhound racing isn’t going to go away. It is going to go overseas into unregulated environments where rules and regulations and adoption programs simply don’t exist.

When GPA headquarters received an anonymous tip that an adoption group in South Florida was sending Greyhounds to race and breed in South America, antennae went up because such activity defies the mission of all Greyhound adoption efforts. Interested in finding out what was really going on, I began investigating the situation using a list of Greyhounds provided by Anonymous. Online research confirmed that most of the listed dogs were indeed racing or breeding in the southern hemisphere. U.S. owners were contacted, and while some confirmed sales, others expressed a range of reactions from mild surprise to explicit rage.

After telephone conversations with a variety of owners, trainers, and adoption volunteers, I traveled to South Florida to further explore the South American connection. What I found was an already difficult situation complicated by the domino effect of so many track closures over a short period of time.

Prior to my arrival, information indicated that the Miami area was at the center of the storm, and, indeed, this proved to be true. In fact, Hialeah’s “Florida Kennels,” is apparently a hotbed for Greyhounds being turned over to individuals who roam from kennel to kennel, asking, “Do you have any adoption dogs?”

“Florida Kennels” is a shared compound for operators that race at Magic City (Flagler) and Mardi Gras (Hollywood) Greyhound tracks. Both racetracks include casinos. The kennel compound is in the largely Hispanic community of Hialeah, which is about 15 miles from Mardi Gras and about two miles from Magic City. The compound’s landlords are the respective owners of the Magic City and Mardi Gras.

At the compound, concrete-block buildings sprawl over many acres, reminiscent of military housing that is sturdy, but no-frills utilitarian. According to trainer, Crystal Carroll, rent is relatively low (under $500 per month for one building), but summer utilities for air-conditioning can top $600 per month.

The property’s outer perimeter is fenced by chain-link, and entry is monitored by a security guard. On the two days I visited, the entry gate was apparently broken, and I saw no sign of a guard. Each building is equipped with double-tier crates and a fenced turn-out area in back. With no windows, a steel front-door, and plenty of space between structures for vehicle parking, there is a sense of privacy. This means no-one has to worry about competitors over-hearing conversations that might lend insight into the status of someone else’s racers, or anything else.

The individuals asking for adoption dogs are very often Spanish-speaking visitors from South America seeking give-aways. Representatives of the adoption group, “Friends of Greyhounds,” have the perfect reply when such seekers show up at their kennel door, which is one of the first kennels on the Hialeah property. “Sure, we have adoption dogs. Come back and talk to us in a couple of days after they are spayed and neutered.” Inquirers will often make clear they want an “intact” animal, and when they see that’s not going to happen, they quickly move on and do not return. “Friends of Greyhounds” is the track-sponsored adoption group for Flagler and Hollywood, and it is provided with a kennel building and crates for about 50 adoption dogs that typically come to them via kennel operators housed on-site.

Friends of Greyhounds Dogs

When faced with the same inquiry, some kennel operators have quite a different response. Joe Trudden, for example, told me there have been times when he has said, “Yes.” Faced with a constant influx of racers, and an adoption waiting list, he has turned dogs over, knowing they are going to breed or race in South America. He indicated that he visited the southern continent and observed first-hand that Greyhounds typically compete in short, straight racing once a week or so, and that the dogs generally live with no more than a few other Greyhounds as pets the rest of the time. When asked if any money exchanges hands for the South American-bound Greyhounds, Trudden told me he has never taken any money for such transactions, and that no transfer papers are handed-over, either. He indicated that those who take the dogs will have at least a couple of hundred dollars invested in getting the animals to South America, fees that include health certificates, vaccinations, and airfare. While Trudden made clear that sending Greyhounds out-of-the-country has never been his preferred choice, he noted that sometimes it is the only immediately viable alternative. When owners inquire, he can state unequivocally—and without a guilty conscience—that their Greyhounds have been “petted-out.”

In an environment where euthanasia of former racers is never an acceptable option, such a view is apparently shared in some form by other kennel operators, as well. Trudden was the only person to tell me he knowingly gave away Greyhounds to race or breed in South America. Roger Rodriguez, a former kennel operator at Flagler who kenneled at the Hialeah compound, took a different route of explanation. He did not return my call, but phoned Greyhound owner, Richard Maddock, to explain how sorry he was to have foolishly given away several Greyhounds to individuals who came through the compound asking for adoption dogs. Rodriguez told Maddock that he thought the Greyhounds were going to be pets, but subsequently surfaced as racers and/or breeders in South America. Maddock’s female, RJ’s Cabrillo, was one of those “give-aways,” and she is now a brood matron in Argentina, apparently earning income for Andres Miranda of Kennel Greyhound Victoria. Maddock told me he believes Rodriguez committed an honest, if stupid, mistake that involved no money.

Greyhound Support Transport Haul Vehicle

Crystal Carroll, trainer of the Janie Carroll Kennel at Hollywood track, does not believe it’s necessary to hand over Greyhounds to go to South America, especially with the advent of Greyhound Support Transport (GST). In December of 2008, Carroll and another trainer, Monica Rigo, of Derby Lane’s Royal Racing, established GST to help alleviate high numbers of Greyhounds in Florida that were awaiting adoption. Incorporated in the state of Florida as a non-profit, GST is based in the Miami area. Rather than attempt adoptions in a saturated environment, the group moves retired racers from Florida tracks and breeding farms to reputable adoption groups in non-racing states and Canada. Carroll coordinates the hauls, many of which go to the Pacific Northwest and Northeastern states.

In 2009, GST transported 250 Greyhounds, with the numbers nearly doubling to 400 in 2010. Carroll expects the 2011 tally to be even higher, ranging from 415 to 450. By the end of February 2011, 89 Greyhounds had already been transported. She noted that GST is run by trainers and is largely funded by NGA registered Greyhound owners, who typically donate about half the transport fee per dog. Fundraisers and grants from the Tony Stewart Foundation, American Greyhound Council, and elsewhere, have also helped with transportation expenses. “It’s amazing what we can do when we work together,” Carroll said.

A Bit About Leslie

Leslie and her greyhounds, Annie & Louise

Leslie descends from a family that has been involved with Greyhound racing and its ancestor, coursing, since the late 1800’s. As an author, historian, and speaker, she embraces the adage, “To know who we are, we must know where we came from.” Through her research and writing, she embraces Greyhound racing—its storied past, colorful present, exciting future.

As a historian, Leslie has special interest in Greyhound racing and Greyhound pet adoption. Her sport biography, KEEFER: THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE, is available at the National Greyhound Association, the Greyhound Hall of Fame, and Amazon.com. Please contact her, if you want to purchase an autographed copy or multiple books. For every book Leslie sells, a donation is made to benefit Greyhound pet adoption.