Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Wild Gene


By Dennis McKeon

Martin Roper, one of the world’s foremost Greyhound pedigree researchers and authorities, authored his myth-bursting essay, “Everything You Know Is Wrong” in 2008. With it, Roper dispelled the long-held notion that Greyhounds were the personal and highly esteemed dogs of Egyptian Pharaohs. He explained how, in light of modern genomic research, we now know that the Greyhound is unrelated to the Saharan breeds of sighthounds. He suggested that the Celts, and not the Egyptians, were likely the breed’s original and only custodians in its domestication. Some earlier, authoritative 19th century writings on the matter had suggested the same thing, before hard science sustained the thought.

Roper could have expanded the scope of his essay to include the contemporary, popular mythology of the modern, Racing Greyhound. If you have read about the National Greyhound Association Racing Greyhound in the mainstream or online, via the “new media”, chances are that everything you “know” is also likely to be wrong. Very wrong.

Barbarians At the Gate

Tax-generating, State-regulated Greyhound Racing has been under assault by anti-gambling and animal rights activists/propagandists for more than 40 years. The only thing more consistent than their tenacity in prosecuting their anti-racing agenda, is their utter disregard for (and/or their complete ignorance of) the truth and, tragically, of the breed itself.

Thanks to modern science and the unraveling of the canine genome and canine DNA, we now know that our modern Greyhound’s direct prehistoric ancestors evolved in nature. They survived the ages because of the adaptations they developed which made them swifter, more cunning and deadlier than their prey, as well as the other carnivores with whom they competed for habitat and survival.

Popular anti-racing mythology, such as that professed by the Massachusetts-based Grey2k (the nation’s most media-friendly, anti-greyhound racing activist/lobbyist group), teaches, among other misconceptions, that greyhounds are “forced to run” for the benefit of their greedy and exploitative owners and handlers.

Modern, peer-reviewed science suggests quite a different story. It tells a story of a natural evolution toward a genotype and phenotype perfectly adapted and inclined toward the expression of extreme speed as an essential survival tool. The modern Greyhound is bred to race on a track, chasing after a prey effigy, which is the mechanical lure. The prehistoric Greyhound had to literally race its prey to ground, in order to survive and to breed on. In their domestication, until the advent of track racing early in the 20th century, Greyhounds were used to course and kill vermin, and to provide food for the table. Any way we care to look at it, running and racing is written on the DNA of the natural Greyhound. It’s not only a desire. It is an ingrained and inbred demand, echoing across a universe of time.

The Mythological Greyhound

The mythological, anti-racing narrative, promoted by Grey2k and their networks, in a nutshell (no pun intended), goes roughly like this:

“Greyhounds are bred and raised to serve the “racing industry”. The supply side of the racing industry is comprised of greyhound breeders, owners and handlers whose only interest in the Greyhound is to extract profits from him, essentially by heaping various forms of abuse upon him. These abuses entail the way he is raised, the way he is trained (both in preparation for and during his career as a racer), the way he is housed, they way he is fed and the way he is employed for pari-mutuel (wagering) activity.

Shamelessly greedy and mercenary greyhound breeders, owners and handlers have only one interest in their greyhounds, and that is to accrue as much profit as possible while exploiting them by forcing them to race, thus exposing them to the risk of athletically-induced injury or worse.”

Common Sense

Let’s have a brief, common-sense examination of that narrative so far.

In 2008, there were 20,365 NGA Greyhounds whelped in the USA. This figure would include stillborn and any greyhounds who died prematurely of natural causes (approximately 10%). For our purposes here, let’s just say 18,000 greyhounds were raised from that year’s population of newborns, up to the stage where they would begin careers as racers. Let’s also use the (conservative) figure of $2,000 expense per greyhound, to raise them to this stage of their lives, including all costs, like feed, supplements, immunizations, anthelmintics, veterinary care, paying the help, boarding fees and transportation fees when required, etc. We are looking at a total national expenditure by greyhound breeders and owners, of at least 36 million dollars, just to raise that crop of 2008 pups to the “track-ready” stage.

So think about it. We’re being asked to believe that the first thing these singularly, greedy villains do, to begin to recoup their 36 million dollars in expenses, and then to make a profit---the money for which they supposedly lust---is to subject these living, breathing, 36 million dollar Greyhound “investments” to abominable living conditions. As the anti-racing narrative further informs us, racing greyhounds are kept in cramped, atrophy and neurosis-inducing sleeping quarters, to which they are confined for 20 hours per day. Furthermore, as an enhancement, they are fed a substandard and deficient diet. To complete the fable, we are told that racing greyhounds are subjected to long, torturous periods of inactivity and boredom, devoid of even the simplest of human attentions that all dogs seem to crave, while otherwise being subjected to inhumane, even brutal handling.

Then, at the first inkling that the self-fulfilling prophecy has finally come to pass, meaning as soon as these greyhounds demonstrate that they are unable earn their keep on the racetrack as finely tuned athletes, or when they suffer an injury, they are discarded like rubbish.

That’s quite a business model, don’t you think? Need we say any more? Does anyone, with even a shred of dog-sense, business acumen or critical thinking ability actually believe these absurd, contradictory, irrational talking points?

Everything You Know Is Wrong Redux

Additionally, according to this popular mythology, everything we know (those of us who have actual hands-on experience in breeding, raising and training racing greyhounds) is indeed wrong. The general public is told that the real experts on the breeding, raising and training of the Racing Greyhound are not those who actually rely upon their experience, knowledge and skills in the matter for their living. The real experts, the media implies, are the politically motivated, propaganda-spreading, anti-racing lobbying groups. It matters not that none of the principals of these organizations have ever been any closer to a professional racing kennel or breeding facility than they have been to the moons of Saturn. It doesn’t matter that political lobbying is the realm of hyper-partisanship and untruth for virtually every other issue in the public discourse. They and they alone, somehow, have all the answers, and everything that dedicated, career racing professionals and breed custodians know to be the truth, is indeed wrong.

Likewise, most of the hundreds of thousands of pet greyhound owners, who have adopted retired racers through the more than 350 track/industry sponsored and independent adoption organizations cross-country, must also be wrong, or at least delusional. Despite the litany of inflammatory, ignorant, manipulative and sometimes hateful anti-racing rhetoric and talking points, the retired Racing Greyhound has become a virtual sensation in the pet world.

How can this possibly be? How do such badly raised, improperly socialized and miserably treated dogs manage to make the intimidating, life-altering, quantum leap of re-habituation from mere, disposable earning devices, to beloved and cherished, well-adjusted, personal and family pets, by the tens of thousands each year? Everyone knows that dogs are a reflection of their breeding, raising, training and handling, their environment and their experiences. It is a basic matter of genetics and of cause-and-effect. Dogs who have seen nothing but a lifetime of neglect, cruelty and abuse, usually need at least some professional rehabilitation, and very careful, empathetic handling thereafter, if ever they manage to adjust to everyday life in a family/pet situation.

Racing Greyhounds, on the other hand, are an unprecedented and hugely successful pet phenomenon. They are reknown for their sweet, placid, steady temperament, and for their non-aggressive and sociable tendencies, with people as well as with other canines. Like all other canines, they tend to reflect and express the quality of their breeding, and the nature of their upbringing, training, handling, environment and life experience. Retired Racing Greyhounds have become the sensation of the pet universe because of, not in spite of, the totality of their incarnation and experiences as well cared for and highly valued racing athletes. Everything we know to be empirically true concerning the manifestation of individuals, colonies, populations or breeds of canines tells us that this must the case. Whether the individual is an outgoing “alpha” personality, a passive “beta” personality or even a timid, skittish “omega” personality, most retired racing greyhounds seem to be capable of making the challenging adjustment from life in the “racing pack” to life in the “family pack”, without too much bother.

The Wild Gene

Retired Racing Greyhound adopters, as a group, are perhaps the most enthusiastic, enthralled and bemused pet owners in the world. Many of them have adopted small packs of retired racers, unable to resist having “just one”. The Racing Greyhound is a bewitching creature, indeed. One only has to search the various internet Forums, like Greytalk.com, (dedicated to discussing the experience of retired greyhound adoption and ownership) to infer that there is something very special happening here. People all seem to sense in their greyhounds, an ethereal, mystical and beguiling quality, the essence of which they just can’t seem to identify, grasp, or wrap their minds around. They don’t quite understand it, but they know it is there, just below the surface.

Since before the dawn of civilization, Greyhounds have been the companions of men. They have always served a purpose, and they have been maintained as a supremely functional breed, because of this symbiosis. Yesterday, they were lethal coursers and hunters. Today, they are racers of astonishing athleticism and speed.

The essence of our modern Racing Greyhound’s ancient ancestors is still held just beneath their skin. When you see that certain look in his eye, when you notice that certain set to his ear, or that certain body language and expression that seems foreign to you, almost otherworldly, don’t be alarmed. You’ll never touch it, you can’t hold it, and you can’t feel it. The ancient dogs of pre-history who culled the elk herds, the dogs who hunted and fought with the Celts, and the dogs who coursed after the hares and deer on the verdant fields of Ireland, are simply calling out to him. He can hear them as clearly as you hear the alarm clock in the morning. He can hear them, and he can understand that ancient language which has resonated across countless generations and through oceans of time. He can hear them, and he can heed them, because he is a Racing Greyhound. When racing is gone, when Greyhounds no longer perform even a variation upon their natural function, only then will those voices forever be still.

6 comments:

  1. I'm guessing you don't have a greyhound as a pet, huh? I'm also guessing you probably don't have any dogs, or any mammal as a pet? You're probably incapable of feeling love too, am I right?

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  2. We don't usually post "anonymous" comments here, but an exception has been made. I've known & loved many greyhounds, including the ones that are living in my home as pets. What's your excuse?

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  3. I think you're missing the point. All anyone, and by anyone I mean grey2k or any other non profit or individual, wants is for the dogs to have a better life and be treated well. If they are treated so well and taken care of, then why don't all tracks welcome everyone to see the dogs and how they are living? Why are the ones who do make it out covered in scars, have poor health, poor teeth, pannus that went untreated, etc., etc.? Since the dogs can't defend themselves, we speak up and defend them until things change and their lives get better.

    I don't want to see every track shut down, in fact I would LOVE to see my dogs run around a track. It could be a really beautiful thing. But only if the dogs are living a happy life, enjoying their time at the track, being loved by their owners, and most importantly actually show an interest and enjoy racing. Why do they have to be treated as chess pieces and money making mammals? You guys can still make your money if you knew how to treat these animals and market yourselves better. Think about it, if you had an open door policy at your track, you could show how the dogs are living well and love their time there, then you could market the races differently and make them an event. Fun for the family. It doesn't have to be the shady situation it is today. You don't need to run a race every day, why not make it a weekly event? It can be a wonderful thing. But you and the other track owners need to think outside the box. The world is changing, either get on board and embrace it, or sit on the sidelines and wonder where you went wrong.

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    1. Again, it is normal for us to NOT publish comments from "anonymous' sources, but you seem to have questions.

      Grey2K is not interested in improving racing; Grey2K is only interested in forcing their animal rights agenda and views onto others.

      Pari-mutuel laws & regulations forbid general public access to the kennels and racing area.

      Scars... greyhounds have notoriously thin skin. Most scars are from interacting with other dogs.

      Poor health? Racing greyhounds are among the healthiest creatures around. They are quite sturdy.

      Poor teeth? Most greyhounds coming out of racing kennels have been "boned", which means they are given raw bones regularly to keep their teeth clean & bright. In our experience, most cases of groddy teeth happen in pet homes when the dogs are fed all kibble diets with no raw bones.

      Most cases of pannus are not discovered until after a dog's racing career is over. It usually manifests between the ages of 3-5 and its cause is unknown. It has a very slow onset and is sometimes misdiagnosed as an allergic reaction. Pannus also occurs in humans.

      They dogs are happy while racing and they are loved by their people. Obviously, you have never been to a greyhound race as you question whether the dogs love it. You've never heard them barking with excitement while in the box. You've never seen them go wild at the sight of a lure at a fun run.

      People do not get into dogs to make money. It's a losing proposition, which is why those who think they're going to make millions from the dogs get out of the business quickly. Most of the dogs' winnings for their people go right back into the dogs in the forms of feed, housing, vet bills, transport, and breeding expenses.

      I agree with you that dog racing has difficulty in marketing itself. Others would agree also. Most of us are too wrapped up in the dogs, fiscally & emotionally, to pay the high dollar amounts that are demanded by marketing professionals.

      You are assuming that we are treating the animals poorly because of how G2K has presented us with their slick campaigns & propaganda. Think about this... If an animal is fed substandard food or an insufficient amount of food, how can it possibly get to peak, physical condition? How could it possibly perform at the high physical conditioning levels which are required? A sick dog, a poorly performing dog benefits no one. It is counterproductive to engage in poor animal husbandry practices.

      As previously stated, laws & regulations surrounding parimutuel wagering DO NOT ALLOW unauthorized persons to be in the kennel area. Dog racing is heavily regulated by the states to protect the gambling public. Imagine this scenario, dogs are tested for a wide variety of drugs post race. Two banned substances are theobromine & caffeine. Now then, let's say that a family comes through a kennel and a child in that family slips a couple of M&M chocolates to one of the dogs unnoticed by all. That dog later races and its post-race urinalysis shows traces of both substances. The results are thrown out, the dog DQ'd, and the trainer is punished. Grey2K is all over that portraying it as racing people abusing their dogs and cheating and promoting the drugging of dogs all to win. People are kept out of the kennels to protect the dogs and to protect the integrity of the parimutuel system.

      However, I'm sure if you wanted a kennel tour, one could be arranged ahead of time, if you were to ask. I do not know what the requirements would be for that to happen. But those of us involved in racing love to talk about our dogs and to show them off.

      Those who own the dogs do not own the tracks. Those who run the kennels do not own the tracks. We are contracted with the tracks to provide dogs. We have little say in how the tracks are managed.

      Please start educating yourself on greyhound racing and also on the machinations of Grey2K. All is not as they present it.

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  4. Very good information, thank you. I would love to get a tour of some facilities next time I'm in one of the states that has racing. I think you would get more support if every track was transparent as to what goes on behind the scenes. I understand you can't just have anyone running around the kennels, but some sort of camera setup or open views into them would be beneficial. But then that costs money, and you guys don't seem to be doing so well.

    What I don't get is all this talk about breeders losing money because of tracks closing. I'm quite certain if you sold your dogs as pets instead of racers you'd be just as successful. Who wouldn't want a greyhound puppy?! I guess the people in the kennels at the tracks would lose their jobs, but how many people would that really affect? There's only 20 or so tracks right now, so what, a couple hundred people? I'm sure they could get jobs with the breeders or in some other animal/farm related field. The tracks are already losing money, so they'd be all for it. Am I missing something? Who's really going to lose if there's no more dog racing? Sounds to me like the people running the kennels at the track, right?

    Thank you for the education, if there is some website with detailed info and pictures of these kennels, I'd love to see it.

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  5. Selling greyhound puppies to the public gets right to the heart of the matter, and the essence of "the wild gene", and the mass hallucination that the anti-racing movement continues to promote. A real racing greyhound pup MUST run and compete. It's not an option for them. Were an owner incapable or unwilling to nurture this instinctive and irresistible behavior, the pups spirit would be broken, and his disposition ruined. He would develop all sorts of neuroses, and likely be very unhappy. Most people do not have the land or access to land where young greyhound pups and saplings can properly exercise, and express their natural urges and demands. Most people have no idea of the amount of activity a young greyhound is capable of sustaining. Most people don't have the time to devote to nurturing that facet of the greyhound personality. These dogs are not bred to be pets. The sire and dam of any litter are never evaluated on the basis of what sort of pet they might produce. They are chosen because of their ability to excel at racing competition. Like tends to beget like. It's the essence of selective breeding. Some greyhound parents have a prey drive that might not be desirable in a pet, and some are high strung and skittish, which also might not be desirable in a pet, especially for an inexperienced owner. They tend to pass these traits onto offspring.

    I agree that the tracks should engage the public. In bygone days, there were "meet the racers" nights at tracks in NE, where the actual stars of local racing were brought onto the main floors of the track to meet their fans. These events were very successful. Kennel tours are another matter, though. Having been a trainer, I can tell you that I seldom had time to entertain an audience----other than my dogs, of course. However, we used to have the students from Tufts veterinary over to our kennel in Revere a couple of times each year, and that went quite well. So properly managed, so as not to greatly upset the dogs, something like that is absolutely good public relations.

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