A Classic Example...

There's an anti-racing blogger that goes by the name Ironicus Maximus (IM). He's a talented writer and he tells excellent, fictional stories that he attempts to pass off as the truth. His blog post of yesterday is a classic example of fiction.  Why?

First off, Ironicus is using graphic photographs of Spanish Galgos, portraying them as abused greyhounds here in the USA.  This is an insult not only to the good people in racing but it trivializes the plight of the Spanish Galgos. The Spanish Galgos suffer greatly at the hands of men in parts of Spain such as Andalusia.

The greyhound aka Galgo is native to Spain and it was, at one time, called the Gallic Hound (from Gaul). In Spain, the Greyhound was used for hunting in lumber camps and hunting of the hare in field open, where the dog chases the piece without human intervention after a chase. This type game, which now has a sports event, in the past was an act of social prestige in which hunting was an excuse to show who was the best specimen holder.

Spanish Conquistadors as they brought with them their Greyhounds to hunt game in the New World. The first mention of the use of coursing dogs appears in the journals of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who chronicled the Cortez expedition. It seems that a greyhound, name unknown, was busily hunting game when the time for the return to the ship arrived. When the hound could not be caught, Grijalva, the contingent's leader, ordered the errant hound left behind. The hound was joyfully reunited with the explorers at a later date, as recounted by the historian Gomara, She greeted them wagging her tail, jumping from one to the other, and later went into the woods that were near and returned bringing hares and rabbits.

In recent years it has become more common to keep the dogs as pets. In the USA the dogs have become quite popular to keep because of their usual characteristics: clean, quiet, well mannered...
They adapt quickly & well to life in a home as pets, many even live with other animals such as cats. In this country, in general, the professional racing people are actively participating and helping out in adoption by transporting dogs; holding dogs on farms & in kennels until an adoption group can take them; getting dogs vetted; etc.  They do much more than they receive credit for. In fact, instead of getting credit, the racing people are continually made to look like villains by people such as IM through their out & out untruths.  Like I said, yesterday's blog is a perfect example.

I don't know a single person in or out of racing that is not appalled by the treatment that the Spanish Galgos receive. Too many of the Galgos are animals that have been abused or have been abandoned because they are not successful hunting dogs. The less fortunate are killed - hung from trees, poisoned, and / or thrown into wells. Of the rescued dogs, many are adopted in countries other than Spain, however, they are increasingly becoming more appreciated in Spain as pets.

Flying Hound, Rachel Hogue Photography

Personally, I have no problem with greyhounds being used for hunting. That is their traditional purpose. However, I do have a problem with the dogs not being treated right - regardless of country.  Racing greyhounds are treated well.  If they weren't, they would not be able to do what they do with such athleticism. A starving dog cannot fly... A starving dog can barely stand, if it can stand at all.

Secondly, another photo used in yesterday's IM assault on the truth was one of a noted abuse case in New Mexico - the starved greyhound, Fever. This case was highly publicized within the greyhound community 12 years ago in February 2000.

At that time, a black greyhound, Fever, was surrendered by her adopter to Greyhound Companions of New Mexico (GCNM), an anti-racing group. When Fever was surrendered, she weighed 28 pounds when she should have weighed in the 60 lb range! Heart wrenching does not begin to describe Fever's story.  Like I said, it was all the news throughout the greyhound adoption community. However, Fever was not starved by anyone associated with greyhound racing.  Fever's abuse came at the hands of a woman who had adopted her not but 18 months or so before she was surrendered to GCNM.  In the twisted logic of IM & the AR's, Fever's abuse was caused by greyhound racing.

Thankfully, the woman who did this to Fever was indicted for extreme animal abuse by a Grand Jury in Albuquerque, New Mexico in July, 2001. She entered a 'no contest' plea to "extreme cruelty to animals". 


Abuse is wrong.  However, so are falsehoods. Racing greyhounds in the USA are not abused. There have been instances of abusers involved with greyhounds and those people have been prosecuted. To portray the current state of greyhound racing with the Spanish Galgo situation not only diminishes that situation, but it diminishes the writer.  After all, if they lie and portray Spanish Galgos as NGA racing dogs, what else will they lie about?


Yours in greyhounds...