By Jason E Hancock
I have recently noticed an increase of negative, anti-racing propaganda being passed around. I was recently called a dog abuser for supporting greyhound racing. A friend of mine, who had never said a word all these years I have been pro-racing, spoke up yesterday. I was told that this person was glad I saved Chucky from the racing world. |
| Chucky |
Greyhound puppies are born on greyhound farms, Chucky and Rita were two of the four born in Janesville, WI on Oct. 1, 2008. They were the result of the breeding of a famous proven sire, Flying Penske, and a brindle and white dam named Gotcha Bobbi Jo.
Greyhound puppies are unique from any other breed in more than one way, but the most noticeable way is that this litter of 4 puppies will grow and play together until they are around a year old. This litter was given the litter number of 48531 by the National Greyhound Association in Abilene, KS. That number was tattooed in their left ear, along with the numbers 108 and a letter from A-D in their right ear. This numbering system serves as a way to track the individual dogs and to insure that the dog racing is in fact that dog. I have been present during the tattoo process and I can attest that it is humane and I would have no problem helping or watching a litter being tattooed again. Once the litter was about a year old they left for training in Abilene, KS from their birthplace in WI. The litter at this time was down to three. The “B” puppy in the litter injured her leg on the farm and was sent out to adoption at around 9 months old. As the pups grow they begin to play rougher and, occasionally, they do hurt each other. That fourth pup lives happily with no problems with a family in MO. The three that went to training were sprinted, learned what the lure was, taught how to break the box, and how to behave in the racing world.
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| Rita |
During training in Abilene, KS, Chucky showed good times and was a strong runner, so he went to Bluffs Run in Iowa. Rita was sent to Victoryland Greyhound Park in Shorter, AL, and their sister, Abby, was sent to Flagler Greyhound Park in Miami, FL. Chucky was by far the best pup in the litter, he raced top grade at Bluffs Run from August 2010 to September 2011. During that time, he won a stakes race and made the finals in two other major stakes. Chucky then raced as a solid B/C racer until February 2013. He was moved to Dubuque after grading off at Bluffs Run in March 2013. He gave it his best at Dubuque but at this point in his career he was 4.5 years old and racing against 18 month old pups heading up the grades, Chucky didn't have the stamina he once did and faded at the end of the race. His trainer in Dubuque is a great trainer who cares about his pups. He talked to Chucky’s racing owner and the decision was made to go ahead and retire him before he had a career ending injury. Chucky is a professional athlete, which is obvious by his career. I am proud of my retired racers past careers, no matter how good or poor they performed.
How did he become this amazing athlete?…..partially because of genetics but mainly by being treated with love, respect and tender loving care. Once Chucky’s racing career was over, he was not “abandoned” or “thrown away”. The truth is that the owner of his racing kennel paid his neuter and vet fees so that when I arrived in Dubuque to pick him up, he was ready. When I picked him up, he looked great! He was clean; had no fleas; had been vetted; and was very happy in the kennel setting.
The people in the racing industry DO care about the dogs! Racing greyhounds are neither abused, mistreated, nor are they malnourished. My retirees here at home have been called skinny and underfed, because I keep them within no more than 3 lbs over their racing weight.
I have visited MANY kennels at several tracks and in more than one state. I have yet to find a kennel I would not leave my dogs in. I have been on more than one farm; again, I have never seen anything that would cause me any concern. There are several trainers and racing kennels with pages on Facebook, look them up and see their pictures…..the dogs are SOOOO happy. If you own a retired racing greyhound and think that your hound was mistreated……do your homework! Go visit a track or a kennel! Bring your dog to a track; see what happens to your laid back couch potato once they hear the lure. You will have a nut case on a leash, who will no longer acknowledge that you exist! It is something they love to do! I will defend the trainers, owners and tracks that I have firsthand knowledge of doing the right thing, and I would call out anyone not doing the right thing…..but so would the trainers who do right. There are some great people in this industry, and a lot of great dogs!!! I have thanked everyone involved in Chucky and Rita’s career, and I will do it again! And to complete the litter, Abby had a short racing career in Miami and was retired and lives with a family in FL.
Once last thing; Retired racing greyhounds are not rescued, they were not mistreated and ate better than most humans. My dogs are adopted, more like they adopted me truthfully! Thank you to all involved in the greyhound racing industry!
Hello *waves paw* I read this on your status the other day on facebook and commented there too.
ReplyDeletePeople ask if I am rescued and we always say I'm "a retired racer" or "adopted" I was never mistreated or abused and I never walked the streets or wondered where my next meal was coming from or spent my days hoping someone would come for me before my time was up. My trainer/owner kept me in the kennel I had known for years since I came to the UK from Ireland, he fed me and cleaned my kennel and I had my own little yard space to enjoy the sun or do mini zoomies if I felt like it. When he got a phone call asking if he had any hounds for rehoming he thought of me (well there's a story there too but perhaps I will share it later!) and introduced me to what would become my furever family. When they said yes they wanted to take me home my trainer arranged for me to be spayed and to have any other treatments required (I needed some teeth out!)and paid for them himself, he had me groomed and my nails clipped and after I had recuperated he sent me off with lots of hugs and pats, my collar, lead and muzzle and lots of information about me so my family would know how best to care for me.
He had done the same when they adopted my brother Eddie 5 years previously; even driving him down himself and when they did come to see about adopting me he took lots of photos of Eddie as his old owner had often asked how he was doing as he was a favourite at the track.
Neither of us were ever mistreated. I do not get scared when I see a kennel or a stadium or a lure; quite the opposite. I was reminded of my glory days recently when I joined some friends for some fun lure chasing (at almost 12 I lost every race but that's beside the point!)and the local football ground reminds me of my track so every time we walk past I pull to go in, I want a race, I want to hear the cheers and feel the wind in my face again! I will have to make do with a zoom on the beach instead!
Lovely post, loves to Chucky and Rita xxx
Cat Greyhound
I am pro racing done right, but I'm always disappointed when other pro-racing folks fixate on the use of the word "rescue" in the Greyhound adoption/rehoming context, and insist that it can only have one meaning, i.e., that the Greyhound was "rescued" from abuse, neglect, or poor living conditions. They seem to want to forget -- and perhaps have other people forget -- that there remains another rescue component of Greyhound adoption, and that is rescue from euthanization, which remains a permitted option for every racing owner. It is also the rarely spoken about "800 lb gorilla in the room" which continues to motivate many adoption groups to continue with their rehoming efforts, largely on a self-funded basis, because they fear that if they don't, racing owners will exercise that permitted option and put down their Greyhounds at the end of their racing careers.
ReplyDeleteI would urge all pro-racing people to focus their intellectual energies and efforts, not on the word choice employed by the members of the public they encounter while out with their Greyhounds, but on urging the NGA and all state racing commissions to prohibit euthanization of any adoptable Greyhound by any NGA member or associate member or by anyone licensed as an owner by a state racing commission. The NGA already prohibits abuse and neglect, and with the wide safety net now cast by Greyhound adoption groups nationwide, there is no excuse for any adoptable Greyhound to be killed at the end of its career. Adding a prohibition of euthanization of adoptable Greyhounds to the NGA's prohibitions of abuse and neglect is the right thing to do for racing Greyhounds and for Greyhound racing. Then all of us with adopted Greyhounds can well and truly say, "My Greyhound was not rescued from anything. "
John Parker
I have been a Service Dog Trainer since 1985...my breed of choice for this tough but rewarding career is the Retired Racing Greyhound. These athletes have a phenomenal temperament for training. The fact that they have been raised w/ littermates and handled lovingly, but with boundaries; creates an animal that loves people and has an amazing tolerance for other dogs and distractions. The fact that they are bred totally for soundness and performance gives us a sound animal that will work for a decade or more, as opposed to "traditional" SD breeds which may work for 4-5 years, then go lame. The Greyhound has an almost odorless coat, which requires little maintenance. I can get a Retired Hound - around 2 years old and in in 6-12 months have a totally trained Service Dog. I work with primarily Psychiatric, or PTSD Dogs and the Greyhound excels in this venue due to their incredible empathy with people.
ReplyDeleteAll of this convinces me , that these dogs cannot ever have been mishandled or mistreated to come to me with these fantastic attributes. Go Greyhounds and Greyhound handlers, breeders and Trainers!
The choice to euthanize an animal, any animal, is one that rests with the owner of that animal. It doesn't matter if the animal is a cat, a horse, or a racing greyhound. There are fates worse than death for animals and there are those people, regardless of whether they are in racing or not, that choose to put their animals to sleep rather than take a chance on them falling into a very bad situation.
ReplyDeleteIt is still legal in this country to choose that as an option. Rue the day when the courts start appointing animals guardians to make decisions for them, taking the decision making away from the owners.