That's what showed up on this blog, sometime back, when the author was called on a bizarre statement. Anyway, it prompted me to write this...
In response to: "I have had 3 off the track Greyhounds.... LOVED them. One of the owners slept with them when they had puppies and continued to do so for some time. Their conditions were pristine, clean and they had the best meat for meals. They were very cared for. This is of course my only experience. I have heard of other. It is also my understanding that the industry is loosing money which may put a natural end to it in time. by Nancy Lovell."
How wonderful you have this lovely bit of information about your hounds & how they were treated and loved as puppies! I am so happy that you recognize the truth!
In response to: "Two dogs is a tragedy. It is not even a drop in the bucket to the numbers of healthy pups that get put down each year because they aren't race quality. By all means raise Cain over these two, but don't pretend this is some great tragedy for greyhounds. by Anonymous"
Anonymous... Why not post your name? What are you afraid of? Anyone who stands by their convictions should have the backbone to post their name.
That being said, do you realize your claim makes no sense at all? It takes thousands of dollars to breed a greyhound litter and raise it properly. Thousands...
There's getting a classy bitch (female dog) and they're not cheap. Then, there's testing to ensure they have no communicable diseases like brucellosis. A "cheap" bitch costs anywhere in excess of $3500. After getting her, there's the costs of feeding & vetting her until she comes into season and is ready to be bred. Have you priced a good dog food lately? A good, base kibble is about $35/bag... wholesale. A 65 pound hound can go through a lot of kibble in a short time. That's just kibble. There's not even considering the cost of beef, vegetables, vitamins, and whatever else the kennel boss decides is appropriate for them to eat. So now, you have a fat & sassy greyhound ready to be bred.
An appropriate stud dog has been chosen and you talk to the stud owner. "Hey Barney! I'd like to breed Gypsy to Gadabout. How much?"
"Well, George, you know that Gadabout is a hot sire. He's produced a lot of fast running dogs and a couple of stakes winners. Right now, he's standing for $5,000."
You agree to the price and then you run your girl over to the canine insemination veterinarian. Yep. Most greyhound breedings in this day and age are done by artificial insemination. That means progesterone testing, usually around $65 each and there's usually a minimum of 4. Then there's the insemination for a hundred or so. The actual breeding is the least expensive part of this venture so far! So, before the puppies are even conceived (there's always the possibility of a "miss"), a greyhound breeder has invested at least $9,000.
So, let's say the breeding takes and 63 days later your girl goes into labor. Uh oh... stuck puppy. Off to the doc! Uh oh... she needs an emergency c-section. Thankfully, all goes well and you get a litter of 6 puppies. The cost of the c-section? $1,500. It's a holiday weekend after all.
Beginning around week 5, those little beasties are being weaned by their momma. That means dog food... lots of dog food... A litter of 6 puppies goes through 40 pounds of dog food in a week. It's incredible how much those little buggers eat. A tray of good vaccine costs about $120 for 25. Pups get their first DHPP at 8-9 wks and then 2 more over the next 6 wks. Most states require a rabies vaccination to be given by a veterinarian at 13-14 wks of age. That's another $120 for shots. Then there's the cost of worming. A bottle of Panacur is $140. Then, gotta start them on heartworm meds, another $50. So, by the time they are 4 months old, there's another $2,000, excluding the cost of the food ($350).
The $160+ a month in feed goes on for the next 10 months, easy. Barring any accidents, that's another $1600 added to the cost of a litter. We're now up to $13,000! And, you know what, there are still 6 puppies and we haven't any idea as to their racing ability. We won't know that for at least another month or two. Now, we start adding the costs of training.
Anyway, with at least a $13,000 investment, do you really think it is likely anyone is going to kill a healthy puppy? If you really think that, I've a bridge to sell you.
In response to: "An adoption group is not a "shelter", not in the sense of the word that most people think. ALL retired greyhounds who are not returned to their original owners or retired for breeding, go to an adoption group (at least they are meant to). Adoption groups are supposed to be a SAFE place for dogs to go until they are adopted, not killed because they hung around too long. As a greyhound adoption person, I can tell you the only reason I would EVER put a foster dog down is if they had a deadly and incurable disease, like hemagiosarcoma or something similar. For Louise Coleman to do this is UNFORGIVABLE and she should not be allowed the privilege of caring for ANYONE'S dogs! The breeder is not at fault here, not at all. This is all on Coleman's head. I have since found out that she has been doing this on a REGULAR BASIS over many years. This just absolutely makes me sick...., by Anonymou
I have always said that bad adopters & bad "rescue" groups are the ones who truly abuse the dogs. Anonymous, there's nothing more to be said. Thank you.
Yours in greyhounds....