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Recent posts

"She was not 'culled' like a puppy farm inmate"

It's about the dogs! It's been not quite four years since I became a "Crazy Greyhound Lady," retired racers have that effect on a large number of their adopters. NGA greyhounds have amazing careers as athletes and then are fortunate to have an adoption rate of over 95% when those careers are over. Now it's time for all of us who appreciate all that goes into the breeding, training, and care to stand up and defend racing against the endless lies put out by profit-driven extremists. My husband and I have adopted two retired racers and volunteer extensively with our adoption group, including traveling to the track to pick up new retirees and doing home visits to help match prospective adopters with dogs. We had the oh-so-common experience of mutual love at first sight when we met each of our hounds. Coming up with a testimonial should have been an very easy task. Instead I struggled with draft after draft, they all fell short. One day I realized that it was not

"Canada's Greyhound Air Service"

  CANADA’S GREYHOUND AIR SERVICE ...AND FOR THE LOVE OF GREYHOUNDS In 1996 an Airbus service of seven Boeing 727s out of British Columbia was born, called Canada’s GREYHOUND AIR (see photo) with a connection to Greyhound Bus Lines. Unfortunately the air service collapsed 14 months later as Laidlaw Inc. bought out Greyhound Bus Lines with no interest in keeping the air service alive. But let me tell you ... it was the best experience I've ever had on a plane. The mascot for the air service was a retired racing greyhound. The promotional advertisement was this greyhound lifting his leg on the 727's tire (see photo, may have to enlarge). The flight attendants handed out t-shirts with the mascot's photo on the front, greyhound drink containers, greyhound key fobs, a table-size standing mascot with greyhound puppy (see photo), a life-size standing greyhound AND sterling silver greyhound tie tacs and cuff links. In addition to that, a few of the flight attendants were qu

"I wanted to know everything I could about her life before me"

My first introduction to greyhounds was visiting my great-uncle Al and great-aunt Wanda’s greyhound farm in Indiantown, FL. I remember the first visit vividly. Puppies scampering in long runs. I would race beside them, tiring long before they would. The brood house with a brand new litter. The way my Uncle Al picked each one up and showed them to me with pride. The practice track where the youngsters built stamina and muscle. The ancient retired greyhound lying on a rug while my aunt rocked in a rocking chair with her feet massaging the retired brood’s back. I was fascinated. Fast forward through school, the military, college. I ran into a greyhound adoption group at an event and my childhood memories came flooding back. I wanted to adopt a retired racer. My husband cautiously agreed but warned the cats came first. LOL. That was 16 years ago. I started helping my local “greyhound lady”.  She was a stand-alone operation with a barn that could house up to 40 greyhounds. When she bro

"It became abundantly clear that this dog was a spoiled rotten princess"

My journey to Greyhounds began five years ago. Doesn’t seem so long! I was teaching at a high school where a colleague would regularly email items for sale for donations to her Greyhound group. I stopped by one day to inquire, since I was in a stable career and had purchased my own home and was looking to adopt a dog. She told me (what I know now to be) a bunch of propaganda about Greyhounds... the two “facts” that stick out the most are that “over 100,000 greyhounds are killed each year because they’re considered livestock” and “they only run counter-clockwise because of racing. Even at home.” The one true thing she told me is that they don’t need excessive amounts of exercise and not having a yard wouldn’t be a problem if I was committed to taking my dog for walks (I was). So, I set out to research available dogs. I absolutely fell in love with Spice on Petfinder and arranged to meet her at her foster home. And she was terrible!! She was on the furniture, running/jumping from

"In retrospect, nobody needed to tell me this. Rosie and Dash told me themselves"

My Journey with Greyhounds From the first time that my spirited Rosie (AMF Red Bull) twirled her silly helicopter tail at me and my handsome Dash (Cleveland) snuggled me with his elegant head, I knew my journey with Greyhounds had begun. It has been one year on July 15, 2018 since I first looked into these gentle brown eyes. I had previously met a few retired racers and admired their calm natures and athletic physiques. When I lost my beloved Jack Russell Terriers, Torrie and Hailey, in their 15th years, I was heartbroken and decided to follow my dream of being a Greyhound adopter, a decision which has left a profound mark in my life. Throughout the adoption process from the GRA (Greyhound Relocation and Adoption, now named Crazy for Greyhounds Adoption, based out of Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada) I was impressed by the support provided to me and my hounds in their transition from kennel to couch. In this past year, all my experiences with the Greyhounds and people involved in Gr

"Her caretakers in her racing kennel took her to the vet"

Received my GAR tank this week and thought I’d add a pic of one of my Florida retired racers, Sookie Stachouse, share a bit of her story and some of the many reasons why I support racing. While she was racing, she developed an immune disorder causing an eye condition that resulted in her being unable to produce tears. Instead of discarding her like anti-racers would like to lead others to believe, her caretakers in her racing kennel took her to the vet, got her properly diagnosed and treated, and once it was determined she could no longer race, made her available for adoption. She remained at the racing kennel for several weeks throughout this process, continuing to be loved and cared for even though she was no longer racing. I am honored to call a number of these wonderful people my friends now. Even though Sookie has been retired for almost 5 years, they keep in touch and remain interested in how she is doing. Sookie is a wonderful ambassador at meet and greets for greyhound adopt

"All of the sudden nothing else in the world mattered to her"

“Is that a greyhound?” “Yes!” “Is she a rescue?” “We adopted her”. “Oh that’s so cool! I heard they are great dogs.” “They are.” When we first adopted Trixie, we were handed a sheet with a diagram of a Greyhound, with notes to indicate all the markings on her body. The toe nails which were white versus those that were black. The color of her fur on her tummy. We were told how many races she ran and how many she won. She had a collar with her racing name written on it. She also had a muzzle with her name on it. It’s clear that these items have been with Trixie since she started racing, as they were visibly worn. “Wow, she’s got all her own gear, with her name on all of it. At least we know she wasn’t some no-name with a number. I will have to save these things for her” I thought. We bring Trixie home. Everything is completely new to her — stairs, TV, countertops with food, riding in the backseat of a car, other dogs that weren’t greyhounds. Whenever she hesitated (which was often),

“Daddy — what do these labels say on the crates?”

It’s all about the story. Former racing greyhounds each have a story. Bred and raised in Kansas. Raced in Daytona. Finished their career in Wheeling. Adopted in Akron. Retired in Vancouver. My wife and I adopted our first greyhound — Savannah, FKA War Bride — just after we got married. I happily referred to her as the first dog I could call my very own. Savannah ran nearly 90 races at various tracks in Florida, including Daytona. When her story intersected ours, she was being adopted out by Southeastern Greyhound Adoption (SEGA) in Atlanta. She hopped into our Subaru, asking for a ride home, and we fell in love. Her new life in north Atlanta would be one of road trips, pork tenderloin (mostly my portions) and a new house. She spent her last road trip to West Virginia eyeballing deer and wild turkey at a cabin in the woods. When Savannah passed at age 11, we were devastated, but our adopted racing greyhound story wasn’t finished. Just two (2) months later, we visited the SEGA

"I was shocked, amazed, and curious .... I needed to know more"

My first adopted Greyhounds had run at the Multnomah Greyhound Track outside Portland, OR. I had never been to a track, but several years earlier, I had lived in Seattle when that track closed. I’d read the horror stories that some Greyhound RESCUE groups use to get the public engaged ... I wanted to RESCUE a Greyhound ... and I did ... or so I thought. I prepared my home for a dog that needed to be rescued, but “Alice the Goon” (my beloved Inger) didn’t need rescuing. She LOVED people, and had no nefarious interest in my cats. She was so ... wonderfully easy. WTF? Her adoption group had been closely aligned with the track and even housed hounds there until foster or forever homes were found. The next year they held an adoption publicity event at the track. Adopted hounds were invited to come and parade around the track ... could "bite" at Rusty, the lure, at the end. Inger was in heaven. She was so happy to be back at the track. We stayed in the stands for some races

"I'd heard a lot of conflicting information"

I adopted my 2 Greyhounds, Kash (Hilco Kash) and Karma (PG Karma), roughly 3 years ago. They were both foster fails and came to me the same day they left the track at Bluffs Run in Iowa. My boy Kash (red) was my first foster and up until I got him, I'd heard a lot of conflicting information about greyhound racing. Seeing how perfect he was, the same day he left the track, made me lean more toward the pro-racing side, but I still wasn't 100% convinced. I couldn't imagine a group (you know the one) could be THAT successful if there wasn't at least a tiny bit of truth to what they were saying, so maybe my boy was just a fluke. After my second Foster, Karma (black), was just as perfect, I decided to really dive in and research everything I could about greyhound racing (that WASN'T written from an anti-racing perspective). I also started looking into the background of this group that seemed to be looking pretty shady. I was shocked with what I found and couldn't

"He didn't want to be retired"

For those of you who continue to hear about the abuse and neglect on the track, please take a minute to think and educate yourselves. I have zero stake in the industry. I am simply an adopter who is absolutely in LOVE with these dogs BECAUSE of how they come from the track. They're well socialized, snuggly, happy, noodlewhipping critters (trust me, your legs will have bruises from the wagging noodlewhips). Sure, they're a bit unsure of a new home, ANY dog would be! You've taken it from the only home it's ever known and all of the people it loves (handlers, trainers, etc). I'll start with Ollie's story. See the video of Ollie the night I got him home (right off the hauler) playing with my brother. Ollie was a relatively successful racer who racked up around 130 starts. You know how the antis keep telling you how they fall and die? Almost always, no. Ollie fell or nearly fell on a few occasions and up and running he went...and generally he raced a few days la

"I...have fostered 43 dogs so far"

My story: my first Greyhound came along when I was living in Jacksonville, FL. We saw an ad in the paper for a Greyhound looking for a home. I think this was around 1990. There was a rescue at the track, but this lady was doing it on her own, one dog at a time. We took home Athena, who was a sweet brindle girl. Not long after that we decide to get a male. The lady hooked us up with a kennel that had dogs looking for homes. We drove down there and out of the row of dogs available we brought home a huge black male. These two enjoyed romping on our 1.5 acres in North Jacksonville. Fast forward to the birth of my son, then a divorce, and a move back to Southern California where my family lives. We had a rescue Doberman at the time; they are another breed I have always loved. This dog passed, then along came a Dobie puppy. A few years later we decided she needed a friend. After attempting to find a smaller breed I liked (there aren't many), I decided to get another Greyhound. We met

"I thought 'it's like getting a dog with a cheat code'"

I literally waited 20 years to adopt a dog. I always had dogs growing up. You know when you're a kid and you beg your parents to get a dog and they give you the "you'll have to walk, feed, brush, bathe, etc" it talk? I did all of that for my sweet husky, Tasha, as kid. Once on my own, I really wanted my own dog, but I knew I wasn't ready. I looked at dogs in shelters every once in a while, had bunnies, took in a kitten, but I still wasn't ready. Finally, last year, my husband had finished school, got a great job, I was doing well so we were ready. We saw some greyhounds at a meet and greet and my husband and I thought they were really cool dogs, but I had my heart set on a husky. I started doing research and found out that greyhounds do well in apartments. Having grown up with labs and huskies, I didn't want to keep one in a one-bedroom apartment so we agreed on adopting a greyhound. I started browsing available dogs in various adoption groups an

"I am so very grateful for the 11 years I had with him"

Why, you ask? Well, it was Jake. He was actually a lurcher, but I didn't know enough at the time to really care one way or another. And, he was amazing. Jake came to live with me at the age of 3 after having lived in a cement kennel without a name for three years. His "owner" would chain him and his littermates to an ATV to condition them for underground racing. When the owner was arrested, his dogs came to an adoption group and were placed. That adoption group, while no longer in existence, was very anti-race. That was my indoctrination to greyhound racing and adoption. I am a reformed AR person. There may even be a G2K flyer lurking somewhere in my house. But I watched, I listened, I met industry people and I educated myself. I saw the blood, sweat and tears that people pour into these amazing animals. There is no glamour in working the tireless hours in a kennel, pouring into a dog that is so well socialized that vet visits are a breeze, so that they get off a hau

"...these dogs absolutely love to run!"

The main reason I support racing is because these dogs absolutely love to run! I see it in their faces on the track, I see it on their faces at the dog park during play, I see it on their faces when they do lure coursing. They love it! Why not let a dog do what it was born to do and what it loves to do? When it no longer loves to do it, they won't!! LOL And nearly all kennel owners treat these dogs better than most pet owners will ever treat their dogs. Greyhounds aren't dogs.... they are their own very special species!!! Sandy Schiager Arizona

"...my wife and I did our research to learn the truth for ourselves"

We adopted our first greyhound 4 years ago, and got involved with our adoption group shortly thereafter. With all the stories out there about abuse and mistreatment, my wife and I did our research to learn the truth for ourselves. After having the opportunity to speak with trainers, owners, and others behind the scenes, we came to the only logical conclusion: The racing industry is not only good for the greyhounds, but it is also instrumental in molding them into the calm, loving, and openly friendly hounds they are. It doesn't take long to see the love in a trainer's eyes, or the wagging tails and big smiles when the hounds see their trainers. It also doesn't take long to see the look of pure joy on the hounds' faces when they are doing what they love, running. Without the racing industry, the hounds we know would cease to exist. The dogs might still be there, but they wouldn't be the same. They are so filled with love and purpose before they come to us, that

"We adopted out 1,000 of these wonderful athletes"

We adoped our first greyhound 20 some years ago, and have adopted 9 since then. We were so enamored by the breed that in 2004 we began an adoption group, Keystone Greyhounds. In the 12 years we were in operation, we adopted out 1,000 of these wonderful athletes. The dogs are so special that we always said it's not like selling used cars, they sell themselves when people meet them. Seeing first hand how well the greyhounds were treated at the track, we began to purchase our own racers. I have owned or partially owned 18 racers and have placed every one of my own locally. We presently own four active racers and have two in training. We have visited farms, kennels, tracks all over the country and have always seen how well the dogs are cared for. Dianne Shadle

"Not once did I find anything to substantiate AR claims"

Animals have been a passion of mine since childhood — took in stray kittens, baby birds, injured creatures; studied veterinarian medicine (didn't complete); worked at a local animal shelter; have had horses, sheep, rabbits and, over the years, an assortment of dogs and cats. I'm currently an unlicensed wildlife rehabilitator (work under a licensed veterinarian) and have plunged deeply into "grey" waters! Almost 5 years ago, I had the most fortunate opportunity to be where a greyhound adoption group was having a Meet & Greet at an RV Camper Show in Michigan. They had greyhounds! Out of curiosity and excitement, I began to ask questions about the dogs and adoption. I knew IF I were to adopt, I would want a senior, as having worked at a shelter, I knew they were often by-passed for younger ones. When I showed interest in a particular foster on their availability board, the man made a call and voilà! — that foster made an appearance an hour later! Well, it turned ou

"His introduction to life on the couch was a seamless transition"

An Open Letter to FTH Thunder's Greyhound Village This week has brought a delightful change to my pack here at the Miami Hound House. The journey to this place has been in the making for almost four years and has been an exciting trip from gaining new family all the way through an inside look at the total life of a Greyhound from birth to retirement. I had waited for 1,334 days since he was born and it had been the longest "pregnancy" ever!! but so well worth it. This journey started with an long distance online friendship with Janet Shaffer. We met in person at Sandy Paws and my friendships multiplied exponentially over time to include the FTH family of hounds and their adopters. This new family became my biggest support and cheering section as I began this trip of following "my" hound, FTH Thunder (Zee) from birth, growing up, through training college and on to his career. It afforded me the opportunity to meet and get to know the owners, trainers, han

"As a person who helps connect humans and Greyhounds..."

As the President and Founder of Forever Home Greyhound Adoptions, as well as having 13 of my own Greys, I feel like it's important to weigh in with my views as not only a Grey mom, but as a person who helps connect humans and Greyhounds, every day for over 20 years now. With all the allegations and controversy surrounding the Greyhound racing industry lately, I feel like it's high time that more of us on the adoption side of the road make our thoughts and feelings known. Having been in the adoption world for well over 20 years now, I think I have seen and heard just about everything, and I am here to tell the world that all the anti-racing slandering of the industry is shameful, hurtful, and untrue. Most of the AR mouthpieces that spout toxic lies the loudest, have probably never ever seen the inside of a racing kennel, and maybe never even witnessed a Greyhound race. Well, I HAVE, and I can truthfully say, that most kennels are cleaner than some people's homes, a

"Oh boy, had I been fooled, and was I embarrassed."

My introduction to the Greyhound was intended merely to be a teaching tool for my daughter and nothing more. I come from many generations of proud "cat people". LOL. As a cat person, I had absolutely NO desire to own a dog. No, not because I didn't like dogs, I adored other people's dogs, but to share my everyday life with one, was not in the cards for me. Enter Emma, my daughter : 10 years old. Always a cat person like her mom, until one day when something misfired in her brain and it began. The endless hounding of me for a dog, but not just any dog... a Greyhound. Nope...not a soft, fluffy, little barking kitten-type dog..but a huge, skinny, long-legged, bony creature. This continued on for 2 years. She researched, sketched, wrote essays and poems about Greys and left them about the house. She just would not let up. So to appease her and put a stop the constant harassment, I finally agreed to foster a Greyhound. We made contact, attended a trai

"This girl walked into my apartment like she owned it."

I have two experiences to share with you. This here is Imark Carol, now called Willow. She raced at the Daytona, Florida track. I adopted her about 15 months ago. She retired and was in a foster home for only a few days before I adopted her. This picture was taken in the first week that she was at my house, so basically right after her racing career ended. As you can see, she came to me as a grinning, happy, well adjusted, physically fit dog who loved her toys, running in the yard and her humans. (She was grinning in this picture because she had just got done running full speed in my yard... doing what she LOVED... and chasing after a ball.) She did not come to me as an abused, scared dog afraid to interact with the world around her. You can tell she was well taken care of. She is actually my second hound. Truth be told there was once a time when I used to be anti-racing before I got my first hound. I assumed (for no real reason other then what I read in the media) that these poor

"And one year later we visit the first time a racetrack."

My Story: so sorry my English is not perfect I hope you understand me?! I am from Germany and in 2002 I met my first greyhound. He was from the last closed racetrack in Italy and was in a shelter in Germany. His name was Teseo (Teseo della Capitale). The beginning of a very deep love to greyhounds. But Teseo was so sad an scared and unlucky ... now we know he was unlucky with us. He was the first time alone ....He missed other greyhounds. But eight weeks later we adopted Zama (Teresas Hope). A female from the same track. And Teseo was so happy! He changed in a lucky and wonderful boy.   At first we hate everything about racetracks. We heard from rescue groups so terrible things about this. This was a very bad area and all people are bad. But we met other greyhound owners in our town and we talked about everything ... and about the racetrack too. They told us so much other stories about the dogs and the people and we changed our opinion. And one year later we visit the f