"I tried arguing like ARs do..."

My story of how I came to love these wonderful dogs we call greyhounds. Way back in the 90's I was watching a National Geographic program and they had greyhounds on it. Talking about how they are disposed of when they are no longer able to race. Then they showed video of greyhounds being dumped into mass graves. There were at least 50 or more greyhounds at a time just being dumped into these mass graves. I just sat there and cried. I promised myself that one day soon I would rescue and save a greyhound.

So a few years later when our old shepherd/collie was starting to slow down and we knew her time was limited, I talked to a lady from an adoption group at a pet expo our city was having. I told her I was interested in adopting but we had to wait until we no longer had our Lucy. I truly believed at that time that all greyhounds had to be saved and rescued from that horrible fate. So after we lost our Lucy I called the lady from the adoption group to see if she had any available greyhounds. Well she just so happened to be getting 6 new greyhounds that Sunday afternoon and she said to come out and see if we were interested in any of them.

Well, a really sweet dark brindle girl went up to my daughter and put her head in her hands and it was love at first sight. We came home with her. Her name was Marzanna, but her call name was Lauren. After that I decided I wanted another. So along came our Tycom Handful, Ty. But I was still an AR person. Then I got on FB and started to get into the greyhound sites and I came across The Pro Greyhound and joined that. One day I mentioned something on there about rescuing my greyhounds and I can't recall who it was now, but one of the owners or trainers that was on FB at the time corrected me. She explained they are retired racers, not rescued. I tried arguing like ARs do, but she stayed calm and told me everything about racing, their care and the love they give them. I really started to listen and I wanted to know more so I kept listening. Now I really truly understand how our greyhounds come to us so sweet, loving, comical and cuddly. Because of the care they get from birth until they retire.

Now at meet and greets, I try to educate as many people as I can. I educate on our adoption group page. I have fostered many, found good homes for many and failed at fostering many times. In the almost 20 years I've been adopting and fostering, not one single greyhound has come to us with any signs of abuse or neglect. Oh we get the regular things like fleas or ticks, but that's understandable. Vote NO to save racing in FL. Our greyhounds deserve to do what they love to do, race!
-Ruth VanWhy Hagenbaugh

Comments

"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

"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

"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

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