Greyhounds Anonymous - Life in the Slow Lane?

My dad was quite a famous greyhound dog, his name was Staplers Jo he was British Greyhound Dog of the year 1995 and Irish Stud Dog of the Year 2000 & 2001. I was one of his 4158 known greyhound puppies!
Like most greyhounds, I was bred for racing, I used to be called Ordinary Joe but I didn't make the grade. I was lucky though, I found a loving home. I sometimes wonder how many of my brothers and sisters weren't quite as fortunate.

Imagine how many greyhound dogs are born every year!

If my dad had 4158 puppies that's 462 (that are known about) for every year of his life!

If only half of those greyhound puppies went on to race, what happened to the other 231 greyhound dogs every year? Were they found nice homes? Were they put to sleep? Or maybe they were just abandoned because they were of no use to their owners?

Its sad to think that so many of your family may have come to an untimely end, but thats only my half brothers and sisters, imagine the numbers involved when you add in the other greyound dogs... its scary!

I don't think that I had very many races but I didn't like racing much, I am a big boy and it was such a tight squeeze to get into the trap.

One time somebody shut the door on my tail and it got broken.

Then I hurt my foot and my owner didn't think I was worth keeping. I wasn't able to race again and the man at the track asked my mum if she would have me.

Mum says that when she met me it wasn't love at first sight and that I was a bit of a sorry sight, my fur looked yellow instead of white and I was a bit 'excitable' (not her words but I think excitable sounds much better!)

Anyway, she thought about it and decided that, provided I didn't chase the cats, I could be re-homed with her.... The temptation to chase the cats was almost overwhelming, but, I'm an intelligent boy and I didn't fancy living in those kennels a day longer than absolutely necessary, I behaved myself as well as I knew how and landed myself a nice new home.

These days I'm not quite as fast as I used to be, I'm 10 years old now, but I do have my moments, I can rush around the garden like a lunatic when the mood takes me, its fun to see the grass and soil flying through the air as I do a sharp turn into another lap! I like chasing rabbits when I am out on a walk, but I never catch them!

**UPDATE**
I think I shall give up trying to chase rabbits as I took a tumble when I spotted one when out on my walk! It cost me a trip to the vets, cuts, bruises and a broken toe!

Please Stumble me and help spread the word!

The origin of the greyhound dog is deeply rooted in ancient history. In fact, murals and paintings of dogs strikingly similar to today's greyhound existed more than 4000 years ago.
Pictures of the early greyhound can be found etched on walls of ancient Egyptian tombs, and the Pharaohs rated them first among all animals as both pets and hunters. An Egyptian tomb painting from 2200 BC portrays dogs that look very much like the modern greyhound.

In Egypt, the ancestors of modern greyhounds were used in hunting and kept as companions. Many Egyptians considered the birth of a such a hound second in importance only to the birth of a son. When the pet hound died, the entire family would go into mourning. The favourite hounds of the upper class were mummified and buried with their owners.
The Arabs so admired the physical attributes and speed of the greyhound that it was the only dog permitted to share their tents and ride atop their camels. In early Arabian culture, the birth of a greyhound ranked second only in importance to the birth of a son.

In Persia, Rome and Greece, the greyhound enjoyed similar stature and is the only canine mentioned in the Holy Scripture (Proverbs 30:29-31.)
The Greek gods were often portrayed with greyhounds. A hound often accompanies Hecate, the goddess of wealth. The protector of the hunt, the god Pollux, also is depicted with hounds. One myth tells of how a human named Actaeon came upon the goddess Artemis taking a bath in a river. She punishes his impropriety by turning him into a stag. He is then hunted down by his own hounds. Depictions of this scene occur many times in Greek and Roman art.

Greyhounds nearly became extinct during times of famine in the Middle Ages. They were saved by clergymen who protected them and bred them for the nobility. From this point on, they came to be considered the dogs of the aristocracy and the killing of a greyhound was punishable by death. In 1014, King Canute of England enacted the Forest Laws, which stated that only noblemen could own and hunt with greyhounds. In fact, greyhound racing in England was first established for the English nobility and could not be enjoyed by other citizens.

Greyhounds remained a familiar sight among the royalty and nobility of England, and, in the nineteenth century the husband of Queen Victoria had a pet black and white greyhound, Eos, who appears in many court portraits.

A painting of Prince Albert's favourite dog, Eos, along with his master's top hat and gloves, was commissioned as a Christmas present from Queen Victoria in 1841

Greyhounds were imported to North America in large numbers from Ireland and England in the mid-1800s not to course or race, but to rid farms of a virtual epidemic of jackrabbits. Greyhounds also were used to hunt down coyotes who were killing livestock.

The US cavalry used greyhounds as scouts to help spot Native Americans, since the greyhounds were fast enough to keep up with the horses. General George Custer reportedly always took his 22 coursing greyhounds with him when he travelled. He normally coursed his hounds the day before a battle, including the day before the Battle of Little Big Horn.

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I don't want to suggest that everyone involved in greyhound racing is cruel or insensitive. There are some owners and trainers who love their dogs and take good care of them for the whole of their natural lives or hand them over to rehoming organisations like Dogs Trust and specialist Greyhound rescues. But, unfortunately, this only applies to a minority of the thousands of greyhound dogs which enter racing, and thousands more are put to death before even reaching that stage.

Greyhounds are massively over bred. Thousands of greyhound pups are bred each year (About 25,000 greyhound pups are registered every year in the British Isles). From that there are a percentage which are culled early on because they are the runts of the litter.

Tens of thousands of dogs are disposed of every year by the British greyhound racing industry - because they fail to make the grade as racers or when their racing days are over.

Dogs which actually make it to the track are very likely to experience suffering during their racing careers. It has been estimated that greyhounds running on British tracks sustain more than 12,000 injuries every year and that 10% of dogs that race are already suffering from injuries. Injured toes, torn muscles, strained tendons and arthritic joints are commonplace.

At least 10,000 greyhounds retire from racing in Britain every year, at an average age of just 2 years old. This is either because of injury or because they are adjudged to be no longer good enough to race. Very few of these dogs manage to find good homes.

The British greyhound racing industry has admitted that 500 - 1,000 retired greyhound dogs are put to death every year. This alone would be enough to justify a ban on greyhound racing, but the true figure for retired dogs killed is, sadly, far, far higher. Quite possibly as many as 6,000.

Many ex-racing greyhounds are simply abandoned and a large number are killed, sometimes by extremely cruel methods such as drowning or poisoning, because some owners and trainers are not prepared to pay the cost of having them put to sleep by a vet.
Its impossible to have a greyhound racing industry without producing the massive numbers of dogs - and that means culling the numbers that are culled. There won't ever be enough homes for every greyhound that retires therefore greyhounds will continue dying as long as this practice goes on.

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Many people think of greyhounds purely as racing dogs, and wouldn't think of taking one as a pet. Yet retired or unwanted racing greyhounds can make wonderful pet dogs.

In a home environment they need less walking than many other breeds, they are lazy couch potatoes and are happy with a couple of 20-minute walks and a run. They usually walk nicely on the lead, and like to sleep a lot.

Although they are quite tall dogs, their lean and elegant shape and quiet nature means they can seem to fill less space than a terrier with attitude.

They are sighthounds, and that can mean a strong chase instinct. If a dog does chase, it's more likely to catch its target than less speedy dogs.

None the less, there are plenty of greyhounds that live with cats, rabbits, chickens and other unlikely-seeming companions, and a specialist greyhound rescue will often cat-test dogs and guide you to one that is suitable for all the occupants of your home.

A racing greyhound will usually have been brought up in kennels. Unless you adopt a dog who has been a pet before your dog may not understand coming when called, or be house trained from the start. But with persistence and kindness, they will learn. They are dogs and they just want to please.

A greyhound doesn't shed much fur, they take up surprisingly little room, eat surprisingly small amounts for their size and are endlessly funny, charming, entertaining, and loving. I can't recommend greyhounds enough!

If you are thinking of bringing a dog into your home please consider adopting a rescued greyhound. Because there are so many available for adoption, there's bound to be one that's perfect for you!

Unfortunately statistics prove that black greyhounds are the hardest to home. Why? A black greyhound in superb condition is absolutely stunning. A black greyhound in need of some T.L.C. is unfortunately not so stunning and they can look far worse than other colours. Having a black coat means that curable problems like dandruff, bald patches or simply a winter coat can be off-putting, everything seems to show more on a black coat. Give a black greyhound a chance and a few months of grooming, possibly cod liver or evening primrose oil (to improve dandruff and general coat condition) and before long you will have a gleaming, shiny stunner. Black greyhounds seem to predominate the greyhound world and unfortunately some people associate black dogs (like cats) with evil, others find them too common and want something a little more unusual. There are many varied reasons why a black greyhound can be overlooked for adoption. Please give the black boys and girls a chance and judge them more on character than coat colour. None of us had any say in the colour of hair we were born with, nor do greyhounds.
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Owning a greyhound should be fun for all of you, not just when playing in the garden but also during training. Play with your greyhound as much as you can and give him two walks a day.

Greyhounds are couch potatoes and don't need as much exercise as you might think, two twenty-minute walks a day will help to keep him healthy.

Do not let your greyhound off the lead until you are completely confident that he will behave well and respond to your command.

In the initial stages of taking a greyhound into a new home, many dogs will show signs of stress such as heavy panting and maybe even standing completely still - these are all signs of fear. Your greyhound may only have known the life of a racing kennel surrounded by many dogs. Stairs, vacuum cleaners, large areas of glass, washing machines etc are new to your greyhound and can cause initial worries.

UPON ARRIVING HOME
Upon arriving home, let your dog into the garden or designated toilet spot, wait until he relieves himself and then praise him profusely. Do this before entering the house and it will help prevent him from having an "accident". On entering your garden and before letting your greyhound free, ensure other animals such as squirrels, foxes or cats which may have wandered onto your property, are given adequate chance to retreat.


Greyhounds do not require any more room than any other dog of a similar size, your garden does not need to be a racetrack, and they will be happy and safe within a fenced garden where they can be let out regularly.

House training greyhounds is generally not a problem. After the greyhound's initial visit to the garden, it is advantageous to take your new pet for a short five minute walk every hour on the first day, every hour and a half on the second day and every two hours on the third day. During this time, it is unlikely that the greyhound will have had a chance to have an accident and at the end of this three-day regime, he will be thoroughly familiar with the idea that any 'toilets' are to be done outside.
Thereafter, if your dog does have an 'accident' indoors bear in mind punishment does not work and can make the dog worse. Anticipate when your dog needs to go and take him outside and praise him when he 'goes'. Any 'accidents' inside the home should be washed thoroughly in a solution of biological washing liquid, or specialist enzyme cleaner from the pet shop, as this will take the smell away for him, otherwise he will constantly re-mark over that spot. Take him to the toilet immediately after food, when he gets up and before he goes to bed and, of course, in between.
Some signs to look for when your dog needs to go to the toilet are pacing up and down, whining, scratching at the door or circling. Of course, at first there may be no signs as it will have been used to living in a kennel, but greyhounds are generally clean animals and learn really quickly.


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SLEEPING
Because the Greyhound's lean physique makes it ill-suited to sleeping on hard surfaces, owners of companion Greyhounds generally provide soft bedding; without bedding, Greyhounds are prone to develop painful skin sores.

A bed like the one below can be found in most pet stores... or click the image to buy online.

A raised food bowl can make dinner more enjoyable for your greyhound. Greyhounds really have to contort themselves to eat from floor level. A large, raised water bowl is also a good idea since greyhounds drink a lot.
Stands to raise the bowls are readily available at pet shops but it is possible to make your own using an appropriate sized terracotta plant pot, which is fine if you feed your dog outside but not quite as attractive as a purpose built stand indoors.

Water
Water should be available at all times and changed regularly. Never leave your dog without fresh water.

Complete Foods
Complete foods can be the most effective, economical and efficient way of feeding your dog the proteins, vitamins and minerals he needs. In the first instance, buy only a small bag; this saves wastage should your dog not take to that particular brand or flavour. Follow feeding instructions on packaging according to the weight of your dog. Keep an eye on your dog's stools, should they become loose due to a change of food, you may need to think again. Generally complete foods are based on biscuit or cereal, additional tinned food is not necessary but can make a meal more appetising.

Fresh Meat
All animals love a treat and are very appreciative of any leftovers. However, this is not needed every day. They will also eat left over vegetables, Flynn particularly likes carrots as a treat or an addition to his food, plain boiled pasta and rice also go down well, remember not to add salt while cooking.

Biscuits
Biscuits can aid a dog's digestion and help keep teeth clean and are also useful as a treat when praising him for doing something well.

Chews
Excellent for helping to keep teeth clean and healthy. Use regularly and as an extra treat. Not all chews are liked by all dogs. Keep experimenting, otherwise extra teeth cleaning duties will be needed. Flynn's favourites are Dentastix

Additional
A capsule of cod liver oil added to his food will help maintain a glossy coat, you may also want to give glucosamine to keep his joints healthy, both are available from PetMeds (see link below) or your local pet store.
Cooked eggs in any form are usually enjoyed once a week or so.
Small amounts of cheese, either crumbled on top of food or as a lump after feeds is fine.
Oily fish, such as tinned tuna, pilchards and other filleted fish are a healthy treat.

do a similar 'RSPCA Fold and Go Dog Ramp' for £59.99.
These are fantastic for aiding the older dog with mobility problems in getting in and out of the car.
Just type 'dog ramp' into the search box.