We adopted
Anchor February, 2001 from the
Humane Society of North Pinellas (HSNP) in Clearwater, Florida. One
of the workers at a Greyhound breeding farm in Fort Myers
called the Humane Society ONE DAY before this group of dogs was
scheduled to be killed. Some HSNP
volunteers were able to drive down and collect the dogs just in time to
rescue Anchor and several other dogs.
Anchor is a brindle male, born in 1995. At 80lbs healthy weight he, like
many race breed Greyhounds, is above the AKC standard of 65-70 pounds
for a male. Males typically weigh 10 to 15 pounds more than females.
Anchor passed away on June 1st, 2007 at nearly 12
years old. He was a great dog and will be missed by all of us (possibly
most by Betsy).
We adopted Spirit
o' Betsy (Betsy) February, 2002 through
GREAT (Greyhound Rescue and
Adoptions of Tampa Bay). We also volunteer with this organization which
works directly with Greyhound racing tracks and breeders to find homes
for Greyhounds that are undesirable to the racing industry. Since many
people are unaware that Greyhounds make wonderful pets, GREAT also works
on public awareness to help spread the word about these calm, loving
animals and about the cruel industry they are produced for. Betsy is a
petite, dark brindle colored female, born in April, 2000. Weighing in at
less than 50 lbs, she was discarded by the racing industry because she
was deemed too small fro racing. Many Greyhounds that are unfit for the
racing industry are just killed.
A little history
about the Greyhound:
The name Greyhound most likely comes from the Latin word "graius"
meaning "Greek". Archeologists have shown that Greyhound-like dogs
existed in Turkey (Greece's neighbor) as far back as 4000 BC. As the
centuries have told, this most ancient of breeds makes a wonderful pet.
Greyhounds are gentle, sweet, loving, and intelligent animals. If you
are thinking about adopting a pet, I cannot suggest a better breed so
long as you like large breeds. Greyhounds are generally good with other
animals... many Greyhound owners also own cats or other dogs. Greyhounds
don't shed much, they do not need a lot of space or exercise, and when
we're out for a walk they are great conversation starters. Many people
have, like us, found that after owning a Greyhound, they become
Greyhound lovers for life, vowing to always own pets of this wonderful
breed.
Our feelings
about Greyhound racing: We are very much against
it. The racing Greyhound endures a very poor quality of life which often
ends in an early death. They spend 18-20 hours of their days curled
up in a cage barely big enough to turn around in. Racing Greyhounds
often sustain injuries while running at speeds up to 42 miles per hour.
Serious injuries like broken legs or, like Anchor had, a broken rib
often go unrepaired or improperly repaired. The owner/investor of the
injured racing Greyhound knows that this animal will most likely never
be profitable again, and in this greed driven "sport" profit is
often the only thing that matters. During his racing career,
Anchor won or placed in about half of the 104 races he was and after
being used for breeding he was tossed aside, destined to die once his
profitability was over. His previous owner lived in
another state and probably cared nothing about him, except for the money
made from racing and breeding him. According to numbers published by the Greyhound
Protection League and other anti-Greyhound-racing organizations,
thousands of Greyhounds are still killed each year because of
discards from the racing industry. Until all Greyhound
tracks are closed for good, Greyhounds will continue to suffer and be
killed for "sport."
A
comment on certain types of adoption groups:
When considering adoption of a Greyhound, please also take into
consideration what type of organization you wish to adopt from. Some
Greyhound adoption organizations, though they call themselves "racing
neutral", receive a portion of their funding from the American Greyhound
Council. The
American Greyhound
Council is a joint initiative of the
National
Greyhound Association (NGA) and the
American Greyhound Track
Operators Association (AGTOA).
If you are like us, and realize the deep tragedy the racing industry
imposes on the thousands of Greyhounds it overbreeds, then please
research and ask questions about the organization you intend to adopt
from. Before supporting a "racing neutral" adoption organization you
should ensure the organization's beliefs are in-line with yours.
Please
do not support Greyhound racing, and please help
spread the
word.
Here are some links to Greyhound adoption and anti-racing sites...
