A Greyhound Love Story

by

Culture

Greyhound experts and enthusiasts share their concerns for this rare breed, the joy of owning one, and the impact of foreign countries on its future

“If gratitude were a thing you could see, you would see it in the eyes of a retired racing Greyhound.” —John Parker, Greyhound advocate

Meet Eliza

Marcie Taylor-Thoma is in love. Ask her about Eliza, and she gushes with adoration. “She’s so caring and affectionate. It took her a couple of months to be sure we were “safe humans,” but now she’s friends with everyone.”

Marcie and husband Lee share their Eastport home with 7-year-old “Eliza Hamilton.” The pale gray Greyhound with brindle spots raced in West Palm Beach Florida until age 3, when a local Greyhound adoption group connected the couple with the retiring racer.

After raising beagles for years, Marcie observed a pair of Greyhounds walking with neighbors. She admired their calm and unique style. The breed had all the traits she was looking for: easy to train, crate-comfortable, and “needing far less attention than any dog we’ve had.” 

 As for exercise, three or four short walks a day, plus a run in the yard with other dogs a few times a week, does it. “I thought she would need more,” says Marcie, who was equally surprised at “how much she sleeps—like 20 hours day. But when she gets playful—and the zoomies—she’s a real goofball!”

And…Bruno

Jeff and Lori Bortner also are smitten. Within their bucolic Millersville home, attention focuses on Bruno. The stunning seven-year-old, 70-pound black Greyhound with a white throat and white tips on his tail and toes is their second Grey. The couple met their first, Cooper, some 20 years ago at a nearby “Meet’ n Greet” for Greyhounds.

“They did that lean thing that they do,” Jeff says, “and then they look up at you with those eyes.”

Allergic to cats, Jeff read about how smart Greyhounds were. “Coming from the track they’re mostly house trained, and lazy. They sleep all day. They’re very clean, very easy to take care of, too.”

Bruno, adopted last year, settled in quickly. Says Jeff, “You can be really energetic with him for about half an hour. Then he sleeps the rest of the day.”

When the Bortners began looking for their dog—and a pet for ten-year-old son Jack—a dramatic shift had occurred in the Greyhound racing world, one that would begin a new chapter in the breed’s long history.

A Biblical Beginning 

Historians once traced the Greyhound’s origin to the Pharaohs, but later research points to the Celtic peoples of Western Europe. One of the oldest purebred domesticated dogs, the Greyhound is the only breed named in the Bible. Once revered as gods, Greyhounds were protected by priests from extinction during the Dark Ages. No breed is more celebrated in art and history. 

Until the 1700s only nobility owned Greyhounds. But it wasn’t until the 20th century that the Greyhound became popularized in America—all thanks to the breed’s extraordinary athleticism. The fastest in the world, Greyhounds can sprint at speeds exceeding 40 mph. 

 In the 1980s, Greyhound racing exploded in America with more than 50 tracks across 19 states. Their popularity, and concern for their post-racing careers, spawned more than 300 adoption groups located at or near racetracks. 

But all that changed when the tracks closed.

“You look into the eyes of a Greyhound and you look back into the centuries.” —John Parker

A Perfect Storm

Joanne Bast calls it “a perfect storm.” A placement coordinator for Greyhound Pet Adoptions of Maryland, Bast helps prospective adopters in central and southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore. It’s a volunteer position she’s held for 16 years. Working from her Edgewater home she has placed more than 80 dogs and has adopted seven herself.

But today, Greyhound adoptions are down across the U.S. Advocates like Bast are asking why. Greyhound racing has been on the decline since the 1990s. Just as commercial casino gambling began cutting into the tracks’ revenue, animal welfare groups were stepping up measures to close tracks. Gradually tracks across states like Alabama, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Texas, Connecticut, and Massachusetts all shut down. So did their adoption groups. The final death knell was Florida’s closing all of its tracks at the end of December 31, 2020.

“Covid hit in the spring of 2020, just before the Florida tracks had to close,” Bast says. “All outreach activities stopped. Volunteers moved on to other endeavors. Four years later, we are still feeling the effects.”

Anne-Marie Cariotis, Vice President of Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT), blames Covid and the tracks closing for the sharp drop in adoptions. “We’ve been down 55 dogs each year since 2021. This is the lowest number of active applications for dogs we’ve had in quite a while. We’ve never had to look for adopters. We’ve always had a waiting list. This is new territory for us.”

Greyhounds are not alone. National data affirms that canine adoptions are down for all breeds. A database established in 2012 by several leading animal welfare groups cites higher “intakes” in the last year. On the flip side, “outtakes” have slowed. 

Claudia Roll, Administrator at Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control, has seen canine adoptions drop 5 percent from last year, especially among larger dogs. She gives several reasons: (1) the cost of dog ownership, (2) the pandemic “adoption boom” when intake was down, and (3) restrictions in some urban areas about pets, especially large dogs. 

While knowing they are not alone may be comforting to Greyhound advocates, healthy dogs who have finished their racing careers are waiting for homes. Although two tracks remain open in West Virginia, there is another source for these elegant animals—one that heralds fresh hope for the Greyhound’s future.

Taking Flight

Among Greyhound advocates there are few more accomplished or controversial than John Parker. A self-described “Greyhound enthusiast since 1994” John and wife Laura live on a small farm in Coweta County, Georgia, with a dozen Greyhounds, a Whippet, and three horses. A breeder, Parker encourages responsible breeding, primarily motivated to preserve important bloodlines. 

“People believe the tracks are closed so they can’t get a Greyhound. There is widespread misinformation. But the majority of dogs today are not coming from inside the USA,” he says.

Instead, thanks to the generosity and determination of Greyhound advocates—and a carefully coordinated program involving nearly all manner of transportation—retired racers are coming to America from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and England. Racing in these countries under government control remains very popular. More dogs are retiring than there are adoptive homes to take them. The closing of American tracks is an opening for these retiring athletes.

Parker, who has served in several leadership positions with Greyhound Pets of America (GPA), is the Coordinator of the GPA Irish Greyhounds to America program. The program was formalized in 2019 with the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT), a charity founded to rehome retiring Greyhounds and promote them as pets. Unlike American groups, the IRGT is funded partially by the government as well as private donations. According to Parker, 1,315 Greyhounds have been rehomed in North America since the program began. 

Debra Hardman, president of GALT- Arizona, writes extensively about the Irish Greyhounds who “begin their North American travels by being ferried in a van from Ireland to Heathrow Airport. They travel in handcrafted, roomy crates, complete with a comfy bed and access to water.” After they arrive in the U.S., volunteers ensure each dog is bathed and examined according to USDA requirements before placing the dogs in their “forever” homes.

Costs to cover transportation, care, and associated fees can average upwards of $2,700 per dog. Adoption groups and the IRGT assume much of the costs, requiring about a third from the adopter. As Hardman notes, “That’s a lot less expensive than most purebreds—or going to Ireland to adopt the dog yourself!”

For the Love of the Breed

Since adopting his first Greyhound 30 years ago, Parker remains a fierce champion for the breed. “They’re such wonderful companion dogs,” he says. “So laid back and sweet. And yet they have this dual dimension. They are amazing athletes.”

But, like many who love the Greyhound, he worries about their future. He’s concerned that the tracks closing could hurt the breed. 

“This sport brought them to us…racing is what gives the greyhound its temperament, health, genetic diversity and its athletic build. If we lose professional racing, then we lose many of these attributes that make Greyhounds so unique and special.”

 Parker wants American racing “reformed, not banned.” And that takes money. He admires how the racing industry in other countries supports the dogs once they finish racing. They do not rely on volunteers alone.

“Anybody who does anything with animals in a business, they have to have a social license. That means the animals are well treated and once they finish in the business, they have another life.” 

Others, like Denise Schumitz, an officer with GPA, are optimistic about the foreign dog program. She also cites the breed’s inherent pluses: “It’s such a versatile breed. They can live in all different situations, in an apartment in the city or with small children in a home or with other pets. They are very adaptable.”

As is Bruno. The handsome, laid back, leggy, Greyhound in the Bortner household—Irish born and bred—is now among the lucky hounds fortunate to find his forever family which includes young Jack, who adores him: “I like that he doesn’t lick as much as other dogs, or jump on me. He just taps his nose on my chin.”

Like any athlete, for Eliza and Bruno—and the hundreds of Greyhounds awaiting adoption—once the race is won, it’s time to kick back and savor life.

After all, they’ve earned it. 

What Greyhound owners say

  • They say they’re like potato chips. If you have one, you want more.
  • He’s a 40/mph couch potato.
  • It’s like having a big cat in a dog’s body.
  • If you want a lab to go running with, this isn’t your dog. But if you like chilling round the house, the Greyhound is for you.
  • She just seems so grateful, like she knows her days at the track are done.
  • They’re show-stoppers. You can’t walk down the street without someone stopping you. But that’s ok, because once you have one, you become an advocate.
  • I never knew they slept so much.

To learn more about greyhound adoption contact: Greyhound Pet Adoptions of Maryland www.gpa-md.com