A greyhound is a "sight hound," meaning a long legged, sleek, fast running dog bred to hunt by sight rather than smell. This category of dogs includes Salukis, Afghan Hounds, Deer Hounds, Borzoi, Whippets, and Irish Wolfhounds, to name just a few. They tend to be independent and single-minded when on the hunt.
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There are two main types of purebred greyhounds in the United States:
NGA registered and AKC registered 
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Greyhounds are a unique breed that have been bred to chase game with humans for thousands of years. Greyhounds as a breed are referred to in the Bible, and have been drawn on tomb walls and mummified in Ancient Egypt. During the Middle Ages in Europe, only nobles were allowed to own greyhounds. Many famous people in America, including George Washington, owned greyhounds. Their greatest talent throughout history has been chasing in the hunt and in the sport of coursing. Racing around a track after a lure has only come about since the early 20th century. In the United States there are two main varieties of pedigreed greyhounds; American Kennel Club (AKC) registered and National Greyhound Association (NGA) registered. The NGA is a voluntary non-profit association that uses a rigid identification system to track racing greyhounds. This identification system includes permanent tattoos placed in the greyhound?s ears, as well as a Bertillion Card (notes of the markings of the dog, down to the color of each toe nail). These markers are used to verify the identity of each dog before every race. The NGA also maintains the pedigree and Stud-book records for the breed, dating back to the latter part of the 19th century. NGA greyhounds have been bred purely for speed and ability to work with people. They are available in 16 recognized colors. Note that NGA greyhounds are eligible to be registered with the AKC, but AKC greyhounds are not eligible for NGA registration and cannot race professionally on pari-mutuel racetracks. GEGR has not rehomed any AKC greyhounds. To read a more in-depth history of the racing greyhound, check out Adopt-A-Greyhound?s Website. |
This is a photo of a litter of greyhounds playing in their run on a breeding
farm
This is a typical bank of crates in a racing kennel. Notice that the bedding is shredded paper.
Taken from Adopt A Greyhound's Website, Shawnie and Sam Burdette share a glimpse of the racing greyhound's early months:
The Formative Months Tattoo Tales A Wagging Tale A Windy Tale Socialization of Pups The Turn-Out KB's Puppies
Born to Run
is a video documentary that, in our experience, portrays a pretty accurate view of a greyhound's life while he is actively racing at the average racetrack. |
NGA greyhounds are raised and trained in a pretty well documented manner. They are born on farms and remain with their dams until about 12 weeks of age. They then live in large fenced runs, often acres wide and deep, with their littermates until they are about a year old. At that time, they are crate trained and begin living in kennels of 60 or more dogs. They also begin training for the racetrack, and usually transfer to a racetrack by the age of 1.5 to 2. At the racetrack, they live in individual crates in kennels with 60 or so other dogs. Their crates are stacked two high and in lines. Usually the females or small males are taught to jump in the top crates and the males are in the bottom crates. In most kennels, there is a radio playing at all times to help keep the greyhounds calm and to distract them from outside noises. They are turned out in groups of 10 or more 4 times a day. At turn-out time, males and females are turned out in seperate groups. This is one reason why racing greyhounds get along better with each other than most other breeds. All are muzzled during turn-out to prevent them from injuring each other during play. Many trainers give each dog a physical check after each turn-out and contrary to popular lore, do know each dog's name. Greyhounds race no more than once every three days, and usually only once a week. They start out in maiden races and if they don't "break maiden" (win within the first few races) they are retired. If they do break maiden, they work their way through the race grades (A, B, C, D, E) racing dogs within their speed grade. Most successful greyhounds race until they are 5 years of age, sometimes older, and then are retired. Many owners and trainers are now retiring their dogs at 3 or 4 years of age when they begin to slow down, before they sustain any significant injuries, so they have a better chance to find a good home. If you would like to know more about how greyhound racing works, Race For Adoption's Website has a lot of information. Greyhounds retire for many reasons, including injuries, losing interest in racing, or "grading off." Grading off is when a greyhound is not fast enough to compete at a track. The owner may then send them to a less competitive track, sent them to a farm for breeding or to live out their lives, or send them to an adoption program to find a new home. Some owners may place the dogs in new homes themselves or, sadly, have them euthanized. Seabrook Greyhound Park does require owners who retire their dogs when racing at that track to place them in the Seabrook REGAP program; this is one of the reasons we support REGAP's efforts. Just like any athlete, greyhounds are slim and well muscled. Many have thinning hair on their legs, chest, and hindquarters. They also tend to have dry skin. These attributes often soften or go away once the dog is retired on no longer well-toned or eating the high-protein diets they are fed in the race kennels.
In May of 2006, one of our volunteers had the opportunity to work in an active racing kennel. Read about her experiences here.
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Because of the unique way greyhounds are raised and trained, transitioning them to life in a home is both easy and challenging. In the easy category, since greyhounds are crate trained and accustomed to ?doing their business? in an outside pen, housebreaking can usually be accomplished within their first days in your home. They are also very well-socialized and often have excellent leash manners, making it easy to take them out for walks in the neighborhood.
In the challenging category, most greyhounds have never seen steps, slick floors like linoleum, dogs of other breeds, mirrors, glass doors, and other household items. In this regard, they must be taught as you would normally teach a puppy or small child. Because they are adults when they retire, they usually pick up on what is required of them quickly.