Greyt Expectations Greyhound Rescue

As part of their Adoption Expo each year, Wonderland Greyhound Park and Raynham Greyhound Park invite a few Greyhound adopters to come and work in active racing kennels for a week to see what life is really like for working Greyhounds before they retire. I was chosen to work in North Shore Kennels at Wonderland Greyhound Park in May 2006. I found this particularly exciting because this was the racing kennel of my dog, Chad. Since most adopters don't get to have this unique experience, I thought I would put together a webpage to share my first-hand experiences with other greyhound owners.

North Shore has two kennel buildings. The first holds all of its active racers. The second holds all of the young dogs that have just arrived from the farms as well as retired dogs waiting to go back to the farm to breed or those waiting for space in adoption agencies. There are about 100 dogs in the racing kennel and about 60 in the puppy kennel. The routine is very structured every day, which is not surprising to me because I know my Greyhounds thrive on routine.

The general routine every day goes something like this:

6:30 a.m.	–	8:00 a.m.	First Turnout, refresh the beds in the crates
8:00 a.m.	–	9:30 a.m.	Second Turnout, finish the beds and mix the food
9:30 a.m.	–	10:00 a.m.	Feeding time
10:00 a.m.	–	10:30 a.m.	Kennel gets straightened up and cleaned
10:30 a.m.	–	3:00 p.m.	Quiet Time
3:00 p.m.	–	5:00 p.m.	Third Turnout

On days when no races are scheduled, the evening finishes like this:

5:00 p.m.	–	8:00 p.m.		Quiet Time
8:00 p.m.	–	10:00 p.m.		Fourth Turnout

On days when races are scheduled, the evening finishes like this:

5:30 p.m.	–	6:30 p.m.	Racers are loaded and taken to the track for weigh-ins
8:00 p.m.			First set of racers comes back to the kennel (and gets turned out)
8:00 p.m.	–	10:00 p.m.	Fourth Turnout for the kennel
10:00 p.m.			Last set of racers comes back to the kennel (and gets turned out)
10:00 p.m.	-	11:00 p.m.	Kennel gets straightened up and cleaned

Turn-outs take up the bulk of the day, every day. In fact, racing Greyhounds spend much more time outside playing every day than my own dogs. There are two pens and a holding area in each kennel. Each pen includes shaded and sunny areas. Boys are turned out in one pen together and girls are turned out in the other. Halfway through turn-out, the boys are moved into the holding area; the girls are put in the pen formerly occupied by the boys, and then the boys are moved into the pen formerly occupied by the girls. This shuffling around keeps the dogs interested and moving around.

Turn-out times are used by the dogs to relieve themselves, have fun with each other, and relax. Usually a helper is in each pen to immediately clean up after the dogs and to make sure any play doesn’t get out of hand. Helpers also give individual attention in the form of ear scratches, belly rubs, hugs, and affections while milling about getting the dogs to move around. The helpers also watch the dogs for any signs of stiffness, soreness, or any other abnormal behavior and alert the trainers. The trainers usually watch the dogs themselves for a portion of each turn-out to check for the same things.

Even though they have plenty of room to run and play, the vast majority of their time is spent digging holes in the soft sand to sleep in. Come to think of it, that’s pretty much what my Greyhound does all day at home!

The dogs are fed once a day and eat a high-protein mixture of raw meat, stewed vegetables, and dry dog food. The exact mixtures vary by trainer and are adjusted all the time to make sure the dogs maintain weight and are healthy and happy. For their 100-dog racing kennel, North Shore thaws about 150 lbs of beef a day and mixes that with a few 40 lb-bags of Hi-Pro brand dog food and a bushel of carrots, celery, and other additives, such as vitamins and medications. On average, the girls eat 2 lbs of feed and the boys eat 2.5 lbs. This is adjusted up or down for every dog. Each dog’s portion is individually weighed to ensure they get the proper amount (as an aside, I did learn that my hand holds about ľ of a pound of feed). Like my own dogs, working Greyhounds know precisely when breakfast should be served and will let you know if you are late!

A note about the meat

I was lucky enough to be at the kennel for the monthly delivery of meat. A huge, freezer-style tractor-trailer arrived with more pallets of meat than I cared to count. Helpers from all of the kennels in the compound, not just North Shore, wandered over in the early hours carrying coats and quickly set-up a ramp to slide the meat into the freezer in the compound. It took about 30 minutes of hard labor to move all of the meat from the truck into the freezer and stack it. They tell me one truck load of beef lasts about a month.

The beef is clearly labeled that it is not for human consumption, but it should also be noted that it is the same beef used in commercial dog foods that you feed your own dogs. If a cow breaks its leg, for example, it is no longer "qualified" to be eaten by humans and will be used for animal feed. I must admit how surprised I was at how good it looked and smelled when it thawed!

Unofficial schooling occurs at the racetrack itself twice a week and is used to work up dogs who are recovering from injuries, or to train the new dogs in from the farm or other tracks. The dogs are let loose in groups of 4 or fewer, either by handslipping or from the starting box and are allowed to chase the lure around the track. The distances run are determined by the trainer and are based on the dog’s training plan. During these events, the lure is used and the trainer has an opportunity to assess the dog’s interest in the lure, his gait, and any other movements or nuances of the dog’s racing style.

When a dog is handslipped, the handler stands behind it and holds its collar with one hand and lifts up from under the tuck with the other arm. This keeps the dog from launching itself when it sees the lure start up. When the lure comes up and the handler is ready for the dog to run, he lets go of the collar and slides his arm out of the way – the dog takes off like a rocket after the lure.

During my week at North Shore, race days were an adventure. During the third turn-out, all of the dogs that were scheduled to race that evening were weighed and had their racing muzzles fitted and affixed to their crate doors. Standing at the door in casual conversation with all of the other workers, watching the clock as the minutes ticked toward loading time, was tense and anxious for everyone. The dog’s eyes were all upon us, knowing what was coming. This wait was really the calm before the storm.

When the words “OK, load-up!" were spoken, the whole kennel came alive. I don’t know how many times I’ve told potential adopters that “Greyhounds don’t bark much," but after sitting in a kennel when the words “load up!" are uttered, I now feel like that’s a lie. All 100 dogs started barking and rooing in a coordinated chorus right on cue, and they didn’t stop until the gates were latched and the last dog had been taken out to the trucks to leave. The workers tell me it’s the dogs rooting each other on; kind of like a pep-talk before the big game. I, personally, heard them say “PICK ME! I WANNA GO, TOO!" There was not one dog in that kennel, even the ones who were hurt or who had just raced the night before, not involved in the cacophony.

As the dogs were led out of the kennel, they were loaded into special "boxes" mounted onto the beds of modified pick-up trucks. With one or two dogs per “hole" most trucks held 8 to 16 dogs on their way to the track. The workers would open the "hole" and then pick the dog up to load it in. The door was then shut and latched carefully. Once all of the dogs were loaded into a truck, the driver would go to each door and verify that it was latched and locked correctly.

The trip to the track was blissfully quick. Once there, the dogs were unloaded and walked to the weigh-in line. It was not uncommon for one trainer to walk seven or so dogs in a pack up to weigh-in. Once in line, the dogs were each given a tag denoting the race and box they had drawn. For example, the dog in the 7th box in race 4 was given a tag that had 47 embossed on it. They were then led to the scales where track officials took over, calling out their ear tattoos and tag numbers to make sure the dog was the correct dog for the correct race. The dog was then led to its crate by a track lead-out where it would wait for Post Time.

When Post Time came for each specific race, the dogs were led out through the grandstand on a special path and then led down the track to the starting box. They were loaded into their numbered boxes and awaited the lure, while barking and rooing in excitement. Once the lure came around and they were released to race, their adrenaline and enthusiasm was palpable as they thundered around the track.

At the finish line, the lure was drawn into a box where it couldn’t be reached by the dogs (not for their lack of trying, that’s for sure). As the dogs all tried to get to the lure, the lead-outs leashed them and walked them over to their waiting trainers. The trainers would walk them off the track to the cool off area where they would be hot-walked (much like horses are) until they cooled down. There were also bathing stations and water available for the dogs. Once cooled, they were loaded back into the trucks to relax and wait for the trip back to the kennel.

There are so many things about my week in the kennel I will not forget. Spending a week in the company of 160 Greyhounds all day-every day, among people who love them as much as I do and know so much more about them, was both exhilarating and humbling. The trainers and workers knew every dog by both his registered name and "pet" name, easily interchanging them without thinking about it. In a week I only knew 10 or 20 of them immediately on sight, and then only by their pet names. I also felt very in-the-way for the first few days. The workers in the kennel all had their routine down and worked together in a choreographed dance. The first time I joined in opening crates to let dogs out for turn-out, I think I got one down and muzzled in the time it took the others to get all of the others out. In fact, throughout the week, I was greeted by many a Greyhound eye-roll when I opened crates -- even the Greyhounds knew I was slow and awkward!

I will also not forget the love, patience, and respect all of the trainers and helpers showed each and every dog in that kennel. Even the dogs that goosed you every turn-out, or who were guaranteed to nail you in the eye with an unexpected leap into your face, or were racing badly, or racing very well were given the same amount of individual ear scritches and belly rubs throughout the day. I saw trainers lie on the floor to work with shy dogs or crawl in a crate to give extra love to a dog that wasn't feeling well. And I even saw a tear or two when I helped transport two retired dogs to an adoption group while I was there.

Because of this amazing week, I think that I respect the breed even more - watching so many dogs all together enjoying each other's company (there really was very little bickering in the turn-out pens); the pulsing, electric, contagious excitement of Greyhounds ready to run; feeling their hearts pound as they wait in anticipation for the lure to come around when you are handslipping. No one can ever tell me that the Greyhounds at North Shore don't enjoy every day. I know. I felt their joy personally.

Wonderland's Video of the Event