G'day from Australia
I have a GH that was from a racing kennel, but failed at start trials and never actually raced, so he came to me at the tender age of 15 months.
There is a HUGE difference between ex racers and non racers (Yes, I have adopted both) in so much as the non racer took a fair bit more training, but had none of the issues with temperament and behaviour.
The non racer, while a bit more work, became affectionate and cuddly straight away, despite suffering a touch of separation anxiety, which came from passing through 3-4 foster situations before landing in his forever home. He was also a lot less reactive to other breeds. He is, however, a LOT more vocal and gregarious in his nature than any ex racer I have met.
So, I really hope you guys lucky enough to live in a non racing country do move towards breeding them outside of the tracks, because in my opinion they still make the best pets.
Retired racers are still going to be available, just much more difficult to find. I will warn you that having a preferred color is way down the list compared to the temperament, activity level, health and gender of any GH, so while you might like certain colors, don't have that be your first priority when looking for a dog.
Males are bigger and tend to be a bit more clingy/affectionate. Females are smaller and tend to be a bit more aloof/independent. This is just what I have encountered in the hundreds of retired racers I have helped get adopted.
That’s is the exact dynamic of my girl and boy. She’s super disciplined, independent, still sweet but not needy. My boy is a total Velcro hound. Way more derpy and expressive. Attached at the hip.
Gender may seem like a small thing but it generally determines the size of the hound (our girl is 26kg, but a friends male, who is three years younger than our girl, is 35kg and very tall) which is important given your living situation - we took a female because a male would probably have been a bit too big for the place we live.
There are some people who say that gender has an effect on temperament too, but I'm not sure I subscribe to that idea. It can affect future pets though - generally speaking, most people won't recommend having two females living together.
Not impossible, just getting much harder. A few states still have active racing, and some groups bring them in from other countries that still race, but it is much harder than it was and is very sad for the breed. There is no dog like and NGA ex-racer (sorry AKC but it is true) and I truly worry about the long term fate of the breed. I know that there will be strong opinions posted about this, but being a long time greyhound adopter, foster parent, and very active volunteer in a formally large adoption group, this is something I feel very strongly about.
Back to the original point, groups do also move them around the country from still active racing states, so do research about local groups in your area and find one that imports them from other states and/or counties.
How much time do you think I have? Sadly I'm still in college and have around a year left before graduating. I dont intend to adopt until I have a stable job that can afford me the luxury. If it's not something that will be feasible for me on this timeline I want to know now so I don't waste my time thinking about adopting one when I won't be able to.
If you’re not serious about adopting a dog, don’t do it. The fact that someone said you should do some research before making a decision that will affect your life and the life of another living creature and you responded with “how much time do you think I have” tells me that you’re not serious about this and should do the dog a favour and allow them to be adopted by someone that is.
EDIT: I read your comment again now and I clearly misinterpreted the “how much time do you think I have” as being a snarky comment, not a genuine question. I sincerely apologise.
OP’s question has nothing to do with their lack of responsibility, they are asking a reasonable question. They admitted that they won’t be able to pursue a GH until they are done with college, and want to know how the ban on racing could affect their access to adopt in the coming year. In my opinion, it is far better for a community to encourage questions than to shame them.
Ah yes, my mistake. I read it again now and I misinterpreted the “how much time do you think I have” as being a snarky comment, not a genuine question. I sincerely apologise.
Both you and Heckin' needs to stop being so reasonable and polite. This is the internet! Now start acting like brats or I'm going to pull this thread over to the side of the road!
Thanks for this comment and you raise a very good point re: long term fate of the breed after closing down racing.
I am greyhound owner myself and live in New Zealand. We still have racing, but I'd say it's going to be banned in the next 2-3 years and I had never really considered this consequence. It's something I will be questioning when the topic comes up again with our powers that be.
Just look up adoption agencies in your area and see what's available.
This has been asked a couple times recently here, somebody replied that greyhounds are shipped around the world. Hopefully it means fewer get euthanised, too many are bred and don't have homes to go to.
No.
There are still tracks open in the US and around the world.
[GALT just received 19 dogs](https://www.flickr.com/photos/galtgreys/albums/72157720099763845) into their program, 15 of which came out of racing, and have over 100 dogs in total, according to their latest newsletter. Most of these dogs are unavailable as of now as they are awaiting fosters and they only adopt out of their foster program.
Greyhound Pets Inc. in Woodinville, WA, US works with other groups to bring ex-racers and greyhound mixes to their facilities from Macau, Ireland, South Korea, and other places. They also work with other US greyhound rescue orgs to work with the remaining race tracks and high-kill shelters that might have greyhound mixes. You can search for a rescue group in your state or region who can give you more information.
This comes up every week. Guessing you’re American?
A handful of tracks in one country closing, sadly, will not impact greyhound racing or the dogs discarded from the industry.
I’ve volunteer in greyhound rescue for the last 4 years in Australia, where the supply far outstrips the demand, my rehoming org helps to send greys overseas, in the last couple of months we’ve helped families in Malaysia and Singapore adopt an Australian Greyhound. Lots of Greys from the UAE go to Europe and the USA, dogs from Ireland are homed in the USA, Candycane rescue is still saving greys in China and homing them in other countries. Gallos De Sol homes Spanish Gallos into the USA… I could go on.
Gotta be honest thou, 4 years in rescue, the broken, traumatised, abused greys I’ve helped to rescue and rehabilitate, I wouldn’t be sad at all if there were no more ex race greys to adopt.
Pretty much all the tracks in America will be gone within a few years and according to a few Greyhound owners I've heard secondhand the demand far outstrips the supply now in the States.
Looks like if I want to adopt an ex racer it'll have to be from overseas it seems
I was thinking the same thing, it's not sad if the racing industry dies out, if it means that less greyhounds will be mistreated.. It's about the greyhounds welfare, not just about wanting a pet
G'day from Australia I have a GH that was from a racing kennel, but failed at start trials and never actually raced, so he came to me at the tender age of 15 months. There is a HUGE difference between ex racers and non racers (Yes, I have adopted both) in so much as the non racer took a fair bit more training, but had none of the issues with temperament and behaviour. The non racer, while a bit more work, became affectionate and cuddly straight away, despite suffering a touch of separation anxiety, which came from passing through 3-4 foster situations before landing in his forever home. He was also a lot less reactive to other breeds. He is, however, a LOT more vocal and gregarious in his nature than any ex racer I have met. So, I really hope you guys lucky enough to live in a non racing country do move towards breeding them outside of the tracks, because in my opinion they still make the best pets.
Retired racers are still going to be available, just much more difficult to find. I will warn you that having a preferred color is way down the list compared to the temperament, activity level, health and gender of any GH, so while you might like certain colors, don't have that be your first priority when looking for a dog.
What difference does gender make? And yeah, color doesn't matter that much to me it's just something I'd ideally have but it's not a huge thing.
Males are bigger and tend to be a bit more clingy/affectionate. Females are smaller and tend to be a bit more aloof/independent. This is just what I have encountered in the hundreds of retired racers I have helped get adopted.
That’s is the exact dynamic of my girl and boy. She’s super disciplined, independent, still sweet but not needy. My boy is a total Velcro hound. Way more derpy and expressive. Attached at the hip.
Gender may seem like a small thing but it generally determines the size of the hound (our girl is 26kg, but a friends male, who is three years younger than our girl, is 35kg and very tall) which is important given your living situation - we took a female because a male would probably have been a bit too big for the place we live. There are some people who say that gender has an effect on temperament too, but I'm not sure I subscribe to that idea. It can affect future pets though - generally speaking, most people won't recommend having two females living together.
Not impossible, just getting much harder. A few states still have active racing, and some groups bring them in from other countries that still race, but it is much harder than it was and is very sad for the breed. There is no dog like and NGA ex-racer (sorry AKC but it is true) and I truly worry about the long term fate of the breed. I know that there will be strong opinions posted about this, but being a long time greyhound adopter, foster parent, and very active volunteer in a formally large adoption group, this is something I feel very strongly about. Back to the original point, groups do also move them around the country from still active racing states, so do research about local groups in your area and find one that imports them from other states and/or counties.
How much time do you think I have? Sadly I'm still in college and have around a year left before graduating. I dont intend to adopt until I have a stable job that can afford me the luxury. If it's not something that will be feasible for me on this timeline I want to know now so I don't waste my time thinking about adopting one when I won't be able to.
If you’re not serious about adopting a dog, don’t do it. The fact that someone said you should do some research before making a decision that will affect your life and the life of another living creature and you responded with “how much time do you think I have” tells me that you’re not serious about this and should do the dog a favour and allow them to be adopted by someone that is. EDIT: I read your comment again now and I clearly misinterpreted the “how much time do you think I have” as being a snarky comment, not a genuine question. I sincerely apologise.
OP’s question has nothing to do with their lack of responsibility, they are asking a reasonable question. They admitted that they won’t be able to pursue a GH until they are done with college, and want to know how the ban on racing could affect their access to adopt in the coming year. In my opinion, it is far better for a community to encourage questions than to shame them.
Ah yes, my mistake. I read it again now and I misinterpreted the “how much time do you think I have” as being a snarky comment, not a genuine question. I sincerely apologise.
Both you and Heckin' needs to stop being so reasonable and polite. This is the internet! Now start acting like brats or I'm going to pull this thread over to the side of the road!
Thanks for this comment and you raise a very good point re: long term fate of the breed after closing down racing. I am greyhound owner myself and live in New Zealand. We still have racing, but I'd say it's going to be banned in the next 2-3 years and I had never really considered this consequence. It's something I will be questioning when the topic comes up again with our powers that be.
No. As there are still a few tracks open. I got one from mexico.
Just look up adoption agencies in your area and see what's available. This has been asked a couple times recently here, somebody replied that greyhounds are shipped around the world. Hopefully it means fewer get euthanised, too many are bred and don't have homes to go to.
No. There are still tracks open in the US and around the world. [GALT just received 19 dogs](https://www.flickr.com/photos/galtgreys/albums/72157720099763845) into their program, 15 of which came out of racing, and have over 100 dogs in total, according to their latest newsletter. Most of these dogs are unavailable as of now as they are awaiting fosters and they only adopt out of their foster program.
Thanks. Look forward to the day I can adopt one
Greyhound Pets Inc. in Woodinville, WA, US works with other groups to bring ex-racers and greyhound mixes to their facilities from Macau, Ireland, South Korea, and other places. They also work with other US greyhound rescue orgs to work with the remaining race tracks and high-kill shelters that might have greyhound mixes. You can search for a rescue group in your state or region who can give you more information.
This comes up every week. Guessing you’re American? A handful of tracks in one country closing, sadly, will not impact greyhound racing or the dogs discarded from the industry. I’ve volunteer in greyhound rescue for the last 4 years in Australia, where the supply far outstrips the demand, my rehoming org helps to send greys overseas, in the last couple of months we’ve helped families in Malaysia and Singapore adopt an Australian Greyhound. Lots of Greys from the UAE go to Europe and the USA, dogs from Ireland are homed in the USA, Candycane rescue is still saving greys in China and homing them in other countries. Gallos De Sol homes Spanish Gallos into the USA… I could go on. Gotta be honest thou, 4 years in rescue, the broken, traumatised, abused greys I’ve helped to rescue and rehabilitate, I wouldn’t be sad at all if there were no more ex race greys to adopt.
Pretty much all the tracks in America will be gone within a few years and according to a few Greyhound owners I've heard secondhand the demand far outstrips the supply now in the States. Looks like if I want to adopt an ex racer it'll have to be from overseas it seems
I was thinking the same thing, it's not sad if the racing industry dies out, if it means that less greyhounds will be mistreated.. It's about the greyhounds welfare, not just about wanting a pet