Rescue group seeks new owners for displaced greyhounds

Home for the holidays takes on a new meaning when you're a displaced racing greyhound whose home track is closing. Some 200 to 250 greyhounds -- premiere athletes of the canine world -- could be homeless when Kenosha's Dairyland Greyhound Park closes on Dec. 31.

Some 200 to 250 greyhounds -- premiere athletes of the canine world -- could be homeless when Kenosha's Dairyland Greyhound Park closes on Dec. 31.

That won't happen if aficionados like Mona Moore have anything to say about it.

"You're never going to find a more loving, dedicated family dog," said Moore, adoption coordinator for the central Illinois, anti-racing rescue group, Retired Greyhounds as Pets, also known as REGAP.

When a track closes, kennel owners relocate dogs in prime racing condition to other race tracks, Moore said. Those too old or injured to race are put up for adoption, she said, and some could be euthanized. REGAP and other rescue groups work to ensure as many dogs as possible find homes.

While handlers and breeders do their best to place dogs, only about 10,000 make it to adoption groups annually, she said.

More than 30,000 greyhounds are born each year, she said. They live from 12 to 15 years, but about 18,000 die before age 5, she said. A greyhound's racing career spans a couple of months to two years at most.

As for unsuccessful racers, they're expendable.

"They don't want to be feeding losers," said Moore who welcomed 17 greyhounds to her farm in November, 10 from Dairyland.

REGAP opposes racing out of concern for the health and safety of the animals. Moore says poor track conditions and substandard food can damage the dogs.

"We're not PETA by any means," she said. "But the idea of people making money off these gorgeous dogs and, rather than relinquishing them, putting them down doesn't make sense to me."

Marsha Kelly, communications consultant for the American Greyhound Track Operators Association, disputes claims the industry creates disposable animals or that owners and breeders don't properly care for their animals. No unhealthy greyhound competes successfully, Kelly said, so it's in the owner's best interest to care properly for dogs.

Owners must provide a crate large enough for the dog to sit, stand, lie down and turn around comfortably, Kelly said. Dogs are checked several times daily by staff and are examined by a track veterinarian at the first sign of ill health, she said.

"The vast majority of people breeding greyhounds are not getting wealthy off the sport," she said. "The vast majority are in the business because they love working with animals."

Additionally, track owners, kennel operators and breeders contribute to an American Greyhound Counsel fund which dispenses $100,000 to $130,000 toward adoption efforts each year, Kelly said.

"Better than 90 percent of all racing greyhounds are adopted or are returned to a farm as breeders when they retire," she said, pointing out that the ease with which a greyhound transitions from athlete to pet confirms quality of care.

"If they were subjected to abuse they would not adapt as well to family life," she said.

Moore and other owners agree that greyhounds adjust well to post-racing lives.

That they require lots of activity is a misconception, said first-time dog owner Heidi Janisch who adopted 11-year-old Boo Boo 18 months ago after another family surrendered him after seven years.

"Greyhounds are kind of lazy," said the Carpentersville resident. "They're 45-mile-per-hour couch potatoes. They sleep 18 to 20 hours a day."

As a new owner, Janisch said she was intimidated by the prospect of having an athlete in the house.

"The first week I was a nervous wreck," she said. "Now I wouldn't trade it for anything."

In her 17 years with REGAP, Moore's chapter has placed about 2,500 greyhounds into adoptive homes, 44 of them to Moore and her husband. She describes the dogs' temperament as perfect.

But there are things prospective owners should know. Greyhounds can reach a speed of 40 miles per hour in just a few steps, she said, so they can never be off leash unless they're in a secure, fenced area. Because they're trained to ignore crowd noise, a loose dog will ignore a frenzied owner's frantic shouts to stop.

They don't need a big yard, but they do need a good walk daily, said Moore. While they're social and get along with other animals and children, REGAP will not adopt greyhounds to families with young children. Greyhounds sleep deeply, said Moore, and if startled, they tend to snap.

Wheaton resident Anne LaBarge and her husband first considered bringing a greyhound home the year after they married. They waited until they had two kids and a fenced yard before adopting Bomber Joe and Sadie, whose racing careers LaBarge described as pathetic.

"They're excellent companions. Their presence is peaceful," she said. "They're just looking for love."

• REGAP will hold several suburban adoption events in early 2010. See www.regapgreyhounds.org for information.