500 greyhounds need homes

[lv4dogs]

also posted in rescue, feel free to x-post

http://www.dakinshelter.org/news.html

[elizabethann]

That's so sad. A track in my state has just closed and I often wonder what will happen to the dogs. Considering this is a report from CT, I wonder if any of those dogs ever came up here to race in NH. I hope they all find homes. I've seen Greyhounds at the dog park and they are so beautiful and gentle animals. I wish I could adopt one but I can only have 1 dog where I live.

[Vette]

Oh my lord. :(
wish i could take one in.

[pethop]

really sad story. but i wonder why their adoption fee is so high $250??

[lizbud]

The Greyhound Racing industry is a dying business. I am so glad about that. Why can't the registered owners of these dogs
be charged a high fee payable to rescue groups who have to re-home these poor dogs when they eventually stop making money for their greedy owners.

Everytime the subject of Greyhounds and ex racers come up on PT, we get the same old crap about how much the dogs love to
run, that's what they're bred for, etc, etc, and the subject gets
changed around to talking about how beautiful the Greyhound
is. They are beautiful and they sure deserve better than being
dumped onto some charitable organization once, the owners
are finished with them. :(

I wish THESE 500 animals all the luck in the world in finding good
homes. and the NEXT 500, etc, etc.:(

[Fox-Gal]

I'd take one in a sec., if they where in Florida. Think they ship? :D ;)

I have always wanted a greyhound, it's just Cannilla never took well to new comers. Now that she's passed, maybe, one day?


i wonder why their adoption fee is so high $250??
This is why. This is everything the dog has done when you adopt.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/Trouble-friends/dog_fees.jpg

[slick]

Very sad indeed, although I must say that I'm glad the track is shutting down. I never like dog racing.

Praying that most of them get adopted.

[MaryJae]

Anyone who received that was actually misinformed. I've talked to someone in this Greyhound Rescue near me and they said that all of the Greyhounds are safe and are just being held in Plainsfield until they can be moved to a different track or adoption agency. None of them will be euthanized so no worries. :)

[Fox-Gal]

Originally posted by MaryJae
Anyone who received that was actually misinformed. I've talked to someone in this Greyhound Rescue near me and they said that all of the Greyhounds are safe and are just being held in Plainsfield until they can be moved to a different track or adoption agency. None of them will be euthanized so no worries. :)

Thank God.

[jcsperson]

This actually started two days ago with an infinitely more dire e-mail that was sent to 1000s upon 1000s of people who were unduly alarmed by Dakin Shelter in Massachusetts. The shame of it was that it was completely untrue.

If you have received or get such a message, please copy and paste the accompanying press release and return it to the sender to show that steps are being taken to move the dogs and none are in danger.

Here is the text of the original message:



500 Dogs to Die! (posted 5/1/05)
The greyhound track in Plainfield, CT voted on April 26th that they would discontinue greyhound racing. Unfortunately - and heartbreakingly - they've also decided that rescuers have only two weeks to get the dogs out, and any dogs remaining at the track on May 14th will be euthanized. This is a monumental task because there are at least 500 dogs currently at the track. These are all young, healthy dogs, 2-4 years of age, who would make great family pets.

Why is the track doing this? Greyhound racing is a business and because the track is no longer profitable, they're getting out. To us, dogs are cherished companions. To the greyhound racing industry, dogs are expendable commodities to be disposed of in whatever way is least expensive and most convenient when they aren't making money.

We've committed to saving as many dogs as we possibly can in the next two weeks. We'll be working with an experienced greyhound rescuer who has been placing retired greyhounds for many years. She will be going to the track and bringing us dogs. As soon as we have more room, we'll do it again. We will repeat as many times as we can before May 14th. After May 14th, there will be no dogs left alive at the track.

In order to save as many dogs as we can, we are going to try something we've never done before; sending as many as possible out into foster care by May 14th. Every time we send a dog into an adoptive home or a foster home, we can take another dog off the track. We will take the fostered dogs back into the Dakin Animal Shelter for adoption over the next few months as spaces open up for them - as long as they're off the track by May 14th, they'll be safe.

It should be noted that this organization has a link to their donation page directly below this fallacious "announcement." If this is a crass attempt to raise funds they're doing it in a contemptible way.

Here is the official press release:


PLAINFIELD, CT (May 3, 2005)—Karen Keelan, executive vice president of Plainfield Greyhound Park in Plainfield, CT, said today that the track is committing available resources to ensure that greyhounds displaced by the decision to cease greyhound racing as of May 14 for the remainder of 2005 will be sent to another track to race; be returned to the farm or owner, whether for breeding purposes or placement in a local adoption program; or placed in homes as pets in accordance with the wishes of the greyhound owners.

“Greyhound welfare is our first priority and we will keep the kennel area open until the greyhounds are suitably placed,” Keelan said.

The track will apply for racing dates in 2006 and is committed to a live racing season in 2006. Throughout the remainder of 2005 and 2006, Plainfield Greyhound Park will continue to offer wagering on races from other tracks via simulcast seven days a week.

The track, the National Greyhound Association (NGA) and the racing kennels are in the process of identifying which greyhounds need adoptive homes and are working with local and national adoption organizations to place them. Some greyhounds will transfer to other greyhound tracks to continue their racing careers.

Plainfield Greyhound Park welcomes help from adoption organizations across the country and from individuals who wish to adopt a greyhound. A special toll-free number has been set up to place these dogs in homes as pets. People interested in adopting a greyhound should call 1-888-267-1099. In addition, people can visit www.greyhoundpets.org to learn more about adoption of these wonderful animals.

“I’ve worked with Karen Keelan and Plainfield Greyhound Park over the years, and know how deeply she cares about the welfare of greyhounds,” said Rory Goree, president of Greyhound Pets of America, the largest independent greyhound adoption organization in the United States. “I’m very confident these greyhounds will be treated well. Greyhound Pets of America and other adoption organizations will work with Karen to help find homes for any of the greyhounds available for adoption.”

Goree said that greyhounds continue to gain popularity as pets because of their unique attributes. They are very affectionate animals and most are good with children and other pets.

Here are the facts:

1) CT is a No Kill state and these dogs were never in danger to start with. Even the reference to a "court order" in their updated message is false. Unlike other breeds, unlike mutts, it is unlawful to kill a racing greyhound in Connecticut.

2) When the track's closing was imminent they contacted the National Greyhound Association, Greyhound Pets of America, and a number of other groups for assistance. A massive effort is underway to move these dogs as far away as the Pacific Northwest.

3) Many of the dogs will continue their careers elsewhere. Hinsdale increased their racing card and an entire kennel is moving there. Another is moving to Melbourne.

4) The better dogs will start at Shoreline Star.

Please do not buy in to the hype and furor caused by one individual or group.

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Martin Roper
Hillsborough NC

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by elizabethann
That's so sad. A track in my state has just closed and I often wonder what will happen to the dogs. Considering this is a report from CT, I wonder if any of those dogs ever came up here to race in NH. I hope they all find homes. I've seen Greyhounds at the dog park and they are so beautiful and gentle animals. I wish I could adopt one but I can only have 1 dog where I live.

The track in Belmont closed due accusations that two employees tried to circumvent gaming laws. Lakes Region is a small, seasonal track and no dogs are on the premises at this time. The track has been sold and its future operation is pending the licensing of the new owner. The state, of course, will be very happy to grant the new owner a license because GL generated $1.2 million in revenue to NH in 2004 and provided $72,893 in taxes to the town of Belmont and a further $112,000 to the state in mutuel fees. The track had 44 employees not including the kennels themselves.

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by lizbud
The Greyhound Racing industry is a dying business. I am so glad about that. Why can't the registered owners of these dogs
be charged a high fee payable to rescue groups who have to re-home these poor dogs when they eventually stop making money for their greedy owners.

Everytime the subject of Greyhounds and ex racers come up on PT, we get the same old crap about how much the dogs love to
run, that's what they're bred for, etc, etc, and the subject gets
changed around to talking about how beautiful the Greyhound
is. They are beautiful and they sure deserve better than being
dumped onto some charitable organization once, the owners
are finished with them. :(

I wish THESE 500 animals all the luck in the world in finding good
homes. and the NEXT 500, etc, etc.:(
I am one of those "greedy" bastards you are speaking of. I've never made a nickel at greyhound racing. I breed and race these dogs because I love the breed. I want greyhounds to survive into the future at their current state of functionality, not like the current morbidly inbred, dysfunctional monstrosities "bred" by AKC breeders. The AKC registers 160 greyhounds a year---fewer than 30 litters. Their gene pool has shrunk to a few dozen examples that aren't worth breeding. AKC greyhounds are so slow they can hardly run out of sight on a dark night.

By contrast there are 26,000 NGA greyhounds registered every year that represent 46 families which can be traced back to the 1700s. Greyhounds are the most pure-bred dogs on earth. They have none of the congenital diseases like hip dysplasia common to so many breeds. There are no puppy mills and all farms are subject to strict inspections. Failure of an inspection can lead to the loss of a license and a lifetime ban from the NGA. State Gaming and Agriculture Departments also inspect the farms and kennels. A greyhound breeder gets infinitely more scrutiny than any other breeder.

Lizbud, you've tried to denigrate greyhound owners and breeders on here before with your ignorance, name-calling and propaganda. My guess is that you've never been to a farm, never seen the inside of a kennel, nor visited a track. You know nothing about greyhounds yet you persist in your statements based entirely on supposition and hearsay. Your arrogance and utter disregard of the facts is appalling.

[Suki Wingy]

I am glad they arent being euthenized! Dog racing is just not for me, I will have to stick to horse racing, the horses are treated like gods, and the sucessful like a life of lugury on farms and most of the unsucsessful go to homes like my Player.

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by Suki Wingy
Dog racing is just not for me, I will have to stick to horse racing, the horses are treated like gods, and the sucessful like a life of lugury on farms and most of the unsucsessful go to homes like my Player. The life of luxury? Sounds like my dogs! :D

Have you ever been to a greyhound farm, kennel or track?

[lv4dogs]

Thanks for the update on Dakin, I just learned of it earlier this morning.
I guess Dakin is bogus, they scam all the time.

The first link is bogus.

They are all safe!

[Kfamr]

Originally posted by Fox-Gal


I have always wanted a greyhound,


My shelter is usually FULL of rescued Greys.. i'll have to drag you over ther next time you come over this way. ;)

[Fox-Gal]

Originally posted by Kfamr
My shelter is usually FULL of rescued Greys.. i'll have to drag you over ther next time you come over this way. ;)


:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[pethop]

we are contacting the local shelter and the greyhound organizations... see if we can get them adopted nationwide.

[Suki Wingy]

Originally posted by jcsperson
Have you ever been to a greyhound farm, kennel or track?

no but I watch a pet story on animal planet and they had a few greys at tracks and interviewed a few owners/trainers.

[Karen]

Originally posted by pethop
we are contacting the local shelter and the greyhound organizations... see if we can get them adopted nationwide.

It's not real. Don't bother! It's a hoax/money-raising attempt and is untrue, read the whole thread.

[pethop]

We got their emails back... it's pretty long.

Thank you for inquiring about helping the greyhounds affected by the Plainfield, CT track closing! Most likely you wrote in response to an email that you received.



There is some very good news – the kennel folks at the track were able to get the May 14 deadline removed, so the dogs are no longer under a May 14 deadline to get off the track. Greyhound rescues and animal shelters across our region are working hard to ensure no dogs will be put down. With all the publicity that’s resulted from the emails flying across the country, it is likely that these dogs are no longer at risk of being put down. The public’s eye is now focused on the Plainfield track, and that will ensure the safety of the dogs there.



This track is closing – it’s not a hoax. There are currently 800-1,000 dogs at the track; it’s unknown exactly how many will be going on to continue racing at other tracks, and how many will need to be placed in homes. There will be many, many, many hundreds who need adoptive homes. It will only be through the efforts of all those who love greys that this will happen.



The other good news is that we’ve gotten to talk with hundreds of animal lovers across the country who are concerned about the fate of the Plainfield greyhounds! We have been amazed by the outpouring of caring!



The bad news is that we did not send out an email listing us as a national contact to help the Plainfield greys or asking folks across the country to call or email us to figure out how to help these lovely dogs. We sent an email to a Massachusetts shelter, asking if they could take a few dogs; without our knowledge they edited it and sent it on to other folks, who without our knowledge edited it and sent it on to other folks, who………well, it’s just plain gone all across the country. This has been a good thing because it’s raising awareness about the track closing, and greyhounds in need. But, it’s also been a bad thing, because the email changes every time it’s sent, and usually lists us as the people to contact if you want to help, and contains information that is not accurate (either plain wrong or badly out of date).



We’re just a tiny little shelter doing what we can (we’re so small that we only have 8 dog kennels!), not a group that’s coordinating rescue of all the Plainfield greyhounds. Unfortunately, the deluge of calls and emails from places like Nevada, California, and Saskatchewan is keeping our small staff from having enough time to care for the animals here in our shelter. Again, we did not send out this email, but we’ve been amazed by the support that has been coming in from across the country. We do need, though, to be able to provide care for the animals in our little place!



If you are interested in fostering or adopting one of these wonderful dogs, and you do not live within an hour or so of our shelter in Western Massachusetts (we’re near Umass/Amherst and Northampton), please contact a greyhound rescue in your area.

Remember, any greyhound available for adoption through a rescue group is one whose racing days are over and who is not wanted on the greyhound breeding farms; so even if it’s not a Plainfield, CT greyhound, they are all greyhounds in need of loving homes because their racing careers are over.

To find out more about what bringing an ex-racer home is like, and to learn more about these wonderful dogs, visit the excellent site www.greyhoundgang.com.



In most of the country, there are also hundreds of other dogs of all breeds, who are in dire need, so check shelters near you – they may be desperate for any kind of help to stem the tide of homeless dogs.



If you aren’t able to adopt right now, the best way to help is to send a financial donation, large or small, to your local greyhound rescue group or a national greyhound rescue group. You can find them via the website www.adopt-a-greyhound.org.



If you are interested in adopting a wonderful greyhound and you’re within an hour of our shelter, please come visit! We’d love to show you all our wonderful dogs and cats available for adoption. We cannot ship dogs to meet adopters, so you need to be able to come visit our dogs. If you’re coming from a distance, you may want to call us first to see who is available for adoption before you come for your visit! Our dogs need to be spayed/neutered before leaving for adoptive homes, and this may prevent long distance adoptions; we aren’t able to get enough appointments with local vets right now.



If you’re interested in fostering for us, we need you to be:

- living within an hour of our shelter,

-available to bring your foster greyhound to the Shelter or our local vet to meet potential adopters or attend to any medical needs, and

-available to foster for a minimum of two months; shorter foster periods will not allow us to pull more dogs from the track.



If you aren’t located within an hour of our shelter, we encourage you to help local animals! There are animal shelters and greyhound rescues all across the country helping animals that need you!



We would like to thank the wonderful people who have begun adopting and fostering greyhounds from our shelter, and all those helping other Plainfield greys with other rescue and adoption groups.



Thank you for caring about these wonderful dogs. Please support animal rescue near you! It’s only through the combined efforts of all of us that we can make a difference to all the pets who need our help.



Please, forward this information to whomever you received the other email from; we’re trying to get the word out to folks who want to help that there are lots of ways to help – mostly involving your local rescues! Please do not edit this email but rather send or post the whole thing (we’ve had too much trouble with edited emails already this week!).



Thank you for caring about these wonderful dogs.

Karina King
Dakin Animal Shelter
www.dakinshelter.org
May 5, 2005

[lizbud]

Quote:


"We’re just a tiny little shelter doing what we can (we’re so small that we only have 8 dog kennels!), not a group that’s coordinating rescue of all the Plainfield greyhounds. Unfortunately, the deluge of calls and emails from places like Nevada, California, and Saskatchewan is keeping our small staff from having enough time to care for the animals here in our shelter. Again, we did not send out this email, but we’ve been amazed by the support that has been coming in from across the country. We do need, though, to be able to provide care for the animals in our little place!



If you are interested in fostering or adopting one of these wonderful dogs, and you do not live within an hour or so of our shelter in Western Massachusetts (we’re near Umass/Amherst and Northampton), please contact a greyhound rescue in your area.

Remember, any greyhound available for adoption through a rescue group is one whose racing days are over and who is not wanted on the greyhound breeding farms; so even if it’s not a Plainfield, CT greyhound, they are all greyhounds in need of loving homes because their racing careers are over.

To find out more about what bringing an ex-racer home is like, and to learn more about these wonderful dogs, visit the excellent site www.greyhoundgang.com.



In most of the country, there are also hundreds of other dogs of all breeds, who are in dire need, so check shelters near you – they may be desperate for any kind of help to stem the tide of homeless dogs. "


I'm still glad the track is closing & look forward to the day this
practice of racing dogs for gamblers exists only in history books.
Greyhounds will do just fine without "racing to live" instead of
loving to run for their own enjoyment.

[pethop]

so... it's a hoax or not? i am confused. we tried to call them, but no one answers the phone.

[Vette]

Its all a hoax? :confused:

[lizbud]

AP Connecticut
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rell calls for protection of dogs at Plainfield track



May 4, 2005, 1:33 AM EDT


HARTFORD, Conn. -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Tuesday called on the prospective new owner of the Plainfield Greyhound Track to protect the dogs as the operation prepares to close.

Officials at the state's oldest pari-mutuel, which opened in 1976, told workers and kennels last Wednesday that dog racing will end in mid-May.

The track has faced strong competition for entertainment dollars from two nearby American Indian casinos, and plans are in the works to build a domed auto racetrack on the dog racing property.

Off-track betting on dog and horse races across the country will continue for a limited time at the track's simulcast facility.

"I need your assurances that every effort will be made to relocate these beautiful animals to either another adequate racing venue or to ensure that new loving homes are found for them," Rell said in her letter.

New England Raceway developer Gene Arganese of Trumbull, who obtained an option to purchase the dog track last year, has said he halted greyhound racing to begin construction of a new facility. He plans to apply for a transfer of the park's dog track license next year.

On Tuesday, he said he would release his plans for the dogs in a few days and would not comment on Rell's letter.

However, the track's executive vice president said Tuesday that the track will be using available resources to ensure the greyhounds' safety. Karen Keelan said the dogs will be sent to other racetracks, be returned to their farms or owners for breeding or placement in an adoption program or be placed in homes as pets.

"Greyhound welfare is our first priority and we will keep the kennel area open until the greyhounds are suitably placed," Keelan said.

The governor said she has instructed the Division of Special Revenue and the Department of Agriculture to work with track owners and animal rescue organizations to "make certain that every statute and regulation regarding animal health and welfare is enforced."

She said she also has directed the Department of Labor to help affected employees with job search assistance, retraining and other services.

"The greyhounds deserve some measure of protection as well," Rell said.

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by Suki Wingy
no but I watch a pet story on animal planet and they had a few greys at tracks and interviewed a few owners/trainers.
That's not exactly first-hand experience. You are very lucky that the radical Animal Rights crowd hasn't latched onto your sport and brutalized and lied about it in the worst possible way as they've done with greyhound racing.

I find it ironic that Ferdinand, winner of the 1986 Kentucky Derby, ended up in a can of dog food like many of his brethren, but nothing is heard about it. There was not one peep from the Animal Rights crowd. Horse racing is shown on TV, the trainers and breeders are respected, even revered by the media, and TB racing's warts and bumps are completely ignored by them and Animal Rights groups.

The AR crowd that feeds the media propaganda about greyhound racing knows little or nothing about greyhounds yet it is their shrill, PETA-like tactics that get the media's attention. They can make up anything they like and it gets printed without an ounce of research by reporters.

If you love TB racing pray every night that greyhound racing doesn't die. With nothing left to protest those activists will latch onto something. It should also be noted that a large percentage of the "handle" in racing, the amount bet on horses and dogs, is through remote betting, OTB parlors and other tracks. The last time I was at Tri-State there was a whole room full of people playing the ponies.

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by pethop
The bad news is that we did not send out an email listing us as a national contact to help the Plainfield greys or asking folks across the country to call or email us to figure out how to help these lovely dogs. We sent an email to a Massachusetts shelter, asking if they could take a few dogs; without our knowledge they edited it and sent it on to other folks, who without our knowledge edited it and sent it on to other folks, who………well, it’s just plain gone all across the country. This has been a good thing because it’s raising awareness about the track closing, and greyhounds in need. But, it’s also been a bad thing, because the email changes every time it’s sent, and usually lists us as the people to contact if you want to help, and contains information that is not accurate (either plain wrong or badly out of date).

Karina King
Dakin Animal Shelter
www.dakinshelter.org
May 5, 2005

Karina,

I'm sorry, but I smell a rat here. The posts I saw on sites like GreyTalk and WatchMyHound were verbatim copies of what was posted on your web site. The ones I saw were essentially unaltered from your 5/01 news item ("500 Dogs to Die!") which I posted earlier in this thread. That is not a copy of an e-mail, but your group's words.

I suspect that the "experienced greyhound rescuer" was the person who fed you the bogus information you published. I also suspect they sent that same info from group to group to person to person. Once it achieved critical mass it went to every corner of the greyhound world overnight. That outfit has branches in NJ, NC and elsewhere. They have always played fast and loose with the truth when it comes to greyhound racing. If indeed you were duped by them you will not have been the first.

Martin

[Kfamr]

-deep sigh- Not this again. :(

[cali]

Martin, I believe what pethop posted was the e-mail she recieved...either that or I am misintpreting somebody lol

[dukedogsmom]

Oh good grief! Karen, please lock this thread before all that gets started again.

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by lizbud
I'm still glad the track is closing & look forward to the day this
practice of racing dogs for gamblers exists only in history books.
Greyhounds will do just fine without "racing to live" instead of
loving to run for their own enjoyment.
So what of the breed? The AKC breeds 160 greyhounds a year. They are hideously inbred and nearly incapable of coursing game, the very thing greyhounds have been bred to do for 5,000 years. You seem willing to throw that away overnight.

Anyone with a thimble-full of knowledge of dog breeding knows that 160 greyhounds per year are not enough to maintain a viable gene pool to sustain the breed into the future. Today, AKC breeders know they can outcross to NGA lines when their dogs become too inbred. What happens to the breed tomorrow if that option is gone?

The only true greyhounds in America, those capable of coursing game as they have for millennia, are racing greyhounds. AKC breeders know this. When they breed for coursing they use NGA bloodlines. Their current Field Champion is 7/8ths NGA blood.

Nearly every breed we have today was bred to do a specific task. The minute dogs are no longer bred to the needs of that task the breed begins to regress. The longer they are the worse they are at it. The American version of the German Shepherd has become such a genetic nightmare police departments here often buy them directly from Germany where they are still used in the field.

Your thinking is extremely short-sighted and ignorant of the bigger issue of breed survival.

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by Kfamr
-deep sigh- Not this again. :(
Yup, this again. This discussion might seem unnecessary to you, young lady, but it is extremely important to a great number of people. Among greyhound racing, adoption, and pet people, this single post on one web site generated 1,000s upon 1,000s of e-mails that put a lot of people in a panic. If it's not important to you to get to the bottom of such scare-mongering you have no business on this thread. If you don't like it, don't read it, but spare us your insincere indignation.

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by dukedogsmom
Oh good grief! Karen, please lock this thread before all that gets started again.
Translation: I disagree with what this person has to say so I want the thread locked so he can no longer say it. I see the Pet Talk PC monitors are hard at work.

[Karen]

I am going to close this thread, as there is much confusion and misdirection about the original claims made by the original post from that website.

As far as I can tell, the greys are all safe, none will be shot over this, and greyhound rescue folks are hard at work.

Applaws to the rescuers and lovers of greyhounds.