This nine year old female was adopted through the Central Ohio Greyhound Rescue.
With over 4,000 years of history behind him, the Greyhound is one of the most ancient breeds of dog still seen today. His long lineage can be traced back to ancient Egypt where his athleticism and kind personality made him both companion and hunter. Throughout time he was favored by noblemen and royalty and has since found himself in almost every country on the globe.
In America the Greyhound has become a sports icon for gamblers, producing thousands of dogs each year for racing. Although racing has been on the decline, there are still forty-six tracks operating within 15 states, each of which is constantly displacing dogs through retirement.
A female ex-racer available through Team Greyhound.
The Central Ohio Greyhound Rescue is one of many organizations throughout the US that are saving these dogs’ lives. Their organization is made up entirely of volunteers who foster dogs in their own homes. Most of COGR’s rescues come from tracks in Florida, where gambling is still in high demand, while others may come from tracks in West Virginia or have been surrendered as pets.
The female pictured above shows off her registration number through the National Greyhound Association.
Track dogs are born on a “farm” where the owner distinguishes which pups will make the better racer. Dogs that make the final cut are sent off to a trainer where they build muscle and speed. Most dogs will be retired between the ages of 2 to 5, with the fastest dogs being kept the longest.
Although bred for speed, the racing hound spends most of his day inside a crate and is let out at regular intervals to stretch his legs. Therefore, they come into rescue already crate trained, which makes house training rather easy. This also means that ex-racers are quite docile and easy-going. In fact, they are known throughout COGR as “couch potatoes” and spend most of the day sprawled out for a puppy nap.
This handsome male was adopted through the Central Ohio Greyhound Rescue.
It’s hard to believe that a dog that has spent its life chasing mechanical rabbits would make a good companion for a housecat or Yorkie, but many ex-racers do. COGR tests all of their rescues with cats before going into a new home. They report that some 70% of ex-racers aren’t interested in chasing cats within the home. However, like most hounds, ex-racers may chase something that they see dash across the yard. The only difference is that, with these hounds, they’ll catch it! So keep the kitties inside and your fence secure.
As you can tell by our photos, greyhounds come in all sizes and colors, giving quite the variety to choose from. We’ll warn you though - they have velvet-soft fur, sparkling eyes and charming personalities that will win the hearts of every dog lover. Luckily Greyhounds seem to love other Greyhounds, so you’ll know it’ll be a good match when you come back for your second ex-racer!
To rescue a Greyhound near you please visit:
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