Greyhounds

More greyhounds to be adopted, less potential adopters and even adopted dogs being returned,  the rough economy is hitting hard and as usual it hits the most innocent and defenseless first and hardest. Between tracks being hit hard and either closing or facing competition for other gambling industries, combined with seasonal closings, the waiting lists at [...]

1. When The Disturbances Begin2. Psychology Limits3. Behind The Scenes4. Forsaken Destiny5. The Death Comes Through You (bonus track)6. Happy Song (bonus tarck)7. The EndDescargar: FileSendwww.myspace.com/thegreyhoundsband

Someone on a greyhound chat saw this commercial last weekend on TV and thought it was very cool to feature greyhounds so shared it with the group.  Apparently it was on a national channel in Phoenix, AZ.  Then someone found a link that also shows it on You Tube.  I’m not promoting the product [...]

One of the byproducts of animal racing industries, both the horses and the greyhounds, is the production or a lot of animals that the trainers don’t want because they’re not fast enough. When it comes to the horses many end up as pet food in the knackery, although a few find good homes that patiently train the highly strung race horse. For the greyhounds it’s a similar, but often less public story. In Melbourne there are a few greyhound racing tracks, and more than a few greyhounds. The dogs that aren’t fast enough are often also unsuitable for pets because of the strong tendency to chase and catch things that run, including children and other pets. Fortunately for some of these dogs, the Greyhound Adoption Program rehomes many of these dogs with families each year. (more…)

Yesterday we had our local rescue group Meet-N-Greet and also sponsored having pet pictures taken with Santa at the local PetSmart.  Part of the proceeds from all of the pictures taken will go to Team Greyhound.  I know we took tons of pictures.  The line was long all day long.  Above are Maggie and Bruno.  Neither of them really wanted much to do with having their picture taken, especially with Santa, but they did have a good time meeting and greeting all of the pets that day!!!

If you want a unique breed of dog for a lovable, loyal pet, they you should try having a greyhound. I dare say that greyhounds are a very versatile breed. It is a sprinting dog; greyhounds are great at racing. The fact is that the greyhound is one of the fastest animals alive, second only to the cheetah. They have actually built a solid reputation of being excellent racing dogs. Still and all, greyhound can be raised as a pet. They are one of the nicest and most gentle breed of dog. They are also considered as intelligent dogs and are very much easy to respond positively to obedience training. Not only do greyhounds get along easily with people – mind you, they get to be very loyal to their master quite quickly – but they also blend harmoniously with other pet dogs. Simply put, greyhounds are one of the best dogs to own. One interesting trivia: Do you know that greyhounds have the ability to lie flat on the back with all its feet thrown up in the air?

Many people have asked me why the greyhounds wear muzzles.  They ask me, “are they mean”?  Quite the opposite. Greyhounds are very gentle by nature.  When the greyhound is on the race track they muzzle the dogs to protect them from snipping at one another.  Running to win is the only purpose in life for a racing greyhound and they become very competitive at that time.  Since the greyhound is very thin skinned, it does not take much to cut open the skin with a sharp tooth. However, when you bring your retired racer home, the muzzle is used for quite different purposes. Most greyhounds are excellent with small dogs and cat.  A few are not, however.  Therefore by placing the muzzle on your greyhound you are ensuring a safe environment for all animals when introducing them for the first few times.  Make sure you are comfortable with your greyhound and the other animals before taking the muzzle off.  Remember, the greyhounds are used to wearing muzzles and

Of course, I am a little biased, but greyhounds make one of the best dogs to own. Always do your reserach before selecting a dog, however. It is a huge commitment. Here are some of the things that make greyhounds greyt pets: They are loving and affectionate. They are easy to teach (ex: housebreaking, stairs, glass doors, etc.). Greyhounds are adopted around the ages of 2 to 5 years old and can live for 12 to 14 years. Greyhounds are used to being around other greyhounds and usually adapt quickly to other dogs and can often share a home with other pets such as cats. They love to be with people. They like to do what you do. If you lay around, they lay around too. If you romp and play, they will romp and play too. If you go for a walk, they will too. They are very easy to please. MUST be kept on a leash or fenced area. They cannot be tied out. If they are tied out and try to get away they could break their necks. They are very low maintenance. They require very little groom

Free Daily Tips are now situated at the bottom of my BlogMany people out there are confused by betting on horses and betting on greyhounds. They are confused about how the odds are calculated for a horse or greyhound, and they don't know how to pick a winner. In this article I will show you how a payout is calculated and I will also give you some pointers on how to make money betting on horses and betting on greyhounds.As a way of explaining how odds are calculated, let's assume that $10000 is bet to win on all horses or greyhounds in a particular race. The particular betting shop will take a certain percentage of the top to keep themselves in business. The percentage taken off the top varies between organisations. Lets assume that in this example it is 10% or $1000. That means there is $9

I was recently alerted to the news that a greyhound racing track in Florida was suspending its racing for the summer. Here is the article: “On June 30, Melbourne Greyhound Park announced that they were ending live greyhound racing until they reopen on December 26th. This is the most sudden seasonal close that we have experienced in the last 10 years at this track. The switch from year round to seasonal racing was initiated because of new Florida Legislation. In a poll of the 6 kennels here it is estimated that between 300 and 400 greyhoundswill not be able to continue racing at other tracks and will be left with us for adoption. The greyhounds will be SAFE in our care until we can arrange a Local Adoption or Transport to a qualified Greyhound Adoption Agency. We are busy getting kennel supplies (food, wormers, and frontline). In the next few weeks, we will be busy evaluating and profiling the greyhounds left. This is a major impact to our group. If you would like to h

Just a friendly reminder to be extra careful with the pending July 4th celebration’s that will be going on.  The sights and sounds of the fireworks can spook the calmest of dogs.   Some greyhounds are especially prone to being spooked or scared easily by loud noises. Please wrap the leash tightly around your wrist and any sign of the dog backing out of their leash/collar, quickly pull the leash tight and downward to the ground and put one arm in front and the other arm in back of the dog.  It is harder to back out of their collar that way.  If there is someone with you, have them help you get the dog to your car ASAP. Never leave your grey unattended in your yard even for a second, even on a normal day.  Greys are known for spooking when they hear a loud noise (gun shot, fireworks, the garbage truck) and jumping a fence. Also you could take your grey out to potty on a leash during these kind of celebrations just in case he/she might spook and get away. Most of all if you

Ehrlichia is a tick-born infectious blood disease that greyhounds commonly get while on the track.  Symptoms may not show up in your greyhound for as long as 5-7 years following a bite from a tick carrying Ehrlichia.  Your greyhound may have contacted the disease while at the track and then adopted out in another area of the country where Ehrlichia is not common.  So make sure to tell your vet, if you know, what region your dog raced in or that he is an ex-racer who may have been infected by a tick.  The most common species is Ehrlichia canis but there are other species of Erhlichia also.  Ehrlichia canis is a rickettsia (an orgnamism somewhere between a bacteria and parasite) carried by the brown dog tick.  Unfortunately it is very common on the track.  All of the greyhounds mingle together sharing the ticks between one another. There are 3 phases to the disease: Acute phase.  This phase is of short duration and is where the dog is initially infected with the disease.  If

If you have been following Bruno’s story, you know he has a nerve sheath tumor at C6-C7 that is inoperable and cannot have radiation therapy.   We have been at OSU Hospital over the past couple of weeks trying to figure out what to do for him.  Since all removing the tumor is not an option, our only hope is medicine.  Dr. Couto at OSU is trying him on a drug called Artemisinin.  This drug is typically used in dogs with Osteosarcoma and has never been tried with a nerve sheath tumor.  We do not know what effect it will have on the tumor, but Dr. Couto reassures me that it will not do any harm.  This drug is supposed to slow down the growth of cancer cells and possibly kill some of the cancer cells.  We started him on it this past Friday.  They say it will take about 4 weeks to start noticing anything, if at all.  It might not work at all.  If he does show any improvement, then we will do another MRI to see if it has done anything to the tumor (shrunk any of it).  If n

With spring arriving I thought this would be a good time to discuss fleas, prevention and treatment if you do get them on your greyhound. As you may know, greyhounds are very sensitive to certain chemicals and drugs.  One flea prevention to avoid is the standard flea ccollar.  The standard flea collar is not safe or effective and should NEVER be used on a greyhound, or any other dog for that matter.  The collars contain harmful chemicals that penetrate through the skin of the dogs neck and eventually paralyzes and kills the flea that bites the skin.  Some of the chemicals in these collars can cause nausea, convulsions, and even death. Here is a list of some products that are safe to use on the greyhound: 1.  Program.  This is a once-a-month flea reproduction inhibitor.  It does not kill the flea but the flea eggs that have fed on a treated dog will not hatch. 2.  Advantage.  This is a topical insecticide that kills fleas on contact before they can lay eggs so it breaks the fl

Spring break is right around the corner and you are faced with what to do with the dogs while you are on vacation. We were faced with this recently and were lucky enough to find some friends to watch the dogs for us. They have 3 greyhounds of their own so are very greyhound savvy. We also thought about having a neighbor watch them but they really do not know much about greyhound safety. There is also the option of putting them in a kennel. Recently we knew of someone who put their greyhounds in a kennel for a few days. Unfortunately they made the mistake of kennelling the two greyhounds together in the same run and when no one was supervising the dogs got into a fight and one of them was injured. They did not muzzles them either. I would say if you use a kennel and have more than one greyhound, either make sure they are muzzled if sharingthe same space or put them in separate kennels to avoid injuries. I have heard of this happening more than once. Greyhounds can be very fun

Most people think we are crazy when we go outside in the cold weather with coats on the dogs. They think we just do it for them to look cute. But that is far from the case. Anytime it gets below about 25 degrees we put coats on the dogs if they are going to be out longer than just using the bathroom. This is because greyhounds have very little body fat to keep them warm and very little fur also. The rule of thumb with these guys is if you are too cold to be outside then so is your greyhound. Here are pictures of Caddy and Bruno in their very stylish winter coats. These both have detachable snoods to keep their head and neck warm. These coats are a lightweight fleece material good for small amounts of time outside. There are coats available that are of much thicker material and weather proof if you are planning on having your dog out for longer periods of time. Caddy never liked wearing her coat. Can you tell??? Bruno does not mind his so much.  

The greyhound is what is known as a universal blood donor. Their blood can be donated to any other dog without having to type the blood.  At OSU Vet Hospital they have a program where your dog can donate blood to the hospital to help save lives of other dogs. The blood is not only used at OSU but is also sent across the country to other blood banks and vet hospitals that are in need of blood.  The dogs typically donate blood once every 2 to 3 months.  In return for donating, you receive free food, heart worm medicine, flea and tick medicines, and free vaccines.  Your dog must quality for the program by giving a sample of blood to make sure they are free of disease in order to donate. Both of my dogs, Bruno and Caddy, were blood donors at OSU.  Bruno still donates.  Caddy, unfortunately passed away last November.  We recently adopted a new dog, Maggie.  We tested her to be a blood donor, but she has Eurhlichia, a tick born disease, that she obtained from the track. S

Many people out there are confused by betting on horses and betting on greyhounds. They are confused about how the odds are calculated for a horse or greyhound, and they don't know how to pick a winner. In this article I will show you how a payout is calculated and I will also give you some pointers on how to make money betting on horses and betting on greyhounds.As a way of explaining how odds are calculated, let's assume that $10000 is bet to win on all horses or greyhounds in a particular race. The particular betting shop will take a certain percentage of the top to keep themselves in business. The percentage taken off the top varies between organisations. Lets assume that in this example it is 10% or $1000. That means there is $9000 left in the pool.Let's say horse number 1 wins. The winning pool is divided amongst all those who bet on horse 1. If 1000 people bet on this horse the payout would be $9.There is no such thing as a 'sure thing' in gambling but below is outlined my

Because I still subscribe to the thought that no one is reading my blog, I'm going to vent.  Next time maybe I'll explain my views on faith and religion. So, a little about me for the audience that doesn't know me.  I started a little greyhound group in Charleston, SC back in 2003 with some friends.  Here it is 2008 and we've probably adopted out about 175 greyhounds locally.