The future for adoption groups

[sarabz]

I reached out to our adoption group to ask when their big spring event will be held this year as my husband and I were thinking that might be a good time to think about adopting another greyhound.  To my surprise,  I was told I might not want to wait until then as no one was sure how long to expect dogs coming up from FL with tracks closing. 

I'd be curious to know whether your groups are giving similar messages, what groups might do when there are no more dogs coming from FL (e.g. become more of a general adoption group, close up shop, focus more on greyhounds/galgos from overseas?)

Please don't get this thread locked with any pro/anti-racing comments.  I'm truly curious about what's next for our adoption groups. 

[BatterseaBrindl]

I'm in Ontario and Nixon, Ruby & Nigel came up to Vermont from Florida where they coordinated with my Group in Ottawa or T-Legs (Donna Deskin) in Montreal.  

Then the Ottawa group started getting hounds from Ireland (through F.L.I.G.H.T.) and that is how Sid came to us  

I believe that FLIGHT is trying to get more east coast US groups involved in adopting Irish hounds.

There will always be Spanish Galgos available...but they are not retired Greyhounds. 

Kibo has settled in here beautifully, but it is obvious that he has not had the same wonderful handling/training etc as our beloved ex-racers.

 

[cleptogrey]

i know currently Greyhound Rescue & Rehab(Stamford- close enough?) Pups with out partners(New Haven) WAG(upper Ct) and Greytful Greys(long island) all have dogs. GRR gets many of their dogs from West Va, WAG from the midwest. Have you gone straight to the source? They all have dogs currently. How about a foster? GRR often uses a boarding kennel in CT and is always looking for foster homes. GOOD LUCK!

[winnie]

The group we adopted our greyhounds from (GPA-NoVA) folded last year. I’d imagine that others might get more involved with rescuing galgos or greyhounds from overseas, but that may beyond the capacity and budget for some of the smaller groups. And yes, those dogs did not have the same upbringing as what many US greyhound adopters are used to. I consider our galgos to be more like regular dogs that you’d find at a shelter.

[dmdsmoxie]

2 hours ago, sarabz said:

I reached out to our adoption group to ask when their big spring event will be held this year as my husband and I were thinking that might be a good time to think about adopting another greyhound.  To my surprise,  I was told I might not want to wait until then as no one was sure how long to expect dogs coming up from FL with tracks closing. 

I'd be curious to know whether your groups are giving similar messages, what groups might do when there are no more dogs coming from FL (e.g. become more of a general adoption group, close up shop, focus more on greyhounds/galgos from overseas?)

Please don't get this thread locked with any pro/anti-racing comments.  I'm truly curious about what's next for our adoption groups. 

I would think a number of groups will be getting dogs in the next few months.  Daytona will close the end of March and Sanford Orlando is closing in early June, the 5th I think.  Between those two tracks there are about 1350 dogs and since those are considered low end tracks most of those dogs will do to adoption and not another track to race.

While I can't speak specifically about your group getting dogs, there will be a lot of dogs available.

Just to give everyone an idea as to what is going on with breeding greyhounds in 2017 there were 7,181 individuals whelped, in 2018 that number was close to the same at 6,867. For 2019 I have the numbers through November and that number is 6,249.  That is about 570 a month so the 2019 total should be about the same as 2018.

Dick

[FiveRoooooers]

Connecticut Greyhound Association has or had dogs recently. They were my White Boys’ group.  

[macoduck]

Sara, from what I've been reading it's more of a transportation issue. Dogs are available but getting them dispersed around the country has some challenges. Also, Jenn Boswell on Facebook with the Alabama group gave a good explanation, including that it seems too many groups are picky about only wanting females, no black dogs, must be cat safe, must be spay/neuter first. Jenn delivers dogs to Canada and to the US west coast, with stops all along the way.

[Remolacha]

We have been getting dogs from some of the farms in the Midwest, and are expecting some Fla dogs in the next few months. Other than a transportation problem, I don’t think there will be a shortage in the immediate future. Long term, who knows 

[sarabz]

Thanks!! This is all really interesting. 

[greysmom]

Ducky is right about the dispersment issues.  There may be dogs available but getting them to the West Coast is not easy or as cheap as it once was.  Our group ended up buying our own hauler so we could cut down on some of the expenses, but it's still costly to drive anywhere the dogs are and bring them back.  

Most of our dogs recently have come from farms in the midwest who are getting rid of their stock.  Lots of retiring broods/studs and young dogs (even puppies) who don't make further training.  Some farms are great about spay/neiter and health issues before transport, but some are not.  We had to up the adoption fee recently to try and cover some of the increased cost.

We also recently got four dogs from Flying Irish Greyhounds (through a group that flies them into Chicago).  I haven't met any of them to see how they are like US dogs, but they seem quite sweet from social media posts.  Two of them were snowflake coat pattern dogs!

Last I heard we still had 50-60 open applications and no future plans for any major hauls this spring.  But we usually can't use the trailer until it warms up significantly.

[Jerilyn]

One of the two adoption groups here in Wisconsin has closed up due to not being able to get dogs.

[MP_the4pack]

I don't think dog shortages are due to lack of dogs but rather to stance of the group.

[45MPHK9]

23 minutes ago, MP_the4pack said:

I don't think dog shortages are due to lack of dogs but rather to stance of the group.

Exactly 

[PatricksMom]

Our group in SC hauls up from FL and we seem to have a lot of dogs right now, more than 6 months ago or so, although we also seem to take whoever needs a home, or at least I haven't seen any preference for cat-safe or female in terms of who's listed on the website. So it may indeed be a transportation challenge. Not sure what will happen as the tracks close.

[Hubcitypam]

52 minutes ago, MP_the4pack said:

I don't think dog shortages are due to lack of dogs but rather to stance of the group.

I'll vote for that.  I've been to farms from Greymeadow where the Butlers had every luxury known to man to many lease farms in Western Oklahoma that were held together with spit and bailing wire and the dogs were often in not great shape due to monetary limitations. I firmly believe the dogs are still there in Kansas and Western Oklahoma. but the farmers have sort of closed ranks.

[palmettobug]

I spoke with GTer jimsherriek, she is in Houston and it sounds like they are planning for the future. Reach out to her, she is a great person.

GALTX, I've seen they have lurchers, too--some have been found loose and brought to them by Animal Control.

NO BLACKS, NO BOYS????? Are you kidding me? Coat color has nothing to do with tempermant, there are some ignoramuses out there. And I had never had a boy before Johnny (my mom's preference)--I'm not saying he was perfect, but we clicked and he was such a joy. Gino is both, he does have some issues due to being a "beta" boy and SA, but we are working on it every day and he is a goofball and loves his sister. 

I think in the future, I may try to get a galgo or a small podenco like Ducky has. I'll always keep my heart and door open for sighthounds of any stripe.

[Hubcitypam]

1 hour ago, palmettobug said:

NO BLACKS, NO BOYS????? Are you kidding me? Coat color has nothing to do with temperament, there are some ignoramuses out there. 

There are many people out there that are afraid of big black dogs of any breed.  When I had Buck I was walking him and a neighbor yelled "get inside it's a Doberman!!!!"  Sigh on several levels.

[palmettobug]

I had a big black Lab, I think they are better than yellow or chocolates. Every Chocolate Lab I've met has been a little on the dumb side.

[robinw]

19 hours ago, MP_the4pack said:

I don't think dog shortages are due to lack of dogs but rather to stance of the group.

Exactly! 

[greysmom]

22 hours ago, MP_the4pack said:

I don't think dog shortages are due to lack of dogs but rather to stance of the group.

 

I don't understand this comment.  But since it is likely to lead someplace against the TOS, I guess I will just leave it alone.

We've been getting wonderful dogs from the Midwest farms that are closing, but that source won't be available forever.  And, like I stated, we have more applications than we can find dogs for right now.  It's simply too expensive to haul NGA dogs all the way from the southeast to the northwest.  We've already had to increase the adoption fee to try and offset the additional cost.  So our group GPA-NW, Greyhound Pets Inc in Washington, GPA-Greater Northwest in Montana, and several western Canadian groups are having to find dogs wherever we can.  For some, it's Spanish galgos.  For others, it's Irish imports.  For others, it's the cross-bred dogs from underground racing/hunting in the upper midwest.  They are all dogs that need real, actual, rescuing from very difficult situations, but they aren't NGA greyhounds.

There are also many great groups that are just having to shut down.  It's too bad, both for the breed and for those who love them.

[HeyRunDog]

I hope I'm wrong but I wonder if the shortage of ex racers as more and more racing is banned is going to lead to the designer breeding of greyhounds as in other breeds of dog. Instead of being bred for the ability to run, the consequence of which is a healthy dog, they will be bred for looks. Take for example the bulldog breeds and their breathing problems, Labradors with hip problems and dachshunds and basset hounds with back problems to name just a few.

So no more black hounds, no more large 90 pound plus males and any genetic mutations, if it makes the dog look cute, will be bred into the breed whether or not it is healthy. The kennel clubs and their standards have a lot to answer for.

[DocsDoctor]

2 hours ago, HeyRunDog said:

I hope I'm wrong but I wonder if the shortage of ex racers as more and more racing is banned is going to lead to the designer breeding of greyhounds as in other breeds of dog. Instead of being bred for the ability to run, the consequence of which is a healthy dog, they will be bred for looks. Take for example the bulldog breeds and their breathing problems, Labradors with hip problems and dachshunds and basset hounds with back problems to name just a few.

So no more black hounds, no more large 90 pound plus males and any genetic mutations, if it makes the dog look cute, will be bred into the breed whether or not it is healthy. The kennel clubs and their standards have a lot to answer for.

There is already a "show greyhound" type - registered with the Kennel Club in the UK (and the US equivalent) and shown at Crufts, etc. A greyhound called Primley Sceptre was actually the first Crufts supreme champion in 1928!  KC greyhound breed description

They do look a bit different from the racing greyhounds, being "bred for elegance" - usually taller, with longer noses and flatter sides. Very few of them are bred compared to the racing type but they are, so far as I know, pretty healthy dogs.

Maybe their healthiness is down to them never having been that popular as pets. Often health problems can be down to unscrupulous or even just ignorant breeders jumping on a bandwagon, when a breed becomes high-profile - because one has won Crufts, or a film like 101 Dalmatians has come out, or a celebrity is a carrying one around in a handbag.

[racindog]

6 hours ago, HeyRunDog said:

I hope I'm wrong but I wonder if the shortage of ex racers as more and more racing is banned is going to lead to the designer breeding of greyhounds as in other breeds of dog. Instead of being bred for the ability to run, the consequence of which is a healthy dog, they will be bred for looks. Take for example the bulldog breeds and their breathing problems, Labradors with hip problems and dachshunds and basset hounds with back problems to name just a few.

So no more black hounds, no more large 90 pound plus males and any genetic mutations, if it makes the dog look cute, will be bred into the breed whether or not it is healthy. The kennel clubs and their standards have a lot to answer for.

I GUARANTEE you backyard breeders will be breeding Greydoodles and everything else because the stupid public is so shallow and ignorant that there is actually a demand for such poor creatures. There will definitely be a fast buck to be made by unscrupulous people who will breed them for the 'designer' market without a care for their irresponsible actions.

 

[smt]

On 2/15/2020 at 9:38 AM, dmdsmoxie said:

 

Just to give everyone an idea as to what is going on with breeding greyhounds in 2017 there were 7,181 individuals whelped, in 2018 that number was close to the same at 6,867. For 2019 I have the numbers through November and that number is 6,249.  That is about 570 a month so the 2019 total should be about the same as 2018.

Dick

These numbers seem to point toward an ongoing pipeline of dogs that will eventually make their way to retirement.  Or am I missing something?  I wonder what the numbers will be for 2020, 2021, 2022 etc.  I, too, share a big concern the the option of adopting a retired racer will be a thing of the past in the future.  My hope had been to ALWAYS be able to adopt retired racers, and spend my retirement years volunteering with GPAN.  But that seems like a pipe dream given the shuttering of the tracks. How long can the few remaining tracks in the US stay operational?   But I hope I am wrong, and that shifting to bringing dogs from Ireland, Mexico, etc. will provide a win/win for the dogs that need loving homes and those who want to have greyhounds in their lives (and on their sofa's and tearing up their turf) for many years to come.

[lukasmom]

Our group has helped bring in a number of galgos from Spain last year. We also have had some lurchers come into our group. I believe we are still working out the details to bring Irish and English retired racers to the US as well. Things in England and Ireland are pretty bad for the greyhounds. Many end up in other countries with no animal welfare laws. After they are used up they are sent to wild life parks to be killed by cheetahs and other big cats or to the dog meat trade.