Greyhounds are a social breed. So, it seems, are greyhound owners. Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption (NLGA) has an annual picnic and an impressive schedule of evening and weekend meet-and-greets at locations around the Twin Cities. Greyhound Pets of America-Minnesota (GPA-MN) also has meet-and-greets, as well as Sunday strolls in area parks and an annual "Greyfest" fundraiser.
At one NLGA meet-and-greet, a dog named Tiki Time literally did a little skip of excitement when he rounded the corner and saw the other dogs. "They like each other so much, you feel compelled to let them see their own kind," explained one NLGA member.
On that June evening, more than a dozen dogs and their owners attended the meet-and-greet. None of the dogs was up for adoption, although the events do help to attract the attention of prospective adopters. "These are the floor models," jokes Carol, the contact person for NLGA. Greyhounds become available for adoption primarily in spring, when handlers cull out the dogs that aren't winning, and in fall, when dogs are retired at the end of the racing season.
They've only known track life
During their racing careers, which can range from 18 months to the mandatory retirement age of five years, greyhounds know other greyhounds and not much else. "They have no experience of anything. They've only known track life - the kennel, the exercise yard, the race track and the kennel," says GPA-MN member Lori, who has one adopted greyhound, Vinny, and a foster greyhound, Rocket. Owners swap stories of introducing their adopted animals to everything from stairs to city streets. One household still has an "X" of masking tape across the patio door to keep the family greyhound from running into the glass.
Describing greyhounds as "social" might lead you to imagine them as the energetic life of the party. In fact, "couch potato" is the phrase that greyhound owners use repeatedly. Retired greyhounds sleep more than 20 hours a day. Tiki Time's owner was concerned that her long work hours would be hard for her dog to adjust to. In fact, she's discovered, Tiki sleeps away the day and is fine with a walk before work, a walk after work and another outing at night.
Zero to 40 mph in two seconds
Racing greyhounds are bred for short bursts of intense speed. In a race, they go from zero to 40 miles per hour in two seconds and complete a 550-yard race in less than 30 seconds. Although the dogs weigh 60 to 80 pounds, their hearts and lungs are human-sized. Their metabolisms - which Carol envies - enable them to sleep all day, eat four to five cups of food a day and maintain a sleek physique. (Greyhounds from Irish breed stock tend to be bigger and thicker-boned than the American bloodlines.) As counterintuitive as it seems, retirees have "no endurance (for walks) at first," one NLGA member says. They need to work up gradually to a long walk. Getting their feet in condition is part of the challenge.
