Homes always needed for 'the noble breed'

By Kate Tarasenko
Correspondent

"They're eager to please, and easy to please," says Pat Jones of her three purebred greyhounds, the sleek and speedy canines whose regal legend as "the noble breed" belies their naturally playful and curious nature.

She should know; as president and founding member of Colorado Greyhound Companions, a northern Colorado-based nonprofit that matches surrendered and abandoned greyhounds to adoptive homes, Jones has fostered more than 300 of the friendly and spirited creatures herself.

Jones, along with seven board members and a slew of dedicated volunteers, have successfully placed nearly 700 greyhounds since the inception of CGC in 1994. All of the participants are devoted to the ultimate purpose of finding safe and loving "forever" homes for a breed that has seen an alarming history of farming and abuse all over the world. Thanks to CGC and a few sister organizations, such as the Greyhound Protection League and the All Breed Rescue Network, much of the abuse has abated as a result of media attention and public outcry, leading to the reform of some of the decades-long practices of the dog-racing industry and medical and veterinary research facilities.

Although not completely eliminated, "the incidence of greyhounds being permanently maimed from racing injuries or unrecoverable experimental surgeries is significantly lower" than it was just 10 years ago, says Jones. Many veterinary schools and facilities have engaged in invasive research on greyhounds, prizing their low body fat, as well as their general availability from local dog tracks in areas where racing is legal. Colorado State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital stopped using the dogs in their research in 1997.

Jones also cites that "the atrocities of finding mass graves of hundreds of dogs which were shot or bludgeoned to death"--because they had outlived their desire to race or their money-making potential at the track--are now the exception, rather than the rule.

Jones, a dog lover all her life, and her family have owned nine greyhounds over the years. Her three "girls," Reba, Bella Mia and Gracie (who holds the distinction of being a canine blood-plasma donor), share their home with Faron, a male Irish wolfhound-greyhound mix. Still a pup at 8 months old, Faron weighs in at 90 pounds and stands nearly 3 feet high, dwarfing the petite females. None of the pack is overly rambunctious, like many sociable breeds, but all are endlessly inquisitive and ready to make friends. That's one of the heartbreaks of their mistreatment, according to Jones.

"They're very gentle, smart and highly adaptable," says Jones. "It seems to me that they have a sense of gratitude when they're treated lovingly," she attests.

Greyhounds can be traced back to the days of the ancient pharaohs, with their pictographs adorning archeological sites and their mummified remains entombed along with their masters. There was a time when it was illegal for anyone but a noble to own the breed; hence, their royal designation. Anyone caught abusing the animal was flogged, imprisoned and even executed.

Greyhounds can sprint up to 45 miles per hour, and it wasn't long until sportsmen and bettors found a cheaper substitute for horses when it came to gambling. But Queen Elizabeth I outlawed dog racing within her realm as inhumane. Unfortunately for the breed, times have changed.

Greyhounds were originally imported from the United Kingdom in the early 20th century as an effective way for American farmers to protect their crops from rodents. With dog racing becoming a multi-billion dollar gaming industry, most greyhounds today are racers, ex-racers or the offspring of racers, and puppy mills and dog farms operate at a steady pace to supply the sport. In fact, while Colorado is one of only 16 remaining states where dog racing is still legal, Oklahoma, a nonracing state, is Colorado's main supplier for racing greyhounds.

"Thankfully," says Jones, "Internet gambling and other types of gaming are taking away some of that business."

In addition to raising funds to pay for high-quality food, supplies and medical treatment (which is often provided at a discount by local veterinarians), finding qualified adoptive and foster families comprises CGC's greatest ongoing need.

"Our priority is to find permanent homes for our dogs," says Jones. Since CGC has no shelter of its own, the only alternative is to house the dogs temporarily with foster families - "the heart of the program." During the interim between acquisition and placement, greyhounds are evaluated for personality and behaviors that help determine what type of owners and households would make the most successful match.

To learn more about Colorado Greyhound Companions and how to help, check out the web site at www.CoGreyCo.org, or call 970-207-1064. As Jones says, "We're here to help both dogs and people find the right companion."