A couple of months ago, my husband and I took our dog, Sadie, to the Laguna Lake dog park in San Luis Obispo.
A woman we know from around town was there with her dog, and as we walked up to her, she smiled bemusedly and asked, “Why does your dog look like a deer?”
With her long, muscular legs, pointed head, and triangular ears, Sadie does in fact resemble a woodland doe. Add to that her fawn-colored coat, and the transformation is nearly complete—sans the stubby little antlers.
Oh, and there’s one more similarity between my dog and a deer: White-tailed deer have been reported to run at speeds reaching 35 miles per hour. At her prime, Sadie probably ran at speeds closer to 45 miles per hour.
If you haven’t already guessed, Sadie is a greyhound. We rescued her in January through a nonprofit group called FastFriends Greyhound Adoption. Sadie (née Dust in the Wind Yvaine) ran in more than 40 races at Agua Caliente Race Track in Tijuana before retiring to La Casa de Asman. At 4 1/2 years old, she’s a little more mature than most retired greyhounds, probably due to her winning record.
According to the U.S. Humane Society, tens of thousands of greyhounds are bred every year for racetracks across America. This estimate doesn’t include animals in Mexico. Many of these dogs will never step foot on a professional racetrack because they’re considered “underperforming” or “un-raceable.” The dogs that do make it to the track typically race for only a couple of years, retiring at the age of 2 or 3, because they become injured or fail to make their owners money. The average lifespan of a greyhound is 12 to 14 years, which means the majority of their lives are spent in retirement.
In the past, many retired greyhounds were simply euthanized. While that cruelty still does occur in some areas, many tracks have formed partnerships with local rescue groups dedicated to finding these dogs homes. These partnerships are becoming more and more important as greyhound racing continues to decline in popularity.
Since launching in the late ’90s, FastFriends has placed nearly 3,200 greyhounds, including Sadie, in loving homes.
“It really seems like they’re trying to put down as few dogs as possible. They really have come a long way,” FastFriends President Joyce McRorie said of Agua Caliente racetrack.
But she said there continues to be “an endless supply” of dogs.
Based in La Habra Heights, FastFriends volunteers frequently travel down to Tijuana to pick up retired dogs and transport them to foster homes throughout the state. All of the dogs are spayed and neutered, vaccinated, and bathed, and they get their teeth cleaned as well. The ones with broken legs are rehabilitated before being adopted out.
“We have an amazing amount of volunteers who are willing to do anything for the dogs, and really it’s because the dogs are such nice animals that they draw a lot of people,” McRorie said.
When my husband and I decided to get a dog, we had a few requirements: We wanted a rescue. We needed a dog that was relatively low-energy because we both work full time and we don’t have a backyard. We needed a dog that would interact well with cats and, eventually, children.
Somehow, my husband thought of greyhounds. Perhaps all those years of watching Santa’s Little Helper on The Simpsons cemented the breed in his brain. His research showed greyhounds make great family pets because of their sweet, calm disposition. Nicknamed “45-mile-per-hour couch potatoes,” greyhounds spend most of their time sleeping. That’s right, they don’t need to run—they’re just good at it.
Greyhounds are quiet, gentle dogs, so they tend to do well with children and small animals, though you’ll want to have them “cat tested” to make sure. This can be done by most adoption groups and consists of introducing a muzzled dog to a very brave cat in a controlled situation.
Greyhounds don’t shed much because they only have one layer of fur, which means they don’t have a pungent doggy aroma either. But it also means you can’t leave them outside for long periods of time because they get cold. But don’t worry; lots of places sell special greyhound coats to help your dog stay warm in style. Nor can you let greyhounds off-leash in open areas because, as sight hounds, they’re trained to chase moving objects at a moment’s notice.
Sadie loves to run in enclosed dog parks, including a fenced Little League field behind our house, and to chase her leash and a remote-controlled car. The best thing about Sadie, however, is how affectionate she is. She often acts like a big, snuggly dog pillow, and she enjoys getting lots of pets and ear rubs. And we can tell she’s really happy when she rolls over onto her back and sticks her paws straight up in the air like an old woman getting her nails painted at the beauty salon.
Enjoy your retirement, Sadie. You deserve it.
Managing Editor Amy Asman loves her greyhound. Share the canine love at aasman@santamariasun.com. For more information about greyhound adoption, visit fastfriends.org.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 3, 2012.