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My First Trip to the

Greyhound Adoption Expo

by Suzanne Sparks

 

When I arrived in Massachusetts for the Expo I wasn’t sure what to expect. As an owner of a retired racer you hear many opinions about racing but I never really formed an opinion because I didn’t feel educated enough about the industry. I was hoping this weekend would help me figure out how the dogs felt about racing and how they are treated at the track. I have to say that what I saw made me feel good about the racing industry and how the dogs are treated. I’m not naive as to think there are no problems, but I think that is the exception and not the rule.

 

We arrived at the Wonderland track on Friday evening and I was amazed at the size of the facility. I had been to a track before but only went to the grandstand area and didn’t realize what was housed at the facility. My first impression was how clean everything was kept. The kennels where they kept the dogs prior to racing was very clean, which made me feel good. It was such an educational experience to see how the entire process works at the race track. I always thought the dogs were unloaded from the trucks just before they raced and only went in to get checked out and their silks put on. I didn’t know they had a holding kennel and the dogs got to “chill out” before running. Of course they are supposed to be relaxing and resting but they are not, they want to run and you can see and feel it.

 

 

 We got to see the paddock area and that was really cool. Being completely ignorant about the process I was amazed that people were allowed to see the dogs before they raced. They would weigh them, check them out, and determine if they could race or would be a scratch. I didn’t see a dog scratched but I can understand why a dog would be, racing isn’t for the weak. After watching the dogs get ready to race, I quickly made my way outside to stand in the area right next to the track. That was an awesome experience.
I have seen racing but until you stand right next to the dogs as they go by you do not appreciate the power and speed these animals have. I could feel the energy of the group as they passed, with sand flying and toes digging in for all it was worth. These dogs were amazing. The dogs are in a hurry to get to the starting box. Once they are inside you can hear the barking and whining, they want to go. As soon as the box opens they are out and flying. It’s so cool to see them running as fast as they can and then stop when the lure stops and get herded up to go back to the holding kennel.
  So far I am blown away by all that is going on with the racing part of the evening but the most shocking event happened with my own retired racer. Josh was a good racer and is a wonderful companion. He’s the most unobtrusive dog I have ever known. He spends most of his time in the kitchen in his favorite bed and stays in the background. He’s very quiet and doesn’t demand any attention, just takes it when he can get it. He listens well and doesn’t get excited over anything.
Well, once the lure started for the first race I had an entirely different dog. He was animated, excited, barking, whining, and pulling at the leash as hard a possible so he could get out to the track. I have never seen him like this, and he’s been with us for 6 years. He did this every time the lure ran. When it stopped, he would calm down and become the calm, reserve guy he normally is. It showed me how much he loved to race.
 

I was looking forward to Saturday at the Raynham track.

Saturday we got to the track early so we could see it in its peace before the day of racing began. We walked the dogs around and took a tour of part of the track. I’m not sure what the area was called but we went into the main doors and walked out to the track. Josh was mesmerized as soon as he saw the track. He wanted to go run. They work really hard at the track to keep the sand in prime racing condition. They were raking it with a tractor and watering it down in the morning and then did some raking after every race. Again, another little fact you would not know if you didn’t go to a race. They keep the conditions in tip top shape. We got to take a tour of the paddock area at Raynham and it was very nice. They had kennels for every dog that would race and, again, it was very clean and cool. They had a curtain at the front of the room to block out the noise to help keep the dogs calmer. After we left the paddock we went to the race prep area where the dogs get their silks and a pre and post race physicals.

 

We arrived at Raynham early enough we got to see the trainers take the dogs to the kennel. It was obvious that they cared for the dogs by the way they were talking to them and handling them. The dogs were excited, not only because they knew where they were going but because we were just on the other side of the fence with all of our dogs. It was quite a sight to see the one person trying to handle 6 to 8 dogs and their muzzles with only two hands. They did it and made it look relatively easy.

 
Where we were sitting at some picnic tables outside the kennel and were able to see the dogs leave the paddock area to walk to the track for the race. We could always tell the maiden racers from the experienced racers. The maiden racers were more interested in what was going on with us, they were making life tough for their handlers because they were trying to climb the fence to meet the dogs on the other side. They kept looking and pulling toward us.
The experienced racers didn’t pay us any attention, they didn’t care what was happening on the other side of the fence – they had a job to do and were going to do it. We also saw this behavior as they made their way to the paddock area after the race. I was surprised to see that the maiden dogs had enough energy to be distracted considering they had just finished a race.

 

Throughout the day we would see people coming in to enjoy a day at the track and it was interesting to talk with them. They loved coming to the track and watching the dogs. They didn’t come just to bet, they enjoyed watching the sport. They would chat with us about our dogs and where they raced and some of them would tell us about their favorite racer and share their experiences. I learned that mostly they liked coming to watch the dogs run.

 

 
Of course Josh was excited every time the lure would run. Since we were farther away from the racing dogs we allowed him to watch one race. He was a crazy boy again. Of course he wasn’t the only retired racer doing this. It was like they were saying; “Come on, it’s this way to run. I know where to go, just follow me.”
After the festivities were over we took the dogs back to the hotel and then returned sans Greyhounds to have dinner and watch some more racing. It was fun and challenging at the same time. I can see the appeal for betting although I’m not very good at it.

I think it’s hard to try and figure out who is going to win because to me each one looks very fast. I was trying some different strategies but none seemed to work. Of course it might have helped if I had gotten a program and tried to follow the lines of each dog. One method I used was just from the sight of the dog on the monitor as they were announcing their names and information. That was the worst strategy. I also tried to pick the dogs based on weight. I categorized the races based on the average weight of the group, light and heavy. For the light races I would try and pick the lightest dog, did a little better – picked one that placed. For the heavy races I would try and pick one that was of medium weight for that group, actually picked my one winner for the night. I really don’t know how anyone could pick a winner for there are so many variables that determine the outcome. How did they come out of the box, did they get bumped, did they get pushed wide on the turn; too many things that could cause the dog to finish later in the pack. The one thing I learned was to leave my money at home.

 
It was a great learning experience for me and I hope others who were there. I had a great time and I think my dogs did too. I’m looking forward to going again next year.