Posted on Sunday, March 9th, 2008
Often described as the “world’s fastest couch potatoes,” the fate of these sleek wonders of the canine world is not good if they are race track failures, or if their racing in the money days are over. Euthanasia is still the favorite decision made for these dogs by those in the Greyhound Racing industry who put money, success and winning before issues of humaneness and responsibility for the dogs who make their “sport” possible.
Although news reporting and abuse awareness over the last few years has brought light and scrutiny to the practice of “murdering” dogs simply because they are no longer of value, the over-production of racing greyhounds still exists, as owners seek the illusive great racing moneymaker.
A much better fate exists for those lucky enough to be rescued by Greyhound Pets Of America in South Carolina. These lucky survivors are rescued from Florida and brought to South Carolina, only to be sent to prison, where their metamorphosis from race track rejects to beloved family companions begins.
At Camille Graham Correctional Institution for women, each of these sleek packages of canine potential is paired with an inmate, in order to learn a whole new way of living. These dogs that have come from a track environment must learn social skills and proper behaviors in order to fit into the new family life that awaits their successful graduation.
Racing greyhounds must learn to accept noises they have never heard before, smells they’ve never encountered. They learn to walk on slick floors, up and down stairs, and all the other things that dogs must know and do to fit in to human society. These dogs previously lived in a small kennel and were taken to and from the track. That was their entire life experience before this opportunity for a new life came knocking.
In addition to learning about normal life noises and the day-to-dayness of “being a dog,” these deserving dogs are taught basic obedience by the inmates under the watchful and highly experienced eye of Dawn O’Cain. O’Cain is a professional dog trainer and Administrative Coordinator for the program. With over fifteen years of training dogs, O’Cain leads the inmates in all aspects of training and communicating with their charges effectively. And it’s working beyond expectations. O’Cain reports only one “repeat offender” greyhound out of many, many successful canine graduates. “Shock was adopted out,” says O’Cain, “and then returned. I believe he just loved the ladies.”
Shock According to one inmate, was a multiple repeat offender-returned three times for the same offense! His crime—unnecessary and incessant whining upon his arrival; an iritating and persistent noise that kept an entire cellblock of forty-eight women awake. You can imagine that that kind of nonstop noise would not be welcome in a family home.
Thankfully, Shock was given chance after chance to fit in. Since then Shock has been successfully adopted out again. When his new owner was asked how Shock was doing with his whining, the answer was music to their ears. “Whining? What whining?”
Tags: greyhounds
