|
|
|
First Floor, 150 West State
Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08608-1105
|
|
Tel: 609.989.9216 Fax:
609.989.9595 Email:
njcm@njcm.org
TAX I. D. # 22-1732071 |
|
|
|
Happiness and a Rescue Mission… An Angels Story
BY
RITA
WEBER, NJCM OPERATIONS MANAGER |
My husband Andrew and I
recently adopted a retired racing greyhound, Kenya,
from Greyhound Angels Adoption, Inc. located in
Pennsauken, NJ. Rescue groups like Greyhound Angels
that specialize in Greyhound adoption work very, very
hard to help adult dogs find good homes. Rescues are
almost always made up of a group of volunteers. These
people are incredibly passionate about rescue, and
they work tirelessly to make sure every dog finds a
home. “Nothing is as rewarding to us as a successful
adoption!” said Lisa Newbold, Director / Founder of
Greyhound Angels Adoption Agency.
The history of the Greyhound covers a span of some
4000 years. The only breed of dog mentioned by name in
the Bible is the greyhound and is one of the most
ancient of breeds as it is seen in artistry, pottery,
literature, and found in the hieroglyphs of the
ancient pyramids. In ancient Egypt the greyhound was a
companion of Cleopatra.
Greyhounds were first introduced to America in the
18th century to help farmers control the jackrabbit
population. As time went by, the farmers started to
conduct some form of competitive greyhound racing
which evolved into the greyhound track racing as we
know it today. Greyhound track racing dates back to
1919 when Owen Patrick Smith promoted the first major
race meeting in California. O. P. Smith invented the
revolutionary mechanical lure circa 1912 that could
travel around a circular track that made dog racing
possible. His research into forcing the dogs around a
track hit on the idea of getting them to chase a
rabbit. His experiments included dragging a stuffed
one around a track behind a motorcycle. He is
considered the 'father' of American greyhound racing.
In the early 1900's Oval Track Racing was developed
and quickly grew in importance. This new Greyhound
activity became more popular and lent itself well as a
spectator sport. Today greyhound racing is a
multibillion-dollar business. Although it is illegal
in 34 states (Nevada and Washington being the latest
to abolish it), it remains legal in 16. Even the most
"responsible" kennels confine their dogs to tiny
crates for 22 hours a day, allowing them out only to
relieve them or to race once every few days. Despite
denials by the industry, abuses are rampant -- dogs
starved and neglected, kept in filthy conditions, fed
meat from dying or diseased cattle. On the track they
die of heat exhaustion and hundreds break bones every
year. The NGA employs one full-time and 75 part-time
inspector to cover all the racing kennels and farms in
the entire country. Over breeding is a necessity in an
industry in which only a few puppies will mature into
dogs able to win money. Of the roughly 26,000 dogs
registered each year, the majority will fail to earn
their keep and be killed. Thousands of puppies are
killed before they reach racing age. "Retired" racing
dogs, placed by adoption kennels, account for only
about 13,000 of the racers displaced each year. The
rest simply disappear -- euthanized by veterinarians,
sold to medical labs, shot, abandoned or shipped to
Central and South America. State regulation where it
exists is ineffective because racing dogs are
routinely moved around the country. If it is
politically inconvenient to kill dogs in one state
they are moved to another one.
In the United States, greyhound racing is not governed
by the Animal Welfare Act, so treatment of the dogs
depends largely on the industry's self-regulation. In
recent years, several state governments in the United
States have passed legislation to improve the
treatment of racing dogs in their jurisdiction. During
the 1990's seven states banned live greyhound racing,
though racing has never been banned in a state that
has had active racing. Greyhound racing is not an
isolated occurrence—tracks exist legally in almost
every part of the nation, from New England to the
Rockies. Currently 15 states operate greyhound tracks:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut,
Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia and
Wisconsin. Florida tops the list with 16 tracks. A
recent victory occurred on May 24, 2004, when
Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell signed a law
banning greyhound racing in the state. Since
Pennsylvania doesn't currently operate any tracks,
this may seem insignificant in the fight against
greyhound racing. But, according to Ellie Sciurba,
president of Pennsylvania Citizens Against Greyhound
Racing, the law is monumental because it is a
proactive measure that allows the state to be "a role
model, declaring that greyhound racing is not an
acceptable form of human entertainment." Years ago
there was a greyhound race track in Atlantic City. New
Jersey currently does not operate any race tracks for
greyhounds but does not have any legislation in place
to ban it either.
Greyhounds are sweet, intelligent, and sensitive,
making them wonderful pets and family members. They
are members of the sight hound family and can see up
to a mile away. They are built for speed and can reach
speeds up to 40-45 mph within 2-3 strides which makes
them the fastest dogs in the world. Greyhounds are
couch potatoes and do not need room to run. They need
nice brisk walks since they were not trained for
distance they can get tired after 20 minutes of
walking. They are also very dedicated to humans and
bond to your family in days.
Andrew, Kenya and I participated this year in the
largest greyhound convention in the country. From
October 5th through 7th, thousands of greyhounds
visited Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for
the 13th annual “Greyhounds Reach the Beach” weekend.
A miraculous transformation occurs in these resort
communities. The tropical summer wear of their typical
visitors is replaced with greyhound t-shirts and
sweatshirts. And around most every corner, peering out
of nearly every car and hotel window, and lining the
long, pristine beaches are greyhounds, greyhounds, and
more beautiful greyhounds. Among the weekend’s
activities are morning walks on the beach, educational
seminars, an ice cream social, and a blessing of the
hounds. Many people who come from all over the country
and even abroad — the weekend is equal parts
education, networking, socializing, and enjoying the
local flavors. Andrew and I participated this year and
we met wonderful people and talked to many greyhound
owners about Kenya. We learned many insights to help
us be better parents to our new dog Kenya and made
many wonderful friends along the way.
Kenya raced at Jefferson County Kennel Club Located in
northern Jefferson County just minutes from the
Georgia state line, JCKC attracts patrons from all
over North Florida and South Georgia. In Kenya’s short
career he won 3 out of 26 races from February to June
2006. He is a beautiful white and brindle spotted male
weighing 85 pounds. Rescuing Kenya has been a real eye
opener for me. It is incredible how much, in such a
short period of time that Kenya has made such a
difference in my life. I truly enjoy my new friend
that makes me laugh and run around like a kid again.
The bond that has been created is hard to describe.
When we received Kenya, he had been well cared for by
Greyhound Angels. They fully vetted and micro chipped
him. They are spayed or neutered, are current on all
vaccinations, tested for heartworm, are on heartworm
preventative and given frontline plus for flee and
tick prevention.
If you are interested in adopting a greyhound or
finding out more information please contact Greyhound
Angels at (856) 220-5158 and the website address is
www.greyhoundangelsadoption.com.
Rita Weber has been with NJCM since 2003, and she now
serves as NJCM Operations Manager, a position she has
held since July, 2006. She has been responsible for
the development and maintenance of the ever popular
NJCM website, please visit today at www.njcm.org. |
|
Back
to the list of Articles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
