Greyhounds have had a special place in history for a long time. They were treasured by their owners, usually royalty or noblemen, and treated as one of the family.
The greyhound, as we know it today, was worshipped in ancient Egypt. The death of a favorite greyhound was treated the same as the death of a human. Families shaved heads, stopped eating, wailed, mummified, and buried their pets with their owners. Greyhounds traveled from ancient Egypt to ancient Greece and were treated with the same reverence. The same is true for ancient Rome. Gods in all three cultures were portrayed with greyhounds – Anubis in Egypt is sometimes interpreted as part man, part hound. The Greek Gods Hecate, Pollux, and Artemis all had greyhounds as companions. In Rome, Diana was just one of the many gods who was portrayed with greyhounds. It was in ancient Rome that it appears that greyhound racing after hares started as a sport.
Medieval Times
Greyhounds almost became extinct during the Middle Ages as famine and
pestilence spread across the land. Men of the cloth saved them, and the
nobility claimed them as an exclusive right of theirs. It is during the
Renaissance that greyhounds were painted and immortalized. Both Chaucer
and Shakespeare mentioned greyhounds in their literature.
In the 1700’s, greyhound coursing became popular and spread across Britain and Europe. During the same time, bulldogs were bred with greyhounds by an English nobleman named Lord Orford and these cross – breeds continued for 7 generations, and were very popular.
Getting To America
As the Britons immigrated to America, they brought their greyhounds with
them. They found them ideally suited to chase down rabbits that were interfering
with their crops. This led to bets and wagers among the farmers as to
whom had the faster dog. And in the 1900’s, an artificial lute and
an oval track led to the first formal greyhound wagering, the forerunner
of our greyhound racetracks.
A great book all about your greyhound’s past is The Reign of the Greyhound – A Popular History of the Oldest Family of Dogs, by Cynthia Branigan. All book stores carry it and it is highly recommended and fun reading!
Additionally, there are a lot of web sites devoted to greyhound adoption. The Greyhound Project and A Breed Apart are two of the best! They have tons of information on history and adoption of these wonderful dogs.
Ear Tattoos
The breeder applies tattoos at 3 months of age to puppies to ensure a
permanent and positive ID of each potential racer.
The right ear tells the month and year the puppy was born. Example 1: 88A means the puppy was born in the eighth (8) month of 1998 (8), and is the first (A) dog in the litter. Example 2: 121E means the puppy was born in the twelfth month (12) of 2001 (1) and is the fifth (E) dog in the litter to be tattooed.
Registration ID
The left ear has 4 – 5 digits and is the litter registration number
with the National Greyhound Association. This number is checked every
time the dog is raced to ensure it is the correct dog racing. You can
use the numbers to help locate your pet if lost.
You can also contact The National Greyhound Association at Box 543, Abilene, KS, 67410, 785-263-4660. This is where they maintain their computer registry. They will give you your greyhound’s racing name, his birth date, his birthplace, his mom’s name, his dad’s name, and the current owner of record. You can write to that owner and send papers to get your greyhound’s ownership transferred over to you.
Their Former Life
Greyhound litters usually produce 4 – 10 puppies. Once weaned, puppies
are placed in a fenced area to play and grow. Usually when they are around
one-year-old, they are kenneled and their track training begins. They
are taught to chase a lure and race counter clockwise. It is usually at
this time that it is determined whether they will become racers or not.
When greyhounds are kenneled, they are kept crated for the majority of their time. Crates are placed one on top of another, side by side. Crates are usually 3 feet by 2 feet.
Trainers usually care for 20 – 60 dogs within a kennel. Greyhounds are let out, muzzled, with a pack of other same – sex greyhounds up to 5 times a day, depending on the kennel, to relieve themselves. A racing or training greyhound is also let out of the kennel to go to the track and run 5/16th of a mile up to twice a week.
They are fed once a day with a variety of food - - usually soft, high-protein, and inexpensive. They are not neutered or spayed in case they will be used for breeding purposes.
This is all that a greyhound knows until you bring him home!