John Sappingtons thoughts on greyhounds, care and love of the sport. He Races at Dairyland Greyhound Park which sadly will close at the end of this year.
personally, i think if the dog is exercised enough, fed well and gets well cared for and the conditions are clean, there's nothing wrong with keeping them in pens/kennels/ crates etc. Most competition horses live most of their lives in stables where they can only turn around and lay down, only coming out to be ridden, lucky ones get turned out in paddocks for a few hours. these dogs look healthy and the people seem genuine. Plus their diet is better than what most pet dogs eat!
I have a retired racer from Florida. When they shut down the track they only took with them the good racers. Many greyhounds, including my own was left at the track to be picked up by animal control. When I rescued him he had no idea what stairs, mirrors, glass, or large bodies of water.
This is an excellent video. Well done, and I enjoyed seeing how you take the time to care for your dogs and it shows in the way they respond to you, in their body condition and their over all behavior. Well, done. I too feel much better about Grey hound breeders and anytime you need a home for one of your dogs, please contact us. We would love to have one of your dogs.
It isn't all bad, there are trainers that care about their dogs and treat them well. We just adopted a grey and her trainer had us call her before we adopted the dog because she wanted to make sure that we would provide a good home. Unfortunately the industry as a whole is corrupt, but there are still some good people in it. As far as the crate goes, our grey likes hers. She will go lay in it if the door is open and we aren't home, t's almost like she feels safe and comfortable in there.
If anyone watching this video really thinks this is animal abuse they need first - glasses second - psychiatric evaluation!!! Love your use of the english language by the way - really pleasant!!!
@ratsmakemesmile The muzzles are actually a good idea for greys. They have very thin skin that can tear and cause serious injury to the hound. They tend to get quite nippy when playing and in large groups, so it's a good idea to muzzle them if they have a tendency towards this behaviour. It's also a good idea to muzzle them when they're meeting other pets, especially smaller ones like cats. It's recommended with newly adopted ex-racers that they be muzzled for such instances.
i do think they need more stuff to do though, to keep them busy. chew toys or treat/kibble balls etc, as they probably get bored between races.and they should have thicker beds - big duvets or fleeces or something
I don't know if you watch the races or just clean kennels but when I see a dog flip head of heels on the track in some of these videos, it breaks my heart and I don't know how you can go on being a part of that. I really hope you find a better way to make yours and the lives of all the dogs you care for better while you are still on this earth and that doesn't involve placing them in cages and occasionally letting them out .
I did not know but greyhounds sleep up to 20 yes 20 hours a day they can cost 10k dollars so it would make no sense to not take care of them they also only need minimal exercise. My dog would have chowed down on that meal its making me hungry
Yes. I rescue greyhounds. They spend upwards of 20 to 23 hours/day in a cage. Stacked 3 high. Terrible. And the kennel area in this video is the Hilton compared to some.
I wouldn't say most competition horses are kept in their stalls. A vast majority get to go into a turn out or pasture during the day. Only some of the equitation horse are stalled. and even then they get let out in the indoor arenas or when they aren't showing the go out. I agree that these dogs are very well cared for. The only thing I worry about is their lives after racing.
most racehorses get a summer holiday but otherwise are stabled for 23hours a day, as were the reining horses i worked with who only left their stables to exercise, and never allowed to interact with each other. i know it's not that nice for them, but if they have plenty of exercise and a chance to socialise, and a comfy bed they should be happy. i worry about their lives after racing too, here in the UK it's becoming more popular to rehome retired greyhounds though :)
i think its a good st up with the feeding and the indoor kennelss but what happens if a dog gets a cramp inside the cage ??????? their well looked after doh
Based on the fact that one of my Greyhounds had to have seven teeth removed shortly after getting him because they were totally rotted out. Is this the great care and love for the dogs you're talking about? Can you imagine the pain you'd be in walking around and eating when you have seven rotted teeth? You'll never convince me based on my experiences that these dogs are well looked after and have good lives on the track.
Beautiful creatures being extremely well cared for- they arnt yapping their heads off because their content - they haven't done anything to them !! I live for my dogs and the dogs love to go racing- pet dogs are just being taken out of their wild environment and taught to live like a human !! Do nothing but watch tv and eat tinned dog food which tastes awful !! At least these animals have some purpose to their lives !! These owners are fab !!
@BlackQuarterHorse it isn't bad to take dog to racing, but most people just abandon their dog after the dog won't win any races. Some people think greyhounds as way to make money which is replaceable after she/he won't bring any money to the table
i don't see the "animal cruelty" crowds going out and adopting the retired ones, there's loads needing homes near me... go do something about it if you care so much.... I did and I'm all the happier for it
By the way, that money you put into your greyhounds was probably earned from the actual greyhounds themselves, and its not like you are taking care of them for their sake because if you were, you wouldn't be standing up for what you are doing.
I'm glad they closed down most of the racing tracks, the few that are left hopefully will also close soon. Talk about making money with blood on your hands. These gentle giants deserve much better than this. I have two retired Greys and NOW they know what living really is, not life on a race track where they are disposable pieces of equipment which are tossed aside once they have outlived their usefulness. Disgusting!
I understand that you get a lot of negative feedback even though you give all you can to these dogs, but that still doesn't make this "job" of yours right. Criminals are kept in cages, fed, and let out occasionally so as not to go completely insane but they probably did something wrong in life that put them there. These dogs are going through the same treatment but have done nothing to deserve being used and put in cages when they are just confused.
I know it's horrible they don't take care of their teeth in the kennels I have actually talked to my bosses about this they feel the milk bones clean their but they don't its one of the only things I don't agree with and I cant clean the teeth of 100 dogs every day if I could I would but its way too much work for just 1 person working there
these poor dogs have feelings and a heart,they need love not only food .......you guys do this to the greyhounds is really bad i hate people like you guys
Very nice video. But with all due respect to the few trainers that care; To me If what's on the nutrition label you can't pronounce it, don't eat it! And if you wouldn't eat it yourself, don't feed it to your dog. But I guess that if we take into account the 'long term' problems of consuming 3d meats and the life span of greyhounds as racers is non of the kennel nor the trainers problems...
@EShafiroff Do you think this is okay when dogs live in a cage? I think this is shit! I have a Whippet and he live with me in the house as a family member! This is ANIMAL CRUELITY!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't talk shit! The racing industry is living on state govt subsidies, without which the industry would already be dead. Maybe 15 - 20 years ago it was making money but not anymore. Jobs like these we don't need in our communities. If you think its just me talking, why did most states in the country end dog racing? Because people no longer support the cruelty, end of story.
the industry is still alive because of casinos mostly and your not the only one spewing lies other organizations like grey2k spread lies too I just don't see the abuse I guess the dogs are taken care of more than you think because if they weren't then no one would make money and we both have a love for these dogs so can we just agree to disagree?
and you think this video will show how lovely you care about the dogs ? it is dumb. it shows how terrible these dogs have to life, because some people are too greedy!
although they are taking great care of the animals here, they are by no means honoring the dogs way of life! locking them in cages i understand is how they think it should be done but no dog should be kept in a box like that and only used for entertainment
they are put up for adoption you fool the kennels I work at all send their dogs into adoption and they are only euthanized if its a really bad injury like a badly broken leg
You people are doing nothing but filling their own pockets for your own gratification. Just the same as running a puppy mill I'm sure you know that . Some slaves were treated Well also by their peers. Others were muzzled whipped beaten and mentally screwed up because Their owners think they know what is right for them. This is sad that you guys do this to these poor animals. I'm turning you in .
You obviously have never owned a greyhound. I have a huge house. My greyhounds sit on their individual mats. They are 45 mph couch potatoes. 99.9% of the time they don't move. They sit in one spot and relax. They love to be lazy. They like a short walk, eat then go back to their resting spot. The ones that can't race are adopted out. Tons of adoption agencies take them in. Maybe 10-20 years ago they were killed. Nowadays they are treated like kings. Quit being a hippy.
