Friday Hound Blogging

Sometimes, when an overlord has squeezed the last pound of profit he can from the dogs at a particular track, he or she will load them up and hit the road in search of a less competitive track with the hopes the there might be another dollar or two left in the units before he dumps them.

Such was the case with Jesse Burgess. He's a kennel operator who was transporting 35 dogs to Mexico because they were no longer competitive at any American racetrack. Eight of them died of heat stroke.

"Well it was only 12 hours," Burgess said. "And the trailer was air conditioned, but I guess that didn't help much because I put twice as many dogs in as it could hold."

Burgess -- who's been racing dogs for almost 20 years -- says he never knew about the rules on transporting greyhounds which were passed by the Arizona Racing Commission back in 1993. "I don't read so good," he told an investigator.

Burgess has been fined $500 and his license has been suspended for 60 days. But he plans to return to racing as soon as he can. "I have to," he said. "You really think I could hold down a real job?"

He may have a point, although we would like to think he could be trained to say "Welcome to Walmart" when prompted. Anyway, here's a hound who survived her jaunts in the company trailer and now is looking for one more trip--to the couch. Meet My Mother Marian:

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Marian is shy around people and in the home. She tends to spend a lot time in her crate or in a “safe” spot in the home. She has enjoyed pig ear treats. Marian needs a patient home that will work with her through her extreme shyness. She needs a family with older children, as younger children might be too noisy/vocal and would probably scare her. She is good with other dogs, but would probably be fine as an only dog. For more information about this dog, and other rescued racing greyhounds looking for homes, go here. If you don't know about the plight of racing greyhounds go here.