Friday Hound Blogging

Occasionally we here at IM Central hear rumblings from the patsies...er...from the suckers...umm...the patrons...yeah...the patrons of greyhound racing. OK, so sometimes the patrons of greyhound racing express concern that the sport may be...how do you say...less than on the up and up? This concerns them because the two dollar bets they make constitute a substantial part of their monthly income and can make the difference between Dinty Moore Canned Beef Stew and Friskies for dinner.

So, as you may imagine, a great sigh of relief went through the trailer park class when the industry announced that the latest dog drugging scandal would not be covered up.

The chairman of the Irish Greyhound Board, Paschal Taggart, insisted its decision to suppress the publication of two positive EPO findings were in the interests of the greyhound industry.

"This is an honest and well run sport," Mr. Taggart explained. "So when we have another drugging incident if we told everyone it would sully our reputation. That's not a cover-up. That's just good business sense"

The use of drugs in the industry has long caused controversy. Some 95 positive findings were published in 2004, compared to 12 in the horse racing industry. "Yeah, well dogs are smaller," explained Mr. Taggart.

One of the trainers, Paul Hennessy, is regarded as the most successful trainer in the country. "And that has nothing to do with drugs," said Mr. Hennessy's lawyer. Two dogs, one trained by Mr. Hennessy, the other by John Kiely, tested positive for EPO. The cases came before the board in November. The trainers admitted EPO was administered to the greyhounds.

"Look. We're not saying the dogs aren't all drugged up, we're just saying we don't like to talk about it," Mr. Taggert said. "Let's stick to the point here."

The greyhound industry has received 70 million in state aid in recent years, and has grown into a significant business with an annual tote income of over 50 million. When asked why a "significant business" still requires state support, Mr. Taggert said he wasn't sure, but he was aware of a rise in the prices of performance enhancing drugs. "That adds to our overhead costs you know."

So, Tyler, does EPO give you the munchies, or just make you think the police are following you?


Dewey Strategy aka Tyler is a very sweet, loving, happy, beautiful and affectionate boy. He is a “Velcro” dog in all aspects, as he loves people.Tyler is not your “stereo-typical” couch potato Greyhound. He is more like a Lab puppy who is house broken and doesn’t shed. Tyler is full of loveable energy and is really quite comical to be around. He loves to play and especially loves to wrestle, which is not typical of a Greyhound. He’s not afraid of any thing.Toys…… Tyler has de-squeaked every squeak toy that has been brought into the house. He plays with them relentlessly until they stop squeaking. And while he’s in the process of de-squeaking them, it’s quite a show.The first thing he does in the morning, is he manages to sneak the whole upper half of his body up onto the foster moms bed and then bites at her hands and feet under the covers until she gets up and feeds him. This is just one of his many kooky character traits.Now that he has filled out and his coat a product of good diet, he is an absolutely beautiful Greyhound, perfectly marked, strong and handsome. And if you’re looking for a house broken puppy, he’s your 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.

Windy City Sniper Update: Sniper is adopted! On January 28, 2006 Sniper left the foster program and settled in on her permanent couch in Essex, Ontario Canada. When asked what prompted her to settle outside the United States she said she hadn’t really made up her mind until she saw President Bush’s State of The Union Address. “I’ve been around wankers all my working life,” she said. “I don’t need to put up with them when I’m retired too.”