Friday Hound Blogging

Ask any overlord about the care of the units...er...dogs and you'll get a disquisition on the costs of training, maintenance, and up keep that lays out in crystal clear terms the folly of mistreating such a valued investment. It has been the core of their argument for many years and is usually trotted out any time dogs are found dead, mistreated or missing which seems to happen with such frequency that we begin to wonder if perhaps the overlords might be stretching the truth just a wee tad.

Or maybe they're as good with their investments as the folks at Lehman Brothers, AIG, Washington Mutual. You know, all those people who went to college for that stuff. At least the overlords can fall back on their basic ignorance when things go wrong. As they often do.

Three greyhounds were rescued after they were found tied to a truck without food and water in the hot sun, the nonprofit American European Greyhound Alliance announced through its Guam contact, Dave Davis. "When I contacted the owner, he said the dogs were guarding the truck, and he had been planning to come and take care of them but had forgotten where he parked." Davis told reporters.

The alliance stated there's been an increase in the number of greyhounds surfacing in the community, and some of the dogs have shown signs of neglect and/or abandonment. "Well, just because the dogs are emaciated, flea ridden and tick infested doesn't mean they've been neglected or abandoned," said one track representative who asked to remain nameless. "That's the kind of treatment they get at the track."

Oh we beg to differ Mr. Overlord sir. At the track the units...er...dogs receive the finest care under the watchful eye of trained veterinarians, right Janet Forrer and Susan Via?

Opponents of greyhound racing in Tucson have filed complaints with the state against veterinarians who monitor the dogs at Tucson Greyhound Park. The complaints claim that Andrew Carlton, the Arizona Department of Racing veterinarian, and track vets Betty Menke and Paul Pullen are in violation of the Veterinary Practice Act. "Hey, we showed up sober," Carlton said when told of the complaint. "Well, most of the time anyway. What do you want from us?"

Some of the alleged violations include:

• Steroids being administered by people other than the dual-licensed vets, who are the only ones authorized to do so.

• Track vets turning a blind eye to the steroid injections that are clearly in violation of the act, either because of "negligence or indifference."

• Lack of records outlining the drugs or treatments given to the animals, which should be submitted to the Arizona Department of Racing.

• Lack of oversight by Carlton, who, as state racing veterinarian, should be supervising the track vets' practices.

• Pullen not notifying the Veterinary Medical Examining Board of a change of address, or having a listed phone number. The last two practices where Pullen worked have disconnected telephone numbers.

"Wait, we're supposed to oversee stuff?" Carlton said. "I thought we just killed dogs who got hurt. Nobody said anything to me about overseeing stuff. And who's this Pullen person anyway?"

Details, details, details, huh Alice.

Alice is very skittish and timid. She does better when people use a tender the voice with her. One of her favorite spots is upstairs on a blanket. She will go to her foster mom and lean into her for security. She’s really bonded with her foster mom. She will follow her around, not constantly, and she really likes the affection from her foster mom. Alice would do well in a working family home with children ages 8 and up. She enjoys the company of a dog in the home, but she would be fine as an only dog, in fact her foster dad feels she could really thrive 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.