Friday Hound Blogging

OK here's the problem with greyhound racing. There's so much money to be made and the stakes are so high that there is enormous pressure on the breeders to win. This is a situation tailor made for cheating, cutting corners and ignoring the rules, all of which puts the greyhounds in increased danger.

Wait. What's that you say? There is no money in greyhound racing?

For the tracks, running dogs is a losing business, one that they maintain only so they can reap the massive profits from newer gambling like slots and poker. Though Florida is often considered the mecca of modern dog racing in this country, over the last eight years, taxes and fees paid to the government from greyhound racing have dropped a whopping 96 percent.

 Whoa. That's..um...pretty bleak, dude. Well, on the bright side, with no money to be made that takes the pressure off and now we can do greyhound racing for fun without worrying about the temptation the breeders might have to play fast and loose with the rules, which means the greyhounds are going to be a whole lot safer, right Trainer Eric Butler?

Mr Butler was found guilty of a charge under Greyhound Racing Rule 83 (2) (a) in that he presented Sunshine Fury for the race in question not free of a prohibited substance as the urine sample taken from the greyhound was found to contain Codeine.

See? The less financial incentive you put on an activity, the less likely it's going to be that people will cheat to get ahead and...wait...codeine? Eric. Dude. If you're gonna cheat at least know your chemistry. Codeine is a downer, man. You take it yourself to cope with your life decisions, you don't give it to greyhounds to make them run faster. Criminny. Somebody buy this guy the Breaking Bad DVDs or something.

Well, no matter because we know what the overlords are going to say about this, namely this Eric guy is what's known as The Bad Apple. He in no way represents the fine upstanding citizens who populate the barbarous sport of heartless innocent animal exploitation greyhound racing. Isn't that right Trainer Alfred Vella?

Mr Vella pleaded guilty to a charge under Greyhound Racing Rule 83 (2) (a) in that he presented Diesel Roc for the race in question not free of a prohibited substance as the urine sample taken from the greyhound was found to contain Caffeine, Theobromine, Theophylline and Paraxanthine.

 Hmm...well in his defense we have to say that Alfred was apparently paying more attention in chemistry class than Eric was. We mean, caffeine? Yeah, we get that, but theobromine? Dude, that's chocolate! Now, chocolate might make some people run faster, but dogs? Ah...not so much. See, that's why the lure is a fake rabbit and not a snickers bar, right Pinocchio?

 Pinocchio is very mild mannered. He is very loving and affectionate. He likes to follow his foster mom around the house. He gives kisses and loves to be petted and snuggle. He puts his head in your lap and he gets along with the female greyhound in the home. He likes to play with toys. He likes to look at himself in the mirror. He is a curious, happy dog who prances when he walks. He also can sit. He has a pronounced overbite, which probably gave him his name. It is very endearing. He also sleeps on his back with his feet in the air in the “cockroach” position. Pinocchio would do well in a working family home with well-mannered older children, 12 and up. He would probably do best as an only dog, because he gets possessive of food/treats around other dogs. He may be okay in a home with other dogs, preferably female dogs, if the family has dog behavior experience. If he is in a home with another dog, he should be walked together with the dog. He needs a home that will provide structure and boundaries for him. 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.