{"id":465,"date":"2011-05-21T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-21T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/?page_id=465"},"modified":"2011-05-21T07:01:18","modified_gmt":"2011-05-21T12:01:18","slug":"greyhounds-run-for-fun","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/?page_id=465","title":{"rendered":"Greyhounds Run for Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Greyhounds Run for Fun<\/div>\n<div>By\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/the-staff\/karen-given\">Karen Given<\/a> | Saturday, May 21st, 2011<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul id=\"gallery-1\">\n<li><a title=\"At the Granite State Greyhounds meet on May 15, Susan Kamen Marsicano presents one of her basenjis for inspection.  Despite it's name, the Large Gazehound Racing Association offers racing for basenjis and other small breeds.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2283\/5741076740_63573b56a6_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2283\/5741076740_63573b56a6_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Phoenix, a saluki, proudly wears #1 as she prepares to race against herself.  No other salukis showed up to race.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3214\/5741077380_5df2b4da8c_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3214\/5741077380_5df2b4da8c_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"The starting box looks (and sounds) impossibly scary, but greyhound owner Abigail Baker says her dogs see it as &quot;the start of fun.&quot;  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3540\/5741083386_dc81ac432e_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3540\/5741083386_dc81ac432e_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Race director Kate Binder and Irish deerhound owner Kate Hare wait for one of the basenji races to begin.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5222\/5740524697_3216b3fab9_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5222\/5740524697_3216b3fab9_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"The dogs race down 200 yards of a private landowner's grass runway.  They don't seem to be impressed by the scenery or the yellow plane on the edge of the runway.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3107\/5740526375_00a51af6d8_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3107\/5740526375_00a51af6d8_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Basenjis don't look much like their racing cousins, and they're certainly not fast.  But, like most dogs, they like to chase.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2133\/5741082088_2c6bc13316_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2133\/5741082088_2c6bc13316_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"The muzzles protect the lure, a plush squeaky toy on a rope, from over-enthusiastic finishers.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5268\/5741082850_e2b83cc174_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5268\/5741082850_e2b83cc174_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"These pups are way too young to race, but they seem to enjoy watching the older dogs.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3255\/5741078734_7751f2f4e1_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3255\/5741078734_7751f2f4e1_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Donna Collins and her greyhound, Toots, walk back to the start after a successful run in the rain.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2580\/5740527101_394051522d_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2580\/5740527101_394051522d_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Proponents say racing is good exercise for dogs and owners.  Proud Irish deerhound owner Denise must have walked the 200 yard course 15 times as she returned the lure to the start between races. (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2660\/5741081458_02f92e3c65_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2660\/5741081458_02f92e3c65_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Taking a break between races in the rain. (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" rel=\"gallery-1\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3571\/5741084102_811da4bb81_b.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3571\/5741084102_811da4bb81_s.jpg\" alt=\"photo\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Thirty years ago, there were more than 60 greyhound race tracks across the country. Now there are fewer than 25. Some tracks closed when states like\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wbur.org\/2008\/11\/04\/greyhound-racing-goes-to-the-dogs\">Massachusetts<\/a> banned the practice, but even more are closing as greyhound racing becomes less popular and gamblers take their dollars to casinos and online betting parlors.<\/p>\n<p>But greyhounds are more popular than ever. According to the American Greyhound Council, nearly 300,000 have been adopted by people like Abigail Baker. Over the years, Abigail has given a home to five former track dogs, and they all have loved to show her what they can do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey want to get out there and sprint,\u201d Abigail said. \u201cAnd then they want to do a big figure eight because, I believe, they like to run by me and say, \u2018Hey. Look at me. I\u2019m really fast!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After spending their early years racing at a greyhound track, ten-year-old Patterman and Abigail\u2019s other elderly greyhound, Olivia, are too old to race, even as amateurs. But on a recent rainy May day, Patterman still whined and pawed longingly at the starting box for an amateur greyhound race.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, they know it\u2019s going to be fun,\u201d Abigail said. \u201cThis is the start of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4599\"><a href=\"http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/files\/2011\/05\/3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/files\/2011\/05\/3-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The starting box looks scary, but Abigail Baker's greyhound Patterman wants back in.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>The starting box looks scary, but Abigail Baker&#8217;s greyhound Patterman wants back in. (Karen Given\/Only A Game)&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>This is a LGRA event, held on a private landowner\u2019s grass runway in Southern New Hampshire. The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lgra.org\/\">Large Gazehound Racing Association <\/a>was formed to give greyhounds a place to race for the sheer joy of it, but it\u2019s not just greyhounds who are allowed to run. Older dogs like Patterman and Olivia are allowed to run for short distances during lunchtime practice breaks. And, even little basenjis, who look nothing like their quick and powerful cousins, get in on the fun.<\/p>\n<p>Waiting at the finish line were loving owners who offer the same praise and belly rubs for the last place finisher as they did for the dog who came in first. Abigail freely admitted that her love of the sport has become a bit evangelical.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do feel sorry for people who adopt greyhounds and they never do this,\u201d Abigail said. \u201cThey never go out and let their dog do the thing it wants to do the most.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At role call and inspection, Kate Binder, race secretary for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.granitestategreyhounds.com\/\">Granite State Greyhounds<\/a>, carefully checked the gait of each dog and looked for any sign of injury. Some, especially the basenjis, weren\u2019t so sure about running on the wet grass.<\/p>\n<p>Kate\u2019s greyhounds were resting at home after running races the day before. But, she said, even those dogs who didn\u2019t look enthusiastic about the damp conditions would be thrilled when it came time to race.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh yeah,\u201d Kate said. \u201cIt\u2019s what they\u2019re made to do. When I start getting my stuff up out of the basement before a weekend of racing, they know. They know where we\u2019re going. And they start getting excited every time I shift on my chair from then until it\u2019s actually time to get in the van and drive to the racing field, they\u2019re at the door. \u2018Can we go now, Mom? Can we go? Are we going racing?\u2019 They love it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even when Kate didn\u2019t own a dog who could race competitively, she gave her weekends over to acting as race secretary for Granite State Greyhounds. Racing proponents drive hundreds of miles to give their dogs a chance to run down the 200 yard grass track. After so much effort has been put into banning professional greyhound racing in states around the country, Kate admitted that amateur dog racing is not without controversy. Dogs, especially those who aren\u2019t conditioned properly, sometimes get hurt. But in her opinion, those who object just don\u2019t understand greyhounds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreyhounds are not rescued from having to race,\u201d Kate said. \u201cIt is true that the racing industry has problems, but having the greyhounds running is not one of them. Do you let your kids play soccer? Or, god help us, hockey? It\u2019s risky and they can be injured, but it\u2019s what they want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Between the excited dogs and the slightly eccentric owners, a LGRA event is carefully controlled chaos. On the first race of the day, Phoenix, a beautiful snowy white Saluki, raced against herself. No other Salukis came out to race.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4600\"><a href=\"http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/files\/2011\/05\/2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/files\/2011\/05\/2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Phoenix, a snowy white saluki, raced against herself.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Phoenix, a snowy white saluki, raced against herself. (Karen Given\/Only A Game)&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The metal starting box looked and sounded impossibly scary, but Phoenix went in without any trouble. Kate ran to the front of the box and shook the lure, a plush squeaky toy on a long rope.<\/p>\n<p>The second the lure started to move down the track, another Granite State Greyhounds member opened the box. Phoenix\u2019s graceful body bolted down the 200 yard course in just a few seconds. I know that dogs can\u2019t really smile. But, as I watched her fly past, I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that Phoenix was grinning from ear to ear.<\/p>\n<p>After a busy day of greyhound racing on Saturday, Toots was the only greyhound entered in Sunday\u2019s race. Donna Collins adopted Toots from the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wbur.org\/2010\/08\/20\/wonderland-furlong\">Wonderland<\/a> race track in 2007. Donna says she was calm, loving, and in peak condition. She\u2019s also slow. At most LGRA events, Toots wins the turtle, the award given to the slowest dog of the day. It\u2019s a distinction that doesn\u2019t bother Toots or her owner in the slightest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe doesn\u2019t care because she has actually figured out that if she slows down at the end she can be the first dog on the lure,\u201d Donna said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what she wants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but this spring\u2026they brought more rain. Kate Hare and her husband drove up from Downingtown, Pennsylvania to let their Irish Deerhounds try racing for the first time. Kate didn\u2019t really get the chance to watch. She spent her dog\u2019s practice run hiding behind a yellow plane parked on the side of the runway. When she emerged, Kate eyed the overcast skies and wondered if she should be wearing her raincoat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBelieve me, if it was pouring down rain, everybody would still be out here doing this, as long as the footing was safe,\u201d Kate said. \u201cAnd everybody still stays to the very end and has lunch and has a good time whether it rains or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And with that, the skies opened up. For the next two hours the humans got drenched while the dogs happily ran down the racetrack in the rain.<\/p>\n<p>Michele Houghton, President of Granite State greyhounds, said a little discomfort on her part was worth the joy this event brings to her dogs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4601\"><a href=\"http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/files\/2011\/05\/11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/files\/2011\/05\/11-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Walking the lure back to the start during a cold day of racing in the rain.  (Karen Given\/Only A Game)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Walking the lure back to the start during a cold day of racing in the rain. (Karen Given\/Only A Game)&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t care if it\u2019s raining,\u201d Michele said. \u201cThey wouldn\u2019t care if it was snowing. They don\u2019t care. They just want to run.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, there were no betting slips to settle up, just blue ribbons for the winners and gag gifts for the turtle. The dogs were settled in their beds in warm, dry cars while their owners cheered for each and every competitor, even the ones who didn\u2019t finish, and the ones who had no one to compete against except themselves.<\/p>\n<p>The Granite State Greyhounds wouldn\u2019t have it any other way\u2026<\/p>\n<p>(NOTE: Original Article at\u00a0http:\/\/onlyagame.wbur.org\/2011\/05\/21\/greyhound-racing)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greyhounds Run for Fun By\u00a0Karen Given | Saturday, May 21st, 2011 Thirty years ago, there were more than 60 greyhound race tracks across the country. Now there are fewer than 25. Some tracks closed when states like\u00a0Massachusetts banned the practice, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/?page_id=465\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":19,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-465","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=465"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":467,"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/465\/revisions\/467"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greyhoundinfo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}