Bringing in New Greyhounds

In this article, I am going to explain what a GPA/OK (Greyhound Pets of America/Oklahoma) volunteer does when new dogs are brought into our program.

GPA/OK gets most of the greyhounds for their adoption program from greyhound breeders in Oklahoma. The breeders care for their greyhound puppies, train them for racing, and send them to various tracks in the United States.

We get the dogs at various ages:
If the dog has had a successful racing career, we may not get it until about 5 years of age.
If an injury occurs to the dog that prevents him/her from racing, we get that dog at an earlier age.
If the dog simply refuses to race, we get them at 1 or 2 years of age.
Some successful racers are used for breeding following the completion of their careers. In these cases we may get them at age 9 or 10.

We also acquire greyhounds from pounds in different cities in Oklahoma. Another way we get dogs is from individuals who have a greyhound in their possession that they are unable to keep.

Regardless of how or where we get the dogs, our day proceeds as follows:

Upon taking possession of the new greyhounds, we meet at a volunteer's house. The first thing we do is bathe the dogs, flea dipping if necessary. We look for ticks, clean the ears, and just generally give them a good "going-over."

Next we bring them into the house - one by one - leashed and muzzled - for the "cat-checking" process. Many times this is done at my house. I have one cat, Sasha, who is a "medal winner" in this job. She walks around the new dog with the greatest of ease! She knows I would never let anything happen to her. There are three classifications the dogs go in: Cat Safe, NOT Cat Safe, and Workable.

The next order of business is the documentation process. We take each dog's picture, individually,and then we write down the ear tattoos. The exception to this is when we have gotten a greyhound with no tattoos - in other words one not bred for racing.

We are now ready for the foster families to arrive. They take their dog, a supply of food, a heartworm tablet, and are on their way. The foster home's responsibility is now beginning! Most of these dogs have never been inside of a house before, so they must be taught about house living: glass doors, kitchen counters, the noise from televisions, vacuum cleaners, etc. This is an enjoyable and rewarding experience!

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic