The great greyhound problem 1
April 14th 2011 06:37
Well, alright, there are a few extra rules about living in a house, but I'll explain them as we go along and I promise you'll soon get the hang of it.
The Greyhound Adoption Program, or GAP, is an Australia-wide, non-profit organisation supported by Greyhound Racing Australia. It is dedicated to finding homes for greyhounds whose racing careers have ended. But it has a problem.
In a three-part series written for Zoomies, JENNIE ALCORN looks at the biggest obstacle GAP faces in placing more dogs - the bottleneck caused by a shortage of foster carers.
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Racing greyhounds are no different from greyhounds which have spent their lives snoozing on sofas or in sunny corners of suburban back yards. All greyhounds are gentle – possibly the gentlest of all dog breeds – as well as intelligent and loving.
So when Australia’s Greyhound Adoption Program (and equivalent groups around the world) work to transition a retired racing greyhound into a domestic pet, personality is not a problem.
Neither is the problem finding sufficient trainers putting their dogs into the GAP program, or sufficient people willing to adopt a retired racer. The problem is the middle step – foster carers willing to take dogs for a few weeks and oversee the transition.
Racing greyhounds have a very different upbringing to that of a pet dog. They are trained to race, a task they enjoy, by people who respect them, but they are not taught about houses or about walking quietly down a suburban street or about being alone for long periods of time.
They are used to strict routines and a highly regulated lifestyle that makes it difficult for them to adjust to the disorder of family life. In addition they live alongside other greyhounds (each in his or her individual kennel), not with a mixture of other dogs, so their doggy manners are often lacking. Their curiosity about other breeds, coupled with this lack of manners, sometimes requires strong leadership skills from the foster carer.
A racing greyhound is not used to stairs or glass doors, finds walking on slippery floors a challenge and is bemused by televisions, vacuum cleaners and mirrors. They will probably think food left on tables (which are just the right height for greyhound inspection) is for them to eat and that sofas and beds are for them to sleep on.
Foster carers need to set clear guidelines for their foster hounds so the adopting owners have a strong base from which to set their own rules. Gently, but firmly, we guide each greyhound through the minefield of experiences it must cope with as it learns about a new way of life.
It rarely takes more than six weeks for a hound to learn the basics of life as a house pet. During this time it will be de-sexed, vaccinated and health-checked, and it must pass a personality test to ensure that it will walk quietly on the lead, is friendly towards small dogs and that a stranger can touch its food whilst it eats.
The problem for GAP is that not enough people are prepared to take a succession of strange dogs into their homes. The trainers are keen to place their dogs with GAP and there are enough people ready to adopt them, but not enough foster homes are available.
As a foster carer, you need to have a degree of patience as the hounds adjust to their new lives and you need to be able to provide firm but gentle leadership. However, it’s not as hard as you might think. They have been taught, for example, to be kennel clean, so it is rare for a foster dog to mess inside the house.
Greyhounds are sensitive and cannot handle harsh discipline, especially not in the huge upheaval they are going through as they become pet dogs.
On the other hand, they are intelligent animals and keen to please, so it doesn’t take long for them to learn about home life.
Fostering greyhounds is fun. You get to work with an industry that really cares about the animals it works with - GAP would not exist without the financial and caring support of Greyhound Racing Australia, and you are working with dogs whose trainers have shown them care and clear leadership all their lives so you don’t have the behavioural issues often associated with dogs from shelters.
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Read Part 2 of this series here.
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Comment by Roux 'b Doux
There is usually an organization in each state in the USA also called GAP - Greyhound Adoption Program. So this is universally available.
Thanks for doing these articles. Wish they had a PAP for the poodles of the world.
Comment by Chris Champion
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All credit, of course, goes to Jennie. She is the best weapon greyhound causes have.
Roux, surely there will always be 10 people ready to adopt any available poodle. I think this has been decreed in the Canine Cosmos.
Comment by Janice Cali
Roux was a rescue, but I had a horrible time finding a rescue that was breed specific for poodles.
Comment by Chris Champion
Vyoos
Zoomies
Bloggercises
The Blog of Lists
Newly Old
Money Whither