 PLENTIWOOD - the large commercial greyhound concern is of course gone. I
of course was never suited to this type of concern. Too sentimental
about the dogs, really loved them, unable to view them as commodities to
make money and unable to accept the harsh reality of you cannot keep all
of them all and give them a home until they are old. I did of course
provide a large number of them with what I believed was a good life and
fed plenty with no ability or after they had finished their racing
careers fed them for as long as possible and of course always had a few
who were officially pets. Even if you can find the money to feed all the
old ones, old age and a body letting you down stops you. The old bad
back, one of the less pleasant aspects of the human
condition. . I was watching Taggart the other night and even though it was fictional it did show the sad and harsh side of greyhound racing. A dog trainer doing it tough in the Scottish winter in a caravan- the dogs of course had better coats and blankets than he did and of course he loved them. He was approached by the criminal element to pull up his dog, the favourite. Really had no choice needed the money to live and feed the dogs and of course if he had refused they would have harmed him or the dogs anyway. The money of course was insignificant compared to what the criminal element expected to get back. The punter gets killed because the bookmakers do not like this sort of thing, always happy to take money from punters but not real happy about handing it back (pretty normal human behaviour unfortunately) When of course it is discovered that the dog has been "pulled up" the trainer knows that if they test the dog he will lose his license and his only source of income -so he reluctantly and sadly, crying the entire time shots her and buries her. I remembered then why the game was too tough for me. My students sometimes said to me "Are you a greyhound trainer Miss?" and I would say "yes, why?"and they would say "You don't look like one." "What do they look like?" "Not like you Miss"? "Well now you know that all greyhound trainers are not what you expected." There are of course some really disgusting greyhound trainers, (there are of course a small percentage of disgusting people everywhere and in every industry) because even disgusting people need money- the majority of course do it for a living and do not enjoy the harsh realities anymore than anyone else enjoys the harsh realities of their jobs. Survival is not pretty. " Gone to the dogs" is of course a saying suggesting you were doing it tough and could not afford to keep the horses. Some of my students would ask me if you made a lot of money out of greyhounds and I would say - "Sometimes you get lucky and get a good one who will earn enough for you to make back all the money you have spent on the ones with no ability, sometimes you can get some handy bread and butter dogs but what you have to realise is the reality is that you have to have money to pay for the privilege of owning them- like horse racing really just on a smaller scale. If you are really tough and astute you can make a living, if you are ruthless you can make a lot more, but if you are too soft it is not the career for you." "Now get on with your work so you can get good marks and get a job that is much easier." Unfortunately greyhound racing is very addictive- really exciting at times, although sad and disappointing at other times ( like life in general really) and the dogs of course are beautiful creatures who of course are like all dogs loyal and devoted and if you are going to walk a dog it might as well be one that can pay for its own tucker. I will of course always have a greyhound. When I retire I will rear a couple of pups and if they are good so be it. If they are not they can become pets- you can feed and look after two even if you are an old fart. One of course is easier but as a smart man told me once- get two that way they keep each other company and don't wreck the place if they get bored and you are not there. Sort of my destiny really- if you see the "tail of two dogs page." |
GREYHOUNDS AS PETS. Greyhounds of course make excellent pets because they are dogs and all dogs have characteristics that have led them to share their lives with people for tens of thousands of years. Better hunters than people who could of course spot and run down prey far better than humans. Excellent hearing and sense of smell they are protectors- warning systems for danger approaching when humans were asleep. Loyal and devoted; you can be the most ordinary or most awful person on the planet but your dog loves you regardless. That kind of devotion is not easy to find amongst your fellow human beings who of course expect you to contribute, sometimes in a very big way to making their lives better. When people were forced to settle down to an agricultural system when the ice age wiped out the big game, new problems called accumulated rubbish and stores of grains eaten by rodents also occurred. Cats sorted the rodents and wolves cleaned up the scraps. Wolves of course became the dogs we know today, with of course a great deal of variety. All breeds of dogs have different temperaments and you need one to suit your lifestyle. Kelpies on a farm are very useful, in a small yard or apartment they are of course bored out of their minds and amuse themselves in ways their owners are not always pleased about. If you exercise them a lot they are fine. If you are a lazy lounge lizard or busy you need a less active breed. Greyhounds are good because they have only two speeds- flat out and flat out. They cannot go flat out for a long time and like to lie around flat out for long periods of time and are quite happy curled up on a blanket virtually anywhere. They adapt to your speed of life. They are easy going, friendly animals most of whom would never consider biting anyone. They are of course beautiful creatures who could once only be owned by the King of England and his important friends not the peasants. Despite some adoption programmes claiming they are not good watch dogs, many of them are excellent watch dogs and as territorial as most other dogs. If you want a watch dog just pick one that has that in their nature. A top dog kind of a greyhound. Most of course are no more likely to kill a cat than any other kind of dog. It is a rare dog indeed who does not enjoying chasing cats no matter what his breed. Many of course can be trained like all dogs to become cat tolerant. Some like other breeds will always want to chase cats and unlike some breeds are quick enough to catch them. When they become older of course cat killing and chasing is the stuff they can only dream about and your cat of course will figure this out and cats of course are very good at looking after themselves. So if you are looking for a companion animal, greyhounds make excellent companions with the same responsibilities of course as looking after any animal. If you want a dog and have the time to look after one properly greyhounds are an excellent choice and of course you also get a good feeling about saving a beautiful creature from being destroyed simply because he/she cannot run fast enough or cannot run fast enough anymore. The Greyhound Adoption programmes of course do an excellent job- they are sometimes criticised about too few but I think saving 800 dogs a year is very commendable. Even if they only saved a few it is a good thing. They re-educate greyhounds and thanks to a very worthy Judge can, after they have been through this programme live and go out in public without their muzzles. The greyhound adoption people will of course make sure they are healthy, suitable as pets, let you know about their particular natures and de sex them before you get them. All the people who I know who have a greyhound as a pet- either an old one or one that is too gentle and slow to tough it out on the track are very happy with their choice. |
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE STUD DOG UNION MET TODAY to discuss the worrying trend of artificial insemination. A Journalist interviewing dogs after the meeting reported the following comments. BOND- "we became concerned when it was reported that various vets are advocating AI is the only way to go and met to discuss our future job prospects." WHERE'S PEDRO- " as one of the industry's most prominent stud dogs, I was simply appalled the other day when I went to the track for a promotion and a dog behind the boxes called out "Where's Pedros a wanker."Although a bitch standing at the kennel called out "we're with you big boy" and I felt a lot better. NOBODY'S FOOL representing the semi retired stud dog union said " I really don't know what the fuss is about. I always said to Neville, don't worry about those invoices, I'm happy to do it for free." EXCITE ABILITY said "I told the boys as soon as they lay a hand on the jewels, turn on em, nothing surprises an unsuspecting vet as an aggressive greyhound." BRUMBY LAD said he was deeply disappointed at this worrying trend and that SAINTLY CREW would be turning in his grave at the thought of not meeting bitches, not that he ever actually introduced himself politely to any of them.  |
THE THEORY IS THAT HUMANS DOMESTICATED DOGS. A very clever teacher who I worked with said he had heard me explaining that people domesticated dogs( to my Biology class). He said you know that is not true- they canined us. Like where are your dogs now, home under the air conditioner while you sweat it out in a room with no air conditioning with a heap of kids so you can pay the electricity bill for them to be cool and then when you get home you will feed them with food you have paid for with your labours and then they will look over at a poo and suggest to you that you might like to clean up after them. Dogs and people have what is called a symbiotic relationship, a relationship where both organisms benefit. There are no human cultures where dogs are not found. Even in cultures where they are not respected and in some cases despised- they are there anyway. Some scientists believe that because Homo sapiens had dogs and the other competing people did not, that dog owning gave them an advantage.( There were of course many other factors ) Whatever they are a good idea. God spelt backwards, is that a coincidence?  |