I have volunteered off and on for more than a decade in the service of transitioning Greyhounds from the track to happy homes. It is a worthy cause, and one that I gladly undertake, but it is a never ending endeavor. From helping at the kennel, to running the web properties, it is a fulfilling and rewarding experience. It has also taught me a lot about the hounds, and the enterprise that creates so many greyhounds to be placed.
Like many exploitive industries, the dog racing industry has some issues. There is a lot of infrastructure to get the hounds from their litters to the track, from breeders to kennel operators, and trainers, all with an agenda. However, at the end of the day, the product, hounds racing and being bet on, is a for profit endeavor. Winners are treated well, average hounds survive, and the losers? Well, that isn’t worth thinking too much about.