SV Greyhound Adoption League

Description

The road to retirement for the racing Greyhound begins each Saturday night at Tucson Greyhound Park. Dogs not placing in the top four positions are removed from the track. Ten years ago, this would have meant death or use for medical experiments. Now it means being moved to a holding kennel, awaiting a foster home. While waiting, the dogs are neutered or spayed, their teeth cleaned, shots updated, and general physical given. The dogs are between the ages of 18 months and five years. Life expectancy is twelve to fourteen years. Foster homes are volunteer families, who take the recently retired Greyhound and begin the process of adjustment into a home, living and interacting with people and other animals, and learning about a whole new way of life. The dogs have led a very regimented life to this point, being let out of their 4' x 4' x 4' crate four times a day, fed once a day, and racing twice a week. All of these things are new and require adjustment. After several weeks of fostering, the dogs begin attending adoption days, where they will meet and very shortly go home with a new family, to spend the rest of their lives.