Great Lakes Greyhound of Indiana

17/09/2022

22/08/2022

I didn't know that ...
The greyhound was introduced in England just prior to the ninth century as a result of the crusades, wars, and
conquest with Middle Eastern tribes. During this time, greyhounds nearly became extinct, but were saved by
clergymen and monks who bred them for the nobility. Greyhounds once again became the favored dog of the
nobility. In 1014, King Canute established Forest Laws that prohibited slaves and serfs from owning and
hunting with greyhounds. Commoners who hunted with greyhounds in defiance of these laws favored dogs
whose coloring allowed them to blend in with the forest, such as black, fawn, red, and brindle. The nobility
favored white and spotted dogs that could be more easily seen, making it easier to recover a dog lost in the
woods. Among the English aristocracy, one could truly tell a gentleman by his horses and his greyhounds. The
greyhound appears in many works of art and literature during this time. The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the
Battle of Hastings, shows William the Conqueror with his greyhounds. The greyhound is also the first dog to be
mentioned in English literature. In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, greyhounds are described as "swifte as fowel in
flight". Edmund de Langley’s Mayster of Game, written in 1370, describes the ideal greyhound. Two hundred
years later, William Shakespeare has the character of Henry V compare his troops to greyhounds, "I see you
stand like greyhounds in the slips/Straining upon the start/The game’s afoot."
During the Renaissance: Standard of Kings, Sport of Queens
By the time of the Renaissance, greyhounds were so identified with the nobility that many families began using
them on their coats of arms, making the greyhound the most common dog in heraldry. Henry VII and Henry VIII
of England showed a running white greyhound and two silver greyhounds on their coat of arms and Henry VIII
adopted the greyhound as his personal standard. It remains the symbol of the House of York even today.
During the 16th century, coursing races, with dogs chasing live rabbits, became popular. Elizabeth I of England
was especially fond of coursing and commissioned Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, to draw up rules for judging
competitive coursing. In 1638, the Renaissance rules of coursing were published. The rules of coursing have
not changed a great deal since then and lure coursing today is still judged on the hounds’ ability to follow, their
speed, and their endurance. Greyhounds remained popular among England’s nobility in the nineteenth century.
H.R.H. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, had a favorite greyhound Eos, who appeared in numerous
court portraits.
Coming to America
Greyhounds first made their way to America in the late 1400’s when Christopher Columbus included them on
his second expedition to the New World. One greyhound accompanied Francisco de Coronado as far as
present-day Mexico. Other greyhounds accompanied Ponce de Leon, Hernando de Soto, Vasco de Balboa and
Cortez as they traveled throughout the Americas. Greyhounds traveled with English explorer George Cartwright
on his expeditions into Canada in the late 1700’s. Baron Friedrich von Steuben, who helped General George
Washington during the Revolutionary War, kept his greyhound Azor with him during the long winter at Valley
Forge in 1777. In the mid-1800’s, greyhounds were imported to North America in large numbers from Ireland to
control a jackrabbit epidemic in the Midwest and were later used to hunt coyotes. The US Calvary used
greyhounds to help track down Native Americans, while General George Custer reportedly took his greyhounds
with him wherever he went. Soon, greyhounds were used as a sporting dog. One of the first national coursing
meets was held in Kansas in 1886. The transition from coursing to racing began as early as 1876, when the
first artificial lure was used on a straight track in England. In the early 1900’s, an American by the name of
Owen Patrick Smith developed a lure that could run on an oval track and greyhound racing began to be
considered a sport. This led to the opening of the first greyhound racing track in Emeryville, California in 1919

07/08/2022

Today’s doodlin’... ‘The Iggy on the Greyhound walk’

28/07/2022

Thank you to each & every one one of you who kindly share my doodles

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

23/07/2022

Over the rainbow bridge there is a rainbow couch of happiness ♥️

16/07/2022

13/07/2022

Laundry day ♥️

09/07/2022

Interesting post from greyhound savy folks

08/07/2022

An old doodle but one I love, simply called: Home ♥️

08/07/2022

Driving Miss Daisy

07/07/2022

You are my world ♥️🌎

06/07/2022

01/07/2022

Persian Greyhound/now Saluki, 19th c.

30/06/2022

Signs of bloat!

23/06/2022

"While all dogs need plenty of mental and physical “energy releases”, there are times when they really just need to fulfill a “sense of purpose”
Source: TheDogspeaks.

By factual definition, greyhounds are consummate hunters and chasers of prey, and do so via their keen sight and aerodynamic bodies. It is their purpose in nature. They know nothing of the concept of money - just the thrill of the chase. The tired rhetoric of "It's cruel to use animals for entertainment and money" makes no sense. If they were "used" for money, then it stands to reason that they would be highly valued and thus extremely cared for and about. If one doesn't care for wagering on anything, state it as such. It's merely an opinion for one's self. No one has a right to force personal opinions on anyone else, unless that force is reciprocated. Likewise, since there is an intrinsic value within the breed to hunt and chase (fulfilling their purpose) why would you deny them that satisfaction? Is it actually selfish and possibly even cruel to deny an animal or breed an outlet to satisfy that purpose? Even more specific, why would a human wish to deny any animal fulfilling its sense of purpose, and being happy? Is it time to use a rational mind rather than buy into hysterical propaganda, intentionally skewed statistics, and rhetoric that has already been disproven? "Listen" to the dogs. THEY will reveal what satisfies them and gives each of them their own sense of purpose.

12/06/2022

Sighthounds, 1920-1930

07/06/2022

FRIDAY FACTS

Recently, I witnessed possibly one of the hardest things I’ve ever seen. A family running into the vets screaming for help, carrying their dog, already gone from this world. Unable to comprehend what had happened or accept that he was gone. They were inconsolable. Devastated. Everyone in the waiting room, myself included, held their dogs that little bit closer hoping never to have to experience what they were going through. I had to try really hard not to cry for them, so massive was their grief in that moment. The room was thick with it.
They had been out on their morning walk when something spooked their off-lead dog, leading it to run out into the road and into the path of an oncoming lorry.

In talking to the vet after the event, it is thankfully something they don’t have happen often...but when it happens, it is always with devastating results.

I had recently, one year into having my dog, been working on her recall training, and had gotten her off lead work to a brilliant standard...but I knew in that moment that I would never let her off lead again. It is not worth taking the risk should she get spooked or get distracted by a bird or rabbit. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her.

Whenever I see an off-lead dog now, it makes me feel sick with worry. Especially since the majority of dogs off lead have no training whatsoever and would happily ignore their owner on a normal day should they try and call them back, as it all becomes a big game to them. This is exacerbated whenever there are distractions or there is something more interesting to investigate than returning to their human, or the human is just merrily walking along on their phone not paying any attention to where their dog is or who it is approaching.

Although this applies to all dogs...It is particularly true for greyhounds. We have seen so many greyhounds injured from being off lead and heard of many others getting killed as a result. It is virtually impossible to 100% recall train a Greyhound, or other sighthounds. Yes, they can be trained, but it only takes that one little thing to throw all that training out the window.
It is in their nature to chase and being quite stubborn breeds, they don’t really care what it is you want! Especially since they can clearly see a bird in a bush half a mile away and get up to 40 miles per hour in three strides should they decide to go and investigate it. They'll be a speck in the distance before you can get their attention.

Their tunnel vision on what it is that has piqued their interest only adds to the danger, as they can't always appreciate rolls in the landscape, leading them to fall down dips or hills. Rabbit holes can catch and break their legs, and such is their spatial awareness, they can run out into roads without any care for what might be coming. They can also run up to other dogs, particularly ones that are responsibly on the lead, and that do not want to be approached...ending up accidentally instigating a dog fight!
Greyhounds can also easily over exert themselves, running too hard or far leading to a build up of lactic acid in the muscles. Especially without properly warming up, resulting in acidosis. This can take up to 48 hours to fully develop and can, in some instances, be fatal.

Yes, greyhounds have done a lot of running during their racing lives...but that is on maintained flat surfaces, in a controlled environment with a vet on hand to provide immediate care should an animal get hurt...you don't have that out in the country parks or fields, the ground is unpredictable and filled with unexpected hazards. It is so easy for them to disappear from view in barely a few seconds and should the worst happen, how quickly can you get to a vet?

Unpopular opinion I know...but they don’t NEED to run. Yes, they enjoy doing zoomies, but this can be done in the garden or an enclosed rental field where the ground is maintained, flat and safe to run around on. They don’t need to be running off lead in public spaces where the dangers far out weight the joy they have in the moment.

A lot of retired racing greyhounds have also picked up niggles or injuries along the way that mean they cannot be allowed to get up to full sprint, as this can aggravate injuries or create new ones. Is it really worth it?

All responsible greyhound (and sighthound) rescue and rehoming centres that we’ve spoken to have it, like us, specifically written into their homing agreements that the dogs remain on the lead in public spaces. We don’t ask you to sign this to be mean or deny the dogs their ‘freedom’. It is for their ongoing safety and the responsible thing to do as dog owners, since the majority of dogs off lead have never had any form of training and are running around completely out of control!

We don’t want to see our beautiful greyhounds harmed. We have entrusted them to you, having worked closely with them to find them the perfect forever homes. To see them injured having been let off the lead is as devastating for us, as it is you.

Keep your dogs safe. Keep them on the lead.

06/06/2022

Step 1. Take a greyhound out in public.
Step 2. Listen to the people and their awe of the breed.