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So, just exactly how does someone go from being anti-Greyhound racing to being pro-racing? It's a bit of a story, so be patient. When I adopted Shy and Razor, Janet, who helped with the paperwork for the adoptions, told me that Shy's trainer, Torri, would love to talk to me about Shy. She told me Torri really loved her dogs and would like to keep in touch. Yeah, right. I saw the conditions those dogs were in. I saw Shy's neck. I knew this "Torri" person was nothing short of a two-headed monster that tortured dogs all day long. How wrong I was! A few months after I adopted Shy and Razor, I got a call from Janet. She told me that she was starting a new Greyhound adoption group and asked if I wanted to bring Shy and Razor to play at the sprint field where they were kenneling their adoption dogs. I figured it would be fun, so we went. The dogs had such a good time, we went back many times. Janet kept telling me that Torri's kennel was just next door, and that I should meet her. I didn't want to, thank-you-very-much. She kept after me, and one day this little woman came walking up with a bunch of Greyhounds on lead. They were beautiful dogs, one had a gorgeous blue eye. Shy went nuts! She wanted to see this woman so bad, she was crying and throwing quite a little tantrum. I discovered this woman, the person Shy wanted so badly to get away from me to see, was Torri, the dreaded, hated trainer. Well I didn't know what to think! Then Razor really confused me. This spook boy, the one who would barely let me touch him, wanted to go see her, too. I learned she had also been Razor's trainer for a short while, and both of my dogs were absolutely in love with her! It wasn't just my dogs, either. A number of the adoption dogs that had come back for the play group were just as intent on getting Torri's attention and affection. But what shocked me most was Torri's reaction. She was crying. She recognized my dogs immediately, and was so happy to see them, she was in tears. How could a two-headed monster act like that? I was confused, to say the least. I saw a lot of Torri after that, mostly because Janet conned me into helping with the adoption group (but that's another story!). I saw Torri's kennel, I met her racers, got to play with her puppies, and over time, my feelings began to change toward racing. I realized the people in the industry are just that: people. People who care very much about Greyhounds. It took a while to generalize my feelings about how Torri related to the dogs to other trainers and kennel operators. Of course, at first, I just assumed that Torri was an anomaly. Surely there weren't any more like her at the track! Once again, when our adoption group started working with all of the kennel operators, I learned I was wrong. I began going to the track with Torri and watched the Greyhounds coming in to weigh-in before racing. Those dogs were excited. They were pulling and dancing and begging to be allowed to get on the track. I saw trainers walking around with dogs on two legs, dancing around with them. I took Shy and Razor to the track. I wanted to see how they would react. It took about 30 seconds for me to realize that both of them would give just about anything to be allowed to get out on that track and run again. We would sit in the trainers' stands at Cloverleaf and both Shy and Razor would sit and watch and whine, asking to be allowed to go play. After we all got to know the people at Cloverleaf a little better, we started having our adopters bring their dogs to the track on Saturday nights during live racing. I'm not sure which is more entertaining: watching the races or watching the adopted dogs watch the racing. The other patrons at the track never fail to be amused and astounded at the dogs watching the racing from the stands. How do I feel about Greyhound racing now? I have to look at it through the eyes of Razor, Shy, Tommy, Beauford, Bermuda, and even Oprah. They love the track. They would love to be racing. They love going to the kennel. They love seeing their trainers. How should I judge something that has given my best friends so much joy and happiness? In March
2000, Burmar Bermuda came to live with me. (Don't worry, he
will have his own page!) After living with me from March to
December, I figured he was pretty much "MY" dog.
Torri
took a much needed night off from the kennel over Christmas,
and she stayed at my house over night. Look at the picture
of Bermuda and Torri and tell me having his former trainer
spend the night wasn't the perfect Christmas gift for that
retired 'hound!
To
contact Jan, email rmgajan@eartlink.net |
