What does racing mean to you? What feelings do you get when you watch your dogs race? These questions were asked of some racing greyhound owners and this is what one of them had to say:

Hoo boy!  What feelings do I get?  Before a race - stark fear.  When my boys race I think I must feel like a mother whose son plays football.  I know odds are against them getting hurt, but the chance is still there.  I love them, so I don't want them to get hurt.  But I also love them enough to let them take that fairly small risk doing what they love.

During a race - excitement.  And pride when they run reasonably well.  When the boys were still babies I looked forward to the thrill of watching my own dogs race.  When it finally happened it lived up to all my expectations and then some.  And a couple of times I've watched a race with strangers nearby, hearing them pull for one or the other of my boys because they had bet on him.  Then when he won, I couldn't keep myself from grinning at them and saying "That's MY dog!"  Hey, dem braggin' rights is more fun than money!

After a race, if I get to pick my boys up - the feeling is just love for my little beasties.  They're always glad to see me and walking them out after a race is often the only one-to-one time we get.  If he ran well, I tell him how proud I am of him.  If he didn't, I remind him that I love him no matter how he runs.

But I love to watch any race, whether my boys are running or not.  I'm still in awe of the thunder those little bitty feet can make.  And I'd almost swear I can hear them hollering YIPPEE!!! as they fly past me intent on those two bunnies.  Yes, in politically incorrect WV we still use stuffed toy bunnies instead of bones.  Spunky and Sparky.  Whoever heard of naming a bone?

I love the way some of them come back with their lead outs after a race, heads down, tongues hanging out, until they see the familiar face waiting to take them to the wash room, and then they perk up again and the tails start wagging.  And I love even more those few that prance off the track, ready to go do it again.  I love the excitement of the dogs going to weigh in.  Most of them know where they're going and why, and they can't wait to get started.  But there are always a few new pups that have to stop and sniff every blade of grass along the way and get everybody all tangled up.  And I love the sound of 8 dogs barking in the starting box.  It's such a happy bark!

I love watching people at the races.  Trainers, owners and bettors usually seem to have their own sets of superstitions.  I have a few of my own.  But it really tickles me to see some little old lady decide to bet on #4 because he "tinkled" in the post parade, then go to the pay window after the race.

One of my favorite things is watching puppies learn a little more with each race.  But maybe my most favorite thing is watching a closer in a distance race.  I don't like box to wire wins (unless my dog wins).  A closer that keeps digging in after a slow break until he has picked off all the competition can put a lump in my throat.  That's a dog with speed AND heart.

What else does racing encompass?  The thing I most often notice is the friendship and cooperation between most breeders and most kennels/trainers. They're there, first and foremost, to beat each other and win.  That's their business and their job.  But they'll almost invariably help each other when the need arises.  The love they share for the dogs is a pretty strong bond. If they were only in it for the money, as is so often accused, you wouldn't see trainers picking up other kennels' dogs after races when somebody got detained, and you wouldn't see everything from kibble to dog trucks being loaned back and forth between kennels.



Kate Shue