www.recycledracers.org

Greyhounds are intelligent, graceful animals that have been admired and highly regarded for thousands of years.  They thrive on human attention and reward their owners with a lifetime of affection.  Find out what thousands of greyhound owners already know - that greyhounds make fast friends!

Recycled Racers

Recycled Racers is the non-profit adoption program sponsored by Mile High Racing and Entertainment and located on-premise at Mile High Park.  Since the program's inception in 1993, more than 1,200 greyhounds have been placed into adoptive homes.  Recycled Racers makes every effort to match personalities of the greyhounds with potential owners.  The staff spend a significant amount of time and effort in finding the perfect dog for an adopter.

If you're considering adopting a greyhound, you may have a few questions:

How much does it cost?
The adoption fee for a greyhound is $125 which includes a veterinarian check-up, spay/neuter, vaccinations, rabies and ID tags, a collar, muzzle and leather lead.

Are the dogs housebroken?
In a kennel environment, greyhounds are used to being "turned out" three or four times a day to relieve themselves in a fenced area.  If you establish a routine of taking the dog outside, the dog quickly learns that the house is their "kennel" and must be kept clean.

How much do they weigh?
Males weigh between 65 to 85 pounds and stand 26 to 30 inches tall.  Females weigh 50 to 65 pounds, and stand 23 to 26 inches.

How old are retired greyhounds?
Retired racers are typically between two to five years old when they retire.  With proper care, they have a life expectancy of 12 years or more.

Are greyhounds high strung animals?
Although greyhounds display an aggressive, competitive attitude when racing, when off-track they are extremely docile, gentle animals who love human attention.

Can a greyhound live outside?
Greyhounds have little body fat and thin coats, so they should be strictly an indoor pet.  They do, however, love to romp in the snow, but should wear a blanket when doing so.

Do they get along with other pets?
Because they are accustomed to being around other greyhounds in kennels, greyhounds are social animals that get along well with other dogs.  Because they are sight hounds and chase anything that moves, introduction to cats may take additional time.  Some greyhounds are not accepting of cats and should be in a household without them.

How are they with children?
Greyhounds love all people and their tolerant nature makes them an ideal pet for households with children.  However, even a gentle greyhound has its limits and may resort to snapping or biting if provoked by a child.

Do they need a lot of exercise?
Contrary to popular belief, greyhounds do not require a lot of exercise.  Often dubbed the "40-mile-an-hour couch potato", the greyhound prefers to spend its time lounging.  They should receive regular exercise to maintain their health and love to sprint in an enclosed area.

What do they eat?
Greyhounds can eat any type of high-quality commercial dog food.

Adopting a Greyhound from Recycled Racers

The first step is to obtain an adoption questionnaire from Recycled Racers.  This form asks questions about accommodations for the dog as well as your lifestyle.  Thorough and honest answers will provide a better match between you and the greyhound.  After you return the questionnaire, you will visit with the adoption coordinator to discuss your needs and the responsibility of owning a greyhound.

If a greyhound is in the program who the coordinator thinks would be a good match with you, you will visit with the dog at the Recycled Racers kennel.  You can spend up to 20 minutes with the dog to decide if your personalities are a fit.  Be sure to bring along all family members who would help care for the dog.  If the kennel does not have a suitable dog for you, you will be placed on a waiting list until one arrives.  Dogs arrive daily from racing kennels, so you may not have to wait for long.  Preference for a certain color or characteristic will take longer.

If you think you and the greyhound you visit with are a match, you pay the $100 adoption fee and take your new friend home.  You will be given an owner's manual to help make the transition easier.  Please remember that a racing greyhound has led a very different lifestyle than the one it is about to take.  Introductions to everyday occurrences such as stairs, ringing phones, and appliances will be a new experience for the dog and should be treated with patience.

Your contact with Recycled Racers does not end once you adopt the dog.  The adoption coordinator will make periodic check-ups to see you and the dog are doing, and is available to answer any questions you may have.  In addition, the program hosts many functions throughout the year in which you and your dog can socialize with other greyhound owners and pets.

Once you experience the joy of owning a greyhound, you may find that like potato chips, one greyhound isn't enough!

For more information about adopting a greyhound through Recycled Racers, please use the contact information below:

Recycled Racers
6200 Dahlia
Commerce City, CO 80022
Phone# (303) 227-4737
www.recycledracers.org

Greyhound Welfare

Mile High Racing and Entertainment is committed to maintaining the welfare of its greyhound athletes.  The company has been a leader in the industry by implementing policy changes that protect the health and safety of the greyhounds in its care.  The racing industry as a whole has also responded to public scrutiny of racing practices and has made appropriate changes.

Mile High Racing and Entertainment supports the following local and industry initiatives:

Training
Mile High Racing and Entertainment opposes the use of live lures for training purposes.  In accordance with state laws, anyone found to be using a live animal for training faces severe fines and expulsion from the sport.

Care and Treatment
Mile High Racing and Entertainment ensures the safety of greyhounds on the racetrack.  Racetracks are groomed and maintained before every official race to ensure a safe, consistent surface.  The clay and sand content are monitored to provide an appropriate cushion, and the track surface is graded once a week to re-bank the turns.  In 1996, an underground heating mechanism was installed to aid safety in extreme temperatures during the winter racing season at Mile High Park.

The Colorado Racing Commission (CRC) has a veterinarian present at every racing performance.  Before each performance, this person inspects the track to assure it has been properly groomed.  The vet also checks the health of every greyhound and provides emergency treatment for injured greyhounds.

These measures have kept racing injuries to a minimum.  On average, only three injuries occur for every 1,000 starts.  This injury percentage is lower than that for professional sports teams.  Any injuries that do occur are immediately treated and the greyhound will not race until deemed acceptable by the track veterinarian.

Abuse
Mile High Racing and Entertainment does not tolerate any abuse to greyhounds.  Anyone who is found guilty of animal abuse is permanently barred from the sport by the CRC.  The contract between racing kennels and the racetrack specifies that ". . . the owner agrees that he will take the best possible care of such greyhounds and keep them in the best possible condition for all racing events for which that may be required by the Park."  If an owner or trainer is unable to care for their greyhounds for financial reason, the Greyhound Benevolent Fund cares for the greyhounds until the owner recovers.

Mile High Greyhound Racing and Pueblo Greyhound Park support both the state's and the industry's random inspection programs.  The American Greyhound Council has one full-time and 75 part-time inspectors who make unannounced visits to greyhound farms across the nation.  If poor conditions are found, the inspectors take appropriate action, which may result in expulsion from the sport.

Adoptions and Breedings
Mile High Racing and Entertainment supports initiatives to reduce the number of euthanized greyhounds each year.  Nationally, the National Greyhound Association has encouraged breeders to reduce the number of breedings per year.  To date, the number of greyhound pups whelped dropped three percent since 1995 and 29 percent from 1991.

Mile High Racing and Entertainment also strongly supports the adoption of retired racing greyhounds.  In 1993, the company founded the Recycled Racers program which has placed more than 1,00 greyhounds into adoptive homes.  The racetracks require racing kennels to placing retiring greyhounds in an approved adoption program or return dogs to their owners for breeding purposes.  Mile High Racing and Entertainment has contributed more than $100,000 to this program and helps fund the American Greyhound Council's adoption fund which provides grants to adoption agencies.

The reduction in breedings coupled with strong retirement placement programs has decreased the number of greyhounds euthanized nationally.  In 1996, the number of greyhounds adopted (18,000) was nearly double the number euthanized (9,500). Mile High Racing and Entertainment's tracks, as well as the industry aims to place every retired racer into a home and eliminate euthanasia entirely.

Mile High Racing and Entertainment continues to ensure the safety of greyhounds in the racing industry.  The company will continue to undertake any necessary actions to maintain the well-being of its athletes.

Greyhound History

The origin of the greyhound is deeply rooted in ancient history.  In fact, murals and paintings of dogs looking similar to today's greyhound existed more than 4,000 years ago.  Their pictures were etched on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs, and the Pharaohs valued them highly both as pets and as hunters.

The Arabs so admired the physical attributes and speed of the greyhound that it was the only animal permitted to share their tents and ride atop their camels.  In early Arabian culture, the birth of a greyhound ranked second in importance only to the birth of a son.  In Persia, Rome, and Greece, the greyhound enjoyed similar stature and is the only canine mentioned in the Bible (Proverbs 30:29-31).

The greyhound arrived in Europe 3,500 years ago.  In 1014, King Canute of England enacted the Forest Laws, which stated that only noblemen could own and hunt with greyhounds.  Queen Elizabeth I abolished the laws in the 1500s and later initiated the first formal rules of greyhound coursing.  Thus, greyhound racing became known as the "Sport of Queens."

In the late 1800's, farmers imported greyhounds to help control jackrabbit populations.  Because of their speed and natural instincts, greyhounds soon became the focus of popular neighborhood competitions.  These informal matches were the first organized greyhound racing events.

Greyhound racing, as we know it today, began in 1912 with Owen Patrick Smith's invention of a mechanical lure that could circle a track.  The first track opened in 1919 in Emeryville, California.  Smith's first venture into greyhound racing in California proved unsuccessful despite the fact that he drew a great deal of interest.  Most importantly, however, is that his efforts paved the way for the development of the greyhound industry for years to come.

Greyhound racing is the sixth largest spectator sport in America.  It is legal in 20 states including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  Nevada and South Dakota do not offer live greyhound racing, but allow wagering on simulcasts.