A Day in the Life of a Racing Greyhound

Racing Greyhounds have a busy race-day routine. They only race three times in two weeks, so race day is very exciting.

Wake-up is early in the kennels. The trainer and his or her helpers are usually there by 6:00 AM. Most of the greyhounds get some exercise, including sprints, to keep them in top condition. However, the greyhounds racing that evening are not exercised with their kennel mates. They follow a lighter schedule, usually consisting of a brisk walk to warm them up and a rubdown.

Breakfast is now served. The greyhounds racing later in the evening are given half of their daily food, and receive the rest of their meal when they get home from the track at the end of the night. A racing greyhound eats between 2,000 and 4,000 calories a day! Now there's time for a nap before leaving for the track.

When the air-conditioned truck arrives at a greyhound racing park, all dogs are weighed in. The kennels set the racing weight of each greyhound. Each must weigh within one-and-a-half pounds of their racing weight or they are scratched from the race. Once they weigh in, the dogs go into the paddock kennel to wait for their race.

The number each greyhound wears in each race is assigned randomly. Some greyhounds run better on the inside, some run better on the outside. Luck of the draw determines which blanket they will wear.

About twenty minutes before each race, the lead-outs retrieve the greyhounds and weigh them in again. This time they are looking for weight-losers. A weight-loser is a greyhound who loses more than one-and-a-half pounds between the time they arrive and the time of the race. When a greyhound loses weight before three races in a row, it is designated a weight-loser. There will be a (WL) next to its name in the program to indicate that the greyhound is a weight-loser. Like people, greyhounds react differently to stress and excitement.

Now the veterinary assistants collect a urine sample from each greyhound. They have a long stick with a cup on the end to make this process a little easier.

Each state's Department of Racing keeps the urine samples until the end of the race, then checks the winning greyhound and two or three others at random for illegal drugs. No foreign substances are allowed; not even an aspirin!

Each greyhound park has an on-site veterinarian during all races. Before each race, the vet checks each greyhound to make sure it is healthy and fit to run. The veterinarian will scratch a greyhound from the race if he/she feels the dog should not run. The Paddock Judge checks the tattoos, and looks for the other distinguishing features that identify each greyhound in the race.

One last muzzle and blanket check is now performed to be sure they are both on securely. The greyhounds are introduced to the wagering public using a video camera in the paddock. Each greyhound is introduced by name, race weight, kennel and trainer.

Now the greyhounds head out to the track. They are paraded in front of the racing fans so they may get a closer look if they wish. At post time they are loaded into the starting boxes, the mechanical lure starts up, and they're off!

The lead-outs collect the racers at the end of the race and lead them back to the paddock area. Their legs are sprayed with a hose to cool them down. On very warm nights they take a refreshing dip in the wading pool. The greyhounds are ready for a drink of water and after a short walk, they settle down in their air-conditioned kennel trucks for a nap while their kennel mates finish racing.

When everyone is done for the day, they head home to their kennel, eat dinner and turn in for the night. Tomorrow they'll get some light exercise and a well-earned visit to the whirlpool to relax their strong muscles.