By LEE WARD / THE INDEPENDENT
WORTHINGTON — Love for greyhounds is evident in the home of Larry and Brenda Popovich.
There are framed works of art in which the breed is the focus. There are statues and books, too, but what makes their devotion most evident is the two leggy creatures stretched out in the living room, at times their limbs and their heads hanging over their soft, round beds.
Katie, 11, and Joker, 5, are both retired racers the Popoviches adopted once their racing careers were over.
Katie came from a kennel in West Virginia and the Popoviches knew her since she was about 2 months old. She was trained for about a year and raced at 18 months. The runt of a litter of 11, she was fast, but never won a race.
“She did as well as the rest of the litter,” Mr. Popovich said.
Joker, though, born in Massachesettes, raced all over the country and brought home prize money numerous times.
“He was a stakes winner,” Mrs. Popovich said.
Both laid-back canines are taking it easy now, like adopted, retired racers tend to do.
The Popoviches are contributing a greatly needed service in the animal world.
Seven dog tracks halted racing across the country last year, forcing hundreds of greyhounds into an uncertain future. With fewer tracks available for them to race, the sleek long-limbed dogs are now flooding the adoption market at a difficult time.
Economic hardships are preventing many dog lovers from adopting, or worse, forcing them to give back animals they can no longer afford to keep. Misconceptions about the breed — that greyhounds are hyperactive and crave constant stimulation and exercise — also scare away some potential owners, advocates say.
Modern day greyhound racing started in 1919 in California and at its height in the 1990s, more than 50 tracks operated nationwide. The number of tracks offering races has steadily decreased in the past decade, from 46 in 15 states in 2001 to 30 at the start of 2009. This year, no more than 23 tracks in eight states will operate dog races.
Year-round racing in some states has pushed seasonal tracks out of business or track owners aren’t able to afford the high taxes, said Tim Horan of the National Greyhound Association, which represents greyhound owners. Competition from other sporting events and gambling hasn’t helped, he said.
In Massachusetts, two tracks ended racing last year after voters approved a ballot question sponsored by the group Grey2K, which claimed widespread mistreatment of greyhounds, including confining them in small cages in warehouse-style kennels.
The Popoviches got acquainted with greyhounds through Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center in Crosslanes, W.Va. Mr. Popovich said he fancied himself a gambler and began spending time at the races. Meanwhile, a friend of theirs had a greyhound which he brought to their house when he visited.
“I fell in love with the eyes,” Mrs. Popovich said. “We fell in love with them.”
Not only did they have greyhounds as pets and to race — sometimes four or five at a time -- they volunteered for greyhound rescue work. Their work included getting dogs from the track, taking them to the vet for shots and neutering or spaying and transporting them to cities like Lexington, Louisville and Detroit to active greyhound rescues; there is no such organization in the Tri-State.
“We would have six crates, six big crates in the house,” Mr. Popovich said. “And taking six dogs someplace in your car or truck, you have to drive straight through. You can’t handle stopping with six dogs.”
Since greyhound racing began decades ago, there’s always been an issue of what to do with retired race dogs. Previously they largely found homes through a fragmented network of breed adoption and other placement groups, but the recent deluge of dogs in need of dwellings has magnified the issue.
“It is a domino effect,” said Michael McCann, president of The Greyhound Project Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit that provides support and information about greyhound adoptions. “Everything that happens in one state affects ... the dog adoption effort in other states.”
The racing industry nationwide vigorously defends its record on the treatment of dogs during and after their racing careers and many advances have been made toward making sure the dogs are treated humanely and with respect after their racing careers are over.
Wisconsin state law requires that all greyhounds be adopted, sent to another racetrack or returned to their owners.
The Massachusetts Racing Commission requires that no greyhound be euthanized unless all “reasonable efforts” to place the dog for adoption have been exhausted. Owners must provide the commission with a detailed explanation as to why a dog was put down rather than adopted.
And in New Hampshire, where two tracks ended racing, only greyhounds that sustain severe injuries while racing can be euthanized.
In Wisconsin, the Dairyland track General Manager Bill Apgar said their kennels will remain open until all dogs are placed.
On a recent visit to the track’s kennel, there were some positive signs. Almost all the dogs’ cages had “adopted” signs on them. The message on the scoreboard read: “Retired greyhounds make great pets. Visit our 1st floor adoption office to find out more!”
“We are just besieged with adoption requests,” Apgar said.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS contributed information to this story.
