Going to the dogs
Auburn woman turns property into rescue facility for eight retired greyhounds
By: Michelle Miller, Journal Staff Writer
Sunday, May 22, 2005 12:37 AM PDT

The only clues to Ace and Lulu's former lives are the numbered tattoos inside their soft, floppy ears.The numbers helped identify the greyhounds when they were racers known as Coop's Ace and Safety Zone.

Their Auburn owner Shana Laursen is a supporter of rescuing the animals once their racing careers end, but a recent event made her want to do more.

Shana Laursen's dogs Lulu and Ace seldom leave her side since she adopted them around a year ago. Photo by Karina Williams/Auburn Journal

Plainfield Greyhound Park in Connecticut shut down last week, leaving as many as 1,000 greyhounds homeless. Track operators have pledged to place the dogs with their owners or rescue groups, but those groups are struggling to find room for all the animals.

"There are always dogs out there to adopt, but when this came up, it was the last straw," she said.She's now creating a space on her property to house up to eight greyhounds until they find a permanent home.

Although dogs from Plainfield won't be making the trip to Auburn because it's too far, Laursen's foster facility would allow Bay Area greyhound rescue group Greyhound Friends for Life to take in more race dogs in what seems like an endless cycle of need.

"There's a whole system with only so many cages at the dog track and so many cages at the farms, and only so many spaces for dogs in rescue groups and only so many spaces in loving homes," said Susan Netboy, president and founder of Greyhound Friends for Life. "In a constantly expanding racing industry, it's a scramble for us on the receiving end to keep up with the breeding they're doing on a yearly basis."The space issue is a particular problem when so many dogs, such as the ones from Plainfield, need homes all at once.

But foster homes are a great way to ease the strain, and Laursen looks forward to supplementing rescue efforts with a kennel compound on her spacious property.

Laursen has given a permanent home to her two 5-year-old brindle-colored hounds, with hair that is soft and silky as a cat's.

The dogs clearly love speed as they run laps around Laursen Monday. But being sprinters, they only do so for a few minutes before crashing in some shade."I wanted a big dog that was manageable," she said. "This is what they usually do, just lay around like a cat, and when you open the door they run for around for three minutes and then they're tired.

"Lulu is more needy, evidenced by how she sticks close to Laursen's side.Owners of former race dogs can look up their track record and pedigree through the National Greyhound Association.Laursen thinks Lulu didn't have a good track life, and notes her track history disappears a year before Laursen got her. Lulu may have been transported to a B-rated track where animals aren't treated as well, she said.

Ace was well taken care of, but when he broke his foot shortly after Laursen got him, it was obvious the fracture was a re-break.

The dogs are also great with Laursen's kids. Eleven-year-old Connor likes how Ace greets him in bed each morning and 13-year-old Ryan admits the dogs aren't so great at "fetch" because they like to keep the toys.

"They are the most docile dogs," Laursen said. "They really do attach themselves to you, they follow me wherever I go."She wouldn't be surprised if she ended up keeping some of the foster-care animals for herself.

One California rescue group is Greyhound Friends for Life, which evolved from other dog rescues in the late 1980's to become focused on the mission of saving former racing greyhounds in 1991. So far, the group has rescued and found homes for 3,000 dogs.

"Primarily, we're attempting to match each home with the right dog by profiling the dog and the home," Netboy said. "We feel that's the most important step."

She said the dogs are gentle, compliant, eager to please and quiet around the house, usually preferring to sleep."They take their retirement very seriously," she said. "They make the most of it."Adopters should realize they are indoor dogs and need a proper dog fence for security, instead of horse fencing used on properties in the Auburn area, she said.

Most dogs are leash-trained and housetrained in their racing years, but those are the only two pluses to a life as a race dog, Netboy said.

Breeders own the dogs and train them until 18 months on farms. The animals are then leased to kennel operators who book tracks across the country. Each track has around 15 kennels of 60 to 80 dogs apiece. Any winnings the dog earns are split between the kennel operators and owners.The dogs are kept in cages just large enough to turn around in for around 22 hours a day, she said.Most dogs start their careers from 18 months to 2 years of age and race until mandatory retirement age of 6.

"Most dogs are of average quality, the stars are few and far between," she said. "Unfortunately there's massive over-breeding to get that one dog that will bring in the money and the others go by the wayside."She said some 17,000 dogs a year disappear from the records. Many are killed.

While some groups support the racing industry, Greyhound Friends for Life has taken a stand against racing."We pick up after the whole mess willingly," she said.

Michelle Miller can be reached at michellem@goldcountrymedia.com.