Life in a Kennel
Highlighting the ins and outs of the National Greyhound Adoption Program Elizabeth Grant
Contents Thank you..............................................................3 Introduction..........................................................4 NGAP.....................................................................6 Clinic...................................................................10 Daily Life.............................................................16 Adoption.............................................................20 Sources...............................................................25
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Thank you Thank you to Pat Thomas, Bobbie Gunning, and all National Greyhound Adoption Program staff, volunteers, adopters, and dogs for welcoming me into their spaces and making me feel absolutely accepted and comfortable. Your open and easy-going attitudes these past three months have made this project a pleasure to do. I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I enjoyed making it. I wish you and your organization all the best, and I hope to see you again very soon.
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Introduction Greyhounds make exceptional companions. They are quiet, lovable, and incredibly loyal dogs. Because of their slim, strong build, they also make exceptional racing animals. Despite controversies, greyhound racing is still legal in the United States, and races are still held in over five states, including Alabama, Texas, and Florida. According to the ASPCA, more than 80,000 greyounds entered the racing industry between 2008 and 2015. Of those 80,000, more than 3,000 dogs suffered over 11,000 injuries including broken legs, crushed skulls, broken backs, paralysis, and electrocutions.
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Racing greyhounds typically retire between 18 months and 5 years old, but they have an average lifetime of 13 years. Retired racing greyhounds are typically euthanized, sent to breeding facilities, or sent to rescue groups.
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NGAP The National Greyhound Adoption Program is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NGAP’s main goals are to help find loving, adoptive homes for former racing greyhounds, to provide superior knowledge and support for greyhound adopters and other adoption groups, to educate the public and spread awareness about the plight of a greyhound, and to provide specialized medical care specifically geared towards the greyhound. The kennel currently houses 40-50 adoptable greyhounds. All are former racing greyhounds. Sometimes, dogs are shipped to them in poor conditions. It is not unusual to have dogs come to NGAP with broken limbs, cuts, and other injuries from former abuse. 6
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Left: A look down the kennel’s hall, where the dogs are boarded. Right: An old starting gate is used as decoration in front of NGAP’s facilities.
Left: Leashes hang on the cages, ready to be used when volunteer walkers come. Right: A look down the hallway, toward the adoption office and clinic.
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Clinic The National Greyhound Adoption program’s clinic was originally just for the dogs they housed. After the organization’s move to their current location in 2011, their clinic opened it’s doors to the public. They now serve a varity of dog breeds and cats. Their specialty, though, will always be greyhounds. They strive to provide the best care and knowledge for this special breed. They have a number of specialized on-hand staff and surgeons, ready to perform any medical needs.
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Staff inject a greyhound with anesthesia, preparing him for his tooth cleaning and surgery.
The dog collapses, initialing that it is almost ready to begin.
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Top: Teeth cleaning sometimes requires more than one pair of hands. Bottom: The surgeon exams the teeth before moving on to surgery.
The dog is prepared on the surgical table. His limbs are tied to prevent any slipping.
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Daily Life Life at the National Greyhound Adoption Program is very simple. The dogs are fed daily and groomed regularly by dedicated staff and volunteers. They are also given ample opportunities to run and play in the yard with their kennel-mates. A favorite activity of the dogs’ is going on walks with volunteer walkers. Volunteer walkers show up every day, sometimes even twice a day, to take short walks with the greyhounds. Greyhounds are genetically predisposed to desire lots of exercise. Therefore, the dogs get very excited when it’s walking time and will come racing up the front yard to greet you on your way to the front door.
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Above: Two male dogs play in the front yard. Page 18: Top Left: Volunteers help put on a lost sock. Top Right: Scorpio spots a squirrel. Bottom Left: Dallas begs for a head scratch. Bottom Right: Squirrel glances at other dogs on a walk.
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Adoption Finding greyhounds loving forever homes will always be the National Greyhound Adoption Program’s main goal. To ensure their greyhounds go to the most suitable home, NGAP profiles each one of their dogs. The profiling process includes exposing the dog to many different stimuli including cats, other small animals, and children. If the dog is averse to any of the stimuli, it will not be able to go to a home with those elements. When potential adopters come in, they fill out applications and are questioned by the adoption staff. The adoption staff then selects 1-3 dogs they feel will best match the adopters’ households and lifestyles. The adopters then choose their new pets.
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NGAP has hundreds of successful matches over their 28-year existance. Many people who adopt one greyhound have come back to adopt another.
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Above: Panda poses with a tennis ball while adoption staff sees her ability to play with children. Page 23: Top Left: Office door decorated with pictures of successful matches. Top Right: Panda is held by her potential new mom. Bottom Left: Shirts for sale. Bottom Right: Sydney is prepared to leave with her new family.
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Sydney and her new family pose for a picture. Syndey’s new mom admires her new addition.
Sources ASPCA, Greyhound Racing. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from https://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/other-animal issues/greyhound-racing National Greyhound Adoption Program (NGAP). (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from http://www.ngap.org/index.html Wolf, D. G. (2010). Greyhound Basics: An Owner’s Guide. Philadelphia, PA: NGAP.
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Every dog deserves a chance.
Can’t adopt? Volunteer your time to walk a greyhound. NGAP is open to volunteer walkers every day from 9:30-10:30 AM and 2-4 PM. Simply show up, ring the bell, and make a dog’s day.