Greyhound Guide

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A Dog With A Past -- History of the Breed

Greyhound History Greyhounds have had a special place in history for a long time. And until modern times, were treasured by their owners, usually royalty or noblemen, and treated as one of the family.

Ancient Times

The greyhound, as we know it today, was worshipped in ancient Egypt. The death of a favorite greyhound was treated the same as the death of a human. Families shaved heads, stopped eating, wailed, mummified and buried their pets with their owners. Greyhounds traveled from ancient Egypt to ancient Greece and were treated with the same reverence. The same is true for ancient Rome. Gods in all three cultures were portrayed with greyhounds -- Anubis in Egypt is sometimes interpreted as part man, part hound. The Greek Gods Hecate, Pollux, and Artemis all had greyhounds as companions. In Rome, Diana was just one of the many gods who were portrayed with greyhounds. It was in ancient Rome that it appears that greyhounds started racing after hares as a sport.

Medieval Times

Greyhounds almost became extinct during the Middle Ages as famine and pestilence spread across the land. Men of the cloth saved them, and the nobility claimed them as an exclusive right of theirs. It is during the Renaissance that greyhounds were painted and immortalized. Both Chaucer and Shakespeare mentioned greyhounds in their literature.

In the 1700's greyhound coursing became popular and spread across Britain and Europe. During the same time, bulldogs were bred with greyhounds by an English nobleman named Lord Orford and these crosses continued for 7 generations, and were very popular.

Getting To America

As the Britons emigrated to America, they brought their greyhounds with them. And found them ideally suited to chase down rabbits that were interfering with their crops. This led to bets and wagers among the farmers as to who had the faster dog. And in the 1900's, an artificial lure and an oval track led to the first formal greyhound wagering, the forerunner of our greyhound racetracks.

A greyt book all about your greyhound's past is The Reign of the Greyhound -- A Popular History of the Oldest Family of Dogs, by Cynthia Branigan. All book stores carry it and it is highly recommended and fun reading!

More info about the history of greyhounds is in our Learn section.

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A Dog with A Past -- Racing History

Ear Tattoos

Tattoos are applied by the breeder at 3 months of age to puppies to ensure a permanent and positive ID of each potential racer.

Birth date

The right ear tells the month and year the puppy was born.
Example 1: 88A means the puppy was born in the eighth(8) month of 1988 (8), and is the first (A) dog in the litter.
Example 2: 122E means the puppy was born in the twelfth month (12) of 1992 (2) and is the fifth (E) dog in the litter.

Registration ID

The left ear has 4-5 digits and is the litter registration number with the National Greyhound Association. This number is checked every time the dog is raced to ensure it is the correct dog racing.

You can learn about your dog's racing history at Greyhound Data. You can write to that owner and send papers to get your greyhound's ownership transferred over to you.

Their Former Life

Greyhound litters usually produce 4-10 puppies. Once weaned, puppies are placed in a fenced area to play and grow. Usually when they are around one year old they are kenneled and their track training begins. They are taught to chase a lure and race counter clockwise. It is usually at this time that it is determined whether they will become racers or not.

When greyhounds are kenneled, they are kept crated for the majority of their time. Crates are placed one on top of another, side by side. Crates are usually 3 feet by 2 feet.

Trainers usually care for 20-60 dogs within a kennel. Greyhounds are let out, muzzled, with a pack of other same-sex greyhounds up to 5 times a day, depending on the kennel, to relieve themselves. A racing or training greyhound is also let out of the kennel to go to the track and run 5/16th of a mile up to twice a week.

They are fed once a day with a variety of food -- usually soft, high-protein and inexpensive. They are not neutered or spayed.

This is what a greyhound knows until you bring him home.

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