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Episode 44: Recorded June 5, 2024
"People have jumped to the [conclusion] that, because tracks are closed in the United States, there's no more Greyhounds..."
Debra Hardman, of GALT-Arizona, describing the state of affairs for Greyhound adoption applications
Show Notes
Former racing Greyhounds are still available to adopt in the United States. However, those Greyhounds will likely be sourced from outside the United States. Adoption organizations that partner with groups like Greyhound Racing Ireland / the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust, Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) and Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) have effectively resuscitated their programs. These organizations' leaders, including Bob Koch of Nittany Greyhounds and Debra Hardman of GALT-Arizona, are navigating the ins and outs of rehoming these overseas hounds.
Bob's adoption group in central Pennsylvania serves adopters regionally -- basically the mid-Atlantic and Midwest. At any given time, he has about 50 approved adoption applications. Nittany works with two organizations in Australia -- and GRV and GRNSW -- but they started international rehoming with Irish racing Greyhounds. According to Bob, the Greyhounds handle the long travel very well and share the same temperament as American racing Greyhounds.
Debra's experience in the American Southwest is very similar to that of Bob's organization. GALT-Arizona -- a chapter of the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT) -- serves Arizona and surrounding states. Her Australian Greyhounds come directly into LAX for pickup, and she describes the hounds as happy as ever as they finish their long journeys after transport.
In this episode, host John Parker talks with Bob and Debra about these and other experiences rehoming international Greyhounds with American adopters. They discuss the logistics of bringing the Greyhounds into various ports of entry, the paperwork involved and the care given to the hounds as they make their way around the world. Bob and Debra also share a bit about each of their organizations and how they're adapting to this new source of Greyhounds while also maintaining high welfare and breed support standards.
Links
Nittany Greyhounds (Website)
GALT-Arizona (Website)
Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (Website)
Greyhound Racing Victoria (Website)
Greyhound Racing New South Wales (Website)
Episode 15 - Featuring GALT founders; discussing The Greyhound Project (Podcast)
Episode 41 - Highlighting GALT and Australian racing Greyhounds as PTSD dogs (Podcast) -
Episode 43: Recorded April 3, 2024
"They're built to be a service dog in terms of physicality and temperament..."
Australian animal trainer Steve Austin, on the Greyhound as a breed suitable for therapy dog training
Show Notes
Steve Austin had a knack for training animals at an early age. Growing up in New South Wales, Australia, he realized the value of positive reinforcement for dog training. As a teenager, Steve and his first dog -- a stray by the name of Sooty -- entertained the crowds on paydays at the local pub. Sooty was trained to balance a "schooner" of beer on his head.
In Steve's words, "When he got it right, I made a lot of money that night..."
Steve describes Sooty as rough, tough, black and mean -- a dog that would live to the age of 17. "He loved me, and I loved him." Along with dog obedience competitions, Steve fed his passion for animal training, and his skills as a trainer would expand beyond dogs to other animal species, including elephants and pigs. Steve's accomplishments include training animals for TV and film, prison dog behavior programs, and preparing PTSD dogs for Australian soldiers returning from combat. His book -- Working Dog Heroes -- is a heartfelt memoir of all these experiences as a trainer.
In this episode, host John Parker explores Steve's latest initiative -- training former Australian racing Greyhounds as police therapy dogs in the United States. Steve shares the inception of the partnership with Greyhound Racing New South Wales and the results of the first Greyhound placements. He discusses the characteristics of the Greyhound breed that make them suited for training, and he waxes poetic about his expectations of his first ever personal Greyhound adoption.
Links
Working Dog Heroes (Amazon)
Steve and Vicki Austins' Dog Training Education (Website)
Steve Austin's Canines (Facebook)
GRNSW Celebrates Major Milestone: 500th Greyhound Rehomed in the US (Article) -
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Episode 42: Recorded February 7, 2024
"[Tommy] felt strongly that the lure coursing world had given him a mission, and he felt strongly that he needed to give back..."
Trina Bianchi, on her late husband, Tommy, and the "joy" which put into Injoy Lure Coursing products
Show Notes
The Injoy Lure Coursing story is one that started in the 1970s. Tom "Tommy" Bianchi and his wife, Trina, were living in Vermont and attended a dog show in Quebec in 1977 when they discovered sighthounds -- in the form of Salukis -- and sighthound sport of lure coursing. Tom was on the fence about acquiring a Saluki and getting into the sport, but Trina gave him a friendly nudge, and off they went.
At a lure coursing meeting in 1978, their Saluki was injured during the meeting. Tom was an accountant at the time, but his passion was woodworking, and he was always on the lookout for a way to turn his hobby into a full-time career. When he observed the less-than-safe equipment at the meeting, he realized that he could, in Trina's words, "build a better mousetrap." He believed he could design and building safer, high quality lure coursing equipment for the sport. Together, he and Trina would build and grow Injoy Lure Coursing equipment as the premiere brand for the community.
The company would take a hit in the 2000s when Tom developed cancer and later succumbed to the disease. Trina would continue to carry the torch, but in 2023, she realized that she needed someone to pick up the Injoy torch and carry it for the lure coursing community. Enter Eddie and Selma Kominek -- Afghan Hound and lure coursing enthusiasts since 2004, they expressed interest in purchasing Injoy and continuing to build the high quality product that started with Tom and Trina.
In this episode, host John Parker sits down the past and present owners of Injoy Lure Coursing equipment -- Trina, Eddie and Selma. They talk about Tom Bianchi's commitment to excellence in all things -- doing things with "joy in his heart" -- and how this shaped Injoy Lure Coursing. John also learns how this philosophy was important in the recent purchase of Injoy by the Komineks and what it means for the future of the company and for the sport of lure coursing.
Links
Injoy Lure Coursing (New Website / Online Store)
Injoy Merchandise (Website)
Kominek Afghan Hounds (Facebook Page) -
Episode 41: Recorded December 13, 2023
"We all have the same goal in helping our men and women, whatever they need..."
Officer Joe King, Dallas Police Department -- on the mission of the Dallas PD Wellness Unit and therapy Greyhound, Aussie
Show Notes
Joe King is a 27 year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. He spent almost two decades in one of the toughest beats in the department. Today, he serves his fellow officers in the department's Wellness Unit alongside other officers and a new four-legged partner, former racing Greyhound Aussie. Together, they work to provide counseling and support to police offers and other first responders suffering from PTSD and other mental health and personal challenges.
Aussie has been specially trained as a police therapy dog. He is part of a pilot program in the United States between Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW), the US Fraternal Order of Police, and the Dallas Police Department. The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT) serves as the local support and training Liaison. Russ Feilen, International Rehoming Director for GRNSW, partnered with former marine and GALT Chairman John McQuade to initiate the pilot program.
By day, Aussie visits different divisions within the Dallas PD and serves in outreach programs for the department. After hours, he lives the life of a retired racing Greyhound with Joe and his family. John continues to work with Joe and the Dallas PD to refine Aussie's therapy dog development. Meanwhile, Russ and the team at GRNSW are looking for the next candidate police department for these specially trained Greyhounds.
In this episode, host John Parker sits down with Russ, Joe and John to talk about this unique Greyhound therapy dog training program for police departments. Russ shares some of the success of Australian Greyhound adoption to date in the United States. Joe and John talk about the Greyhound candidate identification process and training of the selected Greyhounds in the program.
Links
NEWS9 Story on Aussie (Website)
Dallas Morning News Story on Aussie (Website)
Greyhound Racing New South Wales (Website)
Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (Website)
Fraternal Order of Police (Website)
Dallas Police Department (Website) -
Episode 40: Recorded October 15, 2023
"It was like a fairy tale, really -- it just kept happening. Oh my god -- this is amazing!"
Kim Gooding on her 1989 Waterloo Cup Greyhound, React Fagan, reaching the final
Show Notes
Greyhound trainer Kim Gooding started out wanting a lurcher when she visited stables as a young woman. Little did she know that she would go on to train both coursing and racing Greyhounds. What is even more extraordinary is that her first coursing Greyhound nominated for the Waterloo Cup — React Fagan — would win the 1989 classic.
When they first cast their eye on React Fagan, Kim and her then husband Russell did not have enough money to purchase Fagan. They ended up borrowing the funds from her mother-in-law. In short order, the hound was nominated for the Waterloo Cup, and thus so began their coursing “Cinderella story.”
After winning the Cup in 1989, Kim continued her career in coursing through the 1990s until the English ban on the sport in 2005. After working several years for the Retired Greyhound Trust to transition and re-home Greyhounds from the British racing industry, Kim would get back to training racing Greyhounds. Some of those Greyhound would become tied to this very podcast.
In this episode, host John Parker and Kim sit down to talk about React Fagan’s amazing rookie run at the Waterloo Cup, as well as the coursing adventures that followed. Kim also shares some of the training techniques and anecdotes from those years of English coursing before she shifted to racing Greyhound training. -
Episode 39: Recorded August 27, 2023
"Some would argue I've got the best job in the world..."
Sean Stanton, Animal Welfare Strategic Projects Manager at Greyhound Racing Victoria
Show Notes
Sean Stanton (Australia), Rory Goreé (United States) and Tina Kelly (Canada) all share the same mission. They are dedicated to international Greyhound rehoming. Specifically, they collaborate to find new homes for former Australian and Irish racing Greyhounds.
Sean serves at the Animal Welfare Strategic Projects Manager for Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV). He has spent the past ten years in the role with GRV's Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP). His family has a background in Greyhound racing, and he previously managed one of Australia's racing clubs for 3-4 years.
Tina's journey in rehoming former racing Greyhounds started in Ontario in 2003 with her first Greyhound adoption. She attended a conference to learn about Irish Greyhound racing, evoking an epiphany about where Canadian Greyhound adoption should be moving. She partnered with Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) and the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT) to bring Irish Greyhounds to Canada, setting up FLIGHTS (Finding Loving International Greyhounds Homes Together & Salukis). In 2023, FLIGHTS expanded its mission to include former Australian racing Greyhounds.
Rory Goreé, a former president of Greyhounds As Pets - National (GPA), recognized the long-term need to find adoptable Greyhounds as the passage of Florida's Amendment 13 impacted track operations and breeding numbers in the United States. The general public in the U.S. perceived the closure of Florida's tracks to mark the end of adoptable Greyhound availability. Rory partnered with Irish and Australian Greyhound adoption groups to welcome a new source of dogs for eager adopters in the U.S.
In this episode, John sits down with these pioneers of international Greyhound adoption to talk about their efforts and the outcomes of the programs to date. Sean shares details about GAP and the impact it's having on Australian Greyhound adoption. Tina and Rory both discuss their experiences in traveling abroad to establish relationships with international Greyhound adoption organizations. Finally, Sean and Rory preview an Australian Greyhound conference for all interested volunteers and adopters, tentatively slated for 2024 in Victoria, Australia.
Links
Greyhound Racing Victoria (Website)
Greyhound Adoption Program (Website)
Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) (Website)
Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (Website)
FLIGHTS - Finding Loving International Greyhounds Homes Together & Salukis) (Website)
Greyhounds As Pets - National (Website) -
Episode 38: Recorded June 25, 2023"I became fond of all the characters. I couldn't wait to get to keyboard to write down what they were going to do next."Author Charlie Blanning on writing his first Greyhound novel, Rags to RichesShow NotesCharlie Blanning admits that he's "never frightened by a blank page." He's proven this once again with the release of his latest book, Rags to Riches. The book, available to order from Charlie's Facebook page, The Greyhound & the Hare, is his first work of fiction. It captures in Ireland and England after World War I through the lens of a young girl, a Greyhound, and the sports of coursing and horse racing.As with his previous three non-fiction books about Greyhounds, Charlie pulls from several sources with which he is very familiar. Rags to Riches features (re-named) family members from his past, as well as prominent historical figures from Greyhound coursing and horse racing of the period. Charlie also channels his love of theater and past experience as a coursing correspondent to bring the characters to life.In this exclusive virtual book launch episode, host John Parker and Charlie discuss Rags to Riches, from the fiction writing process to private label publishing of the final product. Charlie shares some of the historical backstory that brings life to the characters and the settings of the book. Listeners will find themselves insiders to a much larger Greyhound story than they may have expected.LinksThe Greyhound & the Hare (Facebook; place your order)Irish War of IndependenceWaterloo CupGrand National
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Episode 37: Recorded June 1, 2023
"That was the enjoyable part -- walking a dog and dreaming of what might happen..."
Robbie Britton, Australian racing Greyhound trainer, on growing up tending to his father's racing Greyhounds
Show Notes
Robbie Britton often measures his life as an Australian racing Greyhound trainer in hours and kilometers. Two hour haul to one track. Another airplane flight with five Greyhounds. Twenty-four hours to Brisbane. Such is the life of one of the most successful trainers in all of Australia.
Robbie’s a second-generation Greyhound trainer and breeder. His father paved the way for all the Britton kids to grow up with Greyhounds. His father’s first was a black hound acquired in the 1960s. Robbie’s job was to walk the hounds. His first Greyhound — Vixen — won on her second start, cementing his decades-long career as a trainer.
When his father went on a long-term contract in the 1980s, Robbie took over the family’s Greyhounds and transitioned from hobby trainer to professional trainer. He expanded Britton Racing into North America with a farm in Abilene, Kansas, home of the American Greyhound Hall of Fame. There, he became enamored with his American counterparts at the Fall and Spring meetings of the National Greyhound Association.
In this episode, host John Parker and Robbie discuss training the Australian racing Greyhound, including breeding, training routines, and nuances of the track system in Australia. Robbie also shares his experiences breeding Greyhounds in America and finding homes for retired racing Greyhounds in Australia.
Links
Britton Racing (Facebook) -
Episode 36: Recorded April 2, 2023
"You've always got your eyes on the dogs. You're always on your toes to make sure the dogs are 100% healthy."
Kurt Trzeciak on his number one responsibility as a racing Greyhound trainer
Show Notes
Born and raised in Texas, Kurt Trzeciak had a love for Greyhounds and Greyhound racing. As a kid, while visiting Florida, he'd sit with his grandpa and sister in the car at the track listening to the race calls at the Sarasota Kennel Club. They would sit and pick their favorite Greyhounds to win while his mother and grandmother enjoyed the races in person.
At the age of eighteen, Kurt was invited to visit a Texas kennel and experience the turnout of Greyhounds. He was instantly mobbed by all the happy hounds. In that moment, he knew that he wanted to spend his life working with and training these dogs. It was the start of a 30 year career in racing Greyhound training, covering thirteen different tracks.
In 2018, Kurt found himself in the position of industry advocate in the face of Florida's constitutional Amendment 13 to ban gambling on Greyhound racing. He became an active participant in public hearings on the amendment. He also experienced firsthand the challenges of communicating the trainer's point of view on Greyhound racing welfare and sport.
In this episode, John and Kurt dive deep into the 30 year career of an American racing Greyhound trainer. They discuss every aspect of the job, including rising through the ranks at a racing kennel, being an advocate for each Greyhound's health and well being, and tips and techniques for feeding, training, and rehabilitation. John also introduces Parker's Lightning Round -- a quick series of questions for our guest that is certain to become a staple in future episodes.
Links
Palm Beach Kennel Club (Website)
"Born to Run" (Video) -
Episode 35: Recorded February 23, 2023
"Our most western track...is a 14 hour drive from Sydney..."
Rob Macaulay on Broken Hill, one of the 30 community run Greyhound tracks in New South Wales
Show Notes
Rob Macaulay served as legal counsel for Greyhound Racing New South Wales (NSW) four years ago and immediately immersed himself in the sport of Australian Greyhound racing. When the opportunity presented itself, he applied to serve as Greyhound Racing NSW's Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Rob leads the organization's racing and welfare initiatives in Australia's largest and most southwest state.
The Australian track system will, at first glance, appear very different from the American system. Tracks under Greyhound Racing NSW's umbrella of leadership are community clubs, similar to English football clubs. Rob speaks of the smallest and most remote tracks like the Broken Hill Greyhound Club in the same breath as the largest Greyhound racing tracks in Sydney. One gets the sense that there is a sense of community pride within this Australian Greyhound racing system.
Rob is very eager to share Australian racing Greyhounds with the world when they retire. Similar to the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust association with Greyhound Pets of America, Greyhound Racing NSW is piloting a similar adoption program for potential American Greyhound adopters. In 2023, Rob has a goal to introduce 120 Australian Greyhounds into the enthusiastic and welcoming arms of American adopters.
In this episode, John and Rob sit down to discuss the Australian racing Greyhound and the sport's present and future. The conversation covers the community centric track system in New South Wales, technical aspects of Australian races and racing surfaces, and the wagering and funding of the sport. They also cover the welfare and rehoming of Australian racing Greyhounds, including the emerging partnership with Greyhound Pets of America.
Links
Greyhound Racing New South Wales (Website)
Greyhounds as Pets (Website)
Greyhound Integrity and Welfare Commission (Website)
Broken Hill Greyhound Club (Facebook)
Greyhound Pets of America (Website) -
Episode 34: Recorded January 15, 2023
"If you could bottle what I felt and sell it, I'd be a rich man…"
British racing Greyhound owner George Sell describes seeing his first Greyhoundk, Steeple Road Teddy, win a race
Show Notes
George Sell lives the life of a travel and real estate writer, business owner and "horse husband" in the south of England. His wife is an accomplished equestrian. They both love and own Whippets. He's also involved in a couple of racing Greyhound ownership syndicates.
Greyhound racing syndicates might raise an eyebrow for the unfamiliar, but they are fast becoming the best way for a fan of the breed to try their hand at owning a racer. George's first racing Greyhound -- Steeple Road Teddy -- was owned by a 10-member syndicate. When the Greyhound was having trouble, George enlisted a former Waterloo Cup coursing trainer to set things right.
Managing a racing syndicate is just one part of racing Greyhound ownership in Great Britain. Owners get to participate in Sundays at the kennel, visiting and playing with their Greyhounds, the trainer, and fellow owners. They also have to react to changes to the sport and its tracks since the COVID pandemic.
In this episode, George shares his experience as a racing Greyhound owner in the UK. Host John Parker discusses with George sourcing a potential winning Greyhound, finding the right trainer, and adapting to changes in Irish and British Greyhound racing.
Links
Macchiato (Website)
Americano (Website)
Fantalilly (Website) -
Episode 33: Recorded November 19, 2022
"He had become the darling of the crowds in England...we're talking about crowds...of a hundred thousand people..."
Author Charlie Blanning on Mick the Miller, one of his "top five" Greyhound picks
Show Notes
Charlie Blanning and Gary Guccione are second to none when it comes to declaring the "top five" racing Greyhounds in the modern era. Charlie -- author of three Greyhound history books -- gravitates towards the finest English and Irish racers 20th century. Gary -- former Executive Director of the National Greyhound Association -- brings a distinctly American selection of Greyhounds to his "best of" list.
In this episode, host John Parker asks the question of both Charlie and Gary -- "Can you name five racing Greyhounds that stand out above all others?" Charlie and Gary deliver, with stories of Mick the Miller, Westy Whizzer and Westmead Hawk, just to name a few. Join us for a fine hour of Greyhound history, discussion of the sport of Greyhound racing, and news on Charlie's books.
Charlie's Top Five Racing Greyhounds
Westmead Hawk (Wikipedia)
Ballyregan Bob (Wikipedia)
Pigalle Wonder (Wikipedia)
Endless Gossip (Wikipedia)
Mick the Miller (Website)
Gary's Top Five Racing Greyhounds
Downing (Greyhound Hall of Fame)
Miss Whirl
Westy Whizzer
Real Huntsman (Greyhound Hall of Fame)
Traffic Officer (Website) and Flashy Sir
Links
The Greyhound and the Hare (Facebook) -
Episode 32: Recorded October 18, 2022
“Training is not something you do to your dog but something that you do with your dog.”Lee Livingood on the importance of a dog owner’s investment in bettering their dog
Show Notes
Lee Livingood wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but she settled on always having a dog in her home. During college, she adopted a mixed breed dog from a local shelter and discovered it suffered from severe separation anxiety. Lee helped find the right home for the dog, and the experience ignited her interest in and passion for canine behavior.
In 1991, Lee and her husband learned about retired racing Greyhounds. They adopted their first Greyhound shortly thereafter -- a 2 year old hound named Penny. At the time, her home in Pennsylvania was in the throes of a winter storm. She went out in the blizzard with her newly adopted Greyhound on lead, who promptly chased after a squirrel and left her face down in the snow.
She didn't know about Greyhound "prey drive" and the quickness and strength a Greyhound could exert in such a situation. The experience inspired her to write Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies -- the first book about racing Greyhound behavior and care after adoption. The book would become a mainstay in the Greyhound adoption community.
In this episode, host John Parker and Lee sit down to talk about her background in Greyhound behavior and training, as well as her experience in writing the book. They explore the nuances of publishing what would become a very popular reference in the Greyhound adoption community, Lee's involvement with that community, and the future of the American Greyhound breed.
Links
Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies (Amazon)Redfern Canines (Website) -
Episode 31: Recorded August 28, 2022
"He definitely had a huge, big heart. He just had that will to win..."Irish Greyhound breeder and trainer Dolores Ruth, on training champion racing Greyhound, Razldazl Billy
Show Notes
Irish Greyhound breeder and trainer, Dolores Ruth, describes her 2006 Irish Greyhound Derby champion, Razldazl Billy, as an enigma. Clever. Superhuman. Named after Billy Flynn, a principal character from the musical, Chicago, Razldazl Billy seemingly put on a show wherever he raced.
Razldazl Billy's career is, to date, the pinnacle of Dolores' career in breeding and training, but he's not the only highlight. Dolores grew up in a racing Greyhound family. She recalls fond memories of feeding her father's Greyhounds Weetabix, milk and scrambled eggs and walking their family's Greyhounds in Dublin's Phoenix Park.
When her father became ill in her late teens, Dolores would take the reins of the family Greyhound business. In the early 1990s, she would come into her own as an independent Greyhound trainer. After Razldazl Billy won the Irish Greyhound Derby in 2006, she transitioned from trainer to breeder. The Razldazl bloodline continues to this day.
In this episode, host John Parker and Dolores explore not only Razldazl Billy's career, but some of the many other Greyhounds that have made a mark in the Irish racing Greyhound world. It's an entertaining exploration of some of the biggest Greyhound names in the sport and the breeder and trainer that helped share them with the world.
Links
Irish Greyhound Derby (Wikipedia)Razldazl Billy Race Career (Greyhound Racing Ireland)Razldazl Billy Pedigree (Greyhound Racing Ireland) -
Episode 30: Recorded August 2, 2022
"I don't know how to describe heaven for a dog...it's hard for a lot of people to understand how much these Greyhounds love to run..."Dr. Rob Gillette on Auburn University veterinary students seeing Greyhounds run for the first time
Show Notes
Dr. Rob Gillette has been around working and sporting dogs his entire life. He was born in Great Bend, near Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas and grew up hunting with retrievers and bird dogs. Cheyenne Bottoms was also home to the first coursing meeting of the American Coursing Club in 1886. He didn't realize it at the time, but it was a sign of his future involvement in Greyhound sports medicine.
Dr. Gillette graduated from veterinary school at Kansas State University in 1988 and subsequently helped take care of Greyhounds at local dog tracks and with breeders in and around Kansas City and Abilene. After completing a postdoctoral in human biomechanics, he received a research grant from the Kansas Racing Commission to better understand how Greyhounds run and how to reduce their injuries. Dr. Gillette would continue to research Greyhound performance and consult on track design and surface composition on behalf of trainers and track owners.
In the late 1990s, Dr. Gillette began a 15 year career at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine. There, he expanded his canine sports medicine research. His students had the opportunity to observe and learn from Greyhounds participating in what is now known as the Canine Performance Sciences program. His research would not only benefit the care of the Greyhound but serve the greater canine community as well.
In this episode, host John Parker discusses with Dr. Gillette his career as a veterinarian and researcher of Greyhounds, service dogs, and law enforcement and military K9s. They discuss how an understanding of the Greyhound's unique anatomy and athleticism better informs sports medicine for many breeds. Dr. Gillette also shares some of his current research activities and plans to develop the next generation of Greyhound savvy veterinarians.
Links
SportsVet.com (Website)SportsVet (Facebook)Athletic and Working Dog: Functional Anatomy and Biomechanics (Amazon.com) -
Episode 29: Recorded June 26, 2022
"He said to me, 'Why don't you make it a personal record? Put more of yourself into it...'"Charlie Blanning, on the advice given to him while writing Twenty Two Waterloo Cups
Show Notes
Charlie Blanning's latest book -- Twenty Two Waterloo Cups -- is more than just another history of the famous English Greyhound coursing meeting. It also tells the story of the author's involvement in the Waterloo Cup as a correspondent for various coursing publications from 1981 to the end of the Cup in 2005. Charlie braved judges' horses, blowing gales and anti-coursing protestors to share the experience of the Cup with readers.
Twenty Two Waterloo Cups is Charlie's fifth book about Greyhounds and the sport of coursing. The book picks up the Waterloo Cup in the early 1980s after a hiatus of four years that put premier coursing meeting's future in jeopardy. Thankfully, supporters of the sport and the Cup's rich history came to the rescue and revived the coursing meeting for more than two decades. The book is dedicated to one of those key figures -- Bill Stedman, Treasurer at the time of the National Coursing Club.
In this episode, Charlie and host John Parker hold a "virtual launch" of Twenty Two Waterloo Cups with a discussion about the coursing meeting's history, the Greyhounds that made it famous, the people who organized the event, and the undercurrents of anti-coursing protests during the Cup's final years. Charlie shares his motivations for writing the book and how he went about publishing another entry in his growing library of Greyhound history.
Links
The Greyhound & the Hare (Facebook)Reservation Form for Twenty Two Waterloo Cups -
Episode 28: Recorded February 15, 2022
"I literally grew up with Greyhounds..."Leslie Wootten, on her childhood at the Tucson Greyhound Park
Show Notes
Leslie Wootten's earliest memories of Greyhounds are from the Tucson Greyhound Park around 1953. Her father was hired as the plant superintendent at the race track, and her family lived in a house near the paddock on the track grounds. She heard the Greyhounds every night outside her bedroom window when there was racing.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Greyhound racing was the thing to do in Tucson. Leslie found herself at the paddock fence every night while her father worked and her mother mingled at the clubhouse. As she grew up and her family moved away from the track, she developed other interests. She would return to Greyhounds in her 30s.
With a college degree in writing, Leslie found herself revisiting her family's history in Greyhound racing. Her very first writing effort was the nomination of her grandfather -- James "Pop" Wootten -- into the Pioneers section of the Greyhound Hall of Fame. Gary Guccione, former executive director of the National Greyhound Association, later invited her to become a regular columnist for The Greyhound Review.
In 2007, Leslie would write Keefer: The People's Choice -- a book about breeder Keith Dillon's favorite Greyhound. Dillon felt that Keefer had an incredible personality from the moment of his birth in 1984. Keefer wowed the crowds at Derby Lane, becoming the first Greyhound ever featured in the Wall Street Journal. Leslie's book would explore this phenomenal Greyhound's career, based especially on her multi-part series about Dillon's life in Greyhound racing.
In this episode, John Parker sits down with Leslie to discuss her book and other writing about the Greyhound people and the Greyhound breed. They explore her family's rich heritage in Greyhound coursing and racing, her experiences in Abilene, Kansas, and the future of Greyhound racing and the Greyhound breed.
Links
Keefer: The People's Choice (Amazon)Greyhound Hall of FameNational Greyhound Association -
Episode 27: Recorded January 8, 2022
"It was indescribable -- the elation -- but also a sadness -- things can't get better than this..."Jackie Teal, Greyhound coursing and racing trainer, on winning her first Waterloo Cup in 2002
Show Notes
At the age of ten, Jackie Teal really wanted a pony. Instead, she found herself helping a local businessman out with his Greyhounds. She would bathe and feed them, ride with them out to the local track, and fall asleep with them at the end of a day at the track. Little did she know that missing out on that pony would lead training two Waterloo Cup winners a career in Greyhound coursing and racing.
In her twenties, Jackie went to her first coursing meeting. She found the experience to be very different than the "bloodthirsty goings on" that she had expected. Coursing was truly a test of Greyhound skill, and the sport transcended social class in England like no other.
Jackie started training Greyhounds and would meet her husband, John, at a coursing meeting. Together, they would build a kennel of nearly 200 Greyhounds. They trained Greyhounds for both coursing and racing. Her Greyhounds competed in the Waterloo Cup, Irish coursing and racing, and British racing. As of 2022, her Greyhounds have been racing at the Sunderland Greyhound Stadium for 32 years.
In this episode, host John Parker and Jackie sit down to talk about her career as both a Greyhound coursing and racing trainer. Jackie shares some of her favorite Greyhound stories from the track and coursing meetings, including her two Waterloo Cup winners in 2002 and 2005.
Links
Sunderland Greyhound Stadium -
Episode 26: Recorded December 16, 2021
“Why don’t you pick up the baton and write [about] the final years of the Waterloo cup?”Charlie Blanning on the inspiration for his next Greyhound history project
Show Notes
Charlie Blanning — respected Greyhound historian and regular guest on the Greyhound Nation podcast — has a new Greyhound history project in the works. In this episode, host John Parker and gets an exclusive preview of Charlie’s next book. Join the Nation for Charlie’s exclusive announcement!
Links
Please Mister: The Golden Age of Greyhound Racing (Facebook)Please Mister: The Golden Age of Greyhound Racing (Amazon UK) -
Episode 25: Recorded November 15, 2021
“I think of you as the Sir Mark Prescott of American coursing...”Host John Parker on Steve Downs and his involvement in coursing in the United States
Show Notes
Steve Downs is a fourth generation Greyhound man. His father's family hailed from California and became interested in hunting hares, also referred to as as jackrabbits in the United States. Steve caught his first hare around the age of five with the first Greyhound he could call his own, a black brindle named Felix.
In 1990, Steve joined a friend for a coursing meeting sanctioned by the National Open Field Coursing Association (NOFCA). On this trip to Wyoming, he experienced coursing under rules for the first time with his Greyhound. Steve's favorite Greyhound at the time -- Sally -- won the hunt on his behalf.
NOFCA, founded in the 1960s, established rules for walked-up coursing in the United States for most of the sighthound breeds. Steve would continue his involvement with the organization into the mid-2000s when he became a licensed judge for NOFCA coursing meetings. He also began to breed his own Greyhounds for open field coursing and developed a sense for the traits that made for excellent coursing dogs.
In this episode, host John Parker and Steve discuss the history of open field coursing in the United States, including the evolution of NOFCA as a governing body for the sport. Steve shares his experiences as a breeder, a judge, and a competitor during the course of the interview. - Показать больше
