Every year, 2,000 to 3,000 greyhound dogs are put to the test on Arizona race tracks, according to Janie McDaniel, a volunteer for Greyhounds of the Verde Valley, a local greyhound rescue group.

Every year, 2,000 to 3,000 greyhound dogs are put to the test on Arizona race tracks, according to Janie McDaniel, a volunteer for Greyhounds of the Verde Valley, a local greyhound rescue group.

Professional race dogs pay a high price for failure, but even winning is no guarantee they’ll live past the age of three. In the United States alone, as many as 45,000 greyhounds are put down each year, according to GVV Co-founder Monica Davis.

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Dog racing is an ugly business, McDaniel said. Gambling revenue keeps the tracks in business while the state government does little to curtail abuse and murder of the animals.

When the dogs reach retirement, because of age, injury or otherwise, kennel owners turn them over to greyhound rescue groups — if they’re lucky.

Greyhound breeders refuse to give greyhounds to the humane society, because they’re worried people will breed them and cut into their profits, according to McDaniel.

“They’d rather destroy them than let them get into somebody’s hands,” she said. If they’re to be rescued, they’ll need to survive miserable conditions while they wait.

“Overall, it’s not a real pleasant situation,” McDaniel said. Some kennels are better than others, but they’re generally pretty awful. The cages are stacked two deep and the dogs spend 20 or more hours a day locked inside them.

On Friday, Aug. 10, about 20 greyhounds and their owners gathered at Kiwanis Park in the Village of Oak Creek.

Strolling among the group was a new pup, rescued just over a week ago. On her rear, two cage sores served as evidence of the time she spent in a kennel waiting to be rescued. She’ll be fine, Davis assured, but those who aren’t rescued in time face being killed.

When no one steps in to adopt them, they’re taken into the desert and shot, McDaniel said. Their ears are then cut off so they can’t be identified by their tattoos, which include their racing numbers and dates of birth.

“It’s illegal and it’s probably not something they want to do, but they do it,” McDaniel said.

She and other GVV members save as many dogs as they can, but it costs money. Housing and feeding them, taking them to vet, and traveling to and from Tucson where most of them are rescued is expensive.

To raise funds, the group collects aluminum cans and holds rummage sales, but donations are key. GVV’s nonprofit 501(c)(3) status is pending, according to GVV President Donna Morey, but they still count on contributions.

The best thing anyone can do to support the group is to adopt a dog, but many people hesitate to adopt greyhounds, because they assume greyhounds need a lot of space to run around. That’s not true, according to McDaniel. They’ve spent their lives racing, but they’re not high-energy dogs.

“They’ve well-earned the name ‘the 45-mile-per-hour couch potato,’” Morey joked.

“They’re the easiest dogs anyboby could ever have,” McDaniel said. “If nothing’s going on, they’ll curl up and go to sleep all day,” which is great for working people. They’re also great with children, they’re non-aggressive, and they’re extremely smart.

“Once you have a greyhound, you won’t have any other kind of dog,” McDaniel assured.

Even as 20 of them gathered in Kiwanis Park to play together, there was barely a peep amongst them. They were remarkably well-behaved. There was no growling, no barking, and they were as docile as could be.

Indeed, greyhounds have been popular among royalty for thousands of years, according to McDaniel. Cleopatra, Frederick the Great and Elizabeth I all owned them, but the breed nearly died out during the Dark Ages.

Monastic sects kept them alive and began selling them back to the nobility when conditions improved.

GVV’s rescues are all American Kennel Club greyhounds, born of official breeding bitches, according to McDaniel. They’re pure-bred racing dogs.

GVV Vice President Judy Matteson’s dog, Sinjun, looked like the biggest of the bunch. At only 2-years-old, he’s still a pup, but he weighs a whopping 97 lbs., Matteson said. Most of the others were much smaller.

At this moment, Davis and other GVV members are holding onto several newly-rescued pups. They’re just waiting for adoption — and only a four-hour drive away, countless others wait to be saved.

To learn more about adopting a greyhound, contact Monica Davis at 634-7250. To make a donation to Greyhounds of the Verde Valley, contact Donna Morey at 300-2365.

On Sept. 21, visit Sedona Red Rock High School for the annual Relay for Life cancer benefit, where Greyhounds of the Verde Valley will walk the track with their dogs. It’s the only relay in Arizona that allows dogs to walk, McDaniel said.

Tyler Midkiff can be reached at 282-7795, Ext. 122, or e-mail tmidkiff@larsonnewspapers.com