Their tall and graceful appearance gives greyhounds a very elegant look. Since the 11th century, this fastest breed of dog was reserved for nobility. Having greyhounds gave them the possibility to enjoy dog racing and betting at the same time. This tradition has continued until today, not only in England, the motherland of dog races and betting, but especially also in Ireland.
Hardly anyone knows that Ireland specialized in dog racing with greyhounds. But there's one crucially critical aspect: The breeding of those dogs is focused on getting the quickest, most profitable dogs that can keep up to 70 km/h. As this is known among exports all over the world, the export of Irish greyhounds is prospering enormously, so that breeders sell their dogs to the UK, USA, Canada and more recently to China. All over the world, casinos promote dog races, so it's not a surprise that Macau, known for the biggest casinos worldwide, is also investing in these races and has built their own dog track. It's the basis for deals, worth billions which however leads to a sad fact: The dogs are suffering.
So what happens to dogs that do not meet the needed requirements and that are already sorted out at birth? Or those greyhounds that are too old for the track?
If they are lucky, they'll be sent to an association that looks for adoption, but as this would mean additional work, they are 'simply' sent to a killing center. This is where Kristiane's Irish Farm of Hope comes into play: She cooperates with many animal shelters and animal welfare groups around Ireland. Especially young and ill dogs are a focus of our work, as we have gathered a lot of experience over the years. We care for our protégés, help them to get fit again and look everywhere for a suitable new home. From the moment they arrive at the farm, dogs learn how to live in a house, instead of the kennel they were used to before.
This greyhound pup has quickly found a new home, not only making the owners happy with their new family member, but also giving them the feeling that this being has found a life outside of its economical 'purpose' as a racing machine.
In general, greyhounds have a very simple character: If you give them a new home, love and safety, they'll reward you with more love than you could dream of.
The Greyhound may not be as well-known in Europe as the Irish Wolfhound, but it is one of the sighthound breeds that are said to have a number of characteristics: They are said to be difficult to train and have a strong hunting instinct. They are also said to need a lot of exercise and are certainly aggressive because of the muzzle that they only wear when racing. The nature of greyhounds is like Irish wolfhounds, but very gentle and affectionate. Keeping a Greyhound is certainly not recommended in every home given its size, but raising it as a member of the family is easy. They are often misunderstood because they are actually gentle giants. Due to their lovely character, they are very suitable as family dogs. You can go on long walks and even hikes with a Greyhound. However, he wants to exercise for at least one or two hours a day. In the meantime, he relaxes on his favorite spot and behaves calmly and reservedly. The hunting instinct is different in every dog, so you can also find dogs with less hunting instinct among greyhounds and vice versa. The dog walks very well on the leash and behaves unproblematically even towards strangers.
“We make every effort to find a suitable, new home for our dogs. In contrast to rescued Spanish dogs that are simply sent to a new owner as soon as possible, we insist on placing dogs only when they have recovered both physically and mentally on our farm. “When we really know the dog, we’ll know what and who suits him best and look for the appropriate new owner.”
Kristiane
Kristiane attaches great importance to the fact that the animals on her farm are not housed in isolated boxes, but rather live together in a mixed pack of dogs. Such a family group is made up of dogs, cats, horses and donkeys. Their new arrivals experience a life with a lot of love and care from people. They get to know everyday household noises and get used to the car rides to the vet clinic. Our animals are not afraid of a transport basket; there is always one available that can be used as a place to sleep.
Because of the loving care on the farm and the careful selection of the host families, the animals are all rehomed with great success. Also read our story about Tullja!