Greyhound Racing
The Greyhound Project
Cynthia A. Branigan
The plight of the retired racing greyhound has been steadily improving. Now a bold new initiative may save additional lives.
When Richard Mashburn marched into Sandy Snyman’s adoption kennel at the Daytona Beach greyhound racetrack last year, it was not with the intention of adopting an ex-racing greyhound. He did, however, have something else to offer that ultimately may save the lives of thousands of greyhounds across the country who are in need of homes after their racing careers are over.
Through media reports, Mashburn had learned that every year most of the retired racing greyhounds in this country, some 25,000 dogs, either are euthanized—not always humanely—or sold to research laboratories. Through the efforts of volunteer adoption groups and track-operated programs, the number of these dogs being adopted as pets has risen to between 16,000 and 18,000 a year. Still, many more homes are needed desperately.
Mashburn is the Regional Sales Manager of Portland, OR-based AK Media Airport, the largest U.S. company involved with placing display ads in airports. As a public service, AK Media offers free space to non-profit groups. Mashburn felt that by placing advertisements at the 60 or so airports that his company serves, he could help the dogs by supporting and boosting adoptions.
Words into deeds
It didn’t take long for word of the offer to spread through
the greyhound network. Snyman contacted Cynthia Cash, a volunteer
with Greyhound Pets of America who, in turn, contacted Joan Belle
Isle, one of the founders of The Greyhound Project, an advocacy
group. At this point, The ASPCA became involved and, in October
1997, an organizational meeting was held.
One of the first subjects under consideration by the group was whether airport advertising was the most effective venue, or if another choice, such as highway billboards, might be preferable. It didn’t take long to decide: Outdoor advertising is not only expensive—approximately $1,200 per display—but its life span is only about 18 months. In addition, a person speeding by in a car might not even have enough time to scribble down a contact number.
By comparison, airport displays last three to four years and can be viewed at leisure. Also, research shows that the average person walking through an airport, whether traveling or not, possesses the attributes of a responsible greyhound adopter: he or she is middle-aged, has a college degree and earns an above-average income.
While the space offered at the airports was free, the ads themselves were not. Cash, a landscape architect by profession, offered to contact production companies that manufacture the specially made displays, 60 inches wide by 40 inches high, which are printed on Mylar film and back-lit. She also contacted additional advertising companies that manage space at other airports and induced them to agree to provide space for the greyhounds, too.
When the dust settled, TKO Visual Communications came in with the winning bid of $200 each to produce the ads in lots of 20. To get the project off the ground, The ASPCA and The Greyhound Project each contributed $2,000.
Coming up with just the right enticement for passersby was also the work of a committee. Early on it was decided to accent the positive. Ads that depicted blatant cruelty would probably cause people to turn away, so it was agreed to illustrate, through photographs, that greyhounds make great companions. The accompanying slogan is simplicity itself: Make A Friend For Life... Adopt A Greyhound.
The initial ads were produced using two national adoption referral numbers as contacts. Anyone calling either of the 800 numbers automatically would be referred to the nearest adoption group. Later, it was decided that individual adoption groups might like to purchase additional displays featuring the name of their group and their own local telephone number. So far, 122 ads appear in 55 airports, and 27 still have space available. A major coup was making sure that an ad was up in the San Diego Airport in time for Super Bowl Sunday in January 1998.
More bang for the bucks
Jacque Schultz, Director of Special Projects, ASPCA Animal
Sciences, is full of enthusiasm for both the project (“The
best $2,000 we ever spent!”) and for the greyhounds.
“In the mainstream,” says Schultz, “every
greyhound adopted is a wonderful ad for greyhounds as pets. They
walk well on a leash, 90 to 95 percent are housebroken within two
weeks and they are easy to incorporate into a household.”
For the past several years, The ASPCA has had two kennel spaces
reserved for ex-racers and, since 1995, has found homes for 33
dogs.
The ASPCA’s involvement with the plight of the greyhound began formally in early 1992, when The “A” was chosen as administrator of the American Greyhound Council’s $100,000 one-time funding of adoption efforts. The program was so successful that the AGC followed it with several years of $50,000 grants, then last year, a $10,000 grant for transitional funding.
In 1997, the AGC decided to manage its own account. In 1998, fearing that funds would not reach groups that criticized the racing industry, The ASPCA formed the ASPCA Greyhound Rescue Fund and committed to spending $40,000 the first year. As needs arise, monies from this fund will be distributed to adoption groups to meet emergencies, such as rescuing dogs imperiled in shelters, at tracks and for transportation costs. “Funds are not to be used for normal operating expenses,” says Schultz, “nor to take the place of a group’s own fundraising efforts.” Unused funds will be distributed quarterly as capital improvement grants.
Though adoption groups across the country are finding homes for thousands of ex-racing greyhounds each year, there are thousands more who are not so fortunate. With the advent of airport displays, the traveling public may just step forward to fill in the gap. The friendly skies are about to take on a whole new meaning.
Cynthia Branigan has written two books on greyhounds: Adopting the Racing Greyhound and The Reign of the Greyhound. She lives in New Hope, PA.
|
What you can do
|
© 1998 ASPCA
ASPCA Animal Watch - Summer 1998
Next in
How You Can Help Pets: Greyhound Racing:
Saving Retired Racing Greyhounds
EMAIL
SHARE
