Adoption expert Cynthia Branigan says adopters represent untapped potential as racing allies (December 2008).

You don’t have to look beyond the daily headlines to see that politics seem to bring out the worst in people. Envy, pride, greed, pretty much all of the seven deadly sins sing their siren song. Few people involved manage to rise above the fray and keep their focus on the greater good. So, given my aversion to politics, it’s quite a stretch for me to address a political issue in my column. 

However, I’m willing to delve into this necessary evil because the recent defeats in Arizona and Massachusetts will be duplicated in other states unless those of you within the industry who have something at stake prepare yourselves immediately.

Who am I, an industry outsider, to voice an opinion on the subject? If you are asking that question, then read on. Right now, I think the industry needs all the help it can get. I have been involved with Greyhounds since 1987 and have a background in journalism and advertising, so that should give me some credibility. But most importantly, I represent what is your greatest untapped ally: the adopters of retired racing Greyhounds.

For over four years, I have been writing in this magazine about building bridges between the adoption community and the racing industry. Certainly there is some interaction between the two groups now, but there is not nearly enough. As much as you may not like it, you need the adopters every bit as much as your dogs do when they come off the track. As Strother Martin’s character said in the film Cool Hand Luke, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”    

I believe a massive campaign should be initiated immediately to make all adoption groups aware of the vital role the industry plays in their lives. This is something that, curiously, has not been done either on an intensive or an expansive scale. Surely you wouldn’t mind if adopters became racing enthusiasts, would you? Or if they understood that without you, their lives would be the poorer? Of course you need to feel and express gratitude to adopters. They have provided homes for tens of thousands of your dogs. But is it out of line to suggest the reverse, that they feel and express some gratitude to you?

Let’s face it: without racing, no one would have the pleasure of adopting retired racers. There would be no adoption groups, no camaraderie among adopters, no Dewey Beach, none of the hundreds of annual adoption group picnics, none of the hundreds of ancillary businesses that have grown up around adoption, and no salaries for those people who are paid for their adoption efforts. And let’s not forget the anti-racing leaders who make their living by destroying your sport. All of the above people, businesses, and events, may deny or conveniently ignore their symbiotic relationship to you, but that doesn’t make it so. Adopters, and even the anti-racing people, are connected to you, and you are connected to them. Reminding them of that is essential. If you don’t do it, and currently you don’t, no one else will.

I’ve been to dozens of adoption gatherings sponsored by various tracks, and while they are pleasant enough, none ever try to get the adopters enthused about racing itself. You don’t need to get the attendees enthused about Greyhounds. If they have already adopted, they are already enthused. But how many adopters really understand their dog’s professional background? How many of them understand that, as I often say in speeches: retired Greyhounds are the way they are not in spite of their racing background but because of it. I can tell you the answer: very, very few.

I’m not suggesting that you use adoption events to make a sales pitch to try to convince adopters to invest in racing dogs. That would be a big turn-off to them and entirely inappropriate. I am suggesting, however, that you get them to understand the rudiments of the sport.

No one at adoption gatherings that I have attended at tracks ever explains to adopters how to read a program, or points out the dogs’ running styles or strategies, or details how the grading system works. I’ve seen adopters attend events at tracks who are barely aware of the dogs racing in the background. I am not suggesting that you encourage adopters to place a bet. Again, that would be a big turn-off and entirely inappropriate.

I am suggesting, however, that someone explain the principles of wagering. Most adopters have, at best, a condescending attitude about gamblers at the track. These adopters are people who, in other environments, might think nothing of going to a casino or buying a lottery ticket.

They need to understand that to a large extent, it is the gamblers who float the whole track operation. The adopters need to understand the skill and intelligence that handicapping requires of a person. Likewise, they also need to understand the skill and intelligence the dogs display while racing. Nothing makes me angrier than when I hear anti-racing people sneer that Greyhounds at tracks are simply “running in circles.” How insulting that is to the dogs! Additionally, the remark shows a stunning ignorance of the breed.

Adoption gatherings at tracks can be an important public relations tool. Getting adopters to see you as friendly and accessible is good. Getting adopters to see for themselves that the dogs enjoy what they do for a living is better. Getting adopters to understand the whole environment of the track: the training, the wagering, the dogs’ skill, is the best. Once they get the big picture, adopters can spread the word to the general public. As a bonus, they may even return to the track when there are no adoption gatherings taking place, just for the fun of it.

Adoption gatherings held at tracks or sponsored by tracks may boost adoptions briefly, and it may help to put a human face on racing, but you can get much more mileage out of it than just that. These adopters could become friends who will support your cause. You must compile a list of those individuals who attend these events and reach out to them.

Start off by thanking them for attending and for adopting a Greyhound. Then, from time to time, send them an e-mail with an update about something, anything, that’s going on at the track. Is a particular dog setting new records? Is there a special stakes race coming up? A concert? A giveaway of some kind? Keep them in the loop so they don’t lose the connection they established during their visit to the track. And if a legislative effort of some kind is underway, it is even more important to keep friendly adopters apprised of how “we” are doing. Surely some of them would have helped you in Arizona and Massachusetts if only they had been asked.

Adoption groups should also receive regular e-mailings with news of all aspects of the racing industry. You could start with selections of what you post online in the Daily News. But you can go further. By all means you should report on veterinary advances, on the amount of money various tracks contribute to local charities or to adoption efforts. You need to make adopters understand that not only do the tracks employ people and dogs, but they also contribute to the greater community around them. You can suggest that the adoption groups post some of these e-mails on their website. You can suggest they forward your e-mails to their adopters. Not all will comply, but some will. While all that you do may not sink in immediately to the adoption person who reads the e-mail, remember that over time, a drop of water can wear away a boulder.

Adopters should be encouraged to understand their dog’s pedigree. Then, when one of its siblings or parents achieves a measure of success, they can see the link between that dog and their own. Through adoption, they will feel they are a part of what’s happening in racing. For example, maybe their dog never even made it onto the track, but one of their dog’s siblings became a star. Don’t you think an adoption person would be interested in that? They may even be interested enough to make a trip to that track to see the dog race, or if the dog becomes available, they may want to adopt  him or her when its racing career is over.

Would you consider a summit meeting of adoption group leaders and industry officials? Maybe you could have several in different parts of the country. While you are never going to change the minds of zealots, those adoption groups who are either racing neutral, racing uninformed, or just plain open-minded, could be made to understand that we are all in this together. If they don’t want the supply of dogs to dry up, then they need to come out of the closet and speak out on the ways in which racing is good for the dogs and good for the economy.

Recently, anti-racing forces intimidated some adoption groups that did not tow the anti-racing line. This is outrageous, and improper. At the very least, that intimidation should have been brought to the voting public’s attention immediately. If it had been, then perhaps those pushing to outlaw racing would have been exposed as being not quite so humane as they pretend to be.

Your industry and livelihood is under attack, and sympathetic adopters should be strongly encouraged to start a letter-writing campaign in your defense. I’m sure you know the theory that when a legislator or a newspaper editor receives a letter on a particular subject, they believe 100 other people feel the same way but just didn’t take the time to express their opinion. Since one letter gets you 100 times the bang for the buck, every letter is vital. However, if you staged a public event and were able to get dozens of adopters with their adopted dogs to appear on your behalf, so much the better.

Can you imagine the impact if adopters, and their dogs, were to gather en masse on the steps of a state capitol building? The press would have a field day, and you would pretty much be guaranteed coverage. But what’s more, it would bring into question the anti-racing force’s implication that adoption people are automatically anti-racing and that all racing Greyhounds are abused.

So, there are just a few ideas to start with. What do you think? Can any or all be implemented? Do you have other ideas? Time is running short, and the anti-racing groups are busily mobilizing. Remember: you aren’t paranoid if someone is really out to get you.

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Cynthia Branigan is the author of the best-selling book “Adopting the Racing Greyhound” and the award-winning book “The Reign of the Greyhound”. She is the founder and president of Make Peace With Animals, an all-volunteer adoption group that has placed over 5,000 Greyhounds since 1988. Comments on this column are welcome and can be sent to

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