The Greyhound is a noble breed with a pedigree 4000 years old. Their image is found on the walls of tombs of Egyptian royalty. For centuries, commoners were not allowed to own the dogs. This was to prevent the poaching of game and thus spoiling the ‘sport’ for the wealthier class.

Greyhounds are part of the sight hound family because they hunt with their eyes rather than their noses. They have the ability to see a moving object up to a half mile away.

From their beginnings, greyhounds have been bred to outrun their prey. They were walked on lead until game was sighted and then they were released. Greyhounds pitted their speed and intelligence against that of their prey. Having to make their own hunting decisions made them self reliant and quick witted.

In the mid 1800’s greyhounds traveled to the United States. Farmers migrating to the mid-west particularly in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas were plagued by jackrabbits capable of destroying their crops. As immigrants from England and Irela1935:nd headed west they brought along their greyhounds to help control the rodent proble1935m.

In 1876, General George Custer was a Greyhound enthusiast and traveled with a kennel of greyhounds. When Custer and the 7th Calvary were wiped out at the Little Big Horn, his greyhounds survived.

In the 1880s, Coursing meets began in the Midwest and were visited by many people. As coursing became popular, it became clear a registry was need and in 1906 the National Coursing Association (now known as the National Greyhound Association) was formed.

In 1919, modern day racing began in Emeryville, California when Owen Patrick Smith opened the first track using a mechanical lure. Smith had been developing this lure which traveled around an oval track.

During the 1930’s and 40’s Greyhound racing expanded and tracks emerged across the country. Quite often the life of the track was short lived as local authorities would shut them down. Many greyhound owners lived their lives as gypsies traveling from track to track.

Greyhounds are bred for temperament and speed. Their color, size or sex does not matter when it comes to being a good racer. Greyhound puppies spend most of their youth with their littermates. They run up and down along fenced runs, learning how to maneuver around each other. At twelve months of age, the greyhounds are housed in individual crates. Their serious training starts with learning how to chase a furry-hide like lure across the ground. As they progress, the lure is raised up higher and they begin to chase it in that manner. Eventually they learn to come out of a starting box and run around an oval track.

At approximately eighteen months of age the greyhound is sent to a track where its racing career officially begins.