Dairyland Greyhound Park Officials Transition Dogs Into New Homes When They Close

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Updated: 3:05 AM Dec 2, 2009 Dairyland Greyhound Park Officials Transition Dogs Into New Homes When They Close Nearly 700 dogs call Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha their home. Posted: 5:31 PM Dec 1, 2009 Reporter: Margo Spann Email Address: margo.spann@wsaw.com Hundreds of Greyhounds Up For Adoption Dairyland Greyhound Park Officials Transition Dogs Into New Homes When They Close

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Nearly 700 dogs call Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha their home.

The track opened in 1990 but the owners say the economy is forcing them to close their doors at the end of the month.

Margo Spann went to Kenosha to see first hand how the track plans to help these animals transition to their new lives.

State law protects the Greyhounds from being put to sleep.

The track doesn't own the dogs, but owners rent kennels and keep them there.

The general manager says they are working with the State Division of Gaming, and the dogs owners to make sure the animals go to the right homes.

"Wisconsin State Law provides one of three options for the greyhounds. They go to an adoptive home, they go to another track for racing or they go back to their owners," says Bill Apgar, the General Manager for Dairyland Greyhound Park.

He says Greyhounds make good pets and the former racing dogs shouldn't need any special care.

Dairyland has an on-site adoption center.

They are also working with a local greyhound rescue group to place the animals.

Some of the former race hounds are already available for adoption.

He tells us they won't know how many dogs will need to be adopted until racing ends on December 31st.

If you'd like to adopt a dog, you can download the application by clicking on the link below.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Liz Location: West Coast on Dec 4, 2009 at 01:39 PM

I've been doing adoption for 12 years and we all know that "back to the owner" aka "back to the farm" is usually a death sentence. The track officials are being misleading when they say no dogs will be euthanized. They just mean THEY won't be euthanizing these dogs. The legal owner, who doesn't want to care for a non-earning dog, can do whatever they want including euthanization or sale to research labs.

Posted by: Esther Location: Illinois on Dec 3, 2009 at 01:31 PM

The best dog we ever had was an adopted Greyhound! They make great pets. The are quiet, non agressive, loving dogs. They really do not like to run that much! A daily walk is fine! We did not even have a fenced in back yard, but the can not loose outside. Wonderful pets!

Posted by: Jeff Location: California on Dec 1, 2009 at 11:30 PM

Greyhounds make excellent pets. They rarely bark, they spend most of their day sleeping. They have less oil in their fur than most dogs and as a result are cleaner. After they adjust, they are very affectionate in their own way. Just give them a nice, soft place(s) to sleep. Walk them daily. Great, great dogs.

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