Irish Greyhounds

Ireland is the home of the greyhound, and even in ancient Greek times the Celts of Ireland were well known for their fleet-footed hunting hounds. It rivals the United States as the world's foremost producer of greyhounds, and certainly is first in terms of exporting. According to some estimates, 50% of all Irish-bred greyhounds are exported abroad. The British Greyhound Racing Board reports that approximately 80% of greyhounds active on British tracks are bred in Ireland.

On average, more than 20 000 greyhound pups are born every year, although 2008 saw a 25% decline in the number of litters produced. Only a minority of these young greyhounds will grow to have a highly successful career on the track. The competition is very hard, and it is not economically viable to keep training a dog who is not performing well. Injuries are another reason why these dogs disappear from the tracks, though no statistics for the numbers of failed racers exist.

The way in which Irish greyhounds are bred differs in many ways from other countries. Instead of Greyhounds being bred by a few large kennels, most of them are bred by private owners, who breed their dogs on a part time basis or as a hobby. Many Irish greyhound owners usually have two or three brood bitches and sell the pups to other owners. Not surprisingly this structure has resulted in a large surplus of greyhounds.

A racing greyhound has a short career, which begins at about 16 months of age and, if it does not experience career-ending injuries, extends to age four though some five year olds have been known to race. At the end of their racing career, generally only the most successful dogs are used for breeding, as the competition for an average dog is too great. Some bitches are kept for breeding, even if they are have performed well at the track, since many owners want to try their luck by breeding her to a successful winner. Between large numbers of retirees and unpromising pups, there is an overflow of greyhounds so great that it is next to impossible to find homes for them within Ireland. Matters are made worse by the fact that greyhounds in Ireland are still larely regarded as raching machines, totally unsuitable as pets, though this is very slowly changing. As a result, thousands of greyhounds are destroyed every year, many of them healthy and/or young. It is very difficult to find homes for all surplus greyhounds, even though many are re-homed in other countries in Europe.

To be more specific, it is difficult to know exactly how many greyhounds are born each year in Ireland. This is because it is only the number of litters that is registered, not the individual pups. The British Greyhound Racing Board has estimated that a brood bitch usually gives birth to litters of six to ten pups, with the average size of a litter estimated at eight pups. The pups are earmarked at around 16 weeks of age. When they are around a year old, the pups are then given official racing names,, given their Identity Cards and become eligible to qualify for racing. Not all dogs actually race, however, and many are discarded because of injuries, or because they are not fast enough, or unwilling to chase.

To offer some examples of greyhound statistics from recent years:

Number of litters registered with the Irish Greyhound Board:

2006 - 4 318. Number of pups: 25 908 - 43 180, on average 34 544 pups.
2007 - 4 038. Number of pups: 24 228 - 40 380, on average 32 304 pups.

Number pups earmarked:

2006 - 23 618 pups.
2007 - 22 727 pups.

Number of dogs issued with Identity Cards and becoming eligible to qualify for racing:

2006 - 21 571 dogs.
2007 - 20 916 dogs.

Numbers of transfers of ownership registered:

2006 - 12 895.
2007 - 12 819.

The IGB stewards do supervise the welfare of the active racing dogs, however. Trainers and owners are inspected on a regular basis, and offenders of the rules and regulations are subjected to a review board and public "naming and shaming" in Ireland's only greyhound newspaper.

Rescues and adoption programs specialising in greyhounds and usually run by dedicated individuals are working very hard to both find homes for the dogs in their care and to inform people about what amazing pets these gentle, laid-back, "couch potato" dogs make. The Irish Greyhound Board have established their own greyhound retirement home, with these greyhounds going to adoption programs in France and Belgium. They also provide funds for external rescues and adoption programs in Ireland, several of whom send their greyhounds to homes abroad. In those cases, the IGB also contributes to the travelling costs.

It would be safe to say that there is a surplus of greyhounds in Ireland that amounts to many thousands of dogs. With a population of only about 4 million people, not enough homes exist to accommodate all the dogs in need. Although efforts are starting to be made to get these large numbers of greyhounds produced under control, there is still a great need for the ones who are there now to find responsible homes in Ireland and abroad.

Sensitive, intelligent, loyal and relaxed, greyhounds make excellent pets for almost any type of household.
They do not require vast amounts of exercise, but they love the opportunity to run at full speed a
couple of times a week.
But at home they usually prefer to snooze in the softest spot available.
They are not called 45 mph couch potatoes for nothing.