We've been greyhound owners for just over 2 years. What a time its been! Lottie (AKA the insinkerator, and/or Brindle Rocket) plus Bomber (AKA Tinklebert woofledink and/or the black piddler) have both proven to be amazing dogs, each with their own distinct foibles and traits (even if they are both super cuddly). I am of course utterly besotted with both hounds.
Reflecting on the past 2 years, it is fair to say that I've met some amazing greyhound owners who've also become firm friends.
More recently however I've been saddened to observe just how much politics are getting in the way of achieving a positive outcome for greyhounds, many of whom really need our help.
I'd recently written about how disgusted I was with a post on the "greyhound protection league" facebook page and how by attempting to make political capital out of what can only be described as a terribly sad situation, they'd lost sight of helping a greyhound. In short, political point scoring got in the way of actual greyhound protection.
Since writing that entry I was asked to leave their facebook page. I gladly left and have no intention of ever looking back.
This time I've had a run-in with another greyhound welfare group bigwig who'll remain nameless.
I noticed a facebook post on their personal page, slagging off Greyhound as Pets (GAP) who are New Zealand's biggest and most well funded greyhound adoption agency. I expressed my distaste with the semi public bagging of a fellow greyhound welfare organisation given the posters prominent position within the greyhound community. I tried to be reasonable, even polite, saying that at the end of the day surely we all want the same thing, namely a good outcome for greyhounds.
What I got back as a reply was a rant telling me how I was completely wrong and how evil GAP was.
The reply might've been articulate, but at the end of the day that didn't matter. What really matters is that the real loosers here are greyhounds. I've since un-friended this person so I don't have to read their rants ever again. I hope more people follow my steps and do likewise.
When we were thinking of adopting a greyhound, we did a heap of research - much of it online. Surely it must follow that should other people thinking of adopting a greyhound, see such rabid outpourings, they'll wonder about the whole Greyhound scene given the irrational rants happening online.
What they unfortunately wont see are the really lovely people who own and love their greyhounds deeply. Unfortunately this isn't obvious to potential adopters, many of whom will instead read rabid social media posts emanating out of these organisations and run a mile. It'd be fair to assume that any thoughts about adopting a greyhound are also likely to be long forgotten too.
So what can we learn from this? It doesn't matter if people from these greyhound rescue groups can't see eye to eye. Instead of focusing on their differences and posting divisive rants online, wouldn't a far better outcome be achieved by rising above such petty politics and looking at what they all have in common?
Thankfully it appears that these politically motivated and vitriolic ranters are only a small but particularly vocal minority.
