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Greyhound

akcgroup = Hound | akcstd = altname = English Greyhound | ankcgroup = Group 4 | ankcstd = ckcgroup = Group 2 - Hounds | ckcstd = country = uncertain; possibly England England

England is the largest and most populous constituent country [i] of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

 or Egypt Egypt

[i] country in [[North Africa]... 

| fcigroup = 10 | fcinum = 158 | fcisection = 3 | fcistd = image = Greyhound.jpg | image_caption = Greyhound | kcukgroup = Hound | kcukstd = name = Greyhound | nzkcgroup = Hounds | nzkcstd = ukcgroup = Sighthounds and Pariahs | ukcstd = End Infobox Dogbreed info. Article Begins Here --> The Greyhound is a breed Dog breed

A dog breed is a group of dog [i]s that have very similar or nearly identical characteristics of appeara ... 

 of dog Dog

The dog is a mammal [i] in the order Carnivora [i]. ... 

 used for hunting and racing Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing is the sport [i] of racing [i] greyhound [i]s. ... 

. It is one of the fastest land mammals; its combination of long, powerful legs, deep chests and aerodynamic build allows it to reach speeds of up to 72 km/h .

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Encyclopedia

The Greyhound is a breed Dog breed

A dog breed is a group of dog [i]s that have very similar or nearly identical characteristics of appeara ... 

 of dog Dog

The dog is a mammal [i] in the order Carnivora [i]. ... 

 used for hunting and racing Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing is the sport [i] of racing [i] greyhound [i]s. ... 

. It is one of the fastest land mammals; its combination of long, powerful legs, deep chests and aerodynamic build allows it to reach speeds of up to 72 km/h .

Appearance


Dogs are usually 71 to 76 cm  tall at the withers Withers

The withers is the highest point on an animal's [i] back, on the ridge between its shoulder blade [i] ... 

 and weigh around 29 to 36 kg Kilogram

The kilogram or kilogramme, is the SI base unit [i] of mass [i]. ... 

 . Bitches tend to be smaller with shoulder heights ranging from 68 to 71 cm and weights from 27 to 31 kg . Greyhounds have very short hair, which is easy to maintain. There are approximately thirty recognized color forms, of which variations of white, brindle, fawn, black, red and blue can appear uniquely or in combination.

Temperament

Although greyhounds are extremely fast, they are not high-energy dogs. They are sprinters, and although they love running, they do not require extensive exercise once they leave the track. Most are quiet, gentle animals. Greyhounds are often referred to as "Forty-five mile per hour couch potatoes."

Greyhounds can make good pets because of their mild and affectionate character. They can get along well with children, dogs and other family pets . Greyhounds are generally loyal, tractable dogs with developed intellects, although their territorial instinct is weak and they make poor guard dogs. Their talents include sighting and coursing. They do not have undercoats and therefore are less likely to trigger people's dog allergies . Most greyhounds that live as pets are adopted after they retire from racing.

Most companion greyhounds are kept on a leash because their hunting background has instilled a strong desire to chase things . Greyhounds can live in an urban setting but require moderate exercise on a regular basis. They enjoy walking and running outside.

An adult greyhound will stay healthy and happy with a daily walk of as little as 20 to 30 minutes.

History

Popularly, the breed's origin is believed to be traced to ancient Egypt Egypt

[i] country in [[North Africa]... 

, where a bas-relief Bas-relief

Bas-relief is a method of sculpting [i] which entails carving [i] or etching [i] ... 

 depicting a smooth-coated Saluki Saluki

akcgroup = Hound
| akcstd = altname = Arabian Hound
... 

  or Sloughi Sloughi

image = Sloughi.jpg
| akcfss = part of the akc fss
... 

 was found in a tomb Tomb

A tomb is a place of burial for the remains of the dead [i].
... 

 built in 4000 BC. Analyses of DNA DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid [i] that contains the genetic [i] instructions for t... 

 reported in 2004, however, suggest that the greyhound is not closely related to these breeds, but is a close relative to herding dog Herding dog

A herding dog or pastoral breed is a dog [i] that either has been trained in herding [i] or that is ... 

s.

Historically, these sight hound Sighthound

Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are hound [i]s that primarily hunt by speed and sight, instea ... 

s were used primarily for hunting in the open where their keen eyesight Visual perception

Visual perception is the end product of vision, consisting of the ability to detect light [i] and interp ... 

 is valuable. It is believed that they were introduced to England England

England is the largest and most populous constituent country [i] of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

 in the 5th and 6th centuries BC from Celt Celt

The term Celt, normally pronounced // , refers to a member of any of a number of peoples in Europe u... 

ic mainland Europe.

The name "greyhound" is generally believed to come from the Old English grighund. "Hund" is traced to the modern "hound", but the meaning of "grig" is undetermined, other than in reference to dogs in Old English and Norse. Its origin does not appear to have any common root with the modern word "grey" for colour, and indeed the greyhound is seen with a wide variety of coats.

According to Pokorny's Indogermanisches Woerterbuch the English name "greyhound" does not mean "a gray dog/hound", but simply "a fair dog". Subsequent words have been derived from the indoeuropean root *g'her- 'shine, twinkle': Eng. "gray", Old High German "gris" 'grey, old', Old Icelandic "griss" 'piglet, pig', Old Icld. "gryja" 'to dawn', "gryjandi" 'morning twilight', Old Irish "grian" 'sun', Old Church Slavonic "zorja" 'morning twilight, brightness'. The common sense of these words is 'to shine; bright'.

Until the early twentieth century, greyhounds were principally bred and trained for coursing. During the early 1920s 1920s

The 1920s was a decade [i] sometimes referred to as the "Jazz Age [i]" or the "Roaring Twenties [i]," us ... 

, modern greyhound racing was introduced into the United States and introduced into United Kingdom and Ireland in 1926.

See main article at Greyhound racing Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing is the sport [i] of racing [i] greyhound [i]s. ... 


Welfare



In the late 20th century 20th century

The 20th century started on 1 January [i] 1901 [i] and ended on 31 December [i] 2000 [i], according to t... 

 several Greyhound adoption Greyhound adoption

Greyhound adoption or Greyhound rescue programs focus on helping Greyhound [i]s move from racing [i] ... 

 groups were formed. The early groups were formed in large part out of a sense of concern about the treatment of the dogs while living on the track. These groups began taking greyhounds from the racetracks when they could no longer compete and placing them in adoptive homes. Previously, in the United States over 20,000 retired greyhounds a year were killed; recent estimates still number in the thousands, with about 90% of National Greyhound Association-registered animals either being adopted, or returned for breeding purposes .

Accidents and disease are also common killers among racing greyhounds. In 2005, an epidemic of respiratory failure killed dozens of dogs and left over 1200 quarantine Quarantine

Quarantine is enforced isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous .... 

d in the U.S., particularly in Massachusetts Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state [i] in the New England [i] region of the northeastern [i] ... 

, Colorado Colorado

Colorado is a state [i] in the western United States [i].... 

, Iowa Iowa

Iowa is a Midwest [i] state [i] of the United States [i]. ... 

 and Rhode Island Rhode Island

The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is the smallest state [i] by land area ... 

.

The vast majority of greyhounds are bred for racing, leading registered American Kennel Club dogs about 150:1, and as such each dog is issued a Bertillon card, which measures 56 distinct identifying traits, and the Bertillon number is tattoo Tattoo

A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment [i] into the skin [i]: in technical terms, tattooing is mic ... 

ed on the dog's ear, so as to ensure that the dog who races is in fact the dog it is claimed to be. However, not all National Greyhound Association registered dogs race. There are several reasons why some greyhounds never race:
  • The dog is too slow.
  • The dog has physical defects.
  • The dog does not have the required temperament.
  • The dog is not raised in a country where racing is popular.
  • The dog is bred for showing instead of racing.


Most greyhounds finish racing between two and five years of age. Some retired racing greyhounds have injuries that may follow them for the remainder of their lives.

Veterinary Care

Due to the unique physiology and anatomy Anatomy

Anatomy , is the branch of biology [i] that deals with the structure and organization of living things [i] ... 

 of greyhounds, a veterinarian Veterinarian

A veterinarian or a veterinary surgeon, often shortened to vet, is an animal [i] physician [i] ... 

 who understands the issues relevant to the breed is generally needed when the dogs need treatment, particularly when anaesthesia Anesthesia

Anesthesia or anaesthesia has traditionally meant the process of blocking the perception of pain [i] ... 

 is required. Greyhounds demonstrate unusual blood chemistry, which can be misread by veterinarians not familiar with the breed; this can result in an incorrect diagnosis. Also, greyhounds have much less fat than other dogs, and therefore cannot metabolize anesthesia as quickly. Female greyhounds are sometimes administered hormone supplements during their racing career; these can lead to an elevated risk of cancer Cancer

Cancer is a class of disease [i]s or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division [i] ... 

  . As well, greyhounds have higher levels of red blood cell Red blood cell

Red blood cells are the most common type of blood cell [i] and are the vertebrate [i] body [i]'s princip... 

s than do other breeds: since red blood cells carry oxygen to the muscles, this helps the breed's speed. Veterinary blood services often use greyhounds as many are universal blood donor Blood donation

Blood donation is a process by which a blood donor voluntarily [i] has blood [i] drawn f ... 

s..

Miscellaneous


In the media

;Simpson's Santa's Little Helper:
The most widely recognized greyhound in popular culture is the fictional character Santa's Little Helper Santa's Little Helper



Santa's Little Helper or once known as Santos L Halper is the Simpson family [i]'s pet dog [i]. ... 

 from the Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox , is a television network [i] in the ... 

's animated series, The Simpsons The Simpsons

The Simpsons is an Emmy [i] and Peabody [i]-winning American [i] animated [i] ... 

.

The character Santa's Little Helper exhibits many of the intellectual and behavioural characteristics of the typical greyhound as a pet. He is portrayed as affectionate, tolerant of other household pets , loyal, and not overly active.


;The Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines

* Motor Coach Industries [i] MC-7 [i]-Super 7 Scenicruiser [i]
... 

 bus company
In keeping with their logo, which sports a racing greyhound, Greyhound occasionally airs television commercials starring a talking computer-generated greyhound. The greyhound in these commercial shorts is often noted for his dry, deadpan wit.

Anatomy

An additional peculiarity of greyhounds is that they have a hinged spine, which is unique in the animal world. As a result, greyhounds have a small "divot" in their back, set just behind their shoulder blades.

The racing gait of the greyhound is a double suspension gallop, in which all four feet are off the ground twice during each full stride.

The key to the speed of a greyhound can be found in its streamlined shape, large lungs Lung

The lung is the essential respiration organ [i] in air-breathing vertebrate [i]s. ... 

, heart Heart

The heart is a hollow, muscular [i] organ [i] in vertebrate [i]s, responsible for pumping [i] ... 

 and muscles, the double suspension gallop and the flexibility of the spine.

Sports

  • The Greyhound is the mascot of the following college sports teams:

... 


  • The OHL Ontario Hockey League

    The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior "A" Tier I ice hockey [i] leagues which const ... 

     hockey team in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

    For the city of Sault Ste.... 

    , Canada Canada

    Canada is the world's second-largest [i] country by total area, occupying most ... 

     is called the Greyhounds Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

    The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are a junior ice hockey [i] team in the Ontario Hockey League [i], based ... 

    .
  • There is an indoor football team based in West Virginia called the Ohio Valley Greyhounds.

Other

  • Greyhound was the name of several roller coaster Roller coaster

    The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride [i] developed for amusement park [i]s and modern theme park [i] ... 

    s in the United States United States

    The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

     and Canada Canada

    Canada is the world's second-largest [i] country by total area, occupying most ... 

    . None of these rides operate today.


  • In Australia, racing Greyhounds are commonly known in slang terminology as "Dish Lickers" eg. "I just won 50 bucks at the Dish Lickers".

External links

  • Clubs, Associations and Societies
  • Comprehensive database of Greyhound pedigrees

See also

  • Lure coursing Lure coursing

    Lure coursing is a sport [i] for dog [i]s that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. ... 

  • Coursing
  • Greyhound racing Greyhound racing

    Greyhound racing is the sport [i] of racing [i] greyhound [i]s. ... 

  • Greyhound adoption Greyhound adoption

    Greyhound adoption or Greyhound rescue programs focus on helping Greyhound [i]s move from racing [i] ... 

  • Similar breeds:

| akcstd = altname = Piccolo Levriero Italiano, Miniature Greyhound
... 



| akcstd = ankcgroup = Group 4
... 


    • Galgo Espaņol Galgo Espaņol

      The Galgo Espaol or Spanish Greyhound is an ancient breed [i] of dog [i], specifically a member o ... 

    • Lurcher Lurcher

      The Lurcher is not a dog breed [i], but rather a type of dog [i]. ... 



References