There are many breeds that come under the term sighthound, most of them are very easily recognised as they are often tall and slim. Such breeds include the Greyhound, Sloughi, Saluki, Whippet, Afghan Hound, Borzoi, Wolfhounds and even the Italian Greyhound was once a working sighthound although today they are too fragile for working. You may also have heard of the Lurcher and Longdog, a Lurcher is a sighthound crossed with another breed of dog that is not a sighthound, a longdog is a cross between sighthounds, these dogs are also very popular today although these dogs are not possible on Furry Paws.

Our aims at Lurcool Sighthounds is to encourage awareness of sighthounds and to breed fit and healthy sighthounds that are ideal for competing in competitions. This will be a challenge as not all dogs are 100% healthy but we believe that we can archive with top class, healthy, sighthounds.

It wasn't until I got a job at a Boarding Kennels where they housed rescue Greyhounds and Lurchers that I fell in love with these sighthounds. These dogs had such characteristics and all were so different, some are shy and quiet where as others are bold and confident, some are even crazy. Most of the dogs were ex or failed racers and it did shock me a lot of the time to see a lot of these dogs had shown up in such appalling ways, sadly it's not uncommon to see an emaciated ex-racing dog walk through the doors. It's just rewarding to see them leave again in perfect condition and as happy as larry.

I would like to open peoples eyes to sighthounds as a lot of the time they are overlooked by other breeds of dogs which are more popular. I would like to help increase the numbers of sighthounds here because their voices should be as loud as the other breeds.

Did you know 25,000 greyhound pups Greyhounds are bred and registered for Greyhound racing every year in the UK alone. 10,000 Greyhounds are destroyed each year just because there career is over. About 1000 Greyhounds go into rescues and get re-homed. What happens to the rest?

Having toes ripped off is common for the average racing Greyhound, you think about how painful it is when you stub your toe, imagine loosing your toe and then receiving no hospital treatment, maybe just getting some cream put on it? That happens every single day on the race tracks for greyhounds and if you think thats bad, they are lucky! It gets much worst! Death! Some dogs even die on the tracks due to terrible racing injuries!

Maybe you are already worried for the poor dogs but what about at home? Must be nice to be champion? Most of the dogs live in kennels, only to leave when they are to be raced or trained, they may have a bed and a water bowl but a lot of the dogs have never seen a home, never seen a toy! They are fed purely on a specialized racing diet with no extra treats that could risk the dogs to put on weight. A fair number of dogs are kept underweight because the owners believe that the dogs run better if they are skinny. But for most of the dogs it doesn't last long, their career ends when they are around four years old and if they are not taken into a rescue they are either destroyed at the vets or they simply disappear! But where do the ones that disappear go if they are not rehomed or put to sleep by a vet? The owners cheapest option!

Greyhound racing is an industry built up with one thing in mind, money! The dogs may enjoy chasing the fake bunny around the tracks however that doesn't make it a good thing, a lot of the animals are treated poorly and the racing industry care little for the welfare of the dogs, they say the dogs are not treated poorly but how do they know? They do not check where the dogs live or how they are treated! They do not care!

"You Bet! They Die!"