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Seeking a greyhound, and remembering Eight Belles

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Los Angeles Times Entertainment Editor Betsy Sharkey is going to adopt a racing greyhound from the Caliente Racing Track in Tijuana. She will periodically post updates on his assimilation into her family at L.A. Unleashed. This is her first report:

Meet Riley. He’s a 4-year-old racing greyhound just days off the track -- 17, to be exact. I’m in the process of adopting him from a local rescue operation, Greyhound Pets of America, and maybe that’s why the death of filly Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby over the weekend hit me especially hard.

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Riley, like all racers whether horse or canine, was at constant risk not only of career-ending injuries, but also of life-ending ones. And so it was for Eight Belles -- fractured ankles at the end of a race that she literally gave everything for. No happy ending.

Racing greyhounds, even injured ones, stand a much better chance of survival; a broken leg can be set, and most greys manage to hobble around in a cast during recovery. And because of the aggressive efforts of various greyhound rescue groups, who pick up the medical costs for many injured greys, the tracks don’t automatically euthanize them anymore.

I’m still waiting for Riley’s racing stats, which will come when I pick him up Friday, after shots, neutering, teeth cleaning and my foster care training. The rescue group thinks he must have been a pretty consistent winner for the track to have kept him racing that long. But success, as we saw this weekend, can exact a high price. I’m just glad the race is over for Riley and that in just a few days he’ll be coming home forever.

Next: How I found Riley

-- Betsy Sharkey

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