”If someone has a giant nose, you’re not going to cut off their nose…”

Dr. Guillermo Couto on why he chose to focus his career on Greyhounds and their unique physiology and health characteristics

Dr. Guillermo Couto’s veterinary career started in the 1970s in Buenos Ares, Argentina. He started with a small practice across the street from his parents. Five years later, he became board certified in veterinary internal medicine and oncology at the University of California, Davis. In the 1980s, he started a thirty year career at The Ohio State University where he made a name for himself as the foremost expert and researcher in Greyhound hematology and oncology.

That focus on Greyhounds started 30 years ago when Dr. Couto adopted his first Greyhound. He was intrigued by the unique physiology of the breed, and he sought answers to questions about Greyhound health that other veterinarians and researchers might have dismissed as abnormalities. In 2013, Dr. Couto retired from teaching and founded the Greyhound Health Initiative (GHI) to further explore the internal medicine and oncology landscape of the breed.

Meanwhile, Mandy Albert started her veterinary career as a registered vet technician in 2004. Two years after Dr. Couto founded GHI, Mandy joined the organization to help establish its canine blood bank. Together, they have expanded the GHI well beyond its canine blood bank. The organization’s current initiatives include Greyhound and sighthound research, education and outreach, advocacy for retired racing Greyhounds and collaboration with veterinary professionals.

In this episode, host John Parker sits down with Dr. Couto and Mandy to explore the doctor’s career, the origins of the Greyhound Health Initiative, and the contributions that both professionals have made and continue to make to the well-being of the Greyhound. It’s an exciting hour of discussion about everything from Greyhound blood factors to osteosarcoma to the cutting edge of Greyhound orthopedic research.

“I’ve never screamed so loud. The bug had bit. I had a tremendous passion for it.”

David Peck on watching his first Greyhound nearly win a stakes race at Victoryland

David Peck started out training bird dogs in the early 1970s. One of his clients was a friend who became involved in the new parimutuel racing in Texas. He visited David and recommended that he try his hand in training Greyhounds based on his success with bird dogs. Greyhounds gave David “renewed energy and lit me up.”

David started out with two pups, and he started training them like his bird dogs. His methodology worked, and one of those first Greyhounds became a top competitor at the Victoryland Greyhound track in Alabama. During one of his summer bird dog training sessions, he was called away to cheer on his Greyhound at a final stakes race. That hound took second place, just barely beaten at the wire. It was the start of an American Greyhound racing career that lasted well into the 2010s.

After founding Clear the Way (CTW) Kennels, David continued to improve his training methods. In particular, he focused on track design and surfaces. He encouraged American dog tracks to adopt Australian-style track design to improve the overall footing and safety for racing Greyhounds.

In this episode, host John Parker talks with David about his decades of dog training — bird dogs, American racing Greyhounds, and — now — Belgian Malinois. David shares his experiences with both training and breeding Greyhounds, describing the differences and similarities between the breeds with which he’s worked. He also talks about how he worked to make Greyhound racing safer and keep the sport alive.

“With the loss of any sport or pastime, it’s the people you miss in the end…”

Sir Mark Prescott on the people he met over four decades of coursing

Every sport has its share of characters — the people that influenced and shaped the sport, for better or worse. Babe Ruth. Lester Piggot. Hank Aaron. Sterling Moss. Michael Jordan. Caitlin Clark. Eric Liddell. David Beckham. Mike Krzyzewski. Bobby Knight. Billie Jean King. Depending on your perspective, these names can elicit a variety of emotions and memories of your favorite sport.

The world of Greyhound coursing has its own cavalcade of characters who left their own mark or legacy on the sport. Historical figures like Colonel North and Edward Dent influenced the glory days of the sport. Lord Sefton, while influential, left artifacts and records of the Waterloo Cup to be burned and abandoned after his passing.

Then there are the memorable judges, owners and trainers that left their mark on the sport of coursing. Jack Chadwick judged meetings from atop a horse with a permanently outstretched leg. Owner Lilah Shennen delivered both criticism and support of the sport and its organizers over the years. Harry Skinner made contributions to the sport in the design of the fields and courses to be run.

In this episode, host John Parker sits down with his own favorite coursing characters — Charlie Blanning and Sir Mark Prescott — to talk about the larger community of coursing’s beloved and not so beloved. Their discussion covers the gamut of historical figures to coursing’s contemporaries right up until the last Waterloo Cup.

This episode is dedicated to Michael’s Greyhound, Raleigh (fka Mr. Bates), 3/2/2016 – 12/13/2024. Raleigh was one of ten puppies in the Dublin and Kell’s Casino litter from 2016. This was a hobby bred litter courtesy of John Parker. If you’d like to learn more about Greyhound hobby breeding, listen to our fifth episode — the Hobby Breeder Roundtable.

“Greyhound racing — I will be forever grateful. It owes me nothing, and I owe it everything.”

Acting CEO of GRNSW Wayne Billett on his third generation Australian Greyhound racing legacy

In the 1930s and 1940s, Wayne Billet’s grandfather served on the Dapto Agricultural & Horticultural Society that would introduce Greyhound racing to the Syndey suburb. Wayne’s father and uncle would work at the Dapto Greyhound track as well. At the age of 15, as the third generation of Billetts, would start work in the Dapto Greyhound kennels.

Forty odd years later, Wayne serves as the acting CEO of Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW). In that time, he graduated from kennel work to starter, club steward, and race club manager. Today, he manages the whole of Greyhound racing in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Under Wayne’s leadership, GRNSW is prospering. The Million Dollar Chase draws large crowds and “punters” to see the biggest single Greyhound race payout in the world. The Taree Super Track recently opened with new technologies and safety features for Greyhounds. Finally, a dedicated rehoming facility for North American adopters is open for business with more than fifty adoptable Greyhounds waiting to cross the Pacific.

In this episode, host John Parker and Wayne sit down to talk about his family’s background in Greyhound racing, The Million Dollar Chase, and the future of Greyhound Racing in New South Wales. John also challenges Wayne to Parker’s Lightning Round of Greyhound questions.

“You need to write about what you know. You need to write about what you’ve experienced.”

Charlie Blanning on how his father’s and grandfather’s Greyhound breeding inspired elements of his new novel

Greyhound author and historian Charlie Blanning has released his second work of Greyhound fiction — Electric Rabbit. His latest novel picks up many of the dangling narrative threads from his first novel, Rags to Riches. His latest work stands alone, but he recommends reading both novels to get the most of recurring characters and full historical context of the story.

Speaking of that historical context, Electric Rabbit reads very much like historical fiction. The narrative continues Charlie’s incorporation of elements factual Greyhound sport — Greyhound racing and coursing in Great Britain. This new novel is set in the mid-1920s and focuses on the first Greyhound racing activities in the country.

Without giving too much of the plot away, host John Parker and Charlie sit down to talk about the novel and its Greyhound sport underpinnings. Charlie shares how his family’s background in racing and coursing Greyhound breeding informed Electric Rabbit’s narrative. As always, he brings to bear his considerable corpus of historic Greyhound sport knowledge to paint a vivid and engaging portrait of the Greyhound in early 20th century Great Britain.

“People have jumped to the [conclusion] that, because tracks are closed in the United States, there’s no more Greyhounds…”

Debra Hardman, of GALT-Arizona, describing the state of affairs for Greyhound adoption applications

Former racing Greyhounds are still available to adopt in the United States. However, those Greyhounds will likely be sourced from outside the United States. Adoption organizations that partner with groups like Greyhound Racing Ireland / the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust, Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) and Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) have effectively resuscitated their programs. These organizations’ leaders, including Bob Koch of Nittany Greyhounds and Debra Hardman of GALT-Arizona, are navigating the ins and outs of rehoming these overseas hounds.

Bob’s adoption group in central Pennsylvania serves adopters regionally — basically the mid-Atlantic and Midwest. At any given time, he has about 50 approved adoption applications. Nittany works with two organizations in Australia — and GRV and GRNSW — but they started international rehoming with Irish racing Greyhounds. According to Bob, the Greyhounds handle the long travel very well and share the same temperament as American racing Greyhounds.

Debra’s experience in the American Southwest is very similar to that of Bob’s organization. GALT-Arizona — a chapter of the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT) — serves Arizona and surrounding states. Her Australian Greyhounds come directly into LAX for pickup, and she describes the hounds as happy as ever as they finish their long journeys after transport.

In this episode, host John Parker talks with Bob and Debra about these and other experiences rehoming international Greyhounds with American adopters. They discuss the logistics of bringing the Greyhounds into various ports of entry, the paperwork involved and the care given to the hounds as they make their way around the world. Bob and Debra also share a bit about each of their organizations and how they’re adapting to this new source of Greyhounds while also maintaining high welfare and breed support standards.

“They’re built to be a service dog in terms of physicality and temperament…”

Australian animal trainer Steve Austin, on the Greyhound as a breed suitable for therapy dog training

Steve Austin had a knack for training animals at an early age. Growing up in New South Wales, Australia, he realized the value of positive reinforcement for dog training. As a teenager, Steve and his first dog — a stray by the name of Sooty — entertained the crowds on paydays at the local pub. Sooty was trained to balance a “schooner” of beer on his head.

In Steve’s words, “When he got it right, I made a lot of money that night…”

Steve describes Sooty as rough, tough, black and mean — a dog that would live to the age of 17. “He loved me, and I loved him.” Along with dog obedience competitions, Steve fed his passion for animal training, and his skills as a trainer would expand beyond dogs to other animal species, including elephants and pigs. Steve’s accomplishments include training animals for TV and film, prison dog behavior programs, and preparing PTSD dogs for Australian soldiers returning from combat. His book — Working Dog Heroes — is a heartfelt memoir of all these experiences as a trainer.

In this episode, host John Parker explores Steve’s latest initiative — training former Australian racing Greyhounds as police therapy dogs in the United States. Steve shares the inception of the partnership with Greyhound Racing New South Wales and the results of the first Greyhound placements. He discusses the characteristics of the Greyhound breed that make them suited for training, and he waxes poetic about his expectations of his first ever personal Greyhound adoption.

“[Tommy] felt strongly that the lure coursing world had given him a mission, and he felt strongly that he needed to give back…”

Trina Bianchi, on her late husband, Tommy, and the “joy” which put into Injoy Lure Coursing products

The Injoy Lure Coursing story is one that started in the 1970s. Tom “Tommy” Bianchi and his wife, Trina, were living in Vermont and attended a dog show in Quebec in 1977 when they discovered sighthounds — in the form of Salukis — and sighthound sport of lure coursing. Tom was on the fence about acquiring a Saluki and getting into the sport, but Trina gave him a friendly nudge, and off they went.

At a lure coursing meeting in 1978, their Saluki was injured during the meeting. Tom was an accountant at the time, but his passion was woodworking, and he was always on the lookout for a way to turn his hobby into a full-time career. When he observed the less-than-safe equipment at the meeting, he realized that he could, in Trina’s words, “build a better mousetrap.” He believed he could design and building safer, high quality lure coursing equipment for the sport. Together, he and Trina would build and grow Injoy Lure Coursing equipment as the premiere brand for the community.

The company would take a hit in the 2000s when Tom developed cancer and later succumbed to the disease. Trina would continue to carry the torch, but in 2023, she realized that she needed someone to pick up the Injoy torch and carry it for the lure coursing community. Enter Eddie and Selma Kominek — Afghan Hound and lure coursing enthusiasts since 2004, they expressed interest in purchasing Injoy and continuing to build the high quality product that started with Tom and Trina.

In this episode, host John Parker sits down the past and present owners of Injoy Lure Coursing equipment — Trina, Eddie and Selma. They talk about Tom Bianchi’s commitment to excellence in all things — doing things with “joy in his heart” — and how this shaped Injoy Lure Coursing. John also learns how this philosophy was important in the recent purchase of Injoy by the Komineks and what it means for the future of the company and for the sport of lure coursing.

“We all have the same goal in helping our men and women, whatever they need…”

Officer Joe King, Dallas Police Department — on the mission of the Dallas PD Wellness Unit and therapy Greyhound, Aussie

Joe King is a 27 year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. He spent almost two decades in one of the toughest beats in the department. Today, he serves his fellow officers in the department’s Wellness Unit alongside other officers and a new four-legged partner, former racing Greyhound Aussie. Together, they work to provide counseling and support to police offers and other first responders suffering from PTSD and other mental health and personal challenges.

Aussie has been specially trained as a police therapy dog. He is part of a pilot program in the United States between Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW), the US Fraternal Order of Police, and the Dallas Police Department. The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (GALT) serves as the local support and training Liaison. Russ Feilen, International Rehoming Director for GRNSW, partnered with former marine and GALT Chairman John McQuade to initiate the pilot program.

By day, Aussie visits different divisions within the Dallas PD and serves in outreach programs for the department. After hours, he lives the life of a retired racing Greyhound with Joe and his family. John continues to work with Joe and the Dallas PD to refine Aussie’s therapy dog development. Meanwhile, Russ and the team at GRNSW are looking for the next candidate police department for these specially trained Greyhounds.

In this episode, host John Parker sits down with Russ, Joe and John to talk about this unique Greyhound therapy dog training program for police departments. Russ shares some of the success of Australian Greyhound adoption to date in the United States. Joe and John talk about the Greyhound candidate identification process and training of the selected Greyhounds in the program.

“It was like a fairy tale, really — it just kept happening. Oh my god — this is amazing!”

Kim Gooding on her 1989 Waterloo Cup Greyhound, React Fagan, reaching the final

Greyhound trainer Kim Gooding started out wanting a lurcher when she visited stables as a young woman. Little did she know that she would go on to train both coursing and racing Greyhounds. What is even more extraordinary is that her first coursing Greyhound nominated for the Waterloo Cup — React Fagan — would win the 1989 classic.

When they first cast their eye on React Fagan, Kim and her then husband Russell did not have enough money to purchase Fagan. They ended up borrowing the funds from her mother-in-law. In short order, the hound was nominated for the Waterloo Cup, and thus so began their coursing “Cinderella story.”

After winning the Cup in 1989, Kim continued her career in coursing through the 1990s until the English ban on the sport in 2005. After working several years for the Retired Greyhound Trust to transition and re-home Greyhounds from the British racing industry, Kim would get back to training racing Greyhounds. Some of those Greyhound would become tied to this very podcast.

In this episode, host John Parker and Kim sit down to talk about React Fagan’s amazing rookie run at the Waterloo Cup, as well as the coursing adventures that followed. Kim also shares some of the training techniques and anecdotes from those years of English coursing before she shifted to racing Greyhound training.