Greyhound Hall of Fame museum

08/22/2026

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I didn't know that ...
The greyhound was introduced in England just prior to the ninth century as a result of the crusades, wars, and
conquest with Middle Eastern tribes. During this time, greyhounds nearly became extinct, but were saved by
clergymen and monks who bred them for the nobility. Greyhounds once again became the favored dog of the
nobility. In 1014, King Canute established Forest Laws that prohibited slaves and serfs from owning and
hunting with greyhounds. Commoners who hunted with greyhounds in defiance of these laws favored dogs
whose coloring allowed them to blend in with the forest, such as black, fawn, red, and brindle. The nobility
favored white and spotted dogs that could be more easily seen, making it easier to recover a dog lost in the
woods. Among the English aristocracy, one could truly tell a gentleman by his horses and his greyhounds. The
greyhound appears in many works of art and literature during this time. The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the
Battle of Hastings, shows William the Conqueror with his greyhounds. The greyhound is also the first dog to be
mentioned in English literature. In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, greyhounds are described as "swifte as fowel in
flight". Edmund de Langley’s Mayster of Game, written in 1370, describes the ideal greyhound. Two hundred
years later, William Shakespeare has the character of Henry V compare his troops to greyhounds, "I see you
stand like greyhounds in the slips/Straining upon the start/The game’s afoot."
During the Renaissance: Standard of Kings, Sport of Queens
By the time of the Renaissance, greyhounds were so identified with the nobility that many families began using
them on their coats of arms, making the greyhound the most common dog in heraldry. Henry VII and Henry VIII
of England showed a running white greyhound and two silver greyhounds on their coat of arms and Henry VIII
adopted the greyhound as his personal standard. It remains the symbol of the House of York even today.
During the 16th century, coursing races, with dogs chasing live rabbits, became popular. Elizabeth I of England
was especially fond of coursing and commissioned Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, to draw up rules for judging
competitive coursing. In 1638, the Renaissance rules of coursing were published. The rules of coursing have
not changed a great deal since then and lure coursing today is still judged on the hounds’ ability to follow, their
speed, and their endurance. Greyhounds remained popular among England’s nobility in the nineteenth century.
H.R.H. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, had a favorite greyhound Eos, who appeared in numerous
court portraits.
Coming to America
Greyhounds first made their way to America in the late 1400’s when Christopher Columbus included them on
his second expedition to the New World. One greyhound accompanied Francisco de Coronado as far as
present-day Mexico. Other greyhounds accompanied Ponce de Leon, Hernando de Soto, Vasco de Balboa and
Cortez as they traveled throughout the Americas. Greyhounds traveled with English explorer George Cartwright
on his expeditions into Canada in the late 1700’s. Baron Friedrich von Steuben, who helped General George
Washington during the Revolutionary War, kept his greyhound Azor with him during the long winter at Valley
Forge in 1777. In the mid-1800’s, greyhounds were imported to North America in large numbers from Ireland to
control a jackrabbit epidemic in the Midwest and were later used to hunt coyotes. The US Calvary used
greyhounds to help track down Native Americans, while General George Custer reportedly took his greyhounds
with him wherever he went. Soon, greyhounds were used as a sporting dog. One of the first national coursing
meets was held in Kansas in 1886. The transition from coursing to racing began as early as 1876, when the
first artificial lure was used on a straight track in England. In the early 1900’s, an American by the name of
Owen Patrick Smith developed a lure that could run on an oval track and greyhound racing began to be
considered a sport. This led to the opening of the first greyhound racing track in Emeryville, California in 1919

08/15/2026

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08/15/2026

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08/14/2026

https://kclyradio.com/blog/greyhound-hall-of-fame-annual-auction-set-for-september-16-26/

by Shea Smith / photo provided by the Greyhound Racing Hall of Fame Facebook The Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum will be holding its annual auction from Septe ...

08/08/2026

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If We Lose the Job, Do We Lose the Dog?

Or perhaps an equally important question...

When a working breed no longer has a job, what begins to replace function as the goal of breeding?

For generations, dogs were bred with purpose. Every physical characteristic had a reason. Speed. Endurance. Intelligence. Strength. Stamina. Scenting ability. Herding instinct. Retrieving ability. The dog's body was shaped by the work it was expected to perform.

But when work disappears, something else often fills the gap.

Fashion.

Instead of asking "Can this dog comfortably do what it was bred to do?" we begin asking "Does this colour sell?" "Is this face cuter?" "Can we make it smaller?" "Can we make it flatter?" "Can we produce a rarer coat?"

Over time, selection shifts away from health and function towards appearance and novelty.

The result is exactly the debate making headlines today, with calls for restrictions on breeding dozens of popular breeds because many now suffer inherited health problems linked to exaggerated physical features.

It raises an uncomfortable but important question.

Have we forgotten what dogs were originally bred for?

Working and sporting breeds offer an interesting contrast.

Whether they are sheepdogs, gundogs, search-and-rescue dogs, sled dogs or racing greyhounds, these dogs are still expected to perform the job they were developed for. Their ability to work depends on efficient movement, healthy hearts and lungs, sound joints, strong muscles and bodies capable of sustained athletic performance.

A dog that cannot breathe properly cannot work.

A dog with painful joints cannot work.

A dog whose spine cannot withstand normal movement cannot work.

Function naturally rewards health.

Fashion does not always.

The racing greyhound is an excellent example of breeding where athletic function remains the priority. Every aspect of the breed reflects efficient movement rather than exaggerated appearance. Their deep chest, powerful hindquarters, long limbs, flexible spine and streamlined body exist because they contribute to speed, endurance and efficient locomotion—not because they satisfy a passing fashion trend.

That doesn't mean racing greyhounds are free from every health issue—no breed is. But when breeding decisions are driven by performance, there is a powerful incentive to preserve the physical qualities that allow dogs to remain healthy, capable athletes.

Perhaps that is the lesson we should take from today's headlines.

The future of dog breeding shouldn't be about creating the next fashionable look.

It should be about preserving dogs that can live comfortably, breathe freely, move naturally and do the jobs they were originally designed to do.

Because when we lose the job...

we risk losing the dog that evolved to do it.

08/07/2026

Please check out our new website at www.greyhoundhalloffame.com. Lots of new pages to look at. For a donation of $25.00, you can add your pet to our website and the Hall of Fame pet screen. Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions.

Welcome to the Greyhound Hall of Fame Celebrating the champions, connections, and rich history of greyhound racing since 1963. Join The Club View Inductees Founded Total Inductees Years of History FREE Admission Our Story About the Greyhound Hall of Fame The

08/07/2026

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🐾 The Biggest Myth in Greyhound Racing? That Only the Winners Matter.

One of the strangest claims made about greyhound racing is that the "winning" greyhounds are cared for better than the "losing" greyhounds.

At first glance, it might sound believable.

But the moment you understand how greyhound racing actually works, the argument completely falls apart.

Greyhound racing isn't designed to pit the fastest dog against the slowest.

It is built around **grading**.

Every greyhound races against other greyhounds of **similar athletic ability**. As a dog's form improves it moves into a higher grade. If its form declines, it moves into a lower grade. The purpose is simple—to create competitive races where every dog has a realistic opportunity to win.

This is perhaps the most misunderstood part of the sport.

People often imagine that only the highest-grade greyhounds are successful and that lower-grade greyhounds simply lose every week.

The reality is exactly the opposite.

A greyhound competing in the highest grade races against the fastest greyhounds.

A greyhound competing in the lowest grade races against greyhounds of similar speed.

**Both have the same opportunity to win within their own grade.**

Every grade has winners.

Every grade has close finishes.

Every grade has dogs that win one week and lose the next.

A greyhound winning an A1 race has achieved exactly what the grading system is designed to produce.

A greyhound winning an A8 race has done exactly the same within its own level of competition.

The objective is not to create one champion beating inferior athletes.

The objective is to create fair, competitive races between athletes of comparable ability.

Now consider what actually separates first from last.

Not minutes.

Not even seconds.

Often, it is only a fraction of a second.

Sometimes the difference is simply how quickly a dog leaves the traps.

Sometimes it is taking a slightly wider line into the first bend.

Sometimes another greyhound briefly moves across its path.

In a race lasting only seconds, tiny events produce tiny margins.

Today's winner may finish fourth next week.

Today's last-place finisher may be wearing the winner's jacket next week.

That is the nature of graded competition.

This is why the claim that "losing dogs aren't fed as well" makes no logical sense whatsoever.

From a physiological perspective, every racing greyhound has exactly the same biological requirements.

Their muscles require protein to repair microscopic damage after exercise.

Their liver and muscles require adequate glycogen stores to fuel high-speed performance.

Their tendons, ligaments, bones and cardiovascular system all rely on proper nutrition and conditioning.

Recovery, hydration and muscle maintenance are not rewards for winning.

They are biological necessities for every athlete.

Sports science has demonstrated repeatedly that inadequate nutrition reduces muscle mass, delays recovery, impairs performance, increases fatigue and elevates injury risk.

No rational athlete is prepared by deliberately reducing their ability to perform.

Why would anyone intentionally make one of their own competitors slower?

Why would they increase its risk of injury?

Why would they reduce its chances of winning next week?

They wouldn't.

It would be completely self-defeating.

The biggest misconception is believing that a greyhound finishing last is somehow a "loser."

It isn't.

It is an athlete that, on that particular day, over a race lasting only seconds, finished behind a group of dogs almost identical in ability.

Next week, against another field within its grade, it may be first.

That is exactly why every greyhound requires the same standard of nutrition.

The same conditioning.

The same veterinary care.

The same preparation.

Not because they finished first.

Not because they finished last.

But because physiology does not recognise the finishing order.

Every canine athlete has the same biological needs.

And meeting those needs isn't optional.

It is fundamental.

08/06/2026

🇺🇸 America Likes Wonderfully Specific Museums 🐾🏛️

Some museums are unforgettable because they're unlike anything else.

The Greyhound Hall of Fame museumin Abilene was recognized by Atlas Obscura as one of America's "Wonderfully Specific Museums." Their description says it best:

"A museum where visitors can learn about greyhounds and (more importantly) pet them."

Home to fascinating exhibits and friendly resident greyhound greeters, it's the only museum of its kind in the nation and a must-visit for dog lovers and history buffs alike.

🐾 Meet the resident greyhounds
🏛️ Explore a one-of-a-kind museum
❤️ Discover another reason America likes Abilene