Pet Photography: Greyhound Races in Switzerland

Seta

Greyhound races in Switzerland. We drove from Milan to enjoy a Saturday at the dog track. There was a group of friends and Greyhound enthusiasts who raced their pets for fun, not money. Everything about it was 100% humane and tasteful. Most of the dogs were rescued from a bad situation, as we've all surely heard horror stories about how the dogs are treated poorly and raised for profit.

Bianca

Seta won! Proud owner.

Before I stayed in Milan with this family I thought Greyhounds were like the snooty supermodels of dogs. (Check out my blog post about my stay in Milan - click here!) I thought Greyhounds were too skinny, unhealthy looking and I definitely didn't like the horror stories about racing them. But once I spent time with the three Greyhounds the family owned - Seta, Iride (Iridessa) and Margaret (all named after princesses) - I quickly realized their beauty and grace. I also learned that running is absolutely in their blood; they are hunters. They love it. And their owners loved them and treated them like members of the family. These dogs ate well, that's for sure!

At the race track, the dogs were rearing to go. They were so excited and their owners so proud of them. A little stuffed animal that looks like some kind of forest critter is attached to a small to medium sized electric gizmo that functions just like a toy train set. It races around the track so that the dogs try to catch it. There are different categories based on size and breed. They each take one super fast lap around and that's it. Everyone's happy. The humans pet the dogs, eat, drink, relax and catch up with one another.

When I returned back home to the states I later started to research Greyhounds because I thought I might like to own one at some point. I read that they are calm (true, when not running), are totally fine with relaxing around the house (Seta, Iride and Margaret each had their own human-like beds), and will go off on a wild tear if they see a small animal to chase so it is recommended to keep them on a leash during walks (true: Seta leapt up to chase a rabbit in the back yard and cut her leg on something. She required stitches ... which leads to another bit about Greyhounds -- they have very thin skin so it can take longer to heal than other breeds).

These dogs are amazing. They're royal.

Check out some other doggie photos by clicking here. You'll also see some fun portraits. Oh, and check out the t-shirt logo for the Greyhound club in the photo of the group of dog owners above - it's so rad!