Among those flying into Philadelphia during one of the busiest travel days of the year were five greyhounds from China.
It was a journey of more than 9,500 miles for the former racing dogs from the Canidrome in Macau, a brutal racetrack that reportedly euthanized 30 greyhounds per month. The track closed its doors for good in July, leaving 650 greyhounds without homes.
The National Greyhound Adoption Program in Philadelphia has pledged to take 100 dogs, including the five that exited a cargo plane on Nov. 21. David Wolf, who leads the greyhound rescue group, said his facility has accepted 33 greyhounds from Macau so far and has committed to take more than any other organization in the world.
“The dogs have arrived in good condition,” Wolf said. They’re thin and have extreme dental care needs, but that “can be put off until we put some weight on them and they’re settled, and the stress of this hugely long trip has gone away,” he said.
Animal rights activists called the Canidrome “the worst racetrack in the world,” and a 2011 investigation by the South China Morning Post found that 383 under-performing dogs were killed there in 2010. The track closed this year after the Macau government told the operator to move the races out of the gambling mecca’s downtown to make room for urban redevelopment, the New York Times reported.
To get to Philadelphia, the greyhounds traveled nine hours from Macau to Hong Kong, where they stayed overnight before boarding a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Veterinarians greeted the greyhounds at Philadelphia International Airport to ensure they did not have serious medical issues. The National Greyhound Adoption Program transported the animals to its facility in Northeast Philadelphia in a stainless-steel dog hauler.
Wolf said his nonprofit facility is the “best in the nation” and can comfortably house 100 dogs in single stainless-steel cages that are raised above the ground. That way, when animals relieve themselves, they don’t have to lay in their mess. A veterinary clinic adjoins the facility. The greyhounds get regular exercise, Wolf said.
“I don’t know of any one (facility) that has this combination of all this good stuff to make everything so good for the dogs that are here until we find homes for them,” he said.
