The Most Dangerous Bit Of Racing?

[marion]

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(w00t) (w00t)

The mental picture I have of four dogs velcroed at the finish makes me laugh

and it would be pretty clear who won tne race too lol

No need for photos lol :thumbsup:

 

[Strike Whippets]

Carmel and myself have a cunning plan up our sleeves

be afraid be very afraid :- "

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(w00t) ......LOL ...... :lol:

 

[Judy]

(w00t)   (w00t)
The mental picture I have of four dogs velcroed at the finish makes me laugh

and it would be pretty clear who won tne race too lol

No need for photos lol :thumbsup:

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An even better plan... to get the results we have bar code stickers taped to the end of the muzzles and there is a giant bar code reader suspended over the line. The results then come up on a big electronic score board. And no more arguing over the results

 

[Joanna]

(w00t)   (w00t)
The mental picture I have of four dogs velcroed at the finish makes me laugh

and it would be pretty clear who won tne race too lol

No need for photos lol :thumbsup:

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An even better plan... to get the results we have bar code stickers taped to the end of the muzzles and there is a giant bar code reader suspended over the line. The results then come up on a big electronic score board. And no more arguing over the results

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Now you are being silly and obviously have far too much time on your hands, Judy Booker! :- " :- " :- "

 

[Smiffy@VeronnaV]

I laughed at the velcro idea and cried at the statements that went along the lines of if its not broke why fix it, we have always done it that way, and if you don't like it, you don't have to do it etc etc and that's even before getting to the newbies comment.

The finish is not good, not if you are a whippet and you come in first it's not. It's not so bad if you are a whippet and you come in last though. It wouldn't be too bad if we only ran once, but we don't. Just because it has always been done that way doesn't mean there is not a need to devise better ways of finishing races, we owe it to the dogs, the sport and ourselves. Peddie whippet racing is the only sport I can think of WHICH HAS HARDLY CHANGED AT ALL DURING THE PAST 40 YEARS and that is a damming indictment on whippet racers. Society has changed, laws have changed, what you may and may not do with your dog has changed, but whippet racing hasn't changed one bit. If we don't catch up we may find ourselves caught out by society.

On the box suggestion, someone suggested a straw tunnel - that might be workable with toys thrown onto the track as a distraction - that seems quite a good idea to me. I have seen the blanket and thought it very useful, even if it stops SOME of the dogs from slam-dunking it's worth a try.

For those of us who do not see the point of trying to improve the finish, I suggest you check out and refresh your memory at what exactly happens to some of these dogs at the finish - the digital camera might be the best friend the racing whippet ever had. Brutal is an adjective which springs to mind when looking at them, and whilst it might not have been possible to view what happened at the finish years ago, it is possible now, and devising anything which makes the finish better for the dogs can only be a good thing. So blankets, straw, tunnels, velcro, toys, bar codes, anything that makes it better for the dogs is OK with me.

 

[peppermint lady]

i think that all of us that race and have raced for many years .would like to see inprovements at the pickup .i didnt feel that any of the posts indicated if its not broke dont fix it. and i think we are all aware what happens at the pickup .we all end up with our hearts in our mouth at some point.

and if my memory serves me right.....we used to have longer run offs at most tracks.

as with any sport be it with animals or people, accidents happen and there is always a degree of risk.

i do agree with chris ruffel, when she says how can we be positive that the injury happend at the pick up and not while running or on leaving the traps...

i know with our dogs from years gone by some of them would have run the race with 4 broken legs as the thrill of the chase over rode everything.

of course we all want to enjoy our racing and take our dogs home safe and well, and any improvements are great, but as ive said any sport comes with a risk of injury.

 

[Rob Rixon]

Nice to hear from Scotty - I'm old enough to remember his dogs running - I think he won the first Guinness Derby at Newmarket - and I would have been the Racing Manager at the time. (I also like your 'K9 character' - with your replies).

Judy - your idea is fantastic!! I think we should give it a try!!

Anybody got any more ideas?

 

[Garry Comber]

I would still be interested to see the method I quoted from the article in W/News on my previous post, where there are a series of lures a yard or so apart. So that as a dog covers the front lure the next dog should go to the next visible/available lure and so on. Hopefully spacing the dogs out rather than all colliding on one central point.

I can see a problem with bends where it might wrap round the rollers (that might take some thinking out), o but I think it could work with straight racing. The dogs would also be happy, as they would each get a lure as well. :thumbsup:

Has anyone witnessed this method being used anywhere?

 

[Mark Roberts]

Has anyone witnessed this method being used anywhere

Weve done that method whilst lure coursing (2 or 3 bags says 2ft apart)

we found that the dogs still all wanted the same lure a bit like kids always wanting to play with the same toy?.

 

[Rob Rixon]

Point 1 Judy's idea about using bar codes I think is a good idea. Initally the bar code cound be part of the passport system so that when you go to the weigh-in the code get read - then the laminated code is transfered to the dogs muzzle for each race. We would need a rule that runners finishing without muzzles and bar codes will be disqualified. As an alternative the bar code could also be copied onto the dogs racing jacket - or do you think that with this rule there is now no need for Racing Jackets? This would eliminate the need for line Judges - and Philippa a chance to help me with the dogs.

Point 2 Smiffy's observation that things have hardly changed in 40 years - well this is not the case. We now have electric traps, we don't run to the rag - in fact there is no RAG RACING and finally we have lot more RULES to consider.

Point 3 Peppermint Lady's suggestion that her dogs are so keen that they would run with FOUR BROKEN LEGS. I'm sure that would be a physical impossibility.

I've had another idea

My Whippets don't like Water (wether it be rain, the sea, in lakes or in the bath). Now, how about a paddling pool set in the ground at the end of the track full of warm water. The lure runs into the pool and the dogs don't follow!.

Or having a shower fitted above where the lure stops - double edged this suggestion as those who go in for the lure will be on a very wet running surface - those who don't like water will give the lure a miss.

Any comments?

 

[Judy]

I've had another ideaMy Whippets don't like Water (wether it be rain, the sea, in lakes or in the bath).  Now, how about a paddling pool set in the ground at the end of the track full of warm water.  The lure runs into the pool and the dogs don't follow!

Any comments?

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Now that could work! I'm sure most of them wouldn't go in the water. I can picture them all running rings around the pool barking and being chased by their owners who would, of course, all fall in :lol:

I do remember one particular incident. It had been raining all day and a big puddle had formed at the finish. On this particular race the lure happened to stop in the puddle but our Bandit (Time Bandit for those who can remember him), being a particularly terrier like whippet, just slid into that puddle and came up out of the water with the lure in his mouth (a muzzle never stopped him!). I went to put his collar on and he turned round and snorted a torrent of muddy water at me through is nose. Yuk! I was drenched from the knees down :x Moral : Get somebody else to pick your dog up

 

[~elizabeth~]

Now that could work! I'm sure most of them wouldn't go in the water. I can picture them all running rings around the pool barking and being chased by their owners who would, of course, all fall in :lol:

Now, can we have the pool a few yards before the finishing line, as mine can clear my 20' pond with ease (and probably the only way they'd win most races too :b :lol: )

 

[peppermint lady]

well 9 out of 10 whippets dont like water. out of my 4 their is only 1 who will go out in the rain. the other 3 have to be pushed out .so i think you could be on to somethink there rob and yes it is impossible to run with 4 broken legs ha ha .my point was sometimes injury happens at the traps or in the race its self .and adrenalin kicks in and they keep going .which im sure people dont need me to tell them that. would owners at the pickup be supplied with wet suits if they did the shower idea

 

[Mark Roberts]

i'd post another idea but my last one was removed :- " WASNT IT JUDY!

 

[marion]

On the subject of staggered lures I saw a video clip of four dogs chasing three rags a yard apart on you tube, I searched "whippet racing" but I'm not sure you can make a judgement based on one race !!

I didn't feel those particular dogs were very.... Mad, for want of a better word..lol

Hmmm?! More research I feel.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Ok i'll post my idea (for judy to remove LOL)

how about attaching bungee cords to the dogs/traps just long enough so they can get over the line? it also means an owner could trap and catch their own dogs as theyd shhot back down the track to them once reaching the end? theres also no chance of them running off either.

 

[Judy]

i'd post another idea but my last one was removed  :- "  WASNT IT JUDY!

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Eh? I don't remember doing that. :unsure:

 

[Mark Roberts]

Eh? I don't remember doing that.

Oh Dear are you forgeting things now? i'll suggest Nigel gets you microchipped in case you go missing.

 

[jinx and rubys mum]

how about attaching bungee cords to the dogs/traps just long enough so they can get over the line? it also means an owner could trap and catch their own dogs as theyd shhot back down the track to them once reaching the end? theres also no chance of them running off either.

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That picture is in my mind now and flying dogs landing on their backs is not a good look!!!! (w00t)

 

[Judy]

Eh? I don't remember doing that.

Oh Dear are you forgeting things now? i'll suggest Nigel gets you microchipped in case you go missing.

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It wasn't me yer 'onner. I did not do that thing. Sure you didn't manage to deleted you own post?