Hounds show off quickness

Karen Zekan

Monday, Jan. 12, 1998 | 10:39 a.m.

One thing's for sure -- there were no losers in the crowd.

From the speediest whippets and greyhounds who sprinted around the track to the borzoi who stopped a few steps after leaving the start line, the dozens of dogs and their owners who entered the Southern Nevada Sighthound Association's weekend races at Craigin Park all went home winners if for nothing more than good attitudes.

"Even though there's competition out on the field, there's no animosity between us," said Janet Adams of Las Vegas, the weekend race meet's secretary and owner of borzois, which are large dogs with narrow heads, long legs and silky coats. "We all help each other out with our dogs, and the dogs have so much fun."

The roster held about a third of the usual multi-state entries of past Las Vegas events, with many of the eligible dogs away at contests in California and Phoenix. But those wagging tails who did make it raced their hearts out -- despite the valley's cold, drizzly weather.

"Nevada's supposed to be a warm state," said Joan Hillman, who drove her whippets out from Montclair, Calif. "We left California at 2 a.m. Saturday to get here by 8 a.m. (to register), and it was a warm rain there. Out here, though, it was almost a freezing rain."

Hillman's were among the 15 whippets competing both days, all of them friends from Southern California having competed so often together.

Terri Campbell and her Scottish deerhounds made the 11-hour trek from the San Francisco Bay area to compete. Her 2-year-old female, Briar Rose, took home a mug of dog biscuits and points toward her championship title for her fast run on the 350-yard oval track.

Competing dogs were required to run three times Sunday around the oval track, fashioned with plastic tape railings and plastic bags zipping in front as lure.

Saturday's 200-yard straight course saw whippets -- small dogs developed by crossing Italian greyhounds with terriers -- run four times and the large dogs -- Borzoi, deerhound and greyhounds -- run three times.

Some dogs, like a Rhodesian Ridgeback from Mount Charleston and a black greyhound recently retired from her track days, got a chance to run for fun.

"I just wanted to see how she ran. She's not ready to compete," said Nancy Hindman, fostering Silly, the black greyhound, until she finds a permanent home. "I was told she was super slow at the track and that's why she could no longer race, but I was really surprised. She is fast!"

And she's alert: Like most of the dogs waiting their turns on the track, Silly would pull on her end of the leash, eyes fixated on the white plastic bags, each time a new set of dogs took off.

About 200 greyhounds live in Las Vegas, retired from their racing days on tracks around the country.

Steve Hooper, who finds homes for former racing canines through the charitable Greyhounds As Pets, said the weekend's event is great for dogs built for speed from thousands of years of breeding. Dogs run for points toward titles, not money.

"It's so natural for them," said Hooper, who owns five greyhounds. "They're an easy breed to get hooked on. They each have their own personalities and histories. They're adaptable and smart. It's funny when we place them in homes after being in a kennel -- they've never heard a phone ring, or seen stairs, or a sliding glass door. But before long, they're right at home."

Huckleberry, a brindled whippet, finished among the fastest, securing enough points Sunday to earn his oval racing championship title recognizing top placings in numerous events.

"In England whippets were called the poor man's greyhound," said Huck's owner, Mike Mill of Riverside. "Only royalty had greyhounds. The poor's greyhounds were bred with terriers and other breeds. They're a mix. They all have greyhound in them. They go from a lazy couch potato to a mad dog when the lure's out. They really have fun."