Derek the Greyhound

Derek the Greyhound
Real Time Automation reaches out to greyhounds in need

I'd like you to meet Derek, our newest addition to RTA. Derek's a pure bred Greyhound and has accepted the position as the RTA mascot. And Yes, Derek is one of those racing Greyhounds. He's retired now but luckily found a good home with Emily from our Engineering staff.

Greyhounds were brought to America in the 1800s as a deterrent to jackrabbits which were destroying the crops of farmers throughout the Midwest. Their intelligence and gentle, loving nature made them very popular in the late 1800s.

The racing business started early in the 20th Century when Owen Patrick Smith invented the mechanical lure. That made racing around a track possible and spurred the growth of the Greyhound racing industry throughout the US. At its height Greyhound racing was a three to four billion dollar industry.

In the latter part of the 20th Century Greyhound racing and the wagering that goes with it started to decline and decline dramatically. In the early 90s alone, wagering dropped almost 50% in a five year period. This is similar to the decline that is being experienced in the casino industry today where the average age of a patron is over 65 years old.

But the dogs remain and are being retired and euthanized at a record rate. Unfortunately, they don't get severance packages and they can't be retrained to do anything else. A Greyhound runs. Runs all out for 2 minutes and sleeps most of the next 24 hours.

Well, RTA is doing something to help these animals. We'll be featuring Derek in some promotions and sending a portion of product sales to some of the organizations dedicated to finding homes for dogs like Derek.

To learn more about the rescue organization where Derek came from, please visit their website: GPA-Wisconsin.

To find out what you can do to help, please send us your name and e-mail

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