Greyhound Nation

Host John Parker interviews Dana Provost — Greyhound adopter and therapy dog handler — to discuss what sets a therapy dog apart from a service dog or emotional support animal and how she trains and certifies her Greyhounds

Episode 53: Recorded April 11, 2026 “Not only did you have the working class, if you like, after work, but also you had Lord this and Lady that in the club having dinner in black tie, and of course everyone else was milling around at the stadium having a bet. So it suited everyone.” Charlie Blanning, author and historian, on the class-crossing nature of the sport during the British Gol...

Episode 52: Recorded December 28, 2025 “We take these dogs out of pain. They’re miserable. We get them back to normal happy dogs.” Dr. Mike Guilliard on the impact of Greyhound corn surgery Show Notes If your Greyhound has every suddenly and mysteriously gone lame — unable to walk or lifting a paw — there’s a good chance it’s due to a corn in their one of their pads. These kerati...

Episode 51: Recorded July 13, 2025 “One of the things that really struck me…the car park was the most egalitarian place in all of England…” Harry Jennings on the “great leveler” of the Waterloo Cup Show Notes Many first-time Greyhound adopters will tell you that they didn’t grow up with Greyhounds as kids. Their interest in the breed started with a meet-and-gree...

Episode 50: Recorded May 24, 2025 “[The Virtual Coursing Museum] dovetails so nicely with some of the goals of our podcast…” John Parker, on the announcement of the Virtual Coursing Museum by the National Coursing Club in Great Britain Show Notes For the 50th episode of the Greyhound Nation podcast, we have the unique privilege of announcing the opening of the Virtual Coursing Mu...

Episode 49: Recorded March 6, 2025 ”If someone has a giant nose, you’re not going to cut off their nose…” Dr. Guillermo Couto on why he chose to focus his career on Greyhounds and their unique physiology and health characteristics Show Notes Dr. Guillermo Couto’s veterinary career started in the 1970s in Buenos Ares, Argentina. He started with a small practice across the street from his parents. F...

Episode 48: Recorded February 21, 2025 “I’ve never screamed so loud. The bug had bit. I had a tremendous passion for it.” David Peck on watching his first Greyhound nearly win a stakes race at Victoryland Show Notes David Peck started out training bird dogs in the early 1970s. One of his clients was a friend who became involved in the new parimutuel racing in Texas. He visited Da...

Episode 47: Recorded December 22, 2024 “With the loss of any sport or pastime, it’s the people you miss in the end…” Sir Mark Prescott on the people he met over four decades of coursing Show Notes Every sport has its share of characters — the people that influenced and shaped the sport, for better or worse. Babe Ruth. Lester Piggot. Hank Aaron. Sterling Moss. Michael Jordan. Cait...

Episode 46: Recorded October 4, 2024 “Greyhound racing — I will be forever grateful. It owes me nothing, and I owe it everything.” Acting CEO of GRNSW Wayne Billett on his third generation Australian Greyhound racing legacy Show Notes In the 1930s and 1940s, Wayne Billet’s grandfather served on the Dapto Agricultural & Horticultural Society that would introduce Greyhoun...

Episode 45: Recorded August 11, 2024 “You need to write about what you know. You need to write about what you’ve experienced.” Charlie Blanning on how his father’s and grandfather’s Greyhound breeding inspired elements of his new novel Show Notes Greyhound author and historian Charlie Blanning has released his second work of Greyhound fiction — Electric Rabbit ....

Episode 44: Recorded June 5, 2024 “People have jumped to the [conclusion] that, because tracks are closed in the United States, there’s no more Greyhounds…” Debra Hardman, of GALT-Arizona, describing the state of affairs for Greyhound adoption applications Show Notes Former racing Greyhounds are still available to adopt in the United States. However, those Greyhounds will l...

Episode 43: Recorded April 3, 2024 “They’re built to be a service dog in terms of physicality and temperament…” Australian animal trainer Steve Austin, on the Greyhound as a breed suitable for therapy dog training Show Notes Steve Austin had a knack for training animals at an early age. Growing up in New South Wales, Australia, he realized the value of positive reinforcemen...

Episode 42: Recorded February 7, 2024 “[Tommy] felt strongly that the lure coursing world had given him a mission, and he felt strongly that he needed to give back…” Trina Bianchi, on her late husband, Tommy, and the “joy” which put into Injoy Lure Coursing products Show Notes The Injoy Lure Coursing story is one that started in the 1970s. Tom “Tommy” Bian...

Episode 41: Recorded December 13, 2023 “We all have the same goal in helping our men and women, whatever they need…” Officer Joe King, Dallas Police Department — on the mission of the Dallas PD Wellness Unit and therapy Greyhound, Aussie Show Notes Joe King is a 27 year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. He spent almost two decades in one of the toughest beats in the...

Episode 40: Recorded October 15, 2023 “It was like a fairy tale, really — it just kept happening. Oh my god — this is amazing!” Kim Gooding on her 1989 Waterloo Cup Greyhound, React Fagan, reaching the final Show Notes Greyhound trainer Kim Gooding started out wanting a lurcher when she visited stables as a young woman. Little did she know that she would go on to train both...

Episode 39: Recorded August 27, 2023 “Some would argue I’ve got the best job in the world…” Sean Stanton, Animal Welfare Strategic Projects Manager at Greyhound Racing Victoria Show Notes Sean Stanton (Australia), Rory Goreé (United States) and Tina Kelly (Canada) all share the same mission. They are dedicated to international Greyhound rehoming. Specifically, they collabor...

Episode 38: Recorded June 25, 2023 “I became fond of all the characters. I couldn’t wait to get to keyboard to write down what they were going to do next.” Author Charlie Blanning on writing his first Greyhound novel, Rags to Riches Show Notes Charlie Blanning admits that he’s “never frightened by a blank page.” He’s proven this once again with the release...

Episode 37: Recorded June 1, 2023 “That was the enjoyable part — walking a dog and dreaming of what might happen…” Robbie Britton, Australian racing Greyhound trainer, on growing up tending to his father’s racing Greyhounds Show Notes Robbie Britton often measures his life as an Australian racing Greyhound trainer in hours and kilometers. Two hour haul to one track. A...

Episode 36: Recorded April 2, 2023 “You’ve always got your eyes on the dogs. You’re always on your toes to make sure the dogs are 100% healthy.” Kurt Trzeciak on his number one responsibility as a racing Greyhound trainer Show Notes Born and raised in Texas, Kurt Trzeciak had a love for Greyhounds and Greyhound racing. As a kid, while visiting Florida, he’d sit with h...

Episode 35: Recorded February 23, 2023 “Our most western track…is a 14 hour drive from Sydney…” Rob Macaulay on Broken Hill, one of the 30 community run Greyhound tracks in New South Wales Show Notes Rob Macaulay served as legal counsel for Greyhound Racing New South Wales (NSW) four years ago and immediately immersed himself in the sport of Australian Greyhound racing. Whe...

Episode 34: Recorded January 15, 2023 “If you could bottle what I felt and sell it, I’d be a rich man…” British racing Greyhound owner George Sell describes seeing his first Greyhoundk, Steeple Road Teddy, win a race Show Notes George Sell lives the life of a travel and real estate writer, business owner and “horse husband” in the south of England. His wife is an acco...

Episode 33: Recorded November 19, 2022 “He had become the darling of the crowds in England…we’re talking about crowds…of a hundred thousand people…” Author Charlie Blanning on Mick the Miller, one of his “top five” Greyhound picks Show Notes Charlie Blanning and Gary Guccione are second to none when it comes to declaring the “top five” ra...

Episode 32: Recorded October 18, 2022 “Training is not something you do to your dog but something that you do with your dog.” Lee Livingood on the importance of a dog owner’s investment in bettering their dog Show Notes Lee Livingood wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but she settled on always having a dog in her home. During college, she adopted a mixed breed dog from a local shelter and dis...

Episode 31: Recorded August 28, 2022 “He definitely had a huge, big heart. He just had that will to win…” Irish Greyhound breeder and trainer Dolores Ruth, on training champion racing Greyhound, Razldazl Billy Show Notes Irish Greyhound breeder and trainer, Dolores Ruth, describes her 2006 Irish Greyhound Derby champion, Razldazl Billy, as an enigma. Clever. Superhuman. Named aft...

Episode 30: Recorded August 2, 2022 “I don’t know how to describe heaven for a dog…it’s hard for a lot of people to understand how much these Greyhounds love to run…” Dr. Rob Gillette on Auburn University veterinary students seeing Greyhounds run for the first time Show Notes Dr. Rob Gillette has been around working and sporting dogs his entire life. He was born...