By a nose - photo by Jeanne Ribas

Update: Watch the greyhound flash mob video from La Encantada shopping center in Tucson.

Could this be a first? I googled “greyhound flash mob” and came up with no predecessor. Consider the Tucson greyhound flash mob a first of its kind anywhere.

According to Wikipedia, a flash mob or a flashmob is a term coined in 2003 to denote a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual or sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purpose of entertainment or satire.

In this case it’s a group of people — greyhound adopters — and their beloved greyhound pets and foster hounds. Though the act may seem pointless to some uninformed bystanders, the flash mob is gathering to celebrate Adopt-a-Greyhound month and to show what a wonderful breed greyhounds are.

Unlike the dogs at your feet who went through traditional puppyhood, most greyhounds participate in the cruel sport of dog racing where as exploited money machines — dogs die; where dogs are routinely injured — broken hocks, broken legs, paralysis; where dogs disappear; where dogs are hauled all over the country from track to track so somebody can squeeze another dime out of them; where dogs are fed substandard raw 4D meat from dead, dying, diseased, and downer animals; and where female greyhounds are injected with anabolic steroids. There are still seven states where live dog racing exists; Arizona has a track in South Tucson.

Yet, if you have ever met a greyhound and looked into their eyes, they are elegant, thankful creatures who instinctively find the softest spot in the room even though they existed in small hard cages during their racing years.

And if you have never met a greyhound up close and personal, now is the time to come to La Encantada Shopping Center and observe this “greyt” flash mob and to interact with its participants, both 2-legged and 4-legged.

When my first greyhound Painter pranced into my life on November 26, 1998, he changed it forever like no other event before or since. Greyhounds are profoundly eloquent in their own unique way.

But back to the flashmob hosted by Arizona Greyhound Rescue. All Tucson greyhound adopters and foster care families, regardless of where you acquired your hound from, are invited to bring their greyhounds to La Encantada Shopping Center on Friday, April 15, from 7 to 8 p.m. Please leave other dog breeds at home.

Perhaps there will be some entertainment…group roo, anyone?

See you there! Jett Greyhound and I will be wearing bandannas.

(Photo is courtesy of Jeanne Ribas. Playmates Buddy Roo and Misty were nose to nose.)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 12th, 2011 at 2:22 pm and is filed under Animal Events, Dogs, Canines, Fun with Fido, Barking Encouraged, Greyhounds. Tags for this post: flashmob, greyhound adoption, greyhound rescue, greyhounds, Tucson greyhounds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.