Image 7: The Farm

The greyhounds are kept on a breeding/training farm which is approximately 10km from the track. They transport the dogs in a huge bus that has air-conditioning. The kennels are totally different from what I have ever seen. I have to tell you quite honestly - the Vietnamese are far more advanced then we are in the states with training the greyhound. They use all kinds of interesting Eastern techniques in training the greyhound - through special message oils, special rub-downs every 3 days, the use of all kinds of high tech medical equipment, etc. Since the greyhound is only running once a week, the training is extensive to keeping the dog in form. First, let me try to paint a picture of the farm for you in your head.

The complex is huge. It is about 2 miles in length and 5 miles wide. There are apartments on site for all the workers. The training farm has a capacity to hold 1,500 greyhounds but presently has 235 greyhounds on site. There are two breeding compounds and they are self sufficient now. No more Aussie greyhounds are being imported into the country at this time. When I was there, I saw a mommy with her 1 month old pups, a mommy with her 3 month old pups, and a bitch ready to give birth at any time.

 Image 8: Kitchen

The kitchen was a separate compound and HUGE. Obviously, they are expecting the business to grow. They had 3 huge deep freezers - and yes, they feed Kangaroo Meat. They also have very large pots that they boil all kinds of veggies in them to mix in with the meat. I took lots of pictures of everything. They have 2 ladies there full time that cook for the greyhounds. The greyhounds are fed 2 times a day, unlike what the US does, only once a day. I don't know if this is due to them not running as often. I forgot to ask as I had a million questions and this one slipped by me. They feed a lot of bananas. They usually get this in the morning feed.

 Image 9: Rice & Vegetable Stew Simmering

 Image 10: Kangaroo Meat

 Image 11: Vitamins

 Image 12: Panacur (Wormer)

 Image 13: Typical Kennel

There are several buildings that house the greyhounds. They are kept in VERY LARGE rooms (I equate them to a typical prison cell) There are only 36 greyhounds per compound. The floor is concrete and they have a water supply - GET THIS - they are only allowed to drink spring water. They do not drink tap water at all. They sleep on elevated mats - they are turned out into a concrete run 4 times a day. These accommodations are very spacious. We in the U.S. house our greyhounds in crates 2 stacked high - 60 to 70 dogs per kennel. This is much more roomier than what we have in the United States

 Image 14: Swimming Pool

Now, onto the training. They have a Training Pool that is about 1/8 of a mile long. They put the greyhounds in the pool and turn on a Jacuzzi jet as they swim along in the water. I have never seen anything like this in my life. Very, very impressive.

 Image 15: Massage

These greyhounds were being treated like thoroughbred horses. The people that work there love these dogs. It was very obvious by the time they took out massaging each dog on a schedule.

 Image 16: Massage

 Image 17: Massage

 Image 18: Fixing Muscles

The medical facilities were absolutely incredible. Even down to the medications, all very expensive. They use only the best medicines which I found extremely interesting. These people are spending a lot of money and doing it right. The hospital was very modern, more modern then what the general public would have to go to if they were sick! The dogs were in air-conditioned immaculate facilities and the people go to "shit holes" for hospitals there. Absolutely amazing.

 Image 19: Laser Therapy

 Image 20: Sprint Runs

 Image 21: Puppies

 Image 22: Puppy Runs

 Image 23: Whirligig

They have an outdoor trail track that is 1/4 mile long, they have a whirligig, that has an area where they can put 2 start boxes in, they have very long sprinting runs for the pups, and a lot more empty kennel compounds ready to hold more dogs as the business grows.

 Image 24: Whirligig With Boxes

The business really started in May of 2000, so it is quite new. The people were very kind to me and showed me everything. Nothing to hide at all. I'll tell you, if we were that modern in the United States, I wonder if the dogs would run better?????

Now, on to the touchy subject of adoption. I guess in my mind, I was kind of hoping that they would have some sort of adoption program. Well, they don't. But first, let me tell you the background of the country. Very poor, but - getting better. The average family can only feed itself, let alone a companion pet. When I went to the childrens orphanage, it broke my heart. Here, many children of all ages were discarded by their birth parents. So, how could I have expected that greyhound adoption would even be possible?

Well, the kennel manager sat me down - by the way, he spoke perfect English - he told me that all the good dogs were kept for studs and brood bitches - the others were all euthanized by injection. He said that many times the employees weep when their favorite greyhound gets put down. I asked him if he thought adoption would ever become a possibility - he said he prays for it every day. I asked him about possibly getting wealthy Vietnamese interested in greyhound adoption when they come to the track. He was very eager to discuss this issue with me and we will keep in touch as we try to resolve some kind of situation that might help. Here's a challenge for all of us. If any of you can think of ways that would help the Baria Training Farm, the people there would be open to suggestions. They really and truly care about the greyhounds and don't want to see them being put down.

Here's the barriers - 1) Asian culture doesn't put much value on animals as pets. 2) People are generally poor but like to gamble 3) It's too expensive to ship them out anywhere for adoption - keep in mind, this is a corporation, not individuals owning the greyhounds.

And lastly, the deal about dog eating. Let me just tell you that this was customary but now is extremely rare. The culture of eating dog pretty much faded out 10 years ago. There was a holiday that they have - that required them to kill a dog and eat it. Now, they pretty much kill pigs. There is one restaurant still operating in the city that still does sell dog meat, but caters mostly to the Koreans. And again, it's only a certain type of breed that is bred for this, very similar to how we breed cattle/pigs/lamb for slaughter. I'm not condoning this, only sharing this.

Let's just take a scenario here, for example. Many people in the U.S. have pot-bellied pigs for pets, but we eat a hell of a lot of pork. I'm just trying to equate their culture to ours.

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed the information.. I look forward to returning to Vietnam and working on the Baria farm for a couple weeks next year. The Vietnamese have taught me many things about greyhound racing that I admire.

And yes, I do wish they had an adoption program too. Maybe we can help them out by giving them ideas. They are very willing to try new ideas as well. But, again, it's a corporation, so eventually anything like this would have to be approved by a board I would assume.

-Cyndi Napolitan        

November 19, 2001