| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution designating October 2004 as "Florida |
| 3 | Greyhound Adoption Month." |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, its origins deeply rooted in antiquity, the |
| 6 | Greyhound is one of the world's oldest currently existing dog |
| 7 | breeds, with depictions of canines similar to today's Greyhound |
| 8 | appearing more than 4,000 years ago on the walls of ancient |
| 9 | Egyptian tombs; and so admired were they by the Arabs for their |
| 10 | physical attributes and speed that the Greyhound was the only |
| 11 | animal permitted to share their tents and ride atop their |
| 12 | camels, and |
| 13 | WHEREAS, the Greyhound arrived in Europe 3,500 years ago, |
| 14 | and in 1014 King Canute of England enacted the Forest Laws, |
| 15 | mandating that only noblemen could own and hunt with Greyhounds, |
| 16 | a prohibition that lasted until the laws were abolished in the |
| 17 | 1500's by Queen Elizabeth I, who later initiated the first |
| 18 | formal rules of Greyhound "coursing," or the pursuit of hares, |
| 19 | and |
| 20 | WHEREAS, in the late 1800's, farmers imported Greyhounds to |
| 21 | the United States to help control jackrabbit populations and, |
| 22 | because of their speed and natural instincts, the animals soon |
| 23 | became the focus of popular neighborhood competitions--the first |
| 24 | organized Greyhound racing events--leading the way for the sport |
| 25 | as we know it today, following Owen Patrick Smith's invention in |
| 26 | 1912 of a mechanical lure that could circle a track and the |
| 27 | opening of the first track in 1919 in Emeryville, California, |
| 28 | and |
| 29 | WHEREAS, with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years, |
| 30 | Greyhounds are retired from racing between 2 to 5 years of age |
| 31 | and, with many good years left to live and possessed of a |
| 32 | legendary devotion to humans, retired Greyhounds are superb |
| 33 | candidates for adoption, thriving on the attention and love of |
| 34 | family and responding with exceptional loyalty, returning the |
| 35 | love tenfold, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 36 |
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| 37 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 38 | Florida: |
| 39 |
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| 40 | That the House of Representatives designates October 2004 |
| 41 | as "Florida Greyhound Adoption Month" and urges Floridians to |
| 42 | take advantage of the availability of these magnificent animals |
| 43 | as ideal family pets. |
| 44 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 45 | presented to each Greyhound adoption organization in this state |
| 46 | as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed herein. |