| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution designating October 2005 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 |
| 10 | WHEREAS, the Greyhound was so admired by the Arabs for its |
| 11 | physical attributes and speed that it was the only animal |
| 12 | permitted to share their tents and ride atop their 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 | 1500s by Queen Elizabeth I, who later initiated the first formal |
| 18 | rules of Greyhound "coursing," or the pursuit of hares, and |
| 19 | WHEREAS, in the late 1800's, farmers imported Greyhounds to |
| 20 | the United States to help control the jackrabbit population and, |
| 21 | because of their speed and natural instincts, the animals soon |
| 22 | became the focus of popular neighborhood competitions, the first |
| 23 | organized Greyhound racing events, leading the way to the sport |
| 24 | as we know it today following Owen Patrick Smith's 1912 |
| 25 | invention of a mechanical lure that could circle a track and the |
| 26 | opening of the first track in 1919 in Emeryville, California, |
| 27 | and |
| 28 | WHEREAS, with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years, |
| 29 | Greyhounds are retired from racing between 2 and 5 years of age |
| 30 | and, with many good years left to live and possessed of a |
| 31 | legendary devotion to humans, retired Greyhounds are superb |
| 32 | candidates for adoption, thriving on the attention and love of |
| 33 | family and responding with exceptional loyalty, returning the |
| 34 | love tenfold, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 35 |
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| 36 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 37 | Florida: |
| 38 |
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| 39 | That October 2005 is designated as "Florida Greyhound |
| 40 | Adoption Month," and Floridians are urged to take advantage of |
| 41 | the availability of these magnificent animals as ideal family |
| 42 | pets. |
| 43 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 44 | presented to each Greyhound adoption organization in this state |
| 45 | as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed herein. |