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Episode 54: Recorded May 24, 2026
“They just love to be handled — because of the track. All of the touching and looking over, the vets, the constant working with the trainer, and the crowds.”
Dana Provost, on why retired racing Greyhounds make such natural therapy dogs
Show Notes
Beyond the racetrack, many retired Greyhounds go on to a second calling: bringing comfort to people who need it most. The personalities and dispositions of retired racing Greyhounds make them highly suitable as therapy and service dogs. Dana Provost, Las Vegas area rep for the Arizona-based The Greyhound Network adoption group, sees this potential in the breed every day as a longtime therapy dog handler and Greyhound adopter.
Dana adopted her first Greyhound over thirty years ago from an adoption group in San Diego. She taught obedience to that first Greyhound — Stealth — and learned about therapy dog work and certification from a chance conversation at her vet’s office. Since then, she has brought her retired racing Greyhounds into nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, and schools, working through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. She’s also bridged her legal career and her therapy dog work, serving as one of Courtroom Critters‘ elite therapy teams — prepping and providing pre-trial guidance to victims, survivors and witnesses of traumatic crime.
In this episode, host John Parker sits down with Dana to discuss what sets a therapy dog apart from a service dog or emotional support animal, how she trains and certifies her Greyhounds, and what a typical visit looks like in practice. Listeners will also hear how she got started and her advice for adoption groups hoping to build a therapy program of their own.
Links
Dana’s Adoption and Therapy Affiliations
- The Greyhound Network (adoption group)
- Alliance of Therapy Dogs (therapy affiliation)
- Courtroom Critters (therapy affiliation)
Other K9 Therapy Organizations
- Pet Partners (Previously Delta Society)
- Animal Health Foundation
- National Capital Therapy Dogs
- Intermountain Therapy Animals
