PR Campaigns students visit their client: greyhounds

Students Aimee Bishop and Brian Hester check out greyhounds in their kennel. Photo by Cary Greenwood.

Students in Dr. Cary Greenwood’s Public Relations Campaigns classes had the opportunity in October to get a closer look at their client, The American Greyhound Council and the National Greyhound Association.

When first hearing that their client would involve greyhounds, students thought of charter buses — that is until a 50-pound greyhound dog walked into the classroom. The remainder of their semester has included building a strategic plan to improve this organization, which encompasses the racing, adoption and entertainment aspects of the greyhound industry. At the end of the term, each team of three to four students presents a campaign not only to the client but MTSU faculty and local PR professionals as well.

“I definitely think the students benefited from this trip,” Greenwood explains. “I saw changes in attitude and opinion from the drive over to the drive back. I noticed that their expectations were different from the reality of the greyhound-racing industry.”

Student Chelsea Johnson pets a greyhound pup while Amanda Gambill looks on. Photo by Ray Wong.

Seven students and three faculty members departed early from campus on Saturday, Oct. 4, and made their way to Darren Henry’s greyhound breeding farm in Crawfordsville, Arkansas. Here they witnessed the beginning stages of a racing dog’s life. While touring the facility, students had the opportunity to see the kennels as well as the tracks used for race training.

Afterward, they traveled to Southland Park Gaming and Racing in West Memphis, Arkansas, where they met the director of racing, Shane Bolender. While there, the group visited a racing kennel where the dogs are held between performances to rest and recover.

Next stop was to Vicki Cohen’s greyhound adoption kennel, where they had the opportunity to interact with the dogs and learn about the process after dogs retire from racing. “Hands down, my favorite part of the trip had to have been seeing the dogs,” says student Brittany Robertini. “It didn’t matter at what stage in their career they were in (farm, track, kennel or adoption); I just enjoyed seeing so many dogs in one place.”

Students on the track learn about racing from Southland Park Director of Racing Shane Bolender. Photo by Cary Greenwood.

The group then returned to Southland where they witnessed their first greyhound race. Greyhound racing involves the dogs chasing a lure around a track while the audience may wager on the outcome. The dogs reach their top speed within only three strides. Greenwood says it was “thrilling” and expressed that she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

MTSU Visual Communication Professor Ray Wong, now retired, has been assisting the Campaigns classes since the beginning of the semester. Introducing the client to Greenwood, Wong has been involved in the greyhound industry since 2000. He has adopted six greyhounds since then and currently owns about 30 racing dogs. “In an era where the Internet has transformed how people view the industry, it was wonderful to see and hear the students observe and ask probing questions to the breeders, trainers and track officials,” Wong says.

Many of the students initially doubted the industry as a whole, but they later expressed that this experience changed their outlook.

This story was written by Shannon Scott, a senior in public relations.

Students and professors who spent the day learning about the Campaigns classes’ client were (left to right): Assistant PR Professor Andrea Phillips, Aimee Bishop, Brittany Robertini, Maggie Blakemore, Amanda Gambill, Brian Hester, Heather Howell, Chelsea Johnson and Assistant PR Professor Cary Greenwood, who teaches both Campaigns classes. Photo by Ray Wong.