Greyhounds have been bred to run. It’s in their blood. But it doesn’t mean they should be racing around an oval and subjected to deplorable conditions when they should, quite simply, be a treasured part of a family.
They can suffer horrible injuries including electrocution and heat stroke all in the name of someone’s sport.
It must stop.
Track Accommodations
While waiting to run, greyhounds are housed in small crates for as many as 20 hours per day. These kennels are more greyhound warehouses than a comfortable place to house animals.
According to the ASPCA, this housing is rarely heated or cooled adequately so these dogs suffer through intense heat and cold.
Injuries
These wonderful animals are put through the wringer when they race and can suffer from any number of injuries including …
- Severed toes
- Broken necks
- Paralysis
In addition to that, they can contract respiratory diseases from the amount of digs housed in one kennel as well as flea, tick and mite infestations.
PETA reports that more than 800 greyhounds were hurt on the track over a six year period in Massachusetts.
And when dogs are transported from one track to another? As many as two to three greyhounds are forced to share one crate and the cargo beds of these trucks can reach temperatures of over 100 degrees on a summer day.
What’s Next?
What happens when a greyhound can no longer race? The lucky ones are sent to rescue groups who find homes for them. The unlucky ones are killed or sent to shelters to wait for death.
There are some reputable adoption and rescue groups dedicated to finding these gentle dogs forever homes. But the only way to truly end the suffering greyhounds endure is for every state to ban greyhound racing.
Decoupling
The ASPCA reports that, on average, a racing greyhound dies in Florida every three days. But Florida continues its state mandate to offer dog racing as a loss leader and couple it with other forms of betting.
The issue is that Florida’s mandate forces tracks to offer live greyhound racing as a loss leader for more viable forms of betting. The Florida legislature recently revealed the results of a study that says greyhound decoupling will reduce gambling by as much as $23 million dollars.
A Dying “Sport”
Greyhound racing is classified as a sport but is, rather, the inhumane and cruel treatment of a wonderful breed of dog.
The Huffington Post reports that, since 2008, over 80,000 greyhounds were registered to race and almost 12,000 injuries from racing have been reported.
How to Help
If you live in a state that still permits greyhound racing … Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas. Iowa, Texas and West Virginia … urge your legislators to end racing. You can also go to https://www.change.org/p/let-s-end-greyhound-racing-nationwide and sign their petition which will be sent to the governors of those states on your behalf.
Help these gentle dogs live a happy and humane life as treasured members of families.
Reference links:
https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/greyhound-racing-faq
http://www.grey2kusa.org/action/states/flDecouple.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-bershadker/its-way-past-time-to-end_b_6672582.html
Image Credit: istockphoto.com