Greyhounds
are running for their life!
Greyhounds’ natural speed and grace have been exploited for human benefit since the days of the ancient Egyptians. The dogs have been used for centuries in hunting and coursing events, but the advent of modern dog racing at the turn of the 20th century prompted greyhound breeders and racetrack proprietors to begin to think of this breed as a mere commodity. [1]
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive industry in which greyhound dogs are raced around a track. The dogs chase a lure (traditionally an artificial 'hare' or 'rabbit') on a track until the greyhounds cross the finish line. As with horse racing, greyhound races often allow the public to wager on the outcome.
In many countries, greyhound racing is purely amateur and for enjoyment. In other countries (particularly Australia, Ireland, Macau, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the US), greyhound racing is part of the gambling industry, similar to although far less profitable than horse racing.
Modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing. The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a straight track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon in 1876, but this experiment did not develop. The industry emerged in its recognizable modern form, featuring circular or oval tracks, with the invention of the mechanical or artificial hare in 1912 by Owen Patrick Smith. O.P. Smith had altruistic aims for the industry to stop the killing of the jack rabbits and see "greyhound racing as we see horse racing." In 1919, Smith opened the first professional dog-racing track with stands in Emeryville, California. The certificates system led the way to parimutuel betting, as quarry and on-course gambling, in the United States during the 1930s.
In 1926 it was introduced to Britain by an American, Charles Munn, in association with Major Lyne-Dixon, a key figure in coursing, and a Canadian, Brigadier-General Critchley. The deal went sour with Smith never hearing from Munn again. Like the American 'International Greyhound Racing Association' (or the In.G.R.A.), Munn and Critchley launched the Greyhound Racing Association, and held the first British meeting at Manchester'sBelle Vue Stadium. The industry was successful in cities and towns throughout the U.K. - by the end of 1927, there were forty tracks operating.
The industry of greyhound racing was particularly attractive to predominantly male working-class audiences, for whom the urban locations of the tracks and the evening times of the meetings were accessible, and to patrons and owners from various social backgrounds. Betting has always been a key ingredient of greyhound racing, both through on-course bookmakers and the totalisator, first introduced in 1930. Like horse racing, it is popular to bet on the greyhound races as a form of parimutuel gambling.
Greyhound racing enjoyed its highest attendances just after the Second World War—for example, there were 34 million paying spectators in 1946. The industry experienced a decline from the early 1960s- when the 1960 Betting and Gaming Act permitted off-course cash betting - although sponsorship, limited television coverage, and the later abolition of on-course betting tax have partially offset this decline.[3]
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive industry in which greyhound dogs are raced around a track. The dogs chase a lure (traditionally an artificial 'hare' or 'rabbit') on a track until the greyhounds cross the finish line. As with horse racing, greyhound races often allow the public to wager on the outcome.
In many countries, greyhound racing is purely amateur and for enjoyment. In other countries (particularly Australia, Ireland, Macau, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the US), greyhound racing is part of the gambling industry, similar to although far less profitable than horse racing.
Modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing. The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a straight track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon in 1876, but this experiment did not develop. The industry emerged in its recognizable modern form, featuring circular or oval tracks, with the invention of the mechanical or artificial hare in 1912 by Owen Patrick Smith. O.P. Smith had altruistic aims for the industry to stop the killing of the jack rabbits and see "greyhound racing as we see horse racing." In 1919, Smith opened the first professional dog-racing track with stands in Emeryville, California. The certificates system led the way to parimutuel betting, as quarry and on-course gambling, in the United States during the 1930s.
In 1926 it was introduced to Britain by an American, Charles Munn, in association with Major Lyne-Dixon, a key figure in coursing, and a Canadian, Brigadier-General Critchley. The deal went sour with Smith never hearing from Munn again. Like the American 'International Greyhound Racing Association' (or the In.G.R.A.), Munn and Critchley launched the Greyhound Racing Association, and held the first British meeting at Manchester'sBelle Vue Stadium. The industry was successful in cities and towns throughout the U.K. - by the end of 1927, there were forty tracks operating.
The industry of greyhound racing was particularly attractive to predominantly male working-class audiences, for whom the urban locations of the tracks and the evening times of the meetings were accessible, and to patrons and owners from various social backgrounds. Betting has always been a key ingredient of greyhound racing, both through on-course bookmakers and the totalisator, first introduced in 1930. Like horse racing, it is popular to bet on the greyhound races as a form of parimutuel gambling.
Greyhound racing enjoyed its highest attendances just after the Second World War—for example, there were 34 million paying spectators in 1946. The industry experienced a decline from the early 1960s- when the 1960 Betting and Gaming Act permitted off-course cash betting - although sponsorship, limited television coverage, and the later abolition of on-course betting tax have partially offset this decline.[3]
Born and bred to race or die
In the greyhound racing industry, the key to success and profitability for breeders and trainers is to have fast dogs. But only a few of the estimated 20,000 greyhound pups born each year have the athletic capabilities and top speed to become a race winner. Bred for no other purpose than to race and win, many young and healthy greyhound dogs are discarded and killed without ever making it to the racing track.
The greyhounds who do make it to the track may endure harsh training regimes and are put at significant risk of sustaining serious injuries, such as broken legs, paralysis or head trauma, during training and racing. Some even die from cardiac arrest due to the extreme physical intensity of racing. On many occasions the injuries are 'uneconomical' to treat and the owner will instead have the dog killed.
Off the track their lives may not be much better — oftentimes being kept in small pens for the majority of their lives, only released to train or race. Racing greyhounds are not commonly kept as companion animals.
Information from greyhound rescue groups also indicates that many rescued racing greyhounds have been underfed, possibly because they have been kept on a restricted diet to keep them at a lean racing weight. [2]
In a horrific example of the industry’s cruelty, in 2002 the remains of approximately 3,000 greyhounds from Florida racetracks were discovered on the Alabama property of a former racetrack security guard who had been “retiring” unwanted greyhounds with a .22-caliber rifle for more than 40 years. The attorney for the accused said, “If there’s anybody to be indicted here, it’s the industry because this is what they’re doing to these animals. The misery begins the day they’re born. The misery ends when my client gets ahold of them and puts a bullet in the head.”
In a similar case in the U.K., an undercover investigation by the Sunday Times revealed that a builder’s merchant had been taking healthy greyhounds who had been judged by their trainers to be too slow to race, killing them with a bolt gun, and burying them in a 1-acre plot behind his home. The paper estimated that the man had killed more than 10,000 dogs over a 15-year span.
These massacres illustrate that greyhounds are treated as though they are disposable running machines. They are produced in quantities that require the disposal of surplus dogs, and industry workers regularly kill greyhounds who become injured, grow old, or are deemed too slow or no longer profitable.
Thousands of greyhounds continue to be killed each year, even though the industry is in decline. Some puppies are killed in the name of “selective breeding” before they ever touch a racetrack. Dogs who do qualify to become racers typically live in cages and are kept muzzled by their trainers at all times. Many exhibit crate and muzzle sores and suffer from infestations of internal and external parasites. Although their thin coats and lack of body fat make them extremely sensitive to temperature, greyhounds are forced to race in extreme weather conditions—ranging from subzero temperatures to sweltering heat of more than 100 degrees.
At the VictoryLand dog track in Alabama, officials suspected that a malfunctioning heating system at a kennel caused 23 greyhounds to slowly die. At least 37 dogs kenneled at Ebro Greyhound Park in Florida died of starvation and dehydration at the hands of their trainer, who was charged with felony cruelty to animals. Dogs who were found alive in his care had duct tape wrapped tightly around their necks. In 2005, 73 greyhounds died in a West Virginia kennel that went up in flames because of a faulty ceiling fan. Only five years earlier, more than 50 dogs had died from heatstroke when an air conditioner malfunctioned in a kennel owned by the same man.
Others suffer and die on the track. Over a six-year stretch, more than 800 greyhounds were injured while racing on Massachusetts tracks (the state has since banned dog racing). At the two remaining Texas tracks, more than 340 injuries and 20 deaths were reported in 2008.
Some dogs die during transport from one racetrack to another. It is a common practice in the industry to carry up to 60 greyhounds in one truck, with two or three dogs per crate, and to line the floor of these “haulers” with ice rather than providing air conditioning. The cargo areas of these trucks reach temperatures exceeding 100 degrees on a summer day—deadly conditions for animals who rely on panting to cool themselves.
Several greyhounds died on a truck during a 130-mile trip between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. Heat exhaustion was suspected in the deaths of eight other greyhounds who were being hauled from Oklahoma to Arizona. Although the dogs were believed to have died en route in Texas, records showed that the owners never stopped along the way to seek veterinary care for the other dogs. [1]
Greyhound racing - the facts
Where does the greyhound racing industry get dogs?
Every year, the industry breeds tens of thousands of greyhounds, more than it can place at racetracks. This overbreeding is motivated by the desire to produce "winning" dogs. Thousands of greyhounds at each track are disposed of yearly to bring in a "fresh" group of dogs. A dog's racing career is usually over at 3½ to 4 years of age.
If able to live out his or her full life as a companion animal, a greyhound may live 13 or more years. Unfortunately, the industry kills greyhounds at various stages in the dogs' lives because they appear to lack racing potential or are injured. Many dogs, when they are no longer profitable, are adopted into good homes through rescue groups, but thousands are not. As with any business, profit is the bottom line; as a result, greyhounds are often destroyed using the least expensive methods, including gunshot. Reports of bludgeoning, abandonment, and starvation have also surfaced. Veterinarians humanely euthanize some greyhounds.
What is the daily existence of a racing dog like?
Racing greyhounds spend the majority of their adult lives in crates or pens or in fenced enclosures. Human companionship is limited. Many enclosures are not climate-controlled, causing the dogs distress during inclement weather.
Are any other animals abused by the greyhound racing industry?
Greyhound training activities have been known to maim and kill thousands of domestic rabbits and wild jackrabbits every year. (This estimate is based on HSUS investigations into the illegal importation of rabbits as well as the use of animals in training events.) One particular event known as "coursing" involves greyhounds chasing, terrorizing and eventually killing rabbits within fenced enclosures. Some industry representatives argue that this activity enhances the dogs' racing ability because they'll develop a "taste for blood." But greyhounds are sighthounds, not bloodhounds, and their inclination to run is instigated by a moving object, not the scent of blood. The use of live lures is not permitted in at least 16 U.S. states, but such laws are difficult to enforce. [4]
Export
The Australian greyhound racing industry exports hundreds of greyhounds to supply and stimulate racing industries in other countries, where most of them will also be killed after their racing days. One of the biggest markets is Macau, — where the Canidrome racing track does not allow any dogs to be adopted.[2]
Help and hope
Greyhounds are usually gentle, quiet, and friendly, and some lucky dogs are placed in caring homes. Reputable adoption groups, funded by donations and staffed by volunteers, save as many retired greyhounds as they can. There are greyhound rescue groups in the U.S., the U.K., and Western Europe.
Although adoption helps, the only way to ultimately end greyhound abuse is to put an end to racing. The industry is slowly dying because of competition from casinos and a lack of interest from younger gamblers who are looking for games with faster action. The Miami Herald reports that the amount wagered annually at Florida’s 16 remaining dog tracks dropped from $620 million to $300 million over a 10-year period. The Washington Post noted the dwindling numbers of breeders, bettors, and purses and concluded that “the sport has declined so sharply even its aficionados see no real hope for its revival.”
Dog racing continues in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Texas, and West Virginia. However, even states that have banned dog racing may still permit off-track or satellite wagering and the breeding of racing dogs. In an attempt to revive dog racing, some state legislatures and lobbyists are rewriting gambling laws to allow the tracks to install slot machines and video lottery terminals.GREY2KUSA is lobbying for legislation to put an end to greyhound racing.
What you can do
Help to educate racing supporters by distributing leaflets at a local track or elsewhere. Even if your state has banned greyhound racing, it’s likely that it has breeding kennels that supply dogs to other states. Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers explaining why it’s vital that we put an end to this cruel and useless sport. [1]
Write to Europe's MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) and ask them to please sign 'WD 0006/2013 on putting an immediate stop to the torture and mistreatment of Greyhounds' (as explained below).
The Written Declaration 0006/2013
on putting an immediate stop
to the torture and mistreatment of greyhounds
On Monday 15th April Mrs Striffler, together with 11 other co-signatories, submitted the Written Declaration 0006/2013 on putting an immediate stop to the torture and mistreatment of greyhounds in Europe. Just 200 hundred words that can have a great impact on the lives of many greyhounds. The Written Declaration will lapse on 15th July 2013.
The Written Declaration clearly and simply states that all forms of cruelty inflicted upon the greyhounds around Europe should come to an end and that proper enforcement of animal welfare laws is necessary. The message is simple and with all the information that is available on the deplorable situations that exist mainly in UK and Spain, it cannot be denied.
The Written Declaration clearly and simply states that all forms of cruelty inflicted upon the greyhounds around Europe should come to an end and that proper enforcement of animal welfare laws is necessary. The message is simple and with all the information that is available on the deplorable situations that exist mainly in UK and Spain, it cannot be denied.
What is a Written Declaration?
THE CONTEXT
A written declaration is a text of a maximum of 200 words relating exclusively on a matter falling within the competence of the European Union. They do not, however, bind Parliament, that is, they cannot be considered as an act of the Parliament representing its position, but only those of its authors and signatories.
The contents of such a declaration may not go beyond the form of a declaration. In particular, it may not call for any legislative action, contain any decision on matters for which specific procedures and competences are laid down in these Rules of Procedure or deal with the subject of ongoing proceedings in Parliament.
THE PROCEDURE
Source: The European Parliament
A written declaration is a text of a maximum of 200 words relating exclusively on a matter falling within the competence of the European Union. They do not, however, bind Parliament, that is, they cannot be considered as an act of the Parliament representing its position, but only those of its authors and signatories.
The contents of such a declaration may not go beyond the form of a declaration. In particular, it may not call for any legislative action, contain any decision on matters for which specific procedures and competences are laid down in these Rules of Procedure or deal with the subject of ongoing proceedings in Parliament.
THE PROCEDURE
- At least 10 Members from at least three political groups may, as authors, submit a written declaration by presenting a text to be signed by their colleagues.
- Written declarations may not go beyond the form of a declaration and are subject to admissibility criteria (see Rule 123).
- Declarations are entered in a public register accessible through Parliament’s website.
- If, at the end of a three month period from its entry into the register, the declaration is signed by a majority of the Members of the European Parliament, it is published in the minutes and forwarded to the EU Institutions named in the text, together with the names of the signatories.
- Declarations that, at the end of the three month period, have not been signed by at least half the Members of the European Parliament lapse.
- For further information see : Rules of Procedure: Rule 123.
Source: The European Parliament
Please take action - write to your MEP(s)
Please spare a few minutes of your precious time to speak up for Greyhounds and Galgo - please write to your MEPs and ask them to sign 'WD 0006/2013 on putting an immediate stop to the torture and mistreatment of Greyhounds'.
You will find your MEPs contact details easily in the following directory from the European Parliament. You can search by name, and, if you don't know the names of your MEPs, simply click on your country (on the big map on that page) and you will get the entire list of your country's MEPs.
Thank you!
Sources & references:
1. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/greyhound-racing-death-in-the-fast-lane.aspx
2. http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/greyhound-racing.php
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhound_racing
4. http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/greyhound_racing/facts/greyhound_racing_facts.html