Greyhound Racing: Death in the Fast Lane
by Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF)
The natural speed and grace of greyhounds has been exploited for human
benefit since the days of the ancient Egyptians. The dogs have been used
for centuries for hunting and coursing events, and for many years they
were also considered elite and were treated relatively well. But the
advent of modern dog racing has turned this previously pampered breed
into a mere commodity for greyhound breeders and racetrack owners.
Greyhound breeding is now big business; $3 billion was wagered on dog
races in the United States in 1986, and that was at only 47 tracks in 14
states.
Pain for Profit
Most of the cruelty in greyhound racing occurs during the dogs'
training. Each year approximately 100,000 rabbits, cats, chickens, and
other small animals are used as live bait to teach young dogs to chase
lures around the track. The dogs are encouraged to chase and kill live
"lures" so they will chase the fake lures used during the actual races.
If the "bait" animals manage to survive these exercises, they are either
tossed to the dogs and torn apart or are left to die atop a heap of
their dead and dying fellows.
For each of the approximately 17,000 greyhounds registered in one year,
at least five small animals, mostly rabbits, are killed in training.
Trainers claim the use of live lures is necessary to teach their dogs to
be champion racers, and the cost of "bait" animals is low compared to
the potential earnings of a winning dog. Less aggressive dogs are often
placed in a cage with a rabbit or other animal and are not released or
fed until they kill the cage companion.
A small percentage of greyhounds are trained using an artificial rabbit
lure called a "jack-a-lure". In Massachusetts, where training with live
animals is illegal, owners often send their dogs out of state for
training, thus defeating the state's intentions. Many dogs are trained
in Texas and Kansas, where anti-cruelty codes are weak.
Winners and Losers
But the animals used in training are not the only ones to suffer;
because they don't show enough winning potential, half of all greyhounds
bred for racing are discarded (shot, abandoned, killed, or sold to
research laboratories) before they ever race professionally.
The racing life of a greyhound is short, only two to four years.
Injuries and sickness -- broken legs, heat stroke, heart attacks --
claim many dogs. Dogs who slow down and become unprofitable are either
killed or sold to research laboratories. Occasionally they are sold as
companion animals. Only a few of the big winners are kept for breeding.
Many greyhounds never live past fifth birthdays. There is always a ready
supply of new dogs to replace slow or sickly ones.
Racetrack owners and racing associations publicly disclaim accounts of
animal cruelty in their business. But the associations do not regulate
or punish cruel trainers; state laws against racing cruelties are
ineffective because dogs are constantly moved from state to another. No
federal legislation yet exists that prohibits the use of live lures.
Racetrack owners and promoters have begun staging "charity nights" and
"humanitarian" gimmicks to try and upgrade dog racing's increasingly
negative image.
Helping Homes
The abusive training greyhounds receive make some "retired" dogs
unsuitable for household companions. But because they are basically
gentle, quiet animals, a few hundred of the thousands of discarded
greyhounds are placed in new homes each year. Two organizations
involved in greyhound placement are Retired Greyhounds As Pets (REGAP,
Box 41307, St. Petersburg, FL 33743), and Greyhound Friends, Inc.
(2 Sacramento Place, Cambridge, MA 02138).
Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF)
P.O. Box 841154
Pembroke Pines, FL 33084
(305) 432-1095
Fax (305) 435-2442