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The
Cruelty of Greyhound Racing
AUGUST
2003 -- Racing greyhounds are the living waste products of
a spectator sport now in serious decline. Despite nationwide
rescue and adoption efforts, an estimated 20,000 greyhounds
are still being killed annually. This ancient and gentle breed
of dog, once the companion of pharaohs and kings, has become
an enslaved canine species, bred to serve as betting objects
for a gambling industry.
Greyhounds
“lucky” enough to survive the culling [killing]
and training process begin racing at 18 months of age. Twenty
percent of all dogs born, including Arizona-bred greyhounds,
never reach racing age. Most of these dogs are disposed of
at private breeding and training farms.
Greyhound
racing is an interstate business. Although dog racing now
takes place in only 15 states, greyhounds are bred in virtually
every state in the country. During their lives, greyhounds
may be transported to and from a number of states.
At
every stage of a greyhound’s life, she is fighting to
survive. Greyhound breeders begin culling the large litters
at birth. Culling is the process of weeding out the undesirable
dogs, which are then killed. If a dog makes it past culling,
which occurs from birth to 18 months, she will probably be
sent for training in another state. If she makes it through
the training phase, she will be sent to one of the 15 racing
states for schooling races. If the greyhound succeeds she
will race in a number of states during her racing career.
At some point her career will end. When that happens, odds
are she will be killed. National greyhound advocacy organizations
estimate that approximately 13,000 “retired” greyhounds
are adopted annually; 20,000 greyhounds are killed annually,
including approximately 7,000 puppies and young dogs that
have been culled from the system before the age of 18 months.
Millions
of greyhounds have died in the 77-year history of dog racing
in the United States. Thousands have died in Arizona.
Despite
racing industry claims, the majority of greyhounds “retired”
after a brief racing career are not adopted. The average age
of a retired greyhound is 2-1/2 years old.
Arizona, with three operating racetracks, is one of the 15
states where dog racing remains legal. Since 1993 seven states
— Maine, Virginia, Vermont, Idaho, Washington, Nevada
and North Carolina — have banned live and/or simulcast
greyhound racing.
The
racing industry began its irrevocable decline in 1991. Most
of the 46 surviving dog tracks in the country remain open
because of the introduction and expansion of simulcasting,
the televised transmission or reception of races to an outside
location. Off-Track Betting (OTB) sites in Tucson help Tucson
Greyhound Park to survive. By pressuring Tucson’s OTB
sites to stop their OTB operations, you can help put an end
to the ongoing cruelty of greyhound racing.
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