Literally.
The greyhound racing industry kills on average, about 7,500 puppies before they even get in their first race. That's more than Dick Cheney on a bad weekend! The cruelty hardly stops there. From birth to vivisection, life for racing dogs is harsh.
This industry serves only to perpetuate the government programs that support it. Each year, it generates fewer and fewer spectators, less and less revenue and more and more dead dogs.
Lots of you know I like to post a cute, "gratuitous greyhound" picture every day in the cheers and jeers. Well, the pictures after the fold are hardly cute and hardly gratuitous. I want to let you know what's going on out there and how you can help--no matter what state you are in.
Hey, I'm not some animal rights freak here. I'm to the right of the Humane Society, for crying out loud. But it's pretty clear to me that this is an industry that has to be stopped. Economically, it makes little sense. There is a long history of terrible treatment of animals that is getting worse, not better. And it is pretty simple for us to do something about it.
Economics
There are 46 greyhound racetracks across the United States, 30 in the United Kingdom and one in Canada (where paramutual betting is not allowed, but pool betting is.) Each track has about 1,000 dogs that are housed in small kennels. Track owners take home the lion's share of the profits from the industry, while breeders and racing kennels fight over the scraps. Yes, the state does get some of the money, but it also has to pay to regulate the industry and revenue has been on the decline for years.
Kansas: Revenue DOWN 59%
Arizona: Revenue DOWN 68%
Massachusetts: Revenue DOWN 69%
Oregon: Revenue DOWN 70%
Connecticut: Revenue DOWN 79%
New Hampshire: Revenue DOWN 84%
Florida: Revenue DOWN 71%
from Grey2K
In the case of Colorado, where I live, greyhound racing brought in less than $2 million pdf file in FY 2005, with a net of just over $150K for the state. Is the cruelty of this industry really worth a paltry $150K in state revenue?
Really, at this point, track owners probably see the death of their industry, but they are using tracks as trojan horses to bring slot machines and mini-casinos into our communities.
Cruelty
Astoundingly, racing greyhounds are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act and not surprisingly, there are many instances of abuse.
Perhaps the most shocking is the number of puppies killed. Between 1989 and 2000, more than 112,000 puppies were killed by the greyhound racing industry. Over 368,000 dogs of all kinds were killed over the same period.
Why? Some just can't make it as racers. Some never get the chance. Some are injured. Some are old. Some are left to freeze or roast to death in non-climate controlled kennels. The bottom line is that they cease to be of use to the kennel owner.
I won't go into the ugly truth (Graphic Pictures) about how these dogs die. It's bad enough that most of them spend most of their lives in 2X4 cages because when you see them out running it is so spectacular.
What you can do
I'm not going to ask you to sign some online petition or send an e-mail to your state legislator. It won't work. They don't care.
Instead, if you live in one of the following states:
Alabama, Massachusetts, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Texas, Florida, West Virginia, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Kansas then CALL your state legislator and ask them:
- How much revenue does Greyhound racing produce for the state each year?
- How much does the state expend to regulate greyhound racing?
- Why doesn't the state require a report of how many dogs are put down by the industry each year and mandate that they are humanely euthanized?
- Has the industry approached them to allow slot machines in dog tracks?
Also, never, ever attend a greyhound racing event. That's how these people make their money.
Finally, adopting a greyhound is GREAT! There are lots of places around the country where you can get them--not only in states that have racing. It's not as hard as they make out, in fact, I've found mine to be much easier than other dogs I've had or been around.