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Greyhounds
"The time will come when public opinion will no longer tolerate amusements based on the mistreatment and killing of animals. "
--Albert Schweitzer
| The Difference Between Greyhound Racing's Propoganda and Reality is like NIGHT & DAY |
| Industry Promotional Claims* | Reality |
| Greyhound racing is a fun, harmless sport. | Greyhound racing is responsible for the death of an estimated 20,000-25,000 young dogs each year |
| Greyhound racers are prized athletes and receive the best of care. | Greyhound placement groups nationwide routinely receive racing dogs riddled with both external & internal parasites, open weeping sores, and broken bones. These "athletes" are typically fed cheap, raw, "4D" mean from diseased livestock. The dogs are caged approx. 18-20 hours a day. |
| Abuses of racing greyhounds are isolated and rare. | From 1990 through 1997, there have benn over 50 media-documented cases of cruel treatment of ex-racing dogs including greyhounds shot to death, left to starve, electrocuted, and sold for medical experimentation. |
| The reduce the numbers of greyhounds killed each year the National Greyhound Association (NGA) of racing greyhound breeders has pared down the number of dogs bred each year. | The number of greyhounds bred has dropped 30% since 1990, but it is mostly a result of economic hardships impacting breeders as public interest in dog racing declines. However, despite this drop in breeding and the closure of 14 tracks since 1990, a glut of excess greyhounds remains. for large-scale dog racing to exist, thousands of these dogs must continue to be bred each year. |
| The killing of used-up racing dogs can be ended by placing all these greyhounds into homes as pets. | The greyhound industry gives lip service to greyhound adoption as a way to whitewash its poor animal welfare record. Greyhounds make wonderful pets, but adoption can neither eliminate the killing nor the suffering inflicted on these animals under the racing system. In actuality, 150 privately funded independent adoption groups are responsible for placing most greyhounds into homes. |
| Logic dictates that racing greyhounds must be well treated so they can win races. | One would think so, but the overwhelming evidence of dogs received in poor condition by adoption groups nationwide proves otherwise. Dogs who can't win races are typically seen as liabilities. Unprofitable kennels often don't have enough money to care for the dogs properly and, sometimes, not enough to kill them humanely. Greyhound racing is inherently cruel and impossible to clean-up though stricter regulations. |
* These claims are industry representation made by individual track advertisements, articles in the Greyhound Review, the National Greyhound Association (NGA) monthly publication, and comments by NGA directors made in various published articles and letters to the editor supporting the industry's practices (on file.)
Why should greyhound racing be banned?
Greyhound racing is a buisness not a sport, and is cruel to the gentle, docile and swift greyhounds.
at some tracks, kennel personnel barely have enough money to feed the dogs. Basic medical treatment or humane deaths may be unprofitable.
greyhounds at the tracks typically live in small crates for 18-20 hours/day. Some are left muzzled almost constantly. they dogs are often fed raw meat from diseased livestock rejected by the USDA.
calculations based on available 1995 Greyhound Racing Industry statistics show that 25,000 greyhounds are destroyed every year. this includes young pups who may be judged "too small" or "too large" to be a "winner."
Are greyhounds good pets?
They make wonderful pets! Greyhounds are docile, intelligent, adaptable, friendly and quiet. Generally, they get along fabulously with children and other pets. Needless to say a child should always be supervised when playing with any animal. Greyhounds are very accustomed to being with otherdogs and some greyhounds can easily share a home with felines. Please note that greyhounds:
Are kennel trained and are usually quickly housebroken.
Should be fed twice a day. They average greyhound eats about 4 cups of food/day.
May become "watchdogs" but they are not "guard dogs." They are a fairly quiet breed.
Do not need any more exercise than other breeds, and less than many breeds. A daily walk will suffice and your greyhound may enjoy a quick run a couple times a week in a FENCED AREA.
Tell me more about greyhounds!
Greyhounds weigh from 50-90 pounds. Females are usually smaller than the males. Both genders can run 45mph and can see up to 1/2 mile away. Traits of speed and hunting by sight have been bred into the greyhound for thousands of years; these traits have been reinforced by their training for racing. THEREFORE WHEN OUTDOORS, GREYHOUNDS MUST BE KEPT IN A FENCED AREA OR ON A SECURE LEAD AT ALL TIMES.
You don't have to own a greyhound to help stop dog racing!
Don't go to greyhound racetracks
If you know people that attend greyhound tracks, give them this GPL brochure.
Help us! Please phone the Greyhound Protection League at: 1-800-4-HOUNDS to find out what you can to to help end dog racing.
If you live in the Chicago area, please phone: 1-847-882-2188 ; 1-847-816-0882 ; or 1-630-736-4132 for local activites in which you can participate. Please call us! We need you! You don't have to own a greyhound to help!
What can I do to help the greyhounds?
Donations may be made to the Greyhound Protection League. They are tax deductible and will be used to help rescue dogs that are about to be destroyed and to educate the public about the cruelties oinherent in the greyhound racing industry. Donation are also used to fund investigation relating to mistreated, abandoned, or destroyed greyhounds. send you check or money order to:
The Greyhound Protection League
PO Box 620863
Woodside, CA 94062
Subscribe to:
The Greyhound Network News
PO Box 44272
Phoenix, AZ. 85064-4272
This free publication accepts tax deductible contrubutions to defray printing and postage sosts. It will keep you up to date with the latest news stories and issues affecting racing greyhounds worldwide.
You can adopt a greyhound! This breed is very special and we are looking for very special people who will love them, understand them, and care for them as we do. If your lifestyle can accommodate this wonderful animal then contact on of the adoption groups listed later on.
***Unfortunatly, most of the 150 greyhound adoption groups across the US are afraid to speak out about abuse of greyhounds or poor conditions at the tracks, fo fear that they will lose their source of gree greyhounds.
***Tens of thousands of greyhounds are killed every year as a "by-product" of this industry!
Greyhound Racing: The Facts
As of Dec.31, 1998, 49 operating tracks were conducting life greyhound racing in 15 states.
The racing states and number of tracks in each are: Alabama (4), Arizona (3), Colorado (4), Connecticut (2), Florida (17), Iowa (2), Kansas (2), Massachusetts (2), New Hampshire (3), Oregon (1), Rhode Island (1), Texas (2), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (3).
(This information was provided by the Greyhound Protection League)
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