Should We Put An End To Greyhound Racing?

Has it ever occurred to you that although animals can’t speak for themselves, they deserve protection from persons who do not bother about their well-being? Since the days of old, humans have used animals in different ways, some of which do not consider the safety of the animals. One such way through which we use animals is by training them to compete in events such as Greyhound racing. Indeed, since 1920 when the very first Greyhound racing took place, the event has become a major centre of attraction for numerous people in the UK and beyond. These animal competitions are a source of entertainment but what about the health and security of the animals that compete? It’s probably time to end the greyhound racing and other similar events that put the lives of animals at risk.

What Is the Price Paid by Competing Animals?

Greyhounds are a species of dogs bred purposely for racing, hunting, and coursing. These animals are generally smooth-coated, tall, and muscular and have the ability to exceed 64 Km per hour. Due to the need to have a readily available supply of greyhounds for racing, every year, many more dogs are bred than required. This leads to the abandoning of retired greyhounds and even unraced healthy ones. These dogs which have a natural life span of up to 14 years often start racing at a year and a half and are replaced at most five years afterwards. At this point, the fate of the retired dogs is euthanization, even when the animal is healthy. This is the most obvious outcome as it has been observed that the capacity of the locals to adopt greyhounds is lower than the available non-racing greyhounds. Other than that, artificial insemination is mostly used on females for breeding and on its own also constitutes a call for concern as it causes significant pain.

Once greyhounds join the racing agenda, the problem gets to another level. Injuries are quite common leading to dog suffering and wastage. Affected animals may have muscular injuries and bone fractures, causing them to go through pain and be stressed. The fast speed at which greyhounds race is also often a source of injuries related to heat and lack of oxygen. Very often during races, collisions occur at the first turn of the racetrack resulting in severe injury and death in extreme cases.

As expected, the exact records of injuries that occur are not rendered public. Often, the records do not even include accidents registered during the pre-racing steps: pre-training, training, and trailing not forgetting non-TAB races. Knowing all these, promoters of animal welfare are standing up to put an end to greyhound races.

Regulations and Petitions on Animal Protection

In the United States, one can already sense the end of the era of greyhound racing. The event had reached its glory days back in the 1980s with regular races across 19 states and over 50 tracks. Welfare groups like the GREY2k have for years now made public the maltreatment of greyhound racing dogs. Their allegations have been supported by the fact that since 2008, about 15,000 greyhounds have either died or suffered injury. Movement petitions such as the “End Greyhound Racing Worldwide” have been addressed to competent authorities with the hope that concrete measures are underway to put an end to it.

While the most wished outcome is the banning of greyhound racing, some countries like Switzerland are looking at the matter from a different perspective. The Swiss government regulates dog races through the IGWR. This community organises races in categories for the different breeds of dogs. Their implemented regulations include licensing and anti-doping policies. Although IGWR follows the FCI racing rules which call for no betting in Switzerland on greyhound racing, many Swiss bookmakers provide its markets.

Back in the UK, some of the country’s largest animal welfare organisations have agreed to the banning of greyhound racing within the shortest possible time. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), alongside Blue Cross and Dogs Trust, report that significant welfare issues still exist despite all efforts put in to improve the condition of racing dogs. These organisations mainly complain of speed and the nature of the tracks which are the primary causes of injury and death. In several reviews, they have highlighted these issues alongside concerns regarding the keeping and nutrition of the dogs.

These worries are supported by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) which states that dogs are seen as machines in the greyhound racing industry. The sector may be under the Greyhound Board of the UK but the policies in place seem not to be sufficient to better the condition of the animals. Petitions are thus very valuable in these times to see to it that dog exploitation is stopped. Blue Cross currently has an open petition that calls for your vote to render the lives of dogs more peaceful while they last.