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Greyhound Racing: Death in the Fast Lane
The greyhound industry is directly responsible for the deaths of an estimated 25,000 dogs each year. Many dogs that show
little promise of turning a profit are killed before they reach age one. Others, after spending two to four years making money
for their owners, are destroyed, sold to research labs or are callously abandoned. Far more dogs are bred by the industry
than can ever be re-homed as companion animals. With 17 dog tracks (more than 1/3 of the total number of greyhound tracks
in the country), as well as hundreds of greyhound breeding/training "farms" throughout the state, Florida is the industry's
most abusive state.
At the track, life for a greyhound is equally dreary. Most racing greyhounds spend the majority of their lives in small metal
crates, and are let out to exercise only a few times a day. Racers are constantly muzzled when they are out of their cages.
They are routinely fed cheap "4-D Meat" from animals deemed unfit for human consumption. Greyhounds also suffer from one
or more of a variety of painful and debilitating injuries common in dog racing, such as bone fractures, severe joint injuries
and torn muscles.
Attendance and revenues are in serious decline at dog tracks throughout the country. Maine, Vermont, Virginia, Idaho,
Washington, Nevada, and North Carolina have all banned live greyhound racing. Nationwide, 14 tracks- including the Biscayne
Kennel Club in Miami and Key West's dog track- have closed since 1990.
Write to the governor and to your state representative and senator, and ask them to end state support of this activity. Urge
them to oppose any legislation that would assist the dog-racing industry, such as tax breaks and the introduction of card
rooms and electronic slot machines at dog tracks.
Do not support greyhound adoption groups such as Greyhound Pets of America, that defend or refuse to speak out against the racing industry.
Animal Rights Foundation of Florida |
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