Not all retired racing greyhounds are adopted. In fact, only a third of them find homes of any kind. The vast majority are put down, or worse, sold to research labs. Racing-dog owners profit off their dogs’ last dying breath. Legislature needs to be passed to prohibit the sale of retired greyhounds to research labs. After the horrors these dogs face on the tracks, protecting them from further suffering is the least we can do.
There have been countless cases of greyhounds being mistreated in research labs. A reported 2,600 greyhounds were donated for medical research to Colorado State University by Colorado breeders and trainers from January 1995 to March 1998. Approximately one-third of the dogs were used in terminal teaching labs and were they were killed immediately after use; the remainder were “excess” and were euthanized within 24 hours of their arrival at the facility.
Gregory S. Wood, a breeder and kennel owner in Arizona has been known to sell his retired racers for $250 to $350 a piece, primarily to the University of Arizona, Tucson Veterans Administration Medical Center, and W.L. Gore and Associates in Flagstaff. When asked, Wood said he would continue to put dogs unsuitable for adoption into research programs. “It’s foolish to just put a dog to sleep, when they could instead be put to some useful purpose in a USDA-regulated research laboratory.” How could the tortured existence of a research animal be considered a lesser evil than putting these dogs to sleep? And why should greyhound breeders and owners be permitted to benefit from the pain and misery of their dogs?
Dog racing continues in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Texas, and West Virginia. However, even states that have banned dog racing may still permit off-track wagering and the breeding of racing dogs. Thus, it is vital that the U.S. Senate pass a national law to prevent the sale of retired racing dogs to research labs. We must protect these helpless animals from further suffering.
Reblogged this on Ann Novek–With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors.
I don’t know if a Belgian vote counts, but that one is signed…
This is another example of the blatant disregard of the dogs’ welfare by the racing industry.
Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane. Greyhounds endure lives of nearly constant confinement, kept in cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. While racing, many dogs suffer and die from injuries including broken legs, paralysis, and cardiac arrest. And many greyhounds are euthanized every year, as the number retired from racing exceeds the number of adoptive homes.
At racetracks across the country, greyhounds endure lives of confinement. According to industry statements, greyhounds are generally confined in their cages for approximately 20 hours per day. They live inside warehouse-style kennels in stacked cages that are barely large enough to stand up or turn around. Generally, shredded paper or carpet remnants are used as bedding.
An undercover video recently released by GREY2K USA shows the conditions in which these gentle dogs are forced to live: http://www.grey2kusa.org/azVideo.html
For more information on injuries these dogs suffer, please view:
http://www.grey2kusa.org/azInjuries.html
http://www.grey2kusa.org/eNEWS/G2K-022811Email.html
Dogs play an important role in our lives and deserve to be protected from industries and individuals that do them harm.
VWolf Board Member, GREY2K USA
I agree, it’s a sick thing. They deserve so much more.
Im disgusted sickened and heartbroken all at the same time i signed and shared the petition i just pray it helps
there are no bad dogs just bad care givers
as long as any being lives in fear and death at the hands of man so shall all men live under this same threat. the earth is our shared home and to do good should be our shared religion and under the truth of evolution all beings are our family.
you can tell a lot about a person or society by the way it treats the beings it doesn’t think it has to treat well. silence is acceptance
life has value beyond measure
Peace and Love
That is so sick and wrong on undescribable levels. These precious dogs should NOT be raced cruelly in the first place, and afterwards everyone should make the effort to find them homes so they can feel love for as long as possible. I was going to adopt a retired racer, but not anymore. I want to adopt TONS of retired racers and give them all I can.
We currently have two dogs, our usual number, and one of them is 16, so I have been mulling over who might come when he passes. We tend to like big dogs who are lazy enough in the house for us to put in long hours on the computer. Hmm, I hadn’t thought of greyhounds but as a result of this site – and the half-hour I just spent exploring your links – I think this might be a good breed for us when it’s time!