Racing Greyhounds
Racing Greyhound
Greyhound racing is one of the popular action sports, the sport of racing greyhounds. It started in 1974 in Western Australia, controlled by the Canning Greyhound Racing Association. In 1981, the Western Australian Greyhound Racing Authority, a government appointed committee, took over the control of the sport (Racing and Wagering Western Australia, 2002). In the race, dogs chase after an artificial hare on the track which leads them to the finish line, the first to arrive is the winner of the race. In many countries, greyhound racing is purely conducted for enjoyment, thus the dogs are almost invariably pets and are therefore generally well treated. However, in other countries including the US, UK and Australia, legal gambling is permitted which leads to debates and voices of objections from the public concerning the welfare of the racing dogs. The racing industry has always been targeted by the greyhound rescue community and animal rights groups, for what they have done to the hundreds and thousands of racing greyhounds that did not even get to race on the track. In this essay, the industry would be analyzed, from the race itself, the kennel owners who supply the dogs, to the adoption scheme and euthanasia, also the arguments brought up by the animal rights group and finally my own point of view towards this issue.
“Racing greyhounds sustain a number of specific musculoskeletal injuries that are relatively uncommon in other working dogs and in pets.” (G. K. Sicard et al, 1999). It was thought to be related to the anatomy of greyhounds since those injuries are rarely seen in other breeds of racing dogs. A survey done by G. K. Sicard reveals that the number of injuries indeed is closely related to the design of the race track, as well as other environmental and physical factors. It is found that race tracks with shorter straightway and smaller turning radius with a steeper bank leads to a higher number of injuries when comparing with other
Greyhound racing is one of the popular action sports, the sport of racing greyhounds. It started in 1974 in Western Australia, controlled by the Canning Greyhound Racing Association. In 1981, the Western Australian Greyhound Racing Authority, a government appointed committee, took over the control of the sport (Racing and Wagering Western Australia, 2002). In the race, dogs chase after an artificial hare on the track which leads them to the finish line, the first to arrive is the winner of the race. In many countries, greyhound racing is purely conducted for enjoyment, thus the dogs are almost invariably pets and are therefore generally well treated. However, in other countries including the US, UK and Australia, legal gambling is permitted which leads to debates and voices of objections from the public concerning the welfare of the racing dogs. The racing industry has always been targeted by the greyhound rescue community and animal rights groups, for what they have done to the hundreds and thousands of racing greyhounds that did not even get to race on the track. In this essay, the industry would be analyzed, from the race itself, the kennel owners who supply the dogs, to the adoption scheme and euthanasia, also the arguments brought up by the animal rights group and finally my own point of view towards this issue.
“Racing greyhounds sustain a number of specific musculoskeletal injuries that are relatively uncommon in other working dogs and in pets.” (G. K. Sicard et al, 1999). It was thought to be related to the anatomy of greyhounds since those injuries are rarely seen in other breeds of racing dogs. A survey done by G. K. Sicard reveals that the number of injuries indeed is closely related to the design of the race track, as well as other environmental and physical factors. It is found that race tracks with shorter straightway and smaller turning radius with a steeper bank leads to a higher number of injuries when comparing with other
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