Greyhound Racing

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Record of greyhound Deaths in Florida 2013 at race Locations.

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Record of greyhound Deaths in Florida 2013 at race Locations.

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Why Greyhound Racing?

I wanted to choose a topic that wasn’t provided. Earlier in the semester we discussed how dogs were considered companions and amongst the most beloved non human animals in the US. We don’t eat them, we treat them like family, and they receive more respect than their pet rival cats; being that cats are used the most in violent metaphors and euphemisms. So how on earth could we be treating Greyhounds so badly? Greyhounds are being used like machines, in many ways and thrown away when they aren’t deemed useful anymore. They have similar paths to cows and chickens, but instead of being eaten they’re forced to work. A person with respect for non animals couldn’t possibly treat one the way Greyhounds are being treated.This treatment aligns with the Cartesian model of animal subjectivity. (Shingne 2019) Rene Descartes the creator of the model established that we don’t have ethical relationships with machines, or animals because they don’t have rationale or immortal souls.(Shingne 2019) You would have to fill this way in order to treat another living thing so poorly. You’d have to believe that these greyhounds lack agency, affectivity, self history, and coherence, those of which are the parts of selfhood identified by Irvine, to explain such behavior and acceptance of such cruelty. (Shingne, 2019) I hope dog races as well as horse races are banned in the near future. No living thing should be forced to do something that will lead to their demise.

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The solution to solving the Greyhound racing problem relies on protesting an advocating against the races. Florida passed legislation last year in November of 2018 that agreed to end greyhound racing by 2020. Amendment 13 proposed to ban dog racing and 69% of voters were in favor. (Burch & Caron 2018) With Florida operating eleven of the seventeen tracks still around the U.S, it’s safe to say that the industry is dying. According to The New York Times in 2007 20,000 dogs were registered for races, ten years later the number has dropped to 8500. That passage is also a result of voting meaning the public recognizes the mistreatment and problem with the racing. When the Florida races officially come to an end the 3700 registered greyhounds won’t all become pets, some of them will continue to race. (PETA 2019) Races are still going in Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Texas, and West Virginia so with more advocacy/lobbying we can hope to ban dog racing everywhere. (Grey 2k USA Worldwide 2018)

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 This treatment exemplifies the power humans have over their dog companions. Power is the ability to make the interests of a people or person count regardless of how others feel. (Shingne 2019) In this instance humans are utilizing these dogs as a source of entertainment and or financial gain without taking into consideration how these dogs might feel or the health risks that may come along. This relationship between the greyhounds and their owners, and people that are immersed in the greyhound race culture can be explained by way of functionalism. Functionalism or the structural/functionalist theory focuses on the different parts or groups in a society having roles that affect society as a whole and can either contribute to functionality or to dysfunction.(Shingne 2019) The role of greyhounds are to entertain whether it be its owner or those watching, as it entertains with gambling or the cost of the race money is generated. Giving people jobs and ultimately monetarily contributing to the rest of society. An example being that the Governor of Massachusetts allowed the dog races for revenue generation during the Great Depression. (Grey 2k USA Worldwide 2019) These races don’t only brings money in through admission fees, a lot of illegal gambling takes place surrounding these Greyhound races.

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This video shows how the young greyhound are trained. Greyhounds began training at about a year old, and are considered ready for actual races by one and a half. (PETA 2019) Dogs that race rarely make it to the age of four. (PETA 2019) In the beginning of dog races there were two dogs racing at a time, with multiple races a day. But now there are up to eight. 

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Greyhounds are subjected to an abhorrent amount of physical damage. They are caged, muzzled, and transported in crates with 2-3 other greyhounds on trucks with roughly 60 dogs at a time.  According to PETA Greyhounds are caged for about 23 hours a day. They begin Although they run instinctively, they still face injuries when racing. Injuries to the head, legs, and back are most common.  Some might consider injuries inevitable for any sport, or athletes participating but human athletes have a say in whether or not they want to be involved while greyhounds don’t. Greyhounds are sometimes forced to work in extreme weather conditions and drugged to enable better performance or suppress female greyhounds from going into heat. (PETA 2019)

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This video displays the living conditions of the Greyhounds at the breeding farms. 

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They have breeding camps for Greyhounds. (PETA 2019) In some of these camps the greyhounds are kept in terrible conditions as well as artificially inseminated. Some of the Greyhounds at the breeding camps are retired  racers or the dogs that lose. There are a few options for Greyhound racers after retirement. (PETA 2019) They are typically adopted, sent to a breeding camp, die, or are sent to a blood blank. (PETA 2019) Greyhounds typically generate a blood type that can be utilized by any dog, so they are sent to blood banks and are continuously getting their blood drawn and sent to veterinarians  around the world.

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This is a picture from the Emeryville Track, which is the first of its kind.

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Brief History of Greyhound Racing in the US.

Greyhounds were imported to the US in the late 1800s to control jackrabbit population. (National Greyhound Adoption Program 2008) Swiftly after, the first commercial Greyhound racing track was built in Emeryville, California in 1919, with the creation of the mechanical lure.( Project Racing Home Greyhound Adoptions 2019) The mechanical lure is the object the greyhounds are chasing, whether it be a bone, or stuffed animal. it squeaks throughout the track prompting or motivating the greyhounds to chase it.  Greyhounds run and are competitive instinctively. In 1930 there were 67 tracks around the country and none of them were legal. (Grey 2k USA Worldwide 2019) The state of Florida was the first to make it legal and it also became the state with the most tracks. At the peak of the greyhound racing’s popularity, it was legal in eighteen states. Currently greyhound racing is legal in only six states.  In the beginning of dog races there were two dogs racing at a time, with multiple races a day. But now there are up to eight. (Grey 2k USA Worldwide 2019)