An NJGAP volunteer coaxes a recent rescued greyhound racer for a bath and grooming before going home with a volunteer foster family. Photo credit: © 2008 mark menditto
I read an article about a month ago in Best Friends magazine. Best Friends is an organization that rescues animals, among other things, out in Kanab, Utah.
The article attempted to deal with the issue of the abuse of greyhound racing but I feel that it did not go in depth enough in to what happens to the dogs/their life at the track and after their racing days are over. It did not hold the racing industry's feet to the fire. I liken the ability to make greyhound racing "humane" to the likelihood of making puppy mills "humane'. It cannot happen in my opinion on either account.
An email was sent to me asking my opinion of the article and I was fortunate to receive permission to share another reader's opinion that I found to be quite pointed and on the mark. This reader, Kate has a rescued greyhound. Please see her opinion below:
"I assume you mean the angle on working with tracks and trying to remain neutral (although a large part of the article does give space to those working to close all tracks).
It is a fine line. I read about the history of greyhound racing just recently and it was sad to see that it was started in England by individuals who really loved and pampered their greyhounds. Sad to say, once it crossed the ocean to the USA it went downhill fast (on both sides of the Atlantic).
I don't think current track owners can ever be returned to that original mind set and level of care for the hounds - so the ultimate goal should be to close the "sport" down. After all, even if groups can rescue greyhounds before each is put down - how many years must each poor creature suffer before finding a rescuer?
Look at our Lilli- she is only nine years old (fairly young for most dogs) but she was an outstanding racer so she was used to the point of no return for four horrible years. She walks like a very old dog and some days it is all I can do not to cry when I see how brave and sweet she is despite the pain she must feel from so many untreated or poorly treated injuries. To this day she will bite any man that comes into the house unless I step in (she got one of the recent workers before I could intervene) - her fear is that great- how much must she have suffered at the hands of some terrible man for four long years until she was "allowed" to be rescued.
I say give the tracks every opportunity to surrender dogs without hearing a lecture first hand, in the meantime work with local, state and federal governments to end the system. Most importantly, even though public opinion is becoming more educated, you still have people out there who insist that the track is "a lot of fun" and the "dogs seem to be having a good time", so not sure what it takes to get through to those hold outs.
No doubt the ultimate goal should be to shut the practice of greyhound racing down period."
Yours in greyhounds, Jennifer
