Greyhound Racing
Greyhound numbers
About 25,000 greyhound puppies are registered every year in the British Isles. The number bred is much higher, but thousands of young dogs are killed because they fail to make the grade as racers.
Dogs who are not fast enough for registered tracks may be passed on to race at 'flapping' tracks, which are unlicensed and do not have vets in attendance.
The dogs that do 'make the grade', may endure cruel and inhumane conditions; the majority of whom spend most of their lives in crates, pens or fenced-in enclosures when not racing and are given very little human contact.
Training
Training methods are cruel and brutal for greyhounds as well as other animals. Live lures are often used to encourage the greyhounds to run faster; chasing small mammals such as rabbits and guinea pigs in preparation for the inanimate lures on the track.
Rigging the betting odds
Dogs can be fed huge meals or given drugs to make them lose a race, so that if they win the next race the betting odds are greater and more money can be made.
Disposing of unwanted greyhounds
Greyhounds can be owned by a syndicate (a group of people), who all contribute to the training, feeding and vet care -- hoping to share in the glory of winning. When the greyhound stops doing well, these syndicate owners may not want to spend the money to take care of them for the rest of their lives, and ask their trainers to dispose of them in the cheapest way.
The average retirement age for a greyhound is 3-4 years old and they can live for 16 years. Every year, 10,000 dogs leave registered racing, but the Retired Greyhound Trust only organises homes for just over 3000. Some of the remaining 7000 dogs may find good homes, but others may be drowned, poisoned or shot. Registered racing greyhounds have identifying tattoos on their ears, so abandoned or killed dogs sometimes have their ears cut off to hide who registered them.
There are no records for those dogs racing at the flapping tracks: they simply disappear. Rejected greyhounds from registered or flapping tracks may also be exported to Spain for hare coursing (where hares are chased and killed) and for hunting, where they are typically kept for only one season and then cruelly abandoned or killed.
Greyhound re-homing
Apart from the Retired Greyhound Trust there are a number of groups such as the Greyhound Rescue http://www.greyhoundrescue.co.uk but these groups are trying to deal with almost impossible numbers.
Summing up
While dogs do enjoy a good run around the park, and greyhounds have a strong chase instinct, the racing industry has exploited these traits to the detriment of the dogs themselves. It is wrong to force greyhounds to race for entertainment and money. They have their own feelings and desires, and should be allowed to lead natural lives, in loving homes.