What is Greyhound Racing?
The short reply would be that it is racing greyhounds around a track to see which dog is the fastest. Although this is what we define as Greyhound racing, the truth is that it so much more. There are two types of ‘races’ the dogs can compete in, Track racing and coursing, with the most popular being track racing. Track racing uses a mechanical dummy and the fastest greyhound to cross the line wins. The controversy surrounding this sport, even if it should be called that, is the method is which the dogs are trained and the cruelty the dogs themselves face. The illegal act of live baiting seems to be well known nationally, thanks in most part to the horrific story four corners ran last year. Live baiting refers to the practice of
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'Bait' animals are tied to a mechanical lure and hurled at speed around the track while greyhounds are released to pursue and catch them. Trainers who use this method claim that the use of live animals enhances the dogs ability to run, making them faster, however there is no scientific evidence to support this statement. In 2015, the Australian police discovered 70 trainers who were using live baiting in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Cruelty to the greyhounds themselves isn’t as well known compared to live baiting. It is estimated that between 12,000-17,000 healthy dogs are killed each year because they were too slow to race or too old to race, with 7,000 of these dogs never making it to the track in the first place. The greyhounds that do make it to the track are put at significant risk of sustaining serious injuries, such as broken hocks or legs, or head trauma, during training and racing. Up to 200 dogs are reported injured during official races each week. Some even die from cardiac arrest due to the extreme physical intensity of racing. Their lives off the track may not be much better, more often than not being kept in tiny pens or kennels for the majority of the day,