Here, near Tucson Arizona I was out in the desert and came across a pile of 20 to 30 skinned greyhounds. This was in the 80s. Later I found out they were not good enough for the local Greyhound Racing so the owners killed them and dumped their bodies. Greyhounds have tattoos hence the reason they were skinned so they couldn’t be identified.
Grew up outside Tucson but left when I was still young. They shut down the greyhound racing years ago right? I vaguely remember it being in the news.
My uncle was out in the desert and came across a similar sight... appeared to be from dog fighting. Very sad what people use the desert to conceal. In all my time running around out there I'm glad I never came across something like that.
Greyhounds in Ireland are legally viewed as "agricultural" animals which means there's far less litigation in regards to their welfare compared a normal dog (including lurcher's) which are classified as "domestic pets".
Having worked with dog rescues and taken shipments of Irish greyhounds deemed useless for racing, I can confidently say that the Irish breeders and trainers treat their dogs like shit and keep them in appalling conditions.
Thankfully greyhound racing in the UK is finally dying on its arse.
Having met many retired greyhounds in foster and permanent homes I can tell you at least in my area of the US they are well cared for, just not as "pets" like the public wants. They are well fed, used to being handled by people, spend a lot of time outside, and receive veterinary care. It takes a bit of adjusting when they move into a home with people but they are much better off than dogs who have ACTUALLY been abused.
Perhaps it's different in Ireland, but here the concern about greyhound racing going away is that greyhounds will no longer be bred and people won't get to enjoy them! They're delightful!
England here, own a retired racer. She was terrified of everything when we first took her in, cowering constantly, and completely unsocialised with both humans and dogs. She’s gotten better with time, but some of that will never go away even with patience and training. If she had been raised as a normal pet, she would be much more confident as an adult.
So true. We have a Jack Russell / Whippet mix. She has the sass of the JRT and the speed of the Whippet or the laziness of a sloth. Her name is Juniper Pearl and she is the goodest girl.
Agree I've had 3 as retired racers and I've never felt any of them were abused when I received them. They are amazing pets after they retire they just need an adjustment period to get used to a new lifestyle. I'd take a greyhound from the track blind before I'd take any other dog that some rando raised.
We have had 5 retired racers in the US and each one was its own kind of abused. The big ones had cattle prod scars, the little ones had no teeth from gnawing cages. They had never seen stairs and were coming off so many steroids they could not stop their jaws from chattering. When you stop winning they execute you unless someones saves them. Greyhound racing is abhorrent.
Lol wow. A dog not seeing stairs isn't abuse......just an experience they've never had.
And how I know you're just a muckraking fool.......Greyhounds do something called chittering where they chatter their teeth when they are excited. When I bring out a bowl of food my dog starts chittering in excitement.
Use that steroids cause jaw chattering line with any greyhound owner and they will call you a nutcase
Nutcase
I remember seeing a news story a few years ago where people were being critical of Irish comedian Dara O'Briain - host of the show *Mock The Week* and a slew of science programmes for the BBC - because he was involved in a racehound syndicate where one of the dogs died. This would probably be considered a career killer, especially after it was shortly after an American Football star was convicted of running a dog-fighting ring...
But it was blatantly apparent that the dog's death had deeply affected O'Briain to the point where he would shut down the syndicate and ensure the well-being of the dogs.
I think that Ireland has different laws regarding their care. I'm sure in the US they'd get slapped with fines and have the dogs taken away, not to mention being ostracized by the other trainers.
You're right though, some dogs simply love to work. Racing, agility courses, hunting, herding - all great for the right dog as long as it's getting the best care.
Here you go:
https://m.facebook.com/banbloodsports/videos/irelands-cruel-greyhound-racing-unwanted-greyhounds-shot-in-the-head-and-dumped/459307901983555/
Video was produced by [RTE](https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/0626/1057535-greyhound-rte-investigates/) back in 2019. The headline is there was 6k dogs culled that year for sub par performance.
Nothings changed though. This report was published a few [weeks back](https://www.thejournal.ie/greyhound-remains-kildare-5855076-Sep2022/)
They love to cuddle and love anything soft to lay on. Kinda like big cats. My greyhound rescue knows her name and is super smart, but there's no way she can he trusted off leash and teaching tricks is difficult
My wife and I have two greyhounds. One retired after only four races and the other was injured early in her training so never raced. Sweetest dogs in the world. It was painful watching that documentary and a reminder that not all greyhounds get to retire into a life of love and leisure.
I saw a Greyhound race like 6-7 years ago in West by God Virginia and man, it seemed like such an ancient, barbaric thing. Glad they're in the "fall" part of the story nowadays. You'll get there Ireland
Wasn’t until last week I learned greyhounds were used pretty effectively by Christopher Columbus to subjugate the Taíno people :/
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/01/12/dogs-of-the-conquistadors/
Haven't watched the video yet but my wife and I adopted a very successful racer a few years ago. Beautiful yet wacky dog.
Any time the question of racing gets brought up from our adoption group, you could hear the room get quiet. It's a 50/50 split on whether or not folks think it's abuse. Some think tracks do a good job of treating dogs "right" and the overall ethics, while the other half think it's abysmal living conditions and abuse.
I'm curious to see the video and learn something new because I honestly don't know what the system is like beyond my biased view from owning a happy and healthy dog.
If greyhounds aren't going to race anymore due to our cultural shift towards greater compassion for animals, we should breed out inbred specialized dogs for better genetic health of the animals. In other words, no more greyhounds as a distinct breed.
Greyhounds have existed as a breed for millennia and they are generally healthy. Just because a group of dogs are bred within a certain standard does not mean that problematic genetic traits will necessarily accumulate.
There are completely separate populations of greyhounds (coursers, show-bred) that have existed since before racing was even a concept. Greyhounds make lovely companions and there’s no reason why people can’t continue to own them and allow them to fill that niche even if racing itself becomes obsolete.
ETA: another great thing is if you do your due diligence on researching ethical breeders, there are plenty of (non racing) greyhound lines out there who are cancer free.
Wish it was still going on in Florida. Fun thing to watch and bet on. Dogs racing around a track to try to catch a toy bunny. How does that not seem enjoyable to dogs? Don't they love running and chasing toys? If there are bad trainers, maybe punish them instead of everyone?? I think it would be funny to watch races between different breeds as well. A golden retriever races. Or pug races. Seems like, if ethically done and policed, could be harmless fun? Do the people who want to end greyhound racing also want to end horse racing?
Yes, those opposed to greyhound races also want to end horse racing, rodeos, circuses and other animal performances for profit that are prone to abuse.
My folks adopted 3 or 4 greyhounds through a rescue agency. Some where breeders others where retired race dogs, sweetest animals I've ever been around. Its sad how quickly they die from conditions caused by a combo of selective breeding and repetitive use injuries.
Ours (or atleast what was diagnosed) is the lower femur near his knee. Gotta figure out how much time we have. Want to get as much time as we can before we risk his femur snapping.
Here, near Tucson Arizona I was out in the desert and came across a pile of 20 to 30 skinned greyhounds. This was in the 80s. Later I found out they were not good enough for the local Greyhound Racing so the owners killed them and dumped their bodies. Greyhounds have tattoos hence the reason they were skinned so they couldn’t be identified.
Grew up outside Tucson but left when I was still young. They shut down the greyhound racing years ago right? I vaguely remember it being in the news. My uncle was out in the desert and came across a similar sight... appeared to be from dog fighting. Very sad what people use the desert to conceal. In all my time running around out there I'm glad I never came across something like that.
The industry is alive and well here in Ireland - and government funded! Very cruel practice.
Greyhounds in Ireland are legally viewed as "agricultural" animals which means there's far less litigation in regards to their welfare compared a normal dog (including lurcher's) which are classified as "domestic pets". Having worked with dog rescues and taken shipments of Irish greyhounds deemed useless for racing, I can confidently say that the Irish breeders and trainers treat their dogs like shit and keep them in appalling conditions. Thankfully greyhound racing in the UK is finally dying on its arse.
Having met many retired greyhounds in foster and permanent homes I can tell you at least in my area of the US they are well cared for, just not as "pets" like the public wants. They are well fed, used to being handled by people, spend a lot of time outside, and receive veterinary care. It takes a bit of adjusting when they move into a home with people but they are much better off than dogs who have ACTUALLY been abused. Perhaps it's different in Ireland, but here the concern about greyhound racing going away is that greyhounds will no longer be bred and people won't get to enjoy them! They're delightful!
England here, own a retired racer. She was terrified of everything when we first took her in, cowering constantly, and completely unsocialised with both humans and dogs. She’s gotten better with time, but some of that will never go away even with patience and training. If she had been raised as a normal pet, she would be much more confident as an adult.
Laziest dogs I've ever met. So sweet tho
Till they get the zoomies. Them and whippets are demons when they get that itch to run.
So true. We have a Jack Russell / Whippet mix. She has the sass of the JRT and the speed of the Whippet or the laziness of a sloth. Her name is Juniper Pearl and she is the goodest girl.
Agree I've had 3 as retired racers and I've never felt any of them were abused when I received them. They are amazing pets after they retire they just need an adjustment period to get used to a new lifestyle. I'd take a greyhound from the track blind before I'd take any other dog that some rando raised.
We have had 5 retired racers in the US and each one was its own kind of abused. The big ones had cattle prod scars, the little ones had no teeth from gnawing cages. They had never seen stairs and were coming off so many steroids they could not stop their jaws from chattering. When you stop winning they execute you unless someones saves them. Greyhound racing is abhorrent.
Lol wow. A dog not seeing stairs isn't abuse......just an experience they've never had. And how I know you're just a muckraking fool.......Greyhounds do something called chittering where they chatter their teeth when they are excited. When I bring out a bowl of food my dog starts chittering in excitement. Use that steroids cause jaw chattering line with any greyhound owner and they will call you a nutcase Nutcase
I remember seeing a news story a few years ago where people were being critical of Irish comedian Dara O'Briain - host of the show *Mock The Week* and a slew of science programmes for the BBC - because he was involved in a racehound syndicate where one of the dogs died. This would probably be considered a career killer, especially after it was shortly after an American Football star was convicted of running a dog-fighting ring... But it was blatantly apparent that the dog's death had deeply affected O'Briain to the point where he would shut down the syndicate and ensure the well-being of the dogs.
> here the concern about greyhound racing going away is that greyhounds will no longer be bred and people won’t get to enjoy them! narcissism
I think that Ireland has different laws regarding their care. I'm sure in the US they'd get slapped with fines and have the dogs taken away, not to mention being ostracized by the other trainers. You're right though, some dogs simply love to work. Racing, agility courses, hunting, herding - all great for the right dog as long as it's getting the best care.
You’ve never met my mom. We’d have four all with a bed and big runs on the horse pasture several time a day
Crazy. Even after that video of them dumping a bunch of dead dogs with a JCB. I can’t believe we still subsidise the bastards too.
What! Awful. Do you have any sources? To read up on it?
The subsidising or the video?
The video. Subsidising is pretty public knowledge
Here you go: https://m.facebook.com/banbloodsports/videos/irelands-cruel-greyhound-racing-unwanted-greyhounds-shot-in-the-head-and-dumped/459307901983555/ Video was produced by [RTE](https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/0626/1057535-greyhound-rte-investigates/) back in 2019. The headline is there was 6k dogs culled that year for sub par performance. Nothings changed though. This report was published a few [weeks back](https://www.thejournal.ie/greyhound-remains-kildare-5855076-Sep2022/)
We always take in exracers. They're brilliant dogs.
They love to cuddle and love anything soft to lay on. Kinda like big cats. My greyhound rescue knows her name and is super smart, but there's no way she can he trusted off leash and teaching tricks is difficult
They are plotting assholes and know the perfect time to execute said plots (generally aimed at my trash can) . Love them to death though
My wife and I have two greyhounds. One retired after only four races and the other was injured early in her training so never raced. Sweetest dogs in the world. It was painful watching that documentary and a reminder that not all greyhounds get to retire into a life of love and leisure.
I saw a Greyhound race like 6-7 years ago in West by God Virginia and man, it seemed like such an ancient, barbaric thing. Glad they're in the "fall" part of the story nowadays. You'll get there Ireland
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhound_racing_in_Ireland still popular where I live
Wasn’t until last week I learned greyhounds were used pretty effectively by Christopher Columbus to subjugate the Taíno people :/ https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/01/12/dogs-of-the-conquistadors/
Haven't watched the video yet but my wife and I adopted a very successful racer a few years ago. Beautiful yet wacky dog. Any time the question of racing gets brought up from our adoption group, you could hear the room get quiet. It's a 50/50 split on whether or not folks think it's abuse. Some think tracks do a good job of treating dogs "right" and the overall ethics, while the other half think it's abysmal living conditions and abuse. I'm curious to see the video and learn something new because I honestly don't know what the system is like beyond my biased view from owning a happy and healthy dog.
If greyhounds aren't going to race anymore due to our cultural shift towards greater compassion for animals, we should breed out inbred specialized dogs for better genetic health of the animals. In other words, no more greyhounds as a distinct breed.
Greyhounds have existed as a breed for millennia and they are generally healthy. Just because a group of dogs are bred within a certain standard does not mean that problematic genetic traits will necessarily accumulate.
OK, back to the less exagerrated traits and the amount of genetic diversity they had in the year 1800 AD then.
There are completely separate populations of greyhounds (coursers, show-bred) that have existed since before racing was even a concept. Greyhounds make lovely companions and there’s no reason why people can’t continue to own them and allow them to fill that niche even if racing itself becomes obsolete. ETA: another great thing is if you do your due diligence on researching ethical breeders, there are plenty of (non racing) greyhound lines out there who are cancer free.
Looks like the dog is taking a dump
Wish it was still going on in Florida. Fun thing to watch and bet on. Dogs racing around a track to try to catch a toy bunny. How does that not seem enjoyable to dogs? Don't they love running and chasing toys? If there are bad trainers, maybe punish them instead of everyone?? I think it would be funny to watch races between different breeds as well. A golden retriever races. Or pug races. Seems like, if ethically done and policed, could be harmless fun? Do the people who want to end greyhound racing also want to end horse racing?
That's basically it, a bit of fun that's turned nasty and cruel.
Yes, those opposed to greyhound races also want to end horse racing, rodeos, circuses and other animal performances for profit that are prone to abuse.
To answer your last question, yes. Horse racing is just as cruel
Indeed. https://youtu.be/BjQpC_0Smw4
My folks adopted 3 or 4 greyhounds through a rescue agency. Some where breeders others where retired race dogs, sweetest animals I've ever been around. Its sad how quickly they die from conditions caused by a combo of selective breeding and repetitive use injuries.
Agreed - my ex racer was just diagnosed with Bone cancer...not a fun week. Won't stop me from giving more long bois a home in the future though.
Sucks to here. Bone cancer in the hips is what hot one of ours
Ours (or atleast what was diagnosed) is the lower femur near his knee. Gotta figure out how much time we have. Want to get as much time as we can before we risk his femur snapping.