Vera Rasnake smiled as she led three barking, jiggling dogs into the Iowa Greyhound Park in Dubuque, Iowa, but her grin quickly disappeared when she admitted that, after 41 years of being around the sleek animals, her sport was on the verge of extinction.
The track here will close after a shortened season in Dubuque concludes in May. There will only be two tracks left in the nation by the end of the year.
Greyhound racing has been on a long downward spiral since the 1980s, when there were more than 50 tracks spread across 19 states. Since then, rising dog welfare concerns and a proliferation of gambling options have all but killed a sport that gained popularity about a century ago.
A racing association discovered that greyhound wagering dropped from $3. 5 billion in 1991 to about $500 million in 2014. Since then, many more tracks have closed.
Voter initiatives put an end to dog racing at the state’s dozen tracks in some states, like the dog racing capital of Florida in 2021. Some states, like Iowa, allowed casinos to stop providing the subsidies that had kept greyhound racing alive as the public’s interest waned.
The author of a history of greyhound racing, Gwyneth Anne Thayer, stated, “Do I think the industry is dying? Yes.” But “it’s happening way faster than I thought it would. ”.
Racing will only continue in West Virginia after the closure of the Dubuque track and the end of the West Memphis, Arkansas, track in December, which is supported by casino revenue.
The industry’s demise, according to some animal welfare organizations, is the result of decades of work to raise awareness of claims of greyhound abuse. Carey Theil, the executive director of the organization GREY2K, said he feels a sense of accomplishment now that the end of the sport appears to be near.
The Humane Society, GREY2K, and other organizations have long argued that greyhound racing is cruel because it has a history of killing dogs that weren’t considered to be the best racers, using drugs to improve their performance, keeping them confined for extended periods of time, and putting animals at risk of harm on the racetrack.
Supporters of the industry point out that there is currently a huge demand for adopting retired racers and dispute the prevalence of the other issues. They assert as well that some people don’t comprehend how much greyhounds love to run.
On the first day of racing, visitors to the Iowa Greyhound Park in Dubuque crowded into a large room with a view of the track, sipping beers and mixed drinks while studying the results before placing their bets at betting stations or with staff members. They lamented the loss of an entertainment venue in Dubuque, a city of about 60,000 people known for its stately brick buildings and church steeples built on hills overlooking the Mississippi River, and expressed disappointment that the track would close.
Peggy Janiszewski and her friend Robin Hannan have been traveling to Dubuque to watch the races for years by car, traveling about three hours from the Chicago area. They typically stake a pittance on each race, but their attention is diverted more by the dogs than by the prospect of winning big.
According to Bruce Krueger, he has been traveling from Milwaukee to Dubuque via a 274-kilometer (170-mile) drive. He doesn’t believe the dogs are mistreated.
When the track’s second year began, General Manager Brian Carpenter, then 16, began working there. He stayed for 36 seasons, up until this, the track’s final year.
He remembers the excitement when the track first opened in 1985, a time when much of Dubuque was in need of help and Iowa was beset by farm bankruptcies. Back then, buses of gamblers would arrive every weekend from Chicago and Milwaukee, bringing thousands of spectators to the races.
At least 1,000 people attended the opening day this year, but smaller crowds are more common, especially on weeknights.
City and state funding helped the Dubuque track get off the ground, and after states like Iowa and others started allowing casinos, the Dubuque operation was expanded to include its own casino.
“Going to the Dogs” by Thayer, a book about greyhound racing, animal activism, and American popular culture, provides a colorful and turbulent history of the activity. The industry has been pushing for legalized betting state-by-state since its inception in the 1920s following the development of the mechanical lure, which is typically a stuffed bone or stuffed animal that clatters around the track ahead of the dogs to attract them. Hollywood stars, athletes, and contestants in beauty pageants helped with this effort.
The activity occasionally attracted more spectators than its more well-known rival horse racing. Although some viewed it as seedy, it was mainstream entertainment for decades, according to Thayer.
People are unaware of how ingrained it has been in American culture for a long time, she claimed.
Other nations that hold greyhound racing include Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico, and Vietnam, but it faces some of the same issues as in the United States. S.
Although greyhound racing in the U. S. will only exist in West Virginia, as that state appears committed to keeping the sport alive, according to Steve Sarras, the organization’s president. The state’s two tracks run races five-days a week year-round.
Sarras claimed that after numerous inspections of the conditions at his kennel and others, West Virginia legislators were satisfied that the dogs were being treated humanely.
On June 9, 2019, dogs compete in a yearly, international dog race in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Photo by Thilo Schmuelgen/REUTERS.
Does greyhound racing contribute to dog overpopulation?
Yes. Historically as many as 10,000 greyhounds have been bred annually. The overproduction of dogs in the racing industry only pushes homeless animals out of their homes and diverts funds from other issues affecting animal welfare.
As more states pass legislation banning or phasing out the sport and the public decides not to take part in this cruel business, the number of spectators at greyhound races is declining nationwide. Gaming establishments are losing money on these races, and state governments frequently end up spending more money to regulate the sport than they make back in revenue, which is one factor contributing to greyhound racing’s decline. Gambling on dog races and greyhound breeding have decreased by 66% and 57%, respectively, over the past ten years.
Although they may live for 13 years or longer, greyhounds are typically retired from racing when they are between 18 months and 5 years old because they are either deemed unfit to race due to an injury or are no longer fast enough to be profitable. While some of these dogs are given to rescue organizations, others are simply put to death or given back to breeding facilities as breeding stock.
Terrible accidents involving broken legs, cardiac arrest, spinal cord paralysis, and broken necks are frequent among racing greyhounds. They suffer in other ways as well: Dogs involved in this cruel industry spend the majority of their lives crammed into kennels akin to warehouses for at least 20 hours a day or are kept outside in dirt pens with little to no shelter. Most enclosures are not heated or air-conditioned. Many dogs lack access to basic veterinary care, human affection, and nutritious food, which contributes to their flea, tick, and internal parasite infestations.
The first-ever national report on greyhound racing in the United States was published in February 2015 by the ASPCA and the greyhound advocacy group GREY2K USA. It details the thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities that occurred in the seven states that still had active tracks at the time. The “High Stakes” report was sent to state legislators and opinion leaders to compel them to outlaw this inherently cruel “sport.” ” Some key findings from 2008-2015 include:
Unfortunately, four states—Arkansas, Iowa, Texas, and West Virginia—continue to host greyhound racing tracks, despite the fact that this is sufficient for most states to reject the repugnant practice. With six active tracks, Florida had more active tracks than all other states put together prior to 2021. However, Amendment 13 was approved by the state’s voters on November 6, 2018, which put an end to greyhound racing there. Racing will be phased out by the end of 2020 under the measure, which won 69% of the vote, making Florida the 41st state to do so. Arkansas’s only active track agreed to shut down by the end of 2022 in the fall of 2019.
Are greyhounds used in racing given anabolic steroids?
Yes. To keep female greyhounds from missing out on race days, they are frequently given an anabolic steroid. The Florida Greyhound Association estimated that 50% of female dogs receive this medication in 2017 legislative testimony. Due to integrity and animal welfare concerns, this practice is prohibited in greyhound racing in Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound, an industry handbook, notes that anabolic steroid use can have serious negative side effects, such as increased aggression and virilization. Long-term suppression of estrus using androgens is not recommended because it is not proven to be safe in breeding bitches, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Controlled studies have not been conducted to support the safety and effectiveness of injectable testosterone, which is frequently used in racing greyhounds, and it is not advised. ”.
Greyhounds are fed raw meat from animals that are dead, dying, ill, or disabled (referred to as “4-D meat”) in order to reduce costs. To prevent human consumption, denatured charcoal is added to 4-D meat. The industry uses this substandard meat to cut costs. This meat is utilized because, in accordance with an industry handbook, “it is currently the most economically feasible for the greyhound industry.” Given that they are fed raw 4-D meat, greyhounds are especially vulnerable to pathogens like salmonella and E. coli. Trainers of greyhounds refuse to cook the meat because they think it will make the dogs less competitive
FAQ
Is greyhound racing actually cruel?
Greyhounds who compete in racing live confined lives, are subjected to cruel norms, and sometimes even die. For up to 23 hours a day, greyhounds used for racing are kept in cages that are barely big enough for them to stand up or turn around.
Are greyhounds killed after racing?
Thousands of young, healthy greyhound dogs are put to death every year just because they lack the potential to win, were hurt while competing, or are no longer competitive.
What is the biggest issue within greyhound racing currently?
Overbreeding, dog injuries, live baiting, inadequate housing, and high euthanasia rates for spent greyhounds are a few of the welfare issues with greyhound racing.
Is UK greyhound racing cruel?
Greyhound racing is inherently dangerous for the dogs involved. Many dogs suffer significant injuries when running quickly around oval tracks; in some cases, the injuries are so severe that the dog must be put to death.