Originally posted by micki76
Sighting figures won't make me believe one over the other. This GPL seems extreme (similar to PETA), but I do believe that much of their propaganda does happen to an extent. No, I've never been to a track, never been to a kennel. But! Aha there it is. But, I do believe that there's a huge facet of people out there that just don't care about animals. I believe there's a huge facet who just care about money, and what’s in it for them. We’ve all seen and heard about all the animal cruelty in the world, and I just see this as another opportunity for evil people to do their evil deeds. Not everyone, or perhaps even the majority involved in racing are cruel, killing dogs, or crating them for 20+ hours a day. BUT SOME ARE. Honestly, that's what matters to me. I don't go to AKC dogs shows, don't go to dog races, don't go to horse races. I've seen agility done, like many of our members, by companion animals who live in the home with their family and not in a kennel. I don't support any "sport" where animals are a commodity of any sort.
I'm sorry that the numbers aren't convincing to you. Anybody who has ever bred dogs knows that puppy mortality is a fact, yet GPL seems to be in complete denial about this.

Nobody is disputing that some people in the business don't do the best for their dogs after they are through racing. The evidence is pretty clear about that.

The essential question is whether greyhound racing is inherently bad or that the problems it has are the conduct of individuals. Stated differently; Is the entire concept bad because of the behavior of a minority of the individuals who engage in it? (Keep this question in mind as you read on.)

Some of the worst cases of misconduct, abuse, or neglect I've ever seen were from pet owners, the "companion animals who live in the home" you speak of. In fact, there is an AR adoption group in AZ that shows an emaciated, sore-ridden greyhound on the cover of its brochure and proceeds, through the next several pages, to hurl one accusation after another at greyhound racing. It is not until page 7 that one finds out that the greyhound in the picture was taken out of a home, not from a kennel or farm.

Hardly a day goes by when one doesn't see on the local or national news a story of animal abuse or neglect, whether it is cats, dogs, horses or what have you. Multiply what you see on local TV by every locale nationally and you begin to see the scope of the problem. These aren't racing greyhounds, but Pit Bulls, Labs, Rottweilers, kittens, etc., etc.

(Remember my question above.) If one applied the same criteria to pet ownership that ARA groups apply to dog racing, that some abuse requires banning the sport, then some abuse of companion animals requires banning pet ownership.

Philosophically, this is the ultimate goal of organizations like PETA and HSUS. In the end, they are trying to legislate morality on those who do right by their animals as much as those who don't.