Groups Opposed ToThe Greyhound Racing Industry

[jcsperson]

Originally posted by wolfie
That's wonderful that you all care about your dogs, their health, ect... but really isn't greyhound racing all about money and winning? If you just wanted your dogs to have fun you could do lure coursing (for fun... and for their whole life). I have never made $1 off my dogs, but they are my family. I keep them their whole lives because I love them. If owners really cared about them they would keep their dogs.

Then only aquire new dogs if you can care for them. If there were less greyhounds in need of a home, then those people who would adopt greyhounds might get a dog from the pound instead. And save some of those millions of innocent lives that get euthanized at the pounds every year.

I'm sorry but you can't be a 'responsible owner' if you dump your dog off at rescue after his career, and add to the huge dog overpopulation.

I'm done with this thread.

Greyhound racing isn't "all about money and winning" anymore than dog shows are just about winning. Racing is the only thing that sustains the greyhound as a viable breed. AKC greyhound breeders have had shows and coursing for decades and manage to produce less than 200 grotesquely inbred examples per year.

The fact that there is a little money to be made in racing is why racing greyhounds are the best-bred dogs on earth. There is an incentive to preserve the breed, even make it better, because there is a performance standard to be met rather than just one of appearance.

At first I think many people adopted greyhounds out of pity thanks to all the AR propaganda. I did. Then a curious thing happened---people fell in love with the breed. I can't tell you how many times I hear people say, "I'll never have anything but a greyhound from now on." They're becoming savvy about racing and bloodlines. Some are pre-adopting dogs---making arrangements with breeders to adopt dogs after their racing careers are over. More new adopters discover the breed every day---I don't think the majority feel like they have a dog someone "dumped." They wanted an adult, purebred, trained dog and they got one.

If you're worried about overbreeding you should direct your ire at people who purposely breed mixes without regard to the results. At counties and municipalities who don't require breeding licenses for people with unneutered animals. At people who "dump" pets at kill shelters.

In a nation of 300,000,000 people we need to find just 3,000 more, 1 ten-thousandth of a percent of the population, who will learn to love this breed and we will have achieved what no other breed can say it has---full adoption. It's going to happen.