What Happens to Racing Dogs When They Can No Longer Race?

Each year tens of thousands of greyhounds are bred for their potential to become winners on the track. On the surface, greyhound racing is all about speed and excitement; a field of sleek, eager dogs race to be the first across the finish line. However, those that don't make the grade are wantonly destroyed, and the "lucky" survivors are kept in cramped crates, stacked cages or enclosures that are not climate-controlled. Often, the dogs suffer from fleas, ticks and internal parasites. Their contact with humans is very limited and opportunities for normal development are curtailed. While the normal life span of a greyhound is 13 or more years, the average "career" of a racing greyhound is only three to five years, beginning when the dog is about 18 months old.

  1. Endured While Still Racing

    • The potential for profit leads many owners to unethical treatment of their greyhounds.

      During their racing career, greyhounds are prone to many injuries. Less-than-optimal track conditions may cause severed toes, broken legs, or neck and spinal cord injuries. Injured dogs are often destroyed, rather than put their owners to the expense of caring for them, since their future potential of winning races is severely limited. Because of the confined conditions in which the dogs are kept, respiratory infections may affect the entire population of a racing kennel.

      Unethical odds-setting practices of dog owners may also affect the health of these animals. For example, an owner may overfeed or drug a dog to ensure it does not win a particular race, so the betting odds rise on subsequent races when the dog will not be mishandled and has a better chance of winning.

    Kept for Breeding

    • Greyhounds kept for breeding return to puppy mills for the rest of their lives.

      If a greyhound is lucky enough to have won a high percentage of races, once its career is over, it may be kept for breeding purposes. These dogs are returned to the breeding farms where they are repeatedly bred to produce future winners. These farms are "puppy mills," where the dogs are kept in inhumane conditions with no chance for a normal life.

    Destroyed

    • Many greyhounds are destroyed after their racing career is over.

      The overwhelming majority of greyhounds that retire or do not win a high percentage of races are destroyed by poisoning, drowning, starvation or being shot. The Greyhound Network News and the Greyhound Protection League are two organizations that regularly report on this type of abuse against these dogs. Others dogs may be sold to research facilities or foreign dog racing concerns, where their living conditions may be even less humane than they were at home.

    Put Up for Adoption

    • Retired greyhounds make wonderful and loving pets.

      A small percentage of retired greyhounds are taken by greyhound rescue organizations. There are several of these throughout the world whose sole object is to find loving and nurturing homes for these wonderful animals. Sadly, there are far more dogs in jeopardy every year than these wonderful groups are able to accommodate. Greyhounds are very intelligent and adaptable dogs who, with a short period of adjustment, can fit into new homes and live out their lives as loving companions.