Gunshots At The Greyhound Racing Track
By Louise Crowley
When you hear the gunshots at the greyhound racing tracks, it means the dogs that did not win the race are being dismissed from their jobs in the cheapest way possible. The beautiful animal you saw racing around the track only moments before is now nothing more than a busted corpse on the way to the nearest crematorium. Needless to say, the callous way that racing greyhounds are treated has evoked public outrage.
Each year, over 20,000 greyhounds are senselessly butchered because they do not have what it takes to win races and make money. The act of breeding and racing greyhounds is a vicious sport and their fate is predetermined, starting even before they are even born. At the breeder level, greyhounds are bred in conditions similar to puppy mills. The objective is to produce as many dogs as quickly as possible. Similar to thoroughbred horse breeding, the animals are produced for speed, with little care for how genetic factors will increase the chance of broken bones and many other ailments.
At the current time, 15 states in America allow greyhound tracks to be operated. In addition, only eight states have laws that prohibit greyhound racing. In these states, greyhounds may be run in places off the beaten path; where concerned citizens have a harder time making their objections known. There are a number of courses of action you can take to help ensure that this horrible “sport” is put out of its misery as quickly as possible.
If you live in a state that has not banned greyhound racing, contact your state and local officials. Even though your town officials may not be able to legally put a track out of business, you can still bring the matter up at town board meetings in order to raise awareness. In some cases, you may be able to put a track or breeder out of business simply by using peer pressure
and petitions. After all, who wants to be known as a greedy killer of helpless animals?
The petition found at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-greyhound-slaughter is an excellent model to follow. And while you are there, please feel free to sign this petition in support of fellow citizens taking action against greyhound racing.
Finally, you can donate to charities and organizations that work to stop greyhound racing. In every state, and in almost every nation, there are groups organized for the sole purpose of putting greyhound racetracks out of business. If, for example, you are a member of the social networking site Facebook, you can join this cause: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/18204?recruiter_id=4095598. The person that set this cause up owns a retired greyhound herself and is dedicated to making the voice against the treatment these animals are cruelly subjected to heard. It’s completely free to join, as all of the causes on there are, but you can invite friends and leave donations that go to a non-profit on there.
Without question, when concerned citizens get together and work on an issue, it makes an impact. Greyhound racing is a vicious cycle of events that feeds on the misery of helpless animals for the sake of money. Regardless of where you are, or your circumstances, you can do something to help put greyhound racers out of business.
