greyhounds | Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News

By: Cleo Newton

Greyhound racing is a sport that is harmful towards the dogs that are racing. People gamble money on the dogs.

According to Bluecross.org.uk, the living space for greyhounds is very poor. They live in kennels most of the day if they aren’t training or racing, there aren’t any enriching activities for the greyhound to do in these kennels. The quality of the food they eat is also poor, many of them starve to death or die of dehydration. Welfare standards when transporting greyhounds from track to track also impact these dogs negatively. They are transported in trucks that can hold up to 60 greyhounds in crates, each crate holds 2-3 greyhounds.

Greyhounds are expected to compete in races no matter how hot or cold it is out. They have been forced to race in subzero weather and on days when the weather reaches above 100 degrees (Farenheit). This is another health liability that greyhounds face when on the track, as greyhounds naturally lack thick fur and have thin skin. Greyhounds may also be drugged to improve their performance.

Many greyhounds are injured during training or while racing. Between 2018 and 2023, there have been over 26,000 injuries recorded by industry officials. 2,700 dogs have died or have been put down since 2018. Aside from this, there are also many puppies and dogs that haven’t been accounted for in records, these missing dogs are called “wastage” by the industry.

According to Humanesociety.org and Peta.org, a racing greyhound dies every three days in Florida. These greyhounds are also denied medical care. One greyhound in Florida named Kiowa Dutch Girl had a broken leg. It was described as “dangling” and bleeding. She was left in her cage like that for four days.

When greyhounds don’t win, they’re either put up for adoption or sent to breeding farms. Some greyhounds are sent to blood banks for their blood to be taken routinely and sold. 150 of them were found in a filthy, old turkey shed that belonged to The Pet Blood Bank in Texas. Fortunately, The Pet Blood Bank has been closed and all the dogs have been transferred to adoption programs.

After reading this article, I hope you’ve learned a bit more about greyhound racing and have maybe even considered adopting rescued greyhounds or donating to a greyhound rescue such as MNGR (Minnesota Greyhound Rescue).

By: Cleo Newton

Greyhounds have been around for a very long time. They have around 8000 years worth of history.

According to Gapsa.org.au, Greyhounds are the oldest purebred dog breed dating back to the time of Pharaohs. They have shown up in the ‘Bible’, and in Greek and Roman mythology. This breed was very much admired and respected, and only royalty and people of noble status were allowed to have them.

Many famous historical people have owned this breed of dog such as Queen Elizabeth I and Christopher Columbus. Even Shakespeare wrote about them in ‘Henry V’.

Greyhounds almost went extinct in the Middle Ages during times of famine. Luckily, they were protected and saved by clergymen who bred them for nobility. King Howel of Wales made killing a Greyhound punishable by death in the 10th century. If commoners were found owning a Greyhound, they would be severely punished and unfortunately for the dog, it would get its toes lawed, which would include removing the middle toes, to stop it from hunting.

Greyhounds have a high prey drive which is why people use them hunting (unfortunately even today). Greyhounds are the fastest domesticated dog and based on Dailypaws.com, they can run at speeds up to 40-45 mph. Those who hunt with Greyhounds prefer to own ones with brindle, fawn, red, or black fur.

It’s the complete opposite for nobles though. They favored the ones with white and spotted fur. This was so that if their dog was to ever escape, it would be easier to spot it in a forest.

It wasn’t until around the 1700s that Greyhounds became a dog that not only nobility were allowed to own. Did you know that every purebred greyhound can be traced back to just one dog back in the late 1930s, King Cob? King Cob was born in England in 1839. He was the first dog available for public stud service as stated by Racecourse.co.uk.

According to Ngap.org, Greyhounds started being used for racing in 1919. I think that Greyhound racing is not a sport that should be supported, many of them die in the process.

After reading this article, I hope you’ve learned a few things about my favorite breed of dog and maybe even considered adopting one yourself.