Incredible moment a very lucky rabbit dodges greyhounds as the dogs charge straight towards it at the start of a race in Australia
A rabbit made a Bugs Bunny-style escape at a greyhound race in Ballarat on Wednesday night, with the oblivious dogs streaking right past the lucky animal.
Its not exactly uncommon to see a rabbit, snake or random kangaroo pop up in Australian racing coverage – be it in greyhounds, thoroughbreds or trots – but it doesnt make it any less hilarious when it does happen.
The race, which was the fourth at Ballarat on Wednesday night, was abandoned due to the fluffy intruder.
All the dogs were keen to tear around after the lure except for number 3, Man of Power, who did appear to be excited by the presence of the rabbit, cutting off a few of the other racers before continuing.
The footage highlights that greyhounds are not trained to catch a rabbit, specifically, but instead chase the sight and sound of the lure during races.
That point wasnt lost on prominent WA trainer Amanda Oliver, who took aim at greyhound racing critics, who commonly claim trainers use live or dead rabbits to lure a dog into racing.
Just goes to show they actually dont even know what a rabbit is and would rather chase an octopus. Up yours to the antis!!, she wrote on Facebook.
Racing greyhounds are trained to chase the sight and sound of the fake lure at racing tracks all over Australia
It was a view backed up by many in the racing community.
#3 (Man of Power) was the only one to react, must know a thing or two about the real thing, one commented, while another wrote: Focused on (the) racing (which) they love. Brilliant to give them their opportunities, on Facebook.
Many were also in hysterics at how lucky the bunny was to escape having being confronted head-on by seven excited greyhounds.
| Pos | Pos | Team | P | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | Arsenal | 17 | 44 | |
| 2 | Manchester City | Man City | 17 | 39 | |
| 3 | Newcastle United | Newcastle | 18 | 35 | |
| 4 | Manchester United | Man Utd | 17 | 35 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham | 18 | 33 | |
| 6 | Liverpool | Liverpool | 17 | 28 | |
| 7 | Fulham | Fulham | 18 | 28 | |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Brighton | 17 | 27 | |
| 9 | Brentford | Brentford | 18 | 26 | |
| 10 | Chelsea | Chelsea | 17 | 25 | |
| 11 | Aston Villa | Aston Villa | 18 | 22 | |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | Crystal Palace | 17 | 22 | |
| 13 | Leicester City | Leicester | 18 | 17 | |
| 14 | Leeds United | Leeds | 17 | 17 | |
| 15 | Nottingham Forest | Nottm Forest | 18 | 17 | |
| 16 | AFC Bournemouth | Bournemouth | 18 | 16 | |
| 17 | West Ham United | West Ham | 18 | 15 | |
| 18 | Everton | Everton | 18 | 15 | |
| 19 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wolves | 18 | 14 | |
| 20 | Southampton | Southampton | 18 | 12 | |
What happens to greyhounds after they stop racing?
What Happens When Dogs Don’t Win? Some “retired” greyhounds are put up for adoption, others are sent to breeding farms, and the fate of many is unknown. … Some greyhounds meet a grim fate when they’re shipped to blood banks, where their blood is routinely taken and sold.
Have you heard about the greyhound races? Those dogs are fast! They run so fast because they’re chasing a mechanical rabbit. A friend told me that one day on a racetrack in Florida an interesting thing happened: the rabbit broke so the dogs caught it!
Because it’s the chase, not the catch, that excites us and helps us to feel that we have purpose and identity in life. That’s what Blaise Pascal, the brilliant Christian philosopher and scientist form France in the 17th Century, said in his classic book, Pensées (French for “thoughts”). He explained that chasing a rabbit is a diversion. We “pass the time” with entertainment, sports, games, shopping, and the like.
The Lord says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). When we actually unhook from all our normal responsibilities and relationships we begin to feel unimportant. We’re stripped down to nothing. Then with nothing but our naked self to deal with before God the anxiousness, frustration, pain, or emptiness that we’ve been repressing begins to surface. We may become aware of our mortality.
One glimpse at this inner darkness and most of us retreat to our diversions! We grab something or do something to get excited or to feel important — or at least to be busy and distracted. But if we persist in solitude, seeking Christ with our heart in the midst of whatever discomfort surfaces in the quiet solitude then we will find that indeed the Spirit of Christ is there to heal our brokenness and fill our emptiness.
So we can exclaim with the Psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). Knowing and serving the Lord Jesus Christ in all that we do — loving him and loving the people around us for his sake — is the only thing that satisfies the deepest desires of our heart and soul.
Greyhound racing – bunny fail
Have you heard about the greyhound races? Those dogs are fast! They run so fast because they’re chasing a mechanical rabbit. A friend told me that one day on a racetrack in Florida an interesting thing happened: the rabbit broke so the dogs caught it!
Now you might think that it would make the dogs happy to finally catch the rabbit after all those races in which they couldn’t quite get a bite out of him. But actually when they caught the mechanical rabbit they didn’t know what to do! They became confused and depressed — they lost their purpose. They never recovered and were ruined as race dogs. (Maybe it’s because mechanical rabbits don’t taste very good!)