Problem 1: The Right Hock
The first thing to know about greyhound racing is that the racing part of greyhound racing is not safe for dogs. Every single year, thousands of dogs worldwide get injured while racing, some so badly that they’re immediately killed. These, for example, are self-reported numbers about this from Irish greyhound racetracks in 2019.
It shows the number of injuries, the number of greyhounds PTS, which stands for “put to sleep,” fatalities, and what kind of injuries they suffered. In total, 254 greyhounds were injured, 84 were put to sleep, and two died while racing. If you look at the breakdown of how they were injured, the most common injuries by far with 101 instances, are hock injuries.
The hock is the joint on the hind leg of a dog, and it typically breaks when they make turns around the track and they have to push hard on their outer legs. Because race tracks turn counterclockwise they have to push hard on their right legs when turning, which is why if you see photos of injured greyhounds, it’s typically their right hock that’s hurt.
And this is not just an Ireland issue. Dogs get hurt and die on racetracks everywhere. This is a table of injuries reported in the U.S. between 2008 and 2014. In total, 11,722 injuries were reported. Leg fractures were the most common, and in the same period, 758 greyhounds either died racing or were killed immediately after because of how bad their injuries were.
And in Australia, there’s an organization called the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds that keeps track of greyhound injuries and deaths by looking at publicly available reports from the industry. In 2021, they tracked 10,195 injuries and 213 track-related deaths. And this year in 2022, they’ve already tracked over 5,000 injuries and 80 track-related deaths. For perspective, that averages out to 28 dogs per day getting injured in some sort of way.
The point is that greyhounds getting cripplingly injured while racing is a normal thing in this industry. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.
How much is a retired Greyhound?
The retired greyhounds that come through the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) have been de-sexed so they are not used for breeding. Greyhounds cost between $150-$200 each, through the GAP program, depending on the state of origin.
Why did greyhound racing get banned?
Amid declining attendance over the years, the track was also halted for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Theresa Hume, director of publicity for Palm Beach Kennel Club, said the majority of the track’s 600 dogs will be adopted out after the last race Dec.
It found evidence that, over 12 years, between 48,891 and 68,448 dogs were killed because they were considered “too slow to pay their way or were unsuitable for racing”. The NSW Greyhound Racing Act was established in 2017 in response to the inquiry. The act is now under review.
As with other dog breeds, neoplasia is the most common cause of death. This survey confirms previous findings that osteosarcoma of the forelimb is the most common tumor type in retired racing greyhounds.