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Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure (traditionally an artificial hare or rabbit) on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner.
In
many
countries,
greyhound
racing
is
purely
amateur
and
conducted
for
enjoyment.
In
other
countries
(particularly
the
UK,
US,
Ireland
and
Australia),
greyhound
racing
is
a
popular
form
of
gambling,
similar
to
horse
racing.
History
Modern greyhound racing has its origins in coursing. The first recorded attempt at racing greyhounds on a straight track was made beside the Welsh Harp reservoir, Hendon in 1876, but this experiment did not develop. The sport emerged in its recognizable modern form, featuring circular or oval tracks, with the invention of the mechanical or artificial hare in 1912 by Owen Patrick Smith.
O.P. Smith had altruistic aims for the sport to stop the killing of the jack rabbits and see "greyhound racing as we see horse racing". The certificates system led the way to parimutuel betting, as quarry and on-course gambling, in the United States during the 1920s. In 1926, armed with the Smith patents and a hand shake, it was introduced to Britain by an American, Charles Munn, in association with Major Lyne-Dixon, a key figure in coursing, and a Canadian, Brigadier-General Critchley.
The deal went sour with Smith never hearing from Munn again. Like the American, International Greyhound Racing Association. Munn and Critchley launched the Greyhound Racing Association, and held the first British meeting at Manchester's Belle Vue. The sport was successful in cities and town throughout the U.K. -by the end of 1927, there were forty tracks operating. The sport was particularly attractive to predominantly male working-class audiences, for whom the urban locations of the tracks and the evening times of the meetings were accessible, and to patrons and owners from various social backgrounds. Betting has always been a key ingredient of greyhound racing, both through on-course bookmakers and the totalisator, first introduced in 1930.
In
common
with
many
other
sports,
greyhound
racing
enjoyed
its
highest
attendances
just
after
the
Second
World
War—for
example,
there
were
34
million
paying
spectators
in
1946.
The
sport
experienced
a
decline
from
the
early
1960s,
when
the
1960
Betting
and
Gaming
Act
permitted
off-course
cash
betting,
although
sponsorship,
limited
television
coverage,
and
the
later
abolition
of
on-course
betting
tax
have
partially
offset
this
decline.
Greyhound racing today
Greyhound racing continues in many countries around the world. The main greyhound racing countries are:
Australia
Ireland
United
Kingdom
United
States
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Florida
Iowa
Kansas
Massachusetts
New
Hampshire
Rhode
Island
Texas
West
Virginia
Wisconsin
Colorado
--
Racing
suspended
in
June
2008
[2]
Greyhound
racing
is
legal,
but
not
currently
conducted,
in
Oregon
and
South
Carolina.
New
Zealand
Smaller
scale
greyhound
racing
is
ongoing
in:
Many
European
Countries
Argentina
Brazil
Macao,
China
Finland
Hungary
Mexico
Pakistan
Portugal
South
Africa
Sweden
Vietnam
Medical care
Greyhound
adoption
groups
frequently
report
that
the
dogs
from
the
tracks
have
tooth
problems
the
cause
of
which
is
debated
although
it
is
likely
related
to
damage
to
the
gums
from
chewing
on
metal
cage
bars
and
effects
of
the
low-quality
raw
meat
they
are
fed.
The
groups
often
also
find
that
the
dogs
carry
tick-borne
diseases
and
parasites
due
to
the
lack
of
proper
preventative
treatments.
The
dogs
require
regular
vaccination
to
minimize
outbreaks
of
diseases
like
kennel
cough.
Recently,
doping
has
also
emerged
as
a
problem
in
Greyhound
racing.
The
racing
industry
is
actively
working
to
prevent
the
spread
of
this
practice;
attempts
are
being
made
to
recover
urine
samples
from
all
greyhounds
in
a
race,
not
just
the
winners.
Greyhounds
from
which
samples
can
not
be
obtained
for
a
certain
number
of
consecutive
races
are
subject
to
being
ruled
off
the
track.
Violators
are
subject
to
criminal
penalties
and
loss
of
their
racing
licenses
by
state
gaming
commissions
and
a
permanent
ban
from
the
National
Greyhound
Association.
The
trainer
of
the
greyhound
is
at
all
times
the
"absolute
insurer"
of
the
condition
of
the
animal.
The
trainer
is
responsible
for
any
positive
test
regardless
of
how
the
banned
substance
has
entered
the
greyhound's
system.
Life after racing
After
the
dogs
are
no
longer
able
to
race
(generally,
a
greyhound's
career
will
end
between
the
ages
of
four
and
six),
or
as
soon
as
they
no
longer
consistently
place
in
the
top
four,
the
dogs'
race
career
ends.
The
best
dogs
are
kept
for
breeding
purposes.
There
are
both
industry-associated
adoption
groups
and
rescue
groups
that
work
to
obtain
retired
racing
greyhounds
and
place
them
as
pets.
In
the
United
Kingdom,
according
to
the
BBC,
one
in
four
retired
greyhounds
finds
a
home
as
a
pet.
In
the
United
States,
prior
to
the
formation
of
adoption
groups,
over
20,000
retired
greyhounds
a
year
were
euthanized;
recent
estimates
still
number
in
the
thousands,
with
about
90%
of
National
Greyhound
Association-registered
animals
either
being
adopted,
or
returned
for
breeding
purposes
(according
to
the
industry
numbers
upwards
of
2000
dogs
are
still
killed
annually
in
the
US
while
anti-racing
groups
estimating
the
figure
at
closer
to
12,000.).
Other
greyhounds
are
either
sold
to
research
labs,
or
sent
to
foreign
racetracks,
sometimes
in
developing
countries.
Several organizations, such as British Greyhounds Retired Database, Adopt-a-Greyhound and Greyhound Pets of America, and the retired greyhound trust try to ensure that as many of the dogs as possible are adopted. Some of these groups also advocate better treatment of the dogs while at the track and/or the end of racing for profit. In recent years the racing industry has made significant progress in establishing programs for the adoption of retired racers. In addition to actively cooperating with private adoption groups throughout the country, many race tracks have established their own adoption programs at various tracks.
In recent years, several state governments in the United States have passed legislation to improve the treatment of racing dogs in their jurisdiction. During the 1990s seven states banned live greyhound racing, though racing has never been banned in a state that has had active racing.