A New Ban On Greyhound Racing Means Thousands Of Dogs Need New Homes

Nov 13, 2018 by apost team

Greyhound racing is a sport spanning centuries, as it has been going on since the late 1800s.

Controversy surrounding the sport has sprung up in recent decades, as the general public became more aware of how poorly the competitors are treated.

Some people enjoy attending races to this day, betting on who the winner will be much as they do in horse racing. However, more and more people are becoming opposed to how the sport is run.

As the reality of the sad lives of racing dogs comes to light, many find the continuation of greyhound racing unjustifiable.

Times have changed such that 40 states have now banned greyhound race tracks in a move to prevent abusive situations for greyhounds.

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On November 6, Florida residents voted to become the 40th state to make greyhound races illegal. The closings will not be immediate, as the remaining 11 greyhound race tracks are slated to be phased out by December 31, 2020.

During the 1970s, animal welfare groups began to discover and reveal the harsh living conditions for many of the greyhounds involved in racing. Many were kept in cages up to 20 hours a day that were stacked up one on top of the other.

Dogs who were found to be injured or otherwise unable to race would often be euthanized immediately, despite the fact that they could still make for good pets to loving owners.

The organization GREY2K was formed in 2001 with the goal of raising awareness of the plight of greyhounds and to find them loving homes where they could spend their retirement in happiness. Together with existing animal rescue organizations, they created special greyhound rescue groups to help adopt former racers into caring families.

Opponents of the new ban in Florida worry that closing down the greyhound tracks will lead to an untimely death for current racing greyhounds. Rescue organizations point out, though, that the ban does not go into effect for another 2 years, giving them time to find homes for the soon to be former working dogs.

Although they are known for their speed, greyhounds do make excellent pets. In a cozy home setting, the speedsters are actually known to be quite cuddly and often lazy dogs.

Because of the ban and phasing out their current jobs, Florida is likely to see a huge rise in greyhounds available for adoption in the next two years. If you think your home might make a nice retirement home for one of these sweet animals, visit the Greyhound Project.

They have all the information you need to find out if a greyhound is right for you, if you are right for them, and where you can find them.

Be sure to let others know about the impending availability of these sweet creatures too by sharing this article. What do you think about the dogs new found freedom? Let us know in the comments.