Greyhound Racing. The greyhound racing industry treats dogs like running machines (Greyhound Racing

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1 Justice 1 Nicole Justice Mrs. Clyburn British Literature 5 November 2012 Greyhound Racing The greyhound racing industry treats dogs like running machines (Greyhound Racing PETA). Greyhound racing is an entertainment that has been around for many years. Millions of people around the world participate in this sport and billions of dollars go towards bets on these dog races each year. However, many of the people that enjoy watching the sport do to not realize the events that take place within this industry. This is because most people do not wonder much about what occurs beyond the racetrack. No one thinks of the possibility that they are contributing to the abuse of countless greyhounds that are used for their entertainment. What remains unseen about the sport would incredibly decrease its popularity. In fact, the people that have discovered the unpleasant facts about the greyhound racing industry have gone to great lengths to put an end to it. It is because of the cruel and inhumane ways that these greyhounds are treated that controversy has risen about whether or not this sport should be discontinued. However, given the information about the horrible events that occur within the sport, it should not be a doubt in anyone s mind that the sport should be banned. Greyhound racing should most definitely be discontinued.

2 Justice 2 Overbreeding is a very popular trend in the greyhound racing industry. Thousands of greyhound puppies are bred each year when only a small amount of them are needed. The industry severely overbreeds greyhounds in the hopes of producing winners, leading to the destruction of thousands of puppies each year (Animals in Sports). Once the abundant amount of greyhounds are born, it is decided which ones are going to be suitable for the racing industry. They choose the ones who look as if they will be able to endure the tough trainings and conditions that they are put through. The ones who are not seen as suitable to participate in the sport are killed. Not only are these innocent puppies killed, but most of them are killed in the cheapest way possible, like gunshot. It has also been observed that they are killed in other inexpensive ways such as starvation and abandonment. However, if the unfitting puppies are not killed, then they are sold to other places such as laboratories. The unwanted pups, those who don t measure up to racing standards, are simply destroyed. The racing industry also sells some of the dogs considered unfit for racing to laboratories, which use them in experiments (Greyhound Racing ASPCA). The laboratories that some of these puppies spend their lives in are places that no living thing should ever have to live. In these laboratories, some of them are used for dissections while others are used simply for experimentation. The experiments that these laboratories perform on the greyhound puppies are absolutely horrifying. However, although the people who contribute to the overbreeding problem are aware of the millions of greyhound puppies that suffer each year because of it, they still continue to participate in the horrible trend. Most of the greyhounds that are not killed or sold to laboratories due to the

3 Justice 3 overbreeding do not live easy lives. They are put through various strenuous and inhumane trainings. A common training in the greyhound racing industry is called coursing. During this training, greyhounds chase, terrorize, and eventually kill rabbits within fenced enclosures (The Facts About Greyhound Racing ). Greyhound training activities have been known to maim and kill thousands of domestic rabbits and wild jackrabbits every year (The Facts About Greyhound Racing ).Therefore, not only are thousands of greyhounds killed each year due to the greyhound racing industry, but several other animals are killed as well due to the trainings that these greyhounds are forced to perform. Greyhounds that are used in races also live in very uncomfortable conditions. They spend the majority of their lives in confinement in warehousestyle kennels for up to twenty hours (Greyhound Racing ASPCA). Not only do they reside in confinement for a ridiculous amount of time, but they are kept in a space that allows little to no movement and are packed in with several other dogs. While the greyhounds are kept in these cages for umpteen hours, they are deprived of the attention they need. It is common that they are infested with parasites and that they are kept in very uncomfortable environments. Most of the enclosures are not heated or air-conditioned, causing the short-coated dogs to suffer during severe weather temperatures. Many dogs suffer from fleas, ticks and internal parasites (Greyhound Racing ASPCA). As displayed by the horrifying conditions that these greyhounds withstand, they are harshly neglected of any medical attention. Only to make it worse, some of them are also forced to take drugs to improve their performance on the track. Greyhounds are drugged in order to increase performance, and females are injected with steroids in order to prevent them from going into heat (Greyhound Racing PETA). The drugs that they are given

4 Justice 4 are very detrimental to the health of the dogs, sometimes becoming the cause of death. Due to the various appalling and horrifying ways that the greyhounds used in races are treated, the lives they live are very challenging. Some greyhounds make it to a point in their racing careers when they are seen as no longer useful in the racing industry, when the owner of the dog feels that they can no longer make any money off of them. There have been many instances when a greyhound has been hurt during a race, resulting in an end to any participation in the sport. These injuries can be as bad as a broken limb or as simple as a sprain. Every year, thousands of young and healthy Greyhounds are killed merely because they lack racing potential, are injured while racing (Greyhound Racing ASPCA). Even if the injury is something that the dog could be easily fixed and something the dog could still live a content life with, the dog is, most of the time, killed. Most owners of an injured dog would much rather kill the dog than spend the money to fix the injury. Some greyhounds that do not experience an injury make it to the age of retirement. This is a good thing in some cases when the dog is given to a loving home, but it is also bad in many of the other cases. Unfortunately, most of the dogs do not get to escape into a loving family when they approach retirement. Once the dog reaches this stage of their career, they begin slowing down due to their old age. Thus, they are believed to become unprofitable and no more useful. Because of this, the dog is either killed or, like the unwanted puppies, sold to laboratories for experimentation. Most dogs who slow down and become unprofitable are either killed immediately or sold to laboratories for experiments (Greyhounds Racing PETA). Again, like the puppies killed due to overbreeding, the injured greyhounds are killed in the cheapest way possible such as gunshot or abandonment. If the owner of the greyhound

5 Justice 5 concludes that the greyhound will no longer be able to make them any more money, the dog will be destroyed no matter what the circumstances are. Greyhound racing could be a very entertaining sport, but the cruel and inhumane acts committed against the greyhounds that are associated with the sport make it not so entertaining after all. The greyhounds born into this industry are not treated like living creatures; they are treated like money-making machines. While there are some owners who care for their dogs and only raise and race a few greyhounds, the majority of owners treat their dogs as if they are solely monetary commodities (Pedigo). Most of the people in greyhound racing industry who serve as the owners of these greyhounds do not care about the well-being of the dog. The only thing on their mind is the amount of profit they are making off of the dog. Because of this, the greyhounds in this industry do not have much of a chance at a happy life. Spending most of their lives in cages, they are deprived of the normal life experiences that every living creature deserves. Not to mention, several of them are destined to be killed for an unjustifiable reason whether it is because of overbreeding as a puppy, or because of an injury or old age. Others are destined to live the majority of their lives in laboratories, having experiments performed on them on a daily basis. Even during the time in their life when they are not at risk of being killed or being sent to laboratories, they spend their time suffering in uncomfortable environments. They are packed in rooms without air-conditioning and are neglected of any medical attention. In fact, they are neglected of any attention or affection at all. It is not fair that these greyhounds have to live through these absolutely terrible circumstances. The cruel acts towards the greyhounds in this industry need to be stopped, and greyhound racing needs to be discontinued all together.

6 Justice 6 Works Cited "Animals in Sports." Animal Rights. Kim Masters Evans Ed. Detroit: Gale, Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Oct "The Facts About Greyhound Racing : The Humane Society of the United States." The Facts About Greyhound Racing : The Humane Society of the United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct < "Greyhound Racing." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct < "Greyhound Racing." PETA.org. PETA, n.d. Web. 18 Oct < Pedigo, Amy. "Dog Racing Should Be Banned." Gambling. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Dog Racing Perpetuates Cruel Treatment of Greyhounds." UAB Kaleidoscope 1 Dec Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 18 Oct

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Animal Cruelty is Sadistic. of inhumanity being perpetrated against innocent and defenseless animals. Contrary to

Animal Cruelty is Sadistic. of inhumanity being perpetrated against innocent and defenseless animals. Contrary to Kyli Schmitt Ms. Dasher British Literature and Composition 8 December 2014 Animal Cruelty is Sadistic Animal cruelty is a not a problem, it s an epidemic. Right now there are countless acts of inhumanity