Greyhound Racing: Australia's cruel Industry
AUTHOR: Alana Young, Communication Major, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
http://neovox.cortland.edu/wire/wire_48/wire_48.html

From Neovox:

Thousands of greyhounds are destroyed each year in Australia because they fail to win races or are at the end of their careers.

In an effort to crack down on the greyhound racing industry's harsh image, the Greyhound Racing Authority is supporting a national Greyhound Adoption Program.

Denise Wigney, a veterinarian who helped form the program told the Sunday Mail newspaper in Queensland that as many as 25,000 greyhounds are born each year throughout the country.

"The simple truth is that far more greyhounds are bred than enter the racing industry. As many as 30% never make the grade and are put down," she said.

"Only 2% of the males will be put out to stud, compared with 10% of females kept for breeding. As many as 14,000 dogs could be destroyed each year."

An Animals Australia spokesperson said a private corporation in Australia is attempting to push greyhound racing in South Korea, by shipping thousands of greyhounds to the country yearly.

Animals Australia say it is more likely they will end up being part of the Korean meat industry. The greyhounds will suffer great lengths of cruelty before, during and after slaughter including being hung by the throat and skinned and roasted using a low torch while still alive.

Alfie, a four-year-old former racer was a victim of the cruel side of greyhound racing. The Sunday Mail reported that he was found wandering in scrub north of Brisbane.

The RSPCA said he was thin and covered with scars, having been either set on fire or doused with a powerful chemical that badly burned his belly. Sandra and Ross McKay adopted Alfie.

"I hate to think how the burns happened. His coat was falling out and he was terribly thin," Mrs. McKay told the Sunday Mail.

"I will never know how people evolve to be so cruel. You could see in Alfie's eyes he was at the end of his tether and resigned to any treatment he got. He's been through hell but he's still a gentle giant," she said.

Even if they do produce earnings and win races, greyhounds are almost always disposed of before the age of five because a dog's racing career lasts between three and a half to four years.

The International Humane Society says the only way to protect greyhounds from abuse is to put an end to racing.

"The racing industry is inherently cruel. Greyhound racing is a form of gaming in which the amount of money a dog generates determines his/her expendability," a spokesperson said.

"The answer for greyhounds is neither regulation nor adoption of retired dogs, but the elimination of the greyhound racing industry."