Scottish Government Backs a Ban on Greyhound Racing
In a promising step forward for greyhounds used and abused by the racing industry, the Scottish government has followed Wales’ lead in backing a bill that will ban the cruel spectacle, should it become law.
Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell, whose Members’ Bill has received cross-party support, has been given written confirmation from Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie, that the government supports the bill’s general principles.
With the Welsh government publishing its draft legislation, making it an offence to operate a track or organise the blood sport, and New Zealand and the Australian state of Tasmania both announcing bans this year, Scotland must pursue this path to prohibition, and England and Northern Ireland must follow suit.
Abuse, Not Sport
Greyhounds are gentle animals who love affection and are actually couch potatoes. Trophies and prize money don’t matter to these animals, it’s just human ego and greed that force them to compete, often at the cost of their lives.
Like horses exploited for racing, a greyhound’s life is far from glamorous. Muzzled and kept in barren cages for up to 23 hours a day, these sensitive dogs are denied the love and companionship they crave.
Often, greyhounds are only released from their cages to race, where they may suffer broken legs, heat stroke, and heart attacks, all for human profit and entertainment.
Forcibly Bred, Then Considered ‘Surplus’
Not every dog born will be a champion, but breeding is a numbers game. Breeders create multiple litters hoping to find a winning puppy, and those who fail to make the grade are considered “wastage.”
It’s estimated that about 10 times more dogs are being bred than are registered for racing. The exact number is unknown because thousands are disposed of or dumped if they are not fast enough. They are the hidden victims of this cruel activity.
Killed, Shot, and Buried in Mass Graves
In the last racing year in the UK, 346 greyhounds died and 3,809 were injured, bringing the total number of dogs killed in the UK’s licensed greyhound racing industry to almost 4,000 individual dogs since the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) record-keeping began in 2017.
Industry humane-washing pretends that greyhounds enjoy a happy retirement, but the reality is far from peaceful. One Sunday Times investigation found a mass grave in County Durham containing over 10,000 greyhounds who had been killed with a bolt gun and buried over a 15-year period.
Considered “past their prime”, the dead dogs were offloaded on the gravedigger by trainers who didn’t want them because they weren’t fast enough.
Many other greyhounds are discarded like used betting slips once their racing days are over, leaving already-inundated rescue centres to try rehoming the unwanted animals.
Forced To Take Deadly Drugs
Force-feeding dogs both legal and illegal drugs is a massive point of contention within greyhound racing.
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) reported 318 positive drug tests in greyhounds between 2016 and 2022.
Morphine was commonly used to mask the pain many dogs felt from their injuries so trainers could continue to race them.
Last year, claims that vets and trainers were illegally importing norethisterone – a period-delaying drug intended for women – without the necessary licences rocked the industry.In Scotland and Ireland, dogs have been found drugged with cocaine to win races.
Racing Animals is Archaic and Needs to End
Scarcely attended races, and the closure of several stadiums, are evidence that the British public doesn’t want dogs to die for human entertainment.
Now, just nine countries allow commercial greyhound racing (including Scotland and Wales, that are poised for a ban): England, Northern Ireland, Australia, Mexico, Ireland, the United States, and Vietnam.
You Can Help Greyhounds and Other Animals Forced to Race
Whether a greyhound or a horse, every time you bet on a race exploiting animals, you’re directly funding animal abuse.
The most powerful thing you can do is never support animal racing and tell your friends and family to avoid these archaic spectacles.
You can also act for horses forced to race by urging companies to stop sponsoring the Grand National and Cheltenham races:
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