Over 3,000 Greyhounds Injured in 6 Years at One W. Va. Track

An article in the Charleston Daily Mail (W.VA.), it has been reported there have been over 3,200 greyhounds injured between the beginning of 2005 and the end of 2010. 

This resulted in the death of at least 152 dogs.  At least 7 died of illnesses they contracted in the “kennels”.  More than 300 injuries were listed as “career-ending”.

Sadly, many of those euthanized were just 1 year old. 

At 1 year of age, my 14 year old lab mix, Schemie, was enrolled in obedience training.  At 1 year of age, he was chasing Frisbees and playing soccer.

At 1 year of age, he was allowed to act with puppy delight over a new toy, romp in the yard and go for walks.

At 1 year of age he was still eating quality puppy food.  At 1 year of age, he slept on my bed or on a dog bed beside it.

Sadly, the greyhounds at the track don’t ever know that kind of life.  Nighttime is spent in a small cage, their prison, for upwards of 20 hours or more per day, stacked. 

They are fed 4-D meat with no care to the nutrients they need through their lifetime. 

There is severely limited human interaction and certainly no time to play with a toy or romp on grass.

As pet owners, we expect our pets to live into their senior years.  The racing greyhound’s life expectancy is not long.  To completely understand that, look at:

1-year-old black greyhound owned by Tomblin Kennels. Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's mother, Freda Tomblin, owns Tomblin Kennels.

Freda Design was put down on Halloween 2010 after she was bumped by another dog and suffered a broken leg during a race.

1-year-old black greyhound named Elmer Comer died after he finished a race on April 14, 2010 and then suffered a "cardiovascular event."

1-year-old brindle named Moving Marla was euthanized after she fell during a race and was then run over by other dogs, breaking her legs in several places.

A complete travesty. 

Read the entire article at http://dailymail.com/News/201102211555

Video replays of some of the injuries at Mardis Gras racetrack can be viewed on GREY2K USA’s YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsDOFMWo5Nw/