Wildlife Wednesdays: End To Greyhound Racing

Leading up to this year, Greyhound dog racing was a very popular event that took place at Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.  They opened their doors in 1932 and it attracted big name people from actors to sports players. Thousands would gather each year to watch these dogs race where people could bet on dogs, just like people do with horses at the Kentucky Derby.  The glamor wore off eventually and greyhound racing became more of a day event about 20 years ago with its audience being mostly older adults. On December 31, 2020 was the last race that took place where thousands of people showed up for the final time. 

In 2018, voters were 69% in favor of Amendment 13, which would ban greyhound racing beginning in 2021. Many were not a fan of the racing and a group called Grey2kUSA claimed "the dogs were subject to practices that are cruel and inhumane," They went onto say that these dogs are stuck in cages for much of the day and given drugs to help them perform and run fast. Most of these dogs generally live a miserable life. Other residents denied this and mentioned that the dogs were treated very well.

The good news is that most of these dogs that participated in the race have been adopted and some will join a program called "Hounds and Heroes" and become service dogs for military veterans.