Recently, GREY2K posted a photo they stole of a racing greyhound who belongs to friends of mine, adding the words, Will I be one of the thousands injured while racing? They couldnt have chosen a greyhound whose owners are more caring and involved than Rag Time Eddy, who belongs to Patrick and Donna Moran. For my amateur racing friends, this is the light fawn greyhound puppy that Pat brought out to some of the SOMOS race meets in Jacksonville for socialization and training. The Morans go to visit Eddy and watch him race regularly. Donna works in the veterinary field, and Im sure if Eddy ever did get hurt, he would receive the best of care. No one denies that there is some risk of injury when participating in any athletic activity. Amateur racing and lure coursing carry as much, if not more, risk of injury than racing on a professionally maintained track. Greyhounds are athletes for life, and its not unusual for them to get hurt running in the yard or at dog parks even after retirement. And dogs of other breeds also get injured while playing at home and participating in athletic activities. The states where it was mandatory to report greyhound racing injuries have the data to show that the risk of injury during a professional race is actually very low. Statistically, for every time a greyhound runs, the injury risk is about 0.2%. From what Ive personally seen at lure coursing events, the injury risk seems to be a bit higher than this. Anti-racing, animal rights groups use these injury reports to play on peoples emotions and make greyhound racing look bad. But injuries are a fact of life that can happen in any number of situations.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 18:15:22 +0000
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