The Radicals
The following is an actual email response from the Pennsylvania Citizens Against Greyhound Racing website, to an inquiry from this webmaster. The bold type is the real truth inserted.
"Our mission at this site is, through education, to challenge the
inherent integrity of breeding and racing greyhounds for monetary gain.
Following are statistics for you to digest. Credit goes to Greyhound Network News
for compiling these facts which are based on published reports by the
National Greyhound Association (NGA) and State Racing Commission reports. If
you are dismayed or in disbelief, we suggest that you question the NGA."They call their information "facts" when in reality, they are misrepresentations of the figures taken from the NGA records, along with some figures that are not published anywhere. Read on.
"For the period 1989 through 1998:
65,001 greyhound litters were registered by NGA.
426,407 (minimum) pups were born based on an average of 6.5 per
litter."The table below, taken from the American Greyhound Council's website, shows that records for these totals were not published prior to 1995. Where are the PCAGR figures originating?
"342,022 pups were individually registered at 18 months old.
84,385 discrepancy (19.79%) between pups born and those
registered at 18 months.
200,000 (at least) greyhounds unaccounted for after comparison of
published numbers and the estimated total number of dogs still
racing, breeding or adopted."These figures are totally false and their conclusions even further from the truth. All pups born (whelped) MUST be reported to the NGA - even the stillborn - to track the output of the sire. Stillborn pups average about one per litter. There are also the pups that don't live more than a few days, due to congenital problems or the mother accidentally lying or stepping on them. These two groups alone would total in the neighborhood of that 84,385 total cited. Add to them the dogs that 'wash out' before 18 months and are never registered as racers; the registration of racing greyhounds is totally up to the discretion of the owners and it entails payment of a fee so if a dog's abilities are in doubt it usually isn't registered.
The last figure of unaccounted-for dogs is terribly misleading. We have already seen how the number 'born' is not relevant so let's examine the other 116,000. Some dogs die of (or are euthanized due to) natural causes, diseases like kennel cough (which can kill your dog after a visit to the vet if you're unlucky), accidents and dog fights. Others are given away by their owners when their careers are over, kept by them as pets or are adopted with no records showing the adoptions. Indeed, adoption groups are not required to notify the NGA of dogs they place and rarely do. In fact in most cases dogs fitting ANY of the above descriptions are not reported as such. The only dogs for which records are kept are those currently racing.
"For the period 1999 (numbers are approximate based on published
records):
27,000 greyhounds entered the racing system-an equal number (or
greater) exited the system.
12,000 greyhounds were rescued.
7,000 (minimum) greyhound puppies disappeared.
20,000 (minimum) estimated number of greyhounds were killed in
1999."Here, even the math is off. If 12,000 were adopted ("rescued") out of 27,000 they assume exited the racing system that leaves 15,000. But they claim 7,000 disappeared and 20,000 were killed. And on what do they base their assumption that 27,000 exited the system that year? If that number was reported they would have quoted it. Again, of the dogs unaccounted for in their figures, many died without being "killed," many were adopted with no records submitted to the NGA, many went into breeding and more were kept as pets or given away as pets by their owners. To assume that every dog these radicals can't account for was killed is ludicrous and arrogant.
Figures for the number of dogs exiting the racing system are not kept by the source cited by PCAGR. But figures for the number of adoptions are and for the year 1999 that number is 18,000. Below is the table showing the actual reported numbers for ten years. Remember, these are from the NGA, the very source cited by this radical group. (While these figures may not be verifiable, they are shown here because PCAGR somehow claims to derive their figures from them.)
ELEVEN-YEAR TOTALS
Year Litters Whelped Pups Whelped Pups Per Litter Adoptions 1990 52,000 3,500 1991 52,000 7,000 1992 49,000 9,000 1993 43,086 13,000 1994 42,119 14,000 1995 5,751 37,650 6.55 16,000 1996 5,435 36,688 6.75 18,000 1997 5,419 35,730 6.47 18,000 1998 5,533 35,801 6.47 18,000 1999 5,104 33,256 6.52 18,000 2000 5,234 34,141 6.52 18,000 American Greyhound Council, Statistics page http://www.agcouncil.com/
"We have reviewed statistics, researched documented cases of abuses
and witnessed the condition of adopted greyhounds arriving from the
track. Our position, as a result, is well-considered and adamant. We do study
the greyhound industry's publications which in no way deter us from our
mission-in fact it has spurred us on. The unacceptable conditions
in which the racing greyhound lives and dies will continue to exist-unless
courageous activists emerge to advocate for the demise of this exploitation of
the greyhound breed under the guise of a sporting event."Yes, they have reviewed statistics and found ways to twist them to make their twisted point. Where they can't twist statistics they manufacture them. And most adoption groups will tell you the dogs they get from the tracks, farms and trainers are in good general health. There will always be exceptions but abused, sick and injured dogs are NOT the rule.
"We will not engage in emotional "shouting matches" with those who
choose to defend the racing industry; instead, we encourage you to become
educated and suggest that you visit Greyhound Protection League
(www.greyhounds.org.) and Greyhound Network News (www.greyhounds.org/gnn)."Actually, the shouting matches are usually started by these same radical anti-racing and animal rights people. They are in the minority and apparently feel they can make up the difference by making the most noise, typical of any radical movement. The Greyhound Protection League and their publication, the Greyhound Network News, are the source of propaganda used by nearly all groups opposed to greyhound racing. There ARE no other sources of any consequence. So the misinformation perpetuated by this one fanatic group has become the 'bible' of the anti-racing movement.
"Finally:
No matter what the horrific statistics, no matter what the
documented abuse and neglect records-imagine your greyhound imprisoned in a crate for
some 18-20 hours a day and having the only opportunity of running for a
few moments every few days. Is this what the greyhounds were born for?
Does this justify their birth and premature death?"Truthfully, all three of my dogs raced and lived in crates (kennels) during their actual racing careers. Prior to the age of approximately one year they lived in runs ranging from roomy to huge with their littermates, playing to their hearts' content. And to say they only got the opportunity to run for a few moments every few days is patently false. The turnout pens are large and they were turned out several times a day for a minimum of 30 minutes (weather permitting) each time - long enough for kennel workers to clean the kennels. And long enough for the dogs to run and play at will.
Finally, this: "Credit goes to Greyhound Network News for compiling these facts which are based on published reports...."
Why don't they simply repeat those published reports if they are basing their "facts" on them? Because it wouldn't serve their purpose to share the REAL facts.