As Southland flourishes, dog racing's future nationwide remains unclear

• Associated Press
• Posted July 10, 2014

Photo by Lynne Sladky

LYNNE SLADKY/Associated Press Greyhounds run at the Flagler Dog Track in Miami, where racing’s popularity has waned with gamblers who now prefer casinos.

 

America’s dog racing business, at once doomed and propped up by casino gambling, has reached the crossroads


     Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal Mike Miller, dealer at Southland Park Gaming and Racing in West Memphis, works his table in one of the gaming areas of the park. "They could set a dangerous precedent for all breeds of racing," said Lonny Powell, chief executive of Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, who worked for years as a regulator of dog races. At the Flagler Dog Track in Florida, a mural-sized photograph celebrates the good old days, decades gone: Men and women in their finest clothes lean against the fence to catch a glimpse of the greyhounds, the stands emblazoned with red, white and blue bunting, radio men perched in a booth to bring the action to fans at home.

COMMENT:

The greyhound racing industry treats dogs like running machines. For the few minutes that a dog spends on a track during a race, he or she will spend many hours confined to a cramped cage or kennel. Thousands of greyhounds die each year—some in the name of “selective breeding”—before they ever touch a racetrack. Many dogs do not make it to the nominal “retirement” age of 4 or 5.

Sickness and injuries—including broken legs, heatstroke, and heart attacks—claim the lives of many dogs. Although they are extremely sensitive to temperature because of their lack of body fat and thin coats, greyhounds are forced to race in extreme conditions—ranging from subzero temperatures to sweltering heat of more than 100 degrees.