Greyhound racing nearing its end in the US after long slide

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Greyhound racing nearing its end in the US after long slide

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE
May 2, 2022

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Vera Rasnake laughed as she led a trio of barking, jostling dogs into the Iowa Greyhound Park, but her smile faded when she acknowledged that after 41 years of being around the sleek animals, her sport was teetering on extinction.

After the end of a truncated season in Dubuque in May, the track here will close. By the end of the year there will only be two tracks left in the country.

“It’s very hard for me to see this,” Rasnake said.

It’s been a long slide for greyhound racing, which reached its peak in the 1980s when there were more than 50 tracks across 19 states. Since then, increased concerns about how the dogs are treated along with an explosion of gambling options have nearly killed a sport that gained widespread appeal about a century ago.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-sports-iowa-animals-dogs-5f00d7b4f37f636d2e6479d15d6a94b8

[montanacowboy]

1. Thank God for that.

those animals have suffered long enough for human entertainment.

[TheRealNorth]

2. Why bet on dog racing...

When we can bet on Football games where the players get CTE.

[CloudWatcher]

5. Child abuse?

In a sane world, encouraging your kids to play tackle football would be child abuse.

At least NFL players "should" know better.

[PJMcK]

3. The AP writer referred to dog racing as a sort

Where's the sporting fairness of dog racing?

It's disgusting.

The treatment of the animals is cruel.

The dogs' owners are greedy.

The people who gamble on the races are pathetic.

Good riddance.

Next up: Horse racing.

[CloudWatcher]

4. One down, one to go ....

How long until horse racing is gone too? Not soon enough!

Betting on horses' lives

[Tree-Hugger]

6. Good

I worked in greyhound rescue for many years. The general public has now idea of how badly these animals are treated. It's not a sport. It's abuse.