Greyhound racing involves greyhounds chasing an artificial lure around a race track. In Australia, greyhound racing is conducted at specialised tracks and betting on the race winner is a popular form of gambling. As with any sport involving animals, there is the potential for the animals involved to experience poor welfare or suffer injury, pain or distress as a result of training or competition.
There are a number of aspects of greyhound racing that concern the RSPCA.
Lack of comprehensive regulation
RSPCA advocates the comprehensive regulation of greyhound and other dog racing (including breeding, rearing, training and competition) to eliminate practices that cause injury, suffering or distress.
Hurdle Races
RSPCA is opposed to hurdle races for greyhounds because of the potential for injury and the high risk of injury associated with this activity.
Live bait & lure training
The use of live animals as a bait or lure for the purpose of training, baiting and blooding of greyhounds or other racing dogs is illegal in Australia. Non-animal devices and products should be used for training purposes.
Over-breeding and wastage
Over-breeding and oversupply of greyhounds in the racing industry is indicated by a high level of 'wastage' of greyhounds. Unfortunately, a large proportion of greyhounds that are deemed unsuitable for competitive racing, become injured, or are simply not considered fast enough, are euthanased.
