Greyhound Racing Essay

Running Head:   GREYHOUNDS:   RACE OR NOT









Greyhounds: To race or not to race







Introduction
Greyhound racing became popular during the 1930’s and is currently legal in 15 states.   Florida, boasting 16 tracks, is the state with the most tracks for racing (Simmons, n.d.).   The debate over greyhound racing began around 1980 and continues to this day.   I would like to examine the pros and cons of greyhound racing and offer my own position on this “sport”.
The Pros
Greyhound racing is a sport that is enjoyed and bet on by many people.   One pro of racing in Florida is that, along with the betting, comes an annual sin tax that is divided equally between all of the counties in the state.   Although the amount has decreased over the past several years due to the waning popularity, Florida still estimated that in 1999 it would receive 44 million dollars in revenue from its dog tracks (Samuels, 1999).   Another pro mentioned in the article written by David Samuels is that each track can employ up to 500 people.   Therefore, closing tracks would decrease state revenue and increase state unemployment.
According to the American Greyhound Council, (AGC), greyhound racing and ownership is strictly regulated by the National Greyhound Association (NGA).   The purpose is to make sure that the dogs are well cared for and that no abuse occurs.   The AGC performs unannounced inspections every year to make sure that the breeding farms and kennels are complying with the animal welfare guidelines.   Any minor violations are recorded and corrected by the farm or kennel owners.   A serious violation could include penalties as severe as the expulsion from the association and permanent banishment from racing throughout the United States.   In other words, the AGC and NGA are the protectors of racing greyhounds (American Greyhound Council. n.d.).
In the article, The Most Exciting Dogs in the World, (Greyhound racing association of America, Inc.   n.d.) it says that...