AUSTIN, Texas -- Two Texas dog racing tracks are defending their operations after a review found 20 greyhounds died or were euthanized after races in 2008.
Christine Dorchak, president and general counsel of GREY2K USA, said the figures from the Texas Racing Commission show the need to halt the industry.
“As long as greyhound racing continues, greyhounds will be hurt and sometimes die. And that’s our concern,” said Dorchak, whose Massachusetts-based group reviewed the records.
Gulf Greyhound Park in La Marque, the only Texas track that currently has live dog racing, accounted for most of the 2008 injuries with its year-round racing schedule.
Of the 342 Texas track injuries examined by GREY2K USA for 2008, 321 happened at Gulf Greyhound Park. The rest were at Valley Race Park in Harlingen.
Of the injured dogs, 28 were hurt more than once. Nearly two-thirds of the injuries last year were rated as minor. No injuries prompted further commission investigation action.
The 20 deaths were included in the 342-injury figure.
Commission figures provided by GREY2K USA indicated that five of the deaths were at Valley Race Park, while the other 15 were at Gulf Greyhound Park.
“We are very, very regulated,” Gulf Greyhound general manager Sally Briggs told the Houston Chronicle. A state veterinarian and track veterinarian, plus three state judges, are on site for races, and trainers are licensed, she said.
Andrea Young, president and chief operating officer of Valley Race Park, said the park works hard with the greyhound community and the Texas Racing Commission to provide a safe environment and the best possible racing conditions for all race participants. Valley Race Park raced part of last year and since has taken a break in live racing.
Track proponents compare the number of injuries to the number of races multiplied by the number of dogs in each race. By that count, the 342 injuries examined by the group represent less than 1 percent of the total 40,811 starts in Texas in 2008.
Diane Whiteley, a breeder and executive director of the Texas Greyhound Association, said that anyone who has ever had a greyhound that’s been injured feels awful about it. “They’re like your kids,” she said.
Jackie Puls, of Spring, who adopted retired Gulf Greyhound racer Lofty, said she and her husband enjoy watching greyhound races.
“It’s like poetry in motion,” Puls said. “These dogs are making money, and they’re treated like little princes and princesses.”
