Protesters Gather at Oxford Stadium’s Greyhound Racing Opening Night
In response to the return of cruel and deadly greyhound racing to Oxford Stadium today, PETA supporters, members of the League Against Cruel Sports, and Oxford Vegan Action joined forces to hold an eye-catching demonstration outside the reopened race track.
The protesters denounced the cruelty inherent in greyhound racing and called for people to stay away – because, ultimately, these exploitative industries will only cease to exist when the public stops supporting them.
The Cruelty Behind Greyhound Racing
Greyhound racing often involves killing puppies in the name of “selective breeding”. As many as 12,000 greyhound pups may be killed every year, according to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, formerly the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare.
The dogs who aren’t killed are usually kept in cages, muzzled for 95% of their lives and only let out for races. Dogs forced to race have even been found to be doped, and some test positive for class A drugs – including cocaine.
Once their bodies wear out and their racing days are over, many are abandoned or killed.
Public Resistance
Greyhound racing is on its last legs, as more people are learning that the industry treats dogs as mere moneymaking machines, discarding them after they sustain injuries, suffer from heat stroke or heart attacks, or just can’t run fast enough to win money for their exploiters.
It is little surprise, then, that a recent poll commissioned by PETA and the League Against Cruel Sports found that the majority of Oxfordshire residents did not plan to attend the races and would prefer that the stadium be used for another purpose.
Actor and Oxford native Miriam Margolyes echoed the sentiments of many members of the public when she said, “Greyhound racing is one thing that should remain firmly in Oxford’s past.”
Help Greyhounds Now
Greyhounds are sensitive individuals, not moneymaking machines, and they deserve the same love and attention we give our companion dogs.
Sports should only involve willing human participants, not animals exploited for human gain. You can help end this speciesism by boycotting the races and urging everyone you know to do so, too. Together, we can cut off the cash flow that keeps this cruelty going.
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Dogs and Hares Used in Cruel Coursing Need Your Help, Too
Sighthounds like greyhounds and whippets are exploited in several ways for human entertainment. Bred for speed, bets are placed on these dogs in races that could kill them and other animals. Urge the Irish prime minister to cut the cord on hare coursing – a blood sport that forces dogs to participate in chasing terrified hares, often to their death.
