We have a cheer for the Greyhound Protection Act, H.R.3335, that will phase out commercial greyhound racing. The legislation, which was re-filed by Congressman Tony Cardenas, prohibits all forms of gambling on greyhound racing and live lure training, a practice in which young greyhounds are encouraged to chase and maul small bait animals to death.

“Greyhound racing is cruel and must end,” said Congressman Cárdenas. “These docile animals are kept in stacked cages for 20 hours or more a day and are subjected to brutal training practices and races, facing the risk of injury and death at every turn. My bipartisan bill allows for a sensible wind-down of an already-declining industry that will ultimately outlaw greyhound racing. As a longtime animal welfare advocate, I am always committed to speaking up for the voiceless.”

Commercial dog racing currently only exists in West Virginia, Arkansas and Iowa and the latter two are in the process of phasing it out. It is still legal in Alabama, Connecticut, Kansas, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin, however there are no active tracks.

Since 2008, more than 16,000 injuries and 1,000 deaths have been documented at U.S. tracks, according to the non-profit Grey2K USA, which works to pass greyhound protection legislation and promote greyhound adoptions. In addition, thousands of dogs are killed every year when they are no longer profitable. In 2009, Gary Guccione, then executive director of the National Greyhound Association, estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 greyhounds were killed annually. The organization also points out that since 2020, four greyhound farms in four states have been documented sacrificing rabbits in cruel live lure training exercises.

You can help put an end to the exploitation of greyhounds by contacting your U.S. senators and representatives and telling them to co-sponsor the legislation. You can find senators here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm. You can find representatives here: https://www.house.gov/representatives.