Greyhound dogs that run races are often tested for drugs — usually in search of performance enhancing drugs that result in cheating. One dog named Flicka, a runner of 169 races, recently tested positive for drugs after running 2 of her fastest races. But it wasn’t what anyone expected.
Flicka’s drug results came back positive for cocaine. Sadly — Flicka is not the only dog that is a part of this atrocity. The results that came about absolutely shocked the Humane Society of the United States. What was more concerning was that this was happening far more often than anyone thought.
This finding is one of the biggest greyhound racing drug scandals of all time. A shock that no one was expecting.
Twelve greyhounds were recently discovered with cocaine in their system — all of these dogs race at Orange Park track in Florida. These dogs tested positive 18 times since the beginning of the year. An absolutely shocking fact that can break your heart just by thinking about it.
The trainer of these dogs has been suspended until the case moves forward. It’s a sad fact that this is not the first tragic practice in this terrible industry. Greyhound racing facilities in Florida aren’t required to even report injuries sustained during racing. Legislation needs to change.
Drugs flow freely in this industry as well. Female dogs are often given steroids to stave off going into heat. This causes health problems later in their lives.
The daily lives of greyhounds that race is a sad existence. They can spend up to 20 hours a day in a cramped cage, the bigger dogs can’t even stand up. If they are lucky — they will be put up for adoption in the already overpopulated shelters.
Many race tracks are even required to race the dogs even if there is no one in attendance. Florida state law requires the 12 racetracks in the state have 100 races a year — an incredible waste of money and the dogs’ well being. It’s a practice that needs to stop and needs to stop now.
Take a stand against this horrible practice and sign this petition — don’t forget to forward the link to your friends and family.
Meanwhile, please watch this news video about the drug scandal discovery — it’s something that every dog lover needs to see in order to help spread awareness.
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