AGC Responds To Reports Of Florida Greyhound Deaths

ABILENE, Kan., Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, February 16, several Florida media outlets carried stories about greyhound deaths at Florida tracks. Greyhound tracks and kennel operators take their greyhound welfare obligations very seriously. When greyhound fatalities are reported, no one is more concerned than the people who work with those dogs every day.

The American Greyhound Council (AGC) funds and manages the greyhound welfare, safety and adoption programs of the greyhound racing industry. The AGC was formed as a joint effort by the National Greyhound Association (NGA), representing greyhound breeders and kennel operators, and the American Greyhound Track Operators Association (AGTOA), representing tracks.

Over the past decade, the industry has made significant progress in reducing serious greyhound injuries at the track through various measures, including improvements to track surfaces, new safer lure technologies, safer fencing, widening of turns and other techniques.

As a result of these efforts, we are proud to report that fewer than one-half of one percent of all racing starts result in injuries, and only a tiny fraction of those result in a greyhound fatality. Florida's 13 tracks saw an estimated 400,000 racing starts in 2013.

Greyhound breeders and kennel operators have adopted some of the toughest self-regulatory standards of any animal industry. Anyone found guilty of failing to provide proper care for racing greyhounds is banned from the sport for life, and others prohibited from doing business with them.

Greyhound racing is proud of these advances, but we also recognize that further improvement is needed. As long as even one greyhound loses its life, we have more work to do. We are committed to making further meaningful progress on this front.

Meanwhile, the AGC has offered all possible assistance to Florida regulators as they work to determine the facts of these reported incidents. We respect the role of regulators in ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and stand ready to support their efforts.

SOURCE American Greyhound Council