Letter assailing greyhound racing repeats propaganda

Linda Dirk's Nov. 25 letter about greyhound racing is wrong in almost every respect. She is merely repeating propaganda promoted by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), an extreme animal rights organization with a huge budget and zero credibility.

It should be obvious to most rational people that greyhounds must be well cared for in order to be competitive at the track. Racing greyhounds consume a highly nutritious diet, get regular exercise and lots of rest, and receive prompt veterinary care when they need it.

And because they are well socialized to interact comfortably with humans and other animals, greyhounds make absolutely wonderful family pets. That is the main reason why more than 95 percent of all registered racing greyhounds are either adopted or returned to the farm as pets or breeders when they retire.

Unfortunately, HSUS continues to make false and deceptive claims against greyhound racing based on 25-year-old adoption statistics. Given the fact that only about 10,600 greyhounds were registered to race in 2014, simple math demonstrates just how wrong the HSUS numbers are. But HSUS isn't about the truth, it's about the fundraising.

According to media reports, HSUS is under investigation in several states, including Oklahoma and Colorado, for its deceptive fundraising practices. HSUS fundraising materials suggest that HSUS supports shelters for stray dogs and cats. In reality, the organization operates no pet shelters of its own, and donates less than 1 percent of its multimillion dollar budget to animal shelters operated by other groups, according to its own tax returns. These facts may be checked at www.humanewatch.com.

As Mark Twain once said, "A lie can get around the world before the truth gets its pants on." We hope your readers take these deceptive claims against greyhound racing with a grain of salt.

Gary Guccione, Communications Coordinator, American Greyhound Council

Abilene, Kan.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Letter assailing greyhound racing repeats propaganda ."