Florida Greyhound Death Statistics from 2013

Let me start by saying this...  I hate sensationalized facts.

That being said, I am going to delve into a Fox news article from Feb 2014 all the same.

The article states that in Florida, 74 greyhounds died across 13 tracks in 7 months, May to December, in 2013. At first sight, this looks like an OMG moment. That is until one does some basic math. Seventy-four (74) dogs divided by 13 tracks equals 5.96 dogs. For simplicity, let us round it up to 6...  6 greyhounds dying in each of those months per track.  Okay...  We need to further reduce that number as it happened over a course of 7 months. That gives us one (1) dog per month, (keep in mind I'm rounding up.)

What this article neglects to tell the reader (despite all the other facts therein) is the total number of races and dogs that raced during that time. Pretty piss poor reporting to me, but okay. That omission is pretty important. So let's fill it in and use the track I'm familiar with - Victoryland.

Victoryland had 24 race days per month and 28 races per day. (on average during it's prime.) They ran eight dogs at a time. So let's do some math here, 24 multiplied by 28 gives us a total of 672 races per month. Multiply the number of races per month times the number of dogs per race (8) and you get a total of 5376 individual starts. So, on average, there were at least 5376 greyhound racing starts per month. Obviously, this number will be much higher for Florida as we are talking about 13 tracks. So, multiply 5376 by 13 for an idea.

Anyway, let's keep this simple using that statistic provided by Fox News and our Victoryland substitution.

Using these numbers, We have a staggering one dog that died for every 5376 dogs that raced for a period of one month.  Please consider the number used in the Fox story is incorrect. Seventy-four (74) greyhounds did not die. Grey2K counted some greyhounds twice in their report.  The true facts, as presented, support the assertion that greyhound deaths on the track are rare.

During the course of 2013, there were approximately 10,000 greyhounds racing in Florida. Sadly, seventy (70) of those greyhounds died as a result of illness, travel, congenital defects, accidents, and/or racing. That equals 0.7%.  Please compare that to the fact that 250,000 shelter animals and pets were killed in Florida that same year. 

In Pinellas County alone during the May-Dec 2013 timeframe, over 5,500 animals were euthanized in shelters compared to the ten (10) greyhounds that died in Pinellas county. Where is the front-page headline for those shelter animals?  The loss of any life is tragic, but some of the greyhounds losses could not be prevented.

The greyhound industry has worked successfully to increase greyhound adoptions annually and based on current statistics from the American Greyhound Council (AGC), 92-93% of racing greyhounds are being adopted or returned home to their owners when they retire from racing. Every year, the percentage of racing greyhounds being adopted has increased and the industry is committed to increasing those numbers to higher rates! Why was this not referenced in the article?

Commenting further on the Derby Lane statistics... The reports from the State’s DBPR division have been reviewed and the number of greyhounds which died at Derby Lane was 10, not 12, as incorrectly reported. Some of those dogs that died never raced or competed at the track. Of those 10 dogs, one died after transport to Florida. Veterinary assessment could not ascertain whether the transport had any causative effect on the dog’s health and resulting aneurysm. Approximately 9,000 racing greyhounds were transported in the State of Florida during 2013, with only 1 incident, therefore 99.99% of the greyhounds transported in Florida arrived safely and without incident. Greyhounds are transported to Florida in climate-controlled vehicles which are maintained to the highest safety standards. To vilify an industry for 1 dog who died after transport, possibly from unrelated circumstances, where 9,000 dogs are transported annually to Florida (and within Florida) is asinine. Why didn’t your paper research how many greyhounds are transported in Florida, and demonstrate comparative statistics for those greyhounds that are transported without incident? Instead you published a biased value without any specifications to how many dogs travel safely. 

At Derby Lane, some dogs passed away from natural causes and were not racing at the time of their death. Animals die due to congenital defects and it is not something that can always be prevented. Animals can die from cardiac arrest, seizure, benign hyperthermia, aneurysm, etc. We try to ensure the safety of our greyhounds, but if a greyhound passes away in its sleep, that is hardly the fault of greyhound racing. You cannot attribute the loss of a dog to an industry, based solely on the fact that there is an industry! Just because the dog is a racing greyhound should not implicate the people who love and care for their greyhounds every day. If a pet dies in their sleep in someone’s home, do we vilify the owner? No we don’t, the most common response is a sympathy card. 

In the timeframe from May – Dec 2013, Derby Lane ran 4,129 races, with 32,634 greyhounds racing based on those specific races. Based on a thorough review of all the State’s reports and associated information for these instances, not all the greyhounds dogs died as a direct result of racing. For the 32,634 racing starts, greyhounds racing at Derby Lane have a “safety rate” of 99.98%. We want that rate higher, and we are constantly striving to improve greyhound safety, and will continue to work with racetrack departments at Derby Lane to accomplish that. A safety rate almost at 100% is a good starting point! Kennel owners at Derby Lane want 100% safety for our greyhounds!

We know that Grey2K used the wrong numbers. I'm guessing that Grey2K also knows that their numbers are incorrect, however, my point is that even with their bolstered numbers they cannot win that fight so they (Grey2K and its minions), omit, change, and falsify records. And it plays well for them in the media. Why? Sensationalism. And here's the thing with that article. I read it, and I knew it was over a course of 7 months and that some facts had been omitted. But, the way they present it and the way Carey Theil talks, you keep thinking on a monthly basis. Especially with that comment about 1 every 3 days.

So, Grey2K needs to "suck it up." The statistics simply are not in their favor. That's why they and the media must sensationalize it. They simply can not win in a fair fight.