Almost after thirty years, the Birmingham Greyhound Racing decided to end its live events.
After the suspension of operations at the track in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the said racecourse will now only offer historical races and simulcasts.
Kip Keefer, a director from the Birmingham Racing Commission, said that the decision was of financial nature. This is because of the lag in revenue.
But in the midst of the current plans surrounding the racetrack, more than 400 former greyhounds will need to find new homes.
A decision worth applauding
Marty Irby of Animal Wellness Action has a few thoughts on the decision to cease the races in the meantime. He said that they applaud the Birmingham Racecourse for the shuttering of the last racing operation in the said state.
Martin was also elated to see that the abusive and archaic enterprise is now crossing the finish line in his home state. Furthermore, he said that most tracks are not making money. But owners of the tracks are being obliged by the states to subsidize such operations and to impose a rule that the tracks must have dogs despite losing money.
The United States has a few remaining courses that offered live greyhound racing. The Birmingham course was one of them. Most on the list are found in Florida.
In 2018, the state voted for the passing of Amendment 13. The said amendment promises to abolish all commercial greyhound racing operations in the state of Florida this year.
Finding new homes for the greyhounds
But now, the question is, “Where will the Alabama greyhounds go?”
According to Kip, about 150 dogs have already been adopted by kennel operators and new owners. He also anticipates that more than 400 dogs will be part of their adoption program.
Some rescue centers, such as the Alabama Greyhound Adoption Center, has put up some greyhounds for adoption.
Here are some of them:
Image Source: Alabama Greyhound Adoption Center via OhMyGreyHounds.com
