by Warren Young, Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds
Professional running is a form of handicap running events where athletes compete for prize money.
A famous ‘pro running’ event is the Stawell Gift, held every year over the Easter period. Pro running differs from ‘amateur’ athletics in that athletes are given a handicap according to their perceived form. In addition, pro running events are always held on grass tracks. Pro running has some similarities to greyhound racing in that most events are held in regional towns, both offer prize money, and punters can bet on races either with bookmakers present at the track, or with betting agencies or online.
Despite these similarities, there are some clear differences, with the similarities and differences summarised in the table below.
| PRO RUNNING | GREYHOUND RACING | |
|---|---|---|
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Regional town focus |
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Prize money |
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Can bet on races |
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Participants choose to race |
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Racers have input into training programs |
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Can retire when they’ve had enough |
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Participants risk death from races |
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Differences between pro running and greyhound racing
- People choose to participate in pro running for a variety of reasons. This choice exists for anyone in Australia who is interested in participating in sport. Greyhounds have no such choice. Some dogs are clearly unsuitable due to lack of talent or because of an unwillingness to be forced to train and race according to a trainer’s objectives. Dogs unsuitable for racing are discarded in many different ways.
- The freedom of choice that pro runners enjoy means that they can withdraw from an event if they feel excessively sore or fatigued, or if they have a personal engagement that they would prefer to participate in. Human runners can also communicate with their trainer about their athletic goals and provide input into the nature of their training program or competition schedule. Greyhounds miss out again, leaving them more vulnerable to injury or illness. Their lives are dedicated to racing, so there is no joy that other dog breeds would experience.
- Pro runners can also choose to quit the sport whenever they want. They may have experienced an injury, or have lost the motivation to continue participation. Greyhounds do not have the option to retire when they have had enough. If they are making money for owners, trainers and punters, they are likely to be raced until they are no longer financially viable or physically able. Their continued participation is driven by the profitability to humans, not their own interest. Greyhounds do love to run, but when they feel like it, not when humans require them to race in a regular structured, unnatural, and unsafe manner. Greyhounds are retired when their owner decides. The fate of retired greyhounds is another story, but often not a happy one.
- The biggest and most important difference is the risk of serious injury and death. Human runners choose to participate in racing knowing there is a risk of minor injury. Muscle strains are not uncommon in competitive athletics, but are often carefully managed so that the athlete can return to racing when they are ready, and without any major disruption to their life. Deaths from pro running are non-existent. Greyhound injuries are often far worse because dogs can collide at very high speeds, leading to falls on the track and fractured bones. These catastrophic injuries often end in dogs been euthanised.
The death toll on Australian tracks was 128 greyhounds in 2024! And many more dogs were removed from the track with serious injuries and killed later. How does any civilised society consider that acceptable?
Greyhounds do not have the option to retire when they have had enough. If they are making money for owners, trainers and punters, they are likely to be raced until they are no longer financially viable or physically able.
