Many dogs are trained in Texas and Kansas, where anti-cruelty codes are weak. The racing life of a greyhound is short, only two to four years. Dogs who slow down and become unprofitable are either killed or sold to research laboratories. Occasionally they are sold as companion animals. Only a few of the big winners are kept for breeding.
Many greyhounds never live past fifth birthdays.
There is always a ready supply of new dogs to replace slow or sickly ones. Racetrack owners and racing associations publicly disclaim accounts of animal cruelty in their business. No federal legislation yet exists that prohibits the use of live lures. But because they are basically gentle, quiet animals, a few hundred of the thousands of discarded greyhounds are placed in new homes each year.