Those left to live are truly the damned. Their crates are wheeled into the Wide World of Animal Labs. The search for a seller to meet their size and weight requirements led the university to seek a referral from the Flagstaff medical research division of W.L. Gore and Associates, makers of Goretex fabric and medical prosthetics. Gore in turn recommended Wood. Although not a research- licensed breeder, Wood can legally sell up to 24 dogs a year to research facilities under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Welfare Act.
Many researchers prefer greyhounds over other breeds.
Repercussions from the Star article were felt in Phoenix the next week. The public perception of our industry is tied to greyhounds being treated humanely, and frankly, the public perception of the life of laboratory-research animals is not a good one. Many of the kennel owners said they intended to comply with the policy. But if the race track feels it's detrimental, I won' t do it anymore. Gregory Wood said he would continue to put dogs unsuitable for adoption into research programs.