Greyhound tracks are also distinguished form other types of tracks by their mechanical lure - a stuffed rabbit that greyhounds chase around the track.

The mechanical lure was invented and used for the first time in England in , six greyhounds raced on a straight track behind a mechanical lure, but this did not capture the interest of the people.

Owen Patrick Smith invented the first mechanical lure that could circle a track. He opened his first track in in Emeryville, California, USA.

But Smith's first venture into greyhound racing proved unsuccessful, despite the fact that he drew a great deal of interest.

It may also be illegal under the federal Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act But H. At the time of the vote, Florida was home to 11 of the 17 tracks in the country that offered live greyhound racing.

Of those, just four intend to continue offering live races up until the end of the year, when the ban comes into effect. When Florida goes, only four tracks will remain nationwide — two in West Virginia, one in Arkansas, and one in Iowa.

The Arkansas track, Southland, has pledged to discontinue racing in Last month, the last track in Texas, Gulf Greyhound Park, closed its doors, citing declining public interest in the sport.

In the 18th century, an eccentric English nobleman obsessed with coursing created the modern English greyhound through selective breeding, according to Cynthia A.

With lean, aerodynamic bodies, long legs, and shock-absorbing foot pads, greyhounds were built for speed. They have a proportionally bigger heart than other breeds, and more red blood cells and hemoglobin , which carry more oxygen to their limbs.

But dog racing as we know it today originated with an American inventor named Owen P. Smith who ironically wanted to be kind to animals.

To him, the dying rabbits sounded like a child screaming. The son of a Memphis undertaker, Smith was a sometime barber who loved to tinker.

His brilliant idea: replace the live rabbit with a mechanical one. Smith did more than invent a humane lure.

He and two partners designed the first modern greyhound track, which opened in outside Oakland, California. It failed, as did several others they opened.

Gambling, while popular, was illegal. It was so close to the Everglades that the track owners hired a snake-catcher to intercept stray reptiles.

The key to its success: Electric lights. Running races at night meant working people could attend. The track ran until , when a hurricane demolished it.

New owners converted it to horse racing. Most racing dogs retire at about five years old, when they start to slow with age.

In , on the other side of the state, Derby Lane opened under a cloud. In , with the Depression bankrupting local governments, Florida legislators floated a bill to legalize wagering on dog and horse races and tax it.

Governor Doyle Carlton, a Bible-thumping Baptist, opposed the bill. He vetoed it instead. State senators overrode his veto, making Florida the first state to legalize betting on horse and dog races.

Once that law passed, racing took off. New greyhound tracks popped up across the state, from Tampa to Orlando and Jacksonville to Pensacola to Key West Mickey Mantle filmed a cigarette commercial at Derby Lane.

Boxing champs and movie stars hung out at the tracks. Susan Butchko, who has been fostering and adopting greyhounds since , pets her newest adopted dog, a retired racing greyhound named Remy.

Florida tends to be a sunny place full of shady people. The money involved in dog racing attracted plenty of them. Winning recalls seeing Tampa mob boss Santo Trafficante, Jr.

Some mobsters were more than customers. Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky had an interest in South Florida dog tracks, according to Scott Deitche, author of seven books on the Mafia.

A state racing commission was supposed to keep out unsavory elements. Dog-doping has continued to be a problem, particularly with the use of cocaine, which can grant a short-term burst of speed.

Months later a trainer at a North Florida track was also suspended after a dozen of his dogs tested positive.

In the three years since then, state officials say, 10 more trainers have had dogs test positive for cocaine.

Most dogs acquired as puppies by pet owners are separated from their mothers and littermates at about six weeks of age and taken to a new home, often with no other dogs there.

Their life of socializing with other dogs …. By the time a dog has begun racing for real he is pretty well accustomed to the kennel where he lives, his trainers, the track and the routine.

In , 26, were registered and in it was …. Look at the muscles and see the excitement in their eyes! October 13th, By graamerica.