Greyhound Racing

Some years ago I met an elderly gentleman who told me that they used to have Greyhound Racing at Wanderers in Joburg either before or after WW2 .
He told me that at the time it was very popular,but got on the wrong side of the authorities and had to stop.
Can anybody confirm any of this or is some of it incorrect.

I was massive greyhound fan and owner in UK 

They had dog racing in Joburg but it was stopped because the punters were blowing their wages on a Friday night before they came home 🏡 to the family. 
This was my understanding 
I tried to promote here as it's quick turnover for tote, they run  on time, no weather problems etc 

It was introduced in Swaziland but was also short lived, I attended a few times 

Dogs are cheaper than horses and the stadium can be a soccer pitch ....

Maybe in my next life but happy memories 

 

Farawaysaint wrote:

Some years ago I met an elderly gentleman who told me that they used to have Greyhound Racing at Wanderers in Joburg either before or after WW2 .
He told me that at the time it was very popular,but got on the wrong side of the authorities and had to stop.
Can anybody confirm any of this or is some of it incorrect.

.....yes they started racing there in 1932 to get revenue for the club and raced until Greyhound racing was banned in 1948.......there was also a dog track at Dunswart near the then race course (Benoni Turf Club).....it was converted to a speedway and stock car track in the late 1950's.....:blink:
 

Some years ago when I was working in Lesotho I remember being passed on the road,near Standerton, by a bakkie towing a trailer with a set of traps on board,
I was informed later that there were regular meets in the Newcastle area over weekends.
Evidently the races were straight up,no bends.

.....there are several illegal meets country wide.....we have a lady in the neighborhood that adopts rescues from raids on illegal racing and kennel "clubs" housing these dogs in squalid conditions....3 months ago she had 3.....saw her a week ago and she is down to one.....the lifespan of these abused athletes is very short.....their kidneys fail within 5-7 years old because of malnutrition and abuse as people involved in this "sport" know very little about nutrition and more about doping....it is the main reason why it was banned here ....more so than okes blowing their wages.....

.....an old post from 2022
....we have covered this before.....and googling I see that this raised its head around 2011 and 2014 and the SPCA and other similar bodies were most vocal and against it....I even posted the following........they starve the dogs to make them chase for food rewards....tie up toes with elastic bands to slow them down.........my maternal grandfather had a very good friend here that many many years ago took in many of these hounds to rehabilitate them when dog racing was finally banned here in 1948....:ohmy:

.....lets face it.... in our very corrupt country there will be many more problems than what happened here in the past....:huh:

OK that's probably a more feasible reason for the ban.

However nothing wrong with a well controlled greyhound racing experience. 

Greyhounds are bred to run and dont make good pets.
No excuse for bad treatment but it happens in any sport when gambling is involved. 

Dogs can be overfed to bring down handicap same as horses just having a run to bring down merit rating. 

It wont happen here as we have enough problems just trying to manage the country as we are already going to the dogs 🐕
 

.....then can you imagine what goes on at these illegal meetings with no controls....dogs hopped up on methamphetamines or cocaine while dodgy owners/racers wager grands on who has the fastest dog.....the losers go home for a beating and no food....the lucky ones are abandoned by the roadside and hopefully found and rehabilitated by animal welfare organizations.....yet they keep on being bred and the cycle continues.....