Please enjoy this article from the latest issue of our magazine, PETA Global. To begin your subscription, become a PETA member today!
As I write this, my retired racing greyhound, Jasper, is sprawled on the couch “roaching”–lying on his back, tongue lolling out, legs sticking up in the air–something that greyhounds love to do for reasons no one has yet figured out.
Thankfully, he’s not at Hemopet, a massive canine blood bank in Garden Grove, California, that PETA recently investigated. The greyhounds there don’t get to do much roaching, if any. Many are confined to cramped, barren crates for up to 23 hours a day.
Hemopet claims that these dogs are well cared for. Really? Try sitting in a crate measuring 3 feet by 4 feet (less than 1 meter by 1.25 meters) for 23 hours. Would your screaming joints agree that dogs should be confined like that for 18 months or more?
Add to that having to endure being jabbed in the neck with a needle every 10 to 14 days so that 10% or more of your blood can be extracted, the very reason you’re being kept there. Not only are such conditions uncomfortable, veterinarians like Dr. Christine Capaldo, who consulted on the case, also express concern that drawing blood so frequently can cause anemia and “poses a threat to the health and psychological well-being of the donor.”
To hear Hemopet tell it, caging dogs and extracting their blood is the only way to save other dogs who need blood. But that’s not true. Many blood banks work with large dogs who come in once in a while with their loving guardians for a quick blood draw, after which they get a treat and go right back home. Some organizations hold blood drives with “bloodmobiles,” similar to the American Red Cross blood drives for humans. Veterinary clinics may also ask for donations on a case-by-case basis.
The National Greyhound Association (NGA) said that it had barred its members from sending dogs to blood banks after a 2017 PETA exposé revealed horrific abuse at a Texas blood-collection facility that has since closed. Yet a loophole still allows NGA members’ greyhounds to go to Hemopet: The cruel company claims to be a “rescue,” because after dogs are caged and exploited for over a year, they’re eventually put up for adoption. But placement in a loving, permanent home should occur immediately upon retirement from the track, not after being nearly bled dry.
