Greyhound racing used to be a rural sport. In the olden days, people used to catch a hare, then set it free in front of a pack of dogs. The hare would run as fast as possible, and the dogs would try to catch it. It was a pretty bloody sport!

Then, in the nineteenth century, someone invented a more modern version of the sport, which was more suitable for modern urban society. Instead of a real hare, they used a mechanical one, running on rails, in a straight line.

The final sophistication came in 1926, when Brigadier-General Alfred Critchley invented the oval track. From then on, greyhound racing became an exciting spectator sport.

Dozens of greyhound stadiums sprang up all over Britain, and a National Greyhound Racing Club was formed. Before long, the sport had its champions, its big races, its professionals and its devoted fans.

The sport reached its golden age in the 1950's, and since then it has been losing a bit of its popularity; even so, it is still a very popular sport. Last year over 5,000 race meetings took place in Britain's 89 greyhound stadiums.

And as far as animal sports go, greyhound racing is doubtless one of the more acceptable varieties. There is no cruelty involved, no one hits the dogs, the dogs don't fight, and no other animal is tortured. On the contrary, racing greyhounds are looked after with great care by their owners and trainers, because they are too valuable to lose or damage; and finally, greyhounds love running, just like many humans do! Racing is instinctive for them. That's why they do it!
 

FOR LOVE OR MONEY If greyhound racing is popular, it is not just because "a dog is a man's best friend". There is another side to it too. Money.  Greyhound races, like horse races, are the subject of big money. Betting on sport is a deeply rooted trad­ition in Britain, with the football pools and horse racing being the most popu­lar. But betting on the dogs is not far behind.  Every year, people bet about £2,000 million (!!) on greyhound racing in Britain. That is the equivalent of about £33 per person for every inhabitant of the United Kingdom, including babies .... or the equivalent of almost 10% of the annual budget for education!  Only a small amount of that money, however, is used to help the sport. Most goes into the pockets of the people who bet on the right dogs, or into the bank accounts of the bookmakers. But with money like that behind it, greyhound racing is assured of a long future.

A DOG'S LIFE ? Like humans, greyhounds race best when they are "young adults". Greyhounds cannot race until they are over 15 months old; then they can do so for a few years. When they retire from racing, they still have most of their life in front of them.  While successful racers remain valuable for breeding, other dogs become affectionate and docile pets. And after their youth spent winning, or losing, on the racetrack, most greyhounds go on to a comfortable retirement as well-loved pets. After all, a dog is a man's best friend.     WORDS: annual budget: money spent by the state each year - to bet: to wagermoney- bookmaker: person who accepts bets - hare: an animal like a rabbit - involved: in it - pack: group - a pet:a domestic animal - pretty: quite - rural:found in the country - spectator sport: sportwhich most people watch, rather than participate in - spring up: appear - suitable:appropriate

Syntax 1: -ing forms. A deliberately high number of -ing forms have been incorporated into this article. Some are verbs, others nouns, others adjectives. Get students to make three lists, and place all the expressions containing an -ing into the appropriate one. Then get them to rephrase as many as the ing forms as possible, keeping the same mean­ing but removing the -ing form. Some are easy (have been racing > have raced, running onrails > which ran...), others much harder: can we actually rephrase "betting on the dogs" without an -ing form?"

Make sure, while on the point, that students see the difference between racing greyhounds and greyhound racing.
 

Syntax 2: tenses.

Syntax 3. Negation:

Look at this sentence: There is no cruelty involved, no-one hits the dogs, the dogs don't fight, and no other animal is tortured.

This illustrates how negation can be applied either to the noun or to the verb. Have students rewrite the sentence, moving the negations from verb to noun, and vice versa.

i.e. Cruelty is not involved, the dogs are not hit.....
 

Students should answer these questions, using complete sentences:
 

1.When did greyhound racing begin in Britain?

2.Can you describe the old type of greyhound racing in your own words?

3.When and why did greyhound racing begin to attract lots of spectators?

4.When was the sport most popular?

5.Why is greyhound racing not considered as a cruel sport?

6.How do the dogs like racing?

7.At what period of its life is a greyhound best for racing?

9.What happens to greyhounds once their racing life is finished?

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