DOG RACING

also called greyhound racing the racing of greyhounds around an enclosed track in pursuit of an electrically controlled and propelled mechanical hare (rabbit). Dog racing is a 20th-century outgrowth of the older sport of coursing (q.v.), in which dogs hunted by sight rather than scent. O.P. Smith demonstrated dog racing in 1919 at Emeryville, Calif., and the first track opened there that year. The sport was introduced in England in 1926 and became more popular there than in the United States. Dog racing later spread to such other countries as Ireland, Belgium, and Mexico. In England there are normally eight races to a meeting. The National Greyhound Racing Club (founded 1928), the governing body, established race distances for flat and hurdle races from 230 to 1,200 yards (210 to 1,100 m). Usually no more than six greyhounds run in a race, which is run on grass. Most races are held at night under lights. In the United States, dog racing started in California, but the sport had spread as far east as Florida by the mid-1920s. By the 1990s dog racing was a popular pastime in many states. Dog racing in the United States is under the supervision of state commissions. Eight dogs compete in each race, and there may be 10 or 11 races to a program. Dog tracks in the United States are made of sand and loam and are normally 1/4 mile (400 m), most races being at 5/16 or 3/8 mile. Betting, an essential feature of dog racing in most countries, is by the pari-mutuel (totalizator) system. Related canids The evolutionary process that brought about the domestication of the wild canid also created many other types of canids that have remained similar to dogs in genetic structure but with marked differences. Wolves The modern dog appears to be closely related to its most common ancestor, the wolf. The Canis lupus species includes more than 30 subspecies found in different parts of the world, some of which are now extinct. The subspecies vary greatly in size and colour, with the largest (averaging 95 to 100 pounds [43 to 45 kilograms]) found in the Arctic regions and the smallest (averaging 30 to 35 pounds) being the Texas red wolf. The most striking similarities between the dog and the wolf are their instinctive behaviours of play, dominance and submission, scent marking, and the females' care for their young. Wolves are much more like dogs than like either coyotes or foxes in temperament and manners. Wolves appear to be instinctively more social than any of the other wild canids, thus lending themselves to interaction with humans in relationships beneficial to both. Wolves and dogs will mate willingly, as will dogs and coyotes. There are differences, however. The wolf matures more slowly than the dog. It reaches sexual maturity at about the age of two or three, at the same time that it achieves social maturity. A male wolf will not challenge the leaders of the pack until it is both physically and behaviorally mature. The female wolf cycles annually.