Dogged by persistent allegations of animal cruelty – some proven to be true – greyhound racing tracks near and far have lost the public’s puppy love.

Rack ‘n’ Roll

Though greyhounds have been bred to be canine companions for thousands of years, the first modern greyhound racing track with grandstands opened a mere century ago in Emeryville, CA. By the mid-1920s the sport had spread to Great Britain, and today at least a half-dozen countries around the world allow gambling at greyhound races. That’s not to say the bloom has come off the mechanical hare – it has. Closed and abandoned dog-racing tracks aren’t at all uncommon nowadays, with one of the most notable being the stadium above in Black Canyon City, AZ. Flickr members MARLON SEPPALA and Thomas Schultz snapped the moribund “DOG _RACK” in July of 2008 and September of 2010, respectively.

The Finished Line

Owen Patrick Smith, the “father” of modern greyhound racing, invented the mechanical hare not to beguile Bugs Bunny but to remove actual live bunnies from the equation. Society has progressed further in recent years – some dog tracks have dispensed with the robo-rabbit entirely, in favor of a windsock-like device. Still, for many operations the changes were too little and too late. Flickr member Katy Warner captured the grim atmosphere surrounding this dog-tired abandoned dog racing track near Florida’s Daytona Speedway in February of 2009.

Swansea Song

Smith’s vision was to get the public to see “greyhound racing as we see horse racing”, and that included monetizing the operations through gambling receipts. It was a winning proposition… for a while. In the UK, greyhound racing was a hit with the public: over 40 tracks affiliated with the Greyhound Racing Association were up and running by the end of 1927, just a year after the first organized race was run.

The popularity of greyhound racing in the UK reached its peak just after the end of the Second World War. By the early 1960s, however, the industry as a whole entered a long period of decline. One of the main contributing factors was the passing of the Betting and Gaming Act in 1960, which permitted off-course cash betting. Flickr member Alexander Jones visited the much-deteriorated remains of the Swansea Greyhound Stadium in June of 2012.

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Hounded 7 Abandoned Greyhound Racing Tracks

Long distance bus transportation has been in decline for decades, leaving countless abandoned bus stations to watch time and potential passengers pass them by.

The old abandoned Greyhound Bus Terminal at the corner of Third and Sycamore streets in Evansville, Indiana opened in 1938 and dazzled Depression-weary commuters with its cheerful sky blue exterior and sleek Streamline Moderne styling. Flickr user cmh2315fl captured the old terminal on a sunny April day in 2012.

Though abandoned for many years, the terminal cost just $150,000 to build so Greyhound definitely got their money’s worth. In 1992 the terminal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 2012 it was renovated, restored and adapted for use as office and community space at one corner of Evansville’s Bicentennial Park.

Going, Going, Ghana

Flickr user Sarah (lotor-matic) snapped the above shots of a disused STC bus terminal while visiting Ghana’s Cape Coast in October of 2008. The terminal must have been quite a sight back in the day but now its exposed roof beams make it look more like a beached and bleached whale skeleton than a former transportation hub.

Sad State Of The Union

If we’re talking about the old Union Bus Station in downtown Oklahoma City, then one might say its state is… terminal? The station operated from 1940 through 2013 and the building was (and still is) distinguished by a blue vitrolite front facade that’s proved to be as durable as it is beautiful. At one point destined for demolition, the property has been bought by a local developer who has pledged to preserve the building’s Art Deco attributes and striking signage through the course of redevelopment.

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Terminal Velocity 10 Abandoned Intercity Bus Stations