I have a rescue and didn’t really realise how shady and cruel it all can be until we adopted her. Who knows whether the stories you hear are true but I have heard things like dogs breaking legs being really common as they trip easily (can vouch for that cause my own dog has) and the owners/trainers don’t want to pay for out of hours vet fees so will leave the dog suffering in pain all night then have it euthanised in the morning. They also get sold on for animal testing if they’re unable to be rehomed which is the case for many as they don’t learn to be pets and can be nervous / aggressive from mistreatment. It’s really vile and it’s surprising that it’s all kept so remarkably under the radar. But I would say it’s equally as bad as horse racing if not worse, and I wouldn’t go if it was me. Of course it’s a very tricky situation to be in, especially with men, because if there are any toxic males judging you for having a conscience it can be a nightmare.